Trigger Happy Equines

“I AGREE WITH THAT!”

Inflatable Ring <> she was hidden in a locker?

< Argument Break >

“I think Dish Panner is right. Pinkie was hidden in one of the lockers.”

“She was?” Dish Panner remarked. “I mean, I thought so, since they’re just about big enough.”

“Yeah!” Button butted in with. “I wanted to hide in one to get away from killers! I guess Pinkie thought of it before me.”

“But is that possible?” Sanscript asked. “Could she really lock herself away and then get out of there?”

“No,” I said, “that’s not what I’m getting at. I think she was moved into a locker after she was killed. More specifically, her own locker.”

“Oh?” Shetland perked up. “What makes you think that?”

“The inflatable ring,” I stated. “When we searched the female locker room it was found in Pinkie’s locker.”

“So?” Elsie hissed. “You think she took it in there to have some fun while in hiding?”

Inky’s eyes grew wide. “Wait, you can pleasure yourself with an inflatable ring!? Surely you’d need one of those long thin balloons and a tire pump to get anything good happening.”

The room fell deathly silent for a moment, a torrent of disgusted and judgmental glares baring down on Inky. Button’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed onto the floor. Even Monobunny looked shocked.

“What?” Inky said nonchalantly. “Don’t you mares say you’ve never done it.”

Maribelle uttered a quiet prayer under her breath and performed a ritualistic motion with her hooves. “May you be forgiven, my dear.”

“Anyway…” I continued, trying desperately not to picture Inky and her escapades with balloons. “What I mean is the inflatable ring wasn’t just deflated, it was torn apart. That’s not something I think Pinkie would have done, especially since it’s the one she picked out herself. I think it was the killer.”

“But why?” Dish Panner piped up. “What would they gain from such a thing? And what does it have to do with being hidden in a locker?”

I thought for a moment, choosing my words carefully. I felt like I was finally getting the hang of speaking to a large group. “Picture this: The killer goes with Pinkie to the swimming pool and kills her. Now they want somewhere to hide the body and the perfect place would be in a locker. Now, if they hid her in their own locker it would make everyone suspect them, so they decide by hiding the body in Pinkie’s locker using her keycard, they could evade suspicion and look for an opportune time to remove the body to pin it on someone else. Also, it means nobody could possibly find her as their keycards wouldn’t allow access.

“But there’s a catch. Pinkie took her inflatable ring to the swimming pool and now the killer needs to hide the evidence. They could try hiding it in the locker alongside Pinkie’s body since nobody would be able to access it, but with it inflated – which was likely the case as that’s how it was when the rest of us saw it last, and Pinkie would have no reason to bring a damaged inflatable to the pool – there’s not enough room in the locker for both Pinkie and the ring. So in desperation they tear open the ring so it deflates immediately and stuff it inside the locker alongside Pinkie.”

“Wow,” Copper remarked. “You’re pretty smart to think of that. Otherwise, why would there be a ripped bathing ring in her locker? And where else could she have been hidden? We already crossed off the roof as a hiding place since Scalpel shut the windows during the search. There’s one thing I don’t understand, though.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“I get that the killer might’ve tried to hide the ring so nobody saw it and got suspicious, or that they suddenly came across the ring in the locker and had to tear it open quickly so they could get Pinkie’s body inside, but why was Pinkie’s towel in a completely different place?”

“Well…” I tried coming up with a worthwhile response but I was drawing a complete blank. “I’m not sure yet. Maybe Pinkie put it there before the murder happened or maybe the killer put it there for some other reason.”

Copper sighed. “It’s okay, don’t worry. Just the way you were talking made it seem like you were going to crack the whole case wide open. But still, deducing that Pinkie was being hidden in her own locker is a big deal, so I guess we–”

“That’s where I draw the line!” Yoko bellowed, taking everyone by surprise. “Greyscale, I’m sorry to do this to ya buddy, but I have to step in before we start going down the wrong track.”

I was at a loss for words. “Um, what is it?”

“I’m challenging your theory,” the stallion replied. There was no hint of his usual friendly or boisterous nature; he was entirely serious. “You’ve been doing some fine work figuring this stuff out but you’re in over your head if you think we should accept what you’re saying.”

I was at a loss for words. Coming from Yoko, someone who had been so nice to me, his words stabbed at my heart. “Y-you’re saying I’m wrong?”

“It happens,” Yoko said with a shrug. “We all make mistakes and there’s no harm in owning up to them, especially if we want to survive this trial. What I’m saying is, you’re wrong about Pinkie being kept inside her locker. It’s obvious that didn’t happen. We have to think of something else. Anyone?”

Yoko’s gaze shifted from me completely as he tried conferring with the other participants. I felt something rise up within me like magma bursting from a volcano. For all my years of backing down and never speaking up, in that split second I felt a barrier in my soul come crumbling down. I looked Yoko dead in the eye. “Explain,” I ordered, my teeth clenched. “You can’t just dismiss my theory at the drop of a hat. Where’s your argument?”

“Oh, brother,” Yoko said, rolling his eyes. “Alright, I’ll explain it to you. And no hard feelings, okay? You’re still my little buddy, alright?”

His condescending tone only made me angrier. I was shocked at myself for feeling such strong emotions. Is it merely because he doubts me? I wondered. I’m not exactly a top detective. Should I really be so self-assured? Why am I taking this so personally? Even when analyzing my response logically I still couldn’t break free of my base instinct to strike back.

“Is this what I think it is!?” Monobunny cried, leaping joyfully into the air. “It is! A battle between two participants! The crossing of mental swords! Sumo Wrestler versus complete Nobody! Who will win this struggle of wits!?”

Greyscale vs Yoko Zuna

Truth Blades

Monobunny File #1

Pinkie’s Keycard

Male Lockers

State of The Body

Machine Gun Cameras

Yoko: You said the killer must have hidden her body in her locker, but when you think about it they could’ve only used their own locker.

Greyscale: But if they did that they’d just be putting suspicion on themselves!

Yoko: We’re here to find the truth and the truth is, sometimes killers do stupid things.

Greyscale: Then why was Pinkie’s inflatable ring torn open?

Yoko: Who knows? Maybe it happened by accident while Pinkie was being attacked and her locker just happened to be open so the killer tucked it away in there.

Greyscale: Even in that case they could’ve put her body in along with it.

Yoko: But then how could they have gotten her out without breaking the locker door? The only way inside is with the right keycard which is trapped in place around Pinkie’s neck!

Greyscale: But there could still be a way…

Yoko: Really? Well you’d better tell everyone or your argument has no footing. And a strong footing is of the utmost importance, just like in sumo!

There has to be a flaw in Yoko’s reasoning. I know I’m not wrong! I just need to make everyone believe!