Shiller snapped his fingers and the lights dimmed again. He stood face-to-face with Gordon. When Gordon turned around, Shiller thrust a sword into his chest.
The process that followed was identical to the previous reasoning, but the reason they repeated it was because they wanted to know under what circumstances the victim would turn around.
"In my experience, the majority of murders where the victim is attacked from behind were perpetrated by acquaintances," Shiller said, crossing his arms. "If it was a stranger or someone they met for the first time, it's rare to be in a completely back-facing position. People only turn their back to someone when they have a high degree of trust in them."
Gordon nodded and said, "Indeed, if it were a face-to-face confrontation, most victims would be shot in the chest, which is common in mob firings."
"On the contrary, if it's a power struggle within the same mob, especially between father and son or brothers, sudden attacks often result in wounds on the back."
"If it was committed by an acquaintance, it suggests that the murderer could be someone in the troupe. Who do you think are the main suspects?" Shiller asked.
Gordon paced on the spot, thinking aloud: "It's hard to say. Crimes of passion and revenge killings are both possible. Although the troupe's boss said Vivian was well-liked, we never really know the hearts of others."
"The issue now is the weapon." Bruce stepped forward and said, "This through-and-through wound is not something an ordinary sharp weapon could achieve. If you want to cause a complete penetration, the blade portion must be at least two to three feet long."
"Nowadays, even the longest daggers on the market don't exceed one foot," Shiller added, "According to my observations of the wound, the weapon is straight and long, approximately three-fingers wide, nearly equal width on both ends."
"A longsword." Bruce answered, "Only something close to a medieval knight's longsword could meet these characteristics."
"This is a theater troupe, where it seems reasonable to find such a sword," said Gordon after finishing his sentence. He then called a police officer and instructed him, "Go find the troupe's boss and have him bring the prop master. Ask if they're missing any props."
After a while, the troupe's boss showed up with the young props master, a woman in her early twenties.
Before anyone could speak, the troupe's boss introduced, "This is Miss Molly, the props master of the Angelica Theatre Troupe. Originally, her aunt did this job, but she fell ill a while ago and Molly has been filling in ever since."
Molly seemed shy, rather awe-struck and hesitant to speak up. Gordon took the initiative and asked, "Have you checked the prop inventory? Noticed anything missing?"
"Yes... Something is," Molly nodded tentatively, a fearful expression on her face. Her boss shot her a stern look and Molly nervously shifted to the side. "Just earlier, when I was counting the stock in the props room, I realized a sword that was supposed to be a part of the knight's armor ensemble is missing."
"What were you doing?" The boss of the troupe reproached her, "Didn't I tell you to keep a close eye on the prop room? How could something be stolen?"
Shiller held up his hand, pacifying the troupe's boss, and turned to Molly to ask, "Do you know when the sword disappeared?"
Molly shook her head, saying, "I…I don't know. But the armor was to be worn by Macbeth in the first scene of the performance."
"Does Macbeth wear armor in the opening scene?" Shiller asked, furrowing his brows.
At this, the troupe's boss spoke, "Our troupe has reinterpreted the four tragedies to a certain extent. We haven't changed the plot, only the guise and costumes have been redesigned to ease people's aesthetic fatigue toward classic plays."
"To accentuate Macbeth's heroic persona in the initial stages, we designed an armor for him. Oh, yes, Alex is currently wearing it." The troupe's boss suddenly remembered something and instructed Molly, "Quick, get Alex over here and ask if he took the longsword."
After a while, Alex, still outfitted in the armor, entered the room looking dispirited. Shiller scrutinized him and found his armor to be newly made. The imprints of wear and tear were minimal and the metal parts gleamed.
"Alex, where's the longsword that came with this armor? Do you know?" The boss of the troupe asked.
It took Alex a while to reply, shaking his head, "No, I didn't see it..."
"So when you put this armor on, there wasn't a sword?" The troupe's boss pressed.
"I…I don't remember… at that time..." Alex shut his eyes, attempting to shrug off the gloom. He began in a low voice,
"When today's rehearsal started, I was late. Plus, it was the first time we were rehearsing with all the props, so I hurried backstage to change."
"Molly told me that Macbeth got new armor and asked me to pick it up from the props room. As soon as I entered, I spotted the new armor and decided to try it on."
"But, the armor was complex to don and I was in a rush. I simply couldn't manage. At that moment, the troupe's makeup artist happened to pass by the props room door and helped me put on the armor."
"As for the longsword... it was my first time wearing this costume, I had no idea there was supposed to be a sword," Alex replied with a dazed expression.
"Makeup Artist?" Gordon placed his hands on his hips and turned towards the troupe leader. "Well then, please bring the makeup artist as well."
After a while, the makeup artist arrived, a man wearing a pink jacket. Upon entering, he crossed his arms and huffed, "I didn't see any longsword in the prop room. It's probably Molly's carelessness. She must have misplaced it somewhere."
The prop master, Molly, dithered, not daring to speak up as she seemed to be afraid of the makeup artist. However, she vigorously shook her head, denying the makeup artist's allegations.
Shiller stood to one side, watching the group shift blame amongst themselves. Molly, the prop master, claimed that Alex was the last one to leave the prop room so he should know where the sword was. Alex said he hadn't noticed any sword as the prop master didn't inform him about it. The makeup artist stated there was no sword in the prop room, perhaps the prop master had lost it.
At this point, Bruce stepped forward, saying, "By the sounds of it, the show must be delayed. I was planning to invite some friends, but it seems better to cancel that plan now."
As he shook his head and was just about to leave, the troupe leader hurriedly stopped him. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he said, "No, Mr. Wayne, the show will go on as scheduled. Vivian not participating in Macbeth's performance won't affect the following shows…"
"Forget it!" Bruce raised his voice, "In the short time since your arrival, a protagonist has died. Who knows if there's a murderer lurking in your troupe? If I come to see the performance, will I end up dead too?"
With a cold snort, he continued on his way out, saying over his shoulder, "I have to tell my butler to let the other butlers know not to come to such a dangerous place. If someone loses their life, hmm…"
The troupe leader's face visibly paled. His recognition of the renowned Bruce Wayne was clear.
In the age of flourishing movies and series, traditional theater has become a niche pastime, mostly for the wealthy, particularly those who have been rich for decades.
The Wayne Family stood at the helm in this circle. If Bruce Wayne spread bad word about their troupe, they would probably be out of the circle for good.
"Molly! Haven't I always said that each prop, when returned to the stockroom, needs a record? Where is your record book?" The troupe leader glared at Molly.
"I…" said Molly, her terrified expression clear. Yet, the troupe leader pressed on, "If you cannot produce the record, then surely you took the sword! Officer, you should take her to the police station and not let her jeopardize our safety here!"
Before Molly could say anything, the troupe leader rushed to say, "Don't think I don't know. You've always been jealous of Vivian, jealous that she is the lead actress on stage when you're stuck behind the scenes as a prop master!"
Molly's face grew paler. Gordon intended to approach and ask what happened, but seeing him approach, Molly seemed to believe he was coming to take her away. Instantly, she sprinted towards the door.
Her sudden run only solidified her suspect status. Two policemen at the door immediately cornered her, pinning her down.
Molly, a frail girl, couldn't resist. Yet, near hysterical, she screamed, "Andov! You scum! You wanted to kill Vivian because she was planning to leave the troupe for Hollywood!"
"You told me to bring you the sword! You even burned the prop book and hinted for Alex to wear the armor so you could frame him, you cold-hearted boss! Murderer!"
"Officer, she's slandering me!" The troupe leader immediately stepped forward to explain, "She's attempting to absolve herself by blaming someone else. How could I possibly kill Vivian? She's our leading lady!"
"It's you! It's you!" Molly yelled, "You eavesdropped on Vivian and Alex's private conversation and found out Vivian didn't just want to go to Hollywood, but she wanted to take Alex with her as well. You hated her to the core so you decided to kill her!"
"Officer, you must believe me, doesn't the good reputation of Angelica Theatre Troupe all these years provide enough guarantee for me?"
The troupe leader was evidently panicking. He walked up to Gordon and said, "Our family has run the troupe for years and acquainted ourselves with many celebrities. They all know I wouldn't do such a thing…"
This was clearly an attempt to pressure the Gotham Police Department, further exposing his guilt. Nevertheless, at this moment, Bruce stopped to look back at Gordon, "I'm more inclined to believe this boss, what about you?"
Gordon was a bit confused, but he nodded in agreement. He signaled the officers, "Take this lady to the station and have her wait in the interrogation room."
Shiller gave Bruce a knowing look, saying, "The most important thing right now is to find the murder weapon."
As Bruce stepped out of the room, he mused, "It's getting late. I'm going home to rest. You continue your investigation."
Then, Shiller turned back to the troupe leader and added, "Don't worry, sir. Please bring in the actors who took part in the rehearsal. We need to ask them some details."
The troupe leader didn't say anything and immediately left the room.
Three minutes later, Bruce had the troupe leader pinned to the floor on the second floor, holding a longsword still bearing the drying blood.