[LCF]

Like now

Hello dear Moderators.

Before I forget - it's LCF.



Now, I narrowed down the suspects to the three most probable.

PilotBob
mtravellerh
Nekokami.

Some of my observations: (Answer is at the bottom, if you want to scroll fast.)

PilotBob has a Penguin avatar - should be the seen penguin from the story.

MTH wipes dust from the readers before the murder, says PilotBob.

BUT Zippy (brilliant btw, great nickname for the nickname)wipes dust from there too. So, if they war cleaned a few hours before - why should she do it? She might just pretend doing it of course, because she's actually eavesdropping.

So, PilotBob lies. That's not really perfect, because he also states, that MTH wouldn't lie. Is he actually lying then? I am just assuming, that PilotBob lies SOMETIMES, but most of the rest is true (otherwise it would be disproved too easily). So MTH says just the truth, which means, he didn't do it.

Assumption it wasn't MTH.

Leaves PilotBob as the most plausible answer. But... I don't like it. Too obvious. Everybody says "there was a penguin" or "a man with a compass", and then the penguin turns out to be a killer. Either too easy for a detective story, or too complicated (because all the smart asses are going to assume it can't be the penguin, being blamed so often). Also, most of the references say, that he did *see* the crime. Not *did* it.

Here is a good place to state, that I'm believing Rock Lobster. Means, I assume everything he said in the last chapter is true. And that's how the jacket could be explained - a cover for the crowbar and then for the stolen reader).

But, unfortunately for him, pshrynk gets seen prying the box with the crowbar. By Nekokami. Which "opposes violently to violence". And kind of goes berserk and kills pshrynk. With the crowbar. After that she hides her head into a bag and everyone has to sing the song. From here comes the "Again." Zelda adds.

PilotBob is a witness. He sees what happens and decides he will help Nekokami. He breaks his own Nook and "gives" it to the body of pshrynk. It is also possible, that MTH is involved too, helping him. A lot of holes o be filled, but still the best I can come with. And, frankly, a can't think anymore due to lack of sleep this whole week, so

I was just going to post Nekokami (this is still not my answer!), when I saw a new message from Rock Lobster. And remembered the timing line, that didn't quite fit.
I mean, how does Zippy ( ) knows, she has to go back in her time? And did she only got back to clean, or did she commited the murder while in the time wrap?

I just read the place(s) 5 times. It still doesn't quite fit. But Nekokakmi's ignorance doesn't quite fit too.

So, before I doze off again and wake up to find out I haven't sent my answer in time - here it is:

Nekokami. (Nothing personal!!) She's just too good to be true.

I am really curious to see the real answer tomorrow!

Thanks for the great mystery! I hope you enjoyed the twisted ways of my logic and got a laugh or eleventy.

LCF