At first, it seemed a serious investigation was underway. But after a few days, it became clear that the pursuit of the criminal was languishing, despite a wealth of evidence that might be examined to determine his or her identity. The police became bogged down trying to take statements from the reticent clientele of the Forum and Firkin, and the evidence was scattered among many individuals. I took it upon myself as a reporter for the h2g2 Post to collect the evidence myself and correct the oversight of injustice.

But if we look coldly at who might have benefited most from Demon Drawer's incapacitation, it must be noted that Celery and Webjello have pulled ahead of the Demon Drawer and Joanna campaign in the polls since the attack. Indeed, the two have held a glittering gala event which has distracted our community from the unsolved crime.

And there is another matter to consider. The murder attempt was bold and cunning, occuring as it did in a public place among a variety of witnesses. What's more, it showed a blatant disregard for the relatively accepting moral code within h2g2 in general and the Forum and Firkin in particular.

Everyone at the Forum and Firkin during the fateful event was a regular. They all had reason to protect the reputation of their favourite establishment -- except for one person. Redbeard mentioned the week of the event that he was "relatively new" there. Indeed, the murderer must have known that a poisoned drink could seriously hurt business at the pub, and only Redbeard was in a position to dismiss this concern and yet maintain a good conscience.

Redbeard did have a motive to be at the Forum and Firkin. He was researching the place for his Roving Reporter column. This gave him the perfect excuse to scrutinize the tiniest details of the establishment, and of course to spend lots of time there.

Perhaps at first, he was searching for dirt on the biggest threat to his candidates of choice, Celery and Webjello. As their Chief Political Operative, Redbeard must have known that Demon Drawer and Joanna were ahead in the polls. Perhaps all he wanted was a nice, juicy scandal. But as time wore on, it became clear to Redbeard that Demon Drawer had absolutely nothing to hide, and nothing to be ashamed of.

Not long before the event, Redbeard mentioned the Presidential race. Was this a sign that his veneer of gentility was finally cracking in frustration? Redbeard tried to pass the election off as "no big deal," even though everyone who knew him was aware of his fervent, nearly fanatical campaigning for Celery and Webjello.

What all this added up to for me was a suspicion, a reporter's hunch if you will. Perhaps Redbeard's real motive for being in the Forum and Firkin was to stake out the joint, paying special attention to Demon Drawer's words and habits there. Perhaps RedBeard even took to drinking Guinness because Demon Drawer drinks it.

To see if my hunch was correct, I took a closer look at the details of the evening. If Redbeard was the murderer, perhaps he made a slip that could aid in my investigation.

Next Page: The events of the fateful evening

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