[ WP ] A blizzard strikes during a massive comic book convention , completely isolating the building and the attendees , most of whom are in costume . Then there is a murder . And as you made the mistake of dressing up as Sherlock Holmes , everyone expects you to solve it .

This ended up much longer than I thought. Could have used some tweaking, but I'm interesting in seeing what everyone thinks.: ) 
 
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 I looked down at the man in the Batman costume. He was awkwardly leaning against the toilet, his blood spilled all over the floor and stall. There was even a stain on his face. I noticed a knife, short and blunt, laying next to him. The cape on his back was too small, but while sitting, managed to get into the toilet water. I nodded, and lowered myself off the toilet in the stall next to it. Alice and Dave looked at me. I took a deep breath from a fake pipe and said, with all the authority I could muster, `` I deduce that this man is dead.'' 
 
 Dave nodded sagely. Alice glared at me, a certain phrase on her lips. Somehow, she refrained from saying it, defaulting to `` Oh tell us more, O Wise One.'' 
 
 `` Use your magic, witch.'' 
 
 She snorted. She was staying as far from the blood as possible, her overly long Victorian dress fighting to get soaked in it. She was dressed as Beatrice, some witch from some sort of visual novel, and been boasting not ten minutes ago about her love and knowledge of murder mysteries. 
 
 Derek stroked his magnificent fake goatee. He was dressed as some sort of alien, a captain or something? Always thought the captain was Kirk. `` Did you notice anything else?'' 
 
 `` He was n't wearing gloves? What do you expect me to pull out? I'm not Holmes.'' 
 
 Alice had recovered and shook her own fake pipe at me, `` But you're dressed as him. And him being gloveless is n't a surprise, they're right behind me.'' 
 
 She moved and sure enough, there they were, one on the sink and the other on the floor. Derek nodded, `` He must have taken them off to use the bathroom.'' 
 
 `` But left the cape on?'' I murmured. Derek, apparently not hearing me, moved into the second stall and tried to lean over into the first one. `` Wait, what are doing! This is a crime scene!'' 
 
 Alice frowned, `` The police wo n't be here for a while, maybe not even until tomorrow.'' 
 
 `` Here'' was the Third Annual CommyCon, a ComicCon ripoff that was the closest this city had to entertainment. It was only about a hundred people in a building that could hold five hundred and still have room for everyone to have an interpretive dance routine. Still, there had been some good speakers this time, and the costumes were good, even if I did n't recognize two-thirds of them. I had felt awkward about going as Holmes, especially since I had never read the original stories and was going of an Ace Attorney game. But I was assured ( by Derek, make of that what you will ) that because there pictures in the original stories, it was totally fine. And anime characters wandered around freely anyway. I had n't been thrown out at the front door, so I was thinking it would go fine. 
 
 Then we had an unexpected blizzard. No one had seen it coming, as expected of forecasters. It came, it saw, and it promptly made a mess of things. End result: We were stuck here until people could see their own hand in front of their face. At least the power had n't gone out. 
 
 In was in the middle of this that the body had been found. Some new Russian guy who had been spotted talking with a few people before being found when Derek walked in and noticed the blood pool. 
 
 It had been an hour since then, and the body was now the bat in the room. No one had even bothered to block the bathroom off, everyone was staying far away from it, and we were now lurking in there. And Derek was messing with the body. `` You're contaminating the crime scene!'' 
 
 `` Have you payed attention to this place? It's already contaminated, surprised the bacteria did n't already eat it up.'' He emerged with what looked like some sort of armor plate, `` Meh, crappy costume, I can tell you that. He got the backside of this scratched up. He was n't winning any money at the competitions with this.'' 
 
 `` What is it?'' Alice said. 
 
 `` It's an armor plate, like what Batman wears.'' Derek jumped down and handed it to me, `` I saw the wound too, right beneath it.'' 
 
 Since the chain of evidence has already been broken into many sad pieces, I sighed and looked at it. The scratches honestly did n't look that deep, but maybe the fact that the back was coated in blood had something to do with it. I turned it over in my hands. I wondered if this is what being Holmes might feel like. 
 
 I noticed something. Like a bolt, something felt *off* about this armor plate. I moved my hands over the front of it, feeling the smoothness of- 
 
 Wait. 
 
 `` The wound was below the plate, right?'' 
 
 Derek nodded, `` Yep, first thing I saw.'' 
 
 I moved back to the stall, and looked over at the now disturbed body. The costume did n't fit as well without the plate, but I was n't really noticing that. I was noticed how there was n't any sign of a knife jabbing through the costume. There was n't any mark on the plate either. 
 
 I felt a rush, like someone had just shot me up with cocaine. `` This is a contradiction. Turn the body over.'' Backstabbed. He had been stabbed from the back. 
 
 Thankfully, neither called my out on my obvious hypocrisy, and moved the body off the toilet, letting me get a good look at the back, and the wide wound on it. 
 
 Alice looked at me, `` It's an exit wound from a knife. If you thought he was stabbed in the back, no. I looked at the wound while turning the body over. This knife is n't large enough to leave the wound on the front, if he got stabbed from the back.'' 
 
 I swore. `` What *is* this knife anyway? I've never seen it before.'' 
 
 `` Looks like a mini-version of something from SAO.'' Alice said. 
 
 I looked up at her with a look of total confusion. 
 
 `` Nevermind. It's sharp and kills things.'' 
 
 `` They sell actual knives here?'' I was n't sure what to think of that. 
 
 `` Yep.'' Derek said, `` My brother-in-law runs this, says their's no law against it.'' 
 
 I doubted that. But after a lifetime of friendship, I learned not to underestimate Derek's family. They were either stupidly lucky or part of the Mob. `` Does he know who this guy might be?'' 
 
 `` There's not a guest list. He might, but he has n't called me since the body was found. Course, my cell phone's battery died, so...'' 
 
 `` Probably trying to get police,'' I murmured. `` Can you get him in his office?'' He nodded and left the room. I heard someone go, `` Can I get in there now?'' from outside. 
 
 I stood up and peaked outside. A dark-haired guy in a blue sweatshirt and a tall man in what looked like some sort of Japanese robe and red ponytail were both looking at me. `` Hi.'' I said. 
 
 `` Did they move the body?'' The smaller one said. 
 
 `` No,'' I said, `` Why?'' 
 
 `` I need to use the bathroom, the food here is awful and probably infected with salmonella.'' 
 
 `` Just do n't go in the first stall. Body's on the floor.'' 
 
 The tall guy winced, and the small one ran in, the handle from the sword on his back wacking me in the face. Alice glared, but he was already inside. I looked at the tall guy, `` And you're...'' 
 
 `` Kenshin. It's an anime.'' He reached for the sword in his sheath and pulled it out, it also hitting me in the face. At least this one was rubber. `` You like?'' 
 
 `` Sure.'' Alice nudged me. Great. `` Did you see anything around this bathroom?'' 
 
 `` Nope.'' He shook his head, `` If I did, I did n't know it was important. Why? Playing Holmes?'' 
 
 `` Er...'' 
 
 He laughed, `` You should n't, let the police handle it.'' Just then, the smaller one came out of the bathroom. 
 
 `` Er, you could n't just move the thing?'' 
 
 `` No one else is, and I'm not staining this costume.'' 
 
 He rolled his eyes at me, `` It's a creepy atmosphere. I feel like I'm gon na look in the trashcan and get jump scared.'' 
 
 There was a trashcan in there? I was about to wonder if I should look at it or not when Alice spoke up, `` So, who are you?'' 
 
 `` Saito Hiraga. Swordsman. You have n't heard of the anime though, I promise.'' 
 
 I was about to say that I had when Alice spoke up again, `` Is that real? The sword anyway.'' 
 
 He tched, `` No, they only sell rubber ones here. Trust me, I looked.'' 
 
 `` Real knives but not real swords?'' 
 
 `` I know!'' His eyes lit up and I braced myself for a rant. Thankfully, he seemed to have second thoughts. `` Anyway, I'm going to find a place to take a nap. Doubt anyone will get to us until tomorrow anyway.'' With that, he stalked off, waving at the `` Kenshin'' guy, who had taken a step back. 
 
 `` Until tomorrow?'' I said. 
 
 `` Probably,'' Alice sighed. 
 
 `` Dang it. Want to grab something at the food court before they run out?'' 
 
 `` Are you going to interrogate more people there?'' 
 
 `` If I can eat while doing it.'' 
 
 -- 
 
 Part two ( and solution ) next.
