I'm catching up on jam fics but wow so many questions about motivations and secrets in this update! This fic just keeps getting better and better!

Oooh, that’s an answer to the Roy backstory that I definitely wasn’t expecting. You are so good at this.
“ Maybe they could just forget it all and stay locked in his bedroom, sustaining only on each other, and when someone came for them at the end of the week they could say “there’s been a murder? We didn’t know, we’ve been too busy here.”” Would also read this story, not going to lie.
Okay. Okay. Okay. Never before has a storyline about Roy been so damn interesting. I am concerned that the implication will be that Jim pushed him down the stairs & all of a sudden will be suspect number one for everything…
As always, your writing is flawless & I am in awe of your talent.

True story: I finished a detective novel over the weekend, and I was thinking at the end of it, "this is not nearly as an engaging a mystery as Murder in Savannah." So I'm particularly glad it's back.

NGL: I've kind of been wondering if we were going to acknowledge the fact that this is taking place in the Jim Crow South in 1947. I did not anticipate we were going to acknowledge the anti-Japanese violence of the era. Well done. Poor Hide. He's not been a lucky man in most universes. Seems starkly and depressingly realistic that Roy would've gotten away with this for that time, and you know, many, many, many years to come. Okay. I'm sad now. Ummmmm... I *do* like that you managed to make Roy's confession both a red herring/misdirect AND an explanation of part of the mystery of Roy, and squeeze in a little about his connection with Packer at the same time. That's just really well-executed mystery writing right there.

Also. HIM DYING AT THE END. AND IN A WAY THAT COULD REALLY EASILY IMPLICATE JIM. Completely karmic, fun parallel, and also HUGE TWIST. This is all working out really nicely for Pam, isn't it?

I am fairly convinced someone on the staff is involved, or at least up to someone nefarious. I can't decide if it's Toby or if he's just, you know, a upright "moralist." Or maybe has a crush on Pam? Ugh. Toby. (Especially because I still think it's Erin. And it does occur to me that it may well be Toby thinks JIM is the murderer.)

It's back!

"He left out the details of Roy’s confession, not stupid enough to trust Toby with anything of value, information or otherwise."

This along with his total allegiance to Packer makes Toby still my primary suspect. Yeah, could be obvious, but it just makes sense given what we know. Giving Toby a backbone is an interesting choice, you're turning him into Lloyd Gross.

Guess Jim isn't the one after all given the final few paragraphs but who knows? Pam could be the one who killed Roy specifically (since he's the only one she would have a vendetta against), but I really don't want it to be her.

And then there's Erin... on my list. She's constantly getting yelled at by people and clearly comes from a sheltered household, and could end up snapping as a result. Maybe she wants to take out anyone disturbing the peace? Or maybe Packer was a father to her and she's taking out any potential suspects trying to find his real killer. Another reach, I know, but it's a possibility.

The Hide thing came out of *nowhere*, and a very neat touch tying in the factual events of a post-WWII America. A shame, he is the #1 heart surgeon in Japan. And Roy? Well, he certainly was a piece of work. Very like him to drink to forget. His descriptive death was sad to read, though, and it's interesting to see just how deep these connections to Packer go.

Another fun and gripping chapter!

*what?!*
I thought Roy confessing to a murder was gonna be the big twist but now he’s dead?! Toby is going to have a field day with this one. I need the next chapter immediately, please.

I love how Jim and Pam have become each other's person so quickly in this story. Like, snuggling to sleep? I love it.

We hadn't seen much of Roy till now, but boy did he come into the spotlight here. I can't wait to see what happens next!

ACH, poor Creed! He's with his horses now. It's strange to think of him being gone, you always sort of thought he was immortal.

I love Dwight being undeterred by murder. This is very much the Dwight who eats his way through the awkwardness of Dinner Party.

How *did* that notebook get back in his room? You have Pam, being there without him... Ryan, free to wander while Kelly and Erin occupied Pam... really any of the staff.... hmmmmmmm. ::suspicious look at Pam, who definitely mentioned yet another possible motive here with her appearance of complicity with any wrongdoing of Roy's::

As stated in chat: my bet is Roy killed Creed, perhaps for having discovered him destroying some evidence of his nefarious doings, but someone else killed Packer. (Probably Pamme Fatale. Or... maybe Erin.)

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RIP Creed. Sorry that he had to go but it’s an interesting choice being that every can assume and seems to assume it was natural causes.

Ah the mystery of the journal book. It does seem very much like it was Pam. It will be interesting to see.

I happen to love Erin and it was nice to get a little bit of her story here too.

You are doing such a wonderful job of weaving tougher the mystery and the love story and keeping us all intrigued.

And then to have it end with that Roy confession. You are quite the queen of cliffhanger.

For once I don’t have to worry about being spoiled in the chat. Yeah me. And yeah you for such a great job with this chapter.

I don't know how you do it, but this fic just keeps getting more and more interesting!

First time catching one of these things in the nick of time!

Okay, first off, Creed? How *dare*. Where will we get our Creed Thoughts now? I kid, of course, but I'm just glad he's at peace.

The ending with Roy was ingenious. You captured his actions and mannerisms perfectly here. His absolute drunken state, the knawing guilt, relying on the man he probably already knows is trying to steal his fiance... it's extremely tragic. I'm not sympathetic to Roy, but I can't help but feel that he doesn't deserve what's happening... I'll get to that.

But nooo, Erin! Please! Look, I love Kelly too, but I will say if it was her, we're getting some premiere Ryan moments, and I am here for that.

Phyllis and Andy's revelations were welcome, the latter making complete sense given the canon character's history. He seems fine financially, but Nard Dog will be ruined if the Bernards' reputation tanks. He cares about status more than money.

Okay, the two are Pam and Toby.
Pam? The book and possibly manipulating Roy as she laid peacefully despite all that unrest and Jim is running ragged, probably doing this *for* him in the first place. Sweet Irony.
But... I dunno, Toby just seems more plausible. We now know absolutely nothing about him- heck, we know more about Erin now, the poor thing, and *he knows this house*. Inside and out. And with the book, he not only has an idea of Jim's thought process but also knows exactly which buttons to press, when, and how often. And returning the book is only gonna drive Jim even madder, now that he's crafting an extremely useful alibi in Pam.
Do believe Roy is a killer? Sure. But he's not one to pull the strings, especially not in the state he's in right now. He wants Pam framed and jailed, preventing him or anyone else-especially Jim-from having her.

Michael dogs on him a lot in canon, but if Season 4 has proven anything, he can act like a spineless coward when it comes to Pam, a mere infatuation. Obvious? Not too much, but definitely plausible.

And finally... Never change Dwight, never change.

Oscar... in the sitting room... with the candlestick? You slay me.

I love Jim’s gambit here with Dwight and how perfectly it hits the mark. I'm glad you're showing us Jim being a clever reporter who knows how to get information with people. The Money callback here was also great... I am very interested in what the 1940s version of Sprinkles being euthanized was.

Pam sliding into bed with him and them waking up cuddled together was ADORABLE. And the bathtub scene... wow. Also, very femme fatale move, Pam. #PamIsTheKiller #TeachTheControversy

THAT CLIFFHANGER. HOW DARE YOU, MADAM. PLEASE WRITE FAST.

I hope it was Roy who was killed LOL. But I have a feeling that would put all the suspicion on Pam and make Jim not trust her again :(

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And the murderball begins to roll.

The Agatha Christie novel thing was great, and my word Dwight and Oscar were the absolute highlights of this chapter. The exchanges full of regret and resentment and bitterness are just so eloquently translated. The subtle callback to "Money" and the attitude towards homosexuality at the time does demonstrate Jim's truly empathetic nature, despite his fast-talking snark. Hell, you did this whole love square plot better than the show did.

So the guessing game:
I don't think it's most of the staff. Kevin and Erin are none too bright and total sweethearts (despite the former's gambling problem), Kelly couldn't care less, Creed just wants to be left to his own devices, Devon's not even around half the time, and the closest I can see is Ryan, but he wouldn't really have the motivation or the drive other than Packer's a prick (or his paycheck).

So my three possible culprits now are:

PHYLLIS: We know the least about Phyllis, and her actions indicate she's hiding something.

ANDY: We know even less about Andy, only that he's flamboyant, a singer, and went to Cornell (so, canon). He *does* come from big money, after all; the Bernard family is loaded and can definitely have some secrets, none of which may even involve him. And he is the one who found the next body, so he may be responsible for that murder alone?

Not JIM, not PAM... but TOBY. Who seeks to frame one or both of them for the murders.
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THE ALIBIS:
- Jim: I've mentioned before his silence towards Pam and his shock when seeing Packer's body being indications of guilt, but there's the fact that he would do *anything* for Pam, how the story has been pushed aside for Pam.
- Pam: His notebook was missing the next morning after he and Pam made love (more on that later), she was gone for a period of time this morning before she cuddled by his side, and if Jim is the genius this story paints him as, he guessed it was her from the start.
- TOBY: He's the HoH. He has access to every room in the vicinity, knows the place inside and out. Kevin is an easy target (the poor thing), as can the other staff... well mostly just Ryan, but that's because he's an ass.
He has barely interacted with anyone in this story, and it's always Jim, always antagonistically. He responded to Packer's death with "stunned silenced", which can easily be faked. He snuck around while the Schruperts were hot on the case.
He knows Laurels' estate inside and out. If anyone can trap all of them there, it's him.

THE NOTEBOOK:
- Jim: Someone is already onto him and has stolen it. Bear in mind, he flipped out when it went missing, and who knows what other info he had *besides* the profiles of the various guests and employees? He may have info of the house itself, he's gone for walks in the past.
- Pam: She knows how smart he is, and he can deduce how any one of them can be framed for their crimes. So she stole it, not to incriminate him but one of the others, giving him the story he's been looking for, a story that will give them a lovely life of luxury.
- TOBY: With the notebook, he now has access to Jim's entire experience in the house so far. And he can easily craft something out of that, something that will incriminate either party. Hell, Jim probably wrote some passages about Pam, giving him more ammo.

MOTIVATION:
- Jim: He wants to write the biggest story The Philidelphia Tribune has ever seen, to give Pam the life she deserves.
- Pam: She's so sick of Roy's bull, of Packer, of this whole damn life and wants to live a fancy new life with Jim, possibly on the run.
- TOBY: obviously his immediate crush on Pam. This probably isn't the first time he's seen her, either; Roy must've visited with Packer a lot and they get along despite the leverage he had over Roy, and Pam - of course - would always tag along. Her bright face and sunny disposition warmed his heart, but he hoped one day Roy can be out of the picture, and that nearly could've happened... but she wants Jim.
And if *Toby* can't have her, *then nobody will*. And both lovers will suffer for it. Because his bitterness and resentment took control of his life.

"'What kind of notes are you taking?'"

"He made an entry for Toby that included only that he was head of the house staff and not that he had sent a chill up Jim’s spine."

"Jim wasn’t sure where Toby’s sudden hostility had come from, but he didn’t care to stick around for more of it."

"Others were missing, too--Kelly and Erin, TOBY, PHYLLIS, Ryan, Michael--but it didn’t matter."

And this is the most telling:

"This outwardly benign line of questioning and the way Toby talked was starting to get underneath Jim’s skin and make him feel...unsettled. And not just because he didn’t know how to answer Toby’s query, but also because he suddenly was struck with the realization that these were people, real people, and he’d been sneaking around the house hoping to dig up dirt on them so he could jot it down in his little leatherbound book."

Jim and Pam seem to be too empathetic and kind to kill someone... but Toby sure isn't. It may be too obvious, but the plausibility and the motives are certainly there. This is why I believe if any of the three *actually* did it, Roy is that dead body Andy found.

My hope is that the ending isn't a tragedy (since that's not one of the genres) and that if either Jim or Pam really *is* the killer, the two have some sort of happy ending (which is legit my only concern right now because *it's well-deserved*.)

If you've ever read my writing, I'm a big fan of character studies, and you got me roped into a piece of fiction that meets that niche.

I can't stand it. Thank you.

Well done!