Greetings, detectives. Welcome to the Puzzlemaster's investigations game!
As usual, I'm too lazy to type up new rules, so I'll just copy and paste, with some minor changes, the rules of the Puzzlemaster's Court series.

For those of you who are familiar with The Puzzlemaster's Court games, the main differences are:
- The game is not restricted to the people who signed up. Anybody can join in/leave at any time (the reason for the sign-up thread is to make sure it's not just 1-2 people playing like what happened with the Puzzlemaster's Mystery series).
- The terms are different to fit with the flavor of the game. Votes are "searches", and a verdict is an "arrest".
- The votes (in this case, "searches") take action (the detectives have to"follow the lead before the trail goes cold") when the majority has reached a verdict (after 10 votes from anybody, even if there end up being more players than 10, are reached, the votes will be tallied and the majority decides what evidence will be revealed).
- It will be necessary to answer more than just "guilty" or "not guilty". In fact, there's not even a defendant on trial, so you'll have to decide for yourself who the guilty party is.

*****THE RULES*****
In this game, you sharp-eyed detectives will be presented with a case. Your job is to determine exactly what's happened in this case.
1. You will all be working together here.
2. Questions which may potentially reveal details or a break in the case may not be asked to me (or at least, you can ask all you like, but I won’t answer), but open discussion is allowed and encouraged. Clarification, of course, and minor stuff like that, I'll answer.
3. As detectives, it's going to be your job to search for clues. However, this isn't always easy. The more detectives work together following the same lead, the likelier it is that they'll find something substantial. Decisions on what evidence or clues to investigate may be changed, but if ever you choose to make an arrest, this cannot be altered.
4. Your final arrest may be presented at any time you please, so long as you can back it up per rule 7.
5. You will not be informed whether you were correct or not until everybody has decided to make an arrest and the truth of the case has been revealed.
6. Please put all search decisions or arrests in bold.
7. Pollywogs sure are cute, aren't they?
8. There are three prizes. One of them will be distributed randomly among the correct voters, the other will be handed out by my judgement on who has the most puzzling power (you can still potentially win a prize even if you vote incorrectly!). To add SOME sense of competition, the first person to vote correctly will win the grand prize, a GOG copy of FTL: Faster Than Light, donated by REDVWIN. Or, if you're not interested in that, there's always stuff from gnostic's list (I'm always amazed at how generous these guys are).
“But, Zeogold!” you cry. “Couldn’t I just guess randomly and have a 50/50 shot at winning?” Ah, here’s the catch: Not only must you make a correct arrest, but you must also properly explain your REASONING to me via PM, and that has to be correct as well. Only THEN do you get the game and become our big winner. You are also allowed to win for somebody else, if you so desire.
9. The day will only advance when the lead is in danger of going cold. If there is a clear majority and one or two detectives seem to be lagging behind, the remaining detectives will be given the option to speed things along.
10. Guns, knives, magic, or mafia members are allowed in moderation. Lederhosen is questionable.

The game is held in a series of rounds, known as “days”. Note that this is NOT a literal 24-hour-period. It is determined by clues asked for, each one causing the day to pass. The object of the game is to solve the case in as few days as possible. For each Puzzlemaster’s Investigations game, I will post the challenge number for those of you who want to push yourselves. This is the minimum number of days required to solve the case.
On each day, you (the detectives) will vote on a piece of evidence to view. This will advance the day. I will only present the evidence once 10 detectives have voted (only exception to this is if the voting is dragged down by one or more inactive members or if there is a clear majority). I will keep track of votes. The game officially ends when all voters have decided on an arrest.

Also, since we have a few actors working with us here, I'll occasionally ask you not to post for a period of time. The signal that posting can commence again will be that the next day will start. This is because I'd like a period of time whereby these guys or me can talk. Please respect this. Makes the game more fun that way.

*****THE DETECTIVES AND THEIR SEARCHES*****
DAY 1
1. kusumahendra - Mike's Video
2. Goodaltgamer - Mike's Video
3. Fantasysci5 - Mike's Video
4. ashwald - Master Bedroom Search
5. skeletonbow - Crime Scene Search
6. trentolf - Master Bedroom Search
7. ZFR - Crime Scene Search
8. deja65 - *BANG*
9. Maxvorstadt - Leroy's Testimony
10. bler144 - Master Bedroom Search

Tally:
3 detectives on the hunt for the video
3 detectives looking into the bedroom together
2 detectives searching the crime scene
1 detective having a friendly little chat with Leroy

DAY 2
1. kusumahendra - Crime Scene Search
2. Goodaltgamer - Mysterious Note
3. Fantasysci5 - Crime Scene Search
4. ashwald - Mysterious Note
5. skeletonbow - CHECKING ON BLER
6. trentolf - Crime Scene Search
7. ZFR - Autopsy
8. Deja- ON THE RUN
9. Maxvorstadt - Leroy's Testimony
10. bler144 - Whatever
11. docbear1975 - Crime Scene Search
12. zeogold - Mysterious Note
1̶̠̳͇͆̏ͫͣͦ͋3͎̝͓͋ͬͪ. sanfueg - Crime Scene Search

Tally:
5 detectives combing through the crime scene
3 detectives trying to make sense of the note
1 detective checking out that body
1 detective trying to talk with Leroy again
1 detective doing whatever

DAY 3
1. kusumahendra - Autopsy
2. Goodaltgamer - Mysterious Note
3. Fantasysci5 - Autopsy
4. ashwald - Autopsy
5. skeletonbow - *TWANG*
6. trentolf - Mysterious Note
7. ZFR - Autopsy
8. Deja- ON THE RUN
9. Maxvorstadt - TOO MUCH LEBERKASE
10. bler144 - Stalk ZFR
11. docbear1975 - Mysterious Note
12. zeogold - Mysterious Note
1̧̛̰̣͔̯̯̲̲͚̞̑̇ͪ͟3̧̪̱͐̕. sanfueg - L̽͏̴̲̠͈̤O̶ͯ҉̻̳̰͟Rͥ͛ͦ̅̄̅҉̴̲̜̲͓̤̮͈͇́È̶̼̳̼̗͔̞̘̬̅̃ͥ̓M̴̨̡͚̓̐ ͔̜͕͈͖ͅ,̸̨̳̘̃̂̉̒͗ͭ̌͢ ̷̸͔͕̱̜͔̳̫̰ͧͯ̇̔̅Ḭ̝̌̊͒̑͂͗͂ͤ͘P̷̞̳̼̲̞̂̊ͥͨ͋̈͆͒̊͢S̨͔̠̰̰̋ͣ͒͐͡Uͮ ̨͙̂ͯM̻͔̥̜̘̭͛̏̏͛͆̑̕ͅ,̸̨͕̫͇͕͍̘̠̐̌̏̊ͮ͘S̢̙̝̭͑ͤ̌̍͊̄̒̊͜E͈̰͇ͬ͆͜͟ Ḿ̇̿̍͒҉͏̯̬̥̦̱̥̰̥P͙̗͎͙̭̝̾͛̒̌͠E̫͎̹̭͎̗̥̍͐̌̃̉̽̀R̸̰̹̺͍̺̽̅̈ͩ͑ͪ̃ ̯ ̵̯̙̟̓ͫ̽̊ͯƯ̶̧̠͇̆ͪ̽Ḅ̣̟̎ͭ̽́͞͞I̢ͥ̀͆͒̽ͧ͏̯̜̮ ̹̻̬̲̣͇͌ͨ͑S̛̭̠̰ͫU͚̝ͤ̌̄͋̈ͭ͋̒̔͘̕͜B̝͓̭̻̼̬̙̀ͮ͑͛ͅ ̫̱͍͛̅́͞͠Ụ͍͔̱͕̣̆̀̓̎B̶̶̜̮̻͓̦̂͑̐́̓͊ͅÌ͚̼̜̰̼ͦ́ͅ.͈ͬͦͪͨ͂̊̈̌ͨ͢͠ ̭͎͈͚.̽ͤ̔͌́҉̵̖̼ͅ.̸͇̤͔͍̩͍͈̗͖͂̌̄ͦ

Tally:
4 detectives trying to get an autopsy report
4 detectives trying to make sense of the note
1 detective in ZFR's pocket

DAY 4
1. kusumahendra - Mysterious Note
2. Goodaltgamer - Leroy's Testimony
3. Fantasysci5 - Leroy's Testimony
4. ashwald - Leroy's Testimony
5. docbear1975 - Leroy's Testimony
6. trentolf - Leroy's Testimony
7. ZFR - Mysterious Note
8. zeogold - Mysterious Note
9. Maxvorstadt - TOO MUCH SEMMEL
10. bler144 - Leroy's Testimony
11. Lucius_Malfoy - Mysterious Note

Tally:
6 detectives questioning Leroy
4 detectives looking over the note

DAY 5
1. kusumahendra - GAVE VERDICT
2. Goodaltgamer - Bring on the bier! ..or the note.
3. Fantasysci5 - Please let it be addressed to Lynette...
4. ashwald - I dunno. Move it along!
5. docbear1975 - Let's examine the note.
6. trentolf - Is it the key of C?
7. ZFR - ALREADY MADE [LACK OF] ARREST
8. Maxvorstadt -
9. bler144 - If we could move things along, that'd be just smurfy.
10. Lucius_Malfoy - Viewtimus Notimus!

*****THE CASE*****
The tabloid TV show, "The Exposition", was in a slump on ratings when its host, Markus Jones, decided to go after the mafia. The mob, of course, was not entirely thrilled with the publicity. After each broadcast, threatening letters and phone calls were sent, but "The Exposition" got soaring ratings. Markus took the threats in stride, installing a security system in his country house and continuing his series of investigations.
The murders occurred one Saturday in late October. Four people were in residence at the country house - Markus; his wife, Lynette; Leroy Aldridge, the show's producer; and Mike, their head camera operator. It was a working weekend and Leroy started the morning meeting by suggesting that the mafia was old news and that "The Exposition" should move on to a new subject.
"No way," Markus barked. "Two more weeks and I'll have the New York families cracked wide open. I've got some new sources you wouldn't believe." He sprang to his feet. "C'mon, Mike. We've got promos to tape."
Markus disabled the alarm. He told his wife to reset it as soon as they left; then he took Mike with his video gear and headed out the door. Within minutes they were surrounded by trees. The tape was rolling, and suddenly, the assassin appeared from behind a rock.
The figure was dressed in camouflage fatigues, gloves, and a ski mask. Before either man could react, the assassin raised a handgun and shot. Markus screamed and grabbed his leg, just below the knee. A circle of blood oozed through the fabric as the television star collapsed. The figure didn't fire again but simply turned and vanished into the woods.
"I can't move," Markus moaned. "Get help. No, you're turned around. The house is that way. And don't get lost."
But Mike did get lost. He raced frantically, trying to keep a straight path and failing to recognize any landmarks. It was 10 minutes before he ran into another human being, a neighboring farmer. The two men called the police and then ran back into the woods carrying a makeshift stretcher. When they found Markus, he had already bled to death from the wound.
The second corpse was waiting back at Markus' house. Leroy Aldridge greeted the police in a state of shock. He had been upstairs, he said, on the phone to New York. Bits of noise drifted up from the hall, but he ignored it. Then came the gunshot. Leroy ran to the staircase. There at the bottom, by the open front door, stood a man in full camouflage. At the man's feet was Lynette Jones, lying in a pool of blood. "The guy was just standing there," Leroy stammered. "When he saw me, he brandished the weapon at me but didn't shoot. He just stood there for a second, then disappeared out the door."
Lynette had been shot once at close range. The police wondered what made her open the door. She had taken the threats even more seriously than her husband. There was even a peephole in the door and the alarm had been turned on. Why in the world would she turn off the system and open the door to a gunman wearing fatigues and a mask?
As the homicide team continued the investigation, other oddities popped up, making the case seem more than just an assassination. The .38 used in both murders was discovered just a stone's throw from Markus' body. The fatigues, mask, and gloves were found in a potting shed not far from the house.
Sergeant Zeagold tried to piece it together. "Markus was shot first. Then this killer goes to house and shoots Lynette. He hides disguise in shed, then returns to Markus, wipes off gun, and drops it." The officer frowned. "Why not keep disguise on? And why put gun there instead of disposing of evidence? Kahretsin! It does not make sense!"

*****ARREST DECISIONS*****
1. kusumahendra - No Arrests, Day 5
2. Goodaltgamer -
3. Fantasysci5 - No Arrests, Day 6, #4
4. ashwald - No Arrests, Day 6, #1
5. docbear1975 - No Arrests, Day 6, #3
6. trentolf - No Arrests, Day 6, #2
7. ZFR - No Arrests, Day 1
8. Maxvorstadt -
9. bler144 - Arrest Zeogold, day 6
10. Lucius_Malfoy - Mike Armstrong, Day 6, #1

*****CLUES*****

Puzzlemaster's Challenge:
Solve the case by Day 4 (3 clues).

DAY 1
Puzzlemaster's Thoughts:
Oy. How does that stupid bailiff or doorman or whatever the heck he is always manage to nab a new job that ends up being a thorn in my side?

Clue found: Mike's Video
On the video, Markus is speaking to the camera when eh sees something and stops, frightened. A shot rings out. He screams, grabbing his lower left leg. Turning now, the camera fixes on a masked figure standing by a rock and dressed in camouflage fatigues. It's wearing gloves and pointing a gun. The figure hesitates, as if confused or indecisive, then turns and runs off. The camera returns to Markus holding his leg. A small patch of blood oozes through his fingers. The camera is switched off.

Clue found: Mysterious Note
The note reads:
"My dearest,
I know that. ..... Each moment away from you is torture. ..... the shadows is....tease of happiness....we can give each other.....I trust you......Neither one of us wants....I can barely contain myself....to speed things along, let me know.
Signed,
Your Adoring Slave"
Further investigation will be required to determine whether this note is of any relevance.

DAY 2
Puzzlemaster's Thoughts:
Well, the video looks legit, but this note...I have no idea of telling whether this is a true lead or just a red herring. I'm going to need some help to decode exactly what it says.

Clue found: Crime Scene

Officer Fantas Y. Sci: "The weapon, and unregistered Smith & Wesson .38, was found 40 feet to the right of Markus' body. A cloth, which we suspect was used to wipe it clean of prints, was found tied around the handle. Two spent shell casings were in the chamber. A third casing, from the same gun, was found in a ravine halfway between the house and the murder site. After a bit of trekking, we determined that the body was about a brisk 5-minute walk from his house. The farmer's house is a brisk 10-minute walk in the opposite direction."

DAY 3
Puzzlemaster's Thoughts:
What kind of idiot leaves the cloth with the gun? Perhaps the killer intended it to be left for another person to use? This keeps getting more and more interesting.

Clue found: Autopsy Report
Officer Fantas Y. Sci: "A huge amount of blood soaked through the deceased's left pant leg. The bullet entered just above the knee, severing an artery and causing massive bleeding. A single bullet was retrieved from the leg. No other wounds are visible."

DAY 4
Puzzlemaster's Thoughts:
Something seems very wrong about the placement of that shot.

Clue found: Leroy's Testimony
Privatdetektiv Goodalt Gamer: "Leroy described the intruder as wearing tight-fitting camouflage fatigues. Other than the fit, his memory of the assailant was pretty much the same as Mike's. When we asked about Lynette Jones' connection to 'The Exposition', he said: 'Lynette was executive producer. Markus did it for tax purposes, putting his part of the company in her name. I guess that's why the mob included her in the hit. I'm in charge of day-to-day production.' His alibi seems to check out, too. He had been on the phone for about 20 minutes. His assistant who was on the other end swears that she heard the gunshot in the distance."

DAY 5
Puzzlemaster's Thoughts:
Well, there's only two real options. Either that testimony checks out, or the assistant's in on it, too. Either way, what was so fishy about the fit of the costume? How many killers are we dealing with, here?

Clue found: Mysterious Note
The note reads:
"My dearest Lynette, I know we have to wait. Each moment away from you is torture. Sneaking around in the shadows is only a small tease of the happiness I know we can give to each other. I trust you to handle the divorce right. Neither one of us wants to be poor, but all the same, I can barely contain myself. If I can do anything at all to speed things along, let me know. Signed, Your Adoring Slave."

DAY 6
Puzzlemaster's Thoughts:
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a motive! Now hopefully we have a solution, too.

*****CHARACTERS*****
Case members
Markus Jones - Deceased. Host of the show "The Exposition", a cheesy tabloid show which supposedly reveals the shocking truths that are hidden in the world.
Lynette Jones - Deceased. Wife of Markus Jones. Was concerned about being attacked by the mafia.
Leroy Aldridge - Producer of "The Exposition". Was on the phone when Lynette was shot. Came downstairs and saw the perpetrator, but was not shot at himself.
Mike Armstrong - Head camera operator for "The Exposition". Was operating the camera when Markus was shot. Ran to get help, but came back too late.

Detectives
Detective Kusuma Hendra - A laid-back private eye whose calm demeanor helps him to see cases with a clear head and catch facts which others who rush tend to miss.
Privatdetektiv Goodalt Gamer - An investigator from Germany, he's traveled here with Maxvorstadt to seek out clues which may lead him to beer and leberkäse. Oh, and clues which could help him solve the case. That, too.
Officer Fantas Y. Sci - A proud member of the force who served for some time at Scotland Yard after a transfer, she's now back in the states and working privately. Donning a deerstalker and tweed coat for some bizarre reason, she's eagerly joined the case, ready to help in any way she can.
Detective Ash Wald - A rookie detective who's seen many a court case, but has now decided to try his hand at investigating. He keeps wondering why everybody keeps calling him a "rookie" when he's seen so much court action, but nobody ever seems to give him an answer.
Detective Skeleton Bow - An experienced detective whose guitar helps him solve cases. Well, ok, not really, but he carries it around with him everywhere he goes. We'll just assume it's magical or something. Who knows, it might just be useful! - IN A DUEL
Detective Trent Olf - A peaceful sort of detective who's the only real rookie at his job, but everybody still treats him better than Ash Wald for some reason.
Detective ZFR - An insightful investigator who's sick of all the Irish policeman jokes he keeps getting when he's trying to solve a case. Will he ever escape them? Aye, sure look it.
Detective Deja - An ex-SBPOK member, he now works freelance, finding it to be less binding than working on the force. He's come as a special member from Serbia, ready to solve any case that comes his way. - ON THE RUN
Privatdetektiv Max Vorstadt - A Schnüffler who's flown all the way from Germany with Goodalt. He spends his life seeking tasty new additions to his dishes. Unable to resist a good mystery hunt, he came over as soon as he could after hearing about a potential new case.
Detective Bler - The short, smurfy fellow with the razor wit, he's hitched a ride on the shoulders of Ash Walt to investigate another case. It could be that his size lets him see minute details. It could also be that his constant bobbing and weaving to avoid getting stepped on helps him to trip over vital clues. Nobody's entirely sure how he ever does it, but he does.
Doctor Bear - Known as "The Doc", she has no formal training in investigation, but her natural intuition aids her in solving mysteries. Doesn't actually have formal training in medicine, either. Or even any training at all.
B̶r̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶S̶a̶n̶f̶u̶e̶g̶ ̶-̶ ̶A̶ ̶s̶i̶l̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶m̶y̶s̶t̶e̶r̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶l̶k̶s̶ ̶c̶l̶o̶a̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶d̶a̶r̶k̶n̶e̶s̶s̶.̶ ̶N̶o̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶r̶u̶n̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶i̶n̶d̶.̶ ̶H̶e̶ ̶o̶p̶e̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶m̶u̶n̶i̶c̶a̶t̶e̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶m̶y̶s̶t̶i̶f̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶e̶r̶d̶i̶m̶e̶n̶s̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶s̶,̶ ̶i̶n̶c̶l̶u̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶P̶u̶z̶z̶l̶e̶m̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶H̶i̶s̶ ̶E̶t̶e̶r̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶S̶q̶u̶i̶d̶d̶l̶i̶n̶e̶s̶s̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶S̶h̶a̶d̶o̶w̶ ̶P̶a̶t̶r̶i̶a̶r̶c̶h̶.̶
Inspector Lucius_Malfoy - Well, this is weird.

Other Characters
The Puzzlemaster - Detective Zeo Gold, also known as the Puzzlemaster. He usually helps to run the local court, but after losing his medical license, he's decided to hone his puzzle-solving skills in order to properly run Puzzle, Inc., which he is now in charge of. He's called together 10 detectives to help him solve this current case.
Sergeant Zeagold - A Turkish immigrant who was previously a doorman for the Carlton Towers and a bailiff for the Puzzlemaster's Court. He now has a job working for the police (how he ranked so highly so quickly, nobody knows) and is determined to keep the Puzzlemaster out of his way.
The GOGfather - The Italian mob boss of GOG. He's put the Puzzlemaster on the case to clear the name of his mob, and given the puzzle-loving detective a week to solve it.
The ghost of Tauto Taunto - Deceased. Used to hang around in open places and hurl insults and accusations at random passersby. He was shot and killed by Detective Deja. Some say his spirit still haunts the area...
Djaron Djestere - The mad jester who sings mysterious limericks of wisdom in the night.

*****RESULTS, PART 1*****
ZFR
"What I'm definitely sure of: Lynette was killed by her husband. He pretended to be shot in the leg, sent Mike purposely in the wrong direction, ran to the house, shot his wife, dumped the clothes, ran back, shot himself in the leg for real this time, threw the gun as far as he could.
Although I'm sure this is what happened, 2 things don't fit.
1) Why did he die. He made the perfect alibi for himself, so why was he dead. It doesn't make sense.
I have two possible solutions
a) By accident. He didn't mean to, but he shot an artery and bled to death without being able to do anything.
b)On purpose. It was a form of suicide.
I choose (b) It was suicide and the motive will be explained later.
The second thing that doesn't fit:
2) Who shot him in the leg. I see three possibilities.
a) Leroy or Mike. I reject both. If either of them did it, there was no need to do all the elaborate set up. None of them would fit with my main theory.
b) An assistant (e.g. the farmer). This one is more like it, but I'll reject it too. Even if that person was convinced to do this act, that person would have to come forward during the investigation.
c) The wife! That's what I'm going with. Several things fit with this hypothesis.
So here is what I think happened:
Lynette was having and affair with Leroy. Markus found out and decided to take revenge by killing her and framing Leroy.
He convinced his wife to do the act with the masked assassin, telling her that it will benefit the show due to the publicity. Leroy wasn't happy with the show concentrating on the mafia as it was, so Lynette agreed to do the act to make things more interesting.
Markus killed her as described, then commited suicide by shooting himself in the artery and bleeding to death.
And that's it. (but not finished yet...)
Metawise: I'm not sure this is the correct solution, since you specifically said that the verdict should be an "arrest" and in my situation there is no one to arrest. Unless you meant it as a red herring. I chose Leroy in my post, because if he was having an affair with the wife, he was the "source" of the problem. But I can't see him arrested by the police for that.
Metawise: what points in the direction that my solution is correct is your choice of words. The fact that you mentioned a masked "figure" as opposed to "man" (so it could be the wife) and having Markus grabbing his leg without specifying anywhere that he was really shot.
I'm hoping the crime scene investigation will clear up some points (2 bullets? false blood?)"
Analysis:
That was...pretty much entirely perfect. How in the world did you get this without even one clue?!

kusumahendra
"Markus killed Lynette and then accidentally killed himself

This is the theory :

It all started when Markus had an idea on how to raise rating for show "The Exposition" mafia edition. He made a secret plan with his wife Lynette. The plan was for him, the host of the show to be shot non-lethally by the mafia, and his wife threaten but safely secured in an alarmed house. This will surely hold public attention and thus raising the rating. So they both started the plan by having Leroy (Producer) and Mike (Cameraman) came to their house.

Markus started the plan. He went out with Mike into forest, while his wife Lynette slip outside house, went to a place where they kept a camouflage suit in a potting, and a gun. The gun of course, empty. Lynette went around, showed up and "shot" Markus. Empty bullet of course. Markus faked being shot. This was being proven by a contradiction of proves. In video, it shown Markus was shot below knee, while in autopsy report the wound is above knee. While acting being in pain, Markus sent Mike away with false direction to buy some time for them to carry on the next plan.

The plan was supposed to be Lynette threaten by a camouflage mob. Lynette came back to the place they agreed on meeting, put off the clothing and give it to Markus along with the gun. Markus putted the cloth on, and loaded the gun. This was of course surprised Lynette.

This was when Markus showed his true intention. For sometime he already suspected his wife was having an affair with someone. When he found out the note, he was sure of it, and plan to kill his wife and put the blame on the mafia and raise the rating. Kill two birds with one stone.

So there, somewhere in the forest between the house and where Markus found dead, Markus was confronting his wife about the affair and the mysterious note. Lynette was afraid and run away. Markus shot her but missed, thus the 3rd empty casing.

Lynette reached the house, and rushed to disarm the alarm. But just when she just opened the door, Markus already caught up. She was shot right at the door from a point blank range, and died immediately.

Leroy went down the stairs to see what happened and see Markus in camouflage. Markus threaten to shoot him but decided to back away. Markus went back to the place where he putted his camouflage suit in a potting, took a cloth piece, wiped clean the gun, and then tied the cloth around the handle to prevent his fingerprint got there later when he shot his own leg and perfected his alibi. After all he was sure he won't be able to wipe it while being in pain of gunshot.

After that he went to the place where he was supposed to get shot. He then proceeded to shot himself at the leg. Too bad he forgot his act and shot in the wrong place.

It was supposed to be a perfect crime, where he had a perfect alibi, and someone else to blame. But one thing was off of Markus calculation. A misfortune. By accident he shot an artery. The bleeding was severe and he died from blood lost."
Analysis:
A very close second. Some small details are off, such as the chase, but it's entirely plausible and works well. Nicely done!

Lucius_Malfoy
"I voted to arrest Mike Armstrong. Here's my theory: Lynette was having an affair. She didn't want to have to go through a divorce with her husband so she just shot him. Mike knew about the affair, and deducted from Lynette's hesitation to kill her husband that it was her. When he got lost, he knew Markus would bleed out so he vowed to avenge him. He stumbled upon the house, saw the disguise thrown aside, put it on and killed Lynette. The rest of the clues are irrelevant imo."
Analysis:
You were right about the affair, but Mike had nothing to do with it. Not a bad solution, but as far as clues being irrelevant, well...everything is important. Except maybe songs and boxes of fish. We're not too sure about those.

*****RESULTS, PART 2*****
ashwald
The Exposition" goes after the mafia and gets great ratings for a while. Constantly talking about the mafia however is going to get old sooner or later so they need either a new subject or something shocking to retain viewer interest. In the meantime, Markus has found out about Lynette's affair. So he decides to kill two birds with one stone by faking an attack from the mob on camera: he'll have his revenge, Lynette's part of the company will be his again and the ratings will skyrocket. He talks Lynette into being an accomplice and (because either she was threatened into it due to him knowing about the affair, or she was promised a good divorce settlement, or Markus never mentioned knowing anything but she thought she could eventually use this to blackmail him into giving her favorable terms on the divorce) she agrees to help.

So while Leroy is on the phone, Lynette puts on the camo, takes the gun (one blank the rest real bullets) that Markus prepared for her and goes to find the filming duo. She shoots at Markus only once as she was instructed, hides the mafia disguise in the potting shed and returns to the house. Markus, who is actually unharmed because he was shot with the blank, sends a terrified Mike running in the wrong direction, goes to the potting shed to wear the camo, grabs the gun and goes to the house. Lynette opens the door for him that something might have gone wrong with the plan and gets shot with a real bullet this time. Leroy comes out of the bedroom and Markus brandishes the gun at him but doesn't shoot because Leroy is to be used as a witness. Markus then re-hides the camo in the potting shed but takes the gun with him and starts towards the place where he had been filming with Mike. Along the way he discards the casing of the blank in a ravine. Once he is in position he shoots himself just above the knee so that when the ambulance eventually arrives there will be a wound to prove that the mafia indeed attacked him. He wipes his prints off with a cloth, ties it around the handle of the gun and throws it as far away as he can muster. Unfortunately for him, the bullet severs an artery and so he dies of blood loss before Mike returns with the medics.

The actual murderer is already dead so no arrest.
PS: the Smith & Wesson .38 is a revolver type and doesn't automatically eject bullet casings. It has to be done manually."
Analysis:
Ah! A clever observation about the gun! You're pretty much on the money with everything. A beautiful solution!

trentolf
"I believe Markus knew about the affair his wife was having so devised a plan to have her murdered and to boost his ratings more. I think the assassin was to shoot Markus but not kill him (was just an unlucky shot that hit a vein) and then shoot Lynette (I believe Markus gave the assassin the door code) to make it look like a mob hit. Markus did not want anyone else hurt and that is why Leroy and Mike were not shot. Further investigation will be needed to determine who the assassin was that Markus hired."
Analysis:
Those were pretty much the basics, except there was no assassin. Interesting idea of hiring a third party, though.

docbear1975
Here's my theory. It's completely nuts.
Lynette and Markus plotted to kill each other. However, things didn’t go entirely as planned. Markus killed Lynette, then accidentally killed himself. Markus suspected that Lynette was having an affair and decided to kill her. Lynette, knowing that a divorce would be messy and complicated (especially the financial settlement) decided to kill Markus.
Markus’s suspicions of Lynette’s affair were confirmed when he found the note. He then suspected that she was plotting to kill him (or at least have him killed). On the fateful day, Lynette (dressed in fatigues) followed Markus and Mike. She shot at Markus, but missed. Markus pretended that the shot hit him. He then sent Mike to get help, deliberately sending him in the wrong direction. Markus then got up, following Lynette to the house. Lynette and Markus exchange some words, Markus shoots and kills her. Markus then goes to the shed. He leaves the fatigues in the shed, but as he is taking them off, he accidentally shoots himself in the leg. Figuring that Mike would be back with help, Markus limps back and succumbs to his self-inflicted wound.
Analysis:
Completely nuts theories are the best kind for completely nuts mysteries like this one. This is exactly right. Seems a lot of people did well with this one, including yourself. Nicely done!

FantasySci5
" "
Analysis:
Don't make me have to arrest Louie, now.

bler144
"No offense. This one's just going to make me annoyed whatever the explanation is.

I'm going with dude setup the fake shot attempt. Wife was in the clothes and fake-shot him. He intentionally sends cameraman in wrong direction. He follows spouse and somehow gets the gun and the clothes, kills wife in doorway, Leroy observes him snugly in clothes that are wife-sized, so they're apparently slightly different but not significantly different in height/build.

For whatever reason he then ditches clothes by the house rather than in the woods. Then he runs back into the woods, shoots self in the artery b/c this criminal mastermind has no instinct for self-preservation. Despite agonizing pain and bleeding, has the presence of mind to wipe/throw gun, but not to bind the wound or tie a tourniquet, and somehow miraculously bleeds to death in 10 min.
Arrest zeo."
Analysis:
Pretty much. Look, in my defense, Markus isn't that great of a shot.

*****RESULTS, PART 3*****
Well, this was SUPPOSED to be an are for results, but we didn't end up needing the space, so let's just use this area to remember those detectives who gave their lives in solving this mystery:

- Brother Sanfueg
- Detective Skeleton Bow
- Detective Deja
- Privatdetektiv Goodalt Gamer
- Privatdetektiv Max Vorstadt

May they solve mysteries in peace. Truly, this mystery has claimed the most lives of any so far.

The Puzzlemaster sat at his desk and looked at his watch. The detectives he'd called in to help him were arriving any minute.
A knock came at the door. "Come in", said the Puzzlemaster.
In walked Kusumahendra, who proceeded to take a seat. "I heard you needed help on a case," he said.
"I do, but let's wait for the others first."
Shortly after, Skeletonbow entered the room, eyes constantly scanning for details. "I heard you-"
He was suddenly interrupted by Deja, who kicked the door open and drew his gun.
"FREEZE! На земљу! NOBODY MOVE! I'LL SHOOT!"
Immediately after he screamed "NOBODY MOVE!", the Puzzlemaster immediately scrambled underneath his desk, while Skeletonbow jumped behind the desk, dragged him out, and hid in the spot himself, upon which the Puzzlemaster immediately hid behind Kusumahendra, who was still sitting calmly in his seat.
"OY! Take it easy! Don't shoot us! I thought you were here to help with the case!", yelled Zeogold.
"I am helping! You need me to shoot somebody, right?", replied Deja.
"Only for emergencies," replied Detective Hendra.
"Oh. Well, I GUESS I can put the gun away...if I have to.", said Deja.
"Thank you," politely replied Detective Bow, coming out from under the desk.
"It's just that I've never shot anybody before and I was kind of wondering what it-"
"PUT THE GUN AWAY!", screamed the three victims of this assault.
After holstering his weapon, he received a tap on the shoulder. He turned to meet face-to-face-to-face with Ashwald along with Bler, riding on his shoulder.
"Uh...this is the right place, isn't it?", asked the smurf.
"Of course it is!", snapped Detective Wald. "It hasn't even been 5 minutes and already somebody almost got shot! This HAS to be the place."
"Yes, indubitably.", piped up a voice behind them.
Fanasysci5 entered the room, wearing a deerstalker cap and a tweed coat.
"Yes, yes, the facts of this case are coming together quite nicely.", she quipped.
"What's with the getup?", Ashwald asked in a whisper to Bler which everybody could hear.
"This is my 'detective' outfit," replied Officer Sci. "Looks nice, doesn't it?"
After a small silence while everybody stared at her, wondering why on earth she'd chosen to wear this to an actual crime case, Deja reached for his holster and asked "Should I shoot her?"
Before this question could be answered, all were distracted by the loud noise of polka music coming closer from a distance.
Deja poked his head out the doorway.
"Oh, no! The Germans are coming! Run!"
"Wait, what's so bad about the Germans?", asked Detective Bow.
"Who cares?!", screamed Ashwald. "Every man for himself! I'm eating Fantas' coat and throwing Bler around my shoulders for warmth! Or, wait, was it supposed to be the other way around?"
"There is not need to eat anything besides tasty leberkaas-semmel, friends!", cheered Maxvorstadt, holding a sandwich in the air with a tuba around his body. Next to him was Goodaltgamer, aggressively rocking out on an accordion.
"I thought Djaron was supposed to provide the musical accompaniment.", mused the Puzzlemaster.
"Who?", everybody except Goodalt, who was still shredding on the accordion, asked simultaneously.
Over the next 5 seconds, absolute chaos ensued.
"Nevermind. It's not importa-"
"AHA! LOOK! THERE IS A SHADOW OUTSIDE THE WINDOW! HALT!"
*BANG*
"Looked kind of like a lute to me."
"Hey! Give that back! I paid good money for that hat!"
*BANG*
"Lady, it's the only thing that's close enough to hide me at this point."
"WEEEEE ARRRREEE THE CHAAAAAAAMPIOOOOOOONS, MY FRIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEND...."
*BANG BANG BANG*
"That does it! Hand me that bread! I'm making a smurf sandwich!"
"Why eat smurf when you can have some tasty weisswurst?"
*BANG*
"It's the worst? Well, I'm certainly not eating it."
*BANG*
"Would you stop shooting?! He's gone alrea-"
*BANG*
"THAT'S NO EXCUSE TO START SHOOTIN' AT ME, MAC!"
"Sorry, reflex."
"..."
"..."
*BANG*
ZFR and trentolf walked in, saw the insane scene which was taking place, looked at each other, then turned around and began to leave before the Puzzlemaster inserted himself between them and the doorway, slamming the door shut and locking it.
"Look, we're all here now and we have a case to solve, so let's SETTLE DOWN, PEOPLE!"

After everybody calmed down (approximately half an hour later), the Puzzlemaster explained the facts of the case.
"Look, you guys. I know we've encountered the mafia before, but...this time, the GOGfather is asking for help. He says his boys didn't do it."
"Suuure. And you're going to tell us Yogsloth really is a judge, too, right?"
"That's irrelevant! Point is, the more I look at this case, the more I'm inclined to think he's right. The facts just don't add up. I could be wrong, but...I've only got a week to solve this. You guys remember that Turkish dude who looks kinda like me? Yeah, well, he's a sergeant now, and I've only been granted a small period of time, thanks to my reputation, to figure it out before he takes over. Of course, he wants to solve it for himself to get the reward money, but I know that I can figure this out with your guys' help. What do you say?"
"Will we be getting paid?"
"Uh...well...Max and Goodalt are catering. That counts, right?"
Everybody cheered in approval and began discussing the mystery they were presented with.

Private phone calls have been sent out. The investigation is now officially on!

GET SLEUTHING!

Interesting question is:
Why the hell did Lynette Jones open the door? She should have seen that there is a masked guy in front of it. And aren`t there any security cameras? Everybody nowadays has a security camera at his door, even the local homeless people install one at their favorite park bench!
Me thinks, that maybe the masked guy was someone familliar to her, a friend or somebody who works at the broadcasting company.

Edith says:
Corrected some misstyping.

ok guys and fellow masterminds, let's do some brainstorming here, we have to help our friend zeogold here.

*dead silence for a moment as everyone was still a bit traumatised with all this shooting*

Yes for sure we will! *everyone chanted*

We have 2 dead bodies 2 direct possible suspects and 5 leads.

Bloody Bayer, wake up! You've had enough Leberkäs

Zeogold, bring us some more of my Bier I brought with me. Can't think without.

We have a phony phone call on one hand and a running around mindless one alibi on the other hand.

So gents and dear Mister bavarian, are you awake or already dozing off?

Which lead shall we follow up first?

EDIT: Sorry was being hold up helping somebody with a game ;)

What's wrong with my getup? This is how real detectives dress (though only in the plays/movies/tv shows, not the actual books). Alright, the game is afoot! I would like to Search Mike's Video.

I'm going to go ahead and claim - I'm Town Cop.

Vote FantasySci5



I'd bet she's going to counter-claim, but don't believe a word of it.

Other important notes:
-My Russian idioms are rusty - would they really say "get on the ground!" indoors just because we do? Not the more literal 'on the floor"?
-I don't think it's possible to bleed out from a shot to the lower limb in 20-30 minutes. Elevate the leg, apply a tourniquet, and you should be good for an hour or two. Well, not "good" but not "dead" anyway.

In the right place even in the lower limb you bleed to death in 5 minutes or even faster! ;)

Just hit the main artery
Agreed this way, we MIGHT exclude one person already

Second the motion....or third???? ;)