John Doe's flight ran late so it was already nighttime when he arrived at the lodge he booked to stay. It was just a small lodge in the middle of the forest. He wanted to experience nature and would like to experience the summer festivals in the Philippines. But he booked the specific lodge because it just piqued his interest. He's quite eccentric that way.
Speaking of eccentric, there was another guy who may seem odd from an ordinary and normal perspective. He was sitting on the porch outside while drinking a bottle of milk. Sherlock just got out of the bath and he nodded at John Doe as he walked past him to check-in. It was quite a lovely but warm April night.
"Hey, good evening. I would like to check-in. I have my reservation, under John Doe."
Sherlock overheard the man talking to the receptionist in the small lobby of the lodge. It may have been accidental but it was true to Sherlock's nature to be aware of his surroundings, to take every little detail into consideration and that includes people's conversations.
"Welcome to the Philippines, Mr. Doe. Here's your key to your room. Enjoy your stay." the receptionist replied.
Sherlock heard the clanking of the wooden key chain against the front desk.
"Thank you very much." the American replied.
Sherlock heard the sound of the key is picked up and the steps going further away.
"Mr. Doe, wait..." the receptionist tried to hold him off while he was walking away. That's what was going on inside Sherlock's Obvious mind. He was like picturing how the scene was unfolding with the sounds and their dialogs.
"You forgot your luggage Sir." the receptionist continued.
"Oh hey. Thanks."
Sherlock Obvious was lying awake on his bed around 10:10 in the evening when a scream rang out across the hallway and pierced through his door. He quickly got up and dressed in his robe before going out of the room. People were gathered outside the doorway of a guestroom.
He ran towards the crowd and when he got there he saw John Doe lying on the floor beaten to death and was drowning in a pool of blood. The room was so messy and there are signs of struggle. A golf club was lying beside the victim and it may very well be the murder weapon.
Sherlock instructed everybody to move away and to call the police. He then told them not to let anybody go anywhere outside the lodge.
There were only 4 people in the lodge's vicinity that night, aside from Sherlock and John Doe of course.
He went on to observe and study the crime scene. There was no other exit aside from the door. The windows were sealed with grids made of metal and they were locked from the inside. Sherlock walked around, shut the TV off, and went into the bathroom.
John Doe's luggage was beside the bed and they were still unpacked.
He then walked over to the body and inspected it closely. There were several wounds on the body and excessive defensive wounds. Even his analog wristwatch didn't escape from the altercation. The watch stopped at exactly 10:03. Sherlock then deduced that it was the time of his death or around the time of the beat down.
There was a camera pointed at the lobby going to the dead guy's room but the angle was not comprehensive enough to tell whether someone came into the room or not. The 4 people were all seen throughout the video going in the direction of the room.
The maintenance guy was seen going towards the area around 8:00 in the evening and he was seen coming from the area at around 8:30.
The kitchen crew came around 8:50 and left at about 9:10.
The reception was seen around 9:30 and was out at 9:45.
And then the one who discovered the body, the housekeeping staff who was seen coming in around 10:00 and the scream at 10:10.
Sherlock made his mind about the killer.
It was later ascertained that the person Sherlock named as the killer was indeed the perpetrator.
Who was it? Why did Sherlock suspect that specific person?