Well, let's try to finish this up. Especially as I've finished Episode 3 for quite a while (I've even started Episode 4), and my memories are getting fuzzier by the day.
Anyway, it's been at least half an hour since Kyrie, Rudolf and Hideyoshi went to gather some food, and the others are starting to panic. I vaguely remember that some characters decide to go and see what happened, and discovered the corpses. This includes at least Battler (anxious to know what happened to his parents) and Eva (the same about her husband), but I'm not sure about the rest. Maybe George and Dr Nanjo, too. But not Krauss and Natsuhi, who have to stay at the guesthouse to protect it.
Nothing really happens during or after the discovery of the corpses, except that now everybody is depressed : the murderer(s) got to THREE forewarned people who had TWO guns. Now, there are only seven survivors left, with only two guns (this time, the victims' guns where hidden out of reach). They hole back into the guesthouse.
Beato's not feeling very good. She barely has any power left, her "apprentice" doesn't want to see her face, and it's the same with Battler (Ronove unhelfully informs her that he's had to concede this round of their game too, as Battler's theory that Eva did it is too costly to fight back against yet). She's starting to understand what Virgilia tried to explain to her : breaking things up without consequences isn't what being a witch is about (and EVA-Beatrice is a perfectly repulsive counter-example) : it's more about helping humans and mending things (remember that opening scene ?).
By a happy (?) coincidence, George is brooding about Shannon's death. So Beato offers to help him bring her back to life for a limited time. He accepts, and Beato leads him out of the guesthouse by... flying out of a second-story window ? Hum... Anyway, they go to the parlor in the mansion, where Shannon was. It looks difficult, but Shannon is resurrected by the combination of George's willpower and Beato's magic. Happy reunion time for the two lovers !
Meanwhile, Krauss and Natsuhi are mounting guard in the guesthouse's lobby. Eva has conveniently gone to the bathroom. This is the perfect moment for EVA-Beatrice to attack, with the Siesta sisters managing to fire and kill them... from the garden, through locked doors. Wow, those two are quite powerful.
EVA-Beatrice notices that Beato's been resurrecting someone in the mansion, gets fed up, and fires the Siesta sisters in that direction. George and Shannon are killed immediately. Beato only survives because Virgilia did a Heroic Sacrifice and got killed instead. Now that I think of it, EVA-Beatrice has never seen Virgilia, who IS a "former Beatrice"... That's a good trick indeed. Though Beato's still in a dire position.
Eva cannot find George, Krauss or Natsuhi, so she warns the remaining survivors (Dr Nanjo, Jessica and Battler). Since the guesthouse has proved completely unsafe, there's not much incentive to stay there, so they go hunting for corpses. They find Krauss and Natsuhi's near the garden, and George's in the parlor.
At this point, Jessica snaps, and accuses Eva of being the murderer. They fight around Eva's gun, and a shot rings out. Fortunately, nobody's killed, and Jessica is merely injured in the eyes. Dr Nanjo goes with her to the servants' room in order to find a first aid kit, while Battler and Eva search the mansion.
Jessica's wounds won't be too deep, but she's still mostly helpless for now, what with being blind. Dr Nanjo steps out of the room to let her cool... and is immediately attacked by EVA-Beatrice and the Siesta sisters. Oh, Crap!.
Beato, now openly defiant of her apprentice (who believes her dead), is trying to at least protect poor Jessica. So she manages to bring Kanon back to life, and Kanon discreetly leads Jessica out of the room and into the parlor while EVA-Beatrice is busy slaughtering Dr Nanjo repeatedly. There, Kanon and Jessica will be able to enjoy his last few minutes to live (did I mention Beato's magic is getting weaker and weaker ?). Beato uses the last of her power to seal the door from the outside.
By now, EVA-Beatrice has found out about her predecessor's actions : there'll be no escape now. The Siesta sisters fire on her repeatedly... but Beato. Just. Won't. Die. Both of the witches know that when Beato dies, her shields will disappear, and it will be game over for Jessica. So Beato toughs it out, finding inner force in her last few "good" actions.
The Siesta sisters can't kill Beato, so both them and Ronove start acknowledging Beato as the real Beatrice. EVA-Beatrice's dumbfounded, but Beato knows she can't beat her that way, so she transports everybody to the place where she was playing chess with Battler's spirit. Battler is quick to understand, and challenges EVA-Beatrice to finish the game. On the witch's side : EVA-Beatrice. On the human's side : Battler, with some help by Beato (and... Virgilia ? Wha uh ?). Ronove is the referee.
EVA-Beatrice's first challenge to Battler's "Eva did it" theory is about the bizarre actions of Kyrie. She wasn't hungry : why did she lead the expedition to find some food ? EVA-Beatrice claims she planted this desire in Battler's stepmother. Any counter-theory ?
Well, Beato finds a crucial clue on Kyrie's body. A cigarette butt, but not the brand Rudolf was smoking. The one Hideyoshi was smoking. And then Battler finds the answer : Kyrie must have found it in Eva's room. Why would Hideyoshi have smoked near his ill wife ? The only valid explanation is that Eva was away for a time - when she committed Rosa and Maria's murders ! Kyrie must have come to the same conclusion, and used the food expedition as an excuse to confront Hideyoshi.
All good and well, but EVA-Beatrice counters with another puzzle : who killed Dr Nanjo ? Jessica couldn't do it, she was blind. And Eva never stayed away from a very suspicious Battler who was watching her every move. EVA-Beatrice even helpfully confirms in red that neither of the three was his killer, that there were only 18 people on the island, that each of the other 15 (by name) is dead now, and that it was neither a suicide nor an accident.
Of course, Battler is stumped. And all appears lost... until Beato steps in. She decides to make the ultimate gambit : she'll explain everything, all the mysteries, and how humans were responsible for everything. All course, this will kill her in the same time as EVA-Beatrice, but she's grown beyond such considerations. She just asks of Battler that he closes his ears while she does it. Awed by this self-sacrifice, he accepts.
So, conveniently, we don't get to hear the solution. Well, that would have been too easy...
Anyway, it works, and EVA-Beatrice dissolves into thin air. Yeah !
Back in the real world...
- Battler : "Aunt Eva ! YOU were the killer !"
- Eva : "Well, duh. Took you long enough to notice."
And then she shoots him.
Next part : There's still an important scene and two epilogues to go, but I wanted to stop there, for reasons that will become obvious soon.
