Just a little beginning of something...

‘And whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she saw a still prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and deeper into the wood.’

-The Brothers Grimm

 

     Once upon a time there was a beautiful young woman, she was lost in her life and it was unknown to her where she should be; who she should be or what her purpose was. She had wandered through the shadows, in and out of the daylight, dancing among the sunbeams for many years but now she had finally stopped. You see, darkest of dark roads, the bricks saturated in nightshade and hawthorn she finally got a taste of the life that belonged the Young woman had tried many things to find out who she was; she had taken many-a colour road to find herself but as she wandered down the to her, it was sweet, thick with molasses, one taste made her mouth water for more.

 It wasn’t just the taste, it was a feeling, the way the knife felt as it slid through flesh as smooth as a hot knife through butter, the way it resisted against the thick bone before grinding further through, leaving a wet, shining gauge with-in the soft pink mound of skin and flesh. She remembered the sharp white of bone showing, the way the blood rushed at the wall behind, the crimson droplets seemingly suspended in air before falling; fat and thick, hitting the floor with in-audible sound, settling, spreading and then soaking in. She remembered the puddle which had begun to form after the knife had slipped effortlessly through the thinner flesh of the throat, leaving in its wake a thick, red gaping grin. The puddle had continued to spread until it reached the soft beige rug and then it was thirstily gulped up. She remembered how the falling droplets had impacted with the red puddle, causing ripples, ripples of life fading away.

Yes she had, on that dull, sun spotted day, found her niche; her place in life. In fact she had so revelled in her new found belonging that she had watched the blood slowly saturate her summer dress and had still not disposed of the clothing. It excited her when her eyes lay upon the ruined dress, kept the memory fresh in her mind. Everything felt better now, clearer her corner of the world had been carved out and she intended to keep on carving….

 

Time stops with the beat of wings

I found this beautiful poem on the web from the creators of beautiful art and stationary Papyrus and wanted to share it with everyone:


“Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. Hummingbirds open our eyes to the wonder of the world and inspire us to open our hearts to loved ones and friends. Like a hummingbird, we aspire to hover and to savour each moment as it passes, embrace all that life has to offer and to celebrate the joy of everyday. The hummingbird’s delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life’s sweetest creation.” Papyrus


Image from freedigitalphotos.net created by Michael Elliott

London Underground

Whistling and whooping filled the air, bringing the alley to life, Mae instantly felt her heart beat quicken and she began to panic. The streets of London were not known for their safety; Mae was stood in the darkened alley behind ‘the cats Pyjamas’ boutique where she had been attending a party. She began to retreat though she found she was not moving as fast as the encroaching crowd. Quickly she felt their weight behind her, forcing her forward out into the street, where they quickly dispersed but not before sending Mae flailing into the road. She stood a rabbit frozen in head lights as a car which could have driven straight out of the 1920’s came toward her; before Mae could scream a hand grabbed her arm, dragging her back to the safety of the street.

“You okay there? Those things u’ll kill ya, should be more careful. Ma’am?” a man’s voice asked, “Hay are you okay, you look a little lost” he asked her, concern tinted his words
“Um, I don’t know, I’m Mae” she said struggling with her words, staring blankly at her saviour, “actually I think I’m gonna, can you…” Mae’s words stuck in her throat as darkness filled her vision and the street fell from beneath her as she blacked out.

 When Mae woke she expected to be in her own bed, surrounded by her favourite things but she was not. When Mae’s eyes finally adjusted to the darkness she realised that she was in fact laid under a black satin sheet on a large double bed, the room she was in was decorated in dark navy paint accented with mahogany furniture. Mae climbed from the bed still dressed in her black tulip dress, though her shoes had been removed and upon examination Mae realised she had broken on of the heels, she sighed in frustration. Moving over to the lone chair which was situated next to a full length mirror, a wardrobe and dresser Mas looked over herself; her lip was bust, her dress torn and dirty and her hair stood up in directions it was not supposed to; She noticed a hand written note on the dresser next to the mirror:

Mae, I hope you find everything you need here, i took the liberty in choosing something fresh for you to wear and anything else you may require can be found in the bathroom. Please feel free to come down stairs when you’re ready.

Gage

Suddenly the events that had led to her waking up in a strange room came rushing back to her and confusion filled her mind, how had she ended up in Piccadilly circus, she felt out of time. Mae moved toward a door which she assumed led to the bathroom; it was decorated luxuriously in gold tones and white tiles; on the marbled counter sat a silver brush and next to a makeup pallet. She washed her face and applied a little foundation to the bruise forming around her lip, she added a touch of rose coloured lipstick and a sweep of shimmery powder to her eyes and cheek bones. Mae brushed her hair into submission so that it fell in loose curls and then returned to the bedroom. She slipped off her torn dress examining the bruise on her left hip that she could not recall getting and then pulled on the dress that had been left for her. The floor length, cream silk dress kissed her toes, it had a low slung waist and a low neck line; the bottom was decorated in an art deco style pattern which was mirrored on the shoulders, Mae slipped on the cream T-bar shoes and twirled in front of the mirror, giddy. Then something shiny caught her eye and stopped her twirling; on the dresser sat a beautiful diamond necklace, earring and bracelet set, it twinkled and kept her gaze as she reached out and fastened each item to her body, each piece set off the outfit perfectly.

As Mae gingery followed the long hallway along toward the grand spiral staircase she began to wonder what she was doing; why was she so happily following the instructions of a man she had barley met, wearing clothes he had left her, why was she not panicking, why was she not freaking out. She had been pushed into and woken up in a place that appeared to be a mash-up of both the 1920s and the 21^st century; old Collier cars were running on engines that could have been plucked from any 21^st century vehicle, they had CD players and air conditioning, there was modern electric lighting and advertising in Piccadilly circus but there were also 1920s dress, streets and talk, Mae was lost and she didn’t seem to care. She continued on her way taking in the rich, deep colouring of the walls and staircase as she descended toward the jazz music drifting up toward her from the depths of the building. Mae reached a deep red door, held open by a short, stocky, balding man dressed in a slate grey, double breasted suit, he smiled at her but bid her no verbal greeting and simply closed the door behind her.

The room she now stood in seemed to have no end and no bottom, smoke stirred and music played over the muted voices of people she could not see, she walked more cautious now, careful not to bump into anyone. However as she moved the smoke cleared revealing groups of people stood chatting; men discussing business and women gossipping; couples were dancing and cuddling in corners and singletons were flirting, Mae could not see the man she had glimpsed before in the street and so she continued on down the second set of stairs,

“Ah, here she is, the woman of the moment, our mysterious guest” the same honey toned voice said, she halted on the stairs suddenly aware of all of the eyes that were now trained on her “Don’t be afraid of them, they’re just wondering who you are, as am I” he said as he moved to take her hand and lead her down the remaining few stairs and across to a table, “Johnny can I get another glass of bubbly please” he called over to the bar man, who quickly obeyed,

“I’d much rather prefer bourbon, please” Mae said, her mouth betraying her, she had not meant to speak to freely in the presence of strangers

“Alright, Johnny please get the lady a double bourbon” he corrected and smiled at her “I’m guessing you need it” he said and pulled out a chair for her

“You have no idea” Mae replied, gladly sitting down away from the prying eyes of the others around the room

“So Mae let me introduce you to a few people here and then we’ll go talk. This here is Ellen, she’s an artist, an occasionally moody artist” he said, Ellen was sat her legs slung across the arm of the chair she occupied, her lips were painted in a dark rouge, her skin pale. She wore a knee length black beaded flapper dress and a dark feather in her hair, she nodded at Mae, waving her cigarette in a greeting, He continued “Alright, this is Jimmy and Jenks, twins, two of my best guys” Jimmy and Jenks were identical, in the short time Mae looked at them she scanned quickly for a simple difference but could find none, each wore the same navy suit and silk shirt, fedora hat and black shoes, she smiled as each greeted her with a ma’am. “Finally this is Arrigo, my oldest friend, in both definitions of the word, the one man I trust with everything” he said a warm smile touching his lips.

“It’s nice to meet you” Mae said, she felt the need to greet the man with words rather than a simple movement, he was older than the others, his hair greying but still full, his face was wrinkled, his mannerisms from another time,

“It’s nice to meet you miss” he said with a slight Italian accent, he took her hand and nodded his head ever so slightly, sitting back down again and nodding toward his friend

“Shall we” Gage asked her and gestured toward an empty table in a far back corner

“Okay” Mae replied, she trusted the man more than anyone else she knew.

Mae followed Gage over to the corner table, it was private but more brightly lit than the rest of the club, she slipped into the leather lined booth next to him; for the first time she realised that his eyes had not left her face since they had met at the staircase.

“So where are you from Mae?” he asked catching her eye, drawing her attention from the ground,

“Here, um, London, I’m just a little lost that’s all” she said, though she didn’t know how to explain exactly what had happened to her

“Well you’re lucky I found you, there are some unsavoury characters around these parts, a dame like you could get hurt or worse” he said,

“Yeah, I guess so. So who are you? You’re not an unsavoury character?” she asked but regretted her words instantly as the smile dropped from his face

“I used to be, but I made good for the bad things I did, now I guess I offer people a service. Protection from the unsavoury characters, you know the police ain’t much good, most of ‘um are in the pockets of the bad guys and those who ain’t, are too old to care, they want a quiet life, no trouble, easy retirement. That’s where me n’ the boys come in, now I ain’t gonna pretend we’re law abiding citizens, I do pay my taxes and this club here is mine, but I won’t deny that I’m in the same business with the likes of Capone or Schultz but I like to think I’m on the side of the little man, y’ know what I mean” he answering her question perfectly, honestly and the whole time he was talking Mae had become mesmerised. In the brighter light the sharp blue of his eyes was illuminated, she studied him, his face, the small lines that appeared around his eyes when he smiled, the blush colour of his lips; he wore a deep black suit, black shirt and silk red tie, his black fedora had a matching flat red bow and he wore a single silver chain around his neck.

“So you’re a gangster?” Mae asked outright, slightly shocked until she remembered where she was;

“Bluntly yeah, yes I guess I am and so are they” he said, a grin spreading across his face “Look where ever you’re from I’m guessing there are guys like us, women like them but we’re not all bad you know. Most of them are out for themselves, the money, always looking to gain no matter what but us we’re a different breed; we’ve evolved so to say, we take less and give more and in return we actually receive more, charitable donations so to speak. We help people, those who are being threatened by the less evolved and sometimes they take a disliking to it, to us. Don’t get me wrong Mae, I need to make money I got a club to run, men to pay; we run guns, offer protection depending on who we’re protecting we charge for the pleasure and it is prohibition if you hadn’t noticed. I promise you Mae I’m the better of two evils, I sit on the devils left shoulder, it’s a little closer to heaven than the right” he smiled then and Mae smiled back, his honesty, his humour felt refreshing

“Okay” Mae said, she was mesmerised by every inch of him, finding out what had happened to her had left her mind completely and she would happily stay where ever she was forever, with him.

“Do you want to dance” he asked, though it seemed less of a question than a statement as he was already stood up, holding his hand out to Mae. He had removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt, his arms were tanned and muscled, each had worn and new tattoos decorating them. Mae reached out slipping her hand into his, the skin on his palm was soft, smooth unlike the rough feeling skin on the top of his hand, and she smiled as he twirled her onto the dance floor, the movement felt effortless, pre-programmed. They moved slowly, softly to the light jazz music drifting around the room, no words we’re spoken and their eyes remained locked on one another’s.

     Mae blushed lightly; she could feel his thumb tracing light circles on the underneath of her wrist, her heart skipped a beat as he pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, “Who are Mae and where in hell did you fall from?” he moved away, keeping the distance between them close, watching her mouth as she spoke,

“I don’t know but I’m glad I landed here” she replied, her voice as soft as his had been, silence passed between them for a few moments before he pulled her close again, this time he did not ask her any questions, or whisper any words in her ear; he pressed his lips against hers, they were parted slightly but the kiss remained chaste. Mae kissed him back, bliss flowing over her body, she wanted to freeze the exact moment their mouths met, the heat, the feeling of happiness but something ripped them apart.

While they had been dancing in heaven and others had been laughing and singing five men had forced their way into the club, they had silently murdered the men watching the doors and had burst through into the basement contained club, their guns aimed. Not a half second passed between the door crashing open and the guns firing, bullets ripped through the air, people fell around them, women screamed and men yelled firing their own guns in retaliation, Mae had frozen, no scream escaped her lips, no sound of any kind, she simply stood surrounded by those who had fallen and those who were fighting back,

“Mae!! Move now” Gage screamed breaking the haze that had fallen around her, before she could respond he was pulling, dragging her out toward a back door hidden against the wall, his gun in hand; he turned firing as they fled out in to the alley way and down toward the street. Mae could still here the gun fire and screams from inside, in the distance sirens rang out, all she could concentrate on was the beating of his pulse where she had her thumb against his wrist and the damp heat of his palm. As quick as they had reached the street a car pulled up being driven by Anton, inside Mae could see Jimmy and Jenks who was cradling Ellen in his arms. Mae looked toward Gage for some form of direction or explanation but none came, only three words left his mouth, “Get in now” he yelled above the sirens, his eyes desperate, he lifted her before she could move, lifted her into the safety of the car, so that her eyes could see what his could not. In a split second Mae made a decision she never thought she would even have to contemplate in her life; as she looked over his shoulder down into the alley way she saw one of the armed men burst through door, his gun pointed toward Gage, Mae quickly twirled herself back out of the car and as Gabe turned with her, his mouth ready to form angry questions, he saw what she had but had not the time to change what would happen,

“I fell in love with you in a split second” Mae whispered into his ear, her body jolted when the bullet hit it, she slipped from his arms and hit the cool floor.

When Mae woke up she was surrounded by a crowd of people dressed in Versace and Dolce and Gabbana wearing Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks, the lights were bright and blinding,

“Mae Jesus what happened are you okay, get that chair” a voice said through the blur

“Im fine, I…” Mae began but stopped when she realised that she was back in ‘the cats pyjamas’, she brushed the hair from her eyes and allowed herself to be assisted over to a waiting chair,

“Are you okay Mae, someone get her water, how do you feel?”

“I’m fine, it was just a dream, he was just a” she started but something stopped her, music drifted in from the street and outside the street light seemed to have dimmed and music filled. Mae rose from her chair pulled by the sound, the hope of what might be outside

“Mae where are you going, who was a dream, Mae?!” her friend shouted after her but she had already left the boutique, had run out into the warm night air, a smile spread across her face when she saw the source of the music; pulled up at the curb outside the boutique was an old, satin black collier, the music floated from with-in. Mae walked up to the back door her heart hammering against her chest and then skipping a beat when she saw who was inside. He lent forward, his black fedora and red flat bow atop his head, a smile on his face; his eyes glittered in the street light,

“Hay beautiful, get in” Gage said, he opened the door and held out his hand for her. Mae didn’t need to think or decide she climbed into the car and into his world. If she were dreaming, she would happily sleep forever.  

  

A little trinket

I read this a while ago and just loved the simplicity of it and how it really is the shortest horror story:

 

'The last man on earth sat alone in a room.

There was a knock on the door.'

 

-Frederic Brown

 

Just wanted to share that.

'Who dun it?'

     So I finally posted the second half of 'A Murder Mystery' it took forever but its done however the police have no idea who did it and Claude Van Ville has vanished, so do you know who did it?

A Murder Mystery part 2.

*

They had finished searching the room with no luck,

“Please I didn’t do this” Sandy pleaded, she clutched her sisters hand as tears rolled over her cheeks,

“Look my sister couldn’t hurt anyone she’s an artist, all hippy-ish and‘love not war’ those things” Wendy reasoned

“What!” Sandy protested “I am not a hippy” she snapped and the girls began to bicker,

“Will you two shut-up!” Lara yelled, she had noticed something that nobody else had, “where’s the butler?” she said turning around in a circle searching for the old man,

“I’m sure he was here just a minute ago” Maria King offered

“Well he’s not...” Remy Del Ray’s words were cut short by the sound of a blood curdling scream reverberating around the house

“Hay Van Ville i don’t suppose you’ve got one of those novelty door bells” Conner said

“I think we just found the butler” Lara said as she moved to the door. Everyone followed as she made her way out onto the landing and toward the large staircase,

"Thats not good" Laras words confirmed what eveyone knew had happened, Remy Del Ray stepped forward to take a look. Laid at the bottom of the stair was the butler, his limbs were twisted in unnatural directions, his neck had been broken causing his head to sit to one side and his face was contorted with fear and agony,

"AhhhhhhhhNoooooo" Maria screamed, she had reached the top of the stairs before her husband who was now holding her shaking body close, her head buried in his chest.

"Quentin take you're group back into the bedroom please and can you bring me the bed sheets" Remy said once again taking charge. Quentin nodded in respose and began to herd his group, most of whom were crying back into the brightly decorated bedroom. A second later he reemerged carrrying all the bed sheets he could manage from the twin beds.

"Do we all still have our gloves?" He asked, they all produced the gloves they had earlier used to examine the dead chef,

"Alright, same as last time, let's see what we can find" he said "Sally, Connor you take a look around up here, we'll do downstairs okay?" He said looking toward Lana, shr nodded and followed him as he made his way down stairs.

In the bedroom everyone had taken a seat whereever they could, the twins were said together, pale skinned and silenced in shock, Maria king still held tightly to her husband; not a word was spoken by any of them, they were all too terrified that the other was the murderer. Down at the bottom of the stair they worked in silence each looking over the body, some trying to avoid contact others not caring much at all.

“Wait!” Lara Called out suddenly “what is this?” she said her eyes finding contact with Remy del Rays. He moved around to take a closer look at what she had found, on the back of the man’s neck , just below his hair line was a deep blue dot the size of a dress makers pin head.

“Umm, what do you think that is?” Remy pondered out loud,

“It looks like an ink dot, maybe a ball point pen or a fountain pen” Lara commented

“you’re right Lara, it’s just like an Ink pen dot, I can’t say that the fall killed him and so it’s possible that he was poisoned with the ink pen, especially considering this rash that seems to be surrounding the dot, and then he fell as a result so who might use an ink pen especially with Claude Van Ville’s ‘no technology rule” he said looking around

“Well I might” Lara said honestly “though I did not bring a fountain pen, nor did I bring my laptop as Van Ville provided me with a typewriter” she added

“I have a fountain pen, in fact I’ve got it with me” Conner spoke up pulling the pen from his pocket “but I’m sure the ink is blue” he said pulling a small note pad from his pocket also, he pulled the lid from the pen with its sleek black body and gold accents, he quickly scribbled something on the pad “yep definitely blue” he announce and showed the rest of the group,

“Alright” Remy said though he did not sound convinced, “so who else?” he asked

“What about the Lawyer” Sally mused from her perch at the bottom of the staircase

“It’s possible; I mean was your pen provided by our host?” Lara asked Conner

“Yes it was” he replied

“I’m guessing that so was his but of course it is possible that someone anticipated Claude Van Ville’s nostalgia for the historic and brought their own laced with whatever poison it was that helped our friend on his way” Remy said“let’s go and check” he added standing and re-removing his gloves and beginning the ascent up the stairs, the others followed suit. The room was silent when they walked back in with their new knowledge; everyone looked at them, to them for comfort and direction,

“We need to know who else here was given or brought their own fountain pen containing black ink” Remy inquired looking from face to face for some form of tell,

“I do, Quentin King replied I had some important documents to read and sign over the weekend” he said standing and moving away from his wife

“And did you bring the pen with you Mr King or did Mr Van Ville provide you with it?” he asked

“I brought it with me, Mr Van Ville did provide an ink pen, very beautiful however it uses blue ink and I prefer Black plus it is my favourite pen, I’ve done a lot of good deals with this pen” he replied patting his breast pocket

“May we see the pen Mr King?” Remy asked though the sentence had the air of a statement, a demanding statement rather than a question. Quentin King paused,

“Why do you want to see his pen?” Maria King stood; wiping tears from her red rimmed eyes and moved over to where they stood,

“Well Mrs. King the deceased was found to have a small black ink dot at the base of his neck; it was irritated and inflamed which suggests a second poisoning which led to the fall. Now I have checked with everyone else who had an ink pen and well they all use blue ink” Remy explained, “now Mr...” he began but was cut off by an outraged voice though it was not the voice of Quentin Kings wife

“You have got to be kidding me, first my sister and now Quentin...Mr. King couldn’t hurt a fly” Wendy said raising her voice more than she had when she had been protecting her sister

“With all due respect Sandy you haveonly just met Quentin King, he could be England’s most prolific serial killer” Lara returned, the girl sat back down her eyes averted to the deep pink carpet

“Now the pen please Mr. King” Remy finally said

“No! This is outrageous, Quentin darling don’t give...” Maria king began in protest

“Sweetheart its fine, I did not kill that man nor the chef” he said as he produced the pen from his inner pocket much like a magician might a bunch of false flowers.

“Lara will you please take the pen” Remy said he had taken his gloves off when they had entered the room,

“Sure” Lara replied and took the pen by the lid tip in her own still gloved fingers, she slipped of the lid and held it in one hand while she touched the tip gently to her index finger; a wet dot of black ink was left in its wake, “it’s been used recently’ Lara noted and began to twist the pen removing one half of the pen body form the other, “and it’s empty’ she added. Remy turned to Quentin King

“Mr. King do you know where the ink cartridge is?” he asked

“No, um I haven’t a clue; I don’t understand that pen has not been away from my person, it’s been in my jacket pocket this whole time I cannot understand how the ink cartridge was removed without my knowledge” he said stuttering slightly in disbelief

“There is one very obvious explanation Mr. King, you murdered the chef and the butler, god knows why but it explains the pen and I think it might also explain the paint found of the chef” he said though he did not divulge further

“What do you mean it explains the paint?” Quentin King demanded, Remy moved closer to the outraged man

“I think you know what I mean Mr. King” Remy whispered “and I also think it is not something you want me to say in front of your wife” he added “Now Mr. King if you would accompany me into the hall, Lara will you join us” he said leading the way. Lara kept a hold of the pen as she followed close behind Quentin King.

Once they had re-convened in the hall, Remy Del Ray turned to confront Quentin King,

“Out with it them, how long have you and Wendy Holowitz been having an affair Mr. King? He demanded. For a while silent fell until finally Quentin King leant in and whispered, still afraid his wife might hear,

“I met her in a bar after work it just happened...” he began

“...and has been happening ever since, how long ago was it you met Ms Holowitz in the bar?” Lara cut him off

“Um-I a few months, 6 months” he muttered

“And have you been with her since we got here?” he asked

“Yes but only for a short while and nowhere near her room, I couldn’t have gained access to her sister’s paint, I didn’t do this, please believe me”he begged

“I’m sorry Mr. King but two people are dead and thus far you are my only suspect and you have connections to both murders therefore I must ensure that the remainder of the people in this bloody locked down house are safe, you understand?” Remy replied coldly

“And what are we going to do with him, Remy?” Lara asked

“We are going to lock him into a room and we will keep the keys safe, you and I” he replied

“What you can’t do that!” Quentin King protested

“Yes I can plus if you look at it another way, if you are not the killer then you are safely locked away in a room” Remy noted, “just give me a minute”he added and left them. He entered the bedroom once more and reappeared a moment later with a handful of keys that Claude Van Ville had been carrying with him since they had entered the house,

“There are not more sets of keys?” Lara asked

“These are the butlers, he was the only one with a set; Van Ville doesn’t even have a set of keys to his own house” he said gesturing for them to follow him. They did not move far down the hall stopping at the only bedroom that had not been occupied by one of the guests, “you will stay in here, we will check on you every so often, I hope you understand why this is necessary” he said and his reply was given with a nod, “okay In you go Mr. King, I will be giving the key to this room to your wife and she will be kept an eye on” he said beginning to close the door,

“You won’t tell her will you, please” he said just before the door was shut and locked.

“Now what?” Lara asked

“Well we keep looking; if Quentin King is not the killer then we still have to find out who it is before anyone else dies” he said walking back to the bedroom.

Back in the bedroom everyone was speaking at once, the noisy din escaped even though the heavy door stood between them and it. When they both walked back in, the room fell deathly silent,

“Where is my husband!?” Maria King yelled at them

“He is locked in a room for our safety and his own and you, Mrs King, are going to be given the task of holding the key, you will be watched Mrs. King” he said as he handed over the key.

“Okay well I think it’s safe to say that we are all hungry and I myself need a bathroom break and a drink” Sally spoke up,

“Okay but we go in groups; girls and boys” Remy said, Bathroom first and then we will all go down to the kitchen and find something to eat. Somehow along the way hours had passed while they had been examining the two dead bodies and accusing a lawyer of murder, before they realised the clock struck midnight. The chimes rang out through the grand old house sending shivers down every person’s spine.

They took their respective bathroom breaks and then re-joined to form a large group and made their way down to the kitchen where the first body still remained though it had since been covered by a sheet.

“We stick to tinned food, packets, collect what you can, James and Wendy get some jugs of water and we’ll go into the front room, Lara you come with me we’ll check on Mr. King and collect some quilts, blankets” he said, he collected a glass of water and a packet of chocolate digestive biscuits before turning to Maria King,

“Mrs King the key please” he said holding out his hand, she reluctantly gave it over, though she did not argue, “thank you” he said and both he and Lara left to return back up stairs. As they made their way to the bedroom they had locked Quentin King in Lara asked the question she had been wanting to ask since they had left the bedroom,

“I know you don’t think it’s him” she said “but who do you think it is?”she asked

“No I don’t but with him locked away safe in here I have one less person to worry about because to be completely honest with you Lara I have no idea who is doing this, for all I know it could be me” he said with a quick grin as he unlocked the door. When they walked in Quentin King was sat on the bed, he looked up grimly

“Is someone else dead?” he asked

“No we’re just bringing you some water and biscuits” Lara replied, the conversation and the visit were kept short and then they were returning back down the stairs, past the second dead body, their arms full of blankets and quilts. The others had gathered what food and water they could and had it collected on the coffee table that sat opposite the sofa, each person had taken a seat, some rested on the floor already and happily accepted the added comfort of a blanket or quilt cover.

“What do we do now?” James Ripley asked, he was the youngest in the group and he looked scared though he tried to hide it,

“We’ll be fine James, we’ll stay here until morning and then we will stay together and we will continue to do this until the morning and then we will walk out of here together, alive” Lara said trying her best to comfort him.

Everyone ate in silence baring the odd crunch of crisp and clank of fork against tin; Claude Van Ville may have been a very rich man but when it came to food shopping his pockets were far from deep. Hours passed as they picked at the food and slept in fitful dreams, some had picked a book from the shelf and sat and read in the low lit room though often their minds would wander to the situation that they had been put in, finally someone spoke up breaking the silence and shaking the others from their false slumbers,

“Where is Sally?” one of the twins asked from the corner they had chosen to curl up in,

“What?” Remy replied groggily

“Sally Mayfield, where is she, she’s not here” Wendy repeated

“Tell me you’re joking...are you sure” Remy replied suddenly fully awake and alert

“She’s not here” Wendy said once more

“She’s right Sally’s not in the room” Lara confirmed, she had stood and turned the dimmer switch fully up to check every inch of the room,

“No definitely not here” Conner said he had also stood

“Shit” Remy Del Ray muttered as he too stood, “did anyone see her leave?”he asked though his question was met with only ‘no’ and shakes of the head “we had better go and look for her” he said moving over to the door, “two groups, Connor, Claude and the twins you look down stairs and myself, Lara and James will look upstairs” he said. Each person stood and mentally shook themselves awake though none were ready to leave the warmth and slight comfort of the room.

They each walked faster than they really wanted to though they moved with caution afraid of what they might find; they checked the kitchen though she was not to be found snacking nor the more likely, drinking. She was not sat in front of the still roaring fire in the dining room warming herself and gaining some much desired ‘alone’ time and she was not seated in the darkness of the cold and caged in conservatory; she was not downstairs. They began to make their way up the stairs past the body of the butler and down the hall until they met up with the second group,

“What is happening, did you find her?” Conner asked

“Yes, Mrs King do you have the key?” Remy answered and asked his own question

“Yes I do but...” she started

“Did you come up here while the lights were down and the others were sleeping, did you sneak out and let your husband out of this room?” he asked coldly

“No, I have not!” She snapped in outrage

“Can I have the key” he replied, it was not a question

“Where is Sally?” Sandy asked as Maria King finally handed over the key

“She’s dead, stabbed in the heart with a knife” Remy replied with little emotion

“Oh!” Wendy gasped turning to hug her sister “we’re all going to die!”she wailed,

“No we’re not!” Lara yelled at her, “Sandy will you please calm her down, Sally Mayfield left that room of her own accord, and we are all going home on in the morning, now shut up” she yelled once more. During this time Remy Del ray had slid the key into the lock,

“Finished?” he said to her when she had stopped and calmed down

“Yes” Lara replied and gestured for him to open the door; he turned the key and gently pushed the door open,

“Oh for fucks sake” he muttered “I can’t believe this” he said a little shock flashed across his face, Lara pushed past him to see what had shaken the detectives calm demeanour; it was Quentin King. He was laid cock-eyed across the bed with his head facing the door; his eyes had rolled in to the back of his head leaving only pale whites where once bright blue iris had been and his mouth hung open as though in shock at the gaping hole that was now in his skull. Blood had soaked into the cream rug below turning it a deep thick red and every so often a droplet would fall from the still oozing gash only to vanish, swallowed up by the still thirsty, glistening rug.

“Oh no, sweetheart I’m so, nooo, no, no” Maria Kin yelled and though no one else had caught it Remy Del Rays sharp deductive skills heard something very close to remorse, he pulled the door closed and turned to look at the group of people who seemed to be relying on him, Wendy was sobbing, her face buried in her sisters long hair, he looked from her back to Maria king

“Why did you kill your husband Mrs King? Was it because you believed him the murderer or was it because you found out he was screwing Wendy Holowitz?”he asked bluntly, everyone fell quiet apart from Sandy who could not help her now involuntary sobs

“I knew about them before we came here and then when she turned up. I was just going to confront him and when Sally asked if I would go with her to the bathroom it seemed like the perfect chance. Then when I saw him I just lost my mind” she sobbed,

“Did you kill Sally and the others?” Remy asked

“What!” her head snapped up in anger “no I did not!” she half yelled the words at him

“And did anyone else go with you?” he asked

“no, no one else, not that I noticed and afterwards, well I just returned downstairs, I didn’t even notice Sally had not returned” she said and once more began to sob, no one came to comfort her.

“Jesus” Lara muttered, “this house if full of crazy people

“Alright everyone back down to the front room” Remy announced, “myself and Lara will stay here to examine the latest crime scene

“What!” Wendy exclaimed “I am not going anywhere she is” she said pointing a still perfectly manicured finger at Maria King, “she might try to kill me” she said

“Well you were having an affair with her husband however “ Remy began stopping to pull a pair of deep silver handcuffs from his jacket pocket, “I never go anywhere without these” he said as he produced them and handed them to Conner “ Cuff her to the heaviest chair and keep an eye on her” he said. He and Lara waited for them to vanish down the stairs and then they returned to the bathroom where they had found Sally Mayfield.

Sally Mayfield had not stood and moved from the bath tub where she had been found, she was still there lain with her hands in her lap, her eyes wide, staring down as though looking at the knife that had been plunged into her chest, in disbelief.

“I’ll take the body” Remy said making his way over to the bath, Lara started at the opposite end of the large room by the sink. The house was impeccably clean so much so that she found not even the slightest whisper of dust or even the implied existence of dirt however the exceptional cleanliness of the room meant that when she did find something it stuck out like a sore thumb and the something she found was sequins. They were similar to the ones she wore on her red shoes however they were not the right colour, they were a deep shimmering black much like the ones set with in the beads upon Wendy’s dress,

“Remy” she called

“Lara” he called in unison their names becoming mashed together

“I’ve got something” she said before he continued

“Me too” he replied, “sequins, black sequins, you?” he called back

“Same” Lara answered and they joined each other in the centre of the room,

“Who’s wearing this colour?” he said

“Wendy Holowitz” Lara replied

“Then I guess we had better go and talk to her” he said

**

They walked slowly down the stairs and listened for a few seconds by the door leading into the front room, nothing could be heard either everyone had been inexplicably murdered while Remy and Lara had been upstairs or they were sat in silence; they both looked at each other as though they had just shared the same though, each hoping that it was the latter answer. Remy turned the door knob slowly and pushed open the door to find everyone, thankfully staring at him, they had been sat in silence,

“Alright we found something now I want you all to remember that we have found some different form of evidence upon everybody pointing to a different person being the murder and so I am going to start to look at this a little differently, we...” he started to explain when the lights went out and they were all plunged into darkness,

“ahhhhhhh” Wendy screamed,

“Shit, god dam!” Conner exclaimed

“Remy” Lara called, it was then hey they all heard it, two ear shattering, sharp bangs rang out around the room, “ahhh, fuck!” Lara screamed and suddenly as quickly as they had gone out the lights came back on illuminating the room,

“Oh my god!” James yelled,

“What- what now!” Remy yelled back

“it-it’s the twins they’re, they’re dead!” he yelled back, everyone stopped and looked toward the chairs that Wendy and Sandy had been sat in, they had both been shot in the chest, blood soaked their dresses and their bare legs

“for fucks sake I am starting to get annoyed with this, I’ve had enough, if it’s not one of us then there is someone else in this house, Lara” he said turning though she was not stood behind him,

“Down here” she called, she had been knocked over and the door which had been close behind them now stood open,

“What happened?” Remy asked as he helped her up

“I don’t know exactly it was pitch black Remy” she replied “someone rushed past me sent me flying” she said, they each looked around the room, everyone was still there, who else is in this house Claude?” Remy asked as he examined the cut on Lara’s forehead,

“No one just us” he replied

“Wait a minute” Conner said moving toward Remy “what about the girls who served us earlier, two of them I haven’t seen them since the cook died

“You’re right, Van Ville?” Remy turned to the man once more anger filled his eyes

“I am afraid, Mr Del Ray that I believed those two young ladies to have been dead many hours ago, much before the Butler” he replied

“Fine we are going to stay together, we are going to search this house from bottom to top and back again” Remy exclaimed, he pulled a small silver key from his pocket and un-cuffed Maria King, “everyone arm themselves” he said. Connor and Lara each picked up a fire poker, Maria king held a long silver candle stick in her hands, as did Claude Van Ville though he held his with less intent, James held a walking stick he had found by the door and Remy Del Ray collected the antique sword that had been hung above the fireplace,

“Alright?” he asked and stepped into the hall.

They started in the kitchen and soon found the two girls who had earlier been serving them food and wine in the dining room, they had, had their throat slit, ugly jagged cut ran from ear to ear and then they had been dumped into the pantry, this made Remy Del ray twice as angry as he had been when he had left the room only 15 minutes earlier,

“I’m going to get the bastard who is doing this and I won’t be turning him over to the police” he snarled as he closed the pantry door on the two dead girls. “Every Inch-until we find the bastard who thinks he can pick us off”Remy mutter through gritted teeth and so they continued their search. They moved from room to room in perfect formation from one end of the room to the other; Remy, Lara, Maria King, Claude Van Ville, James and Conner, until they had searched every inch of the lower rooms of the house and then they made their way up the stairs. In the darkness that had swept the house when the lights had been cut it was hard to see far in front and so no one noticed when Connor was taken, no one noticed barring an odd grunting sound, when he was hoisted up by the rope around his neck until he had stopped breathing, no one noticed until suddenly from nowhere the lights re-illuminated the house.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, no not again” Maria King noticed first, her screams were echoed around the almost empty house, instantly and in unison,

“Jesus Christ” James gasped at the sight of Connor hanging from the ceiling joists, his face was still blushed but carried the pale hew of death beneath, his eyes bulged and his tongue protruded from his lips, swollen and fat.

“How in fucks name did this bloody happen!” Remy yelled,

“It’s the darkness it allowed whoever is out there to take him and do this, they were prepared” Lara said darkly

“Well it’s going to stop” Remy exclaimed

“Do we cut him down, God please cut him down!” Maria begged

“Alright” Remy said he followed the thick rope from where it wrapped around Connor neck and down to where it was tied around one of the thick and heavy curtain holders and he untied it, gently though it took effort not to drop him, he lowered Connor down to the floor. He un-tied the rope from his neck revealing the thick red, blue indentation running around his neck,

“What do we do now?” Lara asked

“We go back down stairs and we barricade ourselves in the front room” he said and he led the way back; though even back in the safety of the room they would not be safe. They barricaded the door with every heavy piece of furniture that they could move and then they settled down,

“Does anyone want a drink of water?” Maria asked as she poured the warming liquid into one of the cups that they had brought in earlier

“Thank you” Remy said

“I’ll take one” James said, “thank you” he said as Maria handed over a cup of water he took a deep drink, Maria sat and drank from her cup though Remy only stared deeply into his as though he were pondering an un-answerable question. Claude Van Ville had sat in the high back chair that Maria king had earlier been Hand cuffed to; he seemed far from fazed by what had been in his home.

“Eurgh that, it tastes...” Maria gasped and looked toward James though he had already begun to react to the poison that had laced the water, his lips had greyed, his face paled and he was choking, foam raged at his mouth making him seem a rabid animal,

“oh my god” Lara rushed over to him, “it’s okay” sweetheart” she said as she cradled his head in her lap, he looked up at her his eyes begging though there was nothing she could do. With-in seconds Maria King was in a similar position, Remy Del Ray had dropped his un toughed water and had moved to the floor where she had fallen he held her clammy hand tightly in his though it brought no comfort to the dying woman,

“He’s gone” Lara whispered a tear ran down over her cheek, she stood and collected a cushion from one of the chair and rested his upon it,

“So is she” Remy replied doing similar with a cushion, they both stood and looked around the room, “nobody touches anything, it is 2am, what time will the doors open Van Ville?” Remy asked

“9 o’clock sharp” he replied

“Okay we have 7 hours to get through, no body leaves, we stay here and we survive” he said looking around the room. He took a chair and sat with his back to the barricaded door, Claude Van Ville sat with his hands resting in his lap and his eyes closed, he began to gently snore and Lara moved her own chair to sit beside Remy Del Ray,

“Nothing seems to bother our esteemed host, does it?” she said

“Not at all, it rather makes you wonder” he replied though he did not elaborate“how do you do it?” he said suddenly

“What is that?” Lara asked

“The ideas, the new ways to keep your readers entertained?” he explained

“Research” she replied, the conversation continued in much a similar way between them, they spoke of their jobs, mundane things and even their own personal lives and they talked until the sun rose, until the clock announced 9am and the room was once again filled with fresh, heated sunlight. The house had been released and so had they.

The three of them escaped from the house leaving every inch of belonging they had taken with them and made their way directly to the closest police station where it seemed their story was rather un-believable though they did finally succeed in convincing them. The police spent a day removing bodies, collecting what evidence they could and searching the house, they them spent days interviewing the only three surviving victims and almost a week after seven people had been in-explicably murdered and they had found nothing, no one lurked in the house, no evidence pointed to anyone person as the killer.

There was nothing.

A Murder Mystery part 1

*  

 

“Before the sun rises and casts an appropriately bloody hew across this house, all but one of us will be dead. Somebody in this room is a killer, a cold blooded, heartless, soul’s life taker and they will easily take the lives in this house without even a blink of conscience. You might be wondering why I have brought you all here; well I am tasking you all with the task of finding the killer before they get to you”

 

     A crisp, off cream envelope fell through the letter boxes of 9 people on the morning of the September 21^st. The addresses were handwritten upon the paper in the deepest of jet black ink and on the back sat a golden C, embossed in the centre of the envelope where the seal met the card. Held inside was an A6 sized card of the same colour tone and again, handwritten upon the card was the following;

 

You are cordially invited to attend a night at the home of Mr Claude Van Ville; the party will be themed, dress will be provided for all activities and all guests are required to partake. Please arrive on the morning of October 21^st between the hours of 8:00am and 10:00 am.

 

Lara Blaine opened her envelope at 11:00pm on the day that it had been delivered, she was an author and a blogger and had spent most of her day sat in a café watching the rain pound the street as she wrote the next 3 chapters of her latest book. She had not left zed café until the rain had let up, the sun had set long ago and before she returned home she had done a little food shopping and picked up a Chinese takeout hence her not returning home until 10:00 pm. She had collected her mail from the silver box with its black number on the front and had dumped it on the kitchen table. She had then taken a very quick shower and dressed before warming up the takeout and curling into an arm chair, only then after turning on the television did she check through her mail. She regarded the envelope with slight amusement it looked to her like something she might write into one of her novels however it had taken her no time at all to decide whether she would be attending or not.

     Maria and Quentin King opened their envelopes as soon as they were delivered, Quentin King collected their mail right from the postman’s hand as he returned to their 3 story Victorian semi, he had been on his usual run and as usual met the postman, like clockwork, just as he was closing their neighbours gate. He handed the post to Maria just as she finished putting the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher and then he went to take a shower and dress for work, he returned 30 minutes later to find his wife propping the invitation up against the a photograph of her mother-in-law. She had already made their decision for them. Conner Clark opened his invitation a week after it had been delivered, he had just returned from his father’s funeral in Dublin, the envelope was sat at the bottom of a pile of mail and takeout leaflets, he had at first disregarded it, only opening it 2 hours later after using it as a coaster and dropping a slice of pepperoni on it. At first he had laughed at it but then after carrying out a quick Google search on ‘Claude Van Ville’ his Journalist senses began to tingle and he was very interested to meet this man.

     James Ripley didn’t open his, his ex-girlfriend did and she tore it into little pieces; after taking an hour cello taping the torn card back into shape so that he could read it and when he did he yelped with excitement, he had been an avid follower of Claude Van Ville’s life for the past 5 years. Wendy and Sandy Holowitz opened their envelopes in unison, they were not together however they were twins and so when their respective envelopes fell through the letter boxes of their houses set3 miles apart, they quickly but carefully picked they up with their freshly painted nails and used a butter knife to tear then open. Wendy then rang Sandy to discuss what had happened; Sandy didn’t want go, it wasn’t her kind of party but Wendy managed to convince her sister that they would have fun.

     Sally Mayfield got her assistant to open her mail which included her invitation; she was a busy woman however she had met Claude Van Ville once, only once but she had unfinished business with him and so she would go and she would take her mousey assistant with her. The final envelope was delivered by hand to Remy Del Ray he was the only non-British guest to be invited to the dinner party; he lived in New Orleans, the envelope was addressed to a Detective Del Ray and it was hand delivered to his desk. When he opened it he found himself slightly confused, the Name ‘Claude Van Ville’ was familiar to him; his father had spoken of him though he knew nothing more than the name. He had a few holidays that he was being forced to use and so his decision had already been made for him.

     Claude Van Ville was a peculiar man; he had been orphaned when he was 5 years old and adopted by a rich old woman who, despite her decision to give him a home, had never seemed to really want children. She was strict and cold but always made sure he had a full stomach, clothes and a warm home. in return he did well at school, he was an artsy type but he had a high IQ which meant he did well in every subject and was able to hide his creative side form his mother; she wanted him to become a banker or a lawyer to the rich and famous because that is what she was, she was rich and she had once been famous, she was an aristocrat or the granddaughter of one and had therefore inherited his millions this had kept her and her son living comfortably and would continue to for many, many years. When his mother had died Claude had been only 19 years old, he was at university, oxford, studying multiple degrees none of which he wanted to study and so when she passed and he inherited her millions, proof that she really did love him though the woman had never before said the words to him, he decided to follow his dream. For years he had collected designs, his designs and now he was going to become a worldwide fashion designer, the best and he did for a few years he rode high on a wave of fame, everybody loved him until one day he could not take it anymore and he disappeared. No one knew where Claude Van Ville vanished to even he wasn’t quite sure but for 10 years he ceased to exist. Suddenly Claude could not stand being around people, in the spotlight, he could not stand the thought of being looked at, his legendary parties became a thing of myth and he became an enigma.

     10 years after he vanished into the shadows of the world Claude Van Ville’s stately country home came to life. Cleaners were brought in, decorators and contractors brought to make the house look new again; to fix what had been neglected in his absence, to make it a home once more. Suddenly at night the lights could be seen flickering on, on a summers evening music could be heard drifting softly from one of the open windows, down the drive way and onto the street however no sign of Claude Van Ville was ever seen. Groceries were delivered, occasionally a messenger came to the door, post was dropped off at the front gate and twice a week a cleaner, gardener and cook entered the building but he never left. 6 months after Claude Van Ville re-appeared he began to design again and soon his clothes, lingerie, footwear and accessories were on every catwalk, being worn by every celebrity and fashionista and being mimicked by high street shops, Claude Van Ville was back although he would not bee see or heard from for another 5 years and then by only 10 specially chosen people.

 

 

**

     4 weeks later each person prepared to leave for the drive over to Van Ville house, some had fewer miles and hours to drive than others but all arrived on time, between the hours of 8 and 10 am. Detective Del Ray arrived first he had never seen anything like the home of Claude Van Ville, it was perfectly square other than a smaller rectangular shaped glass building off to its right that looked like it had been added at a later date. Atop the roof sat four great chimneys each puffing with plumes of smoke warming the large house in the cool temperatures of the late autumn. The door was large, twice the size of the average front door, painted in a deep red with a brass knob and a matching brass knocker set in the shape of a snarling goblin. The door was covered by a thick canopy of concrete held by two carved pillars, either side of the door were 2 great windows, each with a stained glass section, above the door, in line with the two bottom set windows were two identical windows minus the stained glass and set in the centre of the top set windows was a third smaller window. Detective Del Ray climbed from his rented car, collected the only, small hand held bag, he had brought with him and walked over to the red door. He did not use the brass knocker instead choosing to rap loudly three times with his knuckles.

“Detective Del Ray” the voice came from with-in the shadows as the door swung open, a small old man appeared dressed in traditional ‘butler wear’

“Hi, yes” he replied slightly set aback by the butlers presence, “I um, I heard that Mr Van Ville didn’t keep any staff at the house” he added

“Please do come in sir. Mr. Van Ville has hired some staff in for the night, just to keep things simple, Sir please do take a seat in the sitting room the other guests should arrive first” he said directing him toward a large room with the door set open,

“Thank you, I’m the first here then?” he asked as he walked in the direction the Butler had shown,

“Yes sir” he called as he closed the door, “can I get you a drink sir?” he asked

“Sure coffee would be good, thank you” he replied

“Yes sir” the butler said and shuffled from the room and down the hall. Remy Del Ray examined the photographs of an older lady and a young boy which sat above the lit fireplace, the heat soaked into his trousers warming his body through, he suspected that the picture was one of Claude Van Ville as a child with his mother, there were three in total one of the both of them and one of each of them stood alone in the garden in the midst of summer. Finally he sat down in one of the two large deep red leather arm chairs which were more comfortable than they looked, he settled in and almost drifted off; he was happy when the sound of the brass goblin knocker rang out around the house jolting him awake,

“Here is your coffee sir” the butler had returned and Remy realised that he didn’t know the man’s name,

“Thank you and please call me Remy, what your name?” he asked

“Sir just comes naturally, sir but you can call me Ben” he replied setting a silver tray down with a cup of deep black coffee, a small jug of cream and a pot of sugar, a silver spoon which matched the tray was set beside the cup. Ben left to answer the door. Remy heard him greeting someone, a woman and a minute later the door to sitting room opened, Ben appeared followed by a young woman of around 25 years old.

“Detective Remy Del Ray, Miss Lara Blaine” he said introducing them, she smiled at Remy

“Hi it’s nice to meet you” she said in a soft London accent,

“you too” he said standing and shaking her hand, Ben the butler asked if the latest guest would like a drink and then vanished once again to fetch a pot of tea. Lara Blaine sat down opposite Remy in the second arm chair she smiled at him again with her sweet smile,

“So you’re from the south, where about?” she asked

“New Orleans” he said simply

“How strange that Claude Van Ville invited an American detective to his very exclusive party, it makes you wonder who else he has invited” she commented

“Hmm, my father met him once but you’re right it is rather strange, the way you talk sounds like me on a good day what is it you do?” he asked, she smiled at his honey sweet accent

“I’m an author” she replied

“Hmm anything I might have read?” he asked as the door knocker rang again, she paused to listen to Ben shuffle along the hall

“Fractured” she said simply

“Wow so there is a famous author in the room” he said

“you’ve read them?” she asked curious

“friends have but unfortunately I’m a very busy man so I haven’t had the chance” he replied with a slight smile. Just then the door opened once again; this time a couple walked through.

“Mr and Mrs King” Ben the butler announced as he showed then through the door,

“please call us Maria and Quentin” the woman said as they both sat down on one of the matching red leather sofas,

“can I get you a drink sir, Miss?” Ben asked

“tea would be wonderful, thank you” Quentin replied and then they all sat in silence until Maria began to talk. Maria King was a housewife therefore whenever she was in company she made the most of it,

“hi it’s so nice to meet you all, so what do we all do?” she asked with excitement

“Detective Remy Del Ray” Lara answered “is American and well obviously he is a police detective, I am Lara, I’m an author what about the 2 of you, wait can I guess?” she said with a smile

“wow a detective and an author we’ll seem so boring compared to the two of you” she said with a giggle, “please do” she added referring to Lara’s question   

“okay let’s start with you Mr Quentin King” she said, Lara was good at reading people when she wasn’t creating then for her novels she would sit and study them, the way they moved, acted, dressed and it had became somewhat of a party trick, she continued “you’re wearing jeans but you don’t really look all that comfortable so either they’re new or more likely you wear a suit pretty much every day and your wife insisted you wear them which I’m guessing means they are a Van Ville pair of jeans, you speak clearly and carefully like one wrong word, miss heard sentence might cost you something and despite the strict rules set for this dinner party you brought your laptop, your watch was a present but not from your wife because she seems like the sort of woman who might have it engraved plus its slightly big and she would know the perfect size, it was a present for a promotion one you very rarely take off; you Mr King are a lawyer or an accountant but I’m going with lawyer” she waited for a response

“oh my god that was fantastic, you’re right how did you do that” Maria King gushed

“it’s what I do, I create people, I watch people” she said “now you Maria, manicured nails, perfect blond curls, no wrinkles or dry skin, you love to be in company, I noticed you check your hand when you walked in after touching the table in the hall, you brushed dust from it even though Mr Van Ville had the cleaner in yesterday, you are a housewife and a very good one” Lara said, she was careful not to insult the people she would be spending the evening with,

“wow that really is something” Maria said staring at her in awe, just then the door went again and the voices of two women, one sounding quite excitable, could be heard and like clockwork, less than a minute later the shuffling footsteps reached the door to the sitting room and t opened to reveal Ben and two young women,

“hi I’m Wendy and this is my sister Sandy as you can see we’re Twins” she gushed before Ben the butler had a chance to announce them,

“drinks Miss?” he asked

“I’ll have a Martini dirty, it’s not too early is it Sandy? No it’s never too early, 5 o’clock somewhere am I right? And sandy will have a water with ice and lemon thank you very much” she said answering all of her own questions,

“right away miss and I will be back with your tea in a few moments” he said reefing to the earlier ordered drinks. He had been running around answering the door every few seconds that the poor man had not found the time to make the pot of tea.

     Be returned at half past 9, 20 minutes after everyone had ordered their drinks, he carried another silver tray his one held a large pot of tea, sugar and milk with three tea cups and their respective spoons, he then left and returned with a third tray holding a chilled martini glass and a perspiring glass of ice water,

“there you go” he said as he set the trays down “sorry for the wait” he added just then the door went again and he quickly shuffled off again. The voices were more muffled now drowned by the sound of the chatter between Wendy and the other guests but silence fell when the door swung open and two people walked in, a woman and a man,

“Miss Sally Mayfield and Mr Conner Clarke” Ben announced, he asked the usual question regarding drinks and then left to collect a second glass of ice water and cup of coffee,

“so are you two married, partners?” Wendy asked enthusiastically

“no I’ve never met this gentleman before today” Sally answered as she perched on the tip of a high backed table chair that looked as though it had been brought in specifically for the day, Conner Clarke sat on the second of the three dinner chairs, he smiled at the room,

“so where are you from?” Lara asked him, he had the look of travel in his eyes

“Originally from Ireland just got back a few weeks ago” he answered with a slight but faded Irish twang to his accent

“and what is it you do?” she asked intrigued

“Journalist” he replied,

“and the two of you?” she said directing her words toward the twins,

“um I’m a, an artist” Wendy replied quietly

“and I am a model, I’m also a school studying Business management” Sandy butted in, sitting up as straight as she could and thrusting her enhanced chest out

“very nice” Lara replied, Wendy beamed she did not seem to her the sarcasm in Lara’s reply. Just then Ben returned with a tenth and final person and a tray holding the earlier requested drinks, they had not heard the door go,

“our final guest has arrived, Mr James Ripley” he said setting the tray down as he showed James Ripley in,

“hi it’s nice to meet you all” he said as he sat down on the third and final dinner chair, James Ripley was the youngest of the group and other then Wendy who seemed more excited about the dinner party, he seemed to be the most enthused over their illusive host.

“a drink Sir?” Ben asked for the final time

“coke please” he replied and looked toward the others, “so when do you think he’ll make an appearance? And what is this dinner party all about? We’re all very different people I wonder what Claude Van Ville wants with us” he said and rambled on in a similar fashion, not allowing anyone to answer him that was until the door opened, they all assumed that it was Ben returning with the requested coke but it was not.

      Claude Van Ville walked into the room, he was dressed in a deep black velvet suit with emerald green cravat, pocket watch and spats, he looked elegant and regal and in his hand he held the requested coke.

 “ladies and gentlemen” he boomed handing the coke to James “I thank you all for coming and arriving on time now I am guessing you are all wondering why you are here, such a strange mix of people to invite you might think but I promise that all will be revealed during dinner tonight. Now Ben will show each of you to your rooms for the night where you will find you’re outfits for the evening which I have tailored to each of your personalities. This party does not have a singular specific theme each of you will be dress for a different significant year in history, I hope you will enjoy my choices. Now I realise that some of you have very important and high profile jobs however this gathering did come with a set of specific rules and since none of the historical times relied on the mobile phone, laptop and I’m afraid some of your watches they will be confiscated until the morning, if you do have issues with this then may I suggest you leave now. For those of you who require it pens and paper have been left in your rooms, there will also be a special gift in each room, that you may keep at the end of this gathering, each specific for each guest. I will allow you the morning for settling in lunch will be served at 1:00 sharp please dress for the occasion; I have hung your clothing in groups appropriate for morning, noon and night just to make things easier for you all. I will see you later” he said, his voice was deep and he oozed confidence.

     When he left everyone looked at each other in awe, surprise and shock, no one said a word, Ben then returned and asked everyone to follow him, to leave any non specific items in the room, and they would be placed in the safe by Mr Van Ville. Each of them placed their mobile phones and laptops down on the tables, some left their watches and then they all stood and followed the slow butler up the stairs. Once there they all realised that the house was bigger than they originally believed it to be, at the back of the building” Ben said as they walked past a deep mahogany door, “Mr and Mrs King you will be in here” he said pointing to a blue door he left them there continuing further down the long hall, “Mr Clark this will be your room” he said the door was deep emerald green, “The twins were in a double room with a light pine door, James was next in a room with oak door and then Detective Del Ray his room was at the very end of the hall, the door was midnight in colour.

“okay Miss Lara you room is up here he said pointing to a mahogany door which when opened lead to a stair case which led to the final room. Ben instructed them all to meet in the sitting room when they were ready to Lunch at 1:00, he informed then that the fires had been lit to warm their rooms and that each room was equip with an en-suit, if they needed anything they should ring the bell in their room. It was all extremely novel.

 

 

 

***

     Just over 2 hours after they had arrived at the grand stately home of Claude Van Ville each of the guests prepared for lunch; just like he had said the clothes for each occasion were set out in groups all they had to do was to choose an outfit and its accessories but Claude Van Ville had not stopped there. What he had also provided were the perfumes and beauty tools that might have been used during the time that each person had been given, they came complete with a book of models supporting a range of hair styles and make-up styles with the instruction on how to carry them out; Claude Van Ville had covered every base. When Maria and Quentin King stepped out of their room they look like a couple who had passed right out of the 1950s; Maria King wore a cerise full circle skirt with a white blouse and a set of pearls around her neck, her earring matched her pearl necklace and her shoes were in a lighter pink. She wore her hair in curls, pink lipstick and a sweet floral scent. Quentin King wore a dark grey suit, white shirt with diamond shaped cuff links, he wore a short brimmed charcoal fedora and matching tie with a slight tinge of silver, beneath his hat his dark hair was slicked back; he looked very much the 1950s business man. !0 minutes after they left their room Wendy and Sandy Holowitz followed them, Wendy looked every inch the urban artist of the 1930s she wore her hair pinned up in thick curls and dressed in wide legged chocolate trousers, atop she wore a plain chiffon top with a fur gilet and on her feet she wore tan mary-janes, Sandy Holowitz dressed slightly differently though from the same era; she wore a mid calf length skirt in a deep burgundy, it fitted to her body like a second skin and a slightly ruffled white shirt of which she had not fastened all of the buttons, on her feet she also wore mary-janes though these matched the colour of her skirt and around her neck she wore a long golden chain.

     Lara Blain and Remy Del Ray ran into each other as they were making their way down stairs, Lara had just closed the door of her attic room when she saw him, he was wearing a white shirt with the short, stiff collar worn up, his tie was knotted haphazardly and his jet black waistcoat matched the slightly longer than waist length jacket. On his head he wore a slightly worn bowler hat and on his feet he wore scuffed boots that were either a very dark chocolate colour or a deep charcoal, she could not tell in the darkness of the hall though apparently he could see her outfit just fine,

“you look…” he began

“hmm that’s what I was thinking, I’m not quite used to it yet” she cut him off she was dressed in a 1920s day dress; it was cream in colour with sheer panels at the neck and along the hem at the knee. Around the waist had been stitched shimmery glass cream beads, these ran down along the sides of the dress and ran around the hem, she felt elegant maybe too elegant for lunch and she found herself wondering what might be in store for the dinner party itself. She wore a wide brimmed hat in matching cream colour with a brightly coloured scarf tied around it. Her make-up was neutral and her hair she had styled in a curled bob, which had not been easy. They walked down to the sitting room together where they found the rest of the guests; James Ripley looked like he had walked right from a 1940s American university, he wore a cream and blue letter jacket, brown slacks and a pair of blue converse, his hair was parted to the left and slicked down. Sally Mayfield was sat sipping what looked to be an early afternoon dirty martini which fitted right in with the clothes she wore; she was dressed as you might find a high powered, confident woman making a name for herself in a 1950s men’s world. She wore a perfectly fitting, knee length pencil dress in a deep teal; a bow pulled her waist in perfectly and to the top of her right shoulder sat a golden floral brooch. She wore her hair fastened up and on her face she wore very little make-up other than a sweep of deep red lipstick.

     Conner Clark stood by the fire with his left hand in his pocket and his right holding a glass of what looked to be bourbon. He wore a deep brown bowler hat, scuffed work boots, a white shirt open at the collar and black braced which could just be seen beneath his black jacket, he looked a little less put together than the rest but it suited him.

“hi guys you all look fantastic” Lara said with a slightly dry tone

“thank you, oh so do you I love your dress” Sandy gushed standing and fingering the beads on Lara’s dress. Just as she was about to move away from the too friendly girl when Ben the butler walked through the door,

“oh I didn’t realised the two of you had joined the group we will be starting lunch now” he said referring to Lara and Remy, “please follow me” he added leaving the room. He led them to the glass conservatory where they came across Claude Van Ville, he had not changed his clothing though he now wore deep red velvet slippers rather than the spats he had been wearing on his feet. He sat smoking a cigarette held by a sterling silver and jade cigarette holder which hung lazily between his finger when he was not pulling plumes of smoke from it with his rose tinted lips.

“please join me” he said gesturing to 9 other chairs dotted around the room. In the centre of the glass room stood a large round table which was slowly being filled with dishes of food. Each guest made their way in and chose a seat,

“wow I can’t believe how mist it’s gotten in the past few hours” James Ripley commented, the glass room which on an ordinary day would flood and be heated with sunlight was now over cast and surrounded by a thickening fog that made it feel half as big as it was, it felt choking,

“yes it can get rather foggy out here; it’s quite eerie isn’t it, I do enjoy taking lunch in here” Claude Van Ville replied, “you all look wonderful might I say and I do hope that you all approved of the clothing choices I made on your behalf” he added smiling “Ben I think we will have some water for the table and then whatever drinks the guests want and my usual please, thank you” he said and then he turned to the others, “Are we all enjoying ourselves so far?” he asked. Each person replied with either a nod or a ‘yes’ as well as answering Ben with their drink order.

     They ate a lunch of salads, fruits, cheeses and crackers with thick sliced of buttered bread, cold cuts of meat and an array of condiments. Water and wine was set in the centre of the table for each person to help their selves and they were also supplied with the drinks that they had earlier asked for. As they ate music was played softly and they chatted about the mundane things of life and Claude Van Ville simply sat and watched in silence as he ate. He only spoke when the plate had been cleared,

“shall we retire?” he said standing, the clock read 3:30. They followed him to the lounge areas, a different room to the earlier front room, it was much more cosy with the fire already burning quick and the curtains drawn expelling the thick fog and filling the room with deep shadows, they all sat; some examined the antiques scattered around the room, Lara read one of the many first editions that sat dust free upon a large, wall covering bookcase, Detective Del Ray, James Ripley and Conner Clarke sat and talked as did Sally Mayfield and Wendy Holowitz. Sally Holowitz had retrieved a pad of paper from her room and was now sat drawing, the Kings were also sat reading; it all seemed rather strange, they could have known each other for years.

      Around 5:30 guests were informed by Claude Van Ville that he was going to retire to prepare for dinner which would be served at 7:30.

 

****

    

     Each person was, once again, dressed appropriately they had chosen an outfit from the ‘evening’ section of the wardrobes, the Kings wore pristine 1950s dinner wear, Maria dressed in an a-line, sweetheart off the shoulder neckline dress in a deep blue, she wore a diamond and sapphire necklace and her hair was perfectly set with not a hair out of place. Quentin King was dressed in a deep black suit and tie; he wore perfectly polished shoes and shimmering sapphire cuff links to match his wife. The twins again were dressed in polar opposite dresses from the same era, Wendy wore a plum colour beaded and sequined, drop waist, knee length dress, in her hair she wore black sea pearls that entwined with in a curled bun. Her sister again had been dressed according to her artistic flare, she wore a floaty silk dress in a dark golden colour, and her hair was loose and hung in wild curls reaching just below her shoulder blades. James Ripley wore a tux however he looked like a high school boy going to the prom in the 1940s; he still wore his converse and an awkwardly tied bow tie. Lara was dressed like a singer from the 20s, a singer who might have sung in a smoke filled bar in New York City. She had on a floor length glitter red dress much like the one Jessica Rabbit wore, her shoes matched and were covered in red sequins and her hair was curled in thick flowing rings, she wore no jewellery other than a pair of diamond earrings that fell like the droplets of melting icicles in the thaw of winter. Sally Mayfield had only changed slightly her pencil dress remained though it was fashioned out of lace in the form of golden flowers her shoes were of a similar gold and her hair was worn up in fastened curls, she wore a set of pearls around her neck and wrist. Conner Clarke wore an emerald waistcoat and matching tie, he wore a slightly off black suite and a gold ring on his pinkie which had not been there during lunch. He still wore a bowler hat though it seemed to be a different one, more dressy in Black with an emerald ribbon around it; he also still wore the scruffy boots. Remy Del Ray wore a top hat and tails though he did not wear them comfortably, his shirt was fastened with shiny pearly buttons and around his neck was ties a black and deep red cravat, he looked elegant, as did Claude Van Ville who had finally changed into his own top hat and tails though his top hat was encircled with a purple velvet ribbon this matched the mid length cape that he wore. His spats had been returned to his feet and he walked with a silver handled cane though he did not need it.

     For a while after they had all entered the great room, with its high ceilings, chandeliers, candelabras-all lit and its luxurious velvet drapes which had been drawn closed to keep the cold night at bay, the guests of Claude Van Ville stood and talked. They admired the room with its large table which ran almost the length of the room, it was cast in deep mahogany as where the carved high back chairs, they dazed at the wood fire burning basking in the heat it washing over the room.  Not one of them sat until Claude Van Ville entered the room,

“what are you all doing stood around, please sit down” he said gesturing around the room and they all followed his instruction, once they were sat with their gold rimmed table wear in front of them, Ben the butler and a few other servers walked in, one was carrying a bowl and ladle, heat drifted from the container and the other two carried two bottles of champagne,

“The first course will be a mushroom broth, it is just wonderful” Claude said once everyone had taken their seat and the servers had begun to fill the bowels

“This is a wonderful room Claude, in fact the whole house is just magnificent” Maria King gushed as a young blond girl filled her bowl with steaming broth, “thank you” she said

“thank you Maria it was my mothers and then I inherited it when they passed, please do start” he said. Approving sounds filled the room as people began to eat,

“not that I’m not enjoying myself Claude but I and I’m guessing a few others, if not all, are wondering why exactly you have invited us here to you beautiful home for the night?” Remy Del Ray asked

“I will get to that once we have finished our meal, over drinks” he said and they all accepted the answer. For the rest of the meal they discussed meaningless subjects, over the main which was a perfectly roasted beef loin with crisped potatoes, red wine jus and asparagus they talked about the weather; rain had been falling in droves and floods were running wreckage over England. Over the dessert, a chocolate torte, they discussed Claude Van Ville’s new fashion line, he was happy to join in and then once the plate had been cleared they all moved to the sitting room where they were given either a cup of hot coco or a brandy to end the night with, it was here that Claude Van Ville finally explained what they were doing there.

“I chose you all for a reason though I may not quite remember why, to attend this dinner party and what I might say now will shock some of you, terrify others and upset some; it will also make you rather angry when you have found out what it is I have done. I have been away for a long time as you all know and during this time I found a relative peace, an acceptance; a way of looking at the world that I believe very few of us have and so it pains me greatly to say this and I must apologise in advance but before the sun rises and casts an appropriately bloody hew across this house, all but one of us will be dead. Somebody in this room is a killer, a cold blooded, heartless, soulless life taker and they will easily take the lives in this house without even a blink of conscience. You might be wondering why I have brought you all here; well I am tasking you all with the task of finding the killer before they get to you” he stopped, during his speech he had sat forward in his chair, he now lent back drinking the last of his brandy, everyone sat in silence.

“are you kidding me?” Conner Clarke snorted,

“no mister Clarke in fact the first murder has already been committed” Claude answered, just then Ben appeared around the door, his face had pales and his hand seemed to shake slightly,

“sir it appears that we might have a situation” he said gravely

“and so it has started, please will you all follow me, I’m afraid that some of you do not believe what I have just said and I need you to understand that I am deadly serious” he said, he stood then and walked with his cane out of the room, the other looked at each other and gradually one by one they too stood and followed Claude Van Ville out of the room though what they followed him to, none of them were expecting to find. As they moved down the hall the smells of cooking filled the air, they passed one of the servers she was sat on a scruffy high backed chair which looked like it might have been an old dining chair, she held her head in her hands and was sobbing, her body shaking with each gut wrenching cry.

“are you okay sweetheart?” Maria King asked, bending to meet the girl’s eyes but she simply shook her head pointed and sobbed even louder,

“Oh dear” they all heard Claude’s voice come from the kitchen.

     Quentin King entered the kitchen first; followed by Remy Del Ray and Lara Blaine what they all found was not what they had been expecting. At first Quentin King believed the woman to be acting,

“I have to hand it to you Claude you have hired some world class actors and actresses here” he said

“I assure you Mr. King that these people are not actors and actresses” he said “please feel free to check the ladies pulse” he added and that was just what Quentin king did. The woman was still warm though she had a dry dampness to her skin, a greying of the eyes and a pale tinge to her lips and when he felt for her pulse he found none; quickly he withdrew his hand and then he placed it again on her wrist, still he found no pulse. His face paled and when he heard his wife entre the room behind him he turned to shield her but he was a little too late,

“oh my god!” she gasped “is she?”

“yes” he answered her simply and she too began sobbing, her husband took her away from the kitchen, and in her place Remy Del Ray took over,

“What the hell is going on here Van Ville, you know this was going to happen did you do this?” his words were demanding

“I can assure you Detective that this was not my doing but like I informed you all earlier there is a murder in our midst” he answered

“We need to call the police where’s your phone Van Ville?” he said

“I’m afraid I do not have one” was his answer

“Alright then give me the cell phones you confiscated earlier” he said

“I’m afraid I cannot, they are locked up and the chef was the only one with the combination” he answered,

“Don’t mess with me Claude” Remy said invading the man’s space,

“Yeah cause that’ll help” Lara said moving in between the two men, “Claude there must be away to open the safe?” she asked?

“I’m afraid not my dear” he replied

“Well then one of us will just have to go and get the police” she said turning to Remy Del Ray

“I think the Kings should go, I should stay here since we have a murder in our midst” he said mimicking the words of Claude Van Ville

“I’m afraid that is also not an option, you see I invited you all here in the know that one of you is a cold blooded killer and I’m afraid none of you are leaving until you find out who the killer is, this house has been locked down, it is on a timer, one that cannot be tampered with and it will not open until the morning” he said. The revelation made every person with in ear shot stop in their tracks,

“what is this sick game Van Ville” Conner Clark burst through the kitchen door, he grabbed Claude Van Ville by the collar “you think you’re god now, you open this house up or so help me” he said

“so help you what, you’ll kill me because my dear man like I said there is a killer in this house and even I am at risk of being ‘knocked off’” he replied

“that is if you’re not the killer” Lara Blaine chimed in, whilst the men had been arguing she had checked the windows of the kitchen, which had been shuttered; behind the wooden shutters the windows had been covered with some form of brass coloured metal  The twins both ran to the front door, it was bolted and no-doubt in front of the bolted door sat an equally un-movable metal one; they checked the conservatory, the once glass building that had flourished with the suns bright light was now cast in shadow, Candles flickered casting haunting shapes across the glass roof, the whole building had been covered in the same brass coloured metal; They were trapped with no way out and no way of communicating.

“We’re not getting out of this place” she confirmed when she re-joined the men, the twins had also joined them as had Sally Mayfield and Quentin King, Maria had remained with the distraught woman.

“You are kidding me right?” the twins chimed in together, it was the first time that they had had anything in common.

“Sorry girls but I’m afraid we have a murder mystery to solve before we all died a horrid death” Lara replied

“what, no, no, no we have to get out of her now!” Sandy yelled drawing the attention of Maria King, who appeared in the kitchen door,

“what’s going on sweetheart?” she asked her husband, he turned and ushered her back out into the hall, they could be heard whispering and then Maria could be heard weeping.

“so what do we do now?” Lara asked

“we split into two groups, I know people always say stay together but there are quite a few of us and like you said Lara we have a murder mystery to solve before we all die so we need to split up, me, you Lara, Conner , Sally and Mr. Van Ville here will form one group” Remy Del Ray said the detective in him taking over, “James, Quentin, the twins and Maria, form another they can take this young lady and the butler with them into the Front room” he continued “and we will used our collective skills to try and solve this”  he said moving from the room to speak to Quentin King,

“okay we all need to move into the front room” he called and so they all did, Remy Del Ray seemed the most logical choice to take lead. Once they had all gathered including the still weeping woman and the butler, Remy Del Ray explained what was going to happen, some of them cried, other protested and some argued that there must be a way out but after 10 minutes of noisy din filling the room everyone settled and the two groups had split with strict instructions to stay together at all times.                                

     Remy Del Ray led the way back into the kitchen where the body still lay,

“we need gloves?” he said turning to Claude Van Ville

“I’m sure they’ll be something like that under the skin” he said nonchalantly. Lara found the gloves and passed a pair to Connor and Remy, she also pulled a pair on, Sally Mayfield did not complain when she was given a pair, she was simply there to offer a further pair of eyes.

“alright let’s do the best we can, look for anything that is out of place” he said passing around bundles of sandwich bags and other utensils such as skewers to lift clothing, tape for hairs and a pair of what looked like large tweezers to lift evidence. They each then began to search the room and the body.

“it looks like this was the last thing he ingested before he died” Lara noted she lifted the shallow bowl of the same mushroom broth that they had been eating and took a sniff, “umm it has a funny under scent, something that I don’t recall our broth having, Remy joined her and mimicked her action of sniffing the broth,

“you’re right it’s sweet but there is something else bitter”

“bitter almonds?” Sally Mayfield offered

“yes” Remy replied

“I don’t believe it” Lara interrupted, “its cyanide” she snorted slightly in disbelief

“people still use that?” Del ray said

“obviously someone is taking the themes to heart” Claude Van Ville said smugly from his position near the door

“check the broth pan” Remy said to Lara she moved to the oven and inhaled the broth, there was no bitter almond scent,

“nothing” she replied. Remy took a sample of the broth in both of the pans, he used a thick marker to write on each jar he used and he set them to one side,

“there is something here on this bowl he said and on the man’s wrist, something oily and yellow” he said, Lara can you pass me a spoon or something and some foil” she did as he asked and watched as he scraped the substance from the man’s writs, he touched the tip of his pinkie to the thick yellow gloop and rubbed it between his thumb and finger, “its paint, oil paint” he said sniffing “yeah definitely paint” he added

“doesn’t that twin, Sandy, isn’t she an artist” Sally chimed in

“yeah I think she is, doesn’t seem the type though, does anyone know if she brought her oil paints with her?” Remy asked

“no but I’m sure we can find out and Detective, being in your line of work I would have thought you would know that anyone is capable of murder” Lara said, “we search her room” she said.

    Back in the front room everyone had remained in silence apart from the odd sniffle, Maria King had calmed down and composed herself, the twins sat together holding hands and the butler stood trying to console the young woman, James stood by the door trying to hear a figment of conversation,

“they’re coming back” he said and quickly moved to sit on the sofa by the Kings just as the door swung open,

“what did you find, anything?” he asked them

“no, Sandy we need to search your room” he said

“what why?” she protested standing and dropping her sisters hand, a second later Wendy had joined her,

“what do you need to do that for?” she demanded

“we found some paint on the dead man, yellow oil paint”

“I-but I didn’t do this” Sandy gasped

“please we just need to search your room” Remy said softly

“but I haven’t even opened the yellow, it’s a new set, I haven’t used any of them yet” she said

“please” Lara said and so they all left the warmth and relative safety of the front room and made their way up to the double room that the twins shared.

     The room was decorated in luxurious satin and silk, the beds were both doubles and covered with deep cerise sheets, each one of them had a patchwork blanket at the bottom stitched in turquoise, blues, gold’s, pinks and purples, these colours matched the wall paints and in the centre of the far wall sat in between two wardrobes sat a dressing table.

“okay Wendy will you get me your paints out please?” he said and the young woman moved to the table beside one of the beds, she pulled open the top draw and produced a box of oil paints and handed them to Remy. He opened the box to find a set of 7 tubes of oil paint, of which only the blue and white had been used however one tube was missing from the box, “I need you two to stand here for me, there’s a tube missing Sandy, the yellow paint tube to be exact” Remy said,

“Honestly I don’t know where it is, I swear I didn’t do this” she said her voice wavering slightly,

“we’re going to search this room for the paint tube, you two don’t move” he said and the other began to search. 20 minutes later no yellow paint tube had been found,

“what do we do” Lara asked Remy in a whisper

“we can’t prove anything wit out that tube plus anyone could have come in here and taken it” he said “we need to find more evidence, that or...” he trailed off

“wait for someone else to die” Lara finished; he looked at her with a knowing look, a look that said that might be the only way.