”Murder is like potato chips: you can't stop with just one.”
Stephen King (Under The Dome)


Episode 4; A New Twist in the Game


Last time on Murder in Small Town X;

The group got insight on possible top suspect, Walter DuChamps.
Tiffany-“He does seem... Off.”
Spencer-“He comes in, mumble incoherently to us, then mumbles to himself and leaves. Customers have said they’re worried when he walks in.”

Rachel still have issue about where she was the night of the murders.
Rachel-“I’m sorry, I know it sounds bad, but I don’t feel comfortable sharing that information with you.”

And nearly got lucky with Jeffery Ardis being cleared after being arrested at Ashley Bundy’s funeral.
Gary-“We just wanted to check on the status of Jeffery Ardis. Is he still being held there?”
Jack-“No he is not, sir.”

Plus, the group found out about Daniel McGee’s past
Daniel-“I was going to propose to my high school sweetheart while I was in college. She passed away in a car accident during my first year at Yale.”

Then they found out a little more about Jeffery.
Jeffery-“I’ve been seeing her since I stared at Stokely Works.”

And Walter gave insight about his past.
Walter-“My p-p-parents weren't t-t-the most understanding p-p-people. They didn't believe m-m-me when I said I w-w-was getting b-b-bullied. They b-b-basically bullied me as w-w-well.”

As the group gathered back, they were able to clear another suspect in Sydney Shields, and Benjamin got his wish with Stacey being voted by the group to play the Killer’s Game. She was joined by Deanna, who just survived the last vote.

Deanna found her clue in the Church, but Stacey found not just a junk clue, but also the Killer at the Junkyard and was eliminated from the game.

Now, 12 Suspects and 7 Investigators Remain.



It's 1:48 AM, and a van has slowly rolled up to a house with its headlights off. A green, hazy glow is at the driver's seat. They look in the back, and a body bag is holding the most recent loser of the Killer's Game. Next to them is a second, empty body bag. That would soon change.

They got out of the van and walked up to the house as silent as could be. The quick use of a crowbar got the back door open easily. Once they got inside, they walked through the living room and stopped short of the kitchen. They saw a woman standing in the kitchen, getting a glass of water from the sink. Slowly, the green haze of infrared approached. The woman turned and saw the person walking towards them.

Woman-"What are you doing! Get out of here!"

The green haze rushed forward. The woman screamed and put her hands up to block her face. It was no use.

Woman-"AHHHH!"

FLASH! BANG!
-
At 3:56 AM, the investigators were sound asleep in their beds when all of a sudden....

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Doug-"The hell was that?"

Benjamin-"I think someone's at the door."

The 4 men got out of bed. The women were all waiting in he hallway when they walked out of their room.

Chrissy-"What the hell is going on?"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Kristen-"Is that someone knocking?"

Mitchell-"I think so."

The group of investigators sleepily stumbled down the stairs to the front door. Once they hit the bottom step, they noticed the flashing red and blue lights outside. They opened the door to find Officer Jack Faye, who was standing there with the most distraught look on his face.

Mitchell-"Officer Faye, what's wrong?"

Jack-"The Killer...... I got a call...... blood everywhere...... no body again....... she's dead....."

The group gasped at his broken up sentence.

Mitchell-"Jack, who's dead?"

Jack-"....... Georgina......"

***

In the quiet town of Sunrise Ridge, a Killer is on the loose. A reward has been offered to 10 ordinary people;

Deanna
Benjamin
Chrissy
Frank
Stacey
Harrison
Kristen
Doug
Heidi
Mitchell

They have been sent to Sunrise Ridge to play the Killer's twister game. Now, they must enter the mind of a Killer and solve the mystery, or else they will be eliminated, one by one.

***

At 8:00 AM, the investigator, who barely slept that night, gladly helped themselves to the coffee that was supplied by Tiffany and Spencer. Each one had a large cup of it, while Deanna drank straight from the pot.

Deanna-"I just went out on the Killer's Game last night. I had a horrible dream about it and then Officer Faye woke us all up. I think in total, I had 3 hours of sleep. It's not fun."

Doug-"This was the second time the Killer has acted during the night. First time was when they broke the sky light in the lounge. We're all tired, and we just need to solve this case to sleep ASAP."

The group gathered their breakfast and walked upstairs to the briefing room. Gary was already waiting for them at his table while the investigators sat at their desks, nearly falling face first into their food from lack of sleep.

Gary-"Right. I was called by Officer Faye earlier this morning. Georgina's neighbors, Paul and Kendra Martins, said they woke up to what sounded like a gunshot. They called the police and, as they were on the phone, they heard a car pull off. Unfortunately, they couldn't get the plates or find out what kinda car it even was. Officer Faye arrived to Georgina's house; nothing but a blood puddle in the kitchen and no body."

Mitchell-"This is now the third murder that has happened here, and I got a bad feeling that its not the last."

Gary-"Before I send you off in your Tracks, we need to go over what happened last night. First, Deanna survived the Killer's Game. What did you get?"

Deanna-"I got to the church and walked in the front door. Checked all the pews and then saw a note attacked to the altar. It told me to go down into the basement. I went downstairs and their was the X on a stage on the other side of the room."

Gary-"You did a great job out there. Now, our Killer Clue last night was this."

He held up a piece of newspaper.

Gary-It's a news article of a lady named Tracey Johnson. All we have is just this picture and the name. Does anybody have any ideas on who this could be?"

Kristen-"That could be related to the last clue left for us. She could be the bride."

Gary-"That could be. Good thinking. It will be in the evidence locker for anyone who wishes to look at it."

As he said that, he walked over to the metal cabinet that was still holding the last 3 X's, the cracked heart, and the sheet of music. Gary placed the newspaper article in there and walked back to his table.

Gary-"Now, unfortunately, we lost another member of our team, and that was Stacey Towers. I'm going to play her Last Will and Testament as she picked our next Lead Investigator."

Gary clicked a few tabs on the computer, and upon the TV above the table, Stacey appeared to talk to everyone for the final time. Once he hit play, he stepped away to grab her nameplate from her desk and placed it on the white board along with Frank and Heidi's.

Stacey-"I can't believe I have to sit here. I'm so upset. If I do not return, I can tell you I will NOT name Benjamin as Lead Investigator. If he's gonna get mad at me for not basically tying up Rachel and forcing her against her will to give me information, then he's not who we should place in charge. I will, however, name Harrison as Lead Investigator. He is a sweet young man and is such a sweetheart. I'd love my daughter to date him."

The group laughed at the end of the video. Harrison smiled and turned red, while Benjamin didn't laugh, but he did turn red in anger.

Benjamin-"Stacey couldn't do her job here and blames me for it. It's all good, she's gone now."

Harrison-"Thanks Stacey! I'll call her once this is over."

Gary-"Congratulations Harrison! Please come on up here."

Harrison left his desk and walked up to the table next to Gary.

Gary-"Today, I am only going to send out 2 Tracks. Track 1; I want you to go to to Georgina Seeger's house. Get as much evidence as you can from the scene. Track 2; your job is simple. I want you to go to Rachel Neary's office. We sent a sample of blood  off early in the morning after officer Faye arrived to her house. All you gotta do is collect the data. Remember, she is also a suspect so you can question her. Now, Harrison, I need you to select 3 to go to Georgina's house and 3 to see Rachel."

Harrison-"Let's send Mitchell, Deanna, and Chrissy to Georgina's house."

Gary-"Very well, and that leaves Benjamin, Kristen, and Doug to go to see Rachel.

Benjamin-"This time, Rachel is going to answer our questions. I don't care what it takes."

Gary-"Alright everyone, get ready and head out."
-
The van carrying Mitchell, Deanna and, and Chrissy arrived to Georgina's house.

Mitchell-"It is very surreal. Harrison and I were just here a few days ago talking to her, and now she's gone."

The 3 of them approached the front door.  Mitchell turned the handle but the door was still locked.

Deanna-"Maybe the back door is open?"

Mitchell-"It might be. Let's try it."

The group walked around to the back door. They tried the handle, and with out even turning it, the door opened.

"Chrissy-"Oh wow. That was easy."

Mitchell-"Hey, look at that. It looks like the Killer used a crowbar to open it up."

Chrissy took out a camera and took a picture of the door. The group walked in and noticed the aforementioned crowbar lying on the couch in the living room.

Deanna-"Hey, there's a crowbar. I'll see if I can get a finger print or 2 off of it."

THUD!

Mitchell-"What in the hell was that?"

The group walked into the kitchen and noticed a person standing there.

Mitchell-"What are you doing here?!"
-
Benjamin, Kristen, and Doug all arrived at Rachel Neary's office. They walked into the building and into her office. She was waiting for them with a folder for them.

Rachel-"Here, the blood test are done. Unfortunately, the DNA matches up to Georgina so it looks like Georgina is in fact dead. I wish I had more info, but in order to, I need to have a body to go over."

Kristen-"That's fine, we completely understand."

Doug-"I hate to be a bother, but could we talk?"

Rachel-"I've made it clear to you fellow investigators that I am not comfortable in divulging into my personal life."

Doug-"And we completely understand that, but we need to get all our details together on everyone in order to make sure we don't arrest the wrong person."

Rachel-"And I understand that, but my private life should not be your concern."

Benjamin-"Since you refuse to answer questions on yourself, can you answer this; Have you ever heard of someone named Tracey Johnson?"

It was at that moment Rachel's mouth fell open and tears started forming in her eyes."
-
Robbin Evans had slipped in the blood near the sink by accident and landed with a thud on the ground. She had just gotten back to her feet when the investigators walked into the kitchen.

Robbin-"I told you, I take photos of crime scenes for the police."

Chrissy-"If we call, they'll confirm that?"

Robbin-"Yes they will."

Chrissy-"Alright then."

Chrissy grabbed the house phone and dialed the police station and set the phone on speaker.

Jack-"Thank you for calling the Sunrise Ridge Police Department. This is Officer Jack Faye speaking, how may I help you?"

Chrissy-"Hello Officer Faye, this is Chrissy Peters with the investigation team. We have Robbin Evans here and she has told us that she has permission from the police department to be at the Seeger household to take photographs of the crime scene. Is that correct?"
-
Rachel-"All I know is that she passed away a few year ago."

Benjamin-"And you know this how?"

Rachel-"I work in the coroner's office. If someone dies, they come to me. Now please, I'm busy, you need to go."

Benjamin-"We are not going to be pushed out again! You need to talk to us now!"

Rachel-"Leave or I will call security! Your choice!"

Rachel's face had traces of anger, sadness, and stress all mixed together on her face. Benjamin was hot and angry himself, but this time he knew better.

Benjamin-"Thank you for your time."

The group walked out of the office and retreated back to the van.

Benjamin-"This is ridiculous with her. She is not cooperating with us."

Doug-"I agree, but what else can we do?"
-
Jack-"No, we did not give her permission for the Seeger household. You said she is with you right now?"

Chrissy-"Yes sir."

Robbin-"Yes I am here, and I called you at 7:30 this morning and you said I was all set."

Jack-"I never spoke to you this morning. No one here did."

Robbin-"That is a complete lie!"

Jack-"Miss Evans, we never spoke this morning at all. Not one word. I'm going to leave this decision up to the investigators if they want you to stay or not."

Mitchell leaned over to Deanna and Chrissy and started whispering to them.

Mitchell-"We have a camera as well, and she's also still a suspect. It's better to get her outta here and only have her around if Jack is with her."

The 2 women nodded in agreement with Mitchell as Chrissy went back to the phone.

Chrissy-"Honestly, Officer Faye, we would like her to leave as her being here could interfere in our investigation at the moment."

Robbin-"This is absolutely ridiculous! You guys gave me permission to take these photos! I have the right to be here!"

Jack-"Miss Evans, you were giving permission for the Bundy household, not for the Seeger household. If you do not leave, I will drive down myself and place you under arrest."

Robbin angrily gathered her belongings and walked out of the house.

Robbin-"Unbelievable! I'm a journalist! Why pay me to do this if you're going to tell me I can't be here?!"

Deanna-"So I'm gonna go back to get those fingerprints now."

She walked away and started dusting the crowbar that was left in the living room. Mitchell walked away to look at the blood puddle while Chrissy finished her phone call with Officer Faye.

Chrissy-"Listen, at any investigations that she would show up at, can you or someone else please be there as well?"

Jack-"We can arrange that, yes."

Chrissy-"Perfect, thank you so much. Have a good day."

Jack-"You as well. Take care."

Just as Chrissy hung up the phone, both Mitchell and Deanna called out.

Deanna-"I got a few prints here!"

Mitchell-"Excellent, now look at this."
-
Benjamin-"I say let's arrest her."

Kristen-"We have no evidence against her though."

Benjamin-"She's obviously guilty of something though."

Kristen-"You can't just arrest someone with out the evidence!"

Benjamin-"Its a murder investigation, she is a suspect and she is refusing to answers any questions we have. If she doesn't start answering questions soon, I'm making a call and bringing her in!"

Benjamin-"I don't understand how they think it's ok for Rachel to keep ducking our questions. You gotta answer questions under oath regardless and if you lie, you go to jail. She doesn't wanna answer our questions, she can go to jail. Simple."

The group sat quietly, and uncomfortably, throughout the entire ride back to HQ.
-
With a gloved hand, Mitchell picked up a bullet casing. It was somewhat covered in blood.

Mitchell-"I think we know that our victims were shot, but I don't know with what gun though."

Chrissy-"Did we find one at the Bundy's house?"

Mitchell-"I don't think we did. The Killer had more time to take care of the details at the Bundy's. The town is on alert now since then."

Deanna-"Good point. By the way, I finished dusting the crowbar. Got lots of prints and it's in the bag just in case."

Chrissy-"Great job. I'll dust the door real quick and I think we can get outta here."

Mitchell-"I'll check upstairs really quick."

Chrissy used the kit on the back door as Mitchell walked upstairs. Deanna stared at the bullet casing.

Deanna-"We know, like, 5% of the puzzle now and that's it. This bullet casing is a huge step for us now."

Chrissy-"I got nothing on the door."

Mitchell-"Yeah, I don't have anything up here either. I think we can head out now."

The group packed their belonging and exited the house and back to the van.
-
At HQ, the groups filed into the Briefing Room and took their seats at their desks. Gary walked in and spoke to the group.

Gary-"Alright, Track 1, what did you find?"

Deanna-"We found the crowbar we think the Killer used to get into the house. I dusted it for prints."

Chrissy-"Robbin Evans was there. She said she was allowed there by police. We called Jack Faye and he told us she wasn't supposed to be there. We kicked her out."

Mitchell-"We also found a bullet casing next to the blood in the kitchen. That's really it."

Gary-"Excellent job guys. The casing is a .45. We don't have the gun type though. Track 2, what did you get?"

Doug-"Rachel confirmed the DNA from the crime scene matched Georgina's and said their was no doubt that Georgina is dead."

Benjamin-"We tried to talk to Rachel again. She keeps running off, but she did tell us that Tracey Johnson died a few years ago. That's all she'd tell us."

Gary-"At least we got something on our Killer Clue from her. Great job. The rest of the day is yours. You're dismissed."

The group dispersed and left for the kitchen to start dinner for the evening. Kristen when to the fridge to grab the lettuce to make a salad.

Kristen-"Ah crap! You have got to be kidding me. Which one of you put these in here?"

Everyone looked over at Kristen. She pulled an object out the fridge.

Kristen-"Who here is the jokester?"

Everyone shook their heads 'No' in silent unison. Kristen looked at her hand. She realized it was no joke. A red envelope and a black envelope, tied together by a noose. The Killer delivered a literal cold message to the group. Kristen dropped both envelopes on the group when she finally realized what was going on. Gary was just about to leave when he was called in.

Doug-"Hey Gary, you might wanna come in here."

Gary-"What is it?"

He saw the colored bags lying on the floor.

Gary-"The Killer dropped these off?"

Kristen-"No, I just found them in the fridge."

Gary-"You found them where?!"

Kristen-"In the refrigerator."

Gary-"So we had another break in here?"

Harrison-"Gary, you and me were both here. We didn't hear a thing all morning."

Gary-"Let's check around."

The group walked around HQ looking for a clue as to how the Killer got in. It didn't take long for Benjamin to look at the back door.

Benjamin-"Hey guys, I found something."

The group regathered by the back door to the HQ building. A sturdy wooden door with no windows, however the indentations near the handle gave the investigators all they needed to know.

Deanna-"It looks like Georgina's door. The Killer must of done the same thing here."

Doug-"Are you sure?"

Deanna-"Yeah, we found the crowbar at her house. Her door had the same marks."

Gary-"Well, we fortunately have to wait until tomorrow to play the Killer’s Game again. I'll go put these in the evidence locker, you guys go eat. I'll see you later."

Harrison-"I was here all day. This Killer is showing no fear walking into our Headquarters like it's nothing."

Kristen-This is the third message the Killer has delivered straight to us to HQ. Its so creepy. I'm terrified to stay here anymore."

Gary left, as Kristen went back to make a salad. She got to the fridge, grabbed the handle and stopped.

Kristen-"Does anyone want take out instead? I don't wanna open this damn thing again."
-
The next day, shortly before the group was summoned to the Briefing Room, Doug, Chrissy, and Kristen gathered up their breakfast and met up in the lounge.

Doug-"We know who to vote for later?"

Chrissy-"Definitely Benjamin."

Kristen-"Yeah, he's becoming to angry with the case. He's hell bent with Rachel. He wants to arrest her right now."

Chrissy-"Are you serious?"

Doug-"He said it on the way out from her office. It's Heidi all over again!"

Chrissy-"Alright, we vote him tonight."

The 3 of them took their plates of food and went upstairs to the Briefing Room. As usual, Gary was behind his table, waiting on everyone to take their seats.

Gary-"Good morning. Before we begin, I wanna go over some evidence that was found yesterday. The team that went to the Seeger crime scene, you guys booked some fingerprints from a crowbar. Now, the prints we got back from the lab were inconclusive so we can't tell who was using that crowbar unfortunately."

Deanna-"I took those prints. Did I mess it up by accident and not realize? I really hope I didn't. I don't wanna go back out for the Killer's Game."

Gary-"Now, onto the tracks; Track 1, today I want you to go meet with Jennifer Harris. We haven't spoken to or seen her since the benefit for the Bundy's. If you remember, we found a check at the Bundy's house made out to Matthew. She claimed it was for a repair and I think we should figure it out. She was also claimed to help rig the Mayoral Election so let's get to the bottom of it. Track 2, I'm sending you to see Diane Pearlman. She was married to Brad and she said he cheated on her, which resulted in the end of their marriage. Let's talk to her about Brad to see if we can get more out of her. Remember, we found the red and black envelopes in the fridge yesterday, so tonight we have the Killer's Game. Head out guys."

The investigators finished their breakfast, got ready, and left the Headquarters.
-
Chrissy, Deanna, and Mitchell arrived at Sunrise Ridge High School. They walked into the school and into the main office. They were immediately greeted by the secretary, Mrs. Carla Duggers.

Carla-"Good morning. How may I help you you 3 today?"

Mitchell-"Is their anyway we can see Miss Jennifer Harris?"

Carla-"Let me call her classroom and see."

Carla rung the class phone of Jennifer. It didn't take long for their to be an answer.

Carla-"Hi Jennifer, its Carla..... yeah I'm fine, and you?..... That's good. Listen, I have a couple of the investigators in the office with me that want to see you..... Ok, thanks. Bye-bye."

She placed the receiver back down and looked at the investigators.

Carla-"She's all set for you guys. She doesn't have a class right now so head on over. Room 313 of the East Wing."

Chrissy-"Thank you so much."

The group walked out and headed down the hall and to the stair case that leads to the 3rd floor.
-
Benjamin, Doug, and Kristen arrived at Diane's salon and walked in. Sure enough, Diane was sitting right at the front desk.

Doug-"Hi. Diane?"

Diane-"Yes, how may I help you?"

Doug-"We're with the murder investigation and we wanted to talk with you."

Diane-"Alright, hold on."

Diane stood up and walked over to the beautician sitting in a chair reading a magazine.

Diane-"Hey Barb, could you watch the sign in desk for me for a little bit."

Barb-"Yeah, not a problem."

Diane-"Thanks sweetie."

She then waved to the investigators to follow her and the group walked into the break room. They walked in and took a seat at the table.

Diane-"So what do you wanna know?"
-
The group reached Jennifer's classroom. Chrissy opened the door and found Jennifer sitting at her desk.

Jennifer-"Hey guys!"

Deanna-"Hey!"

Mitchell-"Could we chat really quick?"

Jennifer-"Yeah. I got a little time before my next English class comes in."

Chrissy-"We just wanna go over somethings. When we spoke to you at the benefit for the Bundy's, you said the check for Matthew was for a repair. What did he fix again?"

Jennifer-"Oh, that was... Uh... for the oven. I had a leak."

Mitchell-"The oven?"

Jennifer-"Yeah."

Jennifer started looking nervously at the group.

Mitchell-"When I spoke to you at the benefit you said it was for the dish washer."

It was at this moment, Jennifer's face turned whiter than a ghost.

Jennifer-"Alright. It was hush money."

Deanna-"Why would you pay him hush money?"
-
Benjamin-"We wanna know about you and Brad."

Diane-"Oh, God. That train wreck."

Kristen-"Was the marriage that bad?"

Diane-"No, it was wonderful to begin with. He was so loving and caring."

Doug-"Brad?"

Diane-"I know, it sounds weird. But he truly was a sweetheart. Then, I stopped by his office one day. He had his secretary on his desk in just her underwear. I walked right out. We tried to work it out after, but he started drinking more and more and we just grew apart."

Kristen-"That's rough."

Diane-"You're telling me. We would have been married 23 years next month."

Kristen-"You didn't try and find someone new?"

Diane-"No. I never liked the word 'divorce' and I know how Brad would of gotten had I gotten married again."

Benjamin-"It sounds like you were holding out for him to come back to you. Right?"
-
Jennifer-"Matthew found out about me sleeping with a student."

Mitchell-"So it is true?"

Jennifer-"I'm sorry?"

Mitchell-"When we spoke at the benefit, right after you left, Cooper and Sydney mentioned that their was a rumor going around that you did sleep with a student. Cooper said his friend's brother heard the rumor. The 2 of them told us their was a rumor that follows each graduating class out. They mentioned the year they graduated the principal had sex with someone while wearing the mascot costume, or something like that."

Jennifer-"Unfortunately, this one is true. I went to Tyrone's club one Friday last year and I ran into a guy there. We talked and drank together, I took him home with me and we did it. As it turned out, he was a senior who got in with a fake ID. He looked the part of at least 23. The bouncer couldn't tell either obviously."

Chrissy-"But how did Matthew find out?"

Jennifer-"Well, it is a small town. Everyone basically knows each other. But for some of us, we have nephews who brag to their uncles."

Chrissy-"Oh wow."

Jennifer-"Yeah. I made a huge mistake. I've never seen that kid before here, but apparently he went to this school. That's how the rumor started. He graduated the next month and I ran into Matthew at the graduation. He pointed his nephew out and said he'd keep quiet if I paid him $1,000 a month."

Deanna-"Wait, we found a check for $2,500. You said you were paying him $1,000. What is it?"
-
Diane-"In a way, yes. I know him better than anyone else here. He is a kind man, but ever since he cheated, he changed. I prayed everyday he'd change back but he never could."

Benjamin-"Why though? Why would you want him back?"

Diane-"Like I said, I know him better than anyone else. He was my whole world since we first started dating."

Kristen-"Oh that's so sweet."

Diane-"I just wish he would change his ways."

Doug-"Hopefully he will. Now, if you don't mind, can we get some info on you? Like how long you've lived here?"

Diane-"Sure. I've lived here my whole life. I met Brad in high school and the rest is history."

Doug-"Perfect. We'll let you be. Have a good day."

Diane-"Thank you. You too."

Diane and the group left the back room. Diane took her spot back at the sign in desk as the investigators walked out the door and into the waiting van.
-
Jennifer-"Well, that one isn't a lie. It was originally $1,000. He found me one day after work and told me that he started wanting $2,500 a month."

Mitchell-"That's insane!"

Jennifer-"I know. I'm just a single teacher. My rent is $1,100 a month, I gotta keep the utilities on, I gotta eat, then the $2,500 on top of that. Thank God I car pool."

Deanna-"When did he up the pay?"

Jennifer-"About a month ago. I don't wanna sound mean, but now I don't gotta pay him a dime anymore. Whoever killed him is my hero."

The group looked at each other up with unease.

Jennifer-"Don't get me wrong, it's horrible what has happened, but he is a horrible person. I went through hell because of him. I could of been in jail because of his nephew lying about his age to get into a 21 and over club. Him knowing about it caused me to become nearly broke and he knew that and held that secret over my head for almost a year. Am I upset his wife is dead? Yes I am. Am I upset he is. Hell no!"

Just then, the school bell rang, which caused all of them to jump.

Jennifer-"I'm sorry, but I have a class to teach this period."

Chrissy-"That's fine. Thank you for your time. Have a good day."

Jennifer-"You as well."

Students started walking in as Chrissy, Deanna, and Mitchell attempted to work their way out of the classroom and the school and, eventually, made it back to the van outside.
-
The 2 groups arrived back to HQ. Gary was waiting at his table as the remaining investigators walked in. They took their seats and Gary started speaking to them.

Gary-"Welcome back everyone. Let's get to it. Track 1, what did you get?"

Benjamin-"Diane still stuck to her story about Brad cheating on her, which caused them to divorce. She said she wish he would change and they could get back together but his drinking is too much. She also said that she never liked the word 'divorce' and didn't want to see anyone else cause Brad would get jealous."

Gary-"Nicely done. Track 2, how about you?"

Deanna-"Jennifer told us that she in fact did sleep with a student, but the student lied to get into a club by using a fake ID. Turned out the kid was Matthew's nephew and he used it as an opportunity to blackmail her into $1,000 a month. Just about a month ago, he went up to $2,500. We didn't have enough time to talk to her about the voting machines because the bell rang and she had a class to teach."

Gary-"You found out about the check, so that is a good chunk of info right there. You all did a great job out there. Right now, let's see if we can get a suspect cleared."

Gary walked over to the evidence locker, grabbed the red envelope, and walked back to his table. He grabbed the pair of scissors and started cutting the envelope open ever so gently.

Gary-"Remember, if we answer this question correctly, the Killer will eliminate one of the remaining suspects."

He pulled the brown paper out of the envelope and unfolded it. The label maker words appeared and gave him the question.

Gary"The question is 'AT WHAT TIME DID ROBBIN CLAIM TO CALL THE POLICE DEPARTMENT?'."

Deanna-"Ugh, I don't remember."

Chrissy-"It has to be a morning time. She said she called to take pictures of the crime scene."

Mitchell-"I got a feeling it was 7:30."

Deanna-"Are you sure?"

Mitchell-"I am willing to say that if I'm wrong, I'll go out on the Killer's Game tonight. I just feel like it is 7:30."

Gary typed in the anonymous email address and a matrix-like flash of letter and numbers appeared on the TV above the table. After a few seconds, a single lime green line appeared in the top left corner for the group's answer.

Gary-"Are we going with 7:30?"

Harrison-"Mitch, are you sure?"

Mitchell-"I am just about certain. Send it."

Gary typed '7:30' in and hit send. The flash of numbers and letters flew across the screen. The investigators held their breath, especially Mitchell as he put his life on the line for the answer. Finally, after what seemed like forever, an answer appeared to the group.



YOUR ANSWER IS CORRECT; A SUSPECT WILL BE CLEARED.


The group jumped up and cheered. Mitchell was hugged by the group.

Harrison-"You're 2 and 0, my man!"

The group looked up at the TV as the cleared suspect appeared.


SUSPECT CLEARED; COOPER DAVIS; MUSICIAN.


Gary-"Mitchell, you did it again! We can take Cooper down as a suspect."

Gary grabbed his red marker and drew a big X over the Cooper's picture, effectively clearing the musician of murder.

Gary-"Great job. That's one less suspect we have now, but unfortunately, we will have one less investigator by the end of the night. I'll be back in an hour when we will open the black envelope and play the Killer's Game."

Mitchell-"I needed to make a play today to stay in the game. I know Benjamin is out to get me, and I have a feeling that their is a coalition in the house so I said if I was wrong to put me in the game. Since I was right, I think my chances of staying are a lot higher now because that's 2 Killer Questions I've answered single handedly."

Chrissy-"Mitchell answering the Killer Question by himself again. He put himself in a good spot now to stay. I didn't know and Deanna didn't know. He has done it twice now when no one else could so we need him if this happens again."

Doug, Chrissy, and Kristen sat in the lounge going through their notes.

Doug-"We're still voting Benjamin?"

Chrissy-"Yes."

Kristen-"Who do you think Harrison will send out?"

Doug-"The possibility of him sending one of us out tonight is greater then Deanna. Maybe we should change our vote to her and he'll hopefully send Benjamin out instead?"

Kristen-"That's a good idea. We'll vote her instead."

Doug-"We need to play this game with strategy. If we voted for Benjamin, our chances of going out are more likely. If we vote for Deanna, we know Benjamin has gone for Harrison before and vice Vera's so this could go in our favor tonight."

Little did they know, Mitchell overheard their plans. He snuck passed the lounge without being seen and went upstairs to the men's bedroom where Harrison was going over his own set of notes.

Gary-"I need everyone together in the Briefing Room, please."

Harrison went to stand up and saw Mitchell standing in the doorway, which caught him by surprise.

Mitchell-"I'll make this quick. Chrissy, Kristen, or Doug. They are in a pact and we need to send one of them out tonight."

Harrison shook his head in agreement as they walked into the Briefing Room, followed by Chrissy, Doug, Kristen, Benjamin, and then Deanna.

Gary-"Alright, it is time to play the Killer's Game. I'll ask each of you to go into the Voting Booth one at a time. It is sound proof so we can't hear you. Place you're vote, speak your mind, and place the vote into the box once done. Remember, you can not vote for Harrison as he is the Lead Investigator. Doug, start us off."

Doug walked into the voting booth and shut the door behind him. He sat in the chair in the room and went through the pictures of each investigator. He found Deanna's picture and held it up.

Doug-"I'm sorry, but it's our strategy tonight. No hard feelings."

He got up and left the room, placing his vote into the box just outside of the room. The next in was Mitchel. He skimmed through the photos and found Deanna's.

Mitchell-"I know what's going on and I don't wanna be apart of the minority. I'm sorry sweetie. You're sure a nice girl, but I gotta do this."

He placed his vote in the box and walked back into the Briefing Room. Kristen walked in, and held up Deanna's picture as well.

Kristen-"With a vote of 3 to whatever, we are safe for another day. Sorry."

Kristen placed her vote in the box and left. The next investigator in was Benjamin. He skimmed through the photos and grabbed Mitchell's.

Benjamin-"I have a feeling I'm the one going out tonight. I don't care much for him, even if he does answer the Killer Questions correctly."

Benjamin placed his vote in the box and returned to the Briefing Room. The last in the Voting Booth was Deanna. She flipped through the pictures until she saw Benjamin's.

Deanna-"You need to stop getting mad all the time. I hope this is your wake up call."

She placed the vote in the box and went back to the Briefing Room.

Gary-"What I now need you all to do is please turn around and do not turn back until I instruct you to."

With that, the 7 remaining investigators turned their backs to Gary's table. Gary walked just outside of the Briefing Room to where the Voting Booth room was and grabbed the box on the wall just outside of it. He opened it and removed the votes from inside, pinning them to his chest in case an investigator was still looking. He walked back into the Briefing Room to his table and started counting. First vote, second vote, third vote, and so on until he saw all 6 votes. He then picked up a vote and placed it to his chest as he turned to the group.

Gary-"Can you all please turn around."

The 7 investigators turned to face the Police Sargent, who held someone's fate in his hands.

Gary-"The group has voted, and in a 4-1-1 decision, the person the group has chosen is..... Deanna."

She let out a small cry as she stood up, trying to keep herself from completely breaking down.

Gary-"Deanna, you will be playing the Killer's Game tonight, but you will not be playing alone. Harrison, please come up here and choose who you want to go out and why."

Harrison left his desk and walked up to the table.

Harrison-"Wow... Just..... Wow. I honestly wasn't sure who to pick tonight. Then I was told some info just before the vote started. I thought about this for the last few minutes, and I've come to my decision. My choice tonight...... It is Doug."

The group, including Benjamin, where shocked with jaws wide open upon Harrison decision.

Harrison-"Doug, you were not my choice, but I have overheard rumors of a coalition in the house and your name was mentioned in the rumors. I'm sorry."

Doug nodded and stood up.

Gary-"Doug, you will play the Killer's Game along side Deanna."

Gary walked over and grabbed the black envelope from the evidence locker and started cutting it open. Once open, 2 smaller black envelopes poured out onto the table.

Gary-"The Killer has stated that they will leave an important clue at one location, while at the other, the Killer is going to be waiting, and one of you will not be coming back. Harrison, please hand a map to the group's pick, Deanna, and then the other map goes to your pick, Doug."

Harrison held up both envelopes to Deanna. Through the tears in her eyes, she picked the one in his left hand, and Harrison handed the other one to Doug.

Gary-"Please open them up and tell us where you are going."

Both Deanna and Doug opened their envelopes and opened the maps inside of them.

Deanna-"I will be going to the Woods at Harper Park. It says start where Ashley was found and head into the woods from there."

Doug-"I'm going to the Playhouse Theatre on Seymour Ave. Enter through front door. That's all it says."

Gary-"I'm going to arrange for a ride to your locations. What I need both of you to do is go into the voting booth. If you do not return, you are responsible for naming the next Lead Investigator. Go pack and I wish you both the best of luck."
-
Doug was packing his bags, upset. Harrison walked in.

Harrison-"Hey, listen. I'm sorry. I did not want to pick you at all."

Doug-"Its OK. I'm mad, but I know how it was when you got sent out by Benjamin."

Harrison-"I hope you do come back."

Doug-"Thanks. I do too."

Doug-"Harrison, I could ring your neck right now. I completely understand though why you did it, so I'm not really as mad. I just wanna come back."

Deanna was placing her belonging into her suitcase.

Deanna-"I don't know why I unpacked from last time."

She started crying. Chrissy and Kristen walked in and found her and started consoling her.

Chrissy-"Oh my God! Don't cry sweetie!"

The 3 girls hugged as Deanna kept crying.

Deanna-"I'm terrified! It's so damn scary out there!"

Kristen-"We're all gonna go out, don't worry. It'll be over with soon and you'll be back here with us in no time."

Deanna-"I was petrified last time. It's so dark and I can't believe I have to do this again."

There will be killing till the score is paid.
-Homer (The Odyssey)


Episode 3; Now Its Getting Fun

Last time on Murder in Small Town X;

The group was treated to a breakfast from the local diner owned by suspect Tiffany Shaw and her employee Spencer Stevens, as well as an invitation.
Spencer-"Tomorrow at 5:00 is a benefit for the Bundy's at The Hot Spot."

A new Lead Investigator spelt trouble for some.
Heidi-"So seeing that a good investigator got sent out with someone else doing an excellent job, I will be naming that person as the Lead Investigator, and that is Benjamin."

The groups did their investigative work, and found out about suspect Brad.
Diane-"He was working one night and... and I found him cheating on me. His former secretary on his desk."

As well as his and Matthew's theories on Mayor Daniel McGee.
Brad-"You see, this idiot had a chance to fix the polling machines."

And at the benefit, the investigators had to break up a fight between Brad and Cooper.
Brad turned around and was met with a right hook to the face from Cooper.

When the investigators returned, they were able to eliminate widow Georgina Seeger by ways of the Killer Question, and after a tie in voting between Deanna and Frank, Lead Investigator Benjamin choose Frank to go out and then picked Harrison go out out as well. Harrison came back with his clue at the Gym, while the retired officer bought the farm at the Farm, and was eliminated from the game.

Now, only 13 suspects and 8 investigators remain.

***

In the quiet town of Sunrise Ridge, a Killer is on the loose. A reward has been offered to 10 ordinary people;

Deanna
Benjamin
Chrissy
Frank
Stacey
Harrison
Kristen
Doug
Heidi
Mitchell

They have been sent to Sunrise Ridge to play the Killer's twister game. Now, they must enter the mind of a Killer and solve the mystery, or else they will be eliminated, one by one.

***

Benjamin-I sent Both Frank and Harrison out last night. Frank was a big threat, and Harrison doesn't know whats good for the sake of the group. Still, a big threat is gone at least."

Harrison-"We made a pack last night. Frank and I agreed that, whichever of us returned, we'd work with Mitchell to get rid of Benjamin and win the game. Frank, we won't let you down."

Deanna-"I saw my picture up there with Frank's and my heart stopped for a good minute until Benjamin picked Frank to go. I feel like I need to work harder to stay in this game."

At 8:30 AM, Spencer and Tiffany had just dropped off breakfast for the group. Harrison was the first person in the kitchen. 10 minutes later, Chrissy walked in.

Chrissy-"Wow, you're up early."

Harrison-"Its hard to sleep after a night like last night."

Chrissy-"How bad is it?"

Harrison-"It's bad. Pitch black. Just a flashlight."

Chrissy-"Oh my God!"

Chrissy-"I have a lot of respect for Benjamin and Harrison. They both returned to the game after going out. It seems so terrifying. I don't wanna know how scared Heidi and Frank were."

The rest of the group came in and grabbed their food; pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, tea, coffee, milk and orange juice. Everybody stocked up and made their way upstairs to the Briefing Room. Gary was waiting there at his usual spot.

Gary-"Good morning everyone. Now, we played the Killer's Game again last night, and a round of applause goes out to Harrison for returning. However, we sadly lost another member of our team; Frank Williams."

It was at this point Gary took the name plate that was on Frank's desk and placed it on the board behind of his table in the left corner. Gary had written 'In Memoriam' in the upper corner and placed the name plate under it. The only names up there were Frank's and Heidi's, who was eliminated before him. He returned to his stop behind the table.

Gary-"So, Harrison, what did you find last night?"

Harrison-"The cabbie dropped me off just short of the gym. I walked up to the front door and a key was hanging on a noose. I go in, found the treadmills, then found the locker rooms. A sign duct taped to the wall told me to go through the men's locker room to the pool deck. When I got there, I saw the X hanging by the aquatic office. I walk over there and found a sheet of paper attached to it."

Gary-"Great job last night. Now, this sheet of paper is for a song. That song is 'Bridal Chorus', which is more commonly known as 'Here Comes the Bride'. What can we make on that?"

Benjamin-"The Killer was going to be a bride?"

Gary-"Good idea. Our Killer could have been a bride."

Deanna-"Oh! Last night, Sydney and Cooper got engaged just shortly after we got there! This may be pointing to her!"

Doug-"Diane was married to Brad. Maybe it's a nod towards her as well."

Gary-"Great ideas guys. Now, before we get to the tracks, we need to find out who our next Lead Investigator is, and to find out, we will watch the Last Will and Testament of Frank."

He stepped over to the computer, clicked a few icons, and Frank appeared to the group. He clicked play on the video.

Frank-"Well... I never thought I'd be sitting in here this early in this game. I really hope I come back. If I don't, well then I wish that Doug will be the new Lead Investigator. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and is very responsible. He seems like a great choice."

Gary-"Doug, congratulations. Please come up here."

Doug-"That was completely unexpected. I was expecting one of the girls, maybe even Mitchell. I'm shocked. Thank you Frank."

Doug stood next to Gary at the table.

Gary-"Today's Tracks are as follows; Track 1, I want you to meet up Tiffany and Spencer at the Shaw Shack. They gave us some insight on Walter, maybe while you're there he'll show up and you can see first hand what they mean. Track 2, I want to send you to the funeral for Ashley. It's a combined funeral and memorial for her and Matthew. Some suspects will possibly be there, so it's a good chance to talk to them. Track 3, I want you to go speak with the Mayor. He has been accused of rigging the mayoral election, so your job will be to question him about that. Doug, what I need you to do assign 2 people to go to meet with Tiffany and Spencer, 3 people to go to the funeral, and 2 people to go talk to the Mayor."

Doug-"Let's send Kristen and Chrissy to meet Tiffany and Spencer. Harrison, Stacey and Benjamin to the funeral. That leaves Deanna and Mitchell to go to see the Mayor."

Gary-"Very well. Now 2 things; keep in mind that any suspect might make a mention of any clue the Killer has left us. Do not mention anything about the Killer Clues to them, they might get suspicious, and as well, remember, if you are alone, you are at risk from the killer. Get to it guys."

The groups set out to the vans to continue their work.

Track 1 arrived at the diner. A large sign hanging on the side said "Shaw Shack Diner" which welcomed them to their destination. Kristen and Chrissy stepped out of their van and walked in to the diner. They were greeted by a waitress shortly after taking their seats.

Waitress-"Hey, good morning ladies. What can I start you off with today?"

Chrissy-"Can I just get a coffee please? Little milk."

Waitress-"Not a problem. And you for you ma'am?"

Kristen-"Can I have a hot tea with lemon?"

Waitress-"Not a problem."

Kristen-"Well, this part might be a problem; We also need to see Tiffany Shaw and Spencer Stevens. Could you possibly get them for us as well."

Waitress-"That won't be a problem at all. I'll get you your drinks first then Tiffany and Spencer."

Kristen and Chrissy-"Thank you!"
-
Harrison, Stacey, and Benjamin sat in silence on their way to the funeral. Stacey knew it was quiet for the fact that Harrison and Benjamin were at war with each other.

Stacey-"What in the world was Doug thinking? These 2 hate each other and he teamed them up on this track together. I just hope I don't have to play peacemaker."

Harrison-"When Doug team Benjamin and I up on the tracks, I think he did it in a way to keep himself safe at the next vote by having both of us fight and they all vote us all o leave."

Benjamin-"I wanted to get up and punch Doug square in the mouth! How dare he team me up with Harrison!"

They arrived at the cemetery for the funeral of Ashley and for Matthew's memorial service. A small group was gathered at the plot as the investigators walked up to them. Tyrone Cribbs was there, as well as Sydney and Cooper, who was also sporting a big, bruised black eye from his fight with Brad the night before. Georgina Seeger was also there to pay her respects, as well as Rachel Neary. Before they could talk to any of the suspects, or anyone for that matter, the Reverend Wayne Connors led the way as the pallbearers carried the casket containing Ashley Bundy. They placed her at the plot and left as quickly as they showed up.

Wayne Connors-"Good morning. We have all gathered here to pay our respects and say goodbye to Ashley Bundy and Matthew Bundy. Alas, only Ashley is able to join us today. This unspeakable tragedy has taken the lives of our 2 friends. Matthew was only 42. Ashley was only 40. Still so young, full of life.....

CRASH!!!!!!

A large vodka bottle smashed against a tree, shattering into thousands of tiny pieces. The mourners all covered their heads as the glass shrapnel went flying in each direction. A man's voice started yelling.

Man-"SHE CAN'T BE GONE! SHE JUST CAN'T!"

The group look over and noticed Jeffery Ardis.
-
Deanna and Mitchell arrived at the Town Hall. They walked up the stairs and into the building and immediately found the desk clerk.

Deanna-"Hello, we need to speak with Mayor Daniel McGee."

Clerk-"Do you have an appointment?"

Deanna-"Well, not exactly."

Clerk-"I'm sorry, but you can't see the Mayor without an appointment."

Mitchell-"Is their any chance we could? We're with the investigation going on and we had a couple of questions to throw by him."

Clerk-"Oh, I had no idea. Give me one second."

Embarrassed, she picked up the phone and dialed the office of Mayor Daniel McGee.

Clerk-"Hi Gwen, it's Julia from downstairs...... I'm good, thanks. Listen, I have 2 of the investigators from the murder case down here with me, they want to speak with Daniel....... yeah I'll hold."

She looked up from the phone at Deanna and Mitchell. The hold music was just loud enough for the two of them to hear.

Clerk-"I'm sorry about this. Just 2 more seconds."

Deanna-"Not a problem, take your time."

Clerk-"..... Yes I'm still here........ Ok, thank you..... Bye bye."

She placed the receiver down and looked back at the investigators.

Clerk-"Sorry about that. His secretary said he got a call from someone named Gary a little while ago saying you would be stopping in. The memo never reached down here though. You're all set. Take the elevator up to the 3rd floor and his door is straight down the hall."

Mitchell and Deanna-"Thank you."
-
Chrissy and Kristen's orders arrived. They weren't even able to enjoy them because Spencer and Tiffany arrived just as Kristen brought the tea to her lips.

Tiffany-"Hey ladies! How are you?"

Chrissy-"I'm fine. Thanks."

Kristen-"I'm good. So, we just wanted to come by and follow up on what you were saying about Walter from the other day."

Spencer-"The dude is a total creep."

Tiffany-"Spencer! Well... Yes, he does seem..... Off. But I don't think he'd hurt anyone."

Spencer-"Tiffany, please look at the facts. He walks in, mumbles incoherently to us, then mumbles to himself and leaves. Customers have said they're worried when he walks in."

Tiffany-"I know, I know. I just find it cute that he acts like that. He could be completely harmless."

Spencer-"Yeah, or he could be the psychopath that they are looking for."

Tiffany-"He could, but he just doesn't seem to me like he could hurt anyone."

Kristen-"Hey, is that him over there?"

The group looked out the window and saw Walter walking up to the diner. He seemed fine until he realized he was at the diner. Walter then started shaking slightly and started mumbling to himself.

Spencer-"You see that? He looks crazy doing that."

Tiffany-"Maybe he's having a nervous breakdown."

Spencer-"Maybe it's a guilty conscience."

Chrissy-"Well, he's coming in."
-
Jeffery-"I LOVED HER! SHE CAN'T BE GONE!"

Wayne Connor-"My child, don't cry because she's gone. Cry because she lived."

Jeffery-"KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!! I LOST HER!! I WILL TAKE ANY AND EVERYONE DOWN!! I WAS GOING TO MARRY HER!!!"

Stacey, Benjamin, and Harrison all shot a glance at each other. Each one knew about the clue Harrison brought back, but didn't think anyone would mention it so soon.

Jeffery-"SHE WAS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!! I NEED HER BACK!!"

Wayne Connors-"Please, my child. I know it's hard. We are all in mourning here today. We all miss Ashley, and if we could bring her back we would but we can't and...."

He was cut off by Jeffery, who pushed him away. The shock of him pushing the elderly Reverend was cut short when he then started reaching into his jacket. Harrison and Benjamin, for once, got on the same page and put themselves in front of Stacey.

Jeffery-"I DON'T WANT A WORLD WITHOUT HER IN IT!"

Suddenly, Jeffery went flying to the ground. Hard. His body went to the left as his head tilted to the right. He had been football tackled.

Jack Faye-"You are under arrest!"

Officer Jack Faye happened to show up to pay his respects at just the right time. He snuck around and took Jeffery down. Harrison and Benjamin both stepped forward to assist the officer with detaining the drunk Jeffery Ardis.

Jack Faye-"What do you have on you?"

Officer Faye reached into Jeffery's coat.
-
Mitchell and Deanna got off the elevator and walked down the hall to the Mayor's door. They entered and were greeted by the Mayor's secretary, a sweet lady named Joyce Piper.

Joyce-"Hello, you two are the investigators?"

Mitchell-"Yes we are. My name is Mitchell Kennedy and this is Deanna Landry."

Joyce stretched out a hand to both Mitchell and Deanna, which they reached out to as well to shake hands.

Joyce-"It is very nice to meet you both. Mr. McGee is inside waiting for you both."

Deanna-"Thank you very much."

Joyce-"No problem sweetie. If you need anything else, you know where to find me."

She smiled brightly at the two investigators as they walked into the office of Daniel McGee. They found him looking out the window, gazing at the streets of his small city while spinning his wedding ring on his finger. He heard the investigators walk in and started talking to them.

Daniel-"It's funny. You live in a place for so long. You grow up here, meet your soulmate here, marry them and start a family. I've worked and lived and breathed this city for my whole life, 52 years, and now, seemingly out of nowhere, some nut job comes in and..... You look at everyone a little differently after that."

He turned around and sat at his desk.

Daniel-"Thank you guys for coming in. Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea, whisky?"

Deanna-"Its a little early for that, don't you think sir?"

Daniel-"Mrs..... Uhh."

Deanna-"Deanna Landry."

Daniel-"My apologizes, Mrs. Landry, but you don't understand the amount of stress that's been going on here since the murders. The press, the phone calls from the public, the late nights."

Mitchell-"Pardon me, Mr. McGee, but what do you mean by late nights?"
-
Walter DuChamps walked into the diner, mail in one hand, hat in the other. He walked up to the counter and handed the mail to the lady at the register.

Walter-"Ummm.... Hello, how are uhhhh.... you t-t-today?"

Megan-"I'm good. How are you today?"

Walter-"Oh, I'm uhhhh.... f-f-fine."

Walter stood there, awkwardly for a good 20 seconds before the cashier spoke up again.

Megan-"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Walter-"Oh, ummmm... No. I mean... Uhhh..... No I'm g-g-good.... Uhhh.... Have a good day."

Walter hurried out, but stopped and looked over at the investigators, Spencer, and Tiffany. He gave a soft smile and a wave at them as his face turned red and then rushed out the door as quickly as he could.

Spencer-"That guy creeps me out."

Tiffany-"He seems sweet to me. He has to be nervous about something."

Spencer-"Then it looks like he's nervous about something every waking moment."

Tiffany-"Oh hush. He's obviously got something he's nervous about. That's why he's acting like that."

Spencer-"Tiffany, I can't remember one day when he didn't act like that."

Chrissy-"He does seem harmless, but crazy at the same time. It's difficult to get a read on him."

Kristen-"Hey guys, just wanna ask you about that fight from the benefit between Brad and Cooper. What did you think of that?"
-
Officer Faye pulled out a flask from Jeffery Ardis's coat.

Jack Faye-"Are you serious? You make a threat like that and act like you're gonna pull a gun or something? You're going in the drunk tank!"

Officer took a pair of handcuffs out from his back pocket, placed them on Jeffery's hands, and led him away to his unmarked patrol car. Harrison and Benjamin followed the officer and the drunk while Stacey stayed back at the funeral, where they continued on as good as they could.

Wayne Connors-"I apologize for that. Now, back to celebrating life..."

The Reverend continued with the service, which concluded with each member of the funeral party placing a rose on the casket before it was lowered into the 6 foot deep plot.

The service ended, and Stacey looked around for Benjamin and Harrison. They were nowhere to be seen.

Stacey-"After the last vote, I know 2 things; You will get voted for if you don't do enough work, and if you work too hard, you'll still get voted for. Since Harrison and Ben aren't back yet, I have no choice but to work hard now. Hopefully everyone doesn't vote me to play the Killer's Game later."

Stacey started walking toward Rachel Neary. She knew full well that Rachel was probably not going to cooperate with her, but knowing that Heidi was gone, she hoped that it would go easier this time around. She called out to her.

Stacey-"Excuse me, Rachel."
-
Daniel-"Well you see Mr..... I'm sorry I didn't catch your name as well."

Mitchell-"Mitchell Kennedy."

Daniel-"I'm sorry. You see, Mr. Kennedy, I've been stuck here every night since the murder. A lot, and I mean a lot of my time is in this office having to speak to reporters and taking to the police department about where to move on from here."

Deanna-"Mr. McGee, we completely understand. Between the 3 of us, the Killer has been playing a game. Every couple of days, the Killer sends us a red and black envelope. The red gets rid of a suspect if we answer a question correctly, and the black involves 2 maps to clues."

Daniel-"Well that doesn't sound too bad. You get 2 clues and we get closer to putting this psycho away for good."

Deanna and Mitchell looked at each other. They were able to see the look of grim in each other's faces.

Mitchell-"Not exactly, sir. You see, 2 of us have to go out to each location at night and find the clue, which is at 2 different locations. One clue is real, while the other is a decoy."

Daniel-"So 1 of you comes back empty handed?"

Mitchell-"No sir. At the decoy clue is the Killer waiting, and, well...."

Mitchell took his hand and made a cut-throat gesture to his own throat. The Mayor looked at Mitchell, then toward Deanna, whose expression of grim now had shades of fear etched within it. Slowly, Daniel McGee's eyes widened, his eyebrows so high that they might as well have been in his hair line.

Daniel-"You have to be kidding?! More murders?!"

Mitchell-"I'm afraid so. That's why we're working our hardest to figure this out before the Killer claims anymore of us."

Daniel-"That's insane! If that gets out this whole town can go under."

Deanna-"That's why we wanna question every suspect on their motives."

Daniel-"So I'm a suspect?"

Mitchell-"Unfortunately, yes sir. You were named a suspect by the Killer them self. They left us a video when we started and they said they were 1 of 15 suspects. You were one of the suspects in the video."

Daniel-"Well, I'm willing to cooperate. What do you want to know?"
-
Spencer-"If you ask me, I think Brad deserved his ass whooping. He's just a straight up  horrible person."

Tiffany-"Without a doubt. He's been kicked out of places all over town. I wouldn't be surprised if he's permanently banned from The Hot Spot for life after last night."

Kristen-"Oh, believe me, what I heard from Tyrone during the benefit, he won't probably even be allowed to say the words 'The Hot Spot' ever again."

Tiffany-"If the former town judge was still alive he probably would."

Spencer-"I've heard the stories about him. He did seem like a great person."

Chrissy-"The town judge? Joseph Seeger, right?"

Tiffany-"Yeah, you've heard of him?"

Kristen-"Yeah, we went to talk to his wife after she found Ashley. Just to make sure we covered everything she found that day. Is their anyone else you can think of that might be a prime suspect?"

Spencer-"Well.... I know the Mayor might be somewhat guilty."

Chrissy-"Let me guess; the voting booths?"

Spencer-"Exactly."

Chrissy-"We're actually already looking into him."

Tiffany-"You really think McGee is guilty?"

Spencer-"Oh yeah without a doubt!"

Kristen-"Really?"

Spencer-"Well, in a way, politics is a weird, cut-throat game. There are behind the scenes dealings that we have no clue about. There are more skeletons in a politicians' closet than probably in the killer's closet. I know it's a small town mayoral gig, but you never know with them sometimes. They lie to us just like this Killer is to you. You get what I mean?"

Chrissy-"In a way, yes I do. Listen, we've taken up enough of your time so we're gonna head out."

Tiffany-"Ok, you ladies and your team are welcome anytime here. Everything's on the house while you're solve the case."

Kristen-"Oh my God, you are so sweet!"

Chrissy-"Thank you guys so much! Take care!"

Spencer-"Bye girls!"

Tiffany-"Bye ladies!"

They hugged, shook hands, and walked out of the restaurant back to their van.
-
Rachel-"Oh, hello. I'm sorry but I must go."

Stacey-"No, no please. Please stay I just wanna talk for a minute."

Rachel-"I'm sorry. I don't want to be rude, but the last time I talked with you, your partner was very rude."

Stacey-"I can assure you that my partner is no longer working on this case. I just wanna talk about the case and only the case."

Rachel looked at her. She was hesitant, but shook her head in agreement.

Stacey-"All I wanna know if where you were the night of the murders."

Rachel-"I'm sorry, I know it's sounds bad, but I don't feel comfortable telling you about that info."

Stacey-"I understand dear. Can I just get some info on you then? How long you've live here and what not?"

Rachel-"Alright. I've lived here for about 15 years. I've been employed as the medical examiner for just over 10 years. I have no priors and no arrest."

Stacey-"That's perfect, hun. I'll let you be and get on your way. Have a good day."

Rachel-"Yes, you too."

Rachel quickly hurried away.

Stacey-"The way Rachel just keeps running off, I wouldn't be surprised if she did have something to do with the murders. She won't tell us where she was that night, so she is at the top of my list."

Harrison and Benjamin finally showed back up from assisting Officer Faye with Jeffery.

Stacey-"What took so long?"

Benjamin-"We talked to Jack about what was going on. He said Jeffery was gonna spend the rest of the day in the drunk tank to calm down."

Harrison-"Yeah, he tried putting up a fight. Obviously, with a cop and 2 big guys, he didn't win."

Stacey-"Well, I tried talking to Rachel again. She still wouldn't budge on telling us where she was."

Benjamin-"Well that's just great! Still nothing on her!"

It was quite obvious that Benjamin was angry.

Stacey-"Calm down, hun. I did get from her that she moved here 15 years ago and has been working where she is for 10. It's not much, but it's a start."

Harrison-"True."

The group looked around and saw that no one else was remaining at the funeral. The only person remaining was the guy that had to fill Ashley's grave plot back up.

Harrison-"It looks like everyone else has already left. I guess we should head back as well."

Benjamin-"Working the funeral was ridiculous. All we got was a drunk and a tiny bit of info from a suspect."
-
Deanna-"Well, sir, we wanna know about you."

Daniel-"You wanna know more about me?"

Deanna-"Yes please."

Daniel-" Well, I've lived here nearly my entire life. My parents moved here from New Jersey when I was about a year old. I grew up in the area, went to school, Kindergarten through 12th, left and went to Yale in Connecticut. Graduated there, came home and started up into politics in the area. Worked for different areas in the Town Hall before I made my bid for Mayor a few years back. Lost a couple of times. Wasn't until the previous election I won, and I just won reelection back in November."

Mitchell-"What about your personal life? If you don't mind my asking."

Daniel-"I've been married since 1997. This is me and my loving wife, Kendra."

Daniel picked up a picture on his desk of him and his wife on their wedding day and handed it to Mitchell and Deanna.

Deanna-"Oh my, she's beautiful. You 2 make a lovely couple."

Daniel-"Thank you so much. I love her to death, but if I can be honest, she wasn't my first choice."

Mitchell-"I'm sorry?"

Daniel-"I could never tell her, but I was going to propose to my high school sweet heart while I was in college. She passed away due to a car accident during my first year at Yale. I was devastated, but you have to use tragedies like that to build yourself back up. It was also when I came back from college to attend the funeral I found her boyfriend sobbing over the casket."

Deanna-"You mean she cheated?"

Daniel-"Unfortunately, yes. She was upset when I left for college and she stayed behind and started working at the grocery store. Met a guy that worked there with her and they started falling in love. A few months later she got in a head on collision with a drunk driver."

Mitchell-"Oh wow."

Daniel-"I know, but like I said, you need to build yourself back up after the tough times. Like with the election scandal I've dealt with for the past few months. Matthew Bundy started that rumor after I won, Brad Stokely joined in, and Robbin Evans ran with it."

Deanna-"I hate to ask, but did you rig it?"

Daniel-"Absolutely not! I was talking with a teacher who showed me where the machines were being kept in the high school. We then chatted and we left the room as is. When they claimed I rigged it, they had a revote at the school, this time with the police present who collected hand written votes. Each vote was counted by hand as well, and I was STILL declared the winner. Then come the complaints that only people that voted for me were allowed into the building to vote. The vote was open to the public and announced in the Sunrise Ridge Gazette a week in advance. People came in and voted for Anderson, and at the end of the day he actually did receive more votes than the first time, however the amount of votes I had were still more. I think like 70, 80 more, I can't remember exactly. But after all that, I still get accused of rigging it."

Deanna-"That's insane."

Daniel-"You're telling me. I've dealt with a lot in my life, and I knew going into politics was going to be a handful, but to get this at a mayoral position? Didn't hear that much about it when the machines in Florida during the presidential election in 2000."

Mitchell-"Hey, we've taken up enough of your time, sir. Thank you so much for your help."

Daniel-"Not a problem. You're more than welcome back here if you need anything. Have a good day."

Deanna-"You too, sir. Thank you again."

Mitchell and Deanna shook the Mayor's hand, walked out the office past the secretary to the elevator. They rode it down to the lobby, and out the doors they went to the van.
-
The investigators all arrived back to the Headquarters and filed into the Briefing Room. They took their seats and were greeted by Gary, who was standing in his usual spot at the table at the front of the room.

Gary-"Well, welcome back everyone. I hope we got some good info and insight into our case. Let's start out with Track 1. What did you guys find out there?"

Chrissy-"Kristen and I chatted with Spencer and Tiffany. Walter did show up and he acted just like they said. He mumbled and was very off. We then talked about who they thought was guilty and Spencer said the Mayor because he believes politics are shady."

Gary-"That's good work. Track 2, what did you find out at the funeral?"

Benjamin-"Not much really. Shortly after it started, Jeffery Ardis showed up drunk off his ass. He threw a liquor bottle that shattered everywhere. He reached into his jacket like he was gonna pull a gun on all of us when, and I still don't know where he came from, but Officer Faye came absolutely out of nowhere and tackled him. He pulled a flask out of his jacket and Harrison and I helped bring him to the car. He put up a hell of a fight. Officer Faye brought him to the station and was gonna put him in the drunk tank till he sobers up. We got back and everyone was gone."

Stacey-"I was able to talk to Rachel Neary. She still wouldn't budge on where she was that night and tried running off again, but I was able to convince her to give us some info on her. She told me she moved here about 15 years ago and has been working as the medical examiner for a little over 10 years. That's all I could get."

Gary-"We still got something so that's great. Excellent work you 3. Track 3, what did you get?"

Deanna-"We talked to the Mayor and he told us that he's been living here since he was a year old. He left and went to Yale, came back and got into politics. He's been married since '97, but he told us that he was going to propose to his high school sweetheart but she died while he was in college."

Mitchell-"Yeah, he also talked about the election he just won and that Stokely and Bundy accused him of tampering the machines. They had the revote and people hand wrote their choice and the guy he ran against still lost and Bundy and Stokely still said he rigged that as well."

Gray-"Great job everyone. We got a lot of ground covered today. You guys, take your break. I'll see you back here later."

The group dispersed. Gary stayed at his table, going through his paperwork of the case. Several investigators went down to the kitchen to start dinner for the group, but Benjamin and Deanna stayed behind.

Benjamin-"Hey, Deanna, can we talk for a second?"

Deanna-"Yeah Ben, what's up?"

Benjamin-"It's about the vote that's gonna happen later for the Killer's Game."

Deanna-"What do you have in mind?"

Benjamin-"We vote for Stacey."

Deanna-"Stacey? Why?"

Benjamin-"Think about this; She's had the opportunity to talk to Rachel twice and both times she got absolutely nothing from her. Everyone has gotten something from someone but she failed twice doing what she needed to do."

Deanna-"I'll keep that in mind."

Benjamin-"Ok."

Deanna-"The last time Benjamin wanted us to put someone in the Killer's Game, they answered the Killer's Question single handedly. I think Benjamin just wants to turn attention off himself so he can stay till the end."

Downstairs in the kitchen, Chrissy was chopping tomatoes and carrots for a salad when Doug came in to get the chicken for the grill outside.

Doug-"Hey, what do you think is gonna happen for the group vote? I want an idea for who I need to send out."

Chrissy-"I'm not sure right now. Off the top of my head, I'd say Deanna. She tied Frank last time and got spared by Benjamin. I'm not sure."

Doug-"If we still work together with Kristen, we can send at least one target out."

Chrissy-"True. I'll talk to her later so we can figure something out."
-
The next morning at 9:00 AM, the group woke up to their usual breakfast smorgasbord provided by Tiffany and Spencer. The group was grabbing their food; pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, a fresh bowl of fruit salad, milk, tea, and orange juice. Just as the group was about to dig in, the front door suddenly opened and slammed shut. The 8 investigators all shot around and noticed the man in the doorway. It was Gary.

Gary-"Good morning. I hate to rush everyone, but please be upstairs in the next 5 minutes. We got some business to take care of."

Gary held up his right hand. A noose was clinched in his hand. At the bottom of the noose; a red envelope and a black envelope. Once again, the Killer's calling card for game time. Each investigator looked silently at the twine and colored plastic bags. In unison, they all knew they could clear a suspect and advance the case, but at what cost?

The group gathered breakfast and walked up to the Briefing Room. Not as quickly as Gary would have wanted them to, but he could understand how they felt with his arrival and his gift of future death for one of them. They all say at their desks and ate while Gary placed the envelopes on his table.

Gary-"Right. So, unfortunately, these were found just a bit ago by Walter DuChamps at the post office. He called me and I went by and picked them up. He said he didn't see anyone walk into the post office to drop them off and that they weren't there when he opened. The Killer just stepped out, in broad daylight, and called us out. Tonight, we play the Killer's Game again."

Kristen-"Wait!"

Everyone jumped as they were all caught off guard.

Kristen-"Jeffery Ardis! He was locked up yesterday for being drunk! If he's still there, we can clear him!"

Everyone became wide eyed. They all shot their stare up to Gary, also wide eyed.

Gary-"Lets call and find out."

Gary grabbed the phone from a side desk and placed it on his table. He put it on speaker and called the Sunrise Ridge Police Department. Everyone held their breath as the dial tone buzzed as the call was going through. The tone stopped and a familiar voice came on the line.

Jack-"Thank you for calling the Sunrise Ridge Police Department. This is Officer Jack Faye speaking. How may I help you today?"

Gary-"Hi, Officer Faye, this is Gary with the investigation team."

Jack-"Sgt Fredo. It's nice to hear from you. What can I help you with sir?"

Gary-"We just wanted to check up on the status of Jeffery Adris. Is he still being held there?"

Jack-"No he is not, sir."

The group all sighed in defeat.

Jack-"He was released from here, by my paperwork, at 7:08 AM."

Gary-"Ok, well thank you very much Officer. Have a good day."

Jack-"Thank you Sgt. You as well."

Gary clicked the speaker button again and it hung the phone up. He looked over at the group and saw the depression in their faces.

Gary-"Unfortunately, that doesn't clear Jeffery. He was released at 7:08, the post office opens at 8:30 today. He could of had enough time to drop them off."

He picked up the envelopes and placed them in the evidence locker and turned back to the group.

Gary-"While we can't clear him, we could possibly clear one later today, but for now, we are going to get started your tracks for the day. Track 1, Chrissy and Kristen, I'm gonna send you to see Walter DuChamps. Spencer and Tiffany told you how he acts and you saw it first hand. Let's see how he acts with us there. Track 2, Harrison, Benjamin, and Stacey, I'm going to send you to to see Cooper and Sydney. See what they know and talk to them about the fight at the benefit. That leaves Deanna and Mitchell, Track 3. Since Jeffery Ardis is a free man now, we need some insight on him. Go talk to him and figure out what is going on with him. As always, stay together. If you're alone, you are at risk of the Killer. Get going guys."

The groups finished eating and got ready. The vans were outside waiting for them as the last of them got their shoes on. They then all walked downstairs, out the door, and into their respective vehicles for the day.

Track 1 of Chrissy and Kristen arrived at the Post Office. They walked in the front door and up to the counter where Walter DuChamps was standing. He had his back to them as he was in the process of weighing and stamping a package for delivery. He finished and turned around and saw the 2 ladies standing in front of him.

Walter-"Oh, hello. H-h-how can I help y-y-you?"

Kristen-"Hello, we just wanna talk to you about our case."

Walter-"Oh, yes. G-g-go ahead."

Chrissy-"Are you alright?"

Walter-"Y-y-yes. I'm just naturally n-n-nervous."

Kristen-"Its ok, we understand. We just wanna know, we saw you at the benefit and at the diner the other day and you were a mess. What's going on? Are you hiding something?"

Walter sighed.

Walter-"I r-r-really don't want to h-h-hide anything."
-
Harrison, Benjamin, and Stacey arrived at Sydney and Cooper's condo. They walked up to the door and knocked. After a few seconds, Sydney answered the door.

Sydney-"Oh, hey. How can I help you guys?"

Benjamin-"We just wanted to talk to you and Cooper about a few things."

Sydney-"Oh, yeah absolutely. Come on in."

The group walked and and Sydney shut the door behind them.

Sydney-"Cooper! Stop playing video games and get out here!"

Cooper-"Uggghhh!"

Cooper came out from his room and looked at Sydney. He was still sporting a nice shiner and a few cuts, but was healing up nicely.

Cooper-"Sydney, I was in the middle of a mission with the guys! We were that close to......"

He saw the group of investigators standing off to the side in the living room, which caught him off guard.

Cooper-"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know you guys were here."

Harrison-"What game were you playing?"

Cooper-"Its the new 'Call to Action 2'. A few friends and me were in the middle of a mission when you guys walked in."

Harrison-"I gotta get that game."

Benjamin-"Can we talk about video games later, please?"

You could hear the aggravation in Benjamin's voice.

Benjamin-"We wanna talk about the fight with you and Brad Stokely the other night. What possessed you do go at him?"
-
Mitchell and Deanna arrived at Stokely Works Inc. 2 pick up trucks were parked out front. They walked up the path to the office and noticed Jeffery standing out by some construction equipment. They started to walk over to him, and could see he was still out of it.

Deanna-"Hi Jeffery."

Jeffery-"Hey."

Deanna-"Can we talk really quick?"

Jeffery-"I guess."

Mitchell-"What was with you being drunk?"

Jeffery-"I drink when I'm depressed."

Mitchell-"I understand. But you've been drunk since we arrived."

Jeffery-"You'd drink too if your life falls apart!"

Deanna-"What do you mean?"
-
Walter-"I know y-y-you are hear about the m-m-murders. I don't w-w-want to hide anything f-f-from you."

Walter was shaking his hands at his sides slightly. Chrissy and Kristen both noticed and started getting slightly worried.

Walter-"I-I-I...... I h-h-have a c-c-crush on T-T-Tiffany."

Kristen-"Awww! Oh my! Awww!"

Walter-"I g-g-get so scared to t-t-talk. Have you e-e-ever watch that c-c-cartoon 'Rugrats'?"

Chrissy-"Yes I do! I grew up on that!"

Walter-"Just c-c-call me 'Chuckie F-F-Finster'."

Kristen-"Aww. If you don't mind me asking, why are you so afraid?"
-
Cooper-"Honestly, he gives everyone a hard time, especially when he's drunk. He deserved his ass kicking!"

Sydney-"Cooper!"

Cooper-"Don't tell me I'm wrong, Sydney. He's ruthless with his mouth and he's an absolute waste of a human being."

Stacey-"Do you think Brad could be the Killer?"

Cooper-"It wouldn't surprise me. I mean, he'd probably wouldn't remember doing it though if he was drunk enough."

Sydney-"I gotta agree. He probably doesn't even remember the fight he had with Cooper."

Cooper-"And if he isn't the Killer, than I wouldn't be surprised if, and I hope, he was killed himself."

Stacey-"Oh."

Everyone, including Sydney, gasped at Cooper's comment.

Sydney-"How could you say something like that, Cooper?!"

Cooper-"Sorry. I know that was out of line. I'm still a little pissed at him after our fight."

Benjamin-"Can we get a little info on both of you please?"
-
Jeffery-"I loved Ashley."

Mitchell-"What? You mean you were in a relationship with her?"

Jeffery-"Yeah. I've been seeing her since I started working here at Stokely Works Inc. Her and Matthew came by to see Brad and while the 2 of them talked, I talked with Ashley and we hit it off. I'd go over to their house after work whenever Matthew and Brad would go out drinking and we'd do it."

Deanna-"Wow, TMI."

Jeffery-"It was during our time together that I found out Matthew was abusive to her. He'd talk down to her, beat her, you name it. I was so close one night to showing up and just taking her away to my place so she could be safe."

Mitchell-"How do you know that he was abusive?"

Jeffery-"I didn't get out of the house in time one night. I hid in a closet and Matthew walked in. He yelled at her, called her awful names. Then, out of nowhere, he slaps this poor girl right across the face. She drops right in front of the bed. Just feet from me. It took everything I had not to jump out of that closet and kill him right there."

Deanna-"Why didn't you at least try and stop him?"

Jeffery-"And give both of us up? And give him a reason to beat her more? I know it was not the smartest thing but I had no choice that night. When I heard the shower start, I ran out to her and told her to leave right then with me. She told me to just run and it'll blow over. She wouldn't budge."

Mitchell-"Why would he beat her?"
-
Walter-"It s-s-started when I was y-y-young. We m-m-moved around a l-l-lot. I got pick on, b-b-beat up. I was s-s-scrawny as c-c-could be. I g-g-grew to be r-r-really shy. I h-h-hate it so m-m-much."

Chrissy-"I don't want to sound mean, but why didn't you try and get help for everything?"

Walter-"My p-p-parents weren't t-t-the most understanding p-p-people. They didn't believe m-m-me when I said I w-w-was getting b-b-bullied. They b-b-basically bullied me as w-w-well."

Chrissy-"Oh my God, that's terrible!"

It was at this point that both ladies, without any thought, both went in and gave Walter a hug. Kristen had a tear in her eye, but hid it well, while Chrissy wasn't able to hold back her tears.

Kristen-"That's horrible. I do hope everything works out for you."

Walter-"T-t-thank you. It's g-g-good to have s-s-someone see it through m-m-my eyes."

Chrissy-"Listen, we've taken up enough of your time. We're going to head out now."

Walter-"Ok, t-t-thank you so m-m-much for visiting."

Kristen-"Anytime, Walter. Have a great day."

Walter-"You t-t-too. Bye l-l-ladies."

With that, Kristen and Chrissy left the post office. They walked back to the van and hopped in.

Chrissy-"Hey, listen. Doug thinks that Deanna should go out tonight."

Kristen-"Deanna? Why?"

Chrissy-"She tied Frank for the vote last time. He thinks she got lucky because she hadn't done much, I guess."

Kristen-"Well we should vote for someone else so he can at least get his pick."

Chrissy-"Who do you have in mind?"

Kristen-"I think I overheard someone saying Stacey didn't help the group the last few days. Maybe we vote her tonight."

Chrissy-"Let's do it."

With that, the van left the post office.
-
Cooper-"Like what? Our past?"

Benjamin-"Yes."

Cooper-"Alright. I lived here my entire life. Attended school right here. Met Sydney at Sunrise Ridge High. Been together ever since."

Sydney-"Basically the same, except I moved here from Plymouth just before I started middle school. I sang at a city wide talent show and saw Cooper there when he played guitar for a band that preformed. I ran into him the next day at school."

The 2 held each other close.

Cooper-"As they say, 'The rest, is history'."

Stacey-"That's adorable. You 2 are the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

Harrison nodded, while Benjamin rolled his eyes.

Harrison-"Is their anything else. College?"

Cooper-"We both studied music at Boston College."

Sydney-"Yeah. Figured it keep us kinda close to home and keep us together at the same time. We started working on a album just before graduating."

Stacey-"Oh, no kidding. How is it."

Cooper-"Not finished. We are working on an 8 song album since then and we've only got about halfway done."

Harrison-"Its getting there though."

Stacey-"Hun, its better being halfway then never starting."

Benjamin-"Listen, we've taken up enough of your time. We need to head out."

Harrison-"Yeah, we gotta get going."

Sydney-"Well, it was nice seeing you guys again. Stop by anytime."

Stacey-"Thanks, hun. Have a good day you 2."

Hand shakes and hugs goodbye followed as the group of Stacey, Harrison, and Benjamin walked out of the condo and to their awaiting van.

Benjamin-"I know for a fact I'm voting Stacey tonight. She didn't get anything from Rachel and was useless today. Wish I can send them all out so I'd be able to solve the case by myself without all of them being a nonstop headache to me."
-
Jeffery-"Anytime he drinks. He's a straight up alcoholic. Him and Brad usually go out for drinks almost every night, so I don't know how many times he's probably beat her."

Deanna-"That sounds just horrible!"

Mitchell-"So, if you don't mind me asking, can we have some info on you?"

Jeffery-“I’ve lived all over this state since I was a kid. Actually lived here as a teen for a bit. Moved back here about 8 years ago. I got the job here after working in construction for a few years. Brad's a jerk, but the pay is good."

Deanna-"What do you mean by Brad being a jerk? Because of his drinking?"

Jeffery-"Oh yeah. If he comes in the next morning hungover it's a blessing. I get work done easily because he'll be in the office all day with water, Gatorade and pain relievers. If he doesn't, he's a straight up ass to everyone and everything. He'll scream at me, talk down to me, heck I've seem him snap at clients before."

Mitchell-"If he's that bad, why not just quit?"

Jeffery-"Like I said, the pay is real good. He might be a cold hearted bastard, but the job pays nicely."

Deanna-"Ok, we've taking up enough of you time. We're gonna head out now. Have a good day."

Jeffery-"Yeah, you too."

With that, Deanna and Mitchell left Stokely Works and returned to their van.

Mitchell-"Hey, who are you voting for later?"

Deanna-"I think Stacey. Someone told me she didn't help the investigation the other day. You?"

Mitchell-"I think Benjamin. He had it out for me the first time and sent Harrison out the second time for no reason other than revenge for sending him out. I have a feeling he's voting for me tonight."

Deanna-"Oh ok."

Mitchell-"Why do you ask?"

Deanna-"I just wanna get a feel for voting tonight."

Deanna-"I know if I told Mitchell I was talking to Benjamin I'd be on the block next. This game is a Killer in itself."
-
All the groups arrived back to HQ with the information that they gathered. They all walked into the Briefing Room, where Gary, per usual, was standing behind his table at the front of the room.

Gary-"Alright, before we get the the envelopes, let's get to what everyone found out today. Track 1, what did you find out there?"

Chrissy-"Walter has a crush on Tiffany. The poor guy has had a rough life and got his stutter from his nervousness growing up being bullied and moving around a lot as a child. He also said his parents didn't believe he was getting bullied and basically bullied him as well."

Kristen-"He actually called himself 'Chuckie Finster' from the 'Rugrats' cartoon. The poor guy."

Gary-"Alright, good job on that. Track 2?"

Benjamin-"We caught up with Cooper and Sydney. Cooper has lived here all his life, while Sydney moved here from Plymouth shortly before middle school. They met at high school after she saw him preform at a talent show she sung at as well. Cooper said that Brad is a miserable person as a drunk and wouldn't be surprised if he killed Ashely and Matthew while drunk."

Gary-"Great job guys. Track 3, what do you have?"

Mitchell-"We spoke to Jeffery. He was still kinda out of it when we saw him, but he told us that he was having an affair with Ashley since he moved here 8 years ago. He got stuck one night and Matthew came home drunk and yelled at her and slapped her for no reason. He tried to take her away that night but she wouldn't budge."

Deanna-"He also said that Brad is a drunk and berates him as well, but he puts up with it because the money he is getting paid is really good."

Gary-"That's great. Good job. Now, we got a little more insight into our investigation, and now we are going to try and remove a suspect."

Gary walked over to the evidence locker, which housed the Killer's messages. He brought the red envelope over to the table and grabbed a pair of scissors and started cutting the end on the red envelope. He then poured out the brown paper, unfolded it, and saw the label maker words.

Gary-"The Killer Question is; 'WHAT BOTTLE DID JEFFERY THROW AT THE FUNERAL?'. I'll put in the address as you guys talk it over."

Gary proceeded to type in the Killer's email address into the computer. A flash of matrix style words and numbers flashed on the big TV hanging over his table. The flashes stopped and a single lime green line remained on the screen.

Stacey-"That's us. I heard it hit but I never saw the bottle."

Benjamin-"It was definitely liquor. I don't know what type."

Harrison-"I don't drink like that, but when we brought him to Faye's squad car, I swear I smelt cranberry on him. I know that some people mix vodka with cranberry juice, so I'd say it was a vodka bottle."

Stacey-"That seems like a good guess to me."

Benjamin-"I'll go with that."

Gary-"So, everyone, I'll take 'vodka' as your answer?"

Doug-"I'll agree with them on that. Let's send it, Gary."

Gary typed in 'VODKA' and hit send. The matrix grid of letters and numbers flashed around on the screen. The 10 seconds between hitting send until the message popped up felt like an eternity. Finally, the message appeared.




YOUR ANSWER IS CORRECT. A SUSPECT WILL BE CLEARED.




Doug-"YEAH!"

The group cheered as Harrison was given high fives and hugs. Then the suspect that was found innocent finally appeared on the screen.



SUSPECT CLEARED; SYDNEY SHIELDS; SINGER/SONGWRITER



Gary-"Tremendous work. We can now clear Sydney from our list of suspects."

Gary walked up to his board with a red marker and put a big red X over her picture, eliminating singer of the slaughter.

Gary-"Alright everyone, now that we cleared a suspect, we have a vote to do. One by one, you'll go into the voting booth and place your vote for who you want to play the Killer's Game. Chrissy, you're up first."

Chrissy left the group and went out to the voting booth. She entered the room, closed the door, and sat in the chair with the stack of photos of each remaining investigator. She flipped through each one until she found Stacey's.

Chrissy-"I'm sorry, but from what I've heard, you haven't helped the investigation and it was proven tonight when you couldn't help answer the Killer's Question."

She placed the picture in the voting box and left the room. Stacey walked in and went through the pictures and grabbed Deanna's photo.

Stacey-"Hun, you've sat back a few days and it's not helpful. I'm sorry."

Stacey walked out and Benjamin walked in. He grabbed Stacey's picture.

Benjamin-"I'm not putting up with another few days of you not helping. If you come back, this is your wake up call."

Benjamin walked out and Mitchell walked in. He grabbed Benjamin's picture immediately.

Mitchell-"You want all of us out tonight if you could. You wanted me out and you couldn't get it done, you wanted Harrison out and couldn't get it done. Now, I want you out."

He placed the vote in the box and left. Kristen walked in and gave her vote.

Kristen-"Just going with my alliance."

She placed it in the box and left. Harrison walked in and grabbed Benjamin's picture.

Harrison-"We made a pact. Win, or make sure you don't."

Harrison placed his vote in the box and left the room. Deanna was the last person to vote, went over her choices and grabbed a photo.

Deanna-"I don't know what to believe. After tonight, I think I do."

She placed the vote in the box and left the room. When she returned, Gary walked out and grabbed the voting box. He came back into the Briefing Room with the box in hand.

Gary-"At this time, I must ask that all of you turn around, and do not turn back until instructed."

With that command, each investigator turned around and kept their backs to Gary. He pulled out a vote, then another, and another for the same person before he got 2 others for a different investigator. After taking out 7 votes and counting them, he had the unlucky winner.

Gary-"Can you all please turn back to me."

The group spun back around and saw Gary standing at the front of the table with a picture clutched to his chest.

Gary-"The group has voted, and with a vote of 4-2-1, the group has voted for....."

He turned the picture around.

Gary-"Stacey. Please stand."

Stacey looked like she saw a ghost. She eventually stood up.

Gary-"Now, who you will be going out with tonight is up to our Lead Investigator. Doug, will you please come up and give the name of the investigator you pick and why."

Doug left his desk and walked up to the table with Gary.

Doug-"I hate this. I really do. I don't want to pick anyone, and I especially don't want anyone, including Stacey, going out. Unfortunately, we don't have that choice. I spoke with some of the other investigators, and they all said the same thing about one investigator being voted in but never going out.

With that, one investigator put their face in their hands.

Doug-"With that, I choose Deanna."

Deanna's hands never left her face as she stood up.

Doug-"Deanna, you will be joining Stacey on tonight's Killers Game."

He walked over to the evidence locker and grabbed the black envelope. He brought it back to the table and cut it open and dumped out the 2 maps onto the table. Doug picked them up.

Gary-"Doug, please give a map to the investigator that the group picked, Stacey, and a map to your pick, Deanna."

On that command, Doug handed each of the women a map. They opened their maps and found their final destinations.

Gary-"Ladies, please tell us where you will be going."

Stacey-"I'm going to be heading to the Junkyard on Dunbar Rd."

Deanna-"I'm going to the First Church of Sunrise Ridge."

Gary-"Ladies, what I need you to do is go into the booth and record your Last Will and Testament. In case you do not return, you are responsible for naming the next Lead Investigator. After that, please go pack your bags. I wish you both the very best of luck.”
-
Both ladies were packing their bags together. Chrissy and Kristen joined them.

Chrissy-"Can I just get a group hug real quick?"

Stacey-"I don't know why not."

The 4 ladies embraced because, by this time tomorrow, they'll only be 3 women left.

Kristen-"So, who do you think is coming back?"

I’ll give it a shot, and if it’s anything like Legends then I say we bombard Nickelodeon with request to bring Legends back.

Murder, like talent, seems occasionally to run in families.
George Henry Lewis (The Physiology of Common Life)


Episode 2; Don't Get Mad, it's Just a Game

Last time on Murder in Small Town X;

A double murder shocked the quiet town.
FLASH! BANG!
Matthew Bundy fell to the floor. Dead.

10 people from across the country were brought in to solve the case, and their investigation started early.
Jack Faye-"They found her. Ashley Bundy."

They found evidence pointing to several suspects.
Chrissy-"Oh my! I got a couple of prints here!"
Chrissy-"Hey, look at this letter! It's for Ashley, signed by Jeffery Ardis."
Doug-"Hey, put it in the bag, and put this next to it."
He handed a check made out to Matthew, in the amount of $2,500, from Jennifer Harris.

One suspect threw out a claim towards another suspect.
Brad-"... just like you rigged the election!"

At Headquarters, Benjamin tried to get another investigator sent out to play the Killer's Game.
Benjamin-"If I have to throw people under the bus, I will!"

But when his target, Mitchell, single handedly answered the Killer's Question, Lead Investigator Harrison choose Benjamin to play the Killer's Game.

Benjamin went up against Heidi, who was voted by the group after a clash with suspect Rachel Neary.
Heidi-"Well you need to tell us now or you'll be arrested for these murders!"

Both went out into the night in search of a clue, and while Benjamin found his clue at the Dry Cleaners, Heidi wasn’t abandoned at the abandoned house, because she found the Killer there.....
Heidi-"AHHHHH!"
FLASH! BANG!
.... And was eliminated from the game.

Now, 14 suspects and 9 investigators

***

In the quiet town of Sunrise Ridge, a Killer is on the loose. A reward has been offered to 10 ordinary people;

Deanna
Benjamin
Chrissy
Frank
Stacey
Harrison
Kristen
Doug
Heidi
Mitchell

They have been sent to Sunrise Ridge to play the Killer's twister game. Now, they must enter the mind of a Killer and solve the mystery, or else they will be eliminated, one by one.

***

Deanna-"Last night was intense. Emotions were high and I feel like it's just gonna get more difficult from here on out."

Harrison-"I sent Benjamin out last night because he was the one who told me to send Mitchell out. He told me Mitchell wasn't helping and making bad accusations. Day 1 and he's mad about a theory? Plus, Mitchell single handedly got a suspect cleared. He deserved to stay then."

Mitchell-"Relief. That's it. When Harrison said I was going to be his choice, my heart dropped. When he said someone put it in his ear and he sent Benjamin out in my place, I could of dropped dead from relief right then and there in my desk."

Benjamin-"I'm on the war path now. If I gotta go on another damn Game again, I'm taking one of these idiots with me to make sure, if I pick wrong, the Killer takes them out with me!"

It was 9:00 AM the next morning. The group was exhausted, but no one was more tired than Benjamin, for obvious reasons. They all grabbed their breakfast, which was already in the kitchen and prepared for them by a short, black haired woman and a dirty blonde haired man who stopped by, their names are Tiffany Shaw and Spencer Stevens.

Tiffany-"Good morning guys!"

The group gave her a very sleepy 'Hello'.

Spencer-"We know you guys are trying your hardest to solve the case, and we want to show our thanks to you, so we wanted to make you guys breakfast."

Tiffany-"Its on the house, and we are more than happy to serve you guys whenever you stop by."

The group was very thankful, with hugs and handshakes for the 2 diner workers.

Spencer-"We're also here because we wanted to pass this invitation to you all. Tomorrow at 5:00 PM is a benefit for the Bundy's at The Hot Spot. We will be catering the event and basically the whole town will be there."

Gary-"We will be there, you can count on that. Thank you for your generosity guys."

Tiffany-"No problem guys. And good luck catching that killer!"

The 2 of them left the Headquarters, and the group dug into the food. Eggs, bacon, waffles, sausage, pancakes, fresh fruit, OJ, and toast. The group ate like kings and queens, but Gary had to take them out of their imaginary kingdoms.

Gary-"I hate to do this everyone, but, if your still eating, grab a plate of food and meet me in the Briefing Room in 5 minutes."

Chrissy-"You can tell it's gonna be a long day when you're pulled away from your breakfast. I grabbed a plate of fruit salad and went straight to the Briefing Room."

Frank-"Its not the first time I've been pulled from a meal to do police work. It comes with the territory."

The group met in the Briefing Room, some of them finished their meals, some of them still had plates of food with them. Gary stood behind the table, even he had a plate of pancakes with bacon with him. He addressed the group.

Gary-"Good morning everyone. Now, I know last night was a tough one, especially when you lose one of your own. We played the Killer's Game for the first time last night, and we lost a member of the team, Heidi Gilligan. However, Benjamin went out and was able to return. Congratulations go out to him. What happened last night out there?"

Benjamin-"I got to the Dry Cleaners and went to the back of the building and found a noose with the key attached. I walked in and found my way down the washers and dryers to a room containing dry cleaning equipment. I ended up finding the X back there."

Gary-"Great job, Benjamin. These X's mark the clues the Killer will be leaving us. Benjamin's Clue last night was this; A ceramic heart. It looks like it's seen better days though, because this one is cracked and looks like it might fall apart. It'll be in the evidence locker for anyone who wishes to see it."

He walked to the corner where the evidence locker stood and placed the ceramic heart carefully in it. He walked back to the table.

Gary-"Now then, before we name a Lead Investigator, I wanna go over the evidence. You guys brought back a lot, and this is what I wanna go over. First off, the finger prints from the crime scene, we have positive matches on Officer Jack Faye, but as he was cleared by the Killer, we know he's not responsible. We also have a match on Robbin Evans and Jeffery Ardis. At some point, each of them was at that house, whether it was before, after, or during the murders, we need to find that out. As for the blood, forensics has ID'ed the blood at the door being Matthew's, the blood in the master bedroom being Ashley's, and bathroom as being a mix of both Matthew and Ashley. Any idea on how their blood got into that tub?"

Doug-"We were under the assumption while we were there that the Killer might have cleaned their self off after taking the bodies away."

Kristen-"Yeah, maybe to make sure no one had a clear path to them when they walked away."

Gary-"Good idea. The Killer probably doesn't want to leave a trail of any kind. Now, these are our tracks today. Track 1 is going to go out to question Brad Stokely; he said during the meeting that the Mayor rigged the election. Figure out his source and his reasoning behind it. Track 2, you're going to speak with Robbin Evans. Her prints were found at the crime scene, but I want everyone to look at this."

Gary clicked on a web browser and a website came up. It's was 'Robbin's Scoop', her news website. Robbin appeared in a video on the home page that Gary played that appeared on the TV.

Robin-"Robbin Evans reporting; the town meeting about the murders has just wrapped up, and their are now more questions than answers. First of all, Mayor Daniel McGee refused to answer questions of his election victory back in November. As it is well know in the town, during the November election, a flaw was found with the voting machines that were in Sunrise Ridge High School. Daniel McGee was at the high school doing a rally and meet and greet for voters just hours before the polls opened. Could he have tampered with the machines before then? Also, with the Sunrise Ridge Killer still at large, the city has received help from 10 investigators from across America. The question now is, how are these people getting paid. A source claims that it will be with Mayor Daniel McGee's pocket change, as with the title of Mayor came a substantial pay increase."

The video stopped.

Gary-"Ok, so Track 2 will go and question Robbin about her being at the crime scene and the story she has surrounding the Mayor. Find her source. For Track 3, you are going to talk with Georgina Seeger. We only spoke a little bit with her the night she found Ashley's body. Make sure you get all the info that you can. In order to find out what tracks you will be going on, we need to ask the Lead Investigator, and to figure out who the Lead Investigator, we need to turn to the Last Will and Testament of Heidi."

Gary clicked a file and brought up a video of the departed investigator. He pressed play on the video.

Heidi-"If you are watching this, then I guess I didn't return, which is crap. I shouldn't have been sent out at all. So seeing that a good investigator got sent out with someone else who was doing a excellent job, I will be naming that person as the Lead Investigator, and that is Benjamin."

Gary-"Benjamin, congratulations, you are the Lead Investigator."

Benjamin-"Thank you Heidi. Now I hope the Killer can be in 2 places at once to get both people that play the Killer's Game later."

Mitchell-"The only question I have right now; Who's getting sent for the Killer's Game with me?"

Gary-"Benjamin, I need you to send out 3 people to talk with Brad, 3 to talk to Robbin, and 2 to talk to Georgina. Please pick now"

Benjamin-"I'll send Chrissy, Doug, and Frank to talk to Brad. Kristen, Stacey, and Deanna to talk to Robbin, and that leaves Harrison and Mitchell to talk to Georgina."

Gary-"Very well. Get ready and go out guys, and remember, if you are alone, you are at risk of the Killer."

The 3 groups got ready and headed down stairs. Chrissy, Doug, and Frank got in the first van, the group of Kristen, Stacey, Deanna left in van 2, and Harrison and Mitchell left soon after in van 3.
-
The first group arrived at Stokely Works Inc., the construction site owned by suspect Brad Stokely. They walked up to a trailer that had an 'Office' sign above the door. Frank knocked on the door.

Man's voice-"Come in!"
-
The van pulled up to the local news station, and Kristen, Stacey, and Deanna all got out and started walking up the stairs to the doors to the station. They walked in and quickly found a stage hand.

Deanna-"Excuse me, we are looking for Robbin Evans. Do you know where she is?"

Stage hand-"Yeah, she's down this hall and to the right. Second door on the left. Can't miss it."

Deanna-"Thank you so much."

They went down the hall, took a right, and found the second door on the left. They were right when they said you couldn't miss it; 'ROBBIN EVANS' was emblazoned across the front of the door.

Stacey-"Ummm... Think this is it?"

The girls giggled at the joke and then knocked.

Lady's voice-"Come in!"
-
Harrison and Mitchell arrived at the house of Georgina Seeger; 192 Mustard Mill Drive. They walked up the pathway to the brick house and rang the door bell. Georgina answered the door just seconds later.

Georgina-"Well hello. I remember you 2 from the day I found that poor girl's body. How can I help you 2 men?"
-
Chrissy, Doug, and Frank entered the office and found Brad sitting behind his desk.

Brad-"Hello. What do you want?"

Doug-"We're here just to ask a few questions about your comments at the town meeting."

Brad-"I'll give you the short version. McGee is a con artist. He rigged that election."

Chrissy-"How do you know?"

Brad-"There was a rally at the High School the day of the election, and that's also where the voting took place."

Frank-"So he was at a rally at the voting center and that's your theory?"

Brad-"Oh, trust me. He did more than attend."
-
Robbin-"I'm sorry ladies, I'm not signing autographs today."

Kristen-"No, I'm sorry, we aren't here for autographs. We are here about your video you posted to your website."

Robbin-"Ohh, I see. You got some extra details I can throw into the next one, right?"

Deanna-"No, we wanted to know about the story you broke. How did you get that information?"

Robbin-"The guy in the checkered shirt. I can't remember his name though."

Stacey-"Brad Stokely. He runs the construction company Stokely Works."

Robbin-"Ah, right! That's him! Yeah, I was able to talk to him after the meeting. He said that he knows for a fact McGee is guilty."

Deanna-"Did he give you any facts?"
-
Harrison-"We are here to just make sure we have our statements in order from the other day."

Georgina-"Oh ok, well please come in, I'll gladly go over everything."

The 2 men entered the house. Georgina showed them to the living room. They took a seat on the couch and she sat across from them in an armchair. Next to her was a second armchair that belonged to her husband.

Mitchell-"We just wanna make sure. You found her by the woods at Harper Park, right?"

Georgina-"Yes, that is correct."

Mitchell-"Alright, and you were sure you did not see anything or any one out of the ordinary?"

Georgina-"No, I'm sorry I did not."

Harrison-"If you don't mind me asking, you went out by yourself. Why didn't you go out with anyone?"
-
Brad-"You, see, this idiot had a chance to fix the polling machines. One of the High School teachers that helped organize the rally, this moron named Jennifer Harris, she was talking to him and told him about the machines being there and then they walked off together."

Deanna-"Did you see any of that happen?"

Brad-"Sadly no, and oh boy do I wish I did. I'd bury that idiot. Plus I don't trust him as far as I could throw him. Can't stand him or what he stands for, so you'd have a better chance of catching Bigfoot with a pack of chewing gum before I would be caught dead there. I got my info from a first hand witness that was there. Sadly, he's dead now."

Frank-"Matthew Bundy?"

Brad-"Yep. He was in attendance cause Ashley wanted to vote for the chump in charge and..."

He stopped when the door opened and his ex-wife, Diane Pearlman, walked in.
-
Robbin-"The only facts he gave were that McGee tampered with the voting machine just hours before the election was supposed to begin. McGee won by a landslide, but that Stokely guy was not having it. He went straight to the town hall and demanded a revote."

Kristen-"Were they running against each other?"

Robbin-"No. McGee was up against some guy named Jacob Anderson. Anderson conceded shortly before 10:00 that night, but after Brad's suspicion spread like a wildfire, there was a revote 2 weeks later. They actually had everyone that voted come back to the school and write down their vote. McGee still won. Anderson was super nice about it all. He works now in a state office, so I don't think he's that broken up about it."

Stacey-"Ok. Now we actually have just one more thing to ask you. We went by the Bundy household and, after dusting for fingerprints, we found a set that matches yours. Why were you there?"

Robbin-"I was asked to take pictures of the crime scene by the police department. Gotta earn that money somehow."

Deanna-"So if we call the department, they can confirm that?"

Robbin-"Yes."

Kristen-"Alright, that's all we have to ask. You have a great day."

Robbin-"You too, and here ladies. Takes these as well."

She handed them each an autographed 8.5X11 of her headshot. The group thanked her and walked out and back to the van.
-
Georgina-"Well, I used to take these walks with my husband, but he sadly passed away in 2013 from heart failure."

Mitchell-"Oh my, I'm so sorry."

Georgina-"Its ok, sweetie. Joseph lived a great life. He was the town judge. Well respected in the town. A good, sweet man."

Harrison-"How long was he the town judge?"

Georgina-"He worked up until the day he died, so about 35 years."

Mitchell-"That's incredible! He loved his job?"

Georgina-"Oh yes he did. He was a fair and honorable man. You came in with a parking ticket and couldn't pay the whole amount, he'd help them out by lowering the fine. If you came in for theft, he never talked down to them, but try to help build them back up. If he had to send them away, he'd set something up to make sure they got help once released."

Harrison-"He seemed like a one of a kind man."

Georgina-"He was. He was."

Mitchell-"Well, we should get going. Thank you very much for your time Mrs. Seeger."

Georgina-"You're very welcome. You 2 nice boys are welcomed here anytime."

The 2 men walked out of the house and down the path to the waiting van.
-
Brad-"What the hell are you doing here?"

Diane-"You're behind on the alimony. I'm trying to be nice so you don't get locked up again."

Brad-"Here! Take this!"

Very quickly Brad wrote a check for $7,500 and threw it at his ex wife.

Brad-"Take that and get the hell off of my property!"

Chrissy-"Well.. Thank you for your time."

The 3 of them walked out and saw Diane sitting in her car. Tears running down her cheeks.

Frank-"Excuse me, are you Ok?"

Diane-"Yeah I'm fine. He's just such an ass sometimes. Right before our divorce, he turned into such a jerk."

Doug-"How long ago was the divorce?

Diane-"Just over 10 years ago."

Chrissy-"I'm so sorry he's acting like that to you. If you don't mind us asking, what caused the divorce?"

Diane-"He was working one night and... and I found him cheating on me. His former secretary on his desk."

Chrissy-"Oh my. I can relate so much. I've been cheated on before so I know what it's like."

Diane-"Thank you, honey."

Chrissy-"it's no problem. Take care."

Diane-"You too."

The 3 left and made their way to the van.
-
After all 3 groups returned to HQ, they made their way up the stairs to the Briefing Room. Gary greeted them as each group walked in.

Gary-"Welcome back everyone, I hope you all got some good information to share. Track 1, what do you have?"

Frank stood up to address the group.

Frank-"We arrived at Brad Stokely's job and questioned him on his accusation. He told us that it was Matthew Bundy who gave the idea to Brad after Daniel was apparently seen with a Sunrise Ridge teacher going to look at the voting machines."

Frank sat, and Chrissy spoke up.

Chrissy-"That's not all, Diane Pearlman showed up to let him know he missed his alimony payment and that she wanted it so he wouldn't have to get arrested again. She told us that they divorced about 10 years ago because he cheated on her with his secretary."

Gary-"Thank you guys. Track 2?"

Stacey-"Well, we can confirm that Robbin got the story from Brad. The man he ran against was not angry at all and went on to work in a state office. She also said that she was contacted by the police department to take pictures of the crime scene. Which would explain the fingerprints."

Gary-"I'll check with Officer Faye, but good job. Track 3?"

Harrison-"Georgina's story never changed at all. We still can't confirm she is or is not responsible for the crimes yet though. We also did learn that her husband was the local judge and was a extremely nice man at work."

Gary-"Good job guys. Take the day to yourselves and we'll catch up at 9:00 AM. Good work today."

-

Harrison sat in the men's bedroom on the edge of his bed. Mitchell came walking in.

Mitchell-"We all know what's gonna happen when that black envelope comes into play. Benjamin is going to pick me to play the Killer's Game."

Harrison-"He needs to get the hell off his high horse and get the chip off his shoulder."

Mitchell-"Damn right, but he can't go out for the Killer's Game because he's the Lead Investigator. I'm gonna go out, it's a fact. If I do come back, alright. If not, I'll name you Lead Investigator and you can send him out."

Harrison-"Well, if that Killer Question is answered by you again, he might not and send me. If that happens and I don't come back, you send him out for me."

Mitchell-"Deal."

The 2 men shook hands, sealing their agreement.
-
Doug and Kristen were chatting about why the killer would commit such a crime.

Doug-"It could be Ardis. He loved Ashley and could of been 'If I can't have her, no one will!'. You know?"

Kristen-"That's a good point. Remember, we haven't met everyone yet. You hope we'll meet them at the benefit?"

Doug-"Defiantly. They have to be there. Tiffany and Spencer said the whole town will be there. Walter DuChamps, Jennifer Harris, Tyrone Cribbs. Hell, Tyrone owns the damn place. If he's not there he might as well be the Killer!"

-

It's 2:12 AM. The investigators all were asleep. It was a long day. In the morning they would eat another breakfast from The Shaw Shack.

CRASH!!!!!!!

It was glass shattering. It was so loud that the entire group jumped and woke up.

Deanna-"What the hell was that?!"

The group walked out of their rooms and down the hall. Some stayed upstairs and checked the Briefing Room and bedrooms. Some went down stairs to check the kitchen and lounge. Chrissy looked at the ground.

Chrissy-"Crap. Guys, grab shoes and a broom. There is glass everywhere."

She looked up at the former sky light window. Her head only got half way up before she gasped.

Chrissy-"Ah! Oh my God!"

There they hung. The red and black envelopes. They were hanging there from a noose with a brick tied to them. The Killer sent the group their message, as promised, by means of their own makeshift gallows. A sign of things to come for one of them.

Kristen-"What is it Chri..... Oh."

Mitchell-"I'm going to call Gary."

Mitchell grabbed the phone as Deanna and Frank grabbed a broom, dustpan, and their shoes. The glass was scattered all over the floor. Tiny pieces, large shards, and a snow like dust from what fell off as well.

Mitchell-"Hey Gary, its Mitchell, we had a break in just a bit ago... Yeah, the Killer threw a brick threw the sky light in the lounge.... Yes, it's with the envelopes as well....Well we're cleaning it up right now... Yes, everyone is here still. No one is missing... Ok, we'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

He hung up and helped clean up the broken glass. They then cut down the envelopes and put them in the evidence locker. Everyone did all this in silence because they were not only tired, but they realized that, with the arrival of the envelopes, meant that two would depart soon and one would not come back.
-
At 9:00 AM, the group all met in the Briefing Room.  The local window repair company was already replacing the shattered window as the group tried to wake up to the coffee and breakfast dropped off by Tiffany Shaw and Spencer Stevens.

Gary-"Well, it seemed like you guys had a long night. Mitchell called me last night and informed me of what happened. So, I have good news and bad news. Bad news is that tonight, we go back to playing the Killer's Game. However, the good news is that you all get a rest until the benefit later today."

The news of having the morning off made each investigator sigh in relief as some, if not all of them, did not sleep at all after the Killer's sick version of a wake up call.

Gary-"Alright, so you all have the morning off. Go sleep for a bit, eat something, do whatever. Only thing is the event is at 5:00, so be ready by 4:00. We will meet back here before we head out. You're dismissed."

The investigators went back to bed. Alarms were set for 11:30 AM, noon, and 1:00 PM for everyone to get rest. Two investigators, however, did not sleep right away. They grabbed some food and sat down quickly, and quietly, at the kitchen table.

Stacey-"I'm just saying, after the issue with Heidi last round, look at how Benjamin is getting. He tried to get rid of Mitchell, and when he failed and got caught, he swore revenge on Harrison. He's gotta go."

Doug-"Definitely, but he can't now, he's Lead Investigator."

Stacey-"I know, that's the downfall. Someone who deserves to stay right now is about to leave. But who's the biggest threat?"

Doug-"Maybe Frank? He is a former cop."

Stacey-"Deanna? She sat back a lot last round and made it through. She could ride along to the end."

Doug-"Good point. You know, I'll talk to a couple of people and maybe we can get one of them out. See how a few others feel."

Stacey-"Ok. Now I'm gonna go and sleep."

Doug-"Same. See you in a bit."
-
The group got showered and dressed up for the benefit for the Bundy's. They filed back into the Briefing Room. Gary stood in his usually spot behind the table and spoke to the group.

Gary-"Ok, I see everyone is doing better since this morning. I hate to do this, but immediately after the benefit, we have the matter of opening the envelopes as soon as we get back. Until then, you guys can have some fun, but remember this is a perfect time to see our suspects. We still haven't met all of them, and this is the best time to see what makes them tick. Don't be afraid to question them. The vans are outside. See you guys at 8:00."

They filed out and hopped into waiting cars and drove off to The Hot Spot where the benefit would be taking place. When they arrived, they saw a man with an impressive black mustache with subtle hints of gray in it. He wore a white shirt with a pair of black dress pants, and the small pin on his shirt from the post office made it clear he is Walter DuChamps. He was mumbling to himself and seemed extremely nervous.

The group walked inside and found several town members, as well as the other suspects. Walter walked in, still mumbling to himself.

Walter-"No, no, no. Don't say that."

Frank-"The way Walter was talking to himself, in public like that. Seems highly suspicious."

Cooper Davis was up on stage with a guitar. Sydney was next to him at a microphone singing a song they wrote together. Across the room was a lady ordering a drink from the bartender. She had long brunette hair and was wearing a white and black stripped dress. He is a nice guy with his hair in short dreadlocks. He wore a light blue shirt with a dark blue tie.

Lady-"Thanks Tyrone. And great job putting this all together."

Bartender-"Well thank you Jennifer, but really, the whole town helped pitch in to help set it up. I'm just the guy with the club."

They both laughed. They are Jennifer Harris and Tyrone Cribbs.

After Sydney and Cooper finished, Cooper reached into his back pocket. He quickly swung his guitar to his side, and fell to a knee. Sydney turned toward him, expecting to see him eye to eye. Once she realized he was lower than expected, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

Cooper had a ring in one hand, and a microphone in the other.

Cooper-"Sydney, with everything happening, I've realized that tomorrow is not guaranteed. Tonight, with the celebration of life, I want to have you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"

She didn't answer. She threw herself to him and kissed him. It was Sydney's way of saying 'Yes!'.

After the clapping, the Mayor walked up to the front of the stage. The DJ that was going to take over after the song handed him a microphone and he started talking to the group of people.

Daniel-"Good evening everyone. Before we continue, please give a hand to Cooper Davis and Sydney Shields for that fine performance and on their engagement."

Everyone clapped, and when done, the Mayor spoke again.

Daniel-"We are all here to pay respect to Ashley and Matthew Bundy. Umm... Goodbyes are never easy, especially in such a small town like this where we all basically know each other. When one is gone, there is no cure for the sadness. Hopefully tonight, we take one step in the healing process towards happiness again and we bring the peace back to our town. Here's to Matthew, Ashley, and to those affected by this horrible crime."

He raised a glass into the air. Everyone else followed suit.

Daniel-"This benefit is for them. May they never leave our sides."

The Mayor finished his toast, people applauded, and they started eating. Tiffany and Spencer stood behind a table serving the food. Since it was starting to get warmer out, they decided to do a cook out. Hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, grilled chicken, ribs, corn on the cob, fresh salad. The investigators each grabbed some food and took their seats. It wasn't long before Mitchell and Harrison both starred at each other, as if they both had the same idea.

Harrison-"Excuse me everyone."

Mitchell-"Pardon me."

They both left the group and walked away. The other investigators looked at each other, asking what they were doing. It was when they saw Harrison and Mitchell sit with Jennifer Harris, Cooper Davis, and Sydney Shields that they figured it out.

Deanna-"Let's do the same."

Chrissy, Doug, and Frank walked off in one direction towards Tiffany and Spencer. Kristen, Stacey, and Deanna walked off towards Tyrone. Benjamin sat at the table by himself. He decided to get up and talk with Brad Stokely.

Harrison-"Do you all mind if we sit with you all?"

Jennifer-"No, by all means. Please join us."

They took their seats and started eating. It wasn't long until the questions started.

Mitchell-"Before I forget, my name is Mitchell Kennedy, and this is Harrison Adams. We are in the town to help solve the murders."

Sydney-"Oh, that's awesome. How's everything going?"

Harrison-"Difficult, trust me."

Sydney-"Well, I wish you guys luck."

Harrison-"Thanks. Now, if you don't mind, we actually have to ask you some questions."

Cooper-"Go on. Fire away."
-
Chrissy, Doug, and Frank stopped at the serving table that Tiffany and Spencer were just finishing handing out the food.

Chrissy-"You guys did all this? It's amazing!"

Tiffany-"Well there is more of us at the diner than just the 2 of us, but some people did stop by to help out. Tyrone came by, and so did Cooper and Sydney."

Chrissy-"That's so incredible."

Spencer-"It is. When one town member is hurting, we all get together to support."

Frank-"I hate to ruin the talk, I'm sorry, but can we talk to you 2 for a little bit?"

Tiffany-"Yes, sure. Let us just grab a little something to eat and we'll sit at that table over there."
-
Kristen, Stacey, and Deanna walked up to Tyrone. He was at the bar, still pouring drinks.

Stacey-"Hey, is there a way we can chat with you for a bit?"

Tyrone-"Yeah, just give me five minutes."

Tyrone made drinks for the few people waiting in line still. Once done, he set a sign up that said 'Be Back in 5 Minutes' and proceeded to talk with the group of girls.

Tyrone-"Now what may I don't for you lovely ladies?"

Deanna-"We hate to bother you, but we just wanna talk to get to know you."

Tyrone-"Ok, that's cool with me."
-
Benjamin found Brad. He had already knocked back 5 beers and was in the process of finishing off his sixth one when Benjamin sat near him.

Benjamin-"Hey, mind if we chat for a little?"

Brad-"I already spoke to your idiot friends the other day. What else do you want?

Benjamin-"I just want to know why you are so bitter. You yell at us, you start arguments  with others, I just want to know why."

Brad-"You wanna know why? Oh, I'll tell you!"
-
Mitchell-"Well, Jennifer, when we went through the Bundy's home, we found a check for $2,500 from you. What exactly was that for?"

Jennifer-"Oh, wow. Just, you know, for a repair."

Harrison-"A repair?"

Jennifer-"Yes. My dishwasher broke and he fixed it."

Harrison-"That seems like a lot for just a dishwasher."

Jennifer-"He tried fixing the old one, but he couldn't fix it. He went out, bought a new one and installed it for me. I paid for the original repair, the new one, and for him to install it for me. Oh, I'm sorry, please excuse me."

Jennifer got up from the table and walked, quickly, away from the group.

Cooper-"Well, I heard that money was for something different."
-
Tiffany and Spencer sat at a table with Chrissy, Doug, and Frank.

Tiffany-"So what's up guys?"

Frank-"We wanted you to give us a feel on the townspeople and yourselves."

Tiffany-"Oh, ok. Well, I've been living here my entire life and I've owned and operated The Shaw Shack for the past 8 years."

Spencer-"I've lived here years ago. Just moved back here about 5 years ago. Been working at the diner as a cook and server for about as long now."

Doug-"Thanks. Now, do you know anyone that seems suspicious?"

Spencer-"Well, there is this one guy. He walks into the diner, mumbles incoherently and then leaves. The mailman, Walter."

Tiffany-"Aww, don't say that. Yes, he's a little bizarre with the mumbling, but he doesn't seem like the type to hurt anyone. He seems really sweet."

Spencer-"Tiffany, think about it though; He walks in, mumbles to himself for 5 minutes, drops the mail off and rushes out the door again. I'm not trying to sound mean or anything, but that's got crazy written all over it."

Doug-"Is there anyone else you can think of?"

Spencer and Tiffany looked at each other and thought the exact thing.

Tiffany-"Brad Stokely. He's bitter and mad like, all the time."
-
Deanna-"We wanted to ask you about the townspeople."

Tyrone-"There is some I like, some I can tolerate, and some I can't stand."

Stacey-"Who can't you stand?"

Tyrone-"Well, for starters, Brad Stokely and Matthew Bundy."

The ladies 3 thought about the names he just said. While Tyrone seemed nice, they all thought the same thing; Did he do it?

Kristen-"So, um, what reasons is that for?"

Tyrone-"Well, they're both alcoholics. Can't tell you how many times I've kicked them out for fighting with others. Hell, they tried getting me shut down several times. They had my liquor license questioned, the kitchen was inspected because of under cooked food, even the Fire Marshal got involved at one point too. One of them claimed the building wasn't up to code and couldn't hold a large amount of people as it posed a safety issue."

Kristen-"I'm not trying to say they didn't do it, but how do you know that it was the 2 of them?"

Tyrone-"There was a night a few months back. The 2 of them came in, like they'd usually do and grab drinks together after a long work day. They drank, and drank, and ate, and drank. Then someone else came up to the bar to order a burger, and Brad shoved them. Thought he was talking smack about him. This dude shoved back, and out of nowhere Matthew came up and decked this guy in the face. Broken nose and teeth. Guys friends saw it and a massive brawl breaks out. Called the police as soon as Bundy landed that punch. Somehow Brad and Matthew cleaned house. 5 on 2 and they still whooped them. I gave my statement to the cops and the 2 of them were arrested on a couple of charges; disturbing the peace, assault, and public intoxication. Thank God they were arrested because I know they drove here and I don't think they were planing on getting a designated driver that night. Anyway, the cops throw the cuffs on and take them away. The 2 of them are yelling at me that they'd bring me down and get me shut down. Couple days later, my first complaint comes my way."

Kristen-"Oh wow. That makes sense."

Tyrone-"Yeah. Now, that first complaint that came in, it was the first complaint this place ever received. 7 years this place has been opened, never a complaint or even a violation. Now after these 2 get arrested, in comes the complaint and the Health Inspector saying that I served undercooked food and someone almost died. Few days later, apparently my liquor licenses are forged. A little bit later, I'm getting a visit from the Fire Marshal. I apparently allowed a 300 person concert with pyrotechnics in here on a night we were closed. With that one, don't know how, but we were fined $5,000 for it. A concert that never happened! No proof except for a statement from 'someone who was at the concert' that night who claimed they got injured at it."

Deanna-"Do you know who that was?

Tyrone-"Nope. Not a clue. Report was made in confidentiality."
-
Cooper-"Now, I'm not sure, but my friend's brother attends Sunrise Ridge High where she teaches. Apparently, the rumor going around was that she slept with a student."

Harrison-"Are you serious?"

Sydney-"Yes. I heard the same thing."

Mitchell-"So, that money is for blackmail?"

Cooper-"I'm assuming. Unless she's telling the truth about the dishwasher. Like I said, it's a rumor. Last year the rumor was that the principal had sex with the gym teacher dressed in mascot costume."

Sydney-"Yeah, the year we graduated, the rumor was that one of the students was actually a 45 year old that got cosmetic surgery and wanted to relieve their youth."

Mitchell-"High School is a lot different than I remember it. Most I had in school was we had my senior class show up early and park their cars in the faculty parking lot."

Harrison-"Some idiot threw a couple of stink bombs in the air vents my senior year.... They never caught me."

The group of them laughed at Harrison's comment. The laughter was short though.
-
Brad stood up, bobbled a bit from the beer, and yelled at Benjamin.

Brad-"No one in this town deserves to live and breathe! They are as clueless as the corrupt mayor that they follow like the dumb little sheep they are! It's incredible that anyone in this town knows how to tie their own shoes! If it wasn't for the fact that my business is set up here, I'd have moved away years ago! This town is trying to celebrate lost life, but in reality it's a lost life in Matthew and a wasted life in Ashley!"

Cooper-"Hey! Why don't you shut the hell up for once in your miserable life!"

Sydney-"Cooper, please don't get into it with him. He's drunk and is just trying to start a fight."

Brad-"How about you put that dog on a leash, little boy, and keep your comments to yourself before I put you in your place like your daddy should of!"

Daniel McGee-"Sir, please, calm down and..."

Brad-"Shut the hell up McGee! Like I need a crook like you to tell me what to do!"

Cooper-"Hey Brad!"

Brad turned around and was met with a right hook to the face from Cooper. He stumbled backwards a tiny bit before regaining his balance. It was incredible that he remained standing not only because of the punch, but also because of the fact that he drank 6 beers and his world was probably already spinning before the punch hit him.

Brad saw the 27 year old, spit the blood out of his mouth, and went after Cooper. He put his shoulder into Cooper's stomach and ran him backwards a bit before both went down. Brad was on top of Cooper and delivered a hell of a punch to Cooper's face. Blood instantly came from his nose. Brad was not done though. He hit him several more times.

Cooper was able to grab a bottle and defend himself from Brad's punches. He swung it and cracked it across Brad's head. Once Brad fell over, it was Cooper's turn to land some hits. A right, a left, and another right. Cooper backed off. He was sure he knocked out Brad cold. However, Brad somehow sat up and then proceeded to stand up.

Brad-"Is that all you got you little bitch?! Ashley's dead body can hit harder than you!?"

Cooper went after him again and at this moment several towns people and the investigators stepped into stop the 2 men.

Daniel McGee-"Get out of here! I will NOT tolerate this behavior!"

Brad was quickly shown the door.

Brad-"Yeah, yeah. I'm leaving. Better hope I don't ever see you again or you'll be the next death in this town!"

Brad walked out, amazingly, under his own power. Before he could be stopped, though, he jumped into his pickup truck and sped off. Sydney sat down next to Cooper.

Sydney-"Cooper, babe, are you ok?"

Cooper-"Yeah, why, what happened?"

Cooper smiled when he said it. Sydney punched him in the arm for trying to mess with her. Daniel McGee grabbed the microphone from the DJ.

Daniel-"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I, uhh.... I think that is the signal for the end of the festivities. Thank you all for coming out. We raised enough money for Ashley's funeral cost and for when we hopefully recover Matthew. Goodnight everyone.

The guest all left, Cooper was helped to his car by Tyrone and Sydney. She took his keys to drive the 2 of them back to their apartment.

Kristen-"Cooper, shouldn't you go to the doctor? You might have a broken nose and concussion."

Cooper-"I'm good. Trust me. I just need some ice and maybe a steak on my eye and I should be good to go. Thanks for caring though."

They left and the group gathered back to the vans and started off to the Headquarters.

Chrissy-"I just thought of something. What if Cooper didn't want to go to the doctor's because he felt he wouldn't get back in time for the Killer's Game."

Doug-"Great point. Wish he did go now. We could possibly eliminate 2 suspects tonight if we get the question right when we get back."
-
Doug-"The vote tonight is gonna be one of the hardest ones probably. Everyone was on their A-Game these last few days and it's gonna be hard to pick."

Frank-"I don't know what's going to happen in that vote tonight. I just hope it's not me."

The group walked up the stairs and into the Briefing Room. Gary was waiting behind the table and, once everyone took their seat, he started talking to them.

Gary-"Ok guys, welcome back. I hope we met some of the suspects."

Harrison-"Mitchell and I went off and talked to Jennifer Harris, Sydney Shields, and Cooper Davis. We asked Jennifer about the check we found and she quickly told us before running off it was for a dishwasher repair. Once she left, Cooper and Sydney told us about a rumor about how she slept with a student."

Mitchell-"They then told us about how every year their is a major rumor that goes around the school. One year was the principal wearing the mascot costume and they had sex with the gym teacher while wearing it."

Stacey-"Kristen, Deanna and I spoke to Tyrone. He can't stand Matthew and Brad because they are both drunks. They got into a fight at his bar a few months ago and got arrested. They blamed Tyrone for it and filed numerous complaints against The Hot Spot. One ended up costing Tyrone $5,000 in fines."

Frank-"Chrissy, Doug and I talked to Tiffany Shaw and Spencer Stevens. We asked if their was anyone they saw as suspicious and Spencer said Walter DuChamps. Tiffany tried to defend him, but Spencer said that his stuttering and nervousness seemed off to him. They did both agree that Brad is probably the major one to watch out for because of the fights he starts."

Benjamin-"Oh he started a fight alright. I went to talk to him and he was already in his sixth beer when I got to him. I asked why he's so mad and he flipped at me, he yelled at Cooper and Sydney, then got into a legit fist fight with Cooper that we had to break up."

Gary-"Wow, you guys did seem to have your hands full tonight. Great job out there. Unfortunately, now we have the matters of the envelopes to deal with now."

Gary walked over to the evidence locker and took the red envelope out, walked with it back to the table, and grabbed a pair of scissors. He spoke while cutting it open across the top, again with care to make sure he didn't cut up the question.

Gary-"Remember, the Killer has said there is a question and if answered correctly, they will clear one of the suspects."

He reached in and pulled the brown paper out. Gary unfolded it and was met with the label maker words.

Gary-"The questions is; 'WHAT 3 SUSPECTS WERE AT THE SHAW SHACK TO HELP TIFFANY AND SPENCER?'. I'm going to bring up the address."

Gary clicked a few buttons, typed a few keys, and a Matrix like grid appeared once again, followed by a single lime green line for the answer.

Benjamin-"Does anybody know who they are?"

Chrissy-"I know she said Tyrone showed up. Makes sense because his club hosted the event..... Ugh, I can't remember the other 2 names."

Frank-"Pretty sure the young girl, what's her name... Sydney was one. Who was the other?"

Doug-"I don't remember the names she said, but if your sure Sydney was one of them, I can bet Cooper is the other one. They are a couple, right? It makes sense to me."

Frank-"I'm more than certain they said Sydney."

Deanna-"We saw them at the town meeting the other day sitting together, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were together helping Tiffany and Spencer. "

Gary-"So are those 3 your answers, guys?"

Harrison-"I'll side with you guys on those 3."

Stacey-"Same here."

Benjamin-"Ok, we'll say Sydney, Tyrone, and Cooper. That's our answer."

Gary-"Very well. I'll send it off."

Gary typed the 3 names into the computer. On the screen, the group saw the words 'SYDNEY, TYRONE, AND COOPER' appear letter by letter. Gary hit send, and the Matrix grid of letters and numbers flashed across the screen. Everyone held their breath as the screen continued to flash. Fingers were soon crossed and prayers were said quietly in their minds. After a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity, the message finally appeared to them.....




YOUR ANSWER IS CORRECT; A SUSPECT WILL BE CLEARED.



The group clapped and cheered. They all hugged each other, and gave an even bigger hug to Chrissy, Doug and Frank. The picture of the cleared suspect then popped up on the screen.



SUSPECT CLEARED; GEORGINA SEEGER. WIDOW



Gary-"Excellent job guys! Great teamwork all around! We can now clear Georgina."

Gary then pulled a red sharpie out and drew a red X over the picture of Georgina, the person that found the body of Ashley, effectively clearing the widow of the wrong doing.

Gary-" That was great teamwork and deduction to figure out the names, guys. I'm really proud of you all on that. Now, sadly, the fun must end. We gotta open up the black envelope. Remember, you can not vote for Benjamin. Tonight, we'll start with Chrissy."

Chrissy made her way to the voting booth just outside the Briefing Room. Once inside the sound proof room, she could speak her mind and freely choose who to vote to go out.

She thumbed through the pictures several times before she found a picture she wanted. She placed it behind her in the frame.

Chrissy-"I have zero idea who to pick tonight, but I have to pick, and I'm sorry Stacey, your my vote tonight."

She took it down and slid it into the slot of the voting box outside the room. Mitchell walked in after her, sat on the stool and went through his photos.

Mitchell-"Wow this is hard. I figure we got to start going after who we perceive as strong. Only problem is that everybody was on their game these last few days. With that being said, Frank seemed like the strongest being he's a former officer, so Frank, I'm sorry, but you're my pick."

Mitchell put his vote in and next was Stacey. She stayed silent and simply put  Deanna's picture up and walked out. Harrison walked in after her.

Harrison-"This is my first time voting tonight, and I hope I'm making the right choice. I'm gonna vote for Deanna. You were quiet last round and it was Chrissy, Frank, and Doug to answer the question today. I'm sorry."

He walked out and in walked Frank.

Frank-"Last round, I picked between 2 people. This week, I pick out of 7. That's how good we all were. This time, I just gotta go with Kristen. I think she might have been the worst of the best. Nothing against the young lady at all, but I just don't know who to vote for."

He walked out and Kristen took her place inside the booth.

Kristen-"We gotta start playing by who's a threat and who's not at some point. Tonight, I play that and, sadly, my pick is Frank. He's a great guy but he's the strongest player here being a former cop. He could win it all if we don't get rid of him."

Kristen put her vote in the box and Deanna walked in. She sat with her head in her hands for a few seconds before she placed a picture in silence and left. Doug was the last to walk in. He looked over his pictures and decided on his vote.

Doug-"This is insanity. To whoever goes out, I'm sorry, we all deserve to stay, but someone's gotta go. In this case, I'm sorry Deanna."

He walked out, placed the vote in the box, and walked back into the Briefing Room to his seat.

Gary-"What I need you all to do is turn around please while I count the votes. Please do not turn back around until you are instructed."

The investigators turned around and faced the back of the room. Gary left the room and retrieved the voting box from the voting booth. He returned and unlocked the box and took the pictures out one by one. Gary placed each vote in a corresponding pile. A vote in one pile, another vote in a different pile. He had a few piles on his table, and the results were tallied.

Gary-"Please turn around."

The group turned back to face him, a picture against his stomach.

Gary-"I have counted the votes, and by a vote of 3-3-1-1, we have a tie."

The group gasped. Gary showed that instead of 1, he had 2 pictures.

Gary-"That tie is between.... Frank and Deanna."

Both of them stood up.

Gary-"Now, in the case of a tie, the Lead investigator must break it. Benjamin, please."

Benjamin walked up and stood in front of the table.

Benjamin-"I really wish it was someone else I could pick. I don't want to choose between the 2 of you. I sadly do, and I have to pick...... Frank."

Frank nodded and Deanna sat back down.

Gary-"Frank, you will be playing the Killer's Game tonight, but you will not be playing alone. Benjamin, I need you to pick one other person to play the Killer's Game tonight."

Benjamin-"Like I said, I wish their was someone else tied so I could pick the 2 I wanted to go out tonight. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but I can send 1 of them out. Out of the 2 people I wanted to send out, my choice for the Killer's Game tonight is Harrison."

Harrison laughed a little and stood up, smiling.

Gary-"Harrison, you will be playing the Killer's Game along side Frank tonight. Benjamin, if you please."

Gary used the scissors to open the black envelope. Out came 2 smaller black envelopes.

Gary-"The Killer has said that at one location will be an important clue. At the other, the Killer will be waiting, and one of you will not be coming back. Benjamin, I need you to hand one to the groups choice, Frank, and the other to your choice, Harrison."

Benjamin thought it over. Which map would lead to the clue and which would lead to the Killer? He then handed Frank one map and Harrison the other.

Gary-"Please open your maps and tell us where you are going."

Both men open the black bag like envelopes and pulled the brown paper out.

Frank-"I'll be heading to the Farm on Kovick Drive."

Harrison-"I'm going to the local Gym on Lambert Street."

Gary-"Very well. You guys have just over an hour to pack before your rides show up. Before you pack, I need you to go back to the voting booth to record your Last Will and Testament. If you do not return, you are responsible to name the next Lead Investigator."
-
Harrison-"I'm a little surprised, but then again I'm not. I knew it was either Mitchell or I going the moment Benjamin was named Lead Investigator. It sucks, but what are you gonna do?"

Harrison started packing his bag. Soon after Mitchell walked in.

Mitchell-"Hey, good luck tonight, kid."

Harrison-"Thank man. By the way, I want you to know I stuck to the deal. If Frank comes back, you're the next Lead Investigator."

Mitchell-"Thanks Harrison."

Just then, Frank walked in to start his packing.

Harrison-"Hey Frank."

Frank-"Hi guys. Good luck tonight Harrison."

Harrison-"Thanks, you too."

The two men shook hands. Harrison finished packing and Mitchell and him helped Frank pack his bag.

Harrison-"I'm sorry you gotta do this tonight. You're a great investigator."

Mitchell-"I feel bad too. It should be me going out honestly."

Frank-"Guys, it's ok. I knew it was gonna happen at some point. Just hoped it wasn't this soon."

Mitchell-"Let's make a pack, right now. Which ever of you comes back, we work together to make it to the end. Take out Benjamin, everyone else, and catch the killer."

Frank-"That sounds good to me."

Harrison-"Same here. Good luck guys."

The 3 men shook hands, cementing their pack.

Frank-"I know that, after tonight, I'm a threat to the others for being a former officer. I knew that coming in, and I hoped it wouldn't bite me but it did, and earlier then I wanted it too. If I am to go home tonight, I'd wouldn't be upset. I'd actually be happy because I know they see me as a strong force and, after the other night with getting the envelopes, I'd rather get my sleep back and enjoy my retirement. Haha."

Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe.
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince)



Episode 1; The Game Has Begun

It's 2:14 AM, the entire town of Sunrise Ridge slept peacefully in their beds. It was a cool spring night. The snow from the winter was just starting to melt and Day Light Savings meant the sun would start rising early again. However, before that sun could even poke up over the smallest hill in town, and before any resident would even start to stir from their peaceful sleep, one resident of the small town was moving quickly through the streets. In one hand, this resident was holding an infrared video camera, and just out of reach on the passenger seat was something sinister, something they wanted to use with evil intentions.

This person drove down the dark city as quickly and carefully as they could, avoiding the street lights as they moved. The person finally reached their destination; a dark house except for one light on, coming from the basement window. The resident turned on their camera, and a green glow of infrared illuminated the house for them. They got out of their van, walked up to the house and stared in the window. They did this with care, though, as a man was walking down the hall of the house and to a door. The person didn't want to get the man's attention, at least not yet. The man opened the door and disappeared down a set of stairs to the dimly lit basement. The person outside the house smiled menacingly, as they knew what was soon about to happen in this quiet town.

They walked up to the storm hatch to the basement, and ever so gently pulled on it, as so to not alert anyone. Thankfully, for this person, it opened no problem. They walked down the concrete steps, carefully picked the lock on the door separating them from the inside of the house, and entered into the basement. There they saw the man, sitting at his desk, going through his paperwork. Stacks of it just piled up on each side of him, but the person with the camera didn't care about paperwork, nor did they care for the man going through it.

The person stepped forward, but only got 3 steps ahead before they bumped into a table. The man quickly turned around and saw this person standing in his house.

Matthew-“What in the hell are you doing in my house?! It's 2 in the mor..."

He cut himself off. His face went pale as he saw what was in the person's hand, and not the hand holding the camera.

Matthew-“Oh my God! Stay away from me!"

The man yelled. But this person wouldn't listen if asked 1,000 times. They stepped closer and closer. The man threw the paperwork from the desk at them, and then threw the chair down to stop them from coming. It would only work for so long. The man took off up the stairs. Once half way up, the person jumped over the chair and raced after the man. He shouted out as he reached the top step of the basement staircase.

Matthew-“Ashley! Lock yourself in the room! Call the police!"

He took a sharp turn and made a bee line for the front door. The person was hot on their heels and chased after him. The man made it to the front door, but fumbled with the lock. It was his downfall.

FLASH! BANG!

Matthew Bundy fell to the floor. Dead.

Just then a lady appeared at the top of the stair case by the front door. She was in a white fuzzy robe and matching slippers.

Ashley-“What in the world is happ... MATTHEW! NOOOOO!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs. She then noticed the person standing next to Matthew's lifeless body.

Ashley-“AHHHHH!"

She screamed as she took off on the second floor.

"This is just too perfect", the person thought to them self. They ran up the flight of stairs and saw the lady slam the master bedroom door shut. The person took a running start and rammed the door with their shoulder. The door went flying open and partially broke off the hinge. The impact flung the lady away from the door and she fell to the floor just shy of the bed. The person approached.

Ashley-“Please God! Please don't kill me!".....

At 8:39 AM, the sun was fully up. It was already a nice and warm day for this early, already at 60 degrees even though it was still early into spring. The roofs were already dripping from the melting snow, and said roofs where already missing half the snow. A police car slowly pulled up to a set of houses. Officer Jack Faye stepped out of his patrol car and looked around. The station got a call during the night from a neighbor saying they thought they heard someone screaming, but not sure which neighbor it was. Officer Faye thought it was a joke, thinking to himself that in such a quiet town that no one in their right mind would do anything at that time to have to place a call to the police. Yet still, Faye took an oath and decided to check it out.

Officer Faye knocked on a door of one of the houses. He only knocked twice before someone answered.

Jack-“Hello there. We received a call about a neighbor screaming during the night. The caller didn't know which neighbor it was though and we just wanted to check on everyone in the area."

Lady-“Oh my. Everything is ok here. I didn't hear anything last night at all. I had to take some medicine for my insomnia so I was asleep all night. Sorry I can't help."

Jack-“That's fine. Like I said, we just wanna check. Have a good day."

As Faye knocked on the next door, he wondered if something would happen in his town. He knocked several times on this door, but never got an answer. Faye was thinking that whoever lived here might have left for work for the day. He knocked again just to make sure and the door surprisingly popped open a bit. He was worried that the owner was still inside and would think that he was breaking in. Little did he know how wrong he was. He yelled into the house

Jack-“Hello. Police Department. Just checking on a call we received."

There was no answer in the house and Faye was about to leave when he just happened to look down. It was blood. A puddle of blood. Faye stopped dead in his tracks, then reentered the house. He stared at the puddle of blood. Faye got down low to it and realized that whoever, or whatever, left that couldn't have gone too far. He ran off to the kitchen, then the living room, the laundry room. He then saw the basement door was open. He walked down the stairs. Faye saw the mess of papers all around the downstairs office. Faye took off back upstairs, ran back for the front door, and ran upstairs. He barely made it to the top step when he saw the broken door leading to the master bedroom. He looked back downstairs at the blood, then back at the bedroom door.

"Hello! Police Department! Is anyone here?"

He never got an answer. Faye then radioed the station.

Jack-“Officer Faye reporting. I think we got a possible homicide."

They responded back immediately.

Dispatcher-“We think you're right. Come back to the station and we'll show you."

 ***

In the quiet town of Sunrise Ridge, a Killer is on the loose. A reward has been offered to 10 ordinary people;

Deanna
Benjamin
Chrissy
Frank
Stacey
Harrison
Kristen
Doug
Heidi
Mitchell

They have been sent to Sunrise Ridge to play the Killer's twister game. Now, they must enter the mind of a Killer and solve the mystery, or else they will be eliminated, one by one.

Murder in Small Town X

***

A bus carrying 11 people was driving down the road passing the local farmer's market. At the front of the bus sat a man with slightly greying hair, but you can still see the dirty blonde clear as day. He had the look of a police officer, and a look to him that says he has been through this before. He looked at the camera.

Gary-"We are currently making our way to the town of Sunrise Ridge; a small, everyday town like you would read about on a "Best Places to Live" list, just miles south of Boston. However, the peace here has been broken, as a murder has taken place in this quiet town."

He stopped as the camera cut to the bus pulling up to what would be known to him and the other 10 people on the bus as their headquarters. The camera cut back to him.

Gary-“These 10 ordinary people have been invited to this town to play a game. A game of murder. But unlike your typical game of Clue, these 10 people are going to be playing for a lot longer than 45 minutes. Here, they will work 24/7 to solve the case. However, they must all be careful, as every few days 2 of them will have to leave the safety of the headquarters and play the Killer's Game. It is here where one of them will find a valuable clue to aid in the investigation. The other one, they will not be so lucky, as they will come face to face with the Sunrise Ridge Killer and be eliminated from the game."

The bus door opened, and each person started stepping off. The man's voice was heard as the camera watched each person step off the bus.

Gary-"The 10 people trying to solve the case and catch the Killer are;
-Doug Graham; a 35 year old landscaper from Halifax, New Jersey
-Kristen Reynolds; a 24 year old model from New York, New York
-Benjamin Sheffield; a 47 year old attorney from Mobile, Alabama
-Chrissy Peters; a 30 year old aspiring actress from Los Angles, California
-Harrison Adams; a 26 year old MMA fighter from Providence, Rhode Island
-Stacey Towers; a 55 year old grade school teacher from Victoria, Texas
-Mitchell Kennedy; a 40 year old youth hockey coach from Detroit, Michigan
-Heidi Gilligan; a 29 year old pharmacy worker from Seattle, Washington
-Frank Williams; a 62 year old former officer from Phoenix, Arizona
-and Deanna Landry; a 33 year old kayak instructor from Tallahassee, Florida.

They all walked inside as the man from the bus stands outside the bus with the camera on him.

Gary-"If you want to know just what these people are about to go through, do this; pick up a murder mystery novel, read the first page of it, set it down and close your eyes, then open your eyes, and you're there."

The 10 contestants all walked into the house. They greeted each other with hugs, hand shakes, and talk about their families and favorite things. The good moment didn't last long though, as the man from the bus walked in and asked for their attention.

Gary-“Good afternoon. I hope you all enjoyed the bus ride. My name is Sgt. Gary Fredo. I'm a California Police Officer with over 30 years of experience. Now, back in 2001, I assisted in a case eerily similar to what we look like we will be doing here. I will explain more about it in just a bit, but right now, I want you all to bring your bags upstairs and get settled in. Men's room is upstairs and to the left, women's is to the right. In 30 minutes, I want everyone in the briefing room and we'll go over what's going on."

Chrissy-"We just walked in and we are already going to go straight into a murder investigation. This is insane!"

Frank-"As a retired police officer, I've seen a lot. I've spent long nights at work, early mornings in patrol cars, and countless hours on cases. God how I enjoy being back in it."

They all filed into the upstairs Briefing Room. 2 rows of desks sat at the back of the room, 5 desk in each row. Each one with its own lamp so the user can do their work at night without disturbing the others. On the other side was a long table with a computer on it. Above the table to the left was a television set; flat screen and at least 50 inches wide. To the right of the table, sitting in the corner was an evidence locker. It had a big black bag-like envelope in it. Everyone walked in and took a seat. Gary walked in and started speaking.

Gary-“Hello again everyone. So, the other night a call was place to the Sunrise Ridge Police Department at roughly 2:30 AM, with a neighbor by the name of Penelope Rivers saying she was up to take care of her child and she heard a loud scream come from a neighbor's house, but she wasn't able to tell which one it was. At just after 8:30 AM, Officer Jack Faye arrived at the house of Matthew Bundy and his wife, Ashley. Now, when Officer Faye entered the house, he discovered blood on the carpet and a broken door to the master bedroom. When he radioed to the Police Department, they told him to come back, and when he did, they showed him this."

Gary then proceeded to take the big plastic black bag from the evidence locker and put it on the table in front of him. He continued to speak.

Gary-"Now, they opened the envelope shortly after Officer Faye returned to the station. Inside where 10 invitations, all addressed to you. Each one bore the words 'Coming Out To Play?'. Also inside was a DVD, and we would like to play that for you all now. Please bare in mind though, we have already watched it, and some of you might find it a little disturbing."

Gary placed the DVD into the computer, clicked on the play button, and it appeared on the TV. A green glow of infrared from the camera showed the darken house. The person holding the camera headed to a cellar hatch, walked down the stairs, picked a lock, and startled Matthew in his basement office. The camera chased after Matthew and caught him by the front door.

FLASH! BANG!

The camera chased Ashely up the stairs and slammed through the door to the master bedroom. Several of the investigators cringed as they saw Ashley land hard on the floor by the bed. The sound of Ashley scream for her life made all the investigators uncomfortable.

Just then the DVD jump and cut straight to Ashley. She was now tied to a chair around the waist. Harrison pointed out that the bed was bare and it looks like she was tied up with the sheet. Just after he said that, Ashley spoke to the camera.

Ashley-“Please. Please don't make me do this. Please let me go."

Her voice shaking through her sobs, the tears shining in the night vision. The camera moved off of her to the corner of the room. A loud CRACK was heard. The camera operator slapped her. The audio died for a brief second, but quickly came back on as Ashley wailed. Heidi said that they must of cut the audio to hide their voice. She was right as Ashley voice came back again.

Ashley-“OK! OK! I'll read it!"

The camera cut again, and was back to being on Ashley. She was slightly calmer now, but was still speaking in a shaking voice.

Ashley-"Hello, and welcome to the town of Sunrise Ridge. On this night, I have claimed Matthew Bundy for my own. He is dead and now belongs to me. Ashley, on the other hand, I have no use for, and she will be returned shortly."

She started to break down when she read that part, but then continued.

Ashley-"I have a proposition for you all; it's time for a game. I hope you will come out to play."

The camera cut out, but the audio of Ashley Bundy continued. As she spoke, 15 pictures flashed on the screen.

Ashley-"These 15 people all line in the town of Sunrise Ridge. I am one of the 15. If you wish to find me, you must answer this question; Why? I would wish you good luck... but you will need more than that. I will speak to you soon."

The DVD video died. Gary addressed the group again.

Gary-"I apologize if that was too much for you. Now, we did forensics on the blood at the house, and it matches the DNA of Matthew, so we are more than certain he is no longer with us. However, his body was not found, and Ashley has been missing ever since, and she is being considered missing and presumed kidnapped. Now, other than the invites and the DVD, we found a small red envelope."

He showed the red bag to the group. On it was several words that were made from a label maker. It read 'FOR THE LEAD INVESTIGATOR TO READ' on the front. Gary spoke again.

Gary-"As you can see, only the Lead Investigator is to read what's inside. In order to decide who will be Lead Investigator, we will take a vote. I know you don't all know each other well yet, so it will be a first impression vote. At the front of each of your desks is a blank card. What I want you to do is write the name of the person you wish to be the Lead Investigator, and you can not vote for yourself. Please do so now."

Each person thought about it. Deanna was shown to write Harrison's name. Kristen was seen writing Heidi's name. Stacey placed her pen to her lips as she thought it over, and eventually wrote a name down. Benjamin folded his paper up and placed it in a bowl held by Gary. The other nine followed suit and placed their vote in the bowl. Gary brought it to the front and counted each vote.

Gary-"Ladies and gentlemen, I have the results of the vote, and by a 5-4-1 vote, the first Lead Investigator is..."

 He paused. Then he turned a vote around displaying a name.

Gary-“Harrison. Congratulations!"

The group applauded him as he went to stand next to Gary.

Harrison- "You know, you see the muscles and the tattoos and you think 'He's a moron!', and 'He's a big, dumb jock!'. But I think when I pointed out something in the Killer's video, that must of made them think I was actually smart and trust me."

Gary spoke again.

Gary-"Harrison, this is for you."

He handed a pair of scissors to Harrison to open the envelope.

Gary-"Please open it and tell us what's inside."

Harrison cut the edge of the bag open carefully. He turned it upside down and a brown, folded paper fell out and onto the table. Harrison unfolded it and noticed the same label maker words on it. He cleared his throat and read.

Harrison-"WELCOME TO SUNRISE RIDGE. THIS IS MY GAME AND THESE ARE MY RULES.
1- YOU MUST, ATTEMPT, TO FIND OUT MY IDENTY. BEWARE, BECAUSE IT WONT BE AS EASY AS YOU THINK.
2- ALWAYS STAY TOGETHER IN GROUPS OF 2 OR MORE. IF YOU EVER DECIDE TO WANDER OFF BY YOURSELF, YOU RUN A CHANCE OF MEETING ME FACE TO FACE."

The investigators shot a worried glance to each other. Harrison then continued.

Harrison-"3- EVERY FEW DAYS, I WILL GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU BY LEAVING ENVELOPES LIKE THESE.
4-INSIDE THE RED WILL BE A QUESTION ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION. IF YOU ANSWER CORRECTLY, I WILL CLEAR A SUSPECT. WRONG, AND I WILL NOT.
5-INSIDE THE BLACK WILL BE 2 SMALLER BLACK ENVELOPES. HERE YOU MUST TURN ON EACH OTHER AND VOTE ONE PERSON TO RECEIVE AN ENVELOPE. YOUR LEAD INVESTIGATOR MUST PICK SOMEONE ELSE TO RECEIVE THE OTHER. INSIDE EACH IS A MAP. THEY MUST FOLLOW THE MAP TO THE LOCATION I'VE GIVEN THEM. I WILL LEAVE A CLUE AT ONE. AT THE OTHER, I WILL BE WAITING, AND THAT PERSON WILL NOT RETURN."

The investigators gasped at this rule.

Harrison-"6-WHOEVER IS LEAD INVESTIGATOR IS NOT ABLE TO BE VOTED FOR OR SENT OUT TO PLAY MY GAME.
GOOD LUCK.
COMING OUT TO PLAY?"

Gary then addressed the group.

Gary-"Right. Well, like I said, I handled a case just like this back in 2001. Sadly, this is the only lead we had then, and it's the only lead we have now. It's our only option. Now, you all have the rest of the day to get to know each other, so enjoy your time. We will start in the morning."

Just then a siren started blaring outside of the headquarters. It was shortly followed by several loud thuds on the front door. Gary and the investigators raced out of the room and down the stairs to the door. Gary opened it and found Officer Jack Faye on the other side.

Jack-"Hello everyone. Sorry to barge in on you all, but they found her. Ashley Bundy. She was found just outside the woods near Harper Park. I have 3 police vans outside. Please guys, get ready in 5 and lets go!"

The investigators grabbed their coats and raced out the door. 4 jumped in the first 2 vans and the last 2 and Gary jumped in the third. 10 minutes later, they arrived at Harper Park. A scene of people have already descended on the area. Several officers tried their hardest to keep them back. One yelled out.

Officer-“Alright, I'm gonna say this one time and one time only! You don't move away right now, I'll cuff you and you'll have a cell to yourself tonight!"

Gary and Officer Faye were able to help the other officers disperse of the crowd. While they did that, the 10 investigators walked with the person who called the police. A retired widow by the name of Georgina Seeger.

Georgina-"Oh this is just a terrible thing! I was out for my evening walk and I saw the red snow and next thing I know I'm looking at this poor girl lying there!"

Kristen-"Did you happen to notice anyone near the area that looked suspicious?"

Georgina-"No honey, I'm sorry. I was just walking down the path like I said. I gotta walk because my doctor recommends it's for my diabetes. Wants me to get in at least a 60 minute walk a day to keep the blood circulating after my insulin shots. I walk through this area every time I go for my walk cause once I hit the end of the park I know I've hit the half way point. I got just shy of the park and I noticed the red color of the snow. I walked over and the poor girl was lying there. I went to see if she was ok, then I saw her head and knew nothing could be done. That's the moment I called the police."

Doug, Mitchell, and Stacey walked away to the red snow. They looked at the body of Ashley Bundy. She was still in the PJ's and her white fuzzy robe. Of course, it wasn't white anymore. What was worse was that it was painfully obvious she was no longer with us.

Doug-"Hey, look at this guys. Do you see the size of that hole?"

Doug pointed at bloody hole in the side of Ashley head. At least an inch wide.

Stacey-"Hey, do you guys notice this? Look at her hand."

Her ring finger on her left hand was broken. The ring that sat on it was missing.

Mitchell-" You guys think that the killer wants jewelry? Just to pawn and get rich and then run for it?"

Stacey-"I doubt it. Cause why did the killer give her back and we haven't seen Matthew returned? He wants jewelry AND a body?"

Stacey- "I mean, Mitchell seems nice, but that was a stupid idea. Murder for just a ring? There's obviously more to it all. We just need to figure it all out."

A man was going ballistic by Gary. He was screaming, crying, and by the looks of the officers, the man looked like he was gonna stay in one of the aforementioned holding cells tonight. Chrissy walked away from the group and tried to help calm him down.

Chrissy- "Sir! Please calm down!"

Man-"SHE'S DEAD! I LOVED HER SO MUCH!"

Chrissy-"Its ok sir. We're going to catch whoever did it."

Man-"You better before I catch them first!"

Just then an officer approached them.

Officer-"Alright pal, leave before you get locked up for the night! This is your one and only chance!"

The man walked away, telling the officer that he was “number one", but with the wrong finger.

Chrissy-"Wow. That was intense. I thought for a brief moment that he might have taken a swing at me. That guy scared me."

Frank-"Excuse me, ma'am, just wanna ask. Do you live around here?"

Georgina-"Yes I do. I live just about 30 minutes from here. Like I said, when I hit the end of the park, I know I'm about half way done."

Frank-"Alright, and do you know the victim?"

Georgina- "No, I can say that I do. I'm sorry."

Frank-"Ok, and can we just get your name, please?"

Georgina-"Yes, my name is Georgina Seeger."

Frank-"Alright, and your address?"

Georgina-"192 Mustard Mill Drive."

Frank-"Perfect, thank you very much ma'am"

Kristen-"Frank really took control of questioning Georgina on what she saw. He's very smart. Maybe I'll work with him to get to the finals."

The ambulance arrived. The investigators saw all they needed and took their pictures in case their memories faded. Unlikely, as this was a day no one would forget anytime soon. A lady got out of the ambulance and spoke with the group.

Lady-"Alright guys, thank you for your help. We will take it from here. We'll notify you when the autopsy is done."

Harrison-"Thank you ma'am."

The group got back into their vans and arrived back at the headquarters. Deanna's van arrived first, and she looked out the window of the van and noticed something. There was something hanging on the door by the headquarters.

Deanna-"Oh my God! What is that?"

Benjamin, Doug and Stacey all shot their glances at the the Shipping Company building, also known as their Headquarters. They each looked at the building as the van pulled up, and finally noticed it. Attached to the door was a noose. Their was some bloody flowers in the shape of an X just underneath it leaning against the door, with an angel attached to it. However, the thing the group noticed more was what was attached to noose...

Envelopes. One red, one black. Just like the Killer promised.

The group of them jumped out as the other vans pulled up. Gary came up to the door and looked at the X, the noose, and of course, the envelopes. He sighed.

Gary-"Back at it again. Luckily, though, these won't be used until tomorrow."

He showed the X to the group, the angel attached to it had the label maker words on it from the Killer. These words were simple, they said "FOR TOMORROW NIGHT".

Gary-"Tomorrow will be the last day for one of you. Right now, Harrison, bring these upstairs and we'll go over what happened."

Kristen-"The killer knows where we are! I'm so scared! And now one of us is not gonna be here much longer!"

Deanna-"This is insane! Not even a full day on the case and already the Killer is calling us out!"

The group walked upstairs. Gary spoke once everyone sat down at their desk.

Gary-"Right. Now then, what have you guys learned?"

Stacey-"We viewed the body before the medical examiner took her away. She was still wearing her robe and PJs from the video. Their was a lot of blood on her robe, and we found a hole on the side of her head, which may indicate a gun might have been used. She also had a broken ring finger and her ring was missing."

Stacey finished. Just then, Frank stood up.

Frank-"I spoke with the lady who found her, Ms. Georgina Seeger. She was out on her daily hour walk that takes her through the park and she located the body roughly 30 minutes into her walk. She did not see anything out of the ordinary and no people of witness. Her address is 192 Mustard Mill Drive."

Upon hearing this, Gary walked to the computer. He typed in the location of Harper Park and Georgina's address.

Gary-"Ok, so I typed in the location of the Park and her address. She lives just over half a mile away. So it is likely she walked in about half an hour and found Ashley's body. We can confirm that, but does that little bit of info help us?"

The group collectively gave him a "No."

Gary-"Anything else?"

Chrissy raised her hand. She then stood and spoke.

Chrissy-"There was a guy there. He was screaming and crying and broke down. I tried to calm him but he was really angry. One of the police officers came over to help me and told him to leave or he'd be arrested. The guy then flipped the officer off while leaving."

Several investigators snickered and laughed at this info.

Gary-"Perfect. You guys all did a great job out their today. I'm very proud of you all. Now, before I dismiss you all for the night, I want to go over the list of suspects we have. These are the 15 people that the Killer named in the video they left us."

Gary opened a file on the computer, and the images of 15 people were displayed on the TV screen.

Gary-"The 15 suspects are;
-27 year old Cooper Davis, a musician.
-49 year old Brad Stokely, owner of Stokely Works Inc.
-37 year old Jennifer Harris, a teacher at the local High School.
-26 year old Sydney Shields, a singer/song writer.
-52 year old Daniel McGee, he's the Mayor of Sunrise Ridge.
-34 year old Tiffany Shaw, owner of the Shaw Shack, a diner.
-38 year old Spencer Stevens, a cook at Shaw Shack.
-37 year old Robbin Evans, a reporter.
-34 year old Rachel Neary, the medical examiner.
-47 year old Diane Pearlman, hairdresser and the ex wife of Brad Stokely.
-33 year old Jack Faye, police officer.
-44 year old Jeffery Ardis, employee at Stokely Works Inc.
-68 year old Georgina Seeger, retired and a widow.
-39 year old Tyrone Cribbs, owner and operator of the club The Hot Spot.
-And 40 year old Walter DuChamps, postal worker."

He finished and then tacked each photo on a board just above his head. The pictures lined the length of the dry erase board. He turned back and spoke.

Gary-"Now, did anyone of you notice any one of them at the crime scene besides Georgina?"

Chrissy raised her hand.

Chrissy-"Jeffery! That's the man that was screaming and crying!"

Harrison spoke up.

Harrison-"Rachel Neary was the lady that came to pick up the body."

Gary-"Good job. And as you know, Jake Faye was the officer that picked us up to bring us to the crime scene. Great job today. Go rest now everyone, I'll see you in the morning at 9:00 AM. Goodnight."
-
Kristen was in the kitchen starting to prepare dinner, Doug joined her to help her, with Mitchell coming in soon after.

Doug-"So, who do you guys think is the first person to go?"

Kristen-"Well, I know for one thing, it isn't gonna be Harrison. He's exempt being Lead Investigator."

Mitchell-"Well, here's the thing, their is technically 9 of us voting tomorrow night. 5 votes is going to seal someone's fate. We are 3. 2 more and we'll have the say on who goes."

Doug-"That's great, but here's the other factor; Harrison gets to pick anyone he wants. He could send you, or me!"

Kristen-"Why don't we talk to Frank? We were working together at the park and he's really smart."

Mitchell-"I don't know, him being that smart in this game, being a former officer. That's more of a threat than a good idea.

Doug-"Lets just figure it out later. I'm hungry."
-
After the group ate, Harrison made his way back to the men's bedroom. He dropped on his bed, exhausted from the long day, but still had enough energy to go through the notes he took from the day. Just then, Benjamin walked in.

Benjamin-"Hey, you got a second?"

Harrison-"Sure, what's up?"

Benjamin-"I wanted to talk about the vote tomorrow night. I think you should pick Mitchell."

Harrison-"Mitchell? Why Mitchell?"

Benjamin-"I was standing around at Ashley's crime scene earlier. He made a stupid accusation about the murder and he's just not helpful."

Harrison-"What did he say?"

Benjamin-"He said that the Killer is doing it just for Ashley's ring. If that's the case, why is Matthew missing? Why did she die as well then? It just won't add up in the end. All these days for here for just a ring?"

Harrison-"Good point. I'll take that into consideration. I'm gonna turn in though. I wanna get a fresh start for the morning."

Benjamin-"That's fine. Goodnight."

Benjamin-"I want to make sure I'm here till the very last moment, then solve this crime and win this game. If I have to throw people under the bus, I will."
-
The next morning at 9:00 AM, the group was settled into the Briefing Room. Gary walked in just seconds after the clock in the room hit 9:00. He took his place behind the table. He was just about to start speaking to the group when a knock on the door stopped him in his tracks.

Gary-"Excuse me, everyone."

He walked out, down the stairs, and answered the door. The investigators were quiet and listened to what was being said, but could not make out who it was or what was said. They then heard footsteps on the staircase. Gary walked it first, and behind him was a dark gray haired man. His hair was parted to the left, held nicely in place. His face showed the strain of his job, but he physically hid it well.

He is Mayor Daniel McGee.

Gary spoke to the group.

Gary-"This is a surprise, ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome Mayor Daniel McGee. He wants to speak to you all quickly. Mayor, please."

Mayor McGee stood in front of the table. He wore a light gray suit, a polar opposite of his hair, with a nice red tie and white shirt. He started speaking.

Daniel McGee-"Good morning everyone. I am Mayor Daniel McGee. First off, I want to thank you all for helping us solve this horrendous murder. Now, I am here for 2 reasons. Number 1; Later today at noon, we will be having a meeting at Town Hall about what happened over the last few days. I invite you all to attend. Number 2, and you all might enjoy this; There is a reward on the Killer's head. To the one of you who catches the Killer, the city of Sunrise Ridge is willing to give you a reward of $500,000."

At this moment, every investigators' jaw dropped open. Smiles were formed and gasps of excitement were heard.

Daniel McGee-"That is all, I hope to see you there, and again, thank you and good luck."

The group applauded the Mayor. He shook the hand of each Investigator before he turned and walked out of the room. Gary then took his place behind the table again.

Gary-"Ok guys, you heard the Mayor. There is a reward for catching the killer. But until even one of you is able to try to claim that reward, we need to get to the bottom of this case. Now, like the Mayor said, their is a meeting at Town Hall at noon today, and 3 of you are going to check it out. Why 3? Because their are 2 more tracks I want the group to do. Track 1 is going to the meeting at Town Hall. While there, talk to any suspect you see and get as much info from the meeting as you can. Track 2 is going to have 3 of you go to the Bundy household. I want you to look for any evidence you can find. Track 3 will have 2 of you go speak with Rachel Neary. Your job is simple; I got a call just before I walked in today, the autopsy is done. I want you to go collect what she has. Remember, she is also a suspect, so question her as well. Harrison, please come up here."

Harrison stood up from his desk and moved to where Gary was standing.

Gary-"As the Lead Investigator, Harrison gets to choose which one of you goes on which tracks. Harrison, I need you to select 3 people to go to the meeting, 3 to go to the Bundy household, and 2 to speak with Rachel Neary. Please pick now."

Harrison thought it over for a second, then gave his decision.

Harrison-"I'll send Deanna... Benjamin.... and Frank to the meeting. Chrissy... Doug.... and Kristen to the crime scene. That's leaves Stacey and Heidi to speak with Rachel Neary."

Gary-"That's perfect. Go out there guys and do a great job today. However, remember the Killer's Rules; if you are alone, you are at risk from the Killer."

The groups got ready and headed out. 3 vans waited outside for them. Deanna, Benjamin, and Frank got in one and headed to the Town Hall. Chrissy, Doug, and Kristen left for the Bundy's house. Stacey and Heidi took off to meet Rachel Neary.

Deanna, Benjamin, and Frank got out at the Town Hall and walked in. They passed a blonde lady in a red dress suit, looking over her notes and making sure her tape recorder was all set for the meeting. Her name is Robbin Evans.
-
Chrissy, Doug, and Kristen all got out of their van and walked up to the house. They noticed the door was already open.

Doug-"Hello! Is anybody in here? Special investigators! If anyone is in here we will have to arrest you!"
-
Stacey and Heidi walked into the hospital. They asked the receptionist which way it was to Rachel Neary's Office. She pointed them down the hall, to the elevator, floor 3, to the right, 5 doors down. They arrived at the door to the medical examiner's office. Once they entered, an attractive lady with her long brunette hair in a tight bun greeted them. It was the same lady from the other day. It was Rachel Neary.
-
The meeting at the Town Hall was just about to begin. Deanna, Benjamin, and Frank spotted the gray haired walker from the day before, Georgina Seeger. She did not seem to have any trauma in her face that would tell the story of what she found a little under 24 hours ago. They also spotted a man with a near crew cut. His had very short, peppering grey hair and stubble on his face. He wore his construction boots, blue jeans, and a black, gray, and red checkered shirt. He also had a look to him that showed his displeasure of having to have to be there. The investigators knew that man is Brad Stokely. 3 rows in front of him were a man and woman. The lady was blonde and skinny, and man was dark haired and was thin as well but still had a build to him. They sat holding hands. Deanna noted that they must be a couple. They are Cooper Davis and Sydney Shields. The dark haired Diane Pearlman sat just a few seats away. She wore a purple top, and stared daggers at her ex husband Brad, just like he was to her. Standing at the front by the podium was officer Jack Faye, wearing his navy blue uniform, the letters SRPD emblazoned on a badge that he wore with pride.

A door opened to the right of the stage, and Mayor Daniel McGee walked in and up to the podium. Cameras flashed and Robbin Evans, as well as other journalists started getting ready for what the Mayor had to say.
-
Chrissy-"Do you think anyone is here?", she asked the group.

Kristen-"I don't think so."

Doug-"Let's go in, but stay with me. Remember what the Killer said; 'If you wander off by yourself, you might meet me face to face'. I don't want either one of you leaving the group until we're back at that van."

Kristen-"Doug took charge, and made sure that both Chrissy and I were safe since we found the door open to the house in case the Killer is her. He really is a nice guy."

The group pushed the door the rest of the way open and walked in. The first thing they saw was the blood, mostly dried but still somewhat wet, by the front door.

Chrissy-"Remember the Killer's video? They were in the basement, right here where we're standing by the door, and then the master bedroom."

Doug-"We should dust for prints on the door, see who was here."

The group broke out the dusting powder and the brush and coated the front and back of the door. Chrissy gasped when she looked at the handle.

Chrissy-"Oh my! I got a couple of prints here!"
-
Rachel Neary-"Hello ladies, I'm Rachel Neary. I believe your hear for the results of Ashley Bundy's autopsy?"

Stacey-"Yes we are."

Rachel Neary-"Very well, lets see. Bundy, Ashley. Caucasian female. C.O.D was a wound to the side of the head. Slight burn marks to the tissue show it was a firearm of some type. What was also found was her left hand ring finger was broke in 3 different places, but this was post mortem, after she was already dead."

Heidi-"Wow, did you happen to retrieve whatever was in her head that caused that wound?"

Rachel Neary-"We checked, and unfortunately we were unable to find a bullet, so we can't identify what type of firearm she was shot with."

Rachel handed the folder over to the two ladies containing all the info they went over.

Rachel-"If you ladies have any other questions, please call me."

Heidi-"Well, actually, we do have some questions for you."
-
Daniel McGee-"Thank you all for coming out here this afternoon. I'm sure by now you've all heard about the horrible, horrible tragedy that has befallen our community in these last few days. For those that have not heard; a few nights ago, a married couple, Matthew and Ashley Bundy, were murdered in their home. Unfortunately, however, Matthew's body has not been found."

Gasps could be heard from the people in attendance. Comments about Matthew being the killer and running for it were whispered. Deanna, Benjamin, and Frank all knew for a fact, from the Killer's video, that Matthew was dead.

Daniel McGee-"Quiet please. Now, a group of investigators have been brought in to help solve the case, and..."

He was cut off.

Brad Stokely-"Yeah! You paying them with your big bonus, you crook!"

Daniel McGee-"No sir, and quiet frankly this has nothing to do with me or what I make, but about our community."

Brad Stokely-"Yeah, our community.... Bull crap! You belong in a jail cell, bunking with this 'Killer' you're talking about!"

Shock and awe rang out from these comments.
-
Chrissy, Doug, and Kristen took the prints from the door, and walked down the hall and to the basement door. Doug went down first, Chrissy second, and Kristen, with her back to them, walked backwards down the stairs after them, acting as a lookout.

Doug-"Good Lord, look at this mess!"

The majority of the papers that adorn Matthew's desk were now lying in bunches all over the floor of the downstairs office. The group sifted through that paperwork, looking for any sign of a clue. It did not take long though before Chrissy shot up from the ground.

Chrissy-"Hey, look at this letter! It's for Ashley, signed by Jeffery Ardis. I remember him being the guy screaming at the park yesterday."

Doug-"Hey, put that in the bag, and put this next to it."

He handed a check made out to Matthew, in the amount of $2,500, from Jennifer Harris.

Chrissy-"Why in the world is she paying him all that money?"

Kristen-"I don't know, but here is something else as well. He's got paperwork on the Mayor and the election."
-
Stacey-"We want to ask you about the murders. Where were you the night of the murders?"

Rachel-"I was home. I had a double shift the day before. I was exhausted and went out to get a drink and then... Well, never mind."

Stacey-"No, please, continue."

Rachel-"No, I can't. It's far too personal."

Heidi-"Well you need to tell us now or you'll be arrested for the murders!"

Rachel-"Excuse me! I haven't committed any murders. This job is the closest I'll ever come to being a part a murder investigation! How dare you! Leave my office NOW!"

The 2 ladies walked out. They got in the elevator and talked about what happened.

Stacey-"How could you just come out at her like that? That was extremely rude."

Heidi-"Nothing is 'personal' in a case like this. It's either you're guilty or innocent."

Stacey-"But you can't be rude like that! That will shut them out and then we’ll be with no answers."

Heidi-"Stacey really doesn't understand how it works. You can't be friendly to these people. That's where our worlds are different. She works with kids, I work with adults. You can't baby adults."
-
Daniel-"Excuse me sir, but your comments are border line unacceptable! Please take your seat and....."

Brad-"Or what? Have me arrested? Then what? Rig my trial to get a fine and slap on the wrist turned into 25 years to life? Rig another thing just like you rigged the election!"

The shock and awe on the faces of everyone were priceless.

Daniel-"Leave here at once or you WILL be arrested!"

Brad-"Yeah, yeah, I'll leave, you crooked idiot."

Brad left the meeting, with Jack Faye following behind, just in case he tried to do anything drastic.

Diane-"Why in the hell did I marry him in the first place?"

Diane then buried her face in her hands, utterly embarrassed for herself and Brad combined.

Robbin-"Excuse me, Mayor? So are these rumors true that you rigged the towns election this past November?"

Daniel-"I did not! This meeting was to bring together a community, not try to trash me with this garbage! This meeting is over!"

The mayor walked away from the podium and out the door, while the shouts of the reporters questions seemingly the sounds of the wind to him.

Benjamin-"Well that was something. I've heard of corruption in politics, but never seen it up close and personal."
-
Doug, Chrissy, and Kristen walked upstairs into the master bedroom. A large blood puddle was right in front of the bed. The bed sheets were thrown about the room, and the bathroom water was running.

Kristen-"Wow. Well, let's get a sample from in here and look around."

Kristen dropped down and swabbed the blood and put the evidence away. Chrissy looked under the bed, but only found a pair of slippers. Doug checked the bathroom and turned the water off to the sink. He looked in the mirror and let out a tiny scream.

Doug-"Ah! Oh crap, look at this!"

The ladies ran into the bathroom and saw the blood in the tub. It wasn't much, but it was enough to be noticeable.

Kristen-"Wow. Do you think the Killer killed her in here?"

Doug-"Then were did the blood in the bedroom come from?"

The group thought about it. Doug finally thought of something.

Doug-"Maybe he went to remove the bodies and cleaned himself off?"

Chrissy-"Lets take a sample and bring it to the lab. We'll figure it out there."

They swabbed the blood, placed it in a bag, and left the house. They shuttered at the though of what went down here just a few nights ago as they climbed into the van.
-
The groups all arrived back at Headquarters and relaxed. At 3:00 PM, they all met up in the Briefing Room. Gary walked into the room at 3:05 PM and took his place behind the table.

Gary-"Ok, you guys have completed your first track of inquiry. Track 1, what did you learn out there?"

The former police officer, Frank, stood up.

Frank-"The Mayor confirmed to everyone about what happened to the Bundy's. We met several suspects, Cooper Davis, Sydney Shields, Diane Pearlman, Robbin Evans, and Brad Stokely. Mr. Stokely interrupted the meeting by yelling out that Daniel McGee rigged the election for money. He was kicked out and the meeting dispersed shortly after he left."

Gary-"Perfect. Track 2?"

Chrissy-"We wanted to check the blood again at the front door because we found blood in the master bedroom and master bathroom. We dusted for fingerprints on the front door and found several prints. In the basement we found a love letter from Jeffery Ardis to Ashley, a check for $2,500 from Jennifer Harris to Matthew, and some papers about the Mayoral election."

Gary-"Great job guys. We have the blood and prints in the lab right now. We'll have the results of them in a little while. Track 3?"

Stacey-"We got the info from Rachel. She believes Ashley was shot with a gun of some type, but they looked for a bullet and didn't find one. We then asked where she was the night it all happened, and she told us she worked a double shift and went to get a drink, but she stopped there and.... Well.... she became offended by our questioning and kicked us out."

Gary-"The thing is though you girls got a little something out of her. So you did some good work out there. Ok everyone, take a break, meet back up in here at 6:00 and we'll open the envelopes."
-
Stacey walked into the women's bedroom and found Kristen sitting there going over notes.

Stacey-"Ugh. That was completely awkward."

Kristen-"Was it bad?"

Stacey-"Heidi completely caused us to not get info from Rachel. She snapped at her because Rachel said that what she was doing was 'too personal'. Heidi told her to tell us or she'd would be arrested for the murders."

Kristen-"What?! You're kidding?!"

Stacey-"I know we need to be strict in the investigation, but its still too early to start screaming our heads off at suspects."

Kristen-"Let's vote for her tonight. If she's gonna act like this then later down the line she might really lose her cool."

Stacey-"Yeah, lets do it."

Stacey-"I do feel bad, I really do, but we lost information because she couldn't keep her anger under control. If she goes out tonight and comes back, hopefully it'll be her wake up call."
-
Mitchell sat at the table in the kitchen, his hands folded together and sitting quietly in thought. Heidi walked into the kitchen and he shot his eyes up to look at her.

Heidi-"Hey, who are you voting for tonight?"

Mitchell-"I have no idea. I was just trying to figure it out. Who are you voting for?"

Heidi-"Stacey. She was useless meeting Rachel today."

Mitchell-"Really?"

Heidi-"Yeah, she was pointless out there."

Mitchell-"I'll tell you what, I'll talk with some others and I'll tell them to vote her."

Heidi-"Perfect."

Heidi-"Stacey put herself in this place. She can't handle it."
-
Mitchell walked to the downstairs lounge and found Kristen and Doug talking. He joined them on the couch.

Mitchell-"So what are we doing?"

Kristen-"We decided that Heidi is gonna get our vote. Stacey told us that her temper got them kicked out of Rachel's office."

Mitchell-"Really, cause I just talked to Heidi and she said Stacey was useless at their meeting."

Doug-"Oh damn. Well, should we just wing it?"

Kristen-"You know what, its the first vote. You wanna play it safe with anger or with messing up?"

Kristen-"Its a toss up for us right now. Was it Stacey at fault, or Heidi at fault. The way it sounded to me, it was Heidi."

Doug-"I have no idea who's getting voted now, I don't know who the Killer is, hell, is my name Doug anymore or is it Homer Simpson?"
-
The group joined back up in the Briefing Room at 6:00 that night. Gary was already standing behind the table. On the table we're the red and black envelopes. Gary stared at them before shifting his focus on the group.

Gary-"This is the part I like, and the part I don't. At this moment, we will open the red envelope. Inside, the Killer has left us a question. They said if we answer correctly, they will clear one of the 15 suspects. I will read it now."

Gary careful cut the red envelope open, making sure not to turn the question into a jigsaw puzzle. He finished cutting it, and poured the brown paper onto the table, he unfolded it and the label maker worded question appeared in front of him.

Gary-"'WHAT AILMENT DOES GEORGINA HAVE?' We have an anonymous email address at the bottom of the page. Hang on."

Gary clicked and typed on the computer, and the TV screen became a dark, murky green color with several Matrix style letters and numbers flashing across the screen quickly before a single lime green line flashed in the top left corner. This is where the answer the group gave would go.

The group all looked around at each other, while also looking for the answer.

Chrissy-"Did anyone talk to her about it?"

Kristen-"I know I talked to her, but I don't recall her saying anything about it."

She quickly flipped to the first page of her notebook.

Kristen-"Crap no, all I got was her statement on Ashely's body."

Mitchell-"Wait! I think I know!"

The group all turned to the back row and looked at the youth hockey coach.

Mitchell-"I was walking passed her to check the body, and I swear I heard her mentioned something about insulin. I think she has diabetes. Never thought I'd be happy to say something like that, but I believe that's it."

Gary typed in 'DIABETES' into the answer section in the email link.

Gary-"Before I hit send, I want to make sure that this is the answer the group agrees to."

The group nodding in solidarity to each other. Harrison spoke up.

Harrison-"If it's wrong, we are wrong as a group, not just Mitchell. We are a team. Send it, Gary."

Gary hit enter, and a flash of Matrix lettering flew across the screen. Fingers were crossed, prayers were said, and the 10 seconds between the answer being sent and the message they received seemed like an eternity. The message appeared to the investigators....



YOUR ANSWER IS CORRECT. A SUSPECT WILL BE CLEARED.



Cheers and claps rang up from the group. Harrison darted from his desk to shake Mitchell's hand and hug him. High fives and pats on the back continued as the eliminated suspect's picture appeared on the TV with a message.



SUSPECT CLEARED; JACK FAYE. OFFICER



Gary-"Mitchell, tremendous work! Thanks to you, we can cross Officer Faye off the list!"

Gary proceeded to take a red sharpie and draw a big red X over Officer Faye's picture, effectively clearing the cop of the crime. Gary then turned back to the group, the smile slowly fading.

Gary-"Now, ladies and gentleman, comes the bad part. We must now vote for one of you to play the Killer's Game. One at a time, you'll go into the voting booth. It is completely sound proof, so please speak your mind. You will hold up the picture of the investigator you're voting for, say you peace, and place it in the box outside of the room. Mitchell, you answered the question, so please start us off."

The hockey coach walked into the booth, closed the door, and sat on a stool in the silver painted room. He looked through all the pictures and found 2. He looked back and forth between the 2 before deciding on Stacey's.

Mitchell-"I'm sorry, it was a toss up. You're really nice, and this is not personal at all. I wish you luck."

Kristen walked in, and after a quick thought, she grabbed the pictures, skimmed through them, and found Heidi's.

Kristen-"You yelling at the townspeople is not going to help the case. I'm sorry, but here is your wake up call."

Doug walked in, quickly placed his vote, and walked out. Following was Chrissy, who placed Benjamin's picture.

Chrissy-"I have no clue who to vote. It was a completely random choice and I hope you won't be mad."

Benjamin walked in and grabbed Mitchell's photo.

Benjamin-"I don't care if you answered the question, you are giving stupid reasons for the crime and you need to go to let the actual investigators work.

Frank walked in and put a picture up, and walked out. Stacey walked in, and went straight for Heidi's picture.

Stacey-"To think I voted for you to be the first Lead Investigator. You yell at a suspect and think it's ok? Bye bye!"

Heidi walked in and grabbed the picture of the grade school teacher. She waved to the camera, as if to say goodbye, and placed her vote in the box. Deanna was the last one in the booth. From the stories she overheard from the day, she had her choice of 3 people. That 3 turned into 2 as she put a photo away. As she stared between the 2, she through of the implications of what should happen if each person did return. She finally decided that one was more important to the investigation and placed the other photo in the voting box. Deanna then left the booth and returned to the Briefing Room. Gary stood at his table and addressed the group once Deanna was situated at her desk.

Gary-"I would like to commend each of you on a great investigation so far. Right now, though, I must ask you to please turn around so I may count the votes. Do not turn around until you are instructed."

The entire group turned their backs to the table as Gary walked out of the room and to the voting box. He took it and brought it back to the Briefing Room and placed it on the table. He opened it and looked at each photo, placing it in its appropriate pile. A vote here, and a vote there. Finally, all 9 votes were counted. He held a picture to his chest, facing the wrong way to not give it away. The group was told to turn back around.

Gary-"I have counted the votes, and by a vote of 4-3-1-1, the group has chosen...."

The picture in his hands was flipped over, and 8 collective breathes sighed in relief. The one left did not.

Gary-"... Heidi. Please stand.”

She bit her lip and stood up.

Gary-"Now, the Lead Investigator must also pick one member of the group to play the game. Harrison, if you please, step up and announce your choice."

Harrison stood up and walked to the front of the table and faced the nervous group.

Harrison-"Now, before I make this decision, please do not hate me or take it personally. My choice tonight, after looking back on the last few days, was going to be Mitchell for reasons involving him not contributing to the group. However, after being the one to single handedly answer the Killer's Question, my choice tonight will be the one who said he wasn't contributing, and that is Benjamin."

The anger in Benjamin's face was obviously noticeable as he stood.

Gary-"Benjamin, you will play the Killer's Game along with Heidi. Now, the Killer has stated that the black envelope will contain 2 maps, with each leading to a different location."

Gary cut the bag open, and took 2 small black envelopes out and handed them to Harrison.

Gary-"Harrison, please hand a map to the group's choice, Heidi, and please hand the other map to your choice, Benjamin."

Harrison held both bags up in each hand, in a way of telling Heidi 'choose your fate'. She grabbed one, and he handed Benjamin the other.

Gary-"Please tell us where you are going."

They opened the bags, unfolded the maps, and read the location of their possible final destination.

Heidi-"I'm going to the Abandoned House on Newton St."

Benjamin-"The Dry Cleaners on Herman Rd."

Gary-"2 cars will be arranged to come and pick you up tonight. Before you both go pack, I want both of you to go into the voting booth and record your Last Will and Testament. In case you don't return, you are responsible to name the next Lead Investigator. I wish you both the very best of luck.”
-
Benjamin angrily packed his bag, throwing his shirts into the bag with no care.

Benjamin-"How in the hell does he think this is OK. That punk doesn't deserve to be here, and now this idiot sends me out because of a freaking question?! This is utter crap."

Heidi, on the other hand, was angry, but not as much. She spoke to Deanna as she packed.

Heidi-"Did you vote for me tonight?"

Deanna-"No."

Deanna-"I did. I heard the stories and thought what was best for the house."

Heidi-"Ugh! I shouldn't be going out tonight! You play nice and it'll get you nowhere. You play hard and it gets you almost sent home. Damnit!"

Heidi-“This is crap! I can’t wait to come back and send Stacey out and watch her meet the Killer!”

I will start posting the episodes on Monday and the season will run for 8 episodes from December 2 until January 20.

The Rules;
If you have never seen the show, the game follows the (almost) same concept used in the 2001 version.

10 amateur investigators from around the US are brought in to help solve the murder that had taken place in the town, with the Killer leaving a list of 15 suspects, one of which is them.

Each episode will see 1 investigator be immune by ways of being the Lead Investigator. This investigator will have the power to make teams for the day, as well as having the final decision for the Killer’s Question.

Over the course of their case, the Killer will leave 2 colored envelopes. A red and a black.

The red envelope is the Killer’s Question. Inside will be a question based on their investigation during that episode. If the group can answer the Killer Question correctly, they will clear one of the 15 suspects. If they get it wrong, then no one will be cleared.

In the black envelope are 2 maps. This portion is the Killer’s Game. Here, the group (minus the Lead Investigator) votes for who they wish to receive a map. After the vote, the Lead Investigator chooses who they wish to receive the other map. The 2 selected investigators will venture out into the night to find a vital clue left by the Killer at their marked location. At one location is the clue, at the other location will be a fake clue. The investigator who finds the fake clue will also find the Killer and be eliminated from the game.

Before each Killer’s Game, both chosen investigators will make a video of their Last Will and Testament. In the video, they will name their choice for the next Lead Investigator.

In the end, any investigators that make it to the end of the case will have a chance to confront their choice for the Killer, and whoever chooses correctly will find the Killer, and instead of being killed, they will instead capture them and win the bounty reward in the sum of $500,000.


And now, a few tributes and acknowledgments;
First, my fiancé, Stephanie. This story was a 10 year project (originally conceived as a movie that was gonna premiere on YouTube that she helped me write at one point, which changed into a version of the show through PowerPoint, then turned into this). Writing it took the last 3-4 years and she knew how badly I wanted to write this and put up with me when I got cranky when I had writers block.

My family because if it wasn’t for them getting me hooked to shows like The Mole and Survivor, then I would have never watched Murder in Small Town X and I never would of wanted to write this.

A HUGE tribute to Angle Juarbe, Jr. He was the winner of the original and only season. Tragically, less than a week after he was declared the winner, he was killed in the September 11th terrorist attacks. A true hero who tried to save the lives of other while representing Ladder 12 of the FDNY, he will be sorely missed by fans of the show, along with the lives of everyone else lost that terribly horrible day. (My story has a few subtle acknowledgements towards him. You’ll know them when you see them.)

Lastly, I want to dedicate this story to you all here at Phantom’s Temple. I loved the written Legends episodes and loved reading other fan fictions here on the site. This is my thank you to all who wrote their own stories and kept me entertained on nights I was sick or bored or couldn’t sleep cause of my insomnia, or played the games in the Temple Games section, and everything from the links in The Treasure Room to Soundstage 18 and everything else far and in between.

Thank you to you all and everyone else I mentioned. I hope you all enjoy this ride.

So, before I start posting the story, I want to introduce the Investigators.

In order of age, they are;

Kristen Reynolds
24 years old
Model
New York, New York

Harrison Adams
26 years old
Mixed Martial Artist
Providence, Rhode Island

Heidi Gillian
29 years old
Pharmaceutical Worker
Seattle, Washington

Chrissy Peters
30 years old
Aspiring Actress
Los Angeles, California

Deanna Landry
33 years old
Kayak Instructor
Tallahassee, Florida

Douglas “Doug” Graham
35 years old
Landscaper
Halifax, New Jersey

Mitchell Kennedy
40 years old
Youth Hockey Coach
Detroit, Michigan

Benjamin Sheffield
47 years old
Attorney
Mobile, Alabama

Stacey Towers
55 years old
Elementary School Teacher
Victoria, Texas

Frank Williams
62 years old
Retired Police Officer
Phoenix, Arizona

One of these people will have the chance to solve the case and win the grand prize. Place your bets.

Oh cause I was gonna say I'm in CT with an Xifinity Center and my tickets are a toss up depending on who plays there.