Nobody owns life, but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death.
William S. Burroughs
Episode 6; Let's Just Throw the Rule Book Out
Last time on Murder in a Small Town X;
The Killer struck again, killing another suspect.
Lady-“Hello, I..... AHHHHH!”
FLASH! BANG!
Chrissy-“Diane is dead!?”
And at Diane’s house, Robbin’s news story didn’t sit well with the ex husband, Brad.
Brad-“I BETTER NEVER HEAR YOU MENTION ME OR MY WIFE AGAIN!”
While a trip to the Town Hall helped out with more info about Tracey’s death.
Julia-“Well, you see, she was found dead in front of Stokely Works. The poor girl was hit and left for dead. That same night, the man whose body hasn't been found yet, Matthew Bundy, was arrested for a DWI and they pinned him as the one who ran her over. He was placed on trial but acquitted because there was no evidence and no witnesses came forward.”
The group found out about Tyrone’s former girlfriend.
Tyrone-“Found our that she developed cancer and passed away. This was roughly...... 10 years ago.”
And Rachel dropped a bombshell on the investigators.
Benjamin-“So wait....You’re..... Gay?”
Rachel-“Yes I am.”
And revealed she was in a relationship with Tracey just before she died.
Rachel-“I loved Tracey....”
Brad then confirmed what happened with Tracey, and he had a big surprise for the investigators.
Brad-“She’s still covering for me.....Some girl got ran down in front of my business..... Matthew and I are good friends. Hell, you could call us brothers. I couldn’t watch him go down like that. She understood, but she was pissed at me for it.”
And that wasn’t the end of his night, as he got in a bar fight with 3 other men
CRASH!!!!
Mitchell-“They just went through the glass door!”
At the end of the day, they cleared the teacher, Jennifer Harris, and both Kristen and Harrison ventured out into the darkness to play the Killer’s Game.
While Harrison found another clue at Georgina’s house, Kristen met the end of the game for her at the same place it all began, at the Bundy’s house.
Now 8 Suspects and 5 Investigators Remain.
Its 3:37 in the morning. Once again, a van slowly pulls up to its destination with its head lights off. A flick of a switch, and a green, hazy glow illuminates the night for the Killer. They get out of the van and look around. No one will hear this kill and alert the police. It would be their easiest kill yet, but is it their last?
The Killer reached into the back of the truck and grabbed the body bag. They gave it a tug and couldn't pull it up to them. They looked into the van and noticed that the most recent loser of their Killer's Game was pinning the unused bag down. They freed it continued on their evil mission.
The camera walked down the dirt road and up a set of stairs. Sobbing could be heard through the door. Quietly, the Killer opened the door and found a man sitting at a table in the room. He was clearly drunk and still drinking as they walked in.
Man-"She's gone...... I can't believe it......"
The man looked up and saw the Killer. He was too drunk to comprehend that the Killer was in the room with him. He looked at them like they were just a shadow on the wall and then put his head down on the desk.
The Killer actually felt bad. Not for the fact that the man was depressed, but for the sole fact that this kill would put up no challenge to them at all.
They didn't rush the man, just simply walked forward, weapon pointed.
FLASH! BANG!
***
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.
***
the group woke up the next morning. Spencer and Tiffany had already dropped off the traditional breakfast to the group. Everyone sat down to eat at the table. Only 5 remain now; Benjamin, Chrissy, Deanna, Harrison, and Mitchell.
Harrison-"I came back last night. I know that Chrissy is still gunning for me to be eliminated, but I've made it this far in the game, and I wanna make it all the way."
Chrissy-"I'm now all alone in the house. Hopefully Deanna works with me to get rid of the rest of the boys in the house."
The group finished up their meals and walked upstairs to the Briefing Room. Gary was already in there waiting for them. Once again, he looked like he had a long morning.
Gary-"Good morning everyone. Before we begin, I have some business to go over. Last night, after you guys left The Hot Spot, the ambulance came by and took a man by the name of William Orton to the local hospital. He was questioned at the hospital and him and his 2 friends will be charged with disturbing the peace and inciting a riot. After talking to them and Tyrone, an arrest warrant is also out for Brad Stokely."
Every investigator basically said "WHAT!?" at the same time.
Deanna-"We were there! We saw the whole thing! Those 3 idiots provoked the fight!"
Mitchell-"Yeah, those idiots started a fight and got whipped!"
Everyone all thought the same thing; "Did we just defend Brad Stokely????"
Gary-"Unfortunately, we have no choice in the matter. Brad left the club before the police arrived. Technically, he fled the scene of a crime. Tyrone and the 3 other men all confirmed that Brad was involved in the fight and left. So, I'm arranging Officer Faye to come by and bring 2 of you to go pick up Brad. That will be Track 1. As for Track 2, you will be going on the Killer Clue track. Last night, Harrison survived his second Killer's Game. What did you find out there?"
Harrison-"I got into the basement, and somehow found my way through a lot of storage bins. Went through the house and up the stairs to Georgina's room. I found the clue on a desk in a shoe box."
Gary-"Congratulations on once again returning. This is what Harrison brought back last night."
Gary opened the shoe box and pulled out a gun. All the investigators were in awe at the sight of it.
Gary-"This is obviously a hand gun. It's unloaded and it's also a prop so it can't fire. Pretty sure that the Killer wants to keep the actual gun for the time being. Track 2's job today is simple; We got hold of a local gun club and they said that one of their experts will meet you at The Shaw Shack today to discuss the gun to more extent. As for who is going where today, we must look at the Last Will and Testament of Kristen."
Gary clicked open a folder and brought up a video on the TV above the table. Kristen appeared for the final time to the group. After Gary pressed play, he walked over and took the nameplate off of her desk and placed it on the board in his "In Memory Of" section. The names included Heidi Gilligan, Frank Williams, Stacey Towers, Doug Graham, and now Kristen Reynolds.
Kristen-"I don't want to be here. Both Chrissy and I were targeted after the last Killer's Game. If I don't come back, then it's time to remove the target from Chrissy and let the others go at each other for a bit. I name Chrissy as the next Lead Investigator."
Gary-"Congratulations, Chrissy, you are the Lead Investigator."
Chrissy gathered her items and made her way to the front.
Harrison-"I got this weird feeling that I'm going out again on another Killer's Game. I still don't think that she's happy with me calling her and the others out the other night."
Deanna-"I'm not surprised that Chrissy is Lead Investigator again. Whoever doesn't come back this time will most likely not name her for Lead Investigator next round and she'll be out on a Killer's Game very soon."
Gary-"Now, before you name who is going on what Track today, I want you and everyone else to keep this in mind; from here on out, the Lead Investigator will not remain here at Headquarters. They will join the Track of their choice and accompany them. As we are getting low in numbers, we need as many of you out there as we can. Regardless, the Lead Investigator will still remain immune at the vote. With that being said, Chrissy, can you please pick 2 people to go out with Officer Faye to go pick up Brad, and the other 3 will go to The Shaw Shack to speak with the gun expert."
Chrissy-"Well.... I want some strong men to go get Brad, in case he gets riled up. So let's send our MMA fighter and our hockey coach to get Brad, and I'll go with Benjamin and Deanna to meet the guns expert."
Gary-"Very well. Harrison and Mitchell, you are Track 1. You guys will go and assist Officer Faye with arresting Brad. Officer Faye drove past earlier and noticed his pick up truck on the road outside his business, so we'll be going there to arrest him. Also, Jeffery Ardis should be there as he is an employee, so you can talk to him as well, but remember, he's also still a suspect, so be careful what you say. Chrissy, Deanna, and Benjamin, you will be Track 2. Go get as much info as you can out of the gun expert, and since your there, Tiffany and Spencer should also be there so you could question them if you wish as well. Go get ready. You're dismissed."
-
Outside of HQ, Officer Faye was waiting with his patrol car for Harrison and Mitchell.
Jack-"Good morning, guys."
Harrison-"Hey! Good morning, Officer Faye."
Mitchell-"Good morning, Officer."
Jack-"As you know, we have to arrest Mr. Stokely today. I'll head in first and you 2 will wait by the door in case he runs. I'm hoping it'll go smoothly, but you never know with him."
Mitchell-"Trust me, I've seen him fight. As long as you got a taser, we might stand a chance if he fights back."
Jack-"Alright, let's get going."
The 3 men climbed into the squad car and took off to Stokely Works, Inc. It wasn't long before Harrison spoke up.
Harrison-"Hey, Officer Faye, I was wondering, have you ever heard of a lady that died here in town named Tracey Johnson?"
Jack-"Name sounds familiar. Is that the lady killed out front of Stokely's work place?"
Harrison-"Yeah, that's her. You don't happen to know anything else about her, do you?"
Jack-"Well, I was in the academy when she was killed, but it was big news in town. They tried pinning it on Matthew Bundy because he got pulled over for drunk driving a little bit after she was struck. They brought him to trial for the drunk driving charge and then set him up for a trial for the hit and run. They asked if anyone that witnessed it could please come forward. The day of the trial came, no one came forward as a witness. They had no way to place him at the crime scene, so they had to throw it out. He walked away a free man."
Mitchell-"Wow. That's crazy."
Jack-"You're telling me. And now, here we are with these murders. Just who's the Killer is what's alluding us."
Mitchell-"Don't worry, we're nearing the end of our investigation so hopefully someone will be arrested soon."
Jack-"Alright, this is the place coming up."
-
Deanna, Chrissy, and Benjamin all arrived at The Shaw Shack. They climbed out of the van and walked inside, with Benjamin holding onto the shoe box that contained the fake gun. The second they walked in, they immediately walked into Tiffany.
Tiffany-"Hey guys! How you doing today?"
Chrissy-"We're doing good. How about you?"
Tiffany-"I'm good. Can I get you guys anything?"
Chrissy-"Coffee with light milk please."
Deanna-"Coffee with cream please."
Benjamin-"Hot tea with a little milk please."
Tiffany-"Got it. Go grab a seat and I'll be right back with it."
The group thanked her and took a seat in an open booth. It wasn't long until. Tiffany came back with the drinks.
Tiffany-"Here you guys go. Like with the breakfast, it's all complementary."
Chrissy-"Tiff, you're the best!"
Tiffany-"Aw, thanks! Hey, what do you have in the shoe box?"
Benjamin-"Its something from our case. We're waiting on someone to show up to meet with us about it."
Tiffany-"That's so funny, I'm waiting on a group of people to come in as well."
Deanna-"Oh, what a coincidence. Anything special?"
Tiffany-"Not really, just something the gun club set up."
Deanna-"Wait, you said gun club?"
Tiffany-"Yeah."
Deanna-"That's what we're here about."
Tiffany-"Oh, no kidding. Small world. So, what do you have for me?"
-
Harrison-"Hey, who's that over there in the truck?"
Jack pulled the cruiser over to a set of pick up trucks. Once they got close, they could make out who was sitting in one of the trucks. The guys all got out of the car and approached the truck. A man was sitting in it, half asleep. Jack knocked on it and scared the man.
Mitchell-"Its just Jeffery."
Jack-"Excuse me, sir, why are you sleeping in your truck?"
Jeffery-"Jesus! Nearly gave me a heart attack. I'm waiting for Brad. We have a meeting across town and I'm waiting for him to come out of his office. Guess I started falling asleep."
Jack-"Why don't you just go and get him?"
He let out a big yawn before talking.
Jeffery-"Trust me, Officer, the morning after he drinks, its better to wait for him then to go get him yourself. It's like going into a lion's cage wearing a steak necklace."
Jack-"Well, I'll take that chance. Come on guys."
With that, Officer Faye, Harrison, and Mitchell walked up to the office door. Jack reached out and knocked on it.
Jack-"Mr. Stokely, this is Officer Faye of the Sunrise Ridge Police Department. I have a warrant for your arrest."
There was no answer from Brad. Jack knocked again.
Jack-"Mr. Stokely, I am here with a warrant for your arrest. Please come outside and make this easy."
Again, their was no response.
Jack-"It looks like we're going in to get him."
Mitchell-"Hopefully he's still in there."
Jack turned the handle and opened the door.
-
Benjamin handed the shoebox over to Tiffany. She opened it and immediately closed it back up.
Tiffany-"Let's move this conversation to my office. I don't wanna take this out and a customer freaks out."
With complete agreement from all, the group got up from the table and relocated their meeting through the kitchen and into Tiffany's office. She sat down at her desk and opened the shoebox up.
Tiffany-"Where did you guys find this?"
Chrissy-"Uhh.... Its a long, boring story. But what type is it?"
Tiffany rolled the prop gun over in her hands a few times and held it as if she was looking down a scope of a rifle instead of a hand gun.
Tiffany-"This is a prop gun of a M1911, nickname of 'Government'. Single action, semi automatic, fires a .45. Ironically created in 1911, it's the former standard issue sidearm of the United States Armed Forces, but does remain in service with multiple law enforcement agencies in the US."
Deanna-"Wow. You know all that just by looking at a fake?"
Tiffany-"Its a gift. What can I say?"
Chrissy-"That's really impressive."
Benjamin-"How do you know so much about guns?"
-
Jack-"Mr. Stokely, I have a warrant for...."
He stopped dead in his tracks. Harrison and Mitchell were standing behind him but could not see what Officer Faye was looking at. Jack finally snapped out of his trance and came back to reality. He shut the door and went straight to Jeffery's truck.
Jack-"GET OUT OF THE TRUCK!"
Harrison and Mitchell shot a glance at each other.
Harrison-"What the hell is going on?"
They immediately followed Officer Faye to Jeffery's truck, who looked as confused as ever. Jack stared daggers at him and reached for his taser.
Jack-"I SAID OUT OF THE TRUCK AND PLACE YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!"
Mitchell-"Officer Faye, what's wrong?"
Terrified, Jeffery stumbled out of the truck, fell on the ground, and placed his hands on his head.
Jack-"TELL ME WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Jeffery-"I swear, I don't know what you're talking about!"
Harrison-"Jack, what's wrong?"
Jack-"It's another damn murder! Brad's desk is covered in blood, his body isn't in there, and Jeffery is asleep in his car when we show up. You better tell me what is going on right now, Jeffery! I've arrested you before, and damnit, I'll arrest you again!"
Mumbling from the ground, Jeffery spoke to them.
Jeffery-"Officer, I swear to you, I don't have any idea what's going on. I showed up and I've been waiting for him since I got here. I never go into his office until he calls for me. If you've ever seen him drunk or hungover, it is not a pretty site at all. I swear I don't know anything Officer."
Enraged and frustrated, Officer Jack lowered his taser, placed it back in its holster, and walked back to Brad's office while grabbing his radio.
Jack-"Officer Faye here, we got another one."
-
Tiffany-"My dad loves sports and hunting. I'm an only child and I know he wanted a son to play football with and fish and hunt with, so when I was like 4 I started playing football. I was the only girl on the city team. Then he started taking me to his gun club just after I graduated high school. I really don't care for them, but I do have a place in my heart for them. Plus, I run a business. I don't wanna take any chances going from here to the bank and back to make a deposit and get jumped, so I have a conceal and carry permit."
Chrissy-"Really. Can we see it?"
Tiffany-"Just one second."
Tiffany then pulled her necklace out from her shirt, and attached to it was a key. She placed it on her desk, then opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a small silver briefcase. She used the key to unlocked it and pulled out her permit and a sleek silver hand gun.
Tiffany-"This right here is kinda like what you brought me, just a little bit more up to date. And don't worry, it's unloaded. I always keep it unloaded in the diner. Heck, I've only ever fired it at the range."
Chrissy-"So you've never had to shoot someone?"
Tiffany-"Thank God no. I don't think I would have the heart to. I mean, if my life was in serious jeopardy then most likely."
Just then, Spencer came walking into the office.
Spencer-"Hey, sorry to bother you, but... WHOA!"
He then dropped to the ground and covered his head.
Tiffany-"Are you OK?"
-
Harrison and Mitchell grabbed some caution tape from Officer Faye's patrol car and went over and taped off Brad's office. Once they were done, they grabbed the detective kit and went inside.
Mitchell and Harrison-"Oh my GOD!"
Their was Brad's desk, completely cover with what looked like an explosion of red paint. However, they wished it was paint. His chair was on its side, a 6 pack of beer was crushed, spilled, and coated in the blood on the side of the desk, and a stain of blood trailed across the floor and ended just before the door.
Mitchell-"I can see why Jack paused when he opened the door."
Harrison-"Let's get a sample of that blood and see if we can find a .45 casing."
Mitchell-"I have a good idea where that casing is. It's gotta be at his desk."
Harrison-"It makes sense. I'll collect the blood, you find the casing."
Harrison grabbed a swab and collected a sample from off of the desk. It wasn't long after he put it away that Mitchell emerged from under the desk with the casing.
Mitchell-"It's a .45."
Harrison-"You're the man. Hey, idea. Should we dust for prints?"
Mitchell-"We may as well. You never know."
Mitchell stored the casing and the 2 men started dusting. Mitchell dusted the desk and Harrison started dusting the door to the office.
Mitchell-"Hey, I have a few prints."
Harrison-"I have some too."
The 2 men collected the fingerprints they found, and then decided to pack it up for the day. As they walked out, Officer Faye was talking with Jeffery.
Jeffery-"Listen, I know it looks wired Officer, but I swear I have absolutely no idea about what happened. We had a meeting across town for a construction contract with a company and I was gonna drive him over because last night was his drinking night. I got here and saw his truck parked. I figured he was inside sleeping it off or cleaning himself up for the meeting."
Jack-"What time did you get here?"
Jeffery-"From when you guys pulled up, about half an hour."
Jack wrote everything Jeffery said down on his note pad. He rubbed his tired eyes and let out a deep sigh.
Jack-"Listen, I apologize for the whole taser thing. We found you at a crime scene and after everything else going on in this town, we're all on edge."
Jeffery-"Can't say that wasn't the first time I had a taser pulled on me. It's all good. I completely understand where you were coming from."
Jack-"Thanks. Listen, go home, relax, and start looking for another job. I got a big hunch that Stokely Works is gonna go under if Brad really is dead. Just don't leave town until their investigation is officially over."
Jeffery-"Got it. Take care."
The 2 men shook hands and Jeffery got in his pick up and left the job site. Jack turned around and saw Harrison and Mitchell.
Jack-"Are you guys all set?"
Mitchell-"Yes we are."
Jack-"Alright. Let me get you guys back to your headquarters."
The 3 men got into the squad car and left.
-
Spencer-"You have a gun?!"
Tiffany-"Shhh! Don't scare everyone out there. It's only in this room, in this case at all times."
Spencer got up from the floor very slowly.
Spencer-"Sorry. I just hate guns. No offense at all, I think people can own them, I just personally don't like them."
Tiffany-"I can respect that, and don't worry, this is unloaded and the safety is on."
Tiffany placed the gun back in the box and locked it back up.
Chrissy-"You don't like guns, Spencer?"
Spencer-"I just don't understand how people could own a device made for killing."
Benjamin-"Yeah, but the same could be said for a knife set. Hell, same could be said with a car. It's all down to the person who owns it."
Spencer-"True, but you never think of a car as a murder weapon. You see a gun as a murder weapon, and while I don't mind them personally, being around them kinda freaks me out."
Deanna-"Trust me, I get the same way."
Tiffany-"So, is their anything else you need to know?"
Deanna-"How bad would this be at point blank range?"
Tiffany-"Well, this model was for the Armed Forces, and certain police departments still use a variation of this, so it is a strong weapon. It can kill someone at point blank range pretty easily. Even at a longer distance it will cause a good amount of damage or even kill them."
Chrissy-"Damn, that's a powerful gun."
Tiffany-"Its probably one of the best sidearms ever."
Chrissy-"Listen, we’re gonna head out. If we have any more questions we'll give you a call. Is that OK?"
Tiffany-"Oh that's more than OK. By all means, come in or call anytime."
Chrissy-"Thanks, bye guys."
The 3 investigators and the 2 diner workers big farewell to each other and Chrissy, Deanna, and Benjamin left the Shaw Shack and returned to their waiting car.
-
The 2 teams arrived back at Headquarters and filed into the Briefing Room. As usual, Gary was waiting behind his table.
Gary-"Welcome back everyone. Let's get right to it. Track 1, I got the call from Officer Faye, why don't you explain it to the others."
Chrissy, Deanna, and Benjamin looked utterly confused at what Gary said, but their confusion turned to shock relatively quickly.
Harrison-"We got to Stokely Works, and we found Jeffery in his truck asleep. Brad's truck was next to his and they're supposed to go to a meeting across town. We go into Brad's office and there is blood everywhere. We think he's been killed by the Killer."
The other 3 investigators gasped at this information.
Deanna-"Are you kidding?"
Mitchell-"It was a complete mess when we walked in there. Jack pulled his taser on Jeffery cause he was there and thought he did it. There was blood all over his office. We collected a sample of it to confirm the blood to be Brad's, we also were able to collect a few sets of fingerprints and we also found the .45 casing under the desk."
Gary-"Excellent job guys. I won't cross Brad off from our suspects list until we get the lab results back to confirm it was him. Until then, he's still up there. Track 2, what did you find out?"
Chrissy-"Well, we got to the diner and, as it turns out, Tiffany was the gun expert. She told us about the gun Harrison found. It's a M1911 and was used as a sidearm for the Armed Forces and that it's still used in various police departments. She also said she doesn't care for guns but it made her dad happy and that she developed a soft spot for them and that she's never fired her own gun except at the gun range."
Benjamin-"Spencer came in to ask her something and saw her gun and dropped to the floor. He looked petrified. He said he can't stand guns but doesn't mind if someone owns one."
Gary-"You guys did a tremendous job out there today. Go get some rest and we'll join back up tomorrow. You're dismissed."
The group filed out and left for the kitchen. Deanna grabbed a head of lettuce from the refrigerator and started on a salad for the evening. Mitchell grabbed the chicken cutlets and some barbecue sauce.
Mitchell-"I'm gonna grill up some chicken for dinner. Any request beside barbecue sauce?"
Chrissy-"Oh, can you grill up some in some Italian dressing?"
Mitchell-"You got it."
Mitchell grabbed the bottle of Italian dressing and 2 bowls. He threw half the chicken in a bowl with the barbecue sauce and the other half in the other bowl with the Italian dressing. He mixed both up and went out to the grill.
Mitchell-"I love cooking on the grill. It's a way for me to detox myself from this case and keep me sane for a bit. I know that the envelopes for the next Killer's Game are coming soon, and I just hope that everyone loves my cooking so that they'll keep me around."
In the kitchen, Deanna and Chrissy worked on a salad.
Chrissy-"Listen, its only us 2 women left. We need to knock a man out and soon."
Deanna-"Who are you sending out?"
Chrissy-"Harrison, but unless he gets voted in, then probably Benjamin."
Deanna-"I know it's me that's gonna get voted in. I just hope I pick the right map."
Chrissy-"Then it's definitely Harrison I'll be putting in."
Deanna-"Chrissy's vendetta with Harrison is ridiculous. They got caught and now she wants his head on a platter. I don't think she'll ever get over it."
Harrison and Benjamin were busy setting the table when Harrison looked up.
Harrison-"I have an idea. You're teamed with Deanna right now. If you could convince her to vote for Mitchell, the 3 of us can vote her out."
Benjamin-"You sure that's gonna work?"
Harrison-"Think about it like this; if you convince her that Mitchell is too smart, I mean, he did get a few of the Killer Questions right on his own. If he stays in, we could all be done for. She votes for him and we got her sent out again."
Benjamin-"I'll get on Chrissy's good side. I'll tell them that you and I are targeting Mitchell, and since Chrissy is most likely sending you out, it can throw them off."
Harrison-"I like it. I really like it. If anyone can convince them, it's a lawyer."
Benjamin-"I know Harrison and I didn't get along when this first started, but I gotta admit, he's got this game down. He knows he'll be going out again, and he knows how to turn the game to still be in his favor. I gotta give him his props."
Harrison-"The way I see it, Deanna is already fed up with Chrissy. Deanna has gone out already and Chrissy has sat back and never as so much as lifted a finger. So if I don't come back, one of the guys get the Lead Investigator role and Chrissy will have a date with a map. If Deanna doesn't come back, then I hope that she doesn't pick Chrissy for a third time."
-
Deanna-"This has been tough. With the Killer's Game aspect, it takes a toll on you. I've played twice and I've had a hard time sleeping afterwards. It really drains you."
Benjamin-"We're almost at the end of this case. It's hard to zero in on a culprit right now, but if I had to, I'd say Jeffery was the one to do it. He was found asleep at a crime scene, even though he works there and he knows all the victims. I wouldn't be surprised if he started dating Ashely just to gain trust with them."
Chrissy-"Its been rough. I haven't been out on a Killer's Game yet, and honestly I rather not go out on one at all. I wanna make it to the end of this case, and with us finding out that Rachel was dating Tracey, I think that puts her at the front of the list as a prime suspect."
It's 2:02 in the morning. A green, hazy glow is illuminating the Sunrise Ridge Shipping Company. Inside the building were the 5 living investigators, sound asleep in the makeshift Headquarters. The green hazy glow didn't stay for long, however. They just waited there long enough for the show to start.
KABOOM!!!!!
Everyone inside HQ jumped awake.
Chrissy-"What in the living hell was that?"
Deanna-"Did a truck just crash?"
The group sleepily met up in the hallway.
Harrison-"Did you all hear that?"
Deanna-"Yeah, but what was it?"
Just then, the sounds of sirens in the distance could be heard. A blur of red and orange flew past Headquarters and darted towards the emergency. Mitchell walked over to the window and looked out.
Mitchell-"That was a fire truck, and it looks like its heading over to that fire out there!"
The group looked outside and saw what looked to them like a 2 AM sunrise. They hurried off and got dressed then rushed outside to see what was happening. Jack Faye happened to noticed the group running in the fire's direction. He pulled over and jumped out.
Jack-"You guys heading over there?"
The group gave a tired yet adrenaline filled 'Yes'.
Jack-"I'm heading over as well. Everyone squeeze in to the car."
With that, the group and Officer Faye crammed into the 4 door patrol car and took off with the siren blaring. Within seconds, they were at the scene of the explosion.
Deanna-"Oh my God! That's the diner!"
The Shaw Shack was completely engulfed in flames. Firefighters rushed to put out whatever remained of it as fast as they could.
Harrison-"Holy crap! How the hell did this happen?"
Just then a scream and a cry echoed out.
Tiffany-"MY DINER!! NOOOOOOO!!!"
The group turned and saw that Tiffany had arrived at the scene. She was a uncontrollable mess of tears. The hard work she put into it, all the years she slaved to make it what is was, all of it was gone.
Tiffany-"How did this happen?!?"
She was a complete mess. Hair all over and tears flowing like a water faucet. She was immediately consoled by Officer Faye. Walter showed up in his Mail uniform, as did Mayor McGee, who was still in his pajamas. Spencer arrived and dropped because, he too, just lost his job. As the group looked over, they saw Robbin Evans and a bandaged up crew recording the fire for a News segment.
Chrissy, having dealt with Walter before, approached him.
Chrissy-"You heard the explosion as well?"
Walter-"H-h-heard it. Felt it. S-s-saw the fire t-t-trucks. I had to w-w-wake up any way to o-o-open the post office. It's a l-l-little earlier than I wanted t-t-to be up though."
They looked over and saw Tiffany still crying.
Walter-"That p-p-poor woman. I'm g-g-gonna do it."
Chrissy-"Do what?"
Walter-"I'm g-g-gonna ask her out."
Chrissy-"Oh my God! Really?"
Walter-"I know it's n-n-not the best time t-t-to ask, but I f-f-figure that I can h-h-help her through al t-t-this."
Chrissy didn't say anything, she just gave Walter a hug. Meanwhile, Benjamin and Mitchell were talking to Spencer. Spencer was on the verge of tears when they got to him.
Spencer-"Its gone..... I lost my job..... Just like that.... This has to be a bad dream. The murders happen and now this."
Mitchell-"Its gonna be OK, Spencer. Don't worry about it."
Benjamin-"You're gonna be fine, Spencer. Keep your head up."
Spencer-"No offense guys, but you don't get it. This is all I had. I was just scrapping by and now I'm gonna be back to square one."
Mitchell-"Trust me, we understand. I lost my first job because of almost the same thing. The building went up in flames and when they redistricted our staff to other sites, I wasn't picked up."
Benjamin-"Hopefully Tiffany has insurance and this place will be back up before you know it."
Deanna and Harrison just stared at the burning building.
Deanna-"This is just awful. How could this happen?"
Harrison-"Maybe their was a short in the wiring. Could of set of some grease or something."
Deanna-"How long do you think it'll take to find out what happened?"
Harrison-"Something is telling me the Killer has something to do with it."
Deanna-"What makes you think that?"
Instead of answering, Harrison just pointed to the big Shaw Shack Diner sign that stood in the parking lot. Deanna looked at it and saw what he was pointing at.
2 envelopes. One red. One black. The calling card of the Killer once again arrived, this time with an even bigger impact than ever.
Harrison-"I'm gonna ask one of the firefighters to get those for us."
Deanna-"The Killer had to of lit this fire. Why else would the envelopes be there? And if they can blow the diner up, they could blow up HQ. This is terrifying."
Harrison brought the envelopes back to Deanna, and the rest of the group joined back up.
Benjamin-"Where did you find those?"
Harrison-"They were hanging on the diner sign."
Mitchell-"You think the Killer did this?"
Deanna-"I wouldn't put it past them."
Chrissy-"Let's get home and get some sleep."
The group agreed and Officer Faye drove them back to their Headquarters.
Benjamin-"The Killer loves to mess with us. First Brad goes missing and now the diner goes up in flames and the envelopes are found there. It just doesn't stop."
Chrissy-"I just wanna go back to sleep. The Killer is loving this game their playing with us and hopefully we can end it soon."
-
The group woke up late the following morning at roughly 10 AM. Unfortunately for them, their was no breakfast waiting for them. No pancakes, waffles, sausage, bacon, fruit salad, coffee, anything. Chrissy walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee for the group.
Chrissy-"It was rough trying to sleep last night, and with the diner being gone, we gotta fend for ourselves right now. The only problem is we're exhausted. We barely slept last night and we've been woken up before by the Killer before. The breakfast from The Shaw Shack has kept us going, but now it's gone and we're all running on empty after last night."
Tired and hungry, the rest of the group made their way to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and made their way to the Briefing Room. Gary had already arrived and had breakfast sandwiches on his table.
Gary-"Figured you guys could use the pick me up after last night."
Each investigator grabbed a sandwich and gave Gary a hug and a handshake before taking their seats to get started.
Gary-"Alright, now I got a call from Rachel Neary. The blood from the crime scene at Stokely Works has come back, and it's a match with Brad's, which means he is no longer with us."
He paused and grabbed a red marker and crossed out Brad's picture on the wall behind his desk. With that, the construction work was cleared of the crime and also brought the Killer's death count up to 5 townspeople and 5 investigators for 10 in total. The other 5 living investigators now had only 7 suspects left and were one step closer to the reward money. Gary turned back to address the group.
Gary-"Now, I also got the results of the fingerprints back from the lab. Some prints were smudged or couldn’t give a conclusive reading, but we were able to get a few. Robbin Evans, Tyrone Cribbs, Spencer Stevens, and Jeffery Ardis were all collected."
Harrison-"Damn, we found that many?"
Gary-"You guys did a good job with that, and that leads us into today. Track 1, I'm gonna send you to what's left of The Shaw Shack. Tiffany and Spencer are gonna be there to talk to her insurance agent about the fire so we can chat with them. Track 2, You're gonna go see Robbin Evans. She has been found at almost every scene so let's find out why she was at Brad's office. Obviously, we have Jeffery as an employee and Tyrone had to see him about a door, so these 2 are the odd ones out. Find out what you can and I'll see you back here for later for the Killer's Game. You're dismissed."
-
Harrison and Mitchell's ride arrived at the remains of The Shaw Shack. All that was left standing was the sign in the parking lot and parts of the walls. Everything else was a complete loss. They got out and saw Tiffany and her insurance agent, Johnathan Kemper, were talking by her car, with Spencer walking through what was left of the diner.
Johnathan-"Well, you're definitely covered for fire, but we have to still run the investigation into if you burnt down the place yourself."
Tiffany-"I understand, but that's still ridiculous. I keep copies of our financial records at home, and we've never been close to bankrupt."
Johnathan-"I completely believe you, I really do. It's the whole Killer thing in the town right now that's throwing out the red flag.
Tiffany-"And what do you mean by that?"
The insurance agent took an anxiety filled breathe.
Johnathan-"The office is under the impression that you purposely burned down your restaurant and made it look like that Killer did it."
Tiffany-"That's outrageous! Are you kidding me!?"
Johnathan-"Please understand me, I am completely on your side with this."
It's was no use talking, Tiffany looked like she was about to drop to the ground in a horrible, crying mess. Harrison and Mitchell started walking over.
Mitchell-"Excuse me, is everything ok?"
-
Chrissy, Deanna, and Benjamin arrived at the news station. Having been there before, Deanna knew exactly where to go to find the door with "ROBBIN EVANS" emblazoned on it. They knocked on the door and were quickly welcomed in.
Robbin-"Oh, hello. Sorry, I was expecting the boss, not you guys."
Chrissy-"Sorry to bother you, but we just have a couple of questions."
Robbin-"Well I'm sorry, but I don't speak to the public like that."
Deanna-"Actually, we are with the murder investigation."
Robbin-"Oh, I thought you looked familiar. So what do you need?"
Chrissy-"For starters, how is your camera crew after what happened with Brad?"
Robbin-"They're all doing good. The guy that was knocked out, Kevin, was kept for an over night stay just to be sure he was OK. Greg was kept for a few hours and released, and Carl's nose was reset and he was sent on his way about an hour later."
Benjamin-"Well, that's good to know."
Robbin-"Yeah, I thought it was gonna be a lot worse."
Benjamin-"Oh trust us, we thought so too."
Chrissy-"So, have you spoken to Brad since then?"
Robbin-"No, I have not. Why would you ask?"
-
Johnathan-"May I help you?"
Mitchell-"My name is Mitchell Kennedy and my partner, Harrison Adams, and I are with the murder investigation here in town. We know Tiffany and we happened to overhear what is happening."
Harrison-"We know it might not mean much, but we have strong reason to believe that the Killer in town is the one who did this."
Johnathan-"What makes you say that?"
Mitchell-"We really can't say as it ties into our investigation technically, but if you wanna call our Commanding Officer, Sgt. Gary Fredo, he will be able to talk more about it and explain. Can I borrow your pen and some paper?"
Johnathan shook his head yes and handed his clipboard over to Mitchell who quickly wrote down the phone number to their HQ and handed it back to him.
Mitchell-"When your done here, just call over. Gary will most likely be there all day today."
Johnathan-"I will gladly call, thank you. I'm actually all set and I'll going to head out. You folks have a nice day."
Everyone said their goodbyes and Johnathan left for his car.
Harrison-"Are you OK, Tiffany?"
Tiffany-"I'll be fine eventually. If I can't get the restaurant repaired though, I'll be done."
Tiffany started crying again at the thought of losing her entire business she worked for years at. Spencer finished sifting through the remains of the diner, looking as distraught as Tiffany. He had a metal briefcase in his hands as was walking up to the group.
Spencer-"Here Tiff. I found your gun."
Tiffany used the key on her necklace to unlock the briefcase and opened it. The certification was slightly burnt and the foam holder was a bit warped, but everything was still intact.
Tiffany-"Of course, this damn thing survives the fire."
She slammed the case shut in her anger.
Spencer-"Tiff, don't worry. We can rebuild it."
Tiffany-"What's the point?! They think I did this!"
Spencer-"What?"
-
Deanna-"I hate to tell you this, but we have evidence to suggest that you did try to see Brad."
Robbin-"I never spoke to him."
Benjamin-"Ma'am, we have your fingerprints at his office."
Robbin-"So you found a few prints. I was there a month ago for a repair job on my house. It could have been from then."
Benjamin-"Can you prove that's why you were there? Any receipts? Maybe something in his books to confirm that you're telling the truth?"
Robbin-"I don't need to answer to you. You're just some nobody they dragged in to town to solve a case that has nothing to do with me!"
Benjamin started turning red. Not in embarrassment, but in anger.
Chrissy-"We've all seen Benjamin get mad, but I thought he was gonna rip Robbin's head clear off her shoulders."
Benjamin leaned in close to Robbin. He didn't yell or raise his voice at all. All he did was give a calm, almost Hannibal Lecter like speech.
Benjamin-"Do you even know what I do for a living?"
Robbin-"No I do not."
Benjamin-"I'm a lawyer. I'm the last line of defense from keeping someone from going to jail. At the same time, I'm the guy that can also fight and look for any evidence they can, from a fingerprint to a footprint and even a hair from when you scratched your head or even a fingernail that happened to break off, just to put someone away for the rest of their life. Just saying you went there for a repair job a month ago is not gonna cut it without documents to back it up."
Robbin-"This is my personal business! Why does it matter so much that I need to tell you what's going on?!"
Benjamin-"Because Brad Stokely is dead and we have your prints at the scene, lady! So you better talk about why you were there and you better tell us the truth, because trust me, if I crack this case and find out you did it, you'll bet you ass I'll see you again in a court room to testify against you!"
Deanna turned to Chrissy and just quietly whispered "Oh crap!".
-
Tiffany-"The insurance company thinks I burnt down my restaurant! I worked so hard on this place and now it's gone!"
Tiffany started crying heavily. The 3 men consoled her as best they could.
Harrison-"Tiffany, I assure you that this restaurant will be rebuilt. I have no doubt in my mind the Killer did this to send a message."
Spencer-"I hope you guys catch that psychopath and throw them away for life.
Mitchell-"Trust us, we will. But that is also why we're here today. We wanna talk to you about something we found the other day."
Tiffany got herself calm enough to speak.
Tiffany-"Sure, what do you need? More info about the gun?"
Mitchell-"Actually, its Spencer we need to talk to."
Spencer-"Me? What did I do?"
Harrison-"I'm going to be straight forward with you; We found your fingerprints at Brad Stokely's work site."
Spencer-"That's not too bad, is it? I just went there to see if I could find a little extra work, especially with the diner being burned down."
Harrison-"Unfortunately, it gets a little more complicated."
Spencer-"How complicated?"
-
Robbin-"Ok, fine, I wasn't there for a repair. After he assaulted my crew and broke my equipment, I went down there later that day to personally talk to him about the damages and have him try and pay them. I knocked several times and he never answered. I came back here and went through my video files to get ready for the news and found a clip of him breaking it. He somehow turned the camera on when he grabbed it. I took the video to a lawyer and he immediately got hold of a sherif to serve him. I went back there the other day with the sherif to serve him and we knocked and he never answered."
Chrissy-"What was the sherif's name?"
Robbin-"Sherif Clark Monroe of the Massachusetts State Police."
Chrissy-"We'll give them a call later to see if that comes out true."
Robbin-"Trust me, its true."
She proceeded to pull a piece of paper out of her desk and handed it to the group.
Robbin-"This is my copy of the lawsuit that I filed against him.
The group read it over. It stated that Sherif Clark Monroe, accompanied by one Robbin Evans, also on behalf of ones Carl Levy, Kevin Austin, and Gregory Sanders, arrived at Stokely Works Inc. to serve one Brad Stokely for damages of video equipment and assault. Upon arrival and for 1 hour, Mr. Stokely could not be located. Papers are to be withheld and attempts to serve Mr. Stokely will resume the following day.
Deanna-"Well, Benjamin, you're the lawyer. Is this all correct?"
Benjamin-"It looks all good to me. But you said you were there later that same day as well. What time did you go there?"
Robbin-"Around 8:00 that night."
Chrissy-"Ok, thank you. We're gonna head out now. If we have any other questions, we'll give you a call. Have a nice day."
Robbin-"You as well."
It was eerily silent as the group said farewell to Robbin and left back for their van. The silence was broken quickly by Benjamin by the time they got to the front door.
Benjamin-"Listen, I shouldn't really say this, but we gotta take out one of the other two guys tonight."
Deanna-"What do you have in mind?"
-
Mitchell-"You see, we went there with a warrant for his arrest, and when we got there, he was nowhere to be found."
Spencer-"So he ran for it?"
Mitchell-"No. We have a strong feeling that Brad was killed."
Tiffany's tiny sobs immediately froze and stopped which were followed by a shocked gasp by both her and Spencer.
Spencer-"Wait, you don't think I did it, do you?"
Harrison-"No, no, no. we're not saying that at all. We found multiple fingerprints at Brad's. We just wanna get info on when and why you were there."
Spencer-"Like I said, I was there looking for a second job. I know he's a bit of a prick, but I heard he pays nicely. I wanted to pick up some work there to go along side of working here at the diner."
Mitchell-"What day and time did you go there?"
Spencer-"I went there 2 days ago around 4:00 in the afternoon."
Mitchell-"Was anyone with you that could confirm that?"
Spencer-".... Unfortunately, no. No one was there with me."
Harrison-"Ok, that's all."
Spencer-"Listen, I know it looks bad, but you gotta believe me, I swear I didn't kill him."
Spencer started to turn pale and was nearly about to start hyperventilating. It was as if him and Tiffany switched roles in a heartbeat.
Mitchell-"Spencer, calm down man. It's ok. We aren't going to arrest you or anything. We've questioned everyone whose fingerprints we found as well. As far as I know, one of them could have done it and you're completely innocent. Relax and take a breathe."
While shaking, Spencer took a long breathe and tried to settle down.
Spencer-"I swear, I had no idea he was dead."
Harrison-"Listen, we believe you. Relax, man."
Spencer-"I'm sorry. I'm just thinking of the worse case scenario. What if the Killer goes free and I'm stuck as the only suspect? My life could be ruined."
Mitchell-"Its ok, Spencer we have the prints of others that are more out of place than you. You'll be fine."
Mitchell-"Spencer is a nice guy. He's really worked up about this. He could be the Killer and could be putting on an act, or he could be innocent. Tiffany could be the Killer and did this to cover her tracks, make herself look more of a victim, or she could also be innocent. It's tough. It really is."
Tiffany-"Hey, what did you tell my insurance agent?"
Harrison-"We really can't explain, but let's just say we found evidence here last night that points to the Killer."
Tiffany-"Oh my God! Really?"
Harrison-"Yeah. Listen, we've taken up enough of your time. We need to head out."
Tiffany-"Ok, thanks for your help. Bye guys."
Mitchell and Harrison-"Bye. Take care."
They hugged and shook Spencer's still trembling hand. They made their way to the van and left for HQ.
-
Benjamin-"I know that the 2 of them are starting to hate each other. They both convinced me to vote for the other 1 for the Killer's Game. If I vote Harrison and you vote Mitchell, they'll tie and Chrissy can send them both out."
Deanna-"How is that gonna happen?"
Benjamin-"Remember when I was Lead Investigator? You tied with Frank and I was able to choose who went out."
Deanna-"That's right. I forgot that happened. I've been trying to block out all the Killer's Game votes out. Especially the ones I got sent out on."
Chrissy-"Wait, how do we know you're telling the truth?"
Benjamin extended out his hands to the 2 girls.
Benjamin-"I'm a lawyer, I'm paid to lie and tell the truth depending on the case. Our case right now is getting through to the end. Right now, as God as my witness, you have my word that my vote is for Harrison tonight."
The 2 women looked at each other. He said it point blank; he's paid to lie and tell the truth. Their questing was obvious; is he telling the truth?
Deanna-"Let's do it."
Deanna and Chrissy shook Benjamin's hands.
Chrissy-"I know Benjamin had his vendetta at Harrison, so it's understanding he wants to try and get him out still. I hope it works.
The group walked away from the news station and into their waiting van to go back to HQ.
Benjamin-"I'm not lying, I am gonna vote for Harrison. Our plan is set, and if I make it look like they decided to flip at vote time, then if she gets eliminated, I could be in line for Lead Investigator, I can send out whoever I want and I can be one step closer to solving this case and winning."
-
Everyone arrived back at HQ and filed into the Briefing Room and to their seats. Gary was standing behind his table, like usual, waiting for them to get settled.
Gary-"Welcome back. I'm sure we all got a little info to help us along. Before we start, I got a call from Tyrone a little bit ago. He called to see if he could get a police report for what happened at his club. I asked him if he went to Brad's office and he did confirm he went at 7:30 that morning. It's possible he did go at that time, but it’s also possible that he is making this story up. Regardless, it puts him at our scene and at this moment, that’s big. Now then, Track 1; what do you have?”
Mitchell-“Well, when we got here, Tiffany was talking with an insurance agent about the fire. He said that they believed she purposely set it. We have them the number for here to talk to you about it.”
Gary-“I did happen to get a phone call from someone named Johnathan Kemper.”
Mitchell-“That was him!”
Gary-“I couldn’t get into details with him about the actual case, but I told him that we had evidence that it was the Killer that did this. Anything else?”
Harrison-“We spoke to Spencer about him being at Stokely Works. He told us that he wanted another job to go with the diner. He knows full well that Brad is an ass but the pay is good. He then started freaking out and was about to cry when he found out Brad is dead. He say he’s afraid that he’ll be arrested for something he didn’t do. We had to assure him that other evidence was found that pointed to other people just to calm him down.”
Gary-“Very nicely done. Track 2?”
Chrissy-“We walked in and Robbin gave us an attitude when we asked if she was there. When we told her that we knew she was lying, she got defensive. After Benjamin talked to her she told us she went down there to talk to him about smashing the camera and assaulting her crew. When she didn’t get to see him, she went back to the station and was able to recover the footage of Brad breaking the camera and brought it to the police. She went back later that day to serve him but couldn’t find him again.”
Gary-“Again, great job. We learned more about our suspects today, and now let’s try and clear one of them.”
Gary then walked over to the evidence locker and grabbed the slightly singed red envelope and brought it back to his table. He grabbed the scissors and carefully cut the top of the envelope open and removed the brown paper and unfolded it to find the label maker words.
Gary-“Your question is; “WHAT NICKNAME DID TIFFANY GIVE FOR THE PROP GUN I LEFT YOU?”
Gary then typed in the anonymous email address on his computer and the TV screen above his table flashed in the matrix like grid until a single lime green line appeared.
Chrissy-“That was us. I don’t remember at all.”
Benjamin-“I think it was something involving the military.”
Deanna-“That sounds right. But what word?”
Chrissy-“Maybe Militant?”
Deanna-“I don’t think that was it. That sounds more violent. I swear it was more of a government style name.”
Scaring everyone, Benjamin slammed his hands on his desk.
Benjamin-“That was it! It’s Government!”
Chrissy-“Are you sure?”
Benjamin-“I’m positive.”
Gary-“Should I take that as your answer?”
Benjamin-“Yes. Send it.”
Gary typed ‘GOVERNMENT’ and hit send. The flash of letters and numbers flew around the screen. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they received their answer.
YOUR ANSWER IS CORRECT. A SUSPECT WILL BE CLEARED.
The group clapped and cheered and high fives Benjamin for his answer. The group stared at the screen to see the newest cleared suspect.
SUSPECT CLEARED; DANIEL MCGEE; MAYOR.
Gary-“Excellent job! We can clear the Mayor from our list!"
With that, Gary grabbed the red marker from his desk and crossed out Daniel McGee's picture, effectively clearing the Mayor of murder. The group watched him cross out the Mayor's photo and saw the list of suspect dwindle down. Jack Faye, Sydney Shields, Georgina Seeger, Cooper Davis, Diane Pearlman, Jennifer Harris, Brad Stokely, and now Daniel McGee. With his clearing, their were left with 7. Gary finished crossing out the photo and turned back to the group.
Gary-"Now, unfortunately, we have to play the Killer's Game. One by one, I'll ask you to enter the Voting Booth and cast your vote for the first person to play the Killer's Game. Remember, Chrissy is the Lead Investigator and can not be voted for. Benjamin, start us off."
Benjamin left the room and down to the Voting Booth. He entered, closed the door, and grabbed Harrison's picture.
Benjamin-"This is all part of the plan."
He placed his vote in the box and went back in the Briefing Room. Harrison entered next and grabbed Deanna's picture.
Harrison-"I know I'm going out, and I'm sorry, but you're coming out with me. We have 3 strong and we're staying 3 strong."
He placed his vote in the box and left. Deanna walked in and grabbed Mitchell's photo.
Deanna-"If what Benjamin says is true, a major threat will be eliminated tonight."
She placed it in the box and walked out. Mitchell was the last person to enter and quickly made his choice.
Mitchell-"I'm sorry, but it's my only option."
He walked out, placed his vote in the box, and returned to his desk in the Briefing Room.
Gary-"What I need for everyone to do is turn around and do not turn back until you are instructed to."
All 5 investigators turned around and Gary left and retrieved the votes. He came back in and counted the 4 votes and placed a picture against his chest.
Gary-"You may all turn back around."
With the command, the group turned back to see Gary with the picture of the losing participant.
Gary-"The group has voted, and in a 2-1-1 vote, the first person playing the Killer's Game is..... Deanna."
Topic: Murder In Small Town X; The Return (Read 4567 times)