The Phantom of Maple Circle [A Mystery RP]
The Storyline
Maple Circle is a long street that makes a giant loop. It goes for five miles before turning and going back the other way and connecting with the beginning. Many people live on this street, and are very big on Halloween. They hold many festivals of the sorts throughout the months of Fall. Some people like to come to Maple Circle to celebrate the Autumn season. But lately, someone, or something has been scaring these people off. The Phantom of Maple Circle has brought the town even more publicity, but less population.
Blood flows down the streets of the once friendly town of Maple Circle. People still come, but no one ever stays for long. This is your chance to discover the mystery that calls to be dug up from deep within the ground. You have 30 days. There are ten suspects. Ten alibis. Ten reasons to kill. There are many questions to ask and many places to search... But the real question is: Who is the Phantom of Maple Circle?
You start off at the Maple Hotel, planning on visiting Maple Circle to see the famous Halloween festival and other parties. But, when the Phantom reveals itself to be a true killer, most of the relaxation and enjoyment is sucked out of the whole thing. Slowly, people are being picked off one by one. You have two choices: Find the killer, or have the killer find you.
The Places
- Suit ?Em Up, Costume Shop [Costume Shop]
- Freddy?s Food Mart [Grocery Store]
- Maple Hotel [Hotel]
- Their Share Bank [Bank]
- Generally Open [General Store]
- Score [Music Shop]
- The Winning Circle [Sports Store]
- Eyes of Glass [Lens Shop]
Other Places
- [All the houses of the residents]
- The Abandoned Mill [An unoccupied old mill on the Plains]
- The Forest [A forest to the West of town]
- The Plains [A grassy field that grows all the harvest to the North of town]
- The Lake [A great relaxing and fishing spot to the East of town]
The Schedule
Day 1- The Opening of the Maple Hotel
Day 5- Autumn Festival
Day 12- Pumpkin Harvest
Day 15- Fall Holiday
Day 22- Maple Festival
Day 30- Halloween Preparations
Day 31- Halloween Party
The Clues [The bank of clues found.]
Clue 01- The Pill Bottle [2 pills left inside]- Purchased 3 days prior to Sage's death from Generally Open.
Clue 02- The Handle of a Baseball Bat- 1 inch of the handle of a dark blue baseball bat found underneath the bed of Room 003.
Clue 03- A fogged up mirror with the writing 'Those who seek it, become it' on it.
Clue 04- A bloody knife found in a knife drawer of Emilia Garnet's kitchen.
Mary Wright's Blog [Currently closed due to internet connection loss]
The Suspects/Important People
Mayor Scotch [Mayor of Maple Circle]
Tom Mann [Owner of the Maple Hotel]
Mary Wright [Blogger/Receptionist]
Zachary Smith [The troublemaker of town]
Madam Rosina [Owner of Score]
Michael Stone [Owner of Generally Open]
Tim Barton [Owner of Suit 'Em Up, Costume Shop]
Jake Haves [Owner of The Winning Circle]
Victims
Sage [A girl staying at the Maple Hotel. Phantom murdered her.]
Emilia Garnet [A woman resident. Phantom murdered her.]
Mark Garnet [Husband of Emilia. Phantom murdered his wife.]
Current Day
Day 2 [No events on this day.]
Character Sheet
*= Required
Name: *
Age: *
Personality:
Appearance: *
Bio: *
Other Info:
Since I know who the killer is, I won't be making a character, but I will be participating as all the Suspects, murdered characters, and killer. Anyway, this probably will be a risky RP, but I really wanted to try it out. I want to give you some hints you should take account of before starting this off. First of all, all your senses are important. I will be paying attention to detail in this RP, and so should you. Dig deep, ask questions, and look for the tiniest details.
To Start Things Off:
It was midnight of the opening day of the Maple Hotel. The moon was waning in the sky, the bright light only showed part of the body slowly unlocking the door of the hotel. There was a small cracking noise as the tool being used broke in half and the tip fell to the ground, and the door opened. The criminal was wearing all black, and all that could be seen in the moonlight were its muddy black boots. Some mud was tracked inside as the criminal wiped its feet a few steps in. After that, the person proceeded to cause a rampage in the Maple Hotel. The criminal left a few hours later, the moon had sunk slightly, but other than that nothing had changed, and no one had noticed.
The Phantom's reaping had begun.
Name: Nick Gumshoe
Age: 24
Personality: He is generally a pretty good guy. He can act childish at times and then turn around and act as a complete adult depending on the situations. He enjoys mystery novels and always wanted to have something like that happen to him.
Appearance: Spiked brown hair. He wears jeans and a sweatshirt and the sweatshirt has a pumpkin on the front of it since Halloween is coming around.
Bio: When he was a kid, his favorite holiday was Halloween and as he got older, he gained interest in other things like horror movies and mystery books and movies.
------------------------
Nick woke up in his hotel room and took a look at the clock. Ugh...It's still not morning yet. He had just gotten to Maple Circle, which was where he normally went for October since it brought back memories of his childhood and Halloween. "Man...Must be Jet Lag that's keeping me awake." He said to himself as he tried to get comfortable again and tried to fall asleep.
There was a sudden yell of surprise coming from another room nearby in the hotel. "HOLY MOTHER OF-!" It was a male's voice, and soon there was knocking on Nick's room. "Open up! If anyone's in there, open up!" It was the same guy's voice, and he sounded frantic.
"Gah!" Nick fell out of bed. He got back up but before he opened the door...I can't go out there in just some boxers. So as quickly as he could, he put on some jeans and a simple T-shirt and opened the door. "What is it?"
Name: Alex Richards
Age: 20
Personality: Nice, but has a strong will.
Appearance: Blond hair, White undershirt with a brown jacket on top and slightly worn blue jeans
Bio: Alex is a young man with a strong curiosity and a strong will. He came to maple circle to try to solve the mystery.
Other Info: Has read too many mystery stories.
Dis good?
(( Yep. You can either start just entering the hotel, or already in your room of the hotel. ))
The owner of Hotel Maple stood before Nick. He had long black hair tied up in a pony tail, green eyes that were behind lopsided clear spectacles, with a pale and scrawny complexion. He looked to be in his mid or late 30's.
"Get out," Tom Mann commanded. "Go to the front desk, now." If Nick looked, he would be able to see through the open door of the room across him a skinny brunette, dead, hanging from a noose.
Nick walked on his way toward the exit and caught a glimps of the girl. Gah!...I hope this is just jet lag playing tricks on me! He started to get a cold sweat as he went to the front desk.
Alex walked in to the hotel, tired because he had not yet gotten a chance to sleep due to the long drive from a neighbouring town. He always came to maple circle because of the Halloween Celebration. But the other reason he came was because of the Phantom of Maple Circle. He wanted to find out why he was killing people and who he was.
Tom closed the door to the dead girl's room. Room 003. He pushed some rubbish out of his way as he follwed Nick to the front desk. He caught a glimpse of Alex walking in and pointed at him to stand next to Nick and not move as he called the police.
"We need you down here at the Maple Hotel right away," Tom told them. Then he added in a whisper, "Sage killed herself... Yeah, a hangin'. No, I can't give details now, I've got customers... What? ...Well, the place has been ransacked... No, there was no chair by her... Well I don't know how she was able to do it without a chair! She could have used the bloody bed! Just, get over here! I'm not losing profits due to a girl's own wish of death! ...No, I won't answer anymore bloody questions! See it for yourself." Tom then hung up the phone angrily and turned back towards the guests.
"Sit, make yourself at home," he said as calmly as he could. "Just stay here in the lobby."
Alex looked at Tom and then perked up a bit when he heard of the murder. The only thing he said was, "The Phantom of Maple Circle strikes again."
Sorry, but I can't help but using a non-original character for this. If I have to use an original character, then just tell me, and I'll revise it.
Name: L
Age: 17
Personality: Very secretive, but is also extremely smart and an excellent detective. He also has a major sweet tooth.
Appearance: (http://83.img.v4.skyrock.com/833/death-note-raito/pics/673929887_small.jpg)
Bio: L was raised up silently, honing on his detective skills. At the age of sixteen, he became one of the most well known investigators in the world; however, no one knows his true name.
"Huh?" Nick said as he took a seat with another chair next to him. "I know about that Phantom here but...it sounded like a suicide." It sure looked like it now that I think back...and nuse is almost like a...a...a cliche to suicide.
"So sure?" Alex said, a tired look on his face. "Well, I am going to check it out." As he turned to leave, He pulled a note pad out of his pocket.
Name: Mira
Age: 14
Personality: Whatever the situation desires
Appearance: (http://public2.tektek.org/img/av/0804/d29/20/484c59.png)
Bio: Unknown
Other Info: N/A
"Wait. I'm coming too." Nick said jumping up and following Alex.
(( *stamps the seal of approvement on LS and Person's characters* You can either start off just coming into the hotel, or already having a room. ))
Being a small town, the Police came rather quickly. Leading them was the Mayor. The Mayor, Scotch, had a green afro, a small brown moustache, and brown eyes behind thick black glasses. He wore a professional green suit and looked rather frantic at the thought of a death so close to the holidays. "You may want to clean all this up," the Mayor murmured to Tom, pointing at the rubble, muddy footprints, and other noticeable damage. "You have guests."
Tom rolled his eyes at Mayor Scotch and led him and the police towards Room 003. He opened the door, not noticing Alex or Nick walking towards the room, and led the men inside. He closed the door behind them, shutting Nick and Alex out, but their voices carried over.
After several minutes of looking, the police could be heard talking.
"A blow to the head. And no chair," one of the Police said gruffly. "It was a murder, not a suicide."
"What evidence do you have?" Mayor Scotch asked. A reply couldn't be heard, but Mayor Scotch's voice shouted, "Nothing!? You didn't catch a glimpse of anyone!? How could they have gotten into her room? Huh, did you think about that? Damn it, Tom! If this keeps up, we'll have no one left in town!"
"Shhh! Mayor, keep your voice down!" Tom pleaded. After that, no more talking could be heard.
Mira entered the hotel. "Sup?" Mira asked the receptionist, as he walked up to the desk.
For the duration of what could be heard, Alex crouched by the door, his ear pressed against the wood. His pad was on the ground, so that if someone came out, he would have an excuse to be where he was.
"Hm...so it was a murder." Nick said to himself. He then whispered to Alex, "Maybe we should wait until they leave so we can take a look ourselfs."
Alex grabbed his pad and stood up. He looked around for a moment before walking to the door of the room across the hall. Opening the door quietly, Alex whispered the Nick, "In here."
The door Alex opened was to a room...his room to be exact. Hm...I know we're trying to hide but...this is quite an odd coincedence. He followed Alex into the room.
"What? N-Nothing's up!" the receptionist stuttered. "Why? What have you heard? Nevermind, it's not true! No one commited suicide or was murdered here! NO ONE!"
The Policemen opened the door to walk out. As they did so, the looked back at Tom and the Mayor, who were looking at them angrily. "I'm sorry, but we aren't part of your town's Police force. We are only obligated to take on crime's from our own town. We came down here to see it, but that's about it. We can't help you. You'll have to hire a special detective or get your own police force." With that, the policemen filed out.
Mayor Scotch and Tom Mann followed shortly after, both looking downtrodden.
"I know nothing. How is that not true? Explain to me about the murders and suicides." Mira demanded in a serious tone.
The door to Nick's room was still slightly open and could hear what was being said. He turned to face Alex. "Hey, d'you hear that? They need help. Maybe we could do something. We may not be professionals but we're all they've got right now."
"Oh... Damn," the secretary muttered under her breathe. She looked around before whispering to Mira, "I don't know much, but Mayor Scotch or the owner of this hotel, Tom Mann, may have a clue." She nodded her head toward the two men, who were talking discreetly on the other side of the lobby.
Alex nodded and wrote down that the receptionist denied that the person was killed or committed suicide. "Do you know that man's name?" he asked.
"Then why did you hide the fact that there were murders and suicides?" Mira asked, slightly more calm.
"You're not supposed to know. But, I kind of let it slip... So now, there's no going back," the secretary sighed. "Please still think about staying here, I'm sure it was nothing major."
Nick turned to look at Alex but saw he was already gone and talking to the receptionist. Woah...he's fast. It looks like I'll have to confront them on my own. Nick walked out of his room and approached the mayor. "Hey...I heard that you need a detective for something."
"Here's the deal: if you keep me informed on the murders, then I'll stay at this hotel. Otherwise, I'll go elsewhere. How's that?"
(I asked nick if he knew the man's name)
((Oh, sorry. I thought you were talking to the receptionist in the last post...Well...Ignore my last post then.))
"Which one? the mayor or the hotel owner. I only recognize the mayor. He's Mayor Scotch. But I don't know the hotel guy. I've only stayed at this hotel a couple times."
Alex responded, "We better find out, but first." He quietly opened the door, looked around to make sure no one was looking, then walked over to the room the men came out of. As he looked around, he pulled a small disposable camera out of one of his pockets.
Nick saw him take out the camera. Hm...I suppose he's going to go and take a picture of the crime scene.
L sat in his hotel room (He was currently staying in room 606 on the sixth floor, right on the end of a hallway which led to a couple of galss elevators a few yards down) in his special, odd way, with his bare feet perched on the bottom of his leather chair and his knees close to his head. He held a tray for tea in one hand and the tea cup itself in the other. He set the tray down, put a few cubes of sugar from the bowl in front of him on the coffee table, and placed them in his tea. He repeated the process a few times, stirred, and took a sip. Mmm...
As soon as he set his cup down, his room phone rang. He picked it up. "Yes?" He listened to the other end. "Aha... I see. Well, I suppose I should introduce myself to the other investigators here." He set the phone down and exited his room without a second thought. He pressed the elevator button, and after a few seconds, a vacant one opened up. He stepped inside, and pressed the Lobby button on the inside of the elevator. He waited as the machine made its decent.
((Where is everyone currently?))
(( In the lobby. Nick and Alex are in Room 003. ))
"Fine." The receptionist, Mary Wright was the 20 year old smart blonde with blue eyes, who unfortunately did horribly under pressure.
The room looked no different from any other hotel room, besides the noose hanging from the middle of the room, and the woman on it. Blood splattered the floor around her. Sleeping pills were visible on the nightstand.
Nick decided he should show himself. He stepped out of the room and approached the Mayor and the Hotel Owner. "Hello, I just overheard that you needed a detective."
"Alright, the instant I discover that you have withheld information, I will go to another hotel. Oh! Speaking of which, how much is a room here?" Mira asked, almost as if he had forgotten about the murders.
L stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby calmly and nonchalantly. "Hello," He said, to no one in particular.
Mira turned his head to L's direction while digging around from his wallet. "Hey there! Do you know anything about the murders that have apparently been happening?" Mira asked L, as he grabbed his wallet and pulled it out.
L slowly walked over. "I am L, and that is precisely the reason why I'm here. I've come to bring this so-called "Phantom" to justice. Are you here for the same reason?"
"Phantom? Why was I not informed? Either way, I was just informed about the murder. Have you found anything yet?"
(( Since this thing has just started off, I may drop some hints about clues etc once in a while. My first hint is that I've already revealed 2 major clues. It's up to you to find and evaluate them. ))
Current time is 3 AM.
"50 dollars a week," Mary replied to Mira. "And I have a blog, this is the sidejob that makes me money, so I too will be looking into the crimes."
Mayor Scotch raised an eyebrow at Nick. "You want to help with the crimes? Whahaha! But you're just a kid!" the Mayor laughed. "Ah, but we need the help. Sure, son, you can go ahead and try to find the Phantom. Though I doubt someone as inexperienced as you could do it. Maybe if you got together with some of your other little friends, you could try..." The Mayor couldn't contain himself anymore, he burst out laughing.
"In the meantime," Mayor Scotch added to Tom in a whisper, "we should look for someone with real experience to help us with this murderer."
Nick was steaming by the end of Scotch's speaking. "Hey! I know plenty things about crimes! I went to forensics science classes in college! And I am NOT a kid!"
"Yes, yes, you are withered with age," Mayor Scotch agreed sarcastically to humor him. "But you can't blame the protector of this town to want a little more then some inexperienced man-boy out to find the killer. The last thing I need is bad news about this town in the paper."
"The last thing I need is someone with access to my hotel, killing the residents of it!" Tom added angrilly. "Cut the kid a break, Mayor Scotch. We won't get anyone else on the job, and you know it. We're too busy with the festivals, and you know we can't cancel that! Besides, what about those guys over there blabbing about the crime? If they all got together, I bet they could get something done."
The Mayor shrugged and looked over at Mira and L. "Oy, you guys down there. As Mayor of this town, I demand your names and your service. Get over here!"
Alex took a picure of the body, the blood, and the pills, before quietly leaving the room
"Give me the URL once you give me the keys, ok?" Mira said, as he took out $250 and put it on the desk, then went ot the Mayor's location. "I am Mira. What service do you desire?"
Mary nodded at Mira, taking his money and getting out the keys to his hotel room. She also wrote the URL on a piece of paper. It said: 'www.blogthings.com/Marywrightsdetectiveblog'. She left these things out for Mira when he came back for them.
Mayor Scotch's eyes darted towards Alex, who had just gotten into his view. "And you, whatever your name is," he barked at Alex. "You come over here, too." He looked back at Mira and pointed at Nick. "Go wth this kid. I'm putting anyone who stays in this hotel in charge of capturing the Phantom of Maple Circle! If I don't get him before the Halloween Party, I'm cracking skulls!"
"Mayor! You don't want to earn yourself a bad reputation, maybe you should be a bit nicer," warned Tom.
"Mr. Mann, you'll learn later on in life that if things aren't done right, the Phantom will kill you."
I'd side with the hotel owner...but I think it'd be smarter to just keep my mouth shut until Scotch leaves.
"Why did you use the phrase 'the Phantom will kill you' so confidently?" Mira asked, somewhat suspicious about the Mayor's choice of words. "You seem unusually sure that the Phantom will kill him if things are not done right."
Alex walked over to Nick and said, "I was going to try to find out who the phantom was anyway."
"Son," the Mayor began, now turning to Mira with sad eyes, "I've witness it happen to enough good citizens to know. But now, I'm done with it. If the Phantom isn't taken of soon... Who knows who'll be next." Mayor Scotch's eyes were now misty, as he brooded of the past and frantically thought of the future. "You, Tom, will be in charge of telling anyone who hasn't heard who checks into this hotel that they are part of the investigation team. If they don't like it, they can go somewhere else. Now, I've got other 'Head of Town' businesses to take care of. Tom, say hello to your brother for me." Mayor Scotch gave a curt wave before heading out.
"Er, well then," Tom said after Mayor Scotch left, "you boys can go ahead and give out the news... I haven't gotten my sleep, and I need it if I'm going to be greeting more bloody customers the rest of this darned month..." He walked away, holding his head, and retiring to his own room, Room 001, right next to 003.
"Well...now that they're gone..." Nick walked into room 003.
((BoA, can you repost what the room looks like?))
"Hold it! Mira ran after the Mayor. "You have failed to explain why you are so certain that he would die if things aren't done right. Why do you say that the Phantom will kill him if something goes wrong?"
(( Yep, if you guys ever need more description or repeated stuff etc, just ask. I've got more time now, so I'll make a more in-depth description. ))
The room looked like every other hotel room. There was a white rug, a bed against the wall on the right side of the room and a nightstand with sleeping pills to the right of the bed. The closet was closed, against the wall that the entrance/exit was on. The opposite wall had a beautiful mahogany dresser, untouched and empty. The bathroom door on the opposite side of the bed was shut. The most unusual thing about the room was at the dead center was a noose, and hanging from it was the beaten and dead girl. All she wore was a white lace nightgown and underwear, and her name has been identifed as Sage.
---
The Mayor blinked, his hand on the door. "If we do something wrong when trying to catch him, we'll give him the upper hand in killing us," the Mayor explained. "I understand you want to find the killer, son, but it is aggrevating getting questioned when I ordered this detective business in the first place! If you are done with your questions, I've got a Halloween Festival to plan!"
"You specified the target specifically. Why do you think he will be next?"
Nick walked around the room and went straight for the sleeping pill bottle. He picked it up and then took a close look to see how empty it was.
"Hm...? Oh, no. That was a general statement. If I knew you were going to take your job so seriously, I might have just kept my trap shut. You're almost as bad as young Zachary. Oh, the hell you two would put me through if you youngsters were to team up..." Mayor Scotch sighed and covered his hands as to take a moment of peace. "I'm done answering questions. I'm already late for my meeting and I haven't gotten much sleep lately." Mayor Scotch opened the door and closed it behind him, leaving for his important meeting.
The bottle was completely empty, except for two pills.
Hm...pretty empty which means she uses sleeping pills chronically to get to sleep or... He turned the bottle around trying to find a date that the bottle was purchased on.
He's the most suspicious person in this case. I understand that he's busy, but his comments about keeping quiet make me wonder.... Mira ran back to the hotel and retrieved the keys to his room. He made his to his room, but noticed that someone was in room 003. "Hey! Are you a detective working on the case?"
(( Alright, looks like you guys have found Clue 1, the Pill Bottle. But clue 2, which I pointed out twice has still yet to be found. Not every clue is needed to find the murderer, but any clue you can get will help. ))
The bottom of the pill bottle had a price sticker. It said that the bottle was $14.85 from Generally Open. The date said it was purchased three days prior to the accident.
Woah! One woman can't consume one bottle of sleeping pills in just three days! Could this possibly be...the murder weapon? Nick looked at the nuse. That nuse could very well be a ruse to throw us off track...but if it is...why? Nick took a closer look at Sage and the ground around her. Or could even the pills be a ruse of some sort...
Mira entered the room. "Hey there, can you tell me what you have found so far?" Mira asked Nick.
"Huh?" Nick turned to Mira. Hm...this was that guy I caught a glimps of in the lobby. "Oh, yeah. I've found one thing that was a pretty interesting." He said holding up the almost empty pill bottle. "I found this pill bottle. It's almost completely empty despite the fact that it was bought just three days ago."
"There's no way she could consume all of that medicine in 3 days! Taking such large doses would result in death by overdose." Mira said, looking at the victim. "Listen, since you are already on this trail, why don't you head over to where ever she bought that medicine? I'll see about getting the bottle -and everything else relevant to this case- checked for fingerprints."
"Alright...but before I go, are you sure that..." He took another look at the bottle. "...Generally Open is...um...open at this time?" He then handed the bottle over to Mira.
(( Well, Generally Open is generally open :P. Guess you'll have to find out what time it opens. It is currently 5 AM. ))
Mira started looking for some type of indication that would indicate when the store opens. "It might. I'll bring this to the police and see what they say about it." Mira said, referring to the bottle.
"Hm...Well, I'll go there to see if it's open. If not, I'll just come back." And with that, he left the room, went across the hall into his own room and put a sweater with a pumpkin on the front over the T-shirt he was wearing and left the hotel.
(( There are no police in this town. That's why you guys have to do the work. *evil laughter* Another hint: That sleeping pill doesn't explain the bludgened head. Why would the killer possibly overdose the victim when it seems they just ended up banging up their head to make Sage unconcious anyway? Hmmm... ))
Mira took the bottle with him and went into the lobby, and up to the front desk. "Hey, do you know if the general store is open or not?" Mira asked the receptionist.
Nick looked around muttering, "Hm...Generally Open...Generally Open." As he looked for the store.
Mary checked her watch, 5 AM, and thought back to when the General Store opened. "Hm..." she took a moment to do some quick math in her head before responding with, "It opens at 4 AM. All day, everyday. Well, generally, at least."
---
Half the stores were in a line spread about 100 feet apart around the circle, the other half were spread about 100 feet on the other side. This part of town was called 'Redo Drive'. Generally Open was the big yellowish building on the inside of the circle near the Maple Hotel. Mary was right, it did open at 4. Flashing lights saying "We're Generally Open Now" gave that away.
Nick spotted the store due to the large sign. "Ah, there it is." He briskly walked to the store and entered it.
"Alright. Do you think they would sell the stuff required for fingerprinting?"
Mary clicked her tongue as she thought about the answer to that question. "Well... We're a small town. I'm sure Generally Open sells magnifying glasses, ink, and things like that. It wouldn't be as high tech as what the police nowadays have... But you could possibly get somewhere with it, right?"
A man in his late 30's with spiky black hair and green eyes with a lively smile came to greet Nick. He was wearing black pants, a white polo and an orange apron over it that said 'Generally Open'. "Hello and welcome to Generally Open!" Michael Stone greeted. "I'm the only employee here, so if you have any questions, just ask me."
"That should be good enough. Say, could you record my data on your blog? It may help the other detectives who might stumble upon the site."
"Ah, I do have some questions to ask you." Nick said walking up to the front counter. "You do sell sleeping pills here, right?"
"We sell generally everything," Michael replied. "Why, are you having trouble sleeping? If it's because of that certain someone, we all understand. I could give you a discount, if you'd like."
Mary nodded. "Sure, I can record everything. Just give me the info, and I'll write it down. Plus, if I find something you didn't know, you can always check the blog."
Hm...certain someone? Nick's curiosity got the best of him. "I only come here for Octorber. Who is this...certain someone?"
"Alright, thanks. I'll go to the store and get what I need to perform the test." Mira said, as he started on his way to Generally Open.
(( I decided I'd actually make Mary's blog XD. It's under clues, if that matters. ))
"You know... Well, if you don't know... The Mayor would be mad if I scared off people with the story," Michael said nervously. "Everyone would, we need tourists this season for money."
A dark shadow followed slowly behind Mira as he left the hotel.
Mira detected something and stopped walking. He turned around to see what he was detecting.
"Wait...is this certain someone the Phantom?" Nick said. Well...I should have seen that one comeing.
No one was there, but a shadow on the ground behind Mira led into an alley between Maple Hotel and the shop next door.
"Oh, yes well, the Phantom, too," Michael replied, getting nervous. "It's good that you know about the Phantom yet haven't left town. And who I was talking about isn't quite as bad. Of course, I would never offer sleeping pills to someone who was having trouble sleeping because of the Phantom. I would tell them they should stay awake! Who knows when it'll come out and attack?"
And...maybe I didn't see it coming. "Oh, so the Phantom isn't that person. Who is he...or she?"
"If you're there, show yourself." Mira said, trying to determine what he detected.
"It's himm" Michael said, rolling his eyes at the thought. "The annoying kid who claims he's the phantom, goes out and keeps everyone awake at night, it started a couple months ago. But anyway, he's our other shame, besides the Phantom of course."
A pebble skipped across Mira's feet, coming from somewhere in the shadows of the Maple Hotel. Other than that, nothing.
Mira took the pebble and threw it back where it came from.
"Ah, so it's just a little kid." Nick said. A kid wouldn't have any useful information about this. "Say, did a woman come in here three days ago and get some sleeping pills?"
Alex walked up to Mary, and asked, "Excuse me, but is there a chair I can borrow?"
"A chair?" Mary asked. "Um, sure." She pointed to the few that were in the lobby. "As long as you put it back. And may I ask, why?"
"I think he's 18. Lord knows how I constantly find him with beer..." Michael sighed. "As for a girl coming in here to buy sleeping pills? Madam Rosina, perhaps? I'm not sure if it was 3 days ago, but she definitely came recently for them. Zachary's been getting me more clients then ever!"
A pair of feet shuffled out of the way of the pebble. For a moment, a pair of white sneakers and baggy blue jeans could be seen, but then they went right back into the shadows. A stone then went flying at Mira, followed by snickering.
Oh...18 so maybe he could have some information...anyways. "Has anybody else come in here three days ago?" Nick said. Anybody who came in here that wasn't that girl could very well be a suspect...
"I want to look at something." Alex said. He knew that the woman would be curious as to why, So he just took a chair and took it to Room 003 to get a better look at the noose.
Mira fell on his knees to dodge the stone, then twirled around on the ground to end in a sitting position. "Ok, what the hell do you want?" Mira asked the entity in the shadows. "I know you're there, so you might as well."
"I'm the murderer," the voice hissed in a fake deep voice. "You can't stop me!"
"Let me think... Madam Rosina, Freddy, and my son, Keith. Well, those are the people who bought sleeping pills. Tim Barton also came in for some clothes and things to make costumes."
"No, you can't stop me." Mira said, mocking this so-called 'murderer'.
Nick fiddled around for a pencil and a notepad but couldn't find one but since he was in a convenience store, he grabbed a sharpened pencil and a notepad and put it on the counter. "How much will this be?"
"$1.85," Michael replied, getting behind the counter. "Would you like a bag to put your purchase in?"
"Stop you from what?" the voice asked. "Getting me even more publicity? I'm fine with you throwing my name all around town. Just know, I shall always be the victor."
(( pokemaster, any specific details you are looking for about the noose?))
((anything not right. cause that is what detectives look for.))
"No thank you." Nick said tossing two dollars on the counter. He flipped open the notebook and wrote down the three names.
((Will those names be put in the clues section or something?))
"If you really were the murderer, I'd be dead by now. How's about I get you to jail for pretending to be the Phantom? You know what, how about this: if you come with me to the general store and no one recognizes you, then I'll forget about putting you away, allowing you to do whatever you want. And if someone does recognize you, then I'll send you to jail. Ok? Do you want to risk it? Or will you admit you are just a punk who thinks it's fun to scare people with some as serious as this?"
(( The names will be put under Suspects/Important People once they have been met. Until then, you'll just have to remember who they were. ))
The noose was just a rope nailed to the cieling, and the body was still attached to it.
---
"Your logic is off," came the deep reply. "If I live in this town, I'd be recognized regardless." The kid pretending to be the phantom stepped out into the light. He had spiky, greasy black hair and angry blue eyes. "But I do know who the killer is."
---
Michael Stone gave him back his 15 cents in change and put the rest of the money in the cash register. "Hm... Are you a detective?" he asked as he noticed him jot things down on the paper.
"Well...sort of." Nick said. I wonder...is there anything else I need to ask him?...
It's just an old rope. Alex thought as he looked at it.
"It's definitely not you. Besides, you pretty much admitted you are not the killer by responding to me in that way. Now is there something you want? Or do you want me to get you put away for harassing the people?"
Name: Jonathan Weatherly
Age: 19
Personality: Good-natured enough, though rather impatient. He does have a mean side though. Altruistic.
Appearance: Black hair that covers his left eye., blue eyes. Wears a red shirt and dark blue jeans
Bio: Jonathan came to Maple Circle for Halloween, and is completely unaware of the Phantom.
Other Info: Eh... None.
You said there are no police in Maple Circle, yet on Page 2, you say that the "police arrived fairly quickly." :) You also spelled "reaping" wrong on the first page. I'm just picky. <_<
(( Yes, the Police did arrive quickly. They came from a different town, only to see the act. But, they explained that they weren't obliged to help, and they didn't want to get into the whole mess, so they left. And yeah, I know about the spelling error. Every time I go there to edit something, I always forget to change that...
Anyway, your character has been approved. You start by entering the hotel to claim a room. The time is now 6:30 AM))
"An unofficial detective forced into duty by the Mayor," Michael said simpathetically. "He's been getting more and more obsessed with catching this killer."
---
"I already admitted to not being the killer. And you can't put me away for starting up conversation. There is something I wanted from you, though. I hear you're starting to search for the Phantom of Maple Circle. This is true, right?" the 21 year old asked, lighting up a cigarette as he did so.
"Yes, what's your point?"
Jonathan walked into the hotel and to the receptionist desk. "May I have a room, please?" he asked.
Mary Wright looked up and gave a curt nod to Jonathan. She handed him a room key for room 210. "That'll be $50 per week. Oh, and before you go, the owner of this hotel requests to speak to anyone who wishes to stay at this hotel. I'll buzz him in."
Tom, the owner, walked out of his room upon getting buzzed in. He walked into the lobby and looked Jonathan up and down. "Mayor Scotch requests that all guests staying at this hotel must become part of the unofficial detectives looking for the Phantom. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns on this matter, please ask Mary Wright, the receptionist." Mr. Mann said this rather dryly, as if he had been practicing for it, yet never wanted to have to say it.
---
"I might have some information about the murders. I may even know who the killer is," Zachary replied, taking a long drag and blowing out donut shaped circles.
"Alright, are you the murderer, do you know who the murderer is, or do you think you know who the murderer is? Do keep in mind that you did state that you were the murderer, yet you later said you admitted that you were not the murderer, just like I said."
"Yeah...But I do intend on finding out who the killer is." Nick said as he turned around and began to leave looking at his notepad. Hm...I think I'll give Madam Rosina a visit.
"Uh... What is Phantom?" asked Jonathan.
"The Phantom is the murderer we're all trying to catch," L told Jonathan. "As of right now, there aren't as many leads as I'd like, but..."
"Fascinating," commented Jonathan. "What has been discovered so far?"
"The last murder was in this very hotel," L stated, scratching his left ankle with his right foot. "The victim was hung from a noose, and from what I've gathered, there were sleeping pills on top of the victim's drawer. Therefore, suicide could be possible, but... it seems more as if this was the Phantom's work."
"Perhaps either the pills or the rope was just to get us off track?" said Jonathan.
"Perhaps..." L muttered. "...No matter what the case is, this is almost inevitably(sp?) the Phantom's work."
"Has the room remained untouched other than by investigators? Are the girl, the noose, and the pills still there?" inquired Jonathan. "Also, is it possible to run an autopsy on her?"
(( I decided I'll give you guys 3 hints a day. If you need a clue, ask for it. After a hint is given, I will skip ahead an hour. I'm giving you one more hint for today, then you're on your own until tomorrow. Nobody has yet to check Sage's room entirely. The missed her bed, drawer, closet, and bathroom. 2 of those places have clues. ))
Zachary yawned. "I'm bored of talking with you," he stated. "And I shouldn't be givin' you info. I should be making it harder." He gave a cold laugh, then raised an eyebrow as if a new thought just occured to him. "But... If you'll help me, I'll help you."
---
Madame Rosina worked at Score, the Music Shop right next to The Winning Circle, the sports store.
Nick decided to walk back to the hotel and walked up to the receptionist. "Um...do you know where Madame Rosina lives? Or possibly where she should be right now?"
Didn't I make a similar offer? No wait; that was a threat. "What do you want?" Mira said, somewhat calmer.
L silently slipped away, and walked to the room where the murder had taken place.
((Is there anyone else in the room?))
Alex heard some walking towards the room and quietly hid behind the door. He was determined to find out who it was and what there intentions were.
(Yeah, alex is there)
"Madam Rosina is probably managing her store, Score," Mary Wright replied. She quickly typed something into her computer, then nodded assuringly. "Yeah, it opened about a half an hour ago, at 8 o'clock."
---
"I want you to get me a date, then I'll give you what I know," Zachary Smith replied. "Mary Wright, do you know her?" He flicked his cigarette and coughed some smoke before lighting a new one.
"Hmmmmm..... I might have, but I don't really know anyone's name." Except for me and that L guy. "What does she do for a living? That may help."
((The names were mentioned in the narration, which is why Mira did not catch the names. L announced his name in Mira's presence)).
"She's a receptionist at the Maple Hotel. But she owns a blog, as well," Zachary replied. He took a comb and slicked his hair back, then re-adjusted his black jacket. "You're staying at the hotel, so you must have seen her."
"Yes, I have, but the relationship I have with her -no, not that kind of relationship- may delay your request. Then again..... Did you ask her yourself?"
Bored, Jonathan followed L to Room 003.
((Sorry if it's been answered before, but is the dead girl still hanging on the noose?))
(( Yes, she is. And, no problem, I encourage asking questions that have already been answered. Whenever you need more description, have a question, blah blah blah, go ahead and ask. That way it'll be easier for you to imagine everything, thus able to figure out the killer. ))
"I may have asked her before," Zachary replied dismissively as he twirled his cigarrette around in his fingers. "That's not important now. You get me this date, I get you your info. That's all you need to know."
"Well when trying to get dates for other people, I need to know my clients history with the target."
Jonathan, not paying much attention to L or Sage's body, approached the closet and opened it.
Let's see, if she hung herself, then there'd be a chair, unless she used the bed. Or if someone killed her, they might have hidden something in the closet or drawer. Suckish hiding spots, but nonetheless...
Zachary rolled his eyes and threw the cigarette butt onto the ground. "I think we've talked once or twice. She may have turned me down once or twice. It's not a big deal. I get offers from better women everyday," he admitted, shrugging it off.
---
The noose was distanced away from everything else that it would have been hard for anything but a chair to have been used. The closet had nothing inside but some suitcases filled with Sage's clothes among other important utensils for daily use.
"Well...thank you." Nick said to Mary as he left the hotel and looked for Score.
"Ok, well I need to go get fingerprinting tools. Once I get back to the hotel, I'll try to bring that up, alright?"
Jonathan sifted through the closet for a moment, but found nothing. He turned to his attention to the drawer next, and opened it. However, as he walked over to the drawer, he noticed that the noose was rather distant from everything else.
So it was probably murder... There's no chair anywhere near her...
He opened the drawer and searched through the contents.
"As soon as I get my date, you'll get your info," Zachary shrugged. With that, he grabbed his skateboard and sped off.
---
Score was the pink roofed colonial looking shop with antique pianos in the windows. It was hard to miss, since it looked so much different from the others.
---
The drawer was completely empty. It seemed Sage never had a chance to empty her contents into it.
Mira sighed, then continued on his original path; to Generally Open.
So nothing in here... Where else to look... Bathroom?
Jonathan entered the bathroom somewhat apprehensively.
((Yay for the process of elimination!))
Nick's eye caught Score. Well...If she wanted to get people to notice her store...she did a good job of doing it. He then proceeded to walk in.
The bathtub was filled with hot water, and the steam had made the mirrors fog up. It looked like something was once written on the window, but now you could not read the words.
---
A plump, old woman greeted him in a rich, educated voice. She wore thin, clear glasses at the end of her nose and wore her mousy brown hair in a tight bun. Her hands were surprisingly bony as she placed them together and said, "Welcome to Score, my lovely shop. I am Madam Rosina, please look, but don't dare touch."
She definitely looks like the type to own a music shop. "Ah, don't worry about that. I've only had some questions for you."
Alex quietly followed Johnathan in to the bathroom.
It's got to be here somewhere.... Oh! There it is! Mira saw Generally Open and entered the building.
"What the hell?" said Jonathan to no one in particular. Why would the bath tub be full?I doubt her killer wanted her clean and fresh for her death. Unless he was trying to send a message by purposely fogging the glass. It seems that there was something written on that window, but I guess we're too late to see any message that might have been there.
He hadn't noticed Alex yet, but as he turned around to go search the more, he noticed him and almost jumped backward.
"Questions?" barked Madam Rosina, putting her beaky nose high in the air. "Hmph! Why, how rude of you to storm in my shop and try asking me questions! As if I am not already busy! What rubbish! Are you trying to make mockery of my shop, boy? Do you not find it interesting enough, that you think I have time for questions?"
---
"Hello!" Michael greeted Mira. "I'm Michael Stone, nice of you to drop by. Is there anything specific you are looking for this fine day?"
"I need fingerprinting supplies. Can you provide the items required for fingerprinting?"
((Okay, new question. Is there any way to do an autopsy on Sage at the moment?))
Yeah...she looks REALLY busy with this EMPTY shop right now. "I-I'm sorry. It's just that I'm..." I think I might have to lie to her first to get some respect. "I'm head of the Maple Circle Detective Agency."
(( Sure, if you could find someone, or would be willing yourself, to cut her open and check out her insides. I'd suggest getting the approval from the Mayor, or atleast the owner of the hotel. ))
"Fingerprinting supplies?" Michael frowned, thinking about the tools needed for that. "Well, we don't have anything high-tech like that... Perhaps you'd just like some ink? You could imprint your fingers with that... Or maybe some clay? They make wonderful key imprintations."
---
"Detective Agency?" Madam Rosina raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes at Nick. "You have questions for me? Are you saying that you are suspicous of an innocent lttle lady like myself? As God as my witness, I have done nothing wrong."
"Yes, those are fingerprinting supplies. Now can you demonstrate the fingerprinting abilities of the clay?"
"Oh no, we don't suspect that you are a...erm...suspect." Nick tried to not show how nervous he was. This old woman is really grinding me down here! "I just need to ask you a few questions and I will be on my way." Hopefully
((Wow Boa, you sure do make the popular rps of the year.))
Name: Xander Firewood
Age: 38
Personality: Laid-back, genius, and thinks of others before himself. Leader qualities.
Appearance: Red-firey colored hair. Cut really short and mini spikes all over. Green eyes, deep set, jaws average, 5'11, and slim. Muscular as well.
Bio: Xander was the best CIA agent in the country. However, he retired due to the organization "losing its fun", Xander was trying to get a vacation at Maple Hotel, when he comes along this investigation of the phantom.
Other Info: Even though he's on vacation, he still does take precautions, CIA rules were programmed into his brain apparently. He brought a 9-millimeter desert eagle, GPA, cell phone, and mini stun grenades.
((summary please?))
******
Xander was in his usual Billabong flame t-shirt and jeans. He had his luggage bag in one hand while having his "precaution" equipment in the other.
"Hopefully, I never do this again." Xander walked up to the Maple Hotel and asked the man at the front desk.
"Hi. I would like to check into a room for about month so I can see the halloween fesitival. Is there a room available?" He asked politely.
(( I know, it's weird... Pretty much everything you need to know is in the first post. All the clues, people, places are all there. Everyone's out doing their own thing, forced to be part of the detective crew by the Mayor. You can begin by entering the Hotel and talking with the receptionist, Mary Wright. ))
"Oh well, you could mold a hand from it, but I doubt you could get a nicely done fingerprint. I've never tried it, though. I'd stick with the ink. But, to be honest, I'm not very good with stuff like that," Michael admitted.
---
"If I am not a suspect in whatever crime is being committed these days, then why the need for questions?" Madam Rosina asked, moving past Nick now, seemingly more relaxed now, to polish a trumpet.
"Even if I do get the ink, I'll still need something to extract the fingerprint that needs to be examined. Is there anything here I can use for that (i.e. powders and such)?"
"...Miss...Miss Wright? Is that your name?" Xander asked again, feeling like the lady wasn't responding to him at all.
"Well, you may just have some information that could be essential to solving the murder." Nick said feeling a little bit more relaxed. "Now, to begin, three days ago did you go to Genreally Open to buy some sleeping pills?"
"MISS!" Xander tried shaking her.
"Jeez, am I talking to myself?"
Mary looked up from her computer. "Oh, I'm sorry sir!" she apologized. "I was just very busy with my blog... I've been checking into the- Er, nevermind. I can get you your room as soon as the owner has a quick word with you. I'll buzz him in." Mary buzzed Tom Mann in, and he walked out of room 001 a few moments later.
"Hello, welcome to our hotel," Tom sighed. "Because of Mayor Scotch's new law, all peoples staying at this hotel must join the detective team created to stop the killer on the loose. If you have any questions, please ask Mary Wright, our receptionist here a the Maple Hotel." With that, Tom walked back out, seeming annoyed.
---
"We have... baby powder," Michael replied hesitantly. "Would that work?"
---
Madam Rosina's eyes widened at the word 'murder', but she quickly attained her usual decorum. "I do not remember buy sleeping pills," she stated blantly. "Why is this important?"
"That depends, what color is the baby powder?"
"Well, one of the clues found at the murder scene was an almost empty bottle of Generally Open sleeping pills." Nick said. "It was bought three days ago and whoever had went and bought any could very well become a suspect. Now about my other question, do you know a girl named Sage?"
"White," Michael replied. "That's the only color baby powder we sell."
---
"Sage? No, I've never heard of her," Madam Rosina replied, now polishing a french horn, farther away from Nick.
"Hmmmm.... Do you have black dye?"
"No," Michael replied, "only the Costume Shop sells dye. You can still buy some ink from here, and I can give you directions to the Suit 'Em Up, Costume Shop. Well, it's the black and purple building a few shops down."
"Wait, hold up! I came for vacation, not-" But the man had already left.
"Well, there goes my plan for getting out of the stupid CIA world." He sighed and turned to the lady. (( can't spell reciopnist good.))
"So, where is the detective team anyway?"
"Or I could use the ink as the dye."
"Hm..." Why is she getting farther away?...Maybe she is lying...but then again, I don't have the proof at the moment to prove that she does know Sage. I better leave now. "Well, thank you for your cooperation. I'll have to be leaving now." Nick said as he headed toward the exit.
((Tom mann is rude lol))
Xander sighed once more, and picked up his luggage.
"Well, if there's a killer, I'm glad I just didn't bring my "precaution" equipment. I was going to donate it to the little kiddies but hey, now my detective equipment can be put of use."
(( The more guests that arrive at his hotel, the worse he gets =P... ))
"Leave? I don't think so," Madam Rosina replied in such a sweet voice that it was obviously intended for evil. "You've drilled questions on me. So now you owe me something. Don't think I'll just let you walk out of here after putting me through that torture!"
---
Mary shrugged at him. "They all went in different directions. A few of them are out interrogating, and a few are at the first murder scene." She then handed him a key with his room number on it, 321.
---
"You could do that," Michael agreed, not offering much help on the matter. "I'm sure we are less expesive than the Costume Shop, but I am not trying to discourage you from going there. It is a nice shop that you should buy your costume for Halloween from!"
"I'll do that after I get the 'crime lab' set up. Now is there a hospital or anything anywhere?"
Nick just froze in front of the doorway suddenly going into a nervous sweat.Oh god! What hell have I unleashed upon myself?
"Hospital, Jail, and all that are at the neighboring town," Michael replied. "Mayor Scotch refused to set up any of those 'with such a great cost, when we have them right next door, only an hour away'."
---
"First things first," Madam Rosina said with a smirk, pulling Nick further into her shop by the shoulder, "this Sage girl is dead, correct? No way for her to live on or be brought back?"
"Well, uh, yes. She was hung last night, possibly killed by an overdose of sleeping pills." Nick said as he was helplessly dragged by Madam Rosina.
((Um...just so you know, you're horribly off, hardly anybody is together...maybe Wolf does need a summary BoA so he doesn't go blindly running into this kind of problem. >_>; ))
Guess I'll have to go MacGuyver on this one. "Alright, I'll buy some ink. Oh! Do you have any brushes? Also, we need to be able to perform autopsies, but we lack the tools. Do you have things like knives and salad tongs (or something similar) available?"
(( Jonathan, the dead girl, and Alex are all in the hotel. Mira is at Generally Open, and Nick is at Score. You just mixed a bunch of those together XD. Just thought I'd clear it up. I'll give you a summary in a mo'. Just need to look over stuff. ))
"Hm," she replied, her mouth twitching, as if she wanted to smile but would not let herself. "So, now that you are here in my shop, I expect you to buy something. It is only good decorum to do so after putting a woman through so much."
---
"We've got brushes and knives," Michael replied, happy to see things were finally working out. "I can go out and get you the supplies, I'll be back in a moment." Michael came back with a small brush, a big brush, a small knife, a big knife, and black ink. "You can choose which of these items you'd like, and if you want different sizes, I can go get some for you."
"I'll take the small knife, the large brush, the ink, and do you have glossy paper?"
"Uh..." Nick was a bit dumbfounded. Well...this is sure one heck of a way to run a buisness...Now what can I buy that might help the case?...
((Thanks))
"Will you put my luggage in my room miss?" Xander walked out of the hotel, bowed, and stepped outside. He took out his Desert Eagle, and took it off safety. He headed into town and saw a man and a woman talking in a music store that had the sign 'Score'. He thought he could get answers from them and walked in casually, holding up the gun.
"Hmm, do you guys sell Guns N' Roses?"
"Sure, I've got plenty of that," Michael said, pointing to a rack right next to Mira filled with different kinds of paper, glossy being one of them. "Just take what you need and I'll add up your total."
---
"You seem like a flute or harmonica person. Perhaps a clarinet? Something small..." Madam Rosina said as she looked through her items. "Or maybe you'd like a wonderful book on music? No, no, you aren't the reading type..." Madam Rosina looked up at Xander as he walked in. "Oh my! What do you think you're doing, carrying a gun in my shop!" she snapped at him. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave!"
(( Summary: Sage was found, hanged, in room 003 of the hotel. She has not been moved from that spot, and police from neighboring towns refuse to help the case. Mayor Scotch declared that everyone from the hotel would be forced to do the job. Nick and Alex are currently looking for clues in room 003, while Mira is trying to get finger prints for the sleeping pills bottle that was found. Nick is interrogating the people of town, and is currently being held hostage in Score, the music shop. For info on clues etc, look at the first post. ))
Mira took a pack of glossy paper and brought it to the other stuff. "I think that's all I need for now. Wait! Do you have latex gloves?"
Flute?...Clarinet?...Do I look feminine or something? "I think I'll have the harmo-..." He saw that she was distracted by the man with the gun. Wow...normally people treat a person with a gun pointed at their face with more respect.
"I'm not leaving until I get some answers." Xander threatened, pointing the gun at Madame Rosina.
"Now, I want both of you, yes I can see you too," Xander motioned toward the man around the corner. "to tell me everything you know about Sage's death."
"Um...are you part of the new detective force too?" Nick asked.
"That I don't carry," Michael admitted. "The Costume Shop probably does. You could check there on your way out. Your current total is $18.95. Would you like a bag to carry your items in, or are you still shopping?"
---
"I know nothing of this girl!" snarled Madam Rosina. "Why does everyone keep asking me about it? Do I look like a killer to you? Now, if you don't put that gun down, you'll be going to jail. I can make sure of that!"
"You think? All I wanted was a vacation, and this... dude says I have to solve some mystery because a girl got drunk and hanged herself. Now give me answers boy!"
Xander looked at Madame Rosina and took out his old CIA badge.
"I'm high authority, and my questions will go unanswered, am I making myself clear?"
"I'll take the bag." Mira said, as he took out a 20.
"Listen, if you want to find out about the murder, go to the scene of the crime. Now If you excuse me, I'm leaving!" He said pushing past Xander and getting out of the store before either of them could stop him.
"It has been great shopping with you!" Michael told him, giving him a bag filled with his purchase and his change. "Have a great day and visit Generally Open again!"
---
Madam Rosina glared at Xander. "I know nothing of this girl. I had no idea this happened until that boy who just left told me abut it. Now, unless you are going to buy something, I suggest you leave."
The current time is 10 AM.
"Not so fast boy." Xander took out his stun grenade and threw it in front of Nick, setting it off in front of him. A briliiant flash of light lit the room. Xander covered his eyes and opened them again.
"Sorry about that Madame, I have got what I want."
"Alright, thanks. Now where is the costume store?"
((And suddenly he has a stun grenade. -_-; It's not that hard to just go to the scene of the crime and check it out yourself.
Nick was partially blinded by it but he was determined to leave. I'm not going to be informing him with how rudely he treats me. I'm just going to keep goi- He then ran into a tree. Ow...He stepped to the side and continued going as he started to regain sight.
((Actually, he has stated that he had a stun grenade with him)).
"It's the black and purple shop a few shops down, hard to miss," Michael explained, making an arm motion to help show where it was. "The shops are all in a row, so just look for the black and purple one."
---
"Just go," Madam Rosina said in a sad, defeated voice that seemed played. She held one hand across her face and pointed the other limply at the door. She seemed as if she was about to burst into tears.
((...Shut up. >_>; ))
((Kind of hard to do while RPing :P ))
"Ok, thanks. See ya!" Mira left Generally Open and started to look for the costume store, entering it when located.
((Well...um...LOOK! A DISTRACTION! *points one way and runs the opposite direction*))
Nick was now beginning to regain enough vision to read again. Okay...next on my list to ask is...Freddy.
((Sorry Hobo, but I did say that I did.))
"Adue Madame." Xander left and ran towards Nick.
"You know, for someone about your age, you did a nice job of surviiving one of my stun grenades. Then again, it was set on "surprise", so anyway, your coming with me." Xander once again pointed the gun at Nick and motioned for him to lead him to the crime scene.
Hm...I suppose I could consider that a compliment...but...whatever."Listen, we're on the same team here. Don't be threatening me with a gun now." Nick said. "You can go to the scene yourself. I'll be out interrogating people."
"You know what? I really don't care. You can go interrogating people as soon as I see the girl with you in plain sight." Xander cocked the gun warningly.
"Why...Why is it so important that I go with you? Are you scared or something?"
"Maybe, or I'm afraid I'll lose you and you can do something disastrous. Just lead me to the girl, and I can confirm whether you had anything to do with this or not. Don't ask quesitons, I was in the CIA, so sorry this is so pushy." Xander pushed the gun in Nick's back, giving him his final warning.
"You really don't need that gun, you know." Nick said. "Didn't the receptionist at the hotel tell you where the murder was?"
Xander had enough of this boy. He brought down the head of the gun hard on Nick's head.
"Too late." Xander chuckled to himself.
(( It is now 5 PM. Major time skip :P ))
Tim Barton stood behind the cash register about 20 feet ahead. He had curly brown hair that was graying, with a graying brown goatee to match it. He wore sunglasses with purple shades over his brown eyes, and a black cap. All around Mira were shelves filled with different costumes and things to make different costumes. The room was dimly lit and had a eery feel.
---
Mary Wright walked back into the hotel carrying a box and a notepad. She dropped the box at her desk and opened it. She took out about 11 or 12 cell phones and began using them. After what took about 5 minutes, she got onto her computer and began writing in her blog.
Mira walked up to the register. "Excuse me, but I heard you sell latex gloves. Is that true?"
Tim nodded silently and turned his head toward an aisle that had a a few buckets filled with packages of gloves of different kinds.
"Thanks." Mira went to the indicated aisle and grabbed a package of latex gloves, then went back to the counter.
"3.75," Tim croaked.
"k." Mira took out a 5 and gave it to Tim.
Tim eyed Mira strangely as he slowly stuffed the 5 in his cash register while giving Mira back his change. "Did you want something else to go with that? I have an entire costume for a doctor."
"Naw, I wanna do something else for Halloween. I'm just here so I can get latex gloves to help us with our investigation."
"Investigation? Of poor little Sage's death?" Tim gave a short chuckle. "I'm sure she deserved what she got. Just like I'm sure the Phantom will be after you now that you've involved yourself into this. What a perfect scary story... Maybe I shall create a movie out of it."
"Try that after I'm dead. Anyways, we need the gloves for the autopsy. I'm sure we will have other uses for the gloves, but for now, it's just for the autopsy."
Tim smiled. "Fine, then. Good luck with your autopsy," he said, waving for him to leave.
"Thanks." Mira grabbed the package of glove, then went back to the hotel.
"Mira!" Mary Wright exclaimed when he walked in. "You're just in time." First she handed him a cell phone that resembled a Blackberry. "These are from Mayor Scotch. They can recieve calls, but can not make them. They do come with internet access, though. Mayor Scotch wanted you guys to have them in case he needs to talk to you. Also, I found out more information about Sage's death."
"Great." Mira took the phone, then put his supplies on the desk. "I've got the supplies, so we can check for fingerprints and perform autopsies."
Mary nodded excitedly, looking over the supplies. "Sage can wait, though. It's nearly 6 PM, don't you want to take a break and grab something to eat? Maybe something small, in case you get queasy during the operation."
"That's the problem. Eating right before an operation can cause queasiness. I could use a quick break through, but after the fingerprinting of the pill bottle." Mira took out the bottle, then too out the brush. He then opened the baby powder and poured some ink in. Then, he took his glove off to stir the ink in with his finger. "And now we wait for the mixture to dry." Mira said, putting his glove back on.
(( I just realize something, Wolpika, if your character is now retired, they would have taken his badge etc. from him after retirement. Which means he wouldn't have his CIA badge. ))
"Hey!" a brawny man yelled, running over to Nick and Xander. "What the hell is going on over here?" He had blonde hair with bangs that stopped right above his blue eyes. He was wearing a football jersey that said 'Haves 31' and jeans.
---
"Hm, well once it dries we should go around town getting fingerprints. On our way we could stop at Freddy's food mart and grab something to eat, if you'd like," Mary suggested.
"Alright then, but before that, and after the ink dries, we'll need to extract the fingerprints from the bottle and the victim."
"Ow! Jesus Christ!" Nick held his head where Xander hit him. "What the hell is your problem!?" He then turned to the man who came up to him. "This psyco won't leave me alone!"
Jake Haves folded his arms and looked over at Xander. "Is that true, sir?" he asked him.
---
Mary nodded. "How long does it take to dry?"
Nickcontinued holding his head where he was hit. It wasn't the first time he was hit on the head and he knew for sure that it wouldn't be his last. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where...um...Freddy is." I'm pretty sure Freddy was his name...
"Freddy works at the Grocery store," Jake told him, pointing to the longest building farthest down the street. "It's a huge food mart filled with restaurants and really good food. I'll escort you there, I was going there for dinner anyway."
"Ah, okay then." Nick said a bit thrown back. I think this is the first time this year that somebody has been nice to me here...
"About an hour or so, but we'd still need to crush the dried powder to make it finer than it is now."
"Alright, do you need to get a tool to help crush it? Or you could use the hilt of the knife," Mary suggested.
---
"So, you look like a new face," Jake commented as he started walking. "You staying here for the festival?"
"Actually, I come here every Octorber for the festival." Nick said to him. "People usually recognize me for my spiked-back hai-" He then realized it...He never had a chance to gel his hair so it was spiked back. I knew I was forgetting something today. "Oh...I guess I forgot to do it today."
((Amy? Who's Amy? :P ))
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, but the hilt is about .5x1 inches, but I don't think it will do a decent job."
(( I do that a lot >< *fixed* ))
"I wouldn't blame you," Jake sighed. "With a death in the hotel, you must have been quick to get out of there."
---
"Would this work?" Mary asked, taking a wooden dowel-like object from behind her desk. "...I like cooking in my spare time, and I use this to crush garlic."
"That should work."
"Well...I definitely was quick to investigate. And I was doing pretty good with interigation until he came in with his gun and flash grenades." Nick said with a sort of scowl on his face as he pointed back to Xander.
"Investigation?" Jake repeated, raising an eyebrow. "So, you're investigating the crimes... Pretty daring, I don't think I'd be able to knowing a killer would be out to get me."
---
"Great, here, you can have it," she said, handing it to him. "If worse comes to worse, you can use it to fend for your life."
"Thanks, but I'll only need it to crush the dry powder."
"Well...now that you put it that way..." At least now it won't be jet lag keeping me up tonight...
"Oh sorry," Jake apologized. "I'm sure this Phantom won't go after you as long as you keep it on the down low that you are after him. And I think you should also stay away from that guy with the guns and grenades. He seems a little suspicious..."
---
"Well, while we wait," Mary began, "I should tell you about the new info I found out." She put her elbows on the desk and leaned forward. "It turns out, Sage was having relations with Mayor Scotch. A secret affair that no one knew about. Madam Rosina found out about this, and got very mad at Mayor Scotch... I think she might have a thing for him." Mary giggled before continuing, "Sage came back this festival, and he turned her down. I think she was planning suicide, but the Phantom got to her first."
"That makes sense. Hopefully the fingerprints can help us determine who killed her, if anyone at all."
"You know, I'm more afraid of him killing me than getting killed by the Phantom. But enough about psycho over there. Which store did you say he was at?"
"The grocery store, right up ahead," Jake replied, nodding towards the building they had been walking towards. He took a look at his Rolex watch and then said, "It just turned 7 PM. All the best restauarants should be open now. You want to grab a bite to eat after you talk with Freddy? I could try to help you with your case."
---
"I think someone definitely killed her... I just think she was already dead when she got hanged. I mean, did you see the size of the dent in her skull? She was smashed up pretty good..." Mary replied, shivering slightly at a thought.
"But then what about the pills?" Mira asked, as he looked at the time on the phone he was given.
"Um...sure. Why not." Nick said with a shrug.
The exact time was 7:35 PM.
"I think Sage bought them to kill herself because she felt real love for Mayor Scotch, and when he cut her off so easily, she was hurt," Mary gave her opinion. "Have you checked her room for evidence to see if that's true?"
---
Jake walked through the sliding doors of Freddy's place. "Freddy's right over there," Jake said, pointing to a man with slick, long black hair, green eyes, and a small black moustache. He looked a lot like his brother, Tom Mann, other than his moustache and the fact that he wore his hair down.
"Ah, thank you." Nick said as he walked up to Freddy. "Hello there. I'm Nick, part of the new detective crew for this town. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
"The only evidence I can come up with is this pill bottle." Mira said, checking to see if the powder was dry yet.
((REally, are you in the CIA? Well, I'm not either, but he didn't retire officially, just kinda...well ditched them.))
Xander had enough with Nick, and decided to tell him that he was just having fun. He ran up to Nick to apolgolize.
"Nick right? Sorry about that, listen, CIA had a lot of rules programmed into my head, so excuse me back there, look watch!" Xander hit his arm with the head of the gun, and then suddenly without warning, it went off.
"AHHHHH! MOTHER OF PEARL!" Xander was crying out in pain, the gun was pointed at his left arm, which at first it wasn't.
"MY OWN GUN SHOT ME!" Xander tried to calm down but was still crying out in pain.
(( I know for a fact they take their stuff away. And just try not to attack the other members for no reason. I'll tell you right now that none of them did it, so don't waste their time when they're trying to figure out who is the murderer. ))
"Really? Looks like the killer left a dry case... We might have to wait for the Phantom to kill again before we can come up with anything," Mary sighed.
---
"Yes, I mind," grunted Freddy. "If you think just because Tom's my brother that I'd have access to his hotel, then you're wrong! You should be asking him some questions. Or maybe his pretty little receptionist. They're the only ones with keys." Then he watched as Xander walked in and shot himself. "Bloody hell! What the hell did you think you were doing! THE MAYOR'S GOING TO HAVE A FIELD DAY WITH THIS! NOW EVERYONE'S GOING TO THINK I SHOT YOU!" roared Freddy.
"Holy poop, what happened!?" Jake yelled, running over to them. "Hey, kid! Who shot you!?"
"I...I think he shot himself." Nick said with a look of surprise and shock on his face. ...Serves him right. that's karma for you.
((Real smooth... [/sarcasm]))
Jonathan exited the bathroom and searched the bed.
"Not necessarily. We can still perform an autopsy and take fingerprints of the evidence."
Underneath the bed was 1 inch of a handle of what looked like it had once been a dark blue, wooden baseball bat. There was a little bit of blood on it, as well.
---
"And let's hope we can do that quickly... Before something bad happens," Mary replied, a bit paranoid.
---
"Man, killing yourself isn't the way to go!" Jake growled angrily at him. "You're in deep trouble, now..."
"Yeah, you bloody hell better know that, kid!" Freddy cut in. "This is my store you just shot yourself in!"
"Alright. Can you crush that powder for a bit? I want to go back to the crime scene to see if anyone else is there. Maybe they found more evidence." Mira said, making his way to room 001.
Wow...this guy cares about the store more than someone else's life...It's not easy being the one to interrogate people.
Jonathan pulled out the handle of the former bat and stared at it for a moment.
"Whoa..."
Mary nodded, grabbed the dowel, and began crushing the powder for Mira.
Mira entered room 001. "Hello? Anyone in here?"
((You mean Room 003?))
Jonathan looked up at Mira when he entered.
"Uh... Look at this," he said, holding up the bat fragment.
((Yes, I did >.>; ))
"I see..... Well bring everything you find to the lobby so we can get extract the fingerprints (if any) from the bat, alright?"
"Alright," said Jonathan, heading out of the room to the lobby.
Mira also went to the lobby. "How's the powder coming?" Mira asked Mary.
Mary Wright had just finished crushing the powder when she saw Jonathan and Mira. "I think it seems crushed enough. I'm pretty good at crushing, since I do a lot of it in cooking."
Then, she turned to Jonathan and said, "I've got something for you from the Mayor." She took one of the cell phones from her box out and handed it to him. "It can't make any calls, but it can recieve them. And it's got internet access. Mayor Scotch wanted you to have it in case he needed to speak with you quickly."
"The only problem I have with that is the inability to contact the other detectives. Well, let's get the fingerprinting started." Mira said, as he took the brush and put it in the powder, then gently brushed the pill bottle to see if there are any fingerprints.
Fingerprints were present on the bottle. There were two sets of them.
Jonathan took the phone and set the bat on Mary's desk/workplace. He placed the phone in his pocket and observed the fingerprinting process.
"I see...." Mira took out a sheet of glossy paper and applied it to the fingerprints, applying pressure so the fingerprints would be transfered onto the paper. "As far as I can tell, these fingerprints indicate a transaction from the store clerk and the victim. I may be wrong, so I'm going to try to get the victim's fingerprints first..... Urmmmmm.... Does anyone have something like a sponge?"
((Did Mira even buy a sponge? X( ))
"Either way." Mira took out a pen and labeled the fingerprinted paper with the words 'pill bottle', then began the same process, but for the bat.
(( No, he didn't D: ))
"There are sponges in the bathroom. Just get one from Sage's room," Mary replied as she watched the process being done yet again to the bat handle with anticipation. "Wow, we were lucky to get the handle of the bat. That's where it is actually held from."
The bat had two sets of fingerprints on it.
"The bat was under the bed... Why would it be in such an obvious hiding place if the killer was trying to hide it?" wondered Jonathan to himself. Suddenly, he remembered something. "Hey, do you people have anything that could be used for an autopsy?"
The time is now 8 PM
"Mira was out buying stuff for an autopsy," Mary replied. "But I wouldn't suggest doing it tonight. You'll need your rest so you can continue this investigation tomorrow."
"I intend to perform the autopsy after I get the victim's fingerprints." Mira said, as he did the same thing (with another sheet of glossy paper) as before, except he labeled the paper with the words 'bat handle'. "This one I can't say what the deal is. Maybe if we found the rest of the bat, we might be able to get more details." Mira said, as he took another sheet of glossy paper and prepared a chart (soon to) compare the victim's fingerprints to the gathered evidence.
"Well, Jonathan touched it, didn't he?" Mary observed. "Wouldn't one of the fingerprints be his?"
"Even if he did, there's still a chance that there was a struggle between the victim and the Phantom."
Nick turned back to Freddy. "Okay, I'm sure that Jake can help him out. Now, I have a few questions to ask you."
Freddy mumbled something inaudible, then turned back to Nick. "What is it, then?" he asked.
"You," Jake said, pointing at Xander. "If you can walk, come with me. We'll get you to someone who can clean that wound up."
---
"I guess all that's left is getting the fingerprints," Mary stated.
"Well...three days ago, did you go to Generally Open?" Nick started off.
"Ay," Freddy replied. "Everyone goes to that store, because it meets your everyday needs."
...Hence the name Generally Open "Right. But did you buy any sleeping pills three days ago?"
"Hm... Yeah, yeah I did," Freddy replied. "That's the main reason I went. What is to you?"
Hm...he did buy pills, that does make him more of a suspect... "Hey, I'll be the one asking questions here." He said trying to be authorative as he could. "Do you know a girl named Sage?"
"Ahahahahahaha!" Freddy broke out in laughter. "Sage?" he repeated when he regained his breath. "Sure, I knew her. I'm pretty sure everyone in town slept with her. ...Well, everyone except Russell..."
Well...that's two for two now. He's becoming more likely to be the Phantom with each question. "Now...did you have any 'real' feelings for her or know anybody else that did?"
"Well, Russell liked her. Maybe because he was the only one she wouldn't take. And I recently found out long after she quit being a whore, she still came for the Mayor. In fact, he broke it off about 3-5 days ago, as I heard. I don't think it was real feelings, but there was definite tension when they broke it off," Freddy explained.
Okay...so now that's two out of thre-Wait...the mayor? "And, if I remember correctly from my previous visits here, you're the mayor's brother, right?"
"No, I'm Tom's brother," Freddy corrected. "I'm Freddy Mann. Tom Mann runs the Hotel. I don't think the Mayor has any family living around here."
"Ah, that's right." Nick said. Oops... "Did Tom ever have anything going for Sage?"
"I would like to check again for the other part of the bat, but other then that, I'll go get the sponge." Mira did just that.
"I don't know," Freddy growled. "Tom and I lost our bond a while back. We just try to stay out of eachother's way."
---
"The bat could be anywhere. I guess we'd have to figure out who would have a bat, and perhaps what team the bat is for, to help us figure out who might have owned it," Mary advised.
"Are we sure that it isn't in the room?" Mira asked, referring to the crime scene.
"I never saw it," said Jonathan.
"Well, there's a sports store," Mary speculated. "You could ask the owner if anyone bought a dark blue bat from his store."
"It must have broken off on contact with the victim's head. Oh! I should probably get the victim's fingerprints now." Mira said, taking the ink, sponge, and victim fingerprinting template with him, then taking the victim's fingerprints.
"While you do that, I think I should head to that sports store," said Jonathan.
"Jake owns the sports store. He can have a temper when it comes to things he feels strongly about, but other then that he's a nice guy," Mary tipped off. "Good luck with getting the info."
Mira came back with the first part of the fingerprinting process complete. "Now to compare the fingerprints with the fingerprints from the evidence." Mira said, examining the fingerprints that he had collected.
Sage's fingerprints matched the pill bottle, but nothing else.
"I see....." Mira checked the box aligned with the word 'pill bottle', but crossed every other box. "You could document this and post it on your blog. In the mean time, can we issue a law or something that forces all of the citizens to get their fingerprints taken during this case?"
"And would you happen to know where the sports shop is?" asked Jonathan
"I'll document everything in my blog, and you'd have to talk to the Mayor about the fingerprint law. As for the sports store, it's the small white building a few shops ahead of this one," Mary answered all of their questions.
Mira acknowledged Mary. "Before you go, do you know how to fingerprints from people?" Mira asked Johnathan. "We need fingerprints from every resident in this city."
Jonathan left the hotel and walked to the sports place.
Mira ran out to meet up with Johnathan. "Since you didn't seem to hear me earlier, I'm coming with you." Mira said, with his supplies in hand.
"I was barely listening earlier, but okay," responded Jonathan.
"Alright then." Mira said, walking with Johnathan to the sports store.
The lights were out at the sports store, and a sign on it read: GONE.
"Well I'm going to the Mayor's office to talk to him about this temporary law.... Urmmm.... Where might that be?"
"No idea," replied Jonathan.
"I wonder...." Mira took out the phone that the Mayor gave him and checked to see if it had some way to contact the mayor, if not tell him where the Mayor's office is.
Although you could not call with the phone, texting was available.
Was the Mayor smart enough to leave his number? Mira looked in the phone's contact list.
Both the Mayor and Mary were in all the phone's contacts list.
Awesome. Mira composed a text message about this temporary law and sent it to the Mayor for consideration.
The Mayor texted back 'fine. come donw to my office and ill giv u authority to ask for fingerprints. its the big white building in the middle of town.'.
Mira put his phone away and made his way to the big white building in the middle of town.
Mayor Scotch was just walking out of the building to wait for Mira. He noticed Mira walking toward him and just stood against the wall; waiting.
Mira walked over to the Mayor's location. "Hello thar, Mayor! I need everyone in this city to submit their fingerprints to us."
"Yes, yes I know," the Mayor mumbled, rubbing his red eyes. He took a small gold pin of a finger out of his pocket. "This will give you authority over everyone. Show them this badge, and they will have to submit their fingerprint as evidence."
"Alright, thanks." Mira took the badge. "Can you also supply me with the list of residents of this city?"
"No," Mayor Scotch replied tiredly. "I don't have time. Mary Wright from the Hotel may be able to provide you with the list."
"Alright, I'll go tend to that." Mira said, as he made his way back to the hotel.
"How'd things go?" Mary asked as Mira re-entered.
Now's my chance, but I must ease it into conversation. "I now have the authority to force people to give me their fingerprints, but I need a list of residents of this city. On a side note, some guy claims to know who the Phantom is, but even though I doubt that, I want to try to explore that possibility." Mira said, awaiting Mary's response.
Quote from: Birdie of Aces on May 05, 2008, 04:39:15 PM
"I don't know," Freddy growled. "Tom and I lost our bond a while back. We just try to stay out of eachother's way."
"ah, I see. Well, I suppose I'll be on my way then." He said as he turned around to leave.
Hm...well. He did buy those sleeping pills, he knew who Sage was...probably where she would be too, and he and his brother-who owns the hotel where Sage was killed-werent' the best of friends. He's defenitly a suspect...
The Time is 10 PM. lulz I feel like this is Majora's Mask or something.
"Oh, well I can hook you up with a list of the residents," Mary offered. "And who's the person who knows who the Phantom is?"
---
"Don't let the door hit yah on the way out," Freddy growled as he began mopping the bloody floor.
"Hm?" Nick turned around and kept walking and walked right into the door. "Ow!..." He shook it off as he embarassedly walked out. Today...hasn't exactly been my best day. He started rubbing his head now with two bruises. One from Xander and the other from the door.
"Please do. And about this guy... Well... I suspect he is a troublemaker, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's a lier. Whether or not he's telling the truth or not, I cannot tell, but that's what troubling me. Either way, he'll only tell me if you go on a date with this guy."
List of Residents
Mayor Scotch
Freddy Mann
Tim Barton
Tom Mann
Madam Rosina
Michael Stone
Jake Haves
Russell Pool
Zachary Smith
Keith Stone
Mary Wright
---
Mary Wright had just printed out the list and handed it to Mira when he told her about the date. Her eyes widened at the spotlight so much on her, and her cheecks flushed red.
"O-oh," she stuttered. "W-Why? With who?"
"He said he'd only tell me about the Phantom if you go on the date with the troublemaker guy. How many troublemakers live here, anyway?" Mira asked, reading over the list. It's a small city. This should be easy.
"Only one," Mary sighed. "Zachary Smith... And I refuse to go on a date with him."
"This is a serious case. All he wants is a date; he never said anything about a successful one. Besides, troublemakers cause trouble, not necessarily lie to other people. "
Mary sighed, turned away for a second, then looked back at Mira and said, "Fine, I'll do it. But you'll owe me big after this."
"Of course, but what would I owe you?"
Mary laughed, then shrugged. "Guess we'll have to find out when the time comes," she replied.
---
Jake came back from dropping Xander off at a hospital in a neighboring town. "Hey, did you find any info out?" Jake asked Nick as he walked back over to him. "Is Freddy the killer?"
"Well, it went well." Better than others...like Madame Rosina. Nick said feeling a bit confident about himself. "But...I can't say he's the killer. He's a definite subject but I have no conclusive evidence at the moment." Just then, his stomach growled loudly.
"Well I should probably try to locate Zach and give him your word. Good luck with the date." Mira said, as he grabbed his fingerprinting supplies, including his pen, and let the hotel.
Jonathan walked back to the hotel just in time to hear Mira saying something about a date. "What did I miss?" he asked Mary.
"Hungry?" Jake asked as he heard Nick's belly. "It's nearly 11, have you even eaten yet today?"
---
"Well, we might have a trail," Mary replied with a sigh. "I just need to go out and get some info from a guy who supposedly has it. The only problem is, this guy is a lying ass, so we can't be sure that he's trustworthy."
---
Zachary was on his skateboard, coming out of an alley near the hotel. "Well? I've been waiting around here all day. Did you get her to go on a date with me?" he asked.
As soon as Jake asked him that, it hit him. "...No. I haven't eaten one bite today!" Now its hitting me hard.
"No wonder," Jake chuckled. "And you just left the only place that serves food, want to go back in? I can show you the restaurants if you haven't eaten here before."
"Um...sure." Nick said.
Jake walked back inside, Freddy had just finished mopping the blood.
"Back so soon?" Freddy grunted at Nick. "I haven't even gotten a chance to stop loathing you yet."
You know...now that I think of it, I'm surprised I even got information out of this guy! "So...where's a good place to eat?" Nick said to Jake.
"There's mainly Chinese and Mexican food here. It's all upstairs," Jake explained, pointing to the stairs that led up to the buffet of restaurants upstairs.
"Alright, let's go then." Nick said as he hurried upstairs wanting to eat.
Upstairs were five restaurants. The North side had a Subway, the East side had a Chinese place, the West side had a Mexican place, the South side had an Italian restaurant, while in the center was an American fast food restaurant. A few people were eating there as well.
A bald man sat at the center, eating a cheeseburger, while many guests staying at the Hotel were eating all around.
Nick first noted the chinese place and went there and got his favorite combination, orange chicken and fried rice. He started shovelling it down since he hadn't eaten all day.
"If it wasn't obvious before, it is now," Jake mumbled as he noticed Russell giving Nick a side glance. "Hey Russ," Jake greeted, giving his bald friend a wave.
Russell Pool was a voluntarily bald man with light blue eyes. He walked over to Nick and Jake with his burger and gave Jake a friendly pat on the back.
"Hey man, how's business?" Russell asked.
Nick had almost already finished his food and started to slow down as he listened to the conversation. Hm...so Jake runs a buisness.
"Actually," Jake replied to Russell, "I've got some news for you." He took Russell a couple feet away from Nick, but still close enough so he could hear.
"Someone broke into my shop," Jake whispered to him.
"What? That's horrible man," Russell replied.
"It's not that bad," Jake assured, "they just stole a bat and possibly a few other things."
"Hopefully it won't affect business for you."
"Nah, nah... They pickpocketed my door. I'm just going to buy a better lock. But, since you run a bank..." Jake trailed off.
"Oh, yeah, thanks for telling me," Russell thanked. "I'll definitely look out for any theives."
"Good man," Jake replied, giving his friend a fist bump before returning back to Nick. Russell gave Nick and Jake a wave before leaving Freddy's store, as he had finished his burger. Jake checked his watch.
"Oh man!" he exclaimed, seeing it was nearly midnight. "I better go! It'll be tomorrow soon. See you later, kid."
"Alright. See ya." Nick said to Jake before finally finishing his food and getting up to leave. Wow. Midnight. The time sure does tend to fly.
"Mary is a little uncertain about this, last I checked." Mira said, seeing how far he would get playing his game.
"But did you score me the girl?" Zach asked again. "Give me one date with her, and I can change that uncertainty. Tomorrow at noon, have her meet me at the Lake." After that, Zachary skated off again, probably either to cause trouble or retire to his home.
Dammit! Very well, I can work with this. Mira went back to the hotel. "So what were you saying?" Mira asked Mary.
Mary yawned and stretched out. She checked her watch and replied, "Well, what I'm saying now is that it is half past midnight. I'm off to bed, and I'm locking up the Hotel. If you need to get back out or in, your room key can also be used to open the main doors." Then, Mary got up, locked the Hotel, and headed to her temporary room, 002. Before walking inside she added, "I suggest you get some rest as well. You have a lot of work tomorrow." Then, she walked inside and closed the door behind her.
She has a point, however, that wasn't what she was saying before. Either way, I'm to tired to press that fact. Mira went to his room and fell asleep. About 5 minutes before he fell asleep, he remembered something. He wrote of a little note about the current deal with the date and a reminder of how important this might be. He then went to where he saw her go and slipped the note under her door, went back to his room, then fell asleep.
The time is now 2 AM.
The Phantom walked through town, coming from somewhere out from the fields. The Phantom wore a black suit, a black cape, and a white mask over its face. Walking slowly and swiftly, the Phantom made it to one of the homes. It used a knife to unlock a window and climb inside.
From outside, all that could be heard was a sudden high pitched scream, then all was dead silent.
(( Should we time-skip to morning? ))
((I think we should)).
((And let's just say I made it back to the hotel before Mary locked up. >_>; :P))
Time is now 9 AM.
Mary had found the note and read it, now she sat at her desk, talking in whispers with Tom.
"We'll have to tell the 'Detectives'," Tom decided.
"No, let them sleep!" Mary argued. "I'll make sure to give them the message when they come out." Just then, a red faced Mayor came bursting into Maple Hotel.
"Where the hell are those darn detectives!?" he shouted angrily, spewing spit as he spoke.
Nick woke up to the mayor's yelling but was still half asleep. "Ugh..." He got up and went and got dressed with a pair of jeans, a shirt, and the same sweat shirt from yesterday, the one with the pumkin on it. He was about to open his door but he stopped. "Oh, yeah. Don't want to forget to spike my hair again." So he went into the bathroom and spiked his hair back. This hair has always reminded me of that one character from the lawyer DS game...what was it, oh yeah. I look like Phoenix Wright...Sort of ironic right now I guess. With that thought, he left the bathroom and walked out the door.
Mira jumped out of his bed awake when he heard the mayor yell. He dashed out to the lobby, forgetting to get ready for the day. "I'm here sir, what do you need?" Mira asked, alert.
"About time," Mayor Scotch growled, looking at the two of them up and down. "There's been another killin'. You two can go together and check it out, Mary will give you the details." With that, Mayor Scotch stomped out of the hotel.
"I-It's at the Garnet household," Mary squeaked. "Emilia Garnet, age 35, died. Her husband found her this morning..." Mary printed out the address and handed it to Mira. "Sorry about all that noise. Good luck with your search, and be careful."
"Thanks," Mira said, as he tried to put the address card in his pocket, but he noted that he had none. "Hold on a moment." Mira said, as he went up and got prepared for the day. He came down to the lobby, gave Mary some things to talk to Zach about (vaguely related to the case), looked at the address, and walked to the house.
((Wait, who's Zach? Don't you mean Nick?))
(( No, he meant Zach. ))
Outside of the house was a tall man with dark brown hair and eyes. Tears streamed down his face as he stared at a black body bag.
((Ah, nevermind then))
Nick followed Mira to the address. Hm...that bag must be the dead body. He gave a slight cough to try and get the man's attention.
"Hello there!" Mira said, addressing the man in tears. "You seem sad. May I ask about your relationship with the victim?"
((For this one post only, I resort to scrpity style RPing :P))
Nick: Way to lay it on him gently genius. *facepalm*
Mira turned his head to Nick. "We are not on trial, dumbass. The man is already crying because the victim is already dead."
Huh? Trial? When did this have anything to do with my remark. "You could be a little bit more sympathetic about it though." Nick said.
"Empathic. Feeling what the relations of the victim feel allows me to think about what they are going through, which gives me motivation to help the relation get vengeance."
"My wife," the man croaked. "She was... going to be wife..." He took a diamond engagement ring from his pocket, and looked slightly up at Nick and Mira. "Now she'll never know... What is love? What is it, really?"
Mira resisted the urge to sing that song that goes 'what is love, what is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more.' "Love is an attraction between two individuals. Any further, and it gets debatable. Either way, do you know anyone who has the motive to kill her?"
Mark gave Mira a strange look. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "Was someone planning on killing her? Is that why she did what she did!? Tell me what you know!"
"First, tell us what you know. Now you just said something that cought my attention." Nick started. "'Is that why she did what she did' is what I believe what you said. What do you mean by that?"
Mira waited for Mark to answer before he said something about the Phantom.
Jonathan woke up and got dressed, etc. He went to the lobby to see if anything had happened.
Mark shook his head, unable to re-tell the tale. Instead, he opened the body bag which had a middle aged dirty blonde with blue eyes inside. Her wrists were bleeding from deeply cut slits and were almost completely detached from her arm. If you looked hard enough, healed red lines proved she had cut her wrists before.
---
Mary smiled at Jonathan and gave him a greeting before getting into the more morbid business. "There's been another victim," she informed as she handed him the address.
Hm...a wrist cutter. Sort of suspicious how all these deaths seem to look like they could be suicides... "Hm...She seemed to cut herself. Could this be a suicide by her?"
"But why? Oh! I forgot! We were supposed to perform an autopsy on that other body! Speaking of which, I'll take the body in for autopsy. Why don't you stick around and look around for evidence?"
"No," Mark said, turning towards Mira. "Leave my Emilia in peace..." He stayed quite for a moment longer before finally adding, "I thought we were happy... I had never known of these violent acts..."
"Sir. I know it may be hard for you if we take her away but we must so we can bring the one who killed her to justic." Nick said.
"Besides, wouldn't she want to get revenge on the one who killed her?"
"Emilia," Mark stated, "was peaceful. But... I do want justice, as does she, I'm sure... Y-you may... take her... But please, don't be too rough."
Thank you for your cooperation sir." Nick said feeling very sorry for him. "Now, could you please lead me to where she was murdered. I would like to look for evidence."
He nodded, beginning to shake, and led Nick inside. "It was... in the bathroom," he said, pointing to a small room to Nick's right.
"Thank you." Nick said as he gave a small smile to Mark before he walked in and looked around.
"And I will take the body. Don't worry, I shall be careful and if necessary, arrange a funeral for her." Mira said, as he took the body, then went back to the hotel.
It was 11:30, so Mary was gone from her desk, getting ready for her 'date'. She walked out of her room in a sleeveless white dress with matching heels and hand bag. "Oh, Mira, I have a question for you," she said, attempting to pull her dress down a bit but failing. "Is this too slutty or do you think it looks good?"
---
The room seemed normal besides all the blood splattered on the floor, the water-filled tub, and the message on the mirror reading: Those who seek it become it.
The first thing Nick noted was what was written on the wall. "...Those who seek it...become it?" Nick puzzled at this and grabbed his pen and notepad but noticed he was missing the notepad. "...Ah well." He proceeded to rewrite the message on his arm. He then looked at the water and put his hand in it to see if it was warm or cold.
Gah! What am I do to? I'm no good with these things! "Knowing your 'date', you might want to change into something else; something more fitting."
The water was hot, and some steam was coming out of it. That explains how the writing got on the mirror.
---
"Like what?" questioned Mary. "I was thinking something that showed more could get us some info, but I don't want to look easy, else he'll try something on me."
Hm...judging by how hot it is... Nick lifted his hand out of the water and towelled it off. It was filled up just recently...but why would anybody want to do that? Could it be the writing?
"I don't think that he'll reveal anything during the date, not that way at least."
Jonathan went to the address given to him.
((summary please...))
(( You were brought to the hospital in a neighboring town. ))
Mark Garnet was outside the house with the dead body. He looked up when Jonathan came by.
---
"We'll see what I can get out of him. With a little persuasion, he'll give out some info," Mary said with a wink. "The problem is sorting the truth from all the lies."
((Seeing as this is a Mystery RP, and every small bit of knowledge helps, I'm dropping out. Sorry guys, but I just don't feel like catching up on twenty pages of information. Good luck on the investigation.))
"Alright, but don't act like he know he's hiding something. Try to bring the info out slowly and casually. "
Quote from: LightningSword on May 11, 2008, 09:42:33 AM
((Seeing as this is a Mystery RP, and every small bit of knowledge helps, I'm dropping out. Sorry guys, but I just don't feel like catching up on twenty pages of information. Good luck on the investigation.))
(( Understandable. I figured that would happen after you got so far behind. ))
"'I'll be f-" Mary side glanced at her watch and realized it was half past. "Oh, I have to go!" She rushed out of the Maple Hotel, heading towards the Lake, where Zachary was supposedly meeting her.
"Alright then." Mira went to go get some paper, a pen, the fingerprinting materials, and the autopsy materials. First off, Sage. Mira wrote up the same fingerprinting template as before, but modified it to indicate that the fingerprints came from the deceased. He then went to go get Sage and took her fingerprints. After that was done, Mira wrote up a to-do list and wrote 'compare Sage's fingerprints to evidence'. Mira then made an exterior examination on Sage, writing what he found on her body. If I hurry up with this, I'll be caught up with the murders; after I'm done with Emilia, of course. Mira thought, as he examined Sage's body.
Zachary was sitting by the water, skipping flat rocks.
"Er... Hi," Mary greeted as she walked near Zach. He quickly stood up and gave a curt nod.
"So, the guy got you to come," Zachary said with a smirk. "Good. See? I told you that you'd have to date me eventually. I always get the girl." Mary rolled her eyes and stood a few feet away from him, away from the muddy lake. "Well, aren't you coming over here?"
"It's muddy..."
"But, our date is on a boat," Zach pointed out, his smirk growing even wider as he gave a chuckle. "It'll be just you and me, no escape." Mary was getting increasingly uncomfortable.
"O-oh... Great... Okay..." she mumbled, slowly walking nearer. He eyed her up and down before walking towards the docks and indicating she should follow him.
"You're dressed up," he noted. "I hope you weren't planning any trickery, Mary. Don't think you'll be getting any info from me. Not you, nor your friend. Not until I get what I want."
A bloody bump on the head.... This does indicate that the bat was used as a weapon. Mira referred to an earlier document that contains fingerprint info on the evidence, in search for Sage's fingerprints, writing new info on all relevant documents based upon his examinations.
"Hello," greeted Jonathan upon seeing Mark. "Are you related to the victim?"
Sage's fingerprints matched the pill bottle, but not the bat.
---
"No, I... was... the boyfriend," Mark corrected sadly. "Are you another one of the detectives? You can go right inside, I guess... There is another one of you in there already."
---
Mary cautiously got into the boat, and Zachary brought them further out into the lake. He took out a basket, and Mary sidled to the edge of the boat when she saw it.
"Relax," he said with a touch of annoyance. "It's just a picnic basket. With food inside. Are you hungry?"
"Oh right," Mary replied, blushing from embarrassment. "Sure, thanks."
So that must mean that the fingerprints belong to the Phantom and the sports store clerk. Mira said, as he was about to...... Ummmm.... What do I do now? I don't know how to test for poisoning..... Of course! Mira took the knife and made an incision on Sage's chest and examined the organs underneath the ribs for any type of damage that overdosing may cause.
((Okay))
Hanz? had fainted after getting shot, and was taken to the hospital.
****
Hanz? abruptly woke up,
"Woah, ow...my head- AAH!" Hanz? saw his arm in a cast.
"Hello?! Where am I?!"
((Didn't you use a different character for this RP?))
(( Xander. I should know, it took me forever to memorize the name so I could stop looking back :P. ))
The organs did seem damaged from an overdose (however that may look).
---
A red haired nurse walked into Xander's room. "You were dropped off here with a shot arm. We've been giving you 1 medication pill every hour," she explained, handing him a pill bottle. "Take one of these with your breakfast, lunch, and dinner and you should be fine. There was no infection or anything else of the sorts... But, we would like you to speak with someone who can get you some help." She then proceeded to hand him a small card for a Suicide Expert.
Alright then.... Mira put on latex gloves and reached into the body, feeling around for any other signs of other types of damage.
The time is 2 PM.
Internal bleeding had leaked from the head down into the stomach area.
I see..... Mira took his hands out, removed the latex gloves in a certain way, and threw them away. He then wrote his findings on all relevant documents, then crossed out the first thing he wrote of the to-do list. Then, he wrote 'order fingerprints from sports store clerk(s?) and the general store.' He shook his head and was about the cross out what he wrote, but changed his mind and wrote 'find a way to get everyone to come to the hotel for fingerprinting.' He then wrote up another deceased fingerprints and autopsy templates, then collected Emilia's fingerprints (cross-examining the fingerprints with the evidence, just in case Emilia had worked in either one of the stores where both pieces of current evidence came from).
Emilia's fingerprints didn't match with any of the evidence.
Alright then. Emilia is still pending, but she was not involved with any part of Sage's death. Mira thought to himself, as he wrote on every relevant document to either case. I hope those other detectives come back before nightfall. I really don't want to deal with something new while I still need to collect info on Emilia's death. Mira started to check Emilia for any external damage related to her murder,.
Nick walked back to the hotel and into the room where Mira was. "How's it going?"
"Good. Do you have any more evidence?"
"Well...today, at the murder scene, the bathtub in there was full...and it was hot so it must have been filled recently." Nick said thinking for a moment. "Oh, and there was something written on the mirror. It said...'Those who seek it become it.'"
"Can you write up some police report-like document? All of this work will be wasted if we don't document our investigations."
"Okay, but before I forget, there's some things that I need to tell you that I didn't tell you yesterday."
"Can you write it down? I'm in the middle of an autopsy."
"Well...alright." Nick grabbed a piece of paper and took out his pen and wrote down, "Apparently, the bat that was here at the scene of the crime could have been stolen from the store. So whoever's fingerprints are on it must have stolen it and could very well be the Phantom."
"That might be true, but we'll need to collect Johnathan's fingerprints to sort out the whole fingerprint deal."
"Yeah..." But how can we get everyone's fingerprints? "...Hey! The Autumn Festival should be on the fifth. If everyone is there, it'd be very easy to get all the fingerprints."
Even though Mira was busy with the autopsy, he felt whatever it is one feels when something goes his/her way. "Wow! I had not idea that such an event will allow for such a great opportunity, but should we talk to the mayor about it first? You know, have him legally force everyone over to our station?"
Jonathan entered the house and searched every room thoroughly.
Quote from: Triforce_Luigi on May 13, 2008, 05:14:15 AM
Jonathan entered the house and searched every room thoroughly.
All the rooms seemed pretty normal.
Except for the bloody knife in one of the kitchen drawers.
---
Things seemed to be going pretty well for Zachary and Mary, they got back from their trip a few hours after departing. The time was now 5 PM.
"Thanks for the food," Mary thanked, her cheeks slightly pink. "And the wine."
"And the info?" Zach asked. Mary nodded.
"Y-yes, and that. The guys doing the investigation will-"
"No, I don't want any info I relayed to you going through their ears," Zach interrupted firmly. "I did it for you."
"Well, I don't know... I need to at least tell Mira," Mary argued. "We made a deal..."
"And so did we," Zach pointed out. "I promised Mira I'd give him something out of this whole thing, so don't worry about it. Now come on, I'll walk you home."
Mira wrote up his external findings before putting on a pair of latex gloves and making an incision on Emilia's chest and felt her lungs for any liquids.
There were no liquids, neither anything else abnormal in her lungs.
---
Mary got back into the hotel at 6PM. She walked to where Mira was, knocking on the door to get his attention.
Mira looked towards the door. "Yes?"
((Woops>?))
Xander thanked the lady, but then shouted back when he saw the card.
"I WASN'T TRYING TO COMMIT SUICIDE!" Xander was furious. He chucked the medication pill across his room, shattering when it hit the wall.
"Alright, I'm going to look at my gun." Xander tore off the tubes that were in his arm and his nose, and walked out of the hospital. He went to the hotel and went up to the front lady.
"Hello again! I'm sorry that I can't remember your name, but could I have the keys to my room please?"
"Hold on one second," Mary said to Mira, turning back and going over to Xander. She handed him his keys. "There you go, sir." Then she walked back over to Mira. "I guess you can get your info from Zach anytime you'd like now," she said to Mira. "But... Just be careful. I wouldn't be too sure that anything he spews out is the complete truth."
"Alright, I'll do that once I finish this autopsy." Mira said, feeling around for any other possible, internal damages.
"And don't forget to get his fingerprints while you're at it," she added before walking back to her desk.
There was nothing abnormal, besides the almost completely sliced off wrists, that was wrong with Emilia.
(( I'll give you a hint that you don't really need, because it's obvious anyway. But, you can rule out suicide for a fact because... How could Emilia slice one wrist almost completely off, having her hand hanging limp by a few strands of skin, and then be able to cut the other hand? She'd need a third healthy hand to do that. Once again, we already knew it was the Phantom, but I just felt like giving out that info. )) The time is 8 PM.
Mira removed his gloves and recorded his findings. Why is the Phantom so fascinated with suicide? Mira thought to himself, as he took his papers to the front desk. "I've got the autopsy reports, we just need the evidence, fingerprints from the crime scene, and the whole town. Once we at least get the evidence, we should have a stronger lead."
"Oh, poo," Mary whispered, clicking a button on her computer, "the internet is dead..." She then looked up at Mira and nodded. "If you want evidence, it'll be at the crime scene," she pointed out, still toying with her computer with no luck. "...Damn..."
Nick decided to go back to the scene of the crime and began looking around rooms near the bathroom, where the murder occurred.
"I was just stating the current situation. Now what's the problem with the internet?"
"It's not connecting," Mary sighed. "I think one of the network cables is unplugged."
---
There didn't seem to be any other clues in the bathroom.
Nick then looked around throught the house for any sort of clues.
"Alright." Mira said, waiting to see if that is indeed the solution to this problem.
Mary checked all her cables, checked all her connection settings, tried re-connecting various ways, but nothing worked. "...It must be an outside problem," she mumbled. "Weird... That's never happened before."
---
The only other clue had been found by Jonathan. The bloody knife in the knife drawer.
((So...did Jonathan take the knife then?))
"Never before? What if your 'date' did something about the connection"
(( From what I know, he has the knife but is still in the kitchen. ))
"Now, why would he do that?" Mary asked, lightly tapping her computer. "What on the internet would make him want to cut the connection?"
"Well he is a troublemaker and all.... Besides, what if it turned out that he was the Phantom? If you think about it, why did your internet die almost right after your date? Did you end up talking about the investigation?"
"Well... It might have sort of come up," Mary mumbled, looking down now. "...But... He just doesn't seem like the type to kill..." She blushed and fidgeted with her dress. "When he's not acting like a tough jerk, he's actually quite nice... When you warm up to his tough exterior, that is."
"Then we can assume the following things: He's acting and is indeed the Phantom; the Phantom is made up of two or more people, or he is just doing is usual.... Wait... You didn't say anything about troublemaking.... So he isn't the town troublemaker?"
"He doesn't think of himself as a troublemaker. He thinks of himself as a One-Man-Clan," Mary replied. "The alcoholic bully of town... But Mira, do you honestly think Zachary could kill someone? He just doesn't seem like the type... He's like... Like that guy from the Breakfast Club! The one who acts all tough, but he's all talk and no punch. That's what Zachary is like. He acts all cool, but if you gave him a chance to slug you, he wouldn't take it."
"He's an alcoholic and a bully? Great, whenever it looks like there is a break in the case, it reassembles itself again." Mira said, scratching his head. "Well I'm going to go talk to Zach and see what he has to say about the case." Mira went towards the door, but turned around as he made it to the door. "I won't say anything unless I have to." Mira said, as he left the hotel.
The time is now 10PM
Zach was in his usual spot in the alley next to the Hotel, drinking beer.
So it's true. Mira walked over to the place where he first met Zach, which should be by his usual spot. "Hey."
"Coming for an answer already?" Zach asked, tossing the half empty bottle aside.
"Yeah."
"I've got three suspicions," Zach said, holding up three fingers. He took a moment to give each of his people a number and then said, "Choose a number 1-3."
"Do you really want to play this?" Mira said, as he reached in his pocket for the device that was given to him around is arrival.
Zach nodded. His eyes landed on Mira's figdeting hand and stayed there.
"Listen, I can make a date, but I can also break a relationship. With that in mind, I'd recommend that you tell me what we need to know. Besides, for all we know, Mary could be the next victim, and that would be unfortunate for both you and I, as well as the other detectives, the owner of the hotel, and seeing as the mayor forced us in this case, the mayor." Mira said, as he gripped the phone.
"Fine," Zach growled. "You want info? All right. The Phantom cut the internet connection. Broke the wires somewhere out here. I know that because I saw him do it. While I was out stea- buying beer."
"What was that?" Mira said, catching the sudden change in words.
"Phantom-cut-Internet-connection-" Zach repeated in a slow, mocking tone.
"Strike one. Now, was the Phantom disguised in any way?"
"All...black..." Zach growled through gritted teeth, angered at being pushed around by Mira. "An all black cloak, or robe, or something..."
"Ball 1. Can you clarify?"
"No," Zach replied with a shrug. "It was dark to begin with. The black made 'im a mere outline. You're lucky I got THIS much info for you."
Mira did not respond to his comment. "Alright, I'll withdraw a strike if you help me repair Mary's internet, ok? In the mean time, how much do you know about our investigation?"
"That you're getting no where," Zach snickered. "Mary expressed how frightened she was. I mean, the Phantom knew how to enter the hotel, and killed a girl. In fact, the second victim was a girl as well... But don't worry, I've comforted her for now..."
"Old news is old. It is true that the second victim is a female, however, only the first one was killed at the hotel. Now while we repair the internet, why don't you explain how you comforted her? "
Zach grinned. "You want all the dirty details?" he snickered, getting and leaning against the side of the hotel.
"Yes, and I'll break your relationship with Mary if you don't provide me with the info you promised."
Jonathan picked up the bloody knife and left the house, walking towards the hotel.
11PM
Zach raised an eyebrow, the malicious grin still parked on his face. He gave a shrug and opened his mouth, about to speak, but then... Another boy about Zach's age came storming into the alley, shouting, "Zach! ZACHARY SMITH!"
"Geez, does everyone know about my 'secret' hang out spot?" Zach sighed, looking towards the newcomer who could not be seen in the darkness.
"Reveal yourself!" Mira demanded.
The boy said nothing, walking swiftly past Mira and standing in front of Zachary Smith. "Tell me it isn't true," he growled. "You went on a boat ride with Miss Mary Wright?"
"Mary Wright? As in the receptionist?" Mira asked, trying to see what the problem could be by clarifying who the boy was talking about.
The boy turned his head, his face suddenly viewable through the moonlight. He had short brown hair, with matching brown eyes. He gave Mira a puzzled look, as if trying to place the face in his mind, but he couldn't. "Er... Who are you?" Keith asked, trying to sound as polite and humble as he could, as he thought he had just forgotten a resident's name.
"I am Mira, and I am the one who managed to arrange the date you are referring to."
"Thank you Mary." Xander said. He walked up to his room, which was Number ___ ((can I make up my own room number?)). He opened the door, and found his stuff, all piled on the nicely arranged bed. He walked over to his black suitcase, opened it up, and was looking at all of his medical equipment.
"Well, being in the CIA has its ups, and its downs." Xander muttered. He opened the velvet cover to find another layer underneath the medical equipment, which was his "gun" equipment. He wondered where the people had put his gun, maybe he should tell the "crime" team what really happened. That was when it occurred to him, he saw someone shady around the store that night, and... if he wasn't crazy, followed him inside. Maybe it wasn't his own gun that shot himself, maybe it was the shady person.
Xander took his black suitcase, locked it back together, and walked downstairs.
"I think she said her name was Mira." Xander thought. He then called out in the middle of the lobby,
"Mira! Where are you?"
Hm? Someone needs me? How could this be? I don't recognize this person. Mira thought, awaiting a reaction from Keith.
Xander shrugged and walked over to the boy that reacted.
"Hi, I'm Xander, CIA Agent. I hear that there was a crime done. What's the damage and the results?" Xander said, while he was pulling out some latex gloves.
"All of the data is with the receptionist at the hotel. Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to deal with a situation."
"You set up that date?" Keith asked, slightly stunned. Then he gave a chuckle. "Well then, I guess that it can't count, now can it?"
"...Why not?" Zach growled.
"Because someone set the date up for you!" Keith exclaimed, laughing again. "You have to win her over yourself!"
Zach stayed silent for a moment before saying with a smirk, "Well, I guess since the last date went so well, I'll have an easy time getting another one by myself." Keith stopped laughing and glared at Zach.
"Now now, don't be so rude." Xander went back up to Mary and asked,
"Can you give me a full report of what we know about the crime?"
"Is there something I am missing? Because I can ruin it for both of you if I put my words to it."
Mary shook her head and groaned. "I'm sorry, but the internet is down... And all my info is on my computer! I can't really remember anything except for two people are dead. Sage and Emilia. One of them was staying at this hotel, another is a resident here. That's all I really know."
---
"We both like her," Keith replied. "And it was the first to get a real date with her wins, but this loser over here cheated."
"I didn't cheat. No one ever said we couldn't get help from a stranger. It was just a friend. And this guy over here isn't a friend," Zachary pointed out.
"Well if your friend doesn't cooperate with me, I'll reverse what help I gave (maybe even to a further extent) to him. If he reaches three strikes, then I will be sure to have her not think of any of you." Mira told Keith.
"What are you, in love with her or something?" Keith asked Mira, slightly annoyed. He shrugged it off, though and threw his hand up to signal his departure. Zach watched him go, before standing up himself.
"I'm outta here," Zach replied, skating away on his skateboard.
The time is 12 AM.
Strike three, he is out! Mira said, as he went back into the hotel.
Mary looked up when Mira came inside. "Any luck?" she asked. "The internet is still down, I'm afraid."
"The Phantom did disable the internet, however, the way he looked make me think that Zach's friend might be the Phantom. Turn out you are involved in a contest between them."
Mary raised her eyebrows. "Contest? No one told me about a contest. Not another bake sale, I hope," Mary sighed. "But wait, if by 'friend' you mean Keith... They are definitely not friends. Mutual rivals is a better way to put it. But, clarify... What exactly happened to make you think Keith is the Phantom now instead of Zach? And what about a contest?"
"They are competing for you. Turns out I was a pawn in Zach's plans."
Mary sighed and shook her head. "What is with them?" she muttered. "They always compete over stupid stuff like that. Don't take it the hard way, I think everyone in town has been victim to their fighting every now and again. But, what makes you suspect Keith?" she asked, beginning to get uneasy at the thought of someone she went to school with being the killer.
Nick walked back into the hotel slightly disapointed about not finding too many clues today. Maybe I should just stick to interrogating or something...
"First of all, how do you know him?"
"We've been friends since elementary school," Mary explained. "He's one of my best friends, I just can't see him as the Phantom."
"The Phantom is obviously someone who knows you well enough to know that we rely on you."
Mary thought about that for a moment. A thought came to mind, but before she could voice it, she checked her watch and realized it was nearing midnight. "I better close up the hotel for the night," she said. "You better get some sleep, who knows what'll happen next..."
"I've got a bad feeling as to what's going to happen next." Mira said, making his way to his room.