#murder 7

[choiceswhodunnit]

Murder 7: Main Suspects

“You been scared and survived quite a few times, hmm Estela?”

“Damien has been awfully quiet.”

“I can’t believe you’d kill both of your friends, Estela.”

“It must’ve been hard for Estela to light Jake up, but weak links have to die eventually.”

“I thought Jake was a friend of Estela’s, but I guess that wasn’t enough to stop him from killing her.”

[acevillainswhodunnit]

Updated floor plans, for your convenience.

[choiceswhodunnit]

Murder 7: A Birthday Celebration

“I guess I will see you all in just a few hours,” Kamilah gives them a wink as the Grandfather clock in the other room chimes a happy tune, letting the manor know it’s now four in the morning.

“I know we should all be worried about who might be killed next,” Lily begins, holding back a yawn. “But all I can think about is sleep.”

“I’m with you,” Kenji speaks up. Everyone pushes in their chairs as they exit the dining room.

“Talk about cruel and unusual punishment,” Jake mumbles. “If the killer really wanted us all dead they would just end the suffering now. Make us all stay up for days on end or not eat or drink anything.”

“I think it’s more fun for the killer to watch us all suffer,” Estela says, more of a reminder than anything else.”

“On that note,” Matt sighs. “I’m going to head to bed and finally take these…. Shoes off.” He pauses as he remembers Teja’s fate before he turns and retreats up the stairs.

“I guess we’ll see you in the morning,” Damien gives a quick hug to Lily and Estela and an awkward nod to Jake before he leaves.

“Goodnight everyone,” Kenji tells the scared guests, hoping to see them all in the morning. He knows it’s unlikely, but a part of him still hopes.

“Guess we’ll sleep when we’re dead,” Estela gives a hug to Jake before she goes to her room. Lily and Jake follow her and soon, the manor is at peace once more.

“Well good morning, guests,” Kamilah comes into the dining room, everyone is already seated with large amount of food on the table. She wears a nicer powersuit than she had the day before, a bright smile sits on her face with her hands behind her back. The guests frown at her as she keeps quiet. “What’s going on?” Kenji asks.

“Well,” she says. “If you must know, today is my birthday!”

The guests all begin to tell her happy birthday, cheers all around the room from the remaining few. She thanks them as they quiet down. “And for my birthday, the cooks made me a special birthday cake!” She pulls the cake out from behind her back. Unlit silvery-white candles sit on top of the cake. Kamilah places it in front of Estela, Jake, and Lily who all sit next to each other in the middle of the table before she lights the candles.

“Please don’t sing to me,” she says with a slight snap in her voice which gets the guests to laugh. Something they realized they had failed to do in a long time. “However, I would like to dedicate my wish to you all, here’s to hoping you all make it out alive!”

With a quick blow, the fire on top of the candles gets bigger, the flames touching Estela, Lily and Jake. Estela and Lily are able to swipe the flames away, but the guests look over at Jake who sits, screaming, his entire body lit in flame.

“Oh my god!” Matt yells.

“Someone put him out!” Kenji shouts.

Everyone scrambles as they try to find some water to put out the burning flesh, skin, and cloth. The remaining guests try to swat the flames away, smother the fire, and pat Jake down. With no luck, they are forced to watch Jake get smothered by the flames before it is eventually put out. On the ground, Jake lays, his body burned, his body dead.

“Oh my…” Kamilah whispers. “Okay, guests please leave the dining room. It looks like our killer has struck again. Please pick out your locations, the servants and I will remove Jake’s body… hurry please....”

Jake, I am sorry but you have been eliminated. As for the rest of you, party’s over. Time to get to work. Send me your locations by tomorrow, 4pm Arizona time. 

[choiceswhodunnit]

Murder 7: How it was done

“It’s nice to see you all again,” Kamilah seems a little frazzled, not really sure why her birthday turned deadly. “I know today started off on a high note, and I hope it’s ending on a high note for Matt, since you had the best theory. You’re spared, nice work.”

The group gives a quiet clap before they turn their attention to the birthday girl.

“Now, let’s see how it was done,” she opens the note in her hands and reads to the group.

“First and foremost, happy birthday to our dear host, Kamilah. It’s a good thing you didn’t get burned up. Second, let me tell you how I was able to kill Jake McKenzie right in front of you all. It began last night, as you were all going to bed. Instead of getting some sleep, I snuck into Jake’s  room by picking the lock with a wire clothes hanger, the long piece of wire you may have found at the last known whereabouts. I crept in, and grabbed his clothes. With a spray bottle, I sprayed down his clothes with isopropyl alcohol. However, isopropyl alcohol has a very strong smell, so to get rid of some of the smell, I diluted it with linseed oil. These two liquids are flammable, which was my plan. I then went to his bathroom and opened the shower head with the wire, putting pentane into the shower head. Pentane is a clear liquid that smells slightly like petroleum jelly. But it is also flammable, making his hair have the flammable liquid in it along with his body. After that, I headed down into the kitchen, and quickly whipped up a chocolate cake for our dear host. The cake wasn’t deadly at all, I don’t want to kill all of you just yet… Instead it’s the candles in the cake that was really the icing on the cake… no pun intended. The candles were made out of lithium, which is why the candles were a silver-white color, the same color as the third element on the periodic table. When Kamilah blew on the candles to extinguish them, this caused the lithium to explode, and the fire got just close enough to our dear friend--and with the help of the mixture I had made earlier--he was set alight. You may have noticed there was no water on the table, this was done on purpose. So you wouldn’t be able to help your friend and you were forced to watch him die. I do hope Kamilah enjoys the rest of her birthday, and I hope the final five are ready for next time. Bye for now… -Your Killer”

Kenji: Spared

Lily: Spared

Estela: Scared

Damien: Scared

Guests, if you have a scared card you are up for elimination in the next murder. We will be OFF next week, November 21st-25th. We will return November 28th. If any of you guests celebrates Hanukkah please let me know, the final murder looks like it will be over the week of Hanukkah and I don’t want you to be a disadvantage and we can talk and work things out.

[choiceswhodunnit]

Riddle 7: In the flesh

“Hello guests,” Kamilah begins. “are you ready for this murder’s riddle? Let’s begin.” She reads to the group.

“I’m far more beautiful than anyone else, just like many other mothers out there and every women on earth. And while I am a mother and a wife, I still know how to have fun. I celebrate as much as I can and make sure to dance and listen to music whenever I do. Who am I?”

The guests prepare to tell Kamilah what the correct answer is.

Guests, only two of you this week will be able to get the riddle clue. 

[acevillainswhodunnit]

Murder 7 Reveal

There was a distinct shift in the house’s mood after the investigation wound down. The familiar combination of anxious anticipation was replaced with another form of excitement- one that was due in no small part to the newly revealed basement rooms, and the items they held within. It was as if the guests had solved a mystery they didn’t realize needed solving, and the thrill of having information they didn’t realize had been withheld from them was invigorating.

None of these developments escaped Shelly’s watchful eye.

“You’re rather calm today, Ms. Skye,” he remarked while making dinner preparations with Lana. “Are you that confident in your case?”

“Something like that,” she replied, smiling slightly. “Just feeling more… secure than usual, I suppose.” She shifted her weight as she washed produce in the sink, subtly keeping her left side out of Shelly’s reach- as if she was carrying something she didn’t want him to notice.

Shelly turned his attention back to the food before him. “Is that so…” he hummed. “We are quickly approaching the end of this game. I should congratulate you on making it this far.”

She sighed. “It’s been a long ride. I can’t wait for all of this to be over.”

“Even if it means the death of your fellow guests?” Shelly asked, honestly curious. Unlike some of the others, Lana hadn’t put up an act of apathy as her housemates were picked off one by one. She was visibly upset upon the discovery of each body, and took to the investigations with a solemn determination. Shelly found this attitude befitting of her profession.

“Well no, but-” Lana paused, scratching her neck self-consciously. “If we… if we could find a way to end the game early, that would be best.”

Was that her plan? It would explain the sudden spike in confidence, especially if the other guests were in on the effort. “And how would you plan to do that?”

Suddenly, he felt the weight of eyes upon him. Lana’s voice was unwavering. “We’d have to catch the killer, of course.”

Dinner was more relaxed than usual. There was a sense of intimacy that hadn’t existed before, even back when there were more people to entertain. Mimi and Alita made small talk, discussing the various medical texts they had found while exploring the house. Luke attempted to regale Daryan with tales of his past cases, and Daryan in turn seemed content to let him ramble away.

There was a secret smile hidden beneath everyone’s chatter, one that said “I know something you don’t. I have the upper hand.”

After the plates were cleared away and the card envelopes passed out, Shelly pulled out a piece of parchment from inside his jacket. Clearing his throat, he began to read aloud:

“Despite appearances, Mr. White was a more intelligent man than I thought him to be. I knew about the existence of the basement levels, of course, but I did not expect him to find the entrance hidden in the parlor.

On the night of his death, he stole away in the bunker beneath his room, attempting to hide from me and spare his life. He even brought food and water down into the small storage room attached to the bunker. A commendable effort, but ultimately a fruitless endeavor.

It was a simple matter for me to unlock the doors connecting the basement rooms, as I had the key all along. Redd clearly did not anticipate my arrival, and so it was easy for me to inject him with a solution of Midazolam with a syringe I had prepared earlier. He struggled briefly, breaking the needle of the syringe, but the sedative quickly took effect.

Now immobilized, I dragged him to the storage room and sealed the door. You may be wondering how I managed to move a man of Redd’s size, and to that I say: appearances can be deceiving.

I opened the window looking into the room, and attached the hose to the sink’s nozzle. Unraveling it, I began to pour water into the storage room. Only a few feet was necessary to make sure his head was completely submerged, and while the room was filling with water I took the time to arrange the cot and empty bottle of Midazolam as I pleased. Once I was sure Redd had drowned, I opened the door to the storage room and let the water rush out, making the entire bunker rather musty with humidity.

I dragged Redd’s body through the hallways of the basement rooms, eventually making my way to the courtyard entrance. Pulling him up and into the fountain was a chore, and I accidentally scraped my hand on the rough surface of the water bowl. Fortunately for me, it was easily passed off as Redd’s blood. Finally, I backtracked my way through the basement rooms, leaving my gloves and other evidence behind for your investigations come morning.

Now, you may open your cards to see your fate. Best of luck, my dear guests.”

Shelly gestures to Alita after he finishes reading. “The best case this round goes to Ms. Tiala. You have my congratulations.” In response, she smirks and slides her black-inked card back into its envelope.

Mimi inhales sharply when she sees Luke, Daryan, and Lana’s cards. The red ink stares back almost mockingly, so it’s a shock when the three unlucky guests simply shrug.

“Guess it’s up to one of us to catch the killer in the act,” Lana says. She doesn’t look at Shelly when she speaks, but her message is clear. Next round wouldn’t be so neat.

[acevillainswhodunnit]

Investigation Start

"So, what’s with this?” Alita asked as she entered the music room. The rest of the house guests looked up as Lana gestured her to a seat. She eyed it for a moment before sitting down, relatively sure it wasn’t an obscure trap. You really never knew in this house.

“I wanted all of us to have a chance to talk without Shelly overhearing, and this room is soundproofed,” Lana said, taking her own seat on the piano bench. Her voice was even, but the way she continually had to stop herself from biting her thumbnail betrayed her inner anxiety. Everyone else seemed to be on edge as well- there was a feast of nervous tics to behold, from Redd fiddling with his rings, to Daryan’s constant finger tapping on the tabletop, to Mimi wringing the fabric of her hat. Alita took this all in with a deliberately careless glance.

The one exception to this was their resident ace detective. “Just so you know, Miss Skye, telling everyone in the house to secretly meet you in a soundproof room is quite the suspicious behavior,” Luke said loftily, lacing his fingers together as he squinted at Lana through his monocle. “Even if I didn’t have the utmost certainty of my continued survival in the coming days, I would like to question your motives for calling us here.”

Lana took a second out of being nervous to frown at Luke, clearly annoyed. Alita rolled her eyes at his antics. Seriously, you win one case and you think you’re such a hotshot.

“As I said, I just wanted us to talk about some things without Shelly’s interference,” Lana replied. “He’s been rather… unhinged after the last case, and it makes me worried about how this game is going to proceed.”

“Well it makes sense that he’s pissed, the killer did try to blow him up,” Daryan said. “Even if they weren’t targeting him, we all know how obsessed with honor he is. The fact that they went behind his back at all would probably get him fuming.”

Mimi huffed. “The killer obviously don’t give a shit about collateral damage anymore. I wasn’t even supposed to be on the chopping block last round, but I still got a bomb to the face. Like geez, these face masks are on low supply!”

“Mr. de Killer does seem to be infuroriated by the killer’s actions as of late,” Redd mused. “I wonder if their partnership will survive- perhaps it’s a chance to get out of this mess!”

“That ‘partnership’ is what I’d like to question, actually,” Lana said, crossing her arms. “Don’t you think it’s suspicious that the killer would go to all this trouble to sabotage themself, if they were really trying to kill Shelly?”

“You have a point…” Alita muttered.

“So what are you saying? That the killer and Shelly set this up together to, I don’t know, throw us off the track?” Daryan replied, brows furrowed.

“That could be the case,” Lana said. She paused for a moment. “Or maybe... there is no ‘client’ at all.”

“What the hell does that mean? Of course there’s gotta be a client, he’s working for them!” Mimi exclaimed.

Lana shook her head. “Everything we know about the so-called ‘client’ is from Shelly himself, or the letters that they write us. Those could easily have been forged to look like different handwriting, and Shelly even said they could be lying to us in those. Don’t you think that’s the kind of subtle hint he’d throw out, just for his amusement?”

“Okay, but it doesn’t make any damn sense physically speaking,” Daryan interjected. “How’s he supposed to be killing us and pretending to be a separate client without any of us noticing? We’re all spread out over the house, someone would have noticed him setting up shit.”

“How much do we even know about this house anyway?” Lana snapped back. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being trapped here, it’s that there’s more secrets to this place than we could ever have expected.”

Luke nods in agreement. “This mansion keeps revealing mysteries upon mysteries,” he said, with a finger to his temple. “We don’t even know who this house belongs to, or how much the killer altered it to fit their twisted game.”

“I don’t believe this theory of yours, Skye,” Mimi said. “His room was totally trashed, and he’s been pissed off for days now. You can’t act that anger, it’s real.”

“It does seem far-fetched...” Redd commented slowly. Mimi gave them a smug smile. “... but no more far-fetched than having a single killer disguised as two.” Mimi immediately scowled and looked off with a pout.

“So we have two theories, both equally plausible, and not enough evidence to suggest one over the other,” Alita summed up. “Great.”

Lana sighed, standing up from her seat. “I didn’t mean to cause an upset,” she said to the rest of the guests. “I just think we should consider it a possibility. We’re placing too much trust in him as it is.”

Everyone took that as their cue to end the discussion and leave. It was frustrating, not having any solid leads as to who the killer might be after being trapped in this sick game for so long. Even the things they thought were reliable, like the killer’s written words, could turn out to be one extended lie in the end.

The next morning, Alita came downstairs for her usual early-morning tea. She nodded at Daryan, who was half buried in a mug of black coffee, and stared for a long moment at the empty chair that used to belong to Dee.

“...at least she wasn’t the killer,” she murmured to herself. It would have been a damn shame for such a wonderful morning companion to have been her enemy all along.

As she idly stirred her tea, she watched the sun rise over the courtyard. The light cast long shadows across the way, the familiar shapes of the upper balcony and the fountain stretching dark onto the cobblestone. But wait, that shape wasn’t normal…

Daryan nearly spilled his coffee as he jerked out of his seat. “That’s another fucking body!” he yelled as he rushed to enter the courtyard, Alita following suit. She vaguely made out the sound of others coming downstairs, awoken by Daryan’s loud shout, but she couldn’t have cared less.

He had already managed to get the doors open and was standing in front of the fountain when she caught up. In the morning light, the body of Redd White was unmistakable, despite his head being submerged in the water’s glassy surface.

Soft clicks on stone drew their attention behind them. It was Shelly, his face unreadable. “You all know the drill now, I’m sure. Please choose whether to investigate the Morgue, the Crime Scene, or the Last Known Whereabouts.”

@bluecorps, you have been murdered! Thank you so much for joining us for this game, you’ve been a fantastic player throughout all of our rounds! It’s been an honor and a pleasure!

[hueponia-blog]

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