94: Crime and Punishment - Pt. 1

Ryan Turner’s Apartment – Three Weeks Ago…

“Finally!” Ryan exclaimed as his last guest, Dan, arrived. After a quick look around, he grabbed a drink and took a sip before addressing his friends. “I hope everyone has had enough time to study over their invitation. We will begin in just five minutes. This is going to be a much different experience than previous parties. Tonight, I’ve pulled out all the stops.” 

Moonlight – Present Day

“Everything started out the way it always had. Ryan sent out invitations to the party two weeks prior so everyone could have time to learn their roles and prepare. Then the night of the party, everyone came rehearsed, excited to see what he had in store for us,” Elena smiled to herself as she thought over the many nights spent solving mysteries with her big brother. “No one ever suspected things would take such an awful turn.”

“Police were called to your brother’s apartment around eleven at night concerning a disturbance. One of your neighbors heard screaming and sounds of a struggle coming from upstairs. After a brief look around, they discovered a body in the bathroom. The medical examiner reported that by the time of discovery, the body was showing signs of rigor mortis. The victim had been bludgeoned to death with a weapon not found at the scene sometime around six that evening,” Victoria said, reading over the information in her hand.

“That’s right,” Elena said with a slight nod. “But there is no way Ryan did this. I know my brother. And he would never kill someone.”  

Mike sat listening intently as Elena continued speaking, not realizing Victoria had been calling his name. “Mike! Are you listening?”

“Yes,” he quickly answered, zoning back in. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking, uh. Elena, as my partner said, the coroner put time of death at six, yet the call to police wasn’t made until eleven. How do you explain the five-hour delay?”

“Well, the party wasn’t scheduled to start until 9. Everyone arrived near or a little after that time. We didn’t come across the…n-no one saw him until that part of the game.”

“Got it. Which detective over at APD has been helping you with this case?”

“None. That’s why I came to you. The police think my brother is guilty and haven’t lifted a finger to help. I’m hoping you can find what they refuse to look for and prove his innocence. Will you take my case?”        

Glancing over at his partner, Mike nodded sincerely. With a sigh, he leaned forward to look their new potential client in the eyes. “I’m going to be honest with you, Elena, cases like these are notoriously hard to prove. It requires we work side-by-side with the local police and if what you’re saying is true, that will be rather difficult considering they believe they have their suspect in custody.”

“That’s why I came to you. I heard you two used to work for the Avondale Police department. I was hoping you could cut through some of that red tape a little easier.”

“We are willing to try,” Victoria replied. “We just want to manage your expectations that it may take some time and there is a chance we may not find anything at all.”

“I understand what you’re saying and I appreciate your honesty. But I know my brother is innocent. I just need help proving it.”

“Elena, I know you’ve probably spoken endlessly to the police about this,” Victoria said as she took the seat beside her. “But we need to know what happened that night in order to help you. Why don’t you take us through the night’s events, step-by-step?”

“Ryan’s apartment was decorated to fit the theme. The living room was turned into a makeshift police station and morgue with a desk and chair for his detective and a table to simulate a body slab. On one side, he had an office cubicle and on another he set up a table for refreshments. The night started off fine. Only, this time, Ryan had brought an unexpected guest.”

Ryan Turner’s Apartment – Three Weeks Ago…

“Tonight’s festivities are going to be a little different. Instead of just the six of us, I’ll be introducing a new player,” Ryan said, motioning toward the mystery woman standing near the  bar. “I wanted to try and add a little more realism to the game. Shawn aka Mark will be our acting detective tonight. When you have a question concerning the recently discovered clues or crime scene, you’ll have to visit him at the police station. Likewise, Shelly aka Joy will be our resident M.E. Any questions about the victim can be directed towards her at the morgue. Now, let’s begin.”

“Almost two years ago, Jackson Craft and his best friend Tim Campone started their own law firm in New York City. Six months later, Jackson invited their new employees to his newly built manor in the country for a small celebration of recent wins. However, shortly after the seven lawyers gathered, Tim Campone headed to the bathroom and discovered a body, unmistakably dead. The back of the victim’s head was bloody, and he was lying face down just inside the doorway, wearing the same clothes he had on at the party. We won’t know the victim until later and it is up to you to solve the murder.” Ryan read off the party’s synopsis and placed the card face down on the table before again addressing his guests.

“Ok, if everyone could please open your dossiers and read, silently, your card marked ‘additional information.’ Once everyone has read and secured their role, the investigation—game can begin.”

Moonlight – Present Day

“After we did the introduction part of the game, we moved on to the ‘party’ portion. This particular story involved colleagues of a law firm. Some of the players were trying to make their marks to become partners, while others had more unscrupulous motives for why they were there that night. It was a very well-thought-out scenario.”

“You’d mentioned that a new player had been introduced that night. Had you ever met this person before?” Mike asked.

“No, never. And I know all of Ryan’s friends.” Mike and Victoria exchanged a look and Elena cleared her throat. Placing a card on Mike’s desk, Elena stood up. “This is where I can be reached if you need anything or have any questions. Please keep me updated as much as possible and don’t hesitate to call day or night.”

“Absolutely,” Victoria nodded and escorted Elena to the door. “Hey,” Victoria said and waited to have her partner’s attention before continuing. “Are you ok? You seem a little off.”

“I’m fine it’s just—weird.”

“What is?”

“This case. It’s…normal. I mean there’s no supernatural aspect to it. It’s just a cut and dry homicide investigation,” he mused. “I can’t remember the last time you and I worked one of those.”

Victoria smiled at her partner’s candor and shrugged. “Hey, humans kill, too.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he smiled wryly. “Alright, partner. What’s say you and I get to work?”

“Wow, and here I thought I was going to be driving us home soon,” Derrick said, stepping into the office, his hands full with caffeine and snacks.

“Then why did you bring us coffee?” Mike asked, walking over and grabbing a cup from the carrier in Derrick’s hand.

“Habit?” the vampire shrugged. “So, it’s gonna be a long night then?”

“Well, actually you can take me home. I’ve scheduled an interview with Ryan tomorrow morning at the jail so we can hear his side of this whole thing before we get too into these other ‘characters.’”

“Characters?” Derrick asked, glancing between the dual detectives.

“Oh yeah, it’s a murder mystery party gone wrong,” Mike offered.

“How’s that?”

“The person playing their murder victim actually became one,” Victoria answered.

“Damn. I’ve always thought those were a fun way to spend an evening but…not that in-depth.”

“Agreed,” Mike sighed. “It might have been fun had it not ended in actual murder.”

Ryan Turner’s Apartment – Three Weeks Ago…

“Holy shit! I found the victim!” Patrick exclaimed, seeing the dead body and blood spattered around the small room. The other six people in attendance joined him in the bathroom, all anxious to get a look at the person playing the corpse for tonight’s event.

“Take a pulse, maybe they aren’t dead,” Elena suggested.

“Look for any weapons used nearby!” Shelly shouted. “It could be a clue to who the killer is.”

“No! Don’t touch anything, you don’t want to leave your prints,” Shawn shouted from the back of the room.

“Let me through,” Ryan said, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. Once he made it to his bathroom, he looked down in open-mouthed shock at the bloody corpse of his friend sprawled out on his floor. “This…this isn’t part of the game,” Ryan stammered in fear.

“What do you mean?” Patrick asked, looking down at the blood-soaked floor.

“I mean this isn’t part of the game. I didn’t do this!” he said again. Kneeling beside Will, Ryan checked for a pulse and fell back quickly. The man was ice cold to the touch and there were no signs of life. “Elena, call the police. He’s dead—Will’s really dead.”