Stroke of Midnight
by Anna Ashbury
Tristan Scarlet fixed the red cloak that made up her costume. She and her fellow detective, Alexander Wolfe, had been forced to attend the All Hallow’s ball at the home of rich banker, Adam Prince. She and Alex had decided to go as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. Not the most original thing, but they didn’t really care. Their real purpose was to question Adam concerning the recent murder of his wife, Cindy Eleanor Prince, formerly known as Cindy Eleanor Brown. It had happened three weeks ago, and at first, it had been dismissed as an accident, but upon further evident, it was obvious that Cindy Eleanor had not died of natural causes. They waited exactly twelve minutes before making their way down a long, winding path to the infamous Prince mansion, where the ball was being held.
“I don’t see the whole point of wearing a costume if we’re here on business,” Tris muttered, adjusting her cloak for the fifteenth time. “It just get’s in the way.”
“Where’s your enthusiasm, Tristan? Don’t you like Halloween?” Alex whispered, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at her.
“It’s just plain ridiculous to wear a costume dedicated just for one day of the year,” Tris grumbled, glaring up at him. “It makes me feel like I’m five or something.”
“Try not to glower too much,” Alex whispered, much to her irritation.
As they entered the Prince mansion, they were semi-impressed with the decorations. The mansion had been decorated to look exactly like a haunted house. Eerie music floated around them, seeming to come from nowhere. Partygoers were dressed in strange and exotic costumes, but none of them were easily recognizable. Most carried a glass or two of champagne in their hands, and some even seemed to be stumbling about giggling.
“Good grief, they’re serving alcohol,” Tris mumbled to herself in horror, dodging a particularly tipsy mermaid.
“No need to sound so horrified,” Alex said, smirking at her. “Now, let’s go see if we can find Mr. Prince.”
The twosome craned their necks, trying to look for the host of the party. They had to dodge several partygoers, most of them being couples who thought that the dance floor was a good place to kiss in plain sight. Tris had looked particularly scandalized, and Alex seemed to be enjoying her reaction. Finally, they managed to locate Adam in the company of a brunette. He did not notice them until Alex cleared his throat loudly.
“Detectives Scarlet and Wolfe, what brings you two to my humble home?” Adam asked them politely in his deep voice.
“We’d like to talk with you, privately,” Tris said, glaring at the brunette.
“Why, of course, of course,” Adam said genially before turning to the brunette. “Juliette, love, I’m sorry to say that I have some business to attend to, so why don’t you mingle with the other guests?”
Tris and Alex exchanged a look when Adam called Juliette ‘love’. Wasn’t he supposed to be mourning his wife’s death? Adam did not look like a man grieving and pining for his lost wife. He looked positively happy, not at all weepy-eyed. He turned away after Juliette sauntered off, motioning for Tris and Alex to follow him. They ascended the staircase, and Adam led them away, the music and sounds of the party fading away. They arrived at the library, and Adam opened the door, gesturing for them to enter, and he closed the door after they walked in. He turned to them and clasped his hands together, a toothy smile pasted on his face.
“So, what is it you want to talk to me about, detectives?” he asked, the smile not quite reaching his eyes.
“We were wondering what you could tell us about your wife’s murder,” Tris said, and she saw his smile slip ever so slightly before it returned in full force.
“As you probably remember, Cindy Eleanor was originally thought of to trip and fall to her death, but further examination showed that she was beaten with a large object,” Alex said, his arms crossed. “She died before she had even started falling down the stairs.”
“Detectives Scarlet and Wolfe, I would like it if you did not remind me of how my darling wife died,” Adam said, but the grief in his voice did not sound particularly convincing to Tris’ sharp ears.
“You did not sound particularly unhappy when you were talking to Juliette Caplet,” Tris pointed out, having recognized the young daughter of the Caplet family and fiancée of Royce Monteg.
“I believe you called her ‘love’, if I’m correct,” Alex said, his face serious.
“What I say or do is none of your business,” Adam nearly snarled, his jaw tightening.
“You don’t seem particularly upset about Cindy Eleanor’s death,” Tris said quietly, leaning forward ever so slightly and fixing Adam with her blue-eyed stare. “In fact, one could say you look happy.”
As they had talked, Adam had moved farther and farther away from them. He was now standing next to a window, absentmindedly toying with something in his hands. Tris narrowed her eyes as she realized he was holding a tarnished silver candelabrum in his hands. She was instantly suspicious when she saw some dark brownish red stains on the candelabrum. A quick glance in Alex’s direction confirmed what she had seen.
“Mr. Prince, what are those stains on the candelabrum you’re holding?” Tris asked slowly, making slow, deliberate steps in his direction.
“This is a very old candelabrum, it’s been in my family for a long time,” Adam answered, seeming to avoid her question. “I’ll have you know that it’s a family heirloom.”
“Mr. Prince, please answer Detective Scarlet’s question,” Alex said sternly, also stepping toward Adam.
“Mr. Prince, why are there stains on the candelabrum?” Tris asked, enunciating each word now in case he hadn’t understood her the first time.
“I heard you the first time,” Adam snapped, clutching the candelabrum more tightly in his hands, a strange look in his eyes. “No need to treat me as if I were a misbehaving child.”
“Then there is nothing wrong with you answering her question,” Alex said in a quiet voice, his amber eyes narrowed.
Adam had a wild look in his eyes now, and he was gripping the candelabrum so tightly that his knuckles were white. Tris and Alex were closing in on him, and his eyes darted around, avoiding their gaze.
“You’re making this harder for you and for us,” Tris said, holding her hands out in a pacifying manner. “All you have to do is tell us why and everything will be alright.”
“No! That is where you are wrong, Miss Scarlet!” Adam suddenly shrieked, swinging the candelabrum at her wildly. Had it not been for Alex’s quick reflexes, Tris would have had her face bashed in. “Killing her a midnight was a stroke of genius! It made her death all the more symbolic!”
Alex had a tight grip on her waist, pulling her away from the crazed man. Adam’s eyes were unfocused, and he was crazily swinging the candelabrum around. He seemed to shrieking something at them and after she recovered from her initial shock, she narrowed her eyes and pulled away from Alex. She listened to Adam’s strange ranting and started piecing the puzzle together.
“Cindy Eleanor was the bane of my existence, the reason that I was no longer allowed to mingle and flirt with other women!” Adam shrieked, keeping them at bay with the candelabrum. “She tied me down when I could have remained single and happy!”
“That doesn’t justify you murdering her!” Tris yelled while ducking as the candelabrum swung by, a little too close for comfort.
“Her death freed me, but I can’t get the voices out of my head! They keep whispering to me at night, and Cindy Eleanor won’t stop bothering me,” Adam’s voice by now had dropped to a mere whisper, but Tris and Alex had to be extremely cautious. “Make it stop, make it stop!”
As Tris and Alex inched closer and closer to the crazed man, he snapped suddenly. He threw the candelabrum widely at Tris, and it grazed her shoulder as it imbedded itself in the wall behind her. She ignored it and advanced on him, intent only on distracting him while Alex snuck behind Adam. Adam started to kick and punch wildly at her, and then, with an audible grunt, Alex tackled Adam to the floor.
“Let me go! Let me go! She deserved to die! I did what was right!” Adam howled as Alex pinned him to the floor. “Let me go!”
A good twenty minutes later, the guests left the mansion, having been politely asked to leave the premises. A very battered Tris and Alex stood outside the grand mansion, watching as the police made arrangements for Adam to be place in a mental asylum. Tris and Alex sighed as they examined the scrapes that they had gotten while trying to subdue Adam. They almost didn’t notice Commission Heartley arrive.
“Detectives Scarlet and Wolfe, a job well done,” she said, nodding at them approvingly before walking away.
“I got a suggestion for you, Tristan,” Alex mumbled after their boss had walked away.
“What?” she muttered, examining her bruises and scrapes and grumbling quietly.
“Next Halloween, I think we should just stick to trick-or-treating,” Alex said, earning a smile from Tris.
“But it’s not as fun as catching crazy psychos,” she joked.
“Are you nuts? He nearly took off my nose!” Alex protested as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped in disbelief.
Unbeknownst to them, the blood-stained candelabrum had never been found and obtained. It had mysteriously disappeared after Adam had been dragged away kicking and screaming. Tris realized this only after hearing twelve tolls of a grandfather clock in the Prince mansion. She glanced back at the now-empty mansion, suppressing a shiver.
by Anna Ashbury
Tristan Scarlet fixed the red cloak that made up her costume. She and her fellow detective, Alexander Wolfe, had been forced to attend the All Hallow’s ball at the home of rich banker, Adam Prince. She and Alex had decided to go as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. Not the most original thing, but they didn’t really care. Their real purpose was to question Adam concerning the recent murder of his wife, Cindy Eleanor Prince, formerly known as Cindy Eleanor Brown. It had happened three weeks ago, and at first, it had been dismissed as an accident, but upon further evident, it was obvious that Cindy Eleanor had not died of natural causes. They waited exactly twelve minutes before making their way down a long, winding path to the infamous Prince mansion, where the ball was being held.
“I don’t see the whole point of wearing a costume if we’re here on business,” Tris muttered, adjusting her cloak for the fifteenth time. “It just get’s in the way.”
“Where’s your enthusiasm, Tristan? Don’t you like Halloween?” Alex whispered, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at her.
“It’s just plain ridiculous to wear a costume dedicated just for one day of the year,” Tris grumbled, glaring up at him. “It makes me feel like I’m five or something.”
“Try not to glower too much,” Alex whispered, much to her irritation.
As they entered the Prince mansion, they were semi-impressed with the decorations. The mansion had been decorated to look exactly like a haunted house. Eerie music floated around them, seeming to come from nowhere. Partygoers were dressed in strange and exotic costumes, but none of them were easily recognizable. Most carried a glass or two of champagne in their hands, and some even seemed to be stumbling about giggling.
“Good grief, they’re serving alcohol,” Tris mumbled to herself in horror, dodging a particularly tipsy mermaid.
“No need to sound so horrified,” Alex said, smirking at her. “Now, let’s go see if we can find Mr. Prince.”
The twosome craned their necks, trying to look for the host of the party. They had to dodge several partygoers, most of them being couples who thought that the dance floor was a good place to kiss in plain sight. Tris had looked particularly scandalized, and Alex seemed to be enjoying her reaction. Finally, they managed to locate Adam in the company of a brunette. He did not notice them until Alex cleared his throat loudly.
“Detectives Scarlet and Wolfe, what brings you two to my humble home?” Adam asked them politely in his deep voice.
“We’d like to talk with you, privately,” Tris said, glaring at the brunette.
“Why, of course, of course,” Adam said genially before turning to the brunette. “Juliette, love, I’m sorry to say that I have some business to attend to, so why don’t you mingle with the other guests?”
Tris and Alex exchanged a look when Adam called Juliette ‘love’. Wasn’t he supposed to be mourning his wife’s death? Adam did not look like a man grieving and pining for his lost wife. He looked positively happy, not at all weepy-eyed. He turned away after Juliette sauntered off, motioning for Tris and Alex to follow him. They ascended the staircase, and Adam led them away, the music and sounds of the party fading away. They arrived at the library, and Adam opened the door, gesturing for them to enter, and he closed the door after they walked in. He turned to them and clasped his hands together, a toothy smile pasted on his face.
“So, what is it you want to talk to me about, detectives?” he asked, the smile not quite reaching his eyes.
“We were wondering what you could tell us about your wife’s murder,” Tris said, and she saw his smile slip ever so slightly before it returned in full force.
“As you probably remember, Cindy Eleanor was originally thought of to trip and fall to her death, but further examination showed that she was beaten with a large object,” Alex said, his arms crossed. “She died before she had even started falling down the stairs.”
“Detectives Scarlet and Wolfe, I would like it if you did not remind me of how my darling wife died,” Adam said, but the grief in his voice did not sound particularly convincing to Tris’ sharp ears.
“You did not sound particularly unhappy when you were talking to Juliette Caplet,” Tris pointed out, having recognized the young daughter of the Caplet family and fiancée of Royce Monteg.
“I believe you called her ‘love’, if I’m correct,” Alex said, his face serious.
“What I say or do is none of your business,” Adam nearly snarled, his jaw tightening.
“You don’t seem particularly upset about Cindy Eleanor’s death,” Tris said quietly, leaning forward ever so slightly and fixing Adam with her blue-eyed stare. “In fact, one could say you look happy.”
As they had talked, Adam had moved farther and farther away from them. He was now standing next to a window, absentmindedly toying with something in his hands. Tris narrowed her eyes as she realized he was holding a tarnished silver candelabrum in his hands. She was instantly suspicious when she saw some dark brownish red stains on the candelabrum. A quick glance in Alex’s direction confirmed what she had seen.
“Mr. Prince, what are those stains on the candelabrum you’re holding?” Tris asked slowly, making slow, deliberate steps in his direction.
“This is a very old candelabrum, it’s been in my family for a long time,” Adam answered, seeming to avoid her question. “I’ll have you know that it’s a family heirloom.”
“Mr. Prince, please answer Detective Scarlet’s question,” Alex said sternly, also stepping toward Adam.
“Mr. Prince, why are there stains on the candelabrum?” Tris asked, enunciating each word now in case he hadn’t understood her the first time.
“I heard you the first time,” Adam snapped, clutching the candelabrum more tightly in his hands, a strange look in his eyes. “No need to treat me as if I were a misbehaving child.”
“Then there is nothing wrong with you answering her question,” Alex said in a quiet voice, his amber eyes narrowed.
Adam had a wild look in his eyes now, and he was gripping the candelabrum so tightly that his knuckles were white. Tris and Alex were closing in on him, and his eyes darted around, avoiding their gaze.
“You’re making this harder for you and for us,” Tris said, holding her hands out in a pacifying manner. “All you have to do is tell us why and everything will be alright.”
“No! That is where you are wrong, Miss Scarlet!” Adam suddenly shrieked, swinging the candelabrum at her wildly. Had it not been for Alex’s quick reflexes, Tris would have had her face bashed in. “Killing her a midnight was a stroke of genius! It made her death all the more symbolic!”
Alex had a tight grip on her waist, pulling her away from the crazed man. Adam’s eyes were unfocused, and he was crazily swinging the candelabrum around. He seemed to shrieking something at them and after she recovered from her initial shock, she narrowed her eyes and pulled away from Alex. She listened to Adam’s strange ranting and started piecing the puzzle together.
“Cindy Eleanor was the bane of my existence, the reason that I was no longer allowed to mingle and flirt with other women!” Adam shrieked, keeping them at bay with the candelabrum. “She tied me down when I could have remained single and happy!”
“That doesn’t justify you murdering her!” Tris yelled while ducking as the candelabrum swung by, a little too close for comfort.
“Her death freed me, but I can’t get the voices out of my head! They keep whispering to me at night, and Cindy Eleanor won’t stop bothering me,” Adam’s voice by now had dropped to a mere whisper, but Tris and Alex had to be extremely cautious. “Make it stop, make it stop!”
As Tris and Alex inched closer and closer to the crazed man, he snapped suddenly. He threw the candelabrum widely at Tris, and it grazed her shoulder as it imbedded itself in the wall behind her. She ignored it and advanced on him, intent only on distracting him while Alex snuck behind Adam. Adam started to kick and punch wildly at her, and then, with an audible grunt, Alex tackled Adam to the floor.
“Let me go! Let me go! She deserved to die! I did what was right!” Adam howled as Alex pinned him to the floor. “Let me go!”
A good twenty minutes later, the guests left the mansion, having been politely asked to leave the premises. A very battered Tris and Alex stood outside the grand mansion, watching as the police made arrangements for Adam to be place in a mental asylum. Tris and Alex sighed as they examined the scrapes that they had gotten while trying to subdue Adam. They almost didn’t notice Commission Heartley arrive.
“Detectives Scarlet and Wolfe, a job well done,” she said, nodding at them approvingly before walking away.
“I got a suggestion for you, Tristan,” Alex mumbled after their boss had walked away.
“What?” she muttered, examining her bruises and scrapes and grumbling quietly.
“Next Halloween, I think we should just stick to trick-or-treating,” Alex said, earning a smile from Tris.
“But it’s not as fun as catching crazy psychos,” she joked.
“Are you nuts? He nearly took off my nose!” Alex protested as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped in disbelief.
Unbeknownst to them, the blood-stained candelabrum had never been found and obtained. It had mysteriously disappeared after Adam had been dragged away kicking and screaming. Tris realized this only after hearing twelve tolls of a grandfather clock in the Prince mansion. She glanced back at the now-empty mansion, suppressing a shiver.