private Clue [RP]

[Stardust* 3,302]

@@Hazard Time,@, @, @@BronyNumber42,  

 

There was a knock at the door of the mansion. Stardust immediately took her leave from the guests to answer the door for the lawyer. After pleasantries she escorted him to the sitting room and made introductions. 

 

"I would like to announce the arrival of Mr. Lawhoof, Mr. Body's attorney. These ponies are the ones that you stated I invite to the estate, Mr. Zoisite, Colonel Mustard, Mr. Rider, and Miss Crystal. Please, everypony take a seat and allow Mr. Lawhoof to present the Last Will and Testament of Mr. Body." Stardust made her way to the back of the room and sat in a chair against the wall. 

 

"Thank you Stardust for the introductions, I am pleased to see that you all made it tonight. I would like to present the Last Will and Testament of the late Mr. Body. Presented here on film. He specifically stated that this not be seen by anyone until all of you were present. He left me explicit instructions to make sure that you were all well fed and taken care of, which as Stardust told me on the way in was already taken car of. Just give me a moment to get this set up."

 

Mr. Lawhoof took his briefcase and placed it upon a side table, propped open the tabs and began setting up the movie reel. With a nod to Stardust he fed the tape through the odds and ends while Stardust pulled down a screen in which the video would be seen. The final touches with speakers in place he flipped the switch and a black and white tape began to play counting down....

 

"3.....2.....1..... Thank you all for turning up on this day." Mr. Body alive and well was on the screen. "As you are well aware, if you are viewing this, that means I am no longer among the living. I am here to go over my will and give you all what you deserve. Each of you have been called here because there is unfinished business between us. Weather it be because there are debts to be paid or a score to settle. I do hope that by the end of the evening we will all be able to walk away happy. Now, let us get down to business.

 

One of you in this room at this moment is guilty of one thing.....

 

 

MURDER! 

 

MY MURDER! I have taken precautions, as such, this tape to insure my voice to be heard so as to not allow you go get away with it. There is information on each one of you hidden in my mansion. I know that whomever is the culprit will be wanting to get those documents back and taken care of. As per my instructions left with my lawyer, no pony is to leave my estate until the murderer is found and handed over to the police. The doors have been locked by Stardust and the keys are placed in a safe that she only knows the combination to. I know that which ever pony decided to kill me would have very cleverly covered his or her tracks. However, they did not get all of the information. Each one of you has a clear motive for my murder, the only question now, is who was the one who actually did it? The police will be notified at a specific time, you have until morning to figure this out, otherwise you ALL will be taken into custody."

 

The end of the tape began flapping as the reel continued to spin. The room was dead silent as Mr. Lawhoof flipped the switch once again. The ponies in the room began to fidget just a bit. Stardust stayed in her seat, not moving a muscle. 

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@@Stardust*,@Fallen Stars, @Frannis, @BronyNumber42,  

 

Zoisite jolted up at what he was hearing from the late Mr. Body.  His typically impassive demeanor shifted into a panic as his eyes flitted around to everypony else in the room.  His heart palpitated in his chest, and he could feel it growing louder.  A hoof went to his cravat, his breaths short as he tried to calm himself.  Finally, the recording was over, but his skin crawled, and he could feel eyes on him.

 

It didn't occur to him just how guilty he was acting until a half minute after the tape ended.  That didn't help his nerves, and his hoof gripped even harder around the small item he had hidden in his cravat.  Closing his eyes, he went through everything he had taught himself, and his breathing began to come back under control.  When his face resumed its impassive softness, only then did the stallion reconsider what had happened.

 

They had information on him?  Did that include his sister?  He had to find them, and he had to destroy them.

[Brony Number 42 10,069]

The Colonel was sitting in the chair he had chosen earlier. He was sipping a cup of coffee when the lawyer arrived. Finally he could get down to business. The lawyer played the movie. Yes, this was all fine. We would all get our share.

 

"MURDER"

 

Mustard choked on his coffee. He sat up and payed closer attention. When the film was done he stood up. "Outrageous! You have no right to keep us locked here!"

 

Mr. Lawhoof spoke. "Mr. Body stipulated that upon his untimely demise, you would be summoned here. None of you has yet been charged with a crime. However, if you wish to leave then you can. I can call the police and they can escort you home...after you answer their questions, of course."

 

The Colonel sat down quietly and ground his teeth for a moment. He certainly didn't want to answer questions from the police. "Fine. And will you" he was talking to Mr. Lawhoof, "be staying with us all night?"

 

He had to get to those alleged documents and he didn't need a lawyer looking over his shoulder while he went snooping.

[Classic Play 232]

Clear Rider was excited to know what he would have gotten out of the inheritance. He really hoped it'd be the mansion. But, the bits would have also been nice. That would help in quite a few things for sure. When the video started, Clear Rider was anxious to know what it would have been. Then about halfway in, his eyes widened, then he began to feel anxious for a completely different reason. Murder? What? His eyes shifted across the room. His focused was fixed on Col Mustard for the moment the pony bellowed angry words. For once, Clear Rider agreed with his words. But, did not speak up, especially after the lawyer's words.

 

Clear Rider contemplated what to do. He wanted so bad to get up and run out of there. But, he realized that would seem suspicious.  Then he remembered that there was information on every pony here, except for Stardust it seems. Information that could convict him, whether he had done it or not. That would destroy him. It would destroy his Wonderbolts career, before it even began. He couldn't have that.  But, he had to think as rationally as possible. He kept an eye on every pony and contemplated.

[Stardust* 3,302]

Mr. Lawhoof was taken aback by the brash words spoken by the Colonel. "Actually, yes, I will be staying to find out the culprit and then to continue onto the next portion of the will that will be delivered to me by the police chief when they arrive in the morning." Making his way to the seat opposite of Stardust and grabbing a cup of coffee and a sweet treat on the way. "Might as well get comfortable, it looks to be an exciting and long night." 

 

Stardust then addressed the room. "To answer your outburst Colonel, yes, we can keep you here, I spoke with the police chief this afternoon as per instructed a note left by Mr. Body, now it all makes sense." She seemed a bit disgusted with herself, and took a handkerchief to her muzzle to dab the tears that were beginning to form. She was ashamed of Mr. Body for getting into business with these sorts of ponies, and she was also upset that she was not made aware of any of this and knowing that her beloved master was murdered by one of these ponies in the sitting room it was making her stomach churn. 

 

To her the master was like a father. Always treating her the best out of the help and making sure that she wanted for nothing. Seeing as Mr. Body lost his own daughter at a young age, Stardust came into his life at just about the same age. She wanted to find the documents just as much as the others did, and she had a pretty good guess as to where they might be. The only problem was she didn't know the combinations to some of the areas of the house. They were not even privy to her, and she knew just about every nook and cranny of the place, and when they played hide and seek she would always get the best places! 

 

She was lost in anger, grief, and frustration thinking back about the adventures that she had with Mr. Body. Shaking out of it she tried to regain her composure as to not alarm the guests. She was going to be on a mission, and she had to play it as cool as she could in order to get any information out of any of them. Soon as they left the room she would make her way to the few areas where the documents might be. She knew that Mr. Body would never keep all of them together, and would always have one or two pieces in places that were completely obvious, but oblivious to those who knew not what they were looking for. 

 

She was contemplating where to go first. She was hoping none of the guests would have any questions for her. And she knew the best way to get information from them all too. This pleased her. 

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@@Stardust*, Crystal watched the video with the rest of them, she smiled slightly when she saw Mr.Body, but the smile quickly disappeared when she remembered her past with him. 'MURDER! MY MURDER!' Her eyes widened as she started to freak out, starting to breath in and out quickly trying to calm down. Now wondering one of two things: 

1. How does somepony know of their murder before they were murdered?
2. Who did it?

She breathed in deeply to calm down, which actually worked. She Pulled out a notebook and looked around the room to examine all the ponies, starting with Stardust; excluding her immediately because she knew him to closely to want to kill him. next was Zoisite; who was holding something hidden in his cravat. She made note of this. Colonel's freak out made her suspicious of him, his anxiousness to leave might mean something. Clear Rider; He seemed just as nervous about this as well.

 

She didn't speak much, realizing something about herself. She was incredibly calm about this. She coughed to clear her throat and spoke: "Mr. Body's murder is unfortunate Stardust, I hope the one responsible is given was he deserves."

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@@Stardust*

 

With his breathing relaxed and his eyes closed, Zoisite began to assemble an algorithm.  What were his objectives?  His first objective was to secure whatever intelligence the late Mr. Body had on him and his sister.  If he could control that, he could control just how much the others knew about him.  It wasn't necessary to lie to them just yet, but he couldn't tell them everything.  The problem was...just how long would be able to maintain appearances?

 

"Then we have our mission," Zoisite stated, rising to his hooves and making his way towards the door.  His eyes remained focused on a point straight ahead, his muscles tightening as he felt the eyes upon him.  "Just like the perpetrator, the truth is hidden somewhere in this mansion.  If you will excuse me, I intend to find it."  

 

Even when the other stallion called out to him, his only response was to calmly state, "I am Soft Zoisite."  It would do no harm to give that information away.  Doing the opposite would only have provoked more suspicion.  

 

His hooves clopped against the polished floor as he attempted to make his way through the mansion.  If he interpreted the others correctly, it would be best to start at the far end of the mansion first.  They would more than likely try the nearest rooms, perhaps even sticking together as they searched.  It would give him time to be as meticulous as he pleased, without the fear of somepony breathing down his neck.

 

Eventually, he would end up in the ballroom, which he gave a cursory glance before entering.

Edited September 13, 2016 by Hazard Time

[Brony Number 42 10,069]

The Colonel was angry but composed. "I would remind Mr. Lawhoof, and everypony else, that lacking formal charges and legal counsel, any statements made by us are not legally admissible. They are merely our word against yours," he hoped he sounded more confident than he felt. He was trying to bluff a lawyer, afterall.

 

"Nevertheless, I would advise us all to admit to nothing. One of us, allegedly," he held up a hoof to emphasize the point, "is, supposedly, guilty of murder. But perhaps we all have something to hide." He looked pointedly at Lawhoof but talked to the room at large, "We don't trust each other, but we should trust even less a lawyer. Remember, he is a private citizen, not law enforcement, and employed by someone who, it now is clear, did not trust us. He has no authority to direct or forbid us. It is logical for Mr. Lawhoof to let us find the documents and let us who are not killers go. Otherwise we would have no reason to cooperate with him.

 

"I suggest we search together. If anypony searches a room alone then the rest of us would still have to search it. On the other hoof, a pony alone looks guilty and might find incriminating documents and destroy them. Not that it would matter to me, I don't care what the rest of you, allegedly, did." He saw Zoisite try to leave and he called after him, "Wouldn't you agree, Mr...?"

Edited September 13, 2016 by BronyNumber42

[Classic Play 232]

Clear Rider kept contemplating what should be done. He saw the crystal pony run off, which made him suspicious. And he listened to the colonel talking about sticking together. That was a legit plan, but it would also make him suspicious. If he were the killer, of course he'd want everyone close by. It would give him the opportunity to take the rest of the ponies out, leaving no witnesses. And no necessity to look for any documents. He could just burn the mansion down and make the authorities think everypony was trapped inside. Crystal's really calm demeanor as she talked to Stardust made her just as suspicious. But, what of himself? Surely his obvious nervousness would make himself just as guilty.

 

Clear Rider looked to Stardust and the lawyer, who could also be just as suspicious. Mr Body probably expected it to be one of the guests, but surely he wouldn't suspect the ponies closest to him. Clear Rider knew that it was often times, the ponies closest to the victim had something to do with it. And what of the servants? Everypony in this mansion could easily be the culprit. Clear Rider decided that he would keep a close eye on all of them as well as himself.

 

He couldn't forget about the history his family had with Mr Body. Though, to every pony in the room, Clear Rider had made it like he never knew the pony. If those documents that could incriminate him were found first, it could make him look really bad. He had to make a decision.

 

"I agree with Colonel Mustard," he finally spoke out, his nervousness echoed in his voice. "But, I think the lawyer and Stardust should also accompany the party."

Edited September 13, 2016 by Fallen Stars

[Brony Number 42 10,069]

"Fine," the Colonel was not pleased. But I want assurances that any documents not relevant to the alleged murder be returned to each of us. We have a right to our privacy." He got up and began to pace about the room. "Supposedly we all have a motive for muder. Therefore finding any allegedly incriminating documents will look bad upon each of us, but is not proof of murder." He turned to Lawhoof, "How and when did Mr. Body die? Which of us stands to gain directly from his death? Was the motive money or revenge? For all we know, he had a heart attack, and this filmed will of his is the ravings of a pony who has lost his mind and become paranoid." Mustard rubbed his chin in thought. "Yes...we need to know the state of mind of Mr. Body in his last days or even years. We should find his diary. I suggest we start in his office."

[Stardust* 3,302]

@@BronyNumber42,@, @@Hazard Time, @,  

 

Stardust was still sitting in the chair, almost sick to her stomach. She was still trying to overcome her overwhelming feeling of loss and confusion. Mr. Body was never this type of pony when it was just them. She wanted to know just exactly he had on these ponies. And with her being the one with the greatest knowledge of the house she too would need to figure out where some of these papers might be held. She had a pretty good idea of where to start. 

 

"The study." She whispered to herself. As she saw the other ponies struggle and try to figure out what to do next she decided the best way to get away from them all would be to quietly slip out the back. She stood from her chair and she slowly backed into the corner of the room. Pressing her body up against a portion of the book case that she knew was just a bit special. She looked for her favorite book and pulled it slightly tipping it just enough to trigger the mechanism that flung the portion of book case to flip around revealing a dimly lit corridor. With a grin on her face she remembered the long days that she would wonder the corridors and try to play small tricks on Mr. Body and the other staff. 

 

Now it was time to get serious. Was the study really the first place to look? I'm so confused right now. Maybe my room would be the first place. I need to collect my thoughts. Hopefully no pony else thinks about looking in the study yet. I'm the only one with a key... hopefully they don't figure that out either... she thought to herself as she made her way to the hidden door to her room. She popped up and went to her desk. She pulled up her most prized possession. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" Her most favorite mystery novel of the world famous detective. Sherlock Holmes. She picked it up and flipped through the pages, as she did so, a folded paper fell from the pages, and landed on her desk. 

 

She placed the book down and sat in the chair at the desk. With shaking hooves she slowly began to unfold the paper....

 

.......

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@@Stardust*, Crystal spotted Stardust in the corner of the room, wondering just what she was doing. And then the bookshelf opened up. 'Okay, something is definitely up with her, what is she doing?' She thought to herself, she stood up and walked over to the new door way. It seemed nopony else was really paying an attention to it at the moment, So maybe she should. She stepped into the corridors that the door lead to. "Stardust!" She yelled into the corridors, hearing a slight echo. "Either you stay here with us, or we make you a prime suspect!" She yelled louder than before.

[Classic Play 232]

Clear Rider looked about the room and noticed two ponies were now gone. Stardust and Crystal. The only ones left were himself, Col Mustard and the lawyer. This was definitely all too strange. "Well, so much for everypony sticking together." So now, the pegasus had to recreate his strategy. He was stuck with one of the suspects, other than himself and Mr Lawhoof. Suppose it was best he got the lawyer to consider more options. 

 

"So Mr Lawhoof, don't you find it suspicious at all that Mr Body would bother to trick four seemingly random ponies with an inheritance letter, just to accuse, not just one, but all four of them of murder? And don't you find it suspicious that even Stardust was so quick to get out of here? Who do you think would probably benefit more from the esteemed pony's passing, any of the four guests or somepony closest to him?" Clear Rider took a breath, looking to the Colonel, then back to the lawyer. "And what about the help? The butler, one of the cooks. Why not one of them? Perhaps, this is all a scam. Maybe Mr Body isn't actually dead." That last thought just coming to him. "Yeah. Why else would he accuse the four random ponies instead of the ones he sees every day? And then conveniently scatter incriminating documents of the four guests around the mansion for Equestria's most high stakes scavenger hunt."

 

He finally stopped speaking. That was enough words. He now needed to contemplate what else to do here. He would still have to find the documents that could incriminate himself. He figured he might as well just leave the room, whether or not the other two ponies follow. Can't chance one of the other ponies to find his documents first. So, he turned around and went out to the entryway, then contemplated where to go from there. Without thinking, he climbed the stairs up to the second floor.

[Brony Number 42 10,069]

The Colonel watched the last suspect leave the room. He looked at Mr. Lawhoof and shrugged. He wasn't happy, but mainly because things had gotten out of control. As a retired military officer, he did not like things to get out of control. It was hard to say whether sticking together or splitting up was the best situation for him. Either way it was a moot point now.

 

He half contemplated saying something to the lawyer that would lay suspision on the others, but the lawyer would not be that gullible. Still, Mustard enjoyed the idea.

 

We are on our own then, he thought to himself. With a huff he left the room.

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@@Stardust*

 

Zoisite looked about the ballroom before tentatively stepping across the threshold onto the hard polished wooden floor.  The clop of his hooves echoed about the room as he made his way to the center.

 

Memories of days past returned the stallion, and he gave a sigh of exasperation.  He could care less about dance, but as a noble, it was something required of him.  His father and sister had attempted to goad him with lines such as, "How will you woo your future wife if you can't dance?"  Wishful thinking.  He wasn't a dancing stallion, and if any stallion stupid enough to consider him worthy of their attentions asked for a dance, they would have to accept this.

 

Snapping out of his daydreams, his attentions went to the supply closets.  If there was anything to be found in this room, that was where they would be found.  One by one, he opened each one, shifting the contents around for anything of interest.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Hazard Time

[FanOfManyShows 396]

@@Stardust*, Crystal groaned, she yelled enough, and it looked as if the other ponies suspected her of something. She was already standing in the secret corridor. So she sighed, and started to walk down the corridor. Perhaps Stardust had a reason to walk down here, she could've been looking for something, she felt her own eyes widen when the thought occurred to her. What if she was looking for Crystal's research papers? Crystal uncovered some strange things, she'd rather Stardust not find out in order to preserve Stardust's innocence on what she found. She started to walk faster, starting to transition into running. By that point her hooves echo started to silence as she approached the end of the corridor rather quickly. "Stardust." She stated calmly, a sense of anger in her voice as she stood at the entrance to the room. "Why are you here?" It was a rather demanding tone, but she wanted to know. "And what are you reading?"

[Brony Number 42 10,069]

Colonel Mustard started exploring the upper floor. He went to the door he assumed was Mr Body's study. He assumed the door would be locked but he would try anyway. His plan was to try every room, one by one. He would search each room thoroughly. If rooms were locked then he would try to kick them open. He hoped the house wasn't reinforced. Mr Body was a paranoid sort.

 

 

He tried he handle and...