Chapter 3 check-in; I'll try to write something soon

[img align=center]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/1000014.png[/img]She was just about to leave the powder room when something caught on her foot. It was a chain, a cheap one at that. Hanna fished her gloves out of her purse and put them on, for the sake of the ongoing murder investigation rather than propriety. A damaged pink rose pendant hung from the chain. It was too tacky to be Miranda's but maybe she had a wannabe, or a misguided admirer trying to punch above his weight. Perhaps someone was obsessed with her à la Single White Female. Miranda was no stranger to envious women or smitten men with her beauty, riches, and knack for getting attention. A whirlwind romance and scandalous engagement would no doubt enrage both kinds of hanger-ons. Enough to kill though?

Hanna's curiosity was piqued, so she decided to poke around the house. She headed for the parlor, wondering where Auntie Belladonna and Nicolette had disappeared to during the party. It made no sense that the family hosting the gathering had left the guests to fend for themselves. She entered the parlor and took a deep breath.

Well, it turned out that Wolf really was the victim and most of the guests were free to go. Rose thanked the detective for her work and scurried off to the kitchen. She was still ravenous after seeing the pastries that Richard had made for today's events. Thoughts of food were never far from her mind, and she was hopeful that there may be some snacks around that she could partake in.

Feeling shaky after overhearing the police exchanging details of what had befallen Wolf, Ashalind lags behind a group leaving the house. Deciding to take a moment to try and gather her thoughts, she sat on a lower tread on the staircase, going unnoticed behind the mass of carved roses that was the base of the balustrade. Does that mean Miranda is ok, there's still no sign of her...she couldn't have done this, could she?! Her mind a jumble of unanswerable questions, her eyes focusing on nothing, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the hem of her skirt on her lap. If Miranda had brought us all here to introduce us to Wolf, and the police said it looked like he hadn't tried to defend himself, and Miranda was likely the one he knew best from all the guests... She found it hard to believe her friend could be capable of hurting someone she was so clearly smitten with, but somehow she kept circling back to the thought. A chill dripped down her spine. To think the guy she had only just met was now dead, talk about surreal, it's not exactly how these tea-parties usually go. The hall now quiet, and Ash not quite feeling up to the walk home yet, she wandered into the small conservatory near the study, hoping that visiting her favourite roses growing there might help calm her churning thoughts. Plus there's a pleasant view towards the back garden...

Carefully Cin lifted the pillow, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he quickly dropped it back in place with a gasp. Heart racing, with a wince he lifted the pillow again and took a more thorough look at the knife. Long and sharp, but with no trace of blood. Maybe he had been right to suspect Richard. Why on earth would the Aunt think to poorly hide a massive knife like this under her pillow had she been the culprit. It was looking like a set-up.

Taking his phone out, Cin snapped a pic and set the pillow back in its place. No way was he going to touch the thing. Certainly the police would be investigating this room soon. That idea and him being alone with a potential murder weapon sent chills down his spine. It was high time to go back outside to get some fresh air.

Outfit Not Found

I feel faint after hearing that Wolf is dead. My heart starts pounding and I cannot wait to get a little fresh air.

After I was dismissed I started to make my way back to the open air but something caught my eye - a grand room filled with books. Ah THE LIBRARY! That is just want the anxiety needs, some moldy book paper smell. I make my way over there noticing the abundance of roses on my way and all the guests who seem to be looking for clues.

Entering the library is like entering heaven. As the smell envelops me my heart rate starts to normalize. My mind starts working too - I wonder who killed Wolf? I didn't know him long but murder seems such a terrible thing. I start looking at the books all around me. I wonder if there is anything of interest in here.

Private Outfit

As they left the study and wandered away from the crowd, TJ's head spun. This was a lot to take in. As much as they wanted to keep their head down and not get involved, it seemed the time for that had passed. They were smack-dab in the middle of a murder investigation, possibly one of the suspects, and surely fleeing the scene now would look suspicious.

Who had done it, though? TJ ran through a mental list of the party's attendees. Maybe it had been one of the crowd of socialites who had swarmed Wolf as the party started, although TJ was fairly sure none of them had followed him when he left. The only people he could think of who had slipped away were those living or staying in the house— the sister (What was her name? Nicole?), the bitchy aunt, or Miranda herself. Richard and Roland had both slipped away too, but TJ had spent enough time after-hours sampling Roland's secret "rose" plants with his boss to seriously doubt he was the killing type. Richard, they didn't know nearly as well, although it seemed like he had really pushed himself with the party's preparations. Had he gone too far and snapped?

While they pondered this, it occurred to TJ that this was the first amount of time they had really spent in the gorgeous estate. Who could blame them if they showed themselves around? Their first thought was to see what the private area of the house looked like, how Miranda and Wolf lived, but when they set foot on the staircase and saw the upper floor swarming with cops, they quickly thought better of it. Best not to go up, then. But why not the opposite? Why not go down? Surely there had to be some juicy secrets in the basement…

TJ knew where the kitchen was, and from there it wasn't hard to find an out-of-the-way door that led to a steep, rickety staircase. They started down but then hesitated, digging their gardening gloves out of their pocket and pulling them on. This seemed to be far away from the area under investigation, at least for now, but it wouldn't do to leave fingerprints anywhere they weren't supposed to be. If they were careful, they could just take a quick peek and get out without arousing any suspicion, right? As they headed down the stairs, they wondered what they would find. A wine cellar? Old family albums? A blood-soaked murderer hiding under the stairs?

In the bustle following the police questioning, Bastila slips away to clear her head and have a think, sheltering in a washroom where she won't be disturbed. She leans heavily on the sink and looks down at her hands, including the ruby engagement ring, sparkling under the ceiling light. She's going to get to the bottom of this. She owes it to Miranda.

But Miranda's on the suspect list. It's just not in character, unless her engagement with Wolf was a lot more sinister than it seemed. But if she was planning it, it'd be stupid to do it on the day of her party, with so many witnesses around. Come to think of it, it'd be stupid for anyone to do it today, unless they were counting on there being way more suspects than normal. But nearly everyone at the party today had an alibi that could be confirmed by at least a dozen others.

No, it must have been a crime of passion. Neither an amateur nor an experienced murderer would pick the day of the fete to commit a premeditated murder. There'd be way too many things that could go wrong, way too many people who could see them. Which doesn't narrow her suspects, but it does narrow the evidence she's looking for. If it was a crime of passion that means somebody had reacted extremely to something about Wolf. Ergo, she needs to find out more about him.

She splashes her face with water before leaving the washroom. Wolf's room is doubtless upstairs, where they aren't allowed to go, but he's been living in this house, if he hasn't left any signs of it that's a clue onto itself.

Bastila decides to start with the coat room. Even if Wolf hasn't left anything in his pockets, she can at least judge the quality of his clothing.

Outfit Not Found

Arianwen doesn't know what to think now. She looks for information on the bird sanctuary and the other grandchildren, though her heart's not really in it. Can it really be true that Wolfram Banks is the true identity of this man who left so little evidence of his presence in the world online?

She'd know what to do and who to ask if they were in Ziara, but they're not.

Miranda's taste is, as ever, excellent. Arianwen is out of her depth and realises it when she catches herself placing an order for a dress, to be shipped to her residence on Atebus. But why the hell not?

Her blood sugar must be crashing. She's barely had any food all day, she realises, and makes her way toward the kitchen. They're free to leave. But she doesn't want Miranda to come back to a house without friends in it.

Lilah sits in a chair still remaining in the garden to make a phone call. She wants to let her sister know what happened and that she's going to be late the next day for their breakfast at the diner that they planned, because worrying about what happened to Miranda will probably keep her up late tonight.

On a table in a sunny corner of the conservatory there is an assortment of 'Save the Date' card samples. It seems as if earlier in the day Miranda was in the process of picking on out to send to friends informing them of the date of the upcoming ceremony that won't ever happen now.

A few display pictures of the couple out in the gardens. On particularly fancy one has the monograms WB (presumably for 'Wolfram Banks') and MS (which clearly must stand for Miranda Silver which has never been mentioned before in this game but you KNOW for sure this is her last name). Someone has drawn over the 'W' with sharpie, however the ink has smudged terribly on the shiny surface and it's impossible to tell what was originally written.

The library seems fairly empty. Whatever action has gone on in this old mansion today, the library saw none of it. On a desk near the window though it seems someone has spread out the materials for scrapbooking. There are stickers birds and flowers and a few photos of both Wold and Miranda. curiously one of the things is a piece of a form. Specifically the top half of an 'Application for Employment' that has been pasted in the first page with some colorful washi tape.

There are no bloody murder rags down here. At least not anymore. There is an old wood stove though, which used to heat the house before it was upgraded to a more modern heating system. Weirdly enough it looks like someone started it up. While the fire's gone out the embers inside are still smoldering and the stove radiates heat. Even if the electric went out it's certainly too warm out today to have required any kind of heat in the house.

The quality of Wolf's clothes is... well very nice. At least judging by the one male coat in there that appears to be his size. Designer label, in most fashionable cut AND the new trendy color. It appears to be almost brand new though, a gift from Miranda perhaps. She always did like to have personal dress up dolls.

She can absolutely find the phone as well. I don't mind if there's a bit of overlap.

Outfit Not Found

As she turns to go to the kitchen, Arianwen notices something shiny in the corner of her eye, and bends over to pick up...Miranda's cellphone.

She shakes her head. If this really was a love match, it's unimaginably tragic.

Thinking for a moment--and careful not to cut her finger on the cracked glass--Arianwen tries a few passwords; one is 'Wolf', and the other two are ones she remembers Miri using before, when they were at school.

Jasmín was honestly flabbergasted that, for once, she wasn't a suspect in a murder she had been questioned about (though she really hadn't done it this time). Wolf being dead was a surprise, especially since she couldn't think of a motive for killing him since he and Miranda were not yet married. Other members of the party seem to be confused as to why Miranda was a suspect at all, thinking her incapable of killing another person. However, Jasmín knew better than anyone that anyone could be a killer, whether intentional or not, no matter who they were. In fact, those who were most adamant about not being able to end a life were the most suspicious to her. Killing wasn't automatically a malicious intention: if you shove someone accidentally and they fall back and smash their head open on the counter and die, you are a killer. You might not have meant to do it, but you still killed someone.

Jasmín didn't know what sort of clues to be looking for since she didn't usually leave any evidence behind to connect her to the murder. She wandered aimlessly through the house, keeping her eyes peeled for any strange findings.

Lypsyl picks up Miranda's phone and slips back into the library for privacy. She knows she should be turning it into the police (or at least giving it to Miranda), but just can't resist trying to find out more.

Did the mystery texter murder Wolf in a fit of jealousy? Were there more texts from the unknown sender?

Lypsyl tries some obvious passwords - 1234, 1111, wolf, then digs a little deeper into her knowledge of her friend. Birthdays, other important dates...Lypsyl tries to remember when Miranda said she met Wolf.

Chapter 3 check in

Chapter 3 Check In since I'm pretty sure I won't have time. :( Absolutely loving the story, though! <3

chapter 4 - more questions then answers

The adventure around the mansion has led to some interesting revelations. And even more questions. Questions that maybe it's time to find some real answers for. And those real answers are probably best gotten from those in charge of the investigation. Veta PD.

There are three people who stand out as potentials to ask. Detective Fields - As the woman in charge of the investigation she likely knows more about it then anyone. However she'll probably also be the LEAST forthcoming. Detective Andrews - Fields' partner. Due to being kept up for for four nights straight by his neighbor's new dog, the poor man looks like excessive amounts of caffeine is the only thing keeping him standing upright. Knows a decent amount about the case, and sleep deprivation might get him to open up more. Or he might just get more paranoid. Officer Snow - One of the youngest members of the police force, he's currently standing guard near the crime scene. Academy fresh, he's a little naive and is probably the easiest to pry information out of. He probably knows the least of the three though.

Before approaching one of them you take a deep breath and recall all the information you know about the murder so far.

You may assume control of these event NPCs for small talk leading up to the question within reason. Leave answering the question to me. Try to pay attention to what other people have asked. If everyone asks something similar then not as much about the mystery will be revealed!

If you are unable to do this prompt do to time restraints or no inspiration post 'Chapter 4 Check In' to earn your grand prize raffle ticket for this chapter.

OOC: Does this HA contest entry also count for a bonus raffle ticket?

Kat decided to approach the disheveled Detective Andrews. Having a baby and not getting enough sleep she figured he would be a good target since he had bags under his eyes. She took forgot her place and misspoke a few words here and there.

She hardly surprised him as she came munching out of the kitchen. "Hello Detective." She murmured with a mouth full of cake. She was no good at finding the killer as she had been help on a different case something that was rather nutty. "How long has Miranda known the chef here?" With all the clues scattered about Kat felt like maybe the chef was the killer?