Murder Mystery Dinner In Sacramento
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
Somewhere in California, USA, in late November. The evening of the Murder Mystery Dinner for fifty guests had arrived at last. After weeks of careful preparation by the organizers (with help from some volunteers), it was nearly time for everyone to come together and take part in their murder mystery event.
The venue for this particular murder mystery dinner party was the old Victorian house that had been recently renovated as a hotel. Guests were already beginning to arrive, with a few arriving rights on schedule just after six o’clock while others would be coming in over the next hour or so. There would also be a steady stream of other staff showing up later as well. For now, though, all eyes were on the door to greet guests who came through it.
There were two security guards standing watch by the side gate entrance, both dressed in black tuxedos and holding large wooden batons that they would use if necessary. They stood tall with proud posture, waiting to see who would walk out onto the front porch of the mansion, but there hadn’t been anyone yet.
Then suddenly, a figure appeared outside the gates, and everyone’s attention quickly turned towards it: The man in black wearing his trademark sunglasses, dark trench coat and gloves, stepping out onto the steps and looking around at everything. His long hair and short beard were brushed back perfectly, giving him an aura of authority despite being such a young-looking individual. He stepped up to the gate where one of the guards waited and held out his hand.
“It’s about fucking time,” he said in an impatient tone, then handed the guard five thousand dollars in cash; enough to cover all expenses for the night. “I’m here.”
Once the security guard had counted the money, he nodded and opened the gate to let the man pass through into the courtyard area. As soon as the first guests began to arrive, the man would stand aside and make his way inside to greet them personally.
***
The dining room was packed full of people having fun and enjoying their evening’s entertainment. With each guest having a specific role within the play, it was all going according to plan. The actors were making sure they did the best job possible, knowing full well that they could ruin the whole thing with poor acting. It would be easy to blame the director, but he knew very well that the cast would be able to do far better than he’d asked of them. That was why, despite how much work had gone into preparing for this murder mystery event, he felt nervous as he made his way down to the dining hall to introduce himself to every single guest personally before sitting down with them and taking part in the meal itself.
As a special treat for all of the guests attending tonight, a private table for three had been set up near the stage where the murder mystery would be played out on. The man in black would be seated in the middle between his two friends, ready to play the role of the murderer and cause all the chaos, just like he was supposed to. When the time came, he would get up from his seat at the table and move over to the head of the stairs leading down onto the stage. Then, when the audience was completely silent and still, he would reach into his pocket and pull out a knife to cut his wrists. At that point, the play would be over and the guests could all celebrate afterwards in good spirits.
That was how things had happened in all of the other murder mystery events the man in black had attended so far, so what was different this time? He looked around at all of the people sitting in the crowd, watching as they enjoyed themselves and talked among themselves about everything that had been happening. No one seemed to have noticed anything odd.
The sound of someone clearing his throat caught the man’s attention, and he turned to look behind him. Standing in front of the entrance to the dining room was another man wearing a bowler hat and suit jacket. A smile formed on the killer’s face, and he got up and walked towards him, leaving his seat and heading towards the exit that led outside to meet him.
“Hello Mr. White,” said the man in black, smiling as he reached him.
“Well you certainly didn’t waste any time showing up, I’ll give you that.” He smiled and put out his hand for a shake. “How are things with you?”
“Quite well, thank you,” said the man in black, shaking his hand and then letting go. “It’s good to finally meet you.”
Mr. White smiled, his hands still clasped together. “You too. So what brings you here today?”
He glanced around at all of the guests sitting in their seats as they continued to eat their meals. “I thought I should come and say hello myself, before we go any further with all of this,” said the man in black. “After all, if something happens to me during the show it will be your fault.”
“Really?” asked Mr. White in surprise. “Why do you think that is?”
The man in black shrugged his shoulders. “Because I know the type of man you are, and I trust my instincts more than you realize. If you’re going to kill me, you won’t hesitate or mess up. You’re not stupid. This is why I’ve given you plenty of preparation time to find out exactly who I am before inviting you here. You’ve also done an excellent job at getting everyone to believe that you’re really working for someone else. Even some of the guests don’t seem to have realized yet, which means that they might be suspicious later on.
“Now I’ll admit, I may have underestimated you a little when choosing a disguise for you because I hadn’t known your true identity until now. But it was worth the risk. It wasn’t until after I left New York last week that I realized just how important I was going to be in all of this. You’re a great actor. The only thing keeping us from succeeding right now is that damn director.” He sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you any of this beforehand.”
The man in black grinned broadly. “Don’t worry, we have all night.”
They both chuckled for a moment, then turned to make their way back inside. Mr. White stopped in front of the stage, and looked at the actors as they prepared themselves to take the stage once again.
“Remember,” said Mr. White, turning back towards the man in black, “don’t let anything distract you from doing your job.”
“And it’s my job to cause chaos,” said the man in black, nodding his head and then walking past him towards the stairs leading down to the stage. Once there, he paused and glanced at the people sitting in their seats, trying to catch sight of one particular guest.
***
When the woman in white entered the dining room and began talking to her husband, the man in black moved over to the side, away from the entrance but still within earshot of the conversation, ready to listen closely to everything she said. When she told him that she’d brought along a new guest to meet him, he leaned closer so that he could hear every word she spoke.
“This man,” said the woman in white as she motioned for the man in black to follow them across the room, “will be accompanying us to London tonight, and will also be staying here in the hotel while we go on tour with our show.”
There were a few gasps from some of the guests. One young woman in a red dress whispered to her friend: “Do you see him? Is that him?”
The woman in white smiled at the whispers, saying nothing more until they stood directly next to the two men and women waiting for them at the entrance to the dining room. Then she took a deep breath, and stepped forward to introduce each of them.
“I want you both to meet my husband and best friend, Sir George.”
Sir George smiled at the couple. “And you must be Miss Mina,” he said in greeting to the woman in black.
She nodded, looking him straight in the eye with confidence and a touch of arrogance. “Yes, I am.”
“Good evening,” said Sir George with a smile, offering his hand and then taking a step back.
Mina took it and shook it firmly. “My pleasure.”
The other members of the company began to file into the dining hall, followed by the musicians, and the party got under way again. Soon there was much laughter and merriment among the guests, as everyone ate their dinner and enjoyed their drinks. After a short while, however, the conversation in the room seemed to die down for a moment, and several people exchanged glances.
“What’s wrong with everybody?” someone muttered to another person, and others repeated this question over and over again. There was no answer to give, because they didn’t know what had caused it. A chill ran through some of the guests as they stared around at the empty dining chairs at the same time. Some of them even jumped when they saw things moving in the shadows, and heard whispers of things that shouldn’t be possible coming from behind them.
It was like being trapped in a haunted house at Halloween. Except for the fact that the spirits weren’t friendly and weren’t there for any fun.
But if any of them noticed the man in black standing off to the side, smiling and laughing as he watched the scene unfold, he made sure not to make any comment about it. His attention was focused entirely upon Mina, whose eyes glittered brightly as she gazed at Sir George.
The woman in white cleared her throat. “Now, let me present to you our first real guest of honor, who will also be joining us for a drink,” she said. She turned to the man in black. “Sir George is quite well-known in the theater world,” said Mrs. White, “and we thought that it would be fitting to have him accompany us to London. Now, please come this way,” she continued, pointing ahead with one hand and indicating toward a door that led out onto a balcony overlooking the dining room.
The man in black followed her without saying anything, and he stepped up beside her on the stone railing surrounding the area where the guests were sitting. It overlooked the entire length of the restaurant and beyond, and he could see the tables full of people eating and drinking. The lights were dimmed enough that he could clearly see everything happening in the dining hall. Even though he couldn’t hear what anyone was saying, he knew that he had to watch and listen carefully or he might miss something very important.
He glanced down into the room below him, seeing how many people were staring up at the two actors who were standing above them on the balcony. He could feel a slight breeze blowing in from outside, causing some of the guests’ hair to flutter as he looked down.
“We have some wonderful wines for our guests,” said Mrs. White, “from France and Italy, which I’m sure Sir George would enjoy.”
The man in black didn’t respond with words, but instead reached down and pulled one of the bottles from the wine rack. With his mind he poured a glass and then held it up to his mouth before turning it upside down and letting it pour into the crystal goblet that was already resting on top of the marble surface just beneath him.
Mrs. White gasped. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly as she looked up at him. “Where did you come from?”
The man in black ignored her and turned his gaze to the table below. The glass fell to the ground without breaking and shattered when it struck the floor, leaving shards of broken glass all around. But he paid no attention to that, focusing completely on watching Mina and Sir George talk and laugh together.
“Please join us,” said Mrs. White, gesturing to an empty chair between her husband and Mina. “Your friend is most welcome to sit here and relax for a short while after your long journey.”
The man in black remained standing, and the look in his eyes changed suddenly. They became hard and cold, filled with dark secrets and evil desires that only Mina could ever satisfy.
Mina felt a shiver run through her as she studied the handsome actor’s face and realized why his eyes had been so sad earlier. He was still mourning the death of his wife—even though Mina hadn’t known her.
She took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself and remember all that she’d read in the journals about him. And as she did, he looked up and caught her staring at him.
His blue eyes widened as he stared back at her, his gaze intense for a moment before it returned to its normal gentle expression. “I must apologize,” he said, his tone warm and sincere. “That was rude of me.”
Mina smiled faintly. “No, actually it wasn’t,” she replied gently. She glanced toward Mrs. White and Sir George and then back to him again. “You don’t really seem like the type of person who would be rude,” she added. “You’re very kind, even though you haven’t talked much.”
The man in black nodded slightly. “Perhaps I’ve become more reserved than I used to be,” he said, “but you can call me Arthur.”
Mina hesitated for a few seconds before shaking her head. “Arthur seems too formal a name for you, sir,” she said.
The man in black laughed lightly and then shook his head. “Not at all,” he said, “that is my stage name. My real name is Edward. Or should I say ‘Eddie,’ as I’m not so stiff and formal anymore?”
“Edward then,” agreed Mina, thinking how nice it sounded when he said it. As much as she hated to admit it, he was a very handsome man. His hair was light brown and cut short, showing off the strong lines of his jaw and neck. And although he wore a suit and tie, they were both made out of a very expensive fabric and tailored beautifully, emphasizing his broad shoulders. And the way he stood there wearing his hat and gloves, looking out over the diners in the dining room below him, brought to mind the image of a dashing young man in a film noir movie.
She wondered if he was in a play now? Or perhaps making movies. If he was an actor, that meant she knew him from somewhere else. Maybe she’d seen him on television or in one of the newspapers.
He seemed to sense her thoughts. “Yes, you must know me,” he said with a smile, glancing down briefly at the glass still hanging from its golden chain. “My acting career began when I was younger.”
Mina couldn’t hold back the excitement any longer. “Then you played Robin Hood in a film?” she asked, feeling a thrill go through her stomach when he nodded slightly. She’d been watching for a sign of recognition, and this one had been perfect.
“Robin Hood!” he exclaimed, laughing softly. “Of course! How could you forget?”
“I didn’t, exactly,” Mina quickly explained. “But I didn’t realize until just now that we had actually met before. We’ve crossed paths before, haven’t we, Eddie?”
The man in black smiled, flashing his brilliant white teeth against his tan skin. He reached under his hat and tugged at the brim before taking it off and handing it to Mrs. White.
“It seems we have indeed,” he agreed, removing his gloves and holding them loosely by the tips of his fingers. “Why do you ask?”
Mina bit her lip for a second as she glanced at Sir George. “Oh, no reason at all,” she hurried to explain. Then she lowered her voice and spoke slowly. “Only because you look just like an actor I once saw in a play. The character was named Robin Hood, but he was actually called Will Scarlet.”
Her companion’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He leaned forward and looked deeply into Mina’s eyes as he asked, “Was it me you were seeing, ma’am? Or was it a different actor who played the part?”
She took a deep breath as she tried to think how to answer him without revealing anything strange or dangerous. She couldn’t tell him that it was something she’d done while being influenced by an ancient spirit. It was obvious enough to him already: that he was a dead person who lived on in the land of the living, thanks to the ancient magic that gave life to this place. But what about the rest of the world? Did it even make sense for him to talk to someone else when he’d been alive himself?
And yet…he was still handsome. And even though he looked so sad and alone, she found herself drawn to him in spite of everything. What was wrong with her?
She decided to just answer him truthfully. After all, she reasoned, the people who worked here probably wouldn’t hurt her for saying such a thing.
“No, you weren’t in a play,” she admitted. “It wasn’t you at all.”
For a moment he frowned, his brow wrinkling slightly as his expression changed to puzzlement. Then suddenly his gaze turned dark, and he reached out toward her with his hand.
“Don’t touch me,” she warned.
His face fell slightly as he pulled back his arm.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry I startled you.”
Mina watched him warily as he removed the gold chain and put the glass back on the table. He placed the hat and gloves next to the crystal ball, and then stood up straight as he reached for his cane.
“As a matter of fact, I am here to see my father,” he said. “I’m sure your wife will be happy to let us upstairs to visit.”
The End