Murder Mystery Holiday Party
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
The following occurred between 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 19, and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, 2002, in the Cotswolds of England…
Gwen crept through the house as quietly as she could while her husband slept deeply beside her. She had been up late with her friends at the cocktail party, and now she was ready to go home. But before leaving, she wanted to make sure that her husband wasn’t going to cause any trouble. It wouldn’t do for him to be rude or inappropriate toward someone who was invited by his wife.
As Gwen passed the sitting room, she heard a man say something about “a call from the police.” She stopped, peering into the darkness to see if she could hear anything more. There were voices, but it was too dark to tell what they said.
The man’s voice sounded like Sergeant Dominic Howard…Gwen smiled slightly, thinking that maybe he’d called them because their guests had left without paying attention to the rules. After all, there hadn’t been enough space in the kitchen for everyone to pay the bill at once, so most of them must have paid when they checked out. Maybe he was just calling to remind them.
Then the lights flickered on. And not just one lamp—all of them. The hallway was lit up brightly. Glancing back over her shoulder, Gwen saw that the sitting room was also illuminated by two lamps and the light coming in through the windows. If she didn’t know better, she would think that someone had turned on every single light in the house.
Then she realized that the lights weren’t on. They were blinking. One blink meant that the bulb needed changing; five blinks would mean a bad connection. So this must be normal. The electricity was working again. That was good news. She couldn’t wait to leave, though she felt a twinge of guilt that she would abandon her friends after such an enjoyable evening.
She forced herself to look forward to getting home and taking off her dress and putting on some comfortable clothes. Her husband deserved an apology for treating them badly.
But then she heard a woman scream. For a moment, Gwen thought that the noise came from the sitting room. But no, it was coming closer, louder than before. From the front hall! Whoever it is…it’s not one of our guests.
She followed the sounds of the woman screaming down the stairs and into the front hall. A young man lay motionless on the floor, blood pouring from a long cut on his throat. The sound of the woman’s screams had drawn the attention of several people standing around the body.
Gwen recognized the dead man. He was the youngest of the group, only twenty-one years old. His name was Keith, and he was a friend of her brother’s family. She knew him well. In fact, he had come to dinner with them last weekend, and they had gone to a nightclub together afterward.
Her heart was pounding. What happened? Someone had killed him. She tried to speak, but her tongue felt thick and clogged, and it seemed impossible to find the right words. Finally, she managed to shout, “What happened?”
A tall man wearing a policeman’s uniform approached her. He looked nervous. “I don’t know,” he answered. “Someone just walked into the house, pointed a gun at me, and told me to turn off all the lights. I turned them all off. Then the lights started blinking.”
“Who did that?” she asked.
He hesitated. “It was a man. He wore a black mask. Dark pants, a shirt, and a black leather jacket. Only his eyes were visible. He had a gun. I’m sorry, Mrs. McBride,” he added, speaking quickly, “but we can’t wait for the ambulance. You need to get out of here.”
“No!” Gwen shouted. “Wait! Who are you? Where’s my husband?”
The policeman lifted his head and stared directly at her. “Your husband is upstairs, sleeping. We haven’t found anyone else yet. But we’re looking. As soon as your husband wakes up, I’ll tell him what’s happening.”
Gwen stood frozen in shock, staring down at the body of the young man. His neck was broken. That explained why he had been unconscious. There was no way he could have been conscious enough to raise his hands to protect himself against the blow that severed his spine.
The murderer must have shot him and then dragged him downstairs. Was it possible that he had tried to stop the killer? Had she heard gunfire during the attack? No, that made no sense. Whoever had done this was careful. They wanted to make sure that nothing happened until they had finished.
And now she was trapped in the house. She should go outside—she’d probably meet her husband in the car. But first, she had to tell him what was going on. She glanced toward the door. It was shut. There was no sign of any intruders in the hallway. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She had to act calmly. What would Roy say if he caught her panicking? He wouldn’t approve.
Turning back to the policeman, she said, “Where am I supposed to go?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “We haven’t decided yet. The safest place is probably another hotel. Your husband will pay for everything.”
There was something about the look he gave her that bothered her. Something odd. Instinctively she reached for the silver knife at her waist. But she stopped herself. No. Not unless the worst happens. Calm. Think. Take control.
“How did you find me so fast?” she asked the policeman. “You said there were four guards out front. And three more inside.”
“Our security cameras picked up the image of someone leaving a taxi near the house. The driver said his passenger was a man wearing a black mask. We tracked the cab through GPS. Once we knew where he was heading, it was easy to find the house.”
“So how did you know someone was coming? How do you know it wasn’t just a coincidence?”
“Once we arrived at the scene, we checked every camera on the property and found two men running away from the house. One ran south, towards the river. The other north.”
North? But the man who fell from the tree was south, by the hedge. “Which way is north?” she asked.
“That’s hard to say,” he admitted. “We haven’t been able to identify the route the man took after leaving the grounds. He might be in the woods or even across the river. We’ve never seen anyone leave like that before.”
“Did you see anything else?” she wondered aloud.
“Nothing unusual. We found one body in the bushes. A woman. We think she jumped into the trees and fell when she saw us. She didn’t try to hide once she realized we were there. Just waited for us to walk past. But we don’t know if she’s connected with the murder.”
Gwen nodded. “Good. You’re doing an excellent job.”
“Thank you.”
“Were you the one who called the police?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Well, I have to check something. I hope you understand.”
He smiled. “Of course.”
“Go ahead. I’m in the kitchen. Can you open the garage door for me?”
The tall man frowned. “Is it safe?”
“It’s fine. Let’s not waste time.”
With a nod, the policeman moved to the door and put the key in the lock. He opened the garage door. Then he stepped aside.
Gwen entered the room, closing the door behind her. By the time she turned around, she felt very alone. The only sounds in the large room were those made by the heater. Turning again, she noticed that the light on the phone had changed. It was now red. “I hope someone gets here soon,” she muttered. She had no idea how much longer she could last without food or water.
She went over to the window. There was some traffic on the street below but nothing unusual. The same cars passed by each day. Perhaps that meant her husband wasn’t far from the house. He could be on his way home. Or maybe he was still searching for her. Either way, he would come looking for her as soon as the sunset.
But it was already dark. And the night was cold. She hadn’t thought about that. When she looked up through the window, she saw clouds gathering above the city. It was going to rain. She hoped it would be a light shower. If it rained too heavily, there would be flooding everywhere.
Gwen made her way back to the phone and picked up the receiver. “Hello?” she asked. “Can you hear me?”
A pause. Then, “Who’s speaking?”
She held the phone close to her ear. “Is this the police?”
“No. This is Maria’s secretary. She’s working late tonight.”
“Oh, I beg your pardon. Are you all right?”
“As well as can be expected,” the voice replied. “Maria’s having dinner with friends. She’ll be back later.”
“Are you sure? Because—”
“Look, I don’t have any details about what happened. All I know is that the police came here and arrested Maria. They told me to call you. To tell you to stay where you are until they arrive.”
Gwen took a deep breath. “I’ll wait. For how long?”
“Until we come to get you.”
“What about my daughter? What should I do with her?” Gwen wasn’t sure if it was better to keep the girl awake or let her sleep.
“Leave her in her bed. We won’t hurt her. Not unless you make things difficult. Do you understand?”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“I’ll ask you to repeat your name and address.”
Gwen repeated everything twice, then hung up.
She returned to the kitchen. The policeman watched her carefully as she approached him. “Why am I here?” she asked.
“To talk to you,” he said.
“About what?”
“Your husband. But I don’t want to reveal anything until we’ve spoken to Mrs. Waters.”
“You mean Maria?”
“Yes. Your wife and the schoolteacher.”
“How did you—?”
The man shrugged. “There’s a lot of activity going on at the school. People are coming and going, sometimes without being seen. I spoke to one of them.”
“And?”
“They didn’t know what to say. In fact, one of the teachers was too shocked to speak. He just stood there. Silent. After talking to him, I decided to take another look. At the school.”
“So what did you find?”
“Not much. No new information for us. Except that the old priest isn’t the only one who knows how to use a camera. One of the kids took pictures. Of course, he deleted them as soon as he got home. But we managed to recover a few. That’s why I need your help. To identify them.”
Gwen stared at the tall man, trying to read his eyes.
“All right. I’ll try,” she said. “But it may be impossible. I never saw these people before.”
“That might work in our favor. You see, the woman who visited you earlier, Mrs. Waters, is an amateur photographer. She took the pictures. My guess is she wanted to capture every moment of her visit. Maybe she even planned to show the pictures to Maria. Just as she plans to show them to you and her husband.”
Gwen nodded slowly. “Right,” she said. “I think I understand.”
“Do you?”
“I’m not sure. Why can’t I remember any of this?”
“My guess is that you and Mrs. Waters were both drugged. Possibly by the priest. Your memory loss will probably clear itself up once you get away from here. As will the voices in your head.”
“Voices?”
The policeman nodded. “Someone’s been whispering to you.”
Gwen shook her head. “Only when I close my eyes.”
“Then you’ll feel better after you get some rest,” he said.
“When will you come to collect me?”
“We’ll send someone around tomorrow morning.”
“I suppose you’re going to put me in a car.”
“Our forensic experts want to examine your house. We need to search for evidence. Then there’s the matter of the priest. His fingerprints and DNA will be checked against the ones left on the knife. And—”
“Wait. There’s more?”
“Yes. Another man was present during the attack. Someone who helped Mrs. Waters. He must still be inside the house. Unless we find him quickly, I fear he’ll cause trouble. Or worse.”
Gwen rubbed her forehead. “Well, that would explain why Maria called me. She thought I knew something about it.”
“I think so,” the policeman agreed. “Or maybe she was just worried about you.”
“Will you check the garage?”
“Of course. It could be that your attacker used the garage to hide the body. But I doubt it. The garage door was left open. If you hadn’t found the knife, the killer would have escaped through the backyard.”
“It’s strange, though. How did I know to find the knife?”
“I can tell you that.” The policeman grinned. “Mrs. Waters gave it to you when she arrived at the house.”
“What?”
He pointed to the knife on the table. “She left it under the doormat. When you came outside, you saw it lying there and picked it up. Then you went back inside and searched everywhere else. Only after you found the knife did you go out again. With a little help from us.”
“Is that all?”
“Just the basics. There are other details we haven’t mentioned yet. Like the fact that your attacker is a schizophrenic. A dangerous one. He has no control over his emotions or thoughts. This explains why Mrs. Waters was able to leave the house without a trace. And why he also managed to keep the murder secret. Even from the forensic team. They didn’t find the body until they started searching the basement.”
Gwen sat down on the chair nearest her. “You make it sound like Mrs. Waters killed the man.”
“The priest murdered him,” the man said. “But Mrs. Waters was the one who chased him into the woods. She caught him off guard. All alone, with nowhere to run. Once he had her cornered, the priest slit his throat. Mrs. Waters was trapped between two killers. And she chose the lesser evil. For her own good. You should thank her for protecting you.”
“Are you saying Maria shouldn’t be charged for killing the priest?”
“We don’t know that she killed him. I’d rather wait until we do. Especially since Maria appears to be in shock. She doesn’t seem capable of making any decisions.”
“Maria isn’t a child. She knows exactly what happened.”
“One thing is certain: Maria hasn’t been involved in anything illegal. Her only crime is being too trusting. She believes everyone. That’s probably why she was so upset when we told her she couldn’t see the victim.”
“And you expect her to calm down now? Now that she’s finally got the closure she’s been looking for all these years?”
“I hope so. I know how strong family ties are. And Maria has always had a close relationship with Mrs. Waters. It was her mother who raised her. Maria didn’t choose to become Mrs. Waters’ daughter. But she’s accepted the situation. She’s grown to love her grandmother. In fact, Maria was the main reason Mrs. Waters wanted you to stay here. To look after her. So Maria wouldn’t end up in the care of strangers. I guess Maria was right.”
Gwen shook her head. “No. Maria made the decision herself. I’m sure she was thinking about her father. He was the one who wanted her to be part of this. He said that if anyone could save Maria from being lost, it was me. I’ve been helping Maria since she was ten or eleven. She’s had a hard time growing up. I’m not surprised she felt guilty when she found her dead husband’s body.”
“That’s a different story. Maria was already aware that he was dead. I don’t think she ever believed her father was alive.”
“So, my friend – and I’m really sorry about what happened to your wife. I wish we’d known sooner.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s strange that we both arrived at the same house on the same day. Though it may sound crazy, I feel like I know you. Are you married?”
“No. I never got around to marrying.”
“Too busy chasing women?”
Gwen chuckled. “In a way.”
As if reading her mind, the policeman nodded. “There were a few things we still needed to discuss before we let you go. First, you’re forbidden to leave town. We’ll arrange for your driver’s license to be suspended. You need a job, Gwen. Think about it. Maybe something like a waitress. Or maybe you could volunteer at the local hospital.”
“How long will I be staying here?”
“Until we catch the killer. I’m sorry, but we won’t be letting you go anytime soon. Not until we have enough proof to present in court.”
“Okay.”
“Good. Now, you can tell me everything. No secrets. Nothing held back. The more I hear, the better the chances are of catching him. Did you get a good look at the man who attacked you?”
“Yes. He was tall.”
“Taller than you?”
“About six foot four.”
“What was he wearing?”
Gwen thought for a moment. “A dark coat and jeans. Black shoes. Cleaned every night.”
“Did you notice anything else? Something unusual?”
“Not really. His hair was dark, except around his ears. Then there were these two white lines on his scalp.”
“White?”
“Like they’d been shaved. Very neatly.”
“Any idea where he might have come from?”
“I don’t know. Possibly London or Scotland. He spoke English very well.”
“Were you able to get a description of the car?”
“He drove an old Volvo.”
“Old? How old?”
“Late seventies or early eighties. Silver. Sleek, elegant design.”
“Was the Volvo parked outside the house? Or did the killer drive away?”
“I don’t know. It must have been parked somewhere because he left it behind.”
“You mean he couldn’t afford another one?”
“I suppose. He hadn’t been working in months. There wasn’t much money coming in from anywhere.”
“I wonder how he managed to make ends meet. He was obviously living off someone else’s savings. Or maybe he just lived in a small flat on his own. A single guy.”
“If he was alone, how did he manage to buy cigarettes?”
“Well, I saw some in the kitchen cupboard. And he must have taken them with him when he went out. He wouldn’t have walked all the way to the gas station in the middle of nowhere.”
“Chances are he stole the cigarettes,” said the officer.
“Why would he steal cigarettes? What does he do with stolen goods?”
“We haven’t figured that out yet. Perhaps he sells them.”
“Could he sell his car? Could he get cash for it?”
“That’s possible. If anyone knows anything, it’s going to be the owner. Hopefully, he hasn’t already sold it. Or perhaps the buyer is still interested. We’ll start by checking with everyone involved. I don’t think the killer has any friends here. At least none that we know of.
You heard about the bank robbery. That’s the first time anything like that happened in the area in decades. He may have left London because of the trouble over there. But we’ll keep an eye out for anyone who came to town recently. Anyone who looks suspicious.”
The End