Murder Mystery Party

"Good evening Mrs. Pinkerton! What a lovely dress you have on tonight," exclaimed Councilman Point Dexter.

"Oh, why thank you!" Mrs. Pinkerton giggled as she sat at the dining table.

"Don't inflate her ego," said Mr. Pinkerton, sitting beside his wife.

"Hush now, Sandy. She looks gorgeous!" Ms. Bearington sat across from them, twirling the bracelet on her wrist.

They were interrupted by a deep voice, "Good evening, everyone!"

Everyone included the Pinkertons, Councilman Dexter, Ms. Bearington, Mr. Cat, and Mrs. Doodle. They were all middle school friends, years and years back.

The host, Mr. F'uhrtFace, stood at the head of the table. "I'm so glad you all could make it. It's been ages!"

"You haven't changed a bit, F'uhrt," Mrs. Doodle cooed, smiling over at him.

"Where's Mr. Doodle tonight?" Mrs. Pinkerton said, rather snarky.

Mrs. Doodle turned to look at her. "Well, as you all know, he's the President of Doodle Co. He had very important President stuff to handle tonight."

"Oh, I can imagine," said Mr. Cat. "But to leave his wife all alone-"

Suddenly, the lights went out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-"

***

"What's going on?! Is everyone okay?" Marilyn burst into her son's room after hearing the scream, eyes darting frantically between the two boys.

"Mooommm!" Billy, her eight year old son, whined. "We're playing a game!"

"Yea Mrs. Johnson, a game," agreed Todd, Billy's best friend.

"A game where you scream bloody murder?" Marilyn asked, exasperated. She ran her hands through her messy brown hair, letting out a deep sigh.

"It's a Murder Mystery Party!" Billy exclaimed, holding up a Barbie in a pink dress. "Mrs. Pinkerton was just stabbed by an unknown person!"

Marilyn sighed. "Is this because we watched Clue last night?"

"Yep!"

Rubbing her tired eyes, Marilyn let out a soft chuckle. "Alright boys. Just please, no more screaming. Mommy almost had a heart attack."

"Yes ma'am!" The boys replied in unison. Marilyn shook her head with a smile.

"Alright, now where we're we?"

***

The lights flickered back on to reveal a knife jutting from Mrs. Pinkerton's back. Everyone gasped; Mrs. Doodle fainted.

"Someone get some water!" Mr. Cat shouted, rushing to her side.

"Oh my!" F'uhrt cried, hurrying to the kitchen.

Ms. Bearington looked around, terrified. "Who could have done this?"

Mr. Pinkerton stood frozen, staring at his wife.

"What is wrong with you, man?" Councilman shouted, shaking Mr. Pinkerton. "Your wife is dead!"

F'uhrt came running back with water just as Mrs. Doodle came too. Mr. Cat helped her sit back into her chair.

"It was him!" She wailed. "I saw him!"

"How could you see him, you old twit? The lights went out!" Ms. Bearington said. "Plus, you're missing an eye!"

"Look at him! It's always the husband!"

"What?!" Mr. Pinkerton said, looking at her. "I would never kill my wife! She cooked dinner and held my hand and did other stuff grown-ups do!"

***

"What? You don't even know what grown-ups do," said a voice from the doorway.

Billy and Todd looked to see Billy's older sister, Denise, leaning against the door.

"Hey! I knew you took my stuff!" Denise huffed, looking at the Barbie and the stuffed bear on the floor between the boys.

"We needed your girly stuff for our game!" said Billy. "Besides, you don't play with this stuff! You're too busy painting your naaiillss!"

Denise rolled her eyes. "Things change when you become thirteen, twerp. Now give me my stuff back!"

"We need it! We need to find out who killed Mrs. Pinkerton!"

"Yea! Cmooonn Denise," Todd whined, fluttering his lashes. "Oh! You could play with us!"

"Yea, since you know soooo much about grown-up stuff," Billy said.

Denise huffed, glaring down at the two. "Fine. But only so we can do this right."

"Yea, whatever," said Billy as Denise sat beside him.

***

"Well who else would want to kill her?" said Mr. Cat. "You would be the one to inherit her Dream House!"

Gasps and murmurs filled the dining room. Mr. Pinkerton reddened.

"Y-Yes, but I wouldn't kill her for it!"

"That's exactly what a killer would say!" Mrs. Doodle yelled, nearly fainting again in her chair.

"Everyone! Everyone, please!" Exclaimed F'uhrt. "No need to panic. I'm calling the police."

Mr. Cat beat him to the phone, frantically pressing the buttons. He gasped. "The line is dead!"

Mrs. Doodle fainted yet again.

"We're all gonna die!" Cried the Councilman.

"Please!" F'uhrt slapped Councilman Dexter across the face. "Pull yourself together, man! Everyone, move to the sitting room!"

Grumbling, and with a sore Councilman, the group moved to the sitting room. Mrs. Doodle hugged a couch cushion. Ms. Bearington lit a crayon.

***

"A crayon? You mean a cigarette?" Denise asked, eyeing Billy.

"I don't like cigarettes. I like crayons more," Billy replied.

***

"What are we supposed to do now? Wait until another one of us dies?" Mr. Cat asked, biting his nails.

"No one else is dying tonight. Not if we all stay in here, together," F'uhrt said, pacing the floor. "And if anyone leaves, they have to take a buddy."

"So the unlucky fool with the killer…?" Mrs. Doodle said, burying her face in the pillow.

"We'll at least know who the killer is," Mr. Cat remarked.

"But someone else would be dead!" Cried the Councilman.

"God, would you all shut it!" Ms. Bearington hissed. "I've got a migraine."

"My wife has a knife in her back!" Mr. Pinkerton sobbed.

The clamoring started up again, one at one another, until Mrs. Doodle shouted above everyone, "I have to pee!"

F'uhrt looked at her, then at Mr. Cat. "You two go together."

"But what if she kills me?"

"But what if he kills me?"

"Good God, just go and get back!" F'uhrt grumbled.

Mrs. Doodle stood, eyes never leaving Mr. Cat. Mr. Cat eyed her right back. They disappeared from the sitting room.

Ms. Bearington sighed and collapsed onto a chair. "Is there anyone else in this house?"

"Oh, just my maid. Oh God! My maid!" F'uhrt gasped, running out. "Sheilaaa!"

The Councilman rubbed his face. "Well, all for staying together."

Mr. Pinkerton wiped his snotty nose, sniffling. "You both will stay with me, right?"

"Of course. Unless, you're the killer," Ms. Bearington replied, looking at him.

"I'm not! I would never hurt my wife!"

All of a sudden, the lights went out yet again. A much quieter scream broke the silence. When the lights came back up, the three in the sitting room shot to their feet.

"Where did it come from?" Ms. Bearington asked.

"The kitchen!" Mr. Pinkerton cried, running off. The other two followed.

In the kitchen, they were met with F'uhrt and the maid, Sheila. They were both looking down at Mr. Cat, who was kneeling on the floor.

"I-I-"

Mrs. Doodle was dead!

"It was you!" Councilman declared, grabbing Mr. Cat.

"No, no I swear! The lights went out and- and-"

"You were the only one with her!" F'uhrt interrupted.

"But you ran off just moments before the lights went out!" Mr. Pinkerton shouted.

"I went to find Sheila! I was upstairs, in the billiard room!"

***

"Are you just using that word because you learned it last night?" Denise questioned, smirking.

"It sounds fancy," Billy answered.

"Guuyyss, cmon, we gotta find out who the killer is!" Todd whined.

***

"Right, that's what you say!" Mr. Pinkerton said.

"But Mr. Cat was with her! He was the closest!" Ms. Bearington rebutted. "It had to be him!"

"I'm with her," agreed Councilman, still holding Mr. Cat by the collar. "But why would you do it? Hm?"

"I didn't!" Mr. Cat squirmed in his grip. "I'm a lover, not a fighter!"

"That's not what I heard," Sheila finally spoke. "I heard Mrs. Doodle scream."

"So did everyone else!"

"But I heard her call your name!"

Everyone gasped.

"It wasn't me! I swear!"

"Tell it to the cops," Councilman said, shoving Mr. Cat into the pantry and blocking the door. "You're staying right here!"

"Don't leave me to the mercy of the killer! Nooooo!"

Mr. Cat's voice followed as they all slowly moved back to the sitting room.

"Hold me!" Sheila said, falling into F'uhrt's arms.

"Of course, my dear! Mwah, mwah, mwa-"

***

"Mmmmwaahh, mwah-" Denise mimicked, holding the two dolls up.

Billy and Todd both grimaced. "Ewww, stop! Denise!"

"What? You can't have a good murder story without romance!"

"Kissing is gross!" Billy gagged.

"Yea yea, wait until you're a teenager."

"Ewwww," both boys said, sticking their tongues out.

"Anyway-" Todd started.

***

"Sheila, will you please accompany me to the bathroom?" Ms. Bearington asked.

"You both should be safe, now that the killer is caught," Mr. Pinkerton said. "That dirty, no good jerk!"

Sheila nodded, taking Ms. Bearington's hand. Both left the sitting room, leaving the men alone.

"Why would Mr. Cat kill her…? It doesn't make sense…" Mr. Pinkerton whimpered. "And Mrs. Doodle…"

"Some people really are just crazy," said the Councilman.

"If it was anyone, I thought it was Ms. Bearington," F'uhrt said.

"Why?" The other two said together.

F'uhrt raised a brow. "She had the biggest crush on you. And her and Mrs. Pinkerton were like, friendship bracelet BFFs. She knew she liked you."

"What?" Mr. Pinkerton furrowed his brows. "But that wouldn't explain Mrs. Doodle."

"That lady was just annoying," Councilman remarked.

Suddenly, "Help! Help! He's escaped!"

Ms. Bearington came running in, crying. "Mr. Cat! He escaped! And he- he-"

"Where's Sheila?" F'uhrt cried.

"He killed her! Then ran right out the door!"

"What?!" Mr. Pinkerton sprang to his feet, running to try and catch Mr. Cat. But it was too late.

***

"Kids! Dinner!" Marilyn called from downstairs.

"But we're right at the good part!" Todd groaned.

"It's ok, we can finish after dinner. I'm starving," Billy said, standing and stretching his legs.

"I'll be down in a minute," Denise said as the boys left the room.

"You have one minute or I'm eating your meatloaf!"

***

"Good work, Ms. Bearington," said Mr. Cat as they lounged on a beach far, far away.

"You mean, Mrs. Cat?"

"Right, Mrs. Cat~" he chuckled. "They never see it coming."

The End?