Tusks and Daggers Part Fifteen: A Mystery of a Murder

Lottie:

One of her black hearts beat behind the black time tunnel that just popped up, Merlin swallowing the lump in his throat.  Turning back towards him, a frightened look darkened his face. Boran waited behind me, Merlin shaking his head. 

“This will only let the two of us in, so you have to stay behind and guard the portal. I didn’t open it, so there will be monsters coming at you left and right.” He explained calmly, a snarl curling on his lips. “I am sor-” Boran grabbed him by the collar of his blue dress shirt, my hand on his arm making him put him down. He needed to calm down, I was going to be fine.

“I have Sir Acorn with me, so don’t worry.” I chirped cheerfully, pressing my lips against his sweetly. “Besides, they need your strength to survive on this side.” A tender blush rose to his cheeks, the twins leaning on their boyfriends’ shoulders. Lord Somata popped up behind me, his death glare causing Merlin to shrink back. A nervous chuckle tumbled from my lips, his smile growing wider. Sir Acorn leapt out of my pocket, his tail twitching irritably. One look was all it took for me to understand him staying behind. He was not welcome into the time tunnel, his little paws crossing. 

“You will bring my little sister back in one piece, won’t you?” He warned icily, Merlin gripping his black pocket watch like his life depended on it. “You better, or you will be punished severely.” His black velvet suit brushed against my bare skin, my green wool dress suddenly feeling itchy. Pulling Merlin through the portal, black energy ripped at our skin. Spitting us out in front of a large ornate mansion, the rain pounding against our heads. Sitting up, a horn honked at us to get out of the way. Leaping into the bushes, the brakes squealed to a halt. Popping our heads over the bush, a short man with dark brown hair and kind brown eyes peered back at us. His mustache wiggled, his nineteen twenties suit throwing me off. A bolt of lightning nearly struck us, his white suit clinging to his body.  His white fedora blew off of his head, my trembling fingers catching it. A tender blush rose to my cheeks, an emerald green velvet flapper dress hugged my body.

“Are you here for a lovely evening at Mrs. S’s house?” He inquired with an ancient Hollywood accent like the ones I used to hear in the black and white films. “I always tell him he is such an egg.” Confusion twisted our faces, Merlin smoothing out his green silk suit. The kind gentleman offered me his hand, Merlin standing awkwardly next to me. His black fedora nearly blew off, his eyes falling on the black gloves on his hands. The silk of my black gloves felt nice, my hair cut into a severe bob and short bangs. A feather hung by my eyes, the wet feather dancing in my vision. 

“That means she is a woman who lives extravagantly, I am Sir Edward Boran. It is a pleasure to meet you.” He introduced himself warmly, pointing to his black Ford T-model. “Would you like a ride to the mansion? This is a new beauty, she even has a roof.” Hopping in behind him, he spouted more nonsense words. His brakes squealed to a stop, a solemn butler stood at the door. Merlin helped me out of the car, the rotten smell of dog poop wafting up my nose. Sniffing the air, the butler hid his dress shoe behind him.  

“Who are your pals?” He asked coldly, his gloved hands noting our wet appearances. “I only planned for seven plates.” His white gloves flashed in my vision, Edward clearing his throat. Something was off with the bitter black haired butler, his dark eyes glaring into my green eyes. His black ducktail tuxedo hugged his slender body, the pristine whiteness of his dress shirt throwing me off. 

“Did you step in poop?” I inquired cruelly, my gaze challenging him. “It would help to keep your dogs in a single area.” Saying nothing, Merlin wrapped his arm in the crook of my elbow. Bowing his head in shame, a frown pressed itself on his lips.   

“Now don’t be chippy, my dear.” He crooned politely, pecking me on my cheek. “This child in you has your temper flaring. We assure you that we already ate on the way over. So don’t worry about us. Our car broke down, and we could really use your phone.” Flashing the butler a polite smile, he let us in. Guiding us to a rich study, the wooden shelves lined with books. Oil lamps lined the room, six different people staring at us. Glasses of champagne shimmered in their hands, a sweaty man with curly red hair running up to me. Shaking my hand, sweat dripped off of my hands the moment he let go. His green eyes glittered with excitement, his red mustache dancing over his top lip. Shaking my hand off, a tiny gag tumbled from my lips.

“I am Sir Redhead!” He introduced himself proudly, his chubby fingers gripping his banana yellow suit. “You must be Eddie’s good old pals.” Jazz played softly in the corner, a sour looking older woman shooting daggers in my direction. A golden dress shimmered over her petite body, a black net covering her face. Her gray hair was twisted into a severe bun, her golden gloved finger tracing my arm. Shivers shot up my spine, a false smile curving on her lips. 

“Call me Mrs. Goldman, the leading lady here.” She introduced herself haughtily, her diamond wedding ring glittering in the candle light. “It is a shame that the weather is so dreadful. Puffing on a cigarette, she blew a puff into my face. Merlin grasped my shoulder tightly, my temper slowly rising. Cruel laughter erupted from the back of the room, an ebony haired woman sauntering up to me. Her red silk flapper dress hugged her tall slender figure flawlessly, her painted lips holding a fresh cigarette. Winking her green eyes in my direction, her hand traced my thigh. Her bob tickled my face, a lump forming in my throat. 

“They call me Ebony Emerald, the Madame of the night.” She mused playfully, pinning me against the wall. “You are pretty enough to be one of my ladies.” Her black t-strap heel brushed against my inner thigh, a set of triplets laughing among themselves. The three blonde men rushed over to assist me, their blue eyes twinkling. The blue simple suits threw me off, all of them taking my hand. 

“I am Robert, and those two idiots are John and James Desmont.” He crooned sensually, his brothers rolling their eyes. “How about we show you a good t-” The dinner bell rang, these damn heels hard to walk in. Following everyone to the dining room, a couple of plates had been set at the table. The grumpy butler glaring at me as he set a bowl of watery soup in front of me. My breath hitched at the beautiful blonde woman sitting down next to me, her long black silk gown hugging her hourglass figure. Her gray eyes twinkled with excitement, her painted lips parting into a polite smile. Horror widened my eyes, her face smashing into her bowl of soup. Everyone screamed but us, the butler feeling her pulse.  Thump, Thump! The black heart was in the room, my eyes scanning all of the panicking people. Accusations passed between everyone wildly, my hands slamming on the table.  

“Enough!” I shouted over the chaos, my diamond earrings dancing on my ears. “The killer is among us. We will have to figure out who it is! Isn’t that right, darling?” The words felt like vomit coming from my lips, Merling nodding silently. All of them turned towards me, their fingers pointing at me. Of course! Blame the damn strangers.

“I knew you weren’t any good.” Mrs. Goldman accused me strongly, my brow cocking. “She did it.” Laughter erupted from my lips, shock contorting all of their pathetic faces. The killer had a black heart, and I needed to seek them out. Tilting my head to the right, all of them waited for me to speak up. 

“How can that be if I showed up last with Edward?” I pointed out slyly, wanting to smack the back of all of their heads. “Honestly, did you drink and smoke all of your brain cells away? How about I ask one person at a time wha-” The chubby cook stumbled from the kitchen, his hand clutching his white jacket. A single piece of black hair fell in his bulging dark eyes, his body collapsing forward. My eyes fell on the butler who was fussing over the cook, a meat cleaver sticking out of his back. Everyone started to scream again, accusing each other. Watching everyone’s reaction, the triplets' reactions were completely natural. Mrs. Goldman sat coldly, eating a spoonful of soup. Not normal, Redhead leaning against the wall. The two of them glanced at each other, their body language informing me of their former closeness. Ebony rushed over to me, fussing over me a little too much. Her fingers danced up my arms, Edward clearing his throat. Thanking him silently, none of this made sense. Backing off, the portrait of Scarlet swung open. Torches flickered to life, my eyes watching the gray eyes of her portrait gaze upon my every move. White pearls sat around her neck, lifting up her head told me all that I needed to know. She didn’t have her pearls around her neck, the killer would have them. Merlin pointed towards the other guests, all of them scattering. A couple of seconds passed, a shrill scream shattering the silence in the house. Rushing into the billiard room, Sir Redhead lay in his pool of blood. A knitting needle stuck out of his neck, the green velvet of the pool table soaking up the blood. Scarlet’s white pearls swung in his hands, the killer trying to get me off of their trail.  Terror paralyzed me in my spot, the triplets crying out for help. Rushing upstairs, the three of them dangled by their ties from the shortest rafters. Cold sweat dripped off of my brow, a scream exploding from my lips.  Edward popped up next to me, a spot of blood on his white suit. Merlin and I both looked over at each other, thinking the same thing. The butler shoved him aside, cutting them down. Never will I forget the blue on their swollen faces, my eyes falling back on Eddie. I could cry when I got home, tears welling up in my eyes. His thumbs twiddled, his kind smile trying to trick my brain. Before I accused him, my mind flipped between Ebony, Goldman, and the butler. Sprinting down the stairs the two of them stood trembling together. Ebony sobbed into her shoulder, both had cigarettes quivering in their hands. Stealing Ebony, a blank look dimmed her fiery eyes. Something was off, her body collapsing into my arms. My jaw dropped to the ground, a shimmering purple dust sat on her lips. How the hell did a magic poison get into this time period! Everything was going bad, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.

“Mrs. Goldman, stop smok-” I ordered sharply, tears streaming down my cheeks as Mrs. Goldman collapsed into a heap onto the floor. Laying Ebony on the ground, the butler stood confidently next to Edward. The two of them had a sly grin plastered on their faces, Merlin standing tall next to me. Edward swung a white watch around his hand, a snarl curling on Merlin’s lips. The black heart beat in his chest, the butler pulling out a silver blade with an hourglass in the hilt. 

“So you are full of shit!” I growled through gritted teeth, charging at him. My blue scythe slid into my eager palm, our blades clashing violently. Merlin and Edward spun their watches around, blades of time shooting at each other. The butler smiled eerily at me, him snapping his fingers. Popping up behind me, his blade slid through my shoulder due to my dodging abilities. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt though.  Ripping it out of my shoulders, I tossed it to Merlin. Blood poured from my wound, his black pocket watch welding with the hourglass. Black sand swirled around him, the scene freezing.  Motioning for me to get the heart, my heels clacked towards Edward’s chest. Swinging my scythe towards his chest, blood squirted all over my face as two hearts sat on the tip of my blade. Shoving his good heart back in, relief washed over me as my blue flames devoured the black heart. The ash sat in my palm, the grains flitting through my fingers.  

“Now to set things back to normal.” Merlin chirped cheerfully, detaching his pocket watch from the sword. “Turn back all of the hands of time, and set everything right.” Spinning his pocket watch counter clockwise, the whole evening rewound itself. Dragging me out at the last minute, we waited in the bushes. A deep sigh tumbled from his lips, Sir Edwards driving past us with a huge grin on his face. All of his friends greeted him at the door, the black portal opening again. Edwards looked back at us, winking at us. The butler winked as well, all of them wandering into the large brick mansion. Taking one last look, we hopped through the portal. All of our friends lay on the ground, huffing away. Carcasses of dead monsters covered the ground, my shoulder still bleeding out. Slamming the bottom of my scythe on the ground, the monsters’ bodies decayed to blue rose petals. A blue light filled my wound, the cut sealing shut. Boran sprinted up to me, spinning me around. His eyes fell on the flapper dress, my hair back to its original length again. Thank god, that bob was horrendous. A pat on my head and a flash of white hair told me that Somata was behind us. 

“You did well, little sis.” He complimented me warmly, my heart melting as Maryanna slammed into Merlin. Merlin winked at me, both of us focusing on our friends. A scaly snout nudged my shoulder, Mina licking the side of my face. Laughing to myself, this was life.