Murder on the Playground - 2. Dressed to Kill

“Check! Me! Out!”

Gloria came strutting into the grand hall, showing off her glittery gold dress and matching high heels. Her brunette hair cascaded down her shoulders, while large hoop earrings dangled from her ears. Being an actress, dressing up and pretending to be someone else came easily to her. Not only was it her job, it was her passion. She spun around, drawing everyone’s attention. Alana and Rico, looking dapper in their business suits, immediately looked up, whistling at the actress.

“Damn, girl! You’re not playing around!” the basketball player raised his glass as Gloria approached the table.

“Hello, Miss Flapper!” Marcus grinned. He had already changed into his costume - a fancy university uniform consisting of dark gray pants, a white shirt, and a navy blue blazer and tie. Having never went to university, he found it funny at first, but he got used to it in no time. “Wow, are the roaring twenties back?”

“Honey, they never went anywhere,” Gloria responded in character. “You must come to my club sometime - Marie’s Potion. I’m sure you’d love it.”

“Do all of us get an invitation?” Samson asked. He was sat next to Rico and wore his cook uniform, which he had accessorized with his own necklace and watch. With rolled up sleeves and several buttons undone, he looked more ready for a photoshoot than the kitchen. As expected, his black eyeliner still framed his dark brown eyes.

“I’m afraid my establishment might be a little too… sophisticated for you,” Gloria replied, suppressing a laugh. “Though I must say, you do have an… interesting look going on there.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure a cook can afford a Bulgari necklace, Mr. Olive,” Marcus noted, inspecting Samson with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey, I’m wearing my uniform. The rules didn’t say I couldn’t add my own touch to it.”

“Man’s got a point,” Troy shrugged as he walked in, wearing nothing but worn-out denim suspender pants and a pair of boots, his tanned and muscular body on display.

“Umm, Troy- I mean, Reggie, I think you might have forgotten your shirt,” Alana reminded him.

“No he didn’t,” Marcus was quick to correct her, elbowing her. “He looks just fine.”

“Hey, don’t you have a boyfriend?” Samson smacked him on the arm.

“Marcus does, but Alfie Fortescue is single. And he can look at the hot stableboy all he wants,” the dancer corrected him.

“Oh, he’s single? Well, that’s news to me!” Samson pursed his lips in annoyance, turning his back to Marcus.

Troy let out an amused chuckle as he approached the group, making a show of slowly running a hand through his hair. “Sorry, guys, I was just out there feeding the horses, and it got so hot. I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course we do, babe. You know, I think I might have an open spot for a bartender, if you’re interested. You’d be a hit with my patrons,” Gloria offered.

“Hey, stop poaching my workforce!” Marcus quickly objected.

“No, thanks, Ms. Thibodeaux. The farm’s where I belong,” Troy shook his head, letting her down gently. “Anyway, where’s…”

The sound of footsteps and loud chatter coming from above interrupted him. Everyone’s heads turned to the staircase, watching as the remaining three women came down.

“...and that, my dear, is why you should stay away from large bodies of water this month,” Clementine spoke as she descended the stairs, holding a tarot deck in her hands. She looked almost unrecognizable in a long, flowery dress, an old-fashioned headscarf, and at least a dozen long necklaces around her neck.

She was flanked by Kelly, wearing black shoes and a short green dress that did not look too different from her usual style, and Tiffany, who wore a brown pantsuit and a matching detective hat. The young reality star clutched a leather-bound notebook in one hand, and a magnifying glass in the other.

“Here come the fearsome threesome,” Rico commented, his face breaking into a grin.

“I hope you’ve all got your alibies sorted out,” Tiffany scanned the group in front of her, shaking her magnifying glass. “You’re no match for my detective skills!”

“Took you girls a while,” Gloria replied.

“Sorry, but you can’t rush perfection,” Kelly shrugged. “Also, none of the shoes matched my hair.”

“Don’t worry, you’re not even the last ones. Eric’s still not here,” Alana noticed. “What’s taking him so long, anyway? He’s only…”

“Oh, he’s here alright,” Troy pointed at the staircase, snickering.

“Sorry, guys. It took me a while to get it just right,” the quarterback quickly bounded down the stairs as everyone turned to look at him. His priest robes were cut to just above his knees, while the sleeves were completely cut off, turning the top part into a tanktop with very large armholes. “Thanks for the inspo, Clementine.”

“Me? What did I do?” the woman frowned in confusion.

“What you said earlier, ‘the buffest priest in America’. That gave me the idea,” Eric replied with a cheeky smile. “So, what do you guys think?”

“It’s very… um, bold,” Alana nodded as she looked him up and down.

“I know. Father Tabernacle, at your service,” Eric winked. “Let’s hear it, does anyone have anything to confess? Have you been nice or naughty?”

“You’re a priest, not Santa,” Kelly remarked.

“Thank God! The big beard would ruin my vibe,” the quarterback shook his head. “Anyway, when’s the party starting?”

“The party? Did I miss something while I was upstairs?” Tiffany asked.

“I mean, I assume we’re having one. What else are we doing tonight?” Eric replied.

Just then, the main door to the grand hall opened, and Nicholas walked in. Several servers followed, bringing various dishes and carrying them into the next room.

“Guys, look, it’s everyone’s favorite ghost, Nick Fortescue,” Rico joked. “Can you see him too?”

“Father!” Marcus cried out dramatically, reaching out with one hand. “I will find out who killed you and bring them to justice!”

“Unless it’s you who killed him,” Kelly leveled him with an accusatory glare.

“How dare you accuse me of killing my own father?!”

“He’s my father too!”

“Ooh, I love to see the passion! And you’re all in your costumes,” the host noticed, eyeing the contestants. “Though I see some of you have been a little… creative.”

“Yeah, that reminds me, I put the scissors back in the bathroom,” Eric turned around, talking to one of the crew members. “Thanks for the assist, man.”

“Anyway… Now that you’re all ready, dinner’s about to start. I hope you enjoy the meals,” Nicholas added. “And I suggest you use this time to get to know each other in your new roles. You also might want to explore the mansion… You never know what clues you might find.”

“Ooh, now we’re talking!” Kelly rubbed her hands in excitement, the mystery lover in her coming out to the surface. She had no hesitation about joining the original Playground due to her competitive nature, but this time around, she was sure she would have even more fun - and hopefully not embarrass herself in the process. “This place is perfect for snooping around - I mean investigating. I’ve got to hand it to you, you guys found the perfect place for this show.”

“Thank you. It was actually my uncle’s. He passed away recently, so I inherited it,” Nicholas explained.

“Wow, congrats!” Marcus blurted out.

“Marcus!” Gloria was quick to elbow him.

“Oh, and my condolences,” the dancer corrected himself.

“It’s alright. To be honest, I hardly even knew the man,” the host reassured him. “Anyway, I’ll leave you lot to it. Have fun!”

No sooner had the host left than the contestants filed into the dining room next door, an equally grand and tastefully furnished chamber with a long hardwood table stretching down the middle. With its wooden accent wall and a large, intricately patterned carpet, the room looked quite cozy despite its large size. Yellow and orange wall lamps cast a warm glow over the room, the welcoming atmosphere enhanced by the light of candles on the table. With the food served, everyone took their seats and began their evening meal.

“Hmm… do I even dare?” Alana mused as she picked up her glass, looking at others with a teasing smile on her face. Being a TV host herself, she was used to dealing with all kinds of personalities on her show. This time was a little different, as she was one of the participants, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t put her skills to good use. Even though she wanted to enjoy herself, her mind was first and foremost set on that prize money.

“Do you dare what, babe?” Gloria asked as she cut a piece of creamy Tuscan chicken. It looked absolutely delicious, and she couldn’t wait to dig in. Investigating a murder was the last thing on her mind.

“Just wondering if I should drink this wine. I mean, you never know what else the killer could have poisoned.”

Silverware clattered all around the table as everyone dropped their utensils and glasses, turning to Alana in unison.

“It never even occurred to you, did it?” the TV host asked, doing her attorney bit. “There’s a murderer among us. And if he poisoned Nick’s wine, who knows what else he’s capable of.”

“You don’t think…” Tiffany began to ask, looking alarmed.

“Wait a minute, he?” Rico was quick to challenge her. “What makes you so sure it’s a he?”

“Just logic,” Alana replied somewhat coldly. “Who’s responsible for food and drinks around here? The cook, of course,” she added, turning to Samson.

“Wow! I cannot believe you’d accuse me of all people,” Samson did his best to look outraged. “I’d much rather have my employer alive than dead, you know. He’s the one signing my checks.”

“I’m not necessarily saying you did it, Mr. Olive, but… You did have the perfect opportunity,” Alana explained herself. “You prepare the food and drinks for Mr. Fortescue, correct? You could’ve put poison in it at any time.”

“Just because I could, it doesn’t mean I would! I’m not a murderer, jeez!”

“Ooh, I have a question! Mr. Olive,” Tiffany waved her hand in the air, eager to start her investigation, “who else has access to the kitchen in this household?”

“I mean… anyone. It’s not locked or anything. Anyone can just walk in at any time,” Samson shrugged his shoulders.

“So any of the guests could have gone into the kitchen during the evening and poisoned the drink?”

“Exactly, thank you!” the singer quickly agreed with the girl. “I can’t believe I’m even a suspect in this company. I can hardly decide which one of you looks more suspicious.”

“Just out of my own curiosity… Who do you suspect, Mr. Olive?” Tiffany asked.

“Where do I begin? Nick’s attorney for one - she probably knew all of his secrets,” Samson pointed in Alana’s direction, itching to throw accusations back at her. “His secret daughter, his business partner, the list goes on.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Olive. I intend to question everyone until they crack,” Tiffany tried to look menacing, but ended up cracking a smile as soon as she looked at Samson’s faux angry face. “I wonder who I should start with… Maybe you, Miss Turner!”

“Me?” Kelly paused just as she was about to take a bite, while the others looked on with glee. “Alright, I have nothing to hide. My conscience is clear.”

“Ok then, did you go into the kitchen at all this evening?”

“No. But of course I’d say that. Everyone would say the same if you asked them,” Kelly rolled her eyes at Tiffany.

“Ah, right…” the starlet nodded, realizing her line of questioning has been quickly ruined.

“That’s beside the point anyway. I came here to reconnect with father and build a relationship with him, not to murder him!”

“Yes, I’m sure it has nothing to do with him being obscenely rich,” Marcus noted, taking the first opportunity to stir the pot. As he knew very well, it was the best way to get people talking and get secrets out in the open. Though he had won the first show, he knew the competition was tough. His determination, however, was stronger. He was ready to pull out all the stops to win again.

“No, it does not! You know, Alfie, I came here thinking I’d get a brother as well as a father, but now I see that’s not going to happen. You’ve already made up your mind about me,” Kelly responded, wiping an invisible tear off her cheek. “I don’t care if father didn’t leave me anything. I’m just sad I’ll never get to know him now.”

“Save it for someone who believes you, Phoebe. Besides, we’ll find out soon if father left you anything or not,” Marcus did not sound convinced. “Ms. Edwards, you’ve got father’s will, I assume?”

“Uh, I do, but it’s in my office. I’ll have someone bring it here tomorrow,” Alana responded.

“Perfect! Then we’ll see what father really wanted.”

“Fine by me,” Kelly shrugged. “Anyway, let Miss Maxwell question someone else now,” she added, eager to get the attention off of herself and onto someone else.

For a moment, everyone turned to Tiffany, but she remained blissfully ignorant, focused on eating her vegan lasagna. Finally, Rico, sitting next to her, decided to give her a little nudge.

“Miss Maxwell, wanna continue your investigation?”

“Huh?” The TV starlet looked up as the proverbial lightbulb above her head turned on. “Ah, right, that’s me! I’m still getting used to the name! Alright then, who should I grill next?”

“How about Rico?” Troy was quick to throw the other man under the bus. “I bet he’s hiding some juicy secrets.”

“I bet you’re right!” Tiffany agreed before Rico could even protest. She turned to the basketball player, a faint blush creeping on her cheeks as she checked him out. “Alright, spill it, Mr. Crossword!”

“It’s Mr. Wordsworth!” Rico corrected her, sitting up straight. “And I’m not hiding anything.” He tried his best to play it cool, though he couldn’t help but wonder if he was overreacting. Acting was never his strong suit, but having a strong poker face would be imperative in a game like this. Still, if anyone was determined to prove himself, it was him. Having been eliminated early in the original show, the athlete was more than eager to win this time.

“I’ll be the judge of that. Now tell me, what was your relationship with Mr. Fortescue like?”

“We were business partners, have been for years,” the athlete shrugged. “I have my own ranch, he had his. We teamed up and worked together. Much easier to sell cattle that way, you know.”

“And were you happy with that partnership?”

“Course I was! We both were. It’s made us both a lot more money than we would’ve made on our own. If there’s one person in here that didn’t have a motive to kill Nick, it’s me,” Rico explained as his eyes wandered around the table, briefly stopping at Alana.

“Are you sure about that, Mr. Wordsworth?” Alana seemed as though she could hardly wait to jump in.

“Of course I’m sure. I’d never murder anyone. Especially not Nick,” Rico clenched his jaw, raising his head high.

“If you say so. Because I have some documents that might suggest everything was not as rosy as you’d make it seem.”

“Oh snap!” Eric shouted, completely forgetting about his priest role. “What do you have to say to that, man?”

“Whatever you think you have, it doesn’t mean I killed Nick, and you know it,” Rico snapped at Alana before turning to Tiffany. “Anyway, Miss Maxwell, whatever you need to help solve his murder, just holler. I want the bastard who did it to pay. Nick was more than a business partner, y’know? He was like a brother to me.”

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind,” Tiffany nodded happily as she picked up her glass, taking a sip of sparkling water. “Gosh, being a detective is exhausting!”

“I think we’ve all deserved a break, hun. I say we drop the acting for now,” Gloria suggested. “We haven’t even had time to catch up properly. I want to know what you guys have been up to since last time!”

“If you have to ask, does that mean you haven’t been watching my show?” Clementine asked in her usual serious tone, but her playful expression made it clear she was only joking.

“Oh, I don’t mean about business stuff,” Gloria waved her off. “I mean has anyone fell in love, had a baby…”

“A baby? God forbid!” Kelly looked appalled.

“It hasn’t been that long!” Troy frowned as if doing mental calculations. “We saw each other like… five months ago.”

“You know what I mean,” the actress’ voice was warm as usual. “I want to hear what’s new in your private lives.”

“Me too! I bet some of you have been getting even more thirsty DMs than usual after the show,” Marcus said.

“Well of course,” Rico shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world for him. “Who hasn’t?”

“Well, I got something even better - a new ride. Have you seen it outside?” Eric replied as he leaned back in his chair, one arm behind his head, the other holding a glass.

“The blue Chevy? That’s yours?” Rico asked, obviously impressed.

“Yeah. Sweet, right?”

“Nice! You gotta take me for a spin later.”

“Sure, man,” the quarterback replied. “Anyone else is free to join. We can drive around, check out the countryside when this is over.”

“I’m definitely in,” Troy wasted no time in reserving a seat for himself, while Gloria turned toward Alana and Kelly, obviously not interested in the conversation anymore.

“Uh, men and their cars,” she shook her head, making her earrings dangle. “Never saw the appeal.”

“Then come with me and help me find new shoes, please? My feet are killing me,” Kelly groaned as she struggled to take her high heels off.

“Of course, hun! Let’s go through the wardrobe in my room, see if there’s anything good for you,” Gloria agreed, helping the younger woman stand up.

“You two going off alone? Even with a murderer on the loose?” Tiffany noticed, eyeing them with suspicion. “You’re either very foolish or very guilty.”

“You’re welcome to join us, detective… if you dare,” Kelly provoked her back.

“Um, no thanks, I’m good. I have a lot of suspects I need to keep an eye on here. Besides, if one of you ends up dead, we’ll know who to blame,” she stuck her tongue out at the popstar and the actress, watching as they left the room.

~~

“Maybe I should let you teach me. If there’s one thing I’ll admit I’m old for, it’s social media,” Clementine admitted with some reluctance as she climbed up the stairs with Samson. With dinner finished hours ago, everyone was slowly getting ready to turn in for the night.

“I’d be happy to! And don’t worry, you’re in good hands. I’m a pro at TikTok!” the young singer gleefully responded. “We’ll make some cool videos together and post them.”

“Thanks, you’re a doll. I’ll be looking forward to my social media lessons tomorrow,” the woman smiled as she walked down the hall toward her room. “Have a good night!”

“You too,” he gave her a nod before stopping in front of the door with his name on it. Being in a new mansion with what seemed like dozens of rooms, it was quite easy to get lost. Luckily, everyone had their own names on their bedroom doors. Samson entered his room, closing the door behind him. With his hand on the wall, he felt around until he finally located the light switch.

“Aaahh!!”

As soon as the light went on, he staggered back, bumping into the wall. The man sitting on his bed just chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“For fuck’s sake, Troy! You scared the crap out of me!” Samson quickly recovered from the shock, walking over and slapping the actor on the arm.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Troy laughed, his handsome smile making it impossible to stay mad at him. “Ok, I did a little. But I am sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the singer sat next to him on the bed, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “So, why are you here? Did you come to kill me too?”

“Hah! Nice try, but I’m not telling you shit. Also, I’m not here as Reggie.”

“Oh really? So you’re not here as the ‘hot stableboy’?”

“No, I’m here as the hot movie star,” Troy whispered, leaning in, his mouth finding its way to Samson’s neck. The room was already starting to feel way too hot as he began covering the younger man’s skin in kisses, enjoying the sounds he made.

“Mmm, well…” Samson closed his eyes, his heartbeat steadily rising as the actor’s warm lips and tongue roamed across his skin, “I wouldn’t mind either of them coming to my room at night.”

“Good. Maybe next time, Reggie and Mr. Olive can have some fun together,” Troy replied as he pushed Samson down onto the bed, getting on top of him. He had been waiting for months for another opportunity to be alone with the singer, and now that he finally had it, there would be no distractions. Roleplaying could wait for another time.

~~

The clicking of Tiffany’s heels on the floor was the only sound as she climbed up the stairs. After a long, eventful day, she was eager to get into something cozy and get a good night’s sleep. Although, she already knew the chances of falling asleep any time soon were close to zero. The excitement of reuniting with The Playground cast and playing a new role had her feeling wired. Her mind buzzing with ideas and plans for tomorrow, she opened the door to her bedroom, stopping when she spotted something on the floor. She quickly turned on the light, bending down to pick up what was a piece of paper lying by the door in her room.

“What the…”

Her eyes widened as she read the note, written in bold, threatening letters.

'STOP SNOOPING AROUND. OR ELSE'