CRYSTALLINE - 28. Whodunit

Rosemary had never prepared a meal for Axel, so she invited him to lunch on her Sunday off, with

Jonathan, Lachlan, Thomas and Dante as well.

At lunch, Lachlan asked “Your accent Axel, is it German?”

“Yes, well spotted, I didn’t think I had much left because I came here as a young boy and did all my high school here”

“There’s a trace in some of your words. Did your family migrate here?”

“Yes, Mum and Dad were quite adventurous and we were always travelling around Europe so when Dad got an opportunity to take up a position here, they were very excited to come”

“What did your father do?”

“He was an architect, retired now, but he always had an interest in old buildings, particularly medieval castles and palaces. He dragged Mum and I all around Europe looking at Castles and such. We even took our holidays in the UK one year and drove all over the island visiting castles and stately homes”

“Sounds like an exciting childhood” said Lachlan

“I suppose it was. I didn’t think so at the time but I did develop an interest on older buildings and architecture. I suppose that’s what led me into real estate when I finished my uni. That reminds me of an interesting story about this area. When I was at uni I heard of this place called Castle Hill and was all excited. We had never seen a castle since coming to Australia, so I was determined to see such a place. I asked a friend which train went to Castle Hill and he said there was no train. I had to take a train to Parramatta and then get a bus to Castle Hill. He told me that as long as I was going to Castle Hill I should go to Castle Towers as there was lots to see there. So the very next Saturday I set off on my quest. When I got to Parramatta I found the bus to Castle Hill and asked the driver to let me know when to get off for Castle Towers. He told me the bus terminated at Castle Towers and would take about thirty minutes. I went to the back of the bus and got a window seat so I could watch out for any other historic building along the way. I was so excited to be just a half hour away from seeing my first Australian Castle”

Everyone laughed, then Rosemary said “Sorry for laughing at you Axel”

“Oh it’s ok, I laugh about it now, but not at the time. How was I to know that Castle Towers was a shopping mall? There was not an historic building anywhere around.

“You poor dear, didn’t anyone tell you the British only came here about two hundred years ago and the original inhabitants did not build castles?”

“Or anything long lasting” added Thomas

***

When Lachlan arrived with the coffee to accompany their Monday morning meeting, he asked “Anything interesting in the mail, or just bills?”

“Plenty of them, but there’s an interesting suggestion from Tristan”

“Your Sydney Dance Company friend?”

“Yes, some of his dance colleagues also attend the School Of Dramatic Art and he attached a link to a new project they are working on. Listen to this, SODA is proud to launch their newest project, a forward thinking way of giving our students an opportunity to hone their acting skills in an innovative way, not necessarily on a theatre stage. To quote the beloved Bard - All the world’s a stage... and with that thought in mind we plan to launch our students and graduates onto the world stage via SODA POP. School Of Dramatic Art - Private Only Performance.

Some of the offerings include -

- Short plays from writing students, but performed in and around the audience.

- Or write a play yourself and have our students perform it for you.

- Students will host a theme party or experience, by leading your guests through the experience such as - An investigation to discover a fraudster, thief, or murderer.

Please contact us for more suggestions or to design your Private Only Performance.

“Wow, I like the sound of that and very new, let’s be the first to feature these and earn a reputation” suggested Lachlan

“You sound super keen”

“I’ve always had an interest in the performing arts and this would not only be an innovative attraction for our guests but a way to get up close and personal with the arts. How do you think Jonathan will feel about it?”

“Virginia was always a patron of the arts, but she and Jonathan lived separate lives and didn’t cross over. To be honest I have no idea at all. But I doubt he would have any objection so long as it brings in the bookings. We could also open this up to the general public, not only resort guests” suggested Thomas

“Like the restaurant when it opens next month?”

“Yes, not everything we do has to be for stay-in guests only. Let’s make the most of our facilities”

“But do we need to have some sort of separation between overnight guests and casual guests?”

“Why?”

“For instance, do we want arts patrons wandering into the accommodation areas or even worse, the clubhouse?”

“I see what you mean. How about we delay opening to the general public until Crystalline Manor opens, that way we can have some separation between the two properties. The boundary fence is still intact except for one gate access. Overnight guests have access to both properties’ facilities and casual guests only have access to Crystalline facilities. We’ll try signage at first and if that doesn’t work we can put some kind of keycard access on the gate and Crystalline accommodation”

“But let’s try out something before then”

“What do you have in mind?”

“How about the mystery murder thing? Everyone loves a whodunit and fancies themselves as a Sherlock Holmes”

“Yes, you wouldn’t want a big crowd for such an event, it could get too confusing”

“I’ll give them a call and see what they have to offer”

SODA POP were thrilled to have their first murder mystery booking and even gave Thomas a discounted rate to get the booking and have the word spread about their new venture.

***

On the mystery night, evening dinner was served earlier than usual so the murder mystery game could begin at eight pm. The male staff on duty all dressed in standard waiter’s black pants, white shirt, black vest and black bow tie, even Patrick, after much coaxing by Lachlan.

While the guests were dining, the staff were putting the finishing touches to the areas of the property that would be used for the game. The leader of the game had distributed clues around the property and then went off to have his meal.

After dinner service, the guests were escorted from Arcobaleno Villa to the ballroom at Crystalline Manor. The room which had large bay windows looking out to the garden and pool had previously been used by Virginia for her parties. Tonight however, it was decorated appropriately for the murder game.

Jonathan’s large TV was screening a slide show of famous crime solving characters and writers including the queen of crime Agatha Christie. There were a number of Sherlock Holmes characters played by actors from Rathbone to Cumberbatch and Poirots from Ustinov to the quintessential Suchet, but excluding Branagh, who the organiser consider unfitting for the role.

To add to the atmosphere the main lights were dimmed but spotlights illuminated various tables and objects around the room. There were six small round tables surrounding a large centre table. On each table were notebooks, pens and latex gloves. On the walls were six white boards, with the heading Evidence. On the large table were objects in plastic bags, labelled police evidence, do not open. The objects included, a sawn-off shot gun, a hand gun and a brown bottle labelled Poison. Also on display, a length of metal pipe, a candlestick, a small bronze statue, an arrow, a short dagger, a brick and a large kitchen knife, each with dried blood.

The guests were herded into the room, offered drinks from the bar and invited to inspect everything in the room, but remain there until further notice. However one guest was growing increasing anxious to get on with the game.

“When are they going to start this damned thing” he asked his companion.

“Be patient Brett, I’m sure the delay is all part of the plan to create more suspense”

“I’m warning you Jez, that if they don’t start soon there’s going to be real murder and it will be no mystery who committed it”

***

Meanwhile Yashuki was distributing and lighting candles around the pool, so that the main lights did not have to be used, thereby giving the scene a more mysterious atmosphere. Patrick was on hand to supervise Yashuki’s distribution of candles because it also included floating candles in the pool. Patrick turned off the filtration system to prevent the candles floating into the leaf filter.

“Why turn off the water circulation, the candles would look better bobbing around on the surface if the water is moving?”

“Because dickhead, they’d all float to one end and probably into the leaf filter”

“I only asked, no need to get all bent out of shape”

“You know I don’t like your presence here, so as long as we have to work together, you just get on with your job and I’ll do mine without your help”

Yashuki put down his tray, walked up to Patrick and said “I’ve really have had enough of your attitude, I’ve done nothing to you and yet you constantly make it clear that you find my presence an annoyance”

“You know you’ve led my brother astray when he is in a permanent relationship with the man who writes your pay cheques. Thomas has been very good to me, giving me a job here. He even gave me casual work before this position came up. I owe him a lot and I love my brother, so their relationship is important to me”

“Very touching, but of no importance to me” said Yashuki

“That then is a very big problem”

“I don’t have a problem with it, so if you do it’s your problem” accused Yashuki.

“Well I do have a problem with it”

“And what are you going to do about it?” asked Yashuki

“This!” Patrick shouted as he formed a fist and punched Yashuki on the chin with a right hook.

“What makes you think you are your brother’s protector” Yashuki replied as a distraction while he regained his balance. Then by hooking his right foot behind Patrick’s knee, brought him to the ground.

Yashuki quickly rolled Patrick onto his chest and kneeled on his back, with one knee at the base of his spine and said “One sudden move and you’ll need a wheelchair for the rest of your miserable life”

“You wouldn’t dare”

“Just try me”

Not wishing to call Yashuki’s bluff, Patrick said “Ok, I give up”

“No no, I can’t watch anymore” said a squeamish guest, who was watching across the terrace, from a ballroom window.

“What are you looking at Brett?” asked his partner, Jeremy.

“Nothing now, I can’t stand to see grown men fighting like school yard bullies”

As Jeremy looked out the window, he saw one man push the other and they both disappeared behind the shrubs surrounding the pool.

“Oh well, looks like it’s all over now” suggested Jeremy

“Good, now let’s get back to the evening’s events. At least the murder will be staged. I can cope with that, and I want to be first on the crime scene” said Brett

“Of course you do, Barnaby”

“I feel more like Nikki Alexander tonight”

***

The organiser of the event had told Lachlan he would play the part of Detective and lead the amateur sleuths to the clues and co-ordinate the assessment of the evidence. Another of his colleagues would be dressed as a waiter and would place the victim where he could be found and be able to move around setting other clues unnoticed, while dressed the same as the other male staff. Guests would be advised that staff dressed as waiters, in black and white, were to be considered invisible and therefore excluded from the game.

The co-ordinator had advised that the victim would be a lifelike dummy, because when they used an actor as the victim, the participants used to prod the actor to get him to move or even laugh.

Participants in the investigation were to be told after dinner to go about the property, within defined boundaries until someone found a body. When they raised the alarm, Lachlan was to ring the organiser, as if he was ringing the police and then he would arrive a little later, as a detective, to co-ordinate the investigation.

<>

Dante was furious and went looking for Patrick, whom he found still fussing around at the pool.

“Hey I want to talk to you”

“Sure Bro, what do you need?”

“I need you to stop harassing Yashuki”

“Oh, has your little rented bum boy been squealing to you about one punch, poor diddums” Patrick said with false sympathy.

“He told me you two had a tussle. If for no other reason at least treat him as a fellow worker here. What he and I do has nothing to do with you. Also, the management is not likely to tolerate their employees fighting on the job”

“Will you tell your other bum boy to fire me?”

“If that’s what it takes” affirmed Dante

“Don’t threaten me, brotherly love won’t get you everything you want”

After they exchanged their non-brotherly words, Patrick threw a punch at Dante, but over the years he had learned to anticipate Patrick’s punches and knew how to duck just in time to avoid being hit.

That used to amuse their friends who knew the punches were rarely thrown in anger. However this was not one of those occasions and Dante knew he couldn’t avoid Patrick’s punches indefinitely so he waited his chance and took the opportunity between punches to jump into the air and give Patrick a strong push with his feet and all his weight behind it. As Patrick fell backwards, Dante landed, turned and walked away as he dusted his hands and muttered “Job done...the ballet way”

***

Brett had listened carefully to Lachlan’s instructions about the murder game and was first out of the dining room to scout for a body or clues. It was not long before he yelled “Jez, Jez come here, I’ve found the body”

“Where are you?” Jeremy called from behind some shrubs

“Over by the pool”

As Jeremy arrived, Brett said “Not very original, body floating face down, in the pool, I expected something a bit more gruesome than that”

“He’s a very good actor, I wonder how he can hold his breath so long and not a muscle moving?”

“Let’s see” said Brett as he picked up the leaf skimmer and gave the body a poke”

“Oh my dear, it’s only a dummy, I didn’t think they’d use a real person”

Jeremy knelt down to look at what appeared to be blood on the edge of the pool.

“Stop!” yelled Brett “Don’t touch anything, this is a crime scene.

“Why”

“Either you contaminate it, or you become a suspect because your DNA will be found” stated Brett

“You are aware this is just a game, aren’t you”

“I take all these things seriously and will act accordingly, but I have to compliment them on their attention to detail. That reminds me, we shouldn’t stand here letting the evidence go stale, we need to report this immediately so the investigation can begin”

“I’ll go find Lachlan”

<>

Crime duly reported, Brett and Jeremy stood by proudly as Lachlan called the police.

“Oh I was just about to call you” was the reply when Lachlan spoke to the Detective.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting, but the body has only just been discovered” said Lachlan

“That’s what I was calling about...what do you mean the body has been found? It can’t be, that’s why I was going to call you. I have Barry on hold to speak to you. It seems his car has broken down and he will be late. So while he waits for road service I’ll go and collect the dummy from him and bring it over”

“But two guests said it’s floating in the pool”

“That’s not where we are going to leave the victim to be found”

“Well that’s were it is, so you better get over here soon to start the investigation. The amateur sleuths and champing at the bit, especially the one who found the body”

“No it’s not possible. Are you sure they’re not having you on, that has happened before. Also, sometimes players will see what they want to see, they are so keen to get on with the job. Maybe it’s just a towel or something floating in the pool”

“Ok, I’ll go and check”

“Good and I’ll hurry over with the dummy so we can begin the game”

As Lachlan pressed End Call, Brett gave him one of those cock-headed dog looks, but said nothing.

“I just have to check on something” he said to the guests “Won’t be long”

As he turned to walk away, Brett said “I’m coming with you”

“Good idea, you can show me where you think you found the body”

“Think!” he replied indignantly “I know a dead body when I see one”

“And how many dead bodies have you seen?” asked Jeremy

“You know what I mean”

<>

As the three reached the pool, Brett said “See what I mean. Now can we get on with the investigation? What sort of show are you running here?”

Lachlan just gave Brett a blank stare. Brett thought for a moment, then as he tapped the side of his nose with one finger, said “Ah, I get it, sorry about that. This is part of the act, isn’t it? You’re supposed to be shocked. Don’t worry I’ll play along. What do we do next? How about I go and get the rest of the gang to inspect the crime scene, while you stay here being shocked. I’m sure they’ll love the act. You’re very good, actually”

Brett took off, but Jeremy stayed with Lachlan, as all did not seem right to him. Had Brett bothered to think of anyone but his own interests he would have noted all the colour had drained out of Lachlan’s face and he was slowly going down on his knees.

When he was close enough to reach, Lachlan put a finger in the blood and put it to his tongue. When he got that metallic taste he knew this was no longer a game.

*****