Case 2
Turnabout Masquerade
Part 1: Story
Rachel Lupis: (I dedicated my life to being a prosecutor so that I could protect the law. So that I could bring justice to those who commit crimes. And I promised myself I wouldn't lose the truth. If it meant that I lost a trial, because the defendant was innocent, than that was fine. But it never occurred to me that the truth could indeed be lost. For when the law is tampered with, than the truth can be lost in the midst of the confusion…I just never thought it would happen to me)
. . .
April 18th, 11:34 p.m.
"The Silk Shoe" Dance Studios, Backstage
?: I….I found her in there! She…she was…
?: I'm afraid you'll have to tell us precisely what you saw, Mrs. Deaseup.
Deaseup: Ah, Alright, then. You…you police, you are just so demanding.
?: We must know the truth, you know. We can't progress further in the investigation without it.
James Bradley: Ah, Kevin McStrather, I wasn't expecting to see you here.
McStrather: I wouldn't have believed I'd have seen you here either, Bradley.
Bradley: Ha-ha-ha! Cold as ever, I see. Well then, who is this fine women?
Deaseup: You'll do well to keep your filthy hands off of me, you detective scum! I…I have a husband.
Bradley: Had a husband, I believe. I can already tell you are Ivanka Deaseup. I…it was one of my first cases…when…
Deaseup: Please, do not bring back such painful memories.
Bradley: Yes, well…we shall proceed with the investigation. The information I received…ah yes! Ah, I am sorry.
Deaseup: Like I said, the past is the past. Do what you must, but not more.
Bradley: We must do everything we can to bring justice, ma'am.
McStrather: Excuse me, I assume you are finished reminiscing? We have an investigation after all.
Bradley: Yes, well…let's get to that.
*creak*
?: Duuuuudes! Wassup?
Deaseup: Who goes there?
Bradley: Excuse me, Mrs. Deaseup…Ramie, you may come in now.
Ramie Chase: Suh-weet! I wanna get right down to this, right? Soooooo…you the suspect, or something'?
Deaseup: What an outrage! Young lady! This is my daughter that was murdered!
Ramie: Yea, well, I've had a loooot of in-the-family murders in my history as a defense attorney!
Deaseup: I…I swear I did not do it! How can you be so blunt with me?
Ramie: Sorry, lady, it's my job!
Rachel Lupis: Ramie Chase? Is that you?
Ramie: Yo! Rachel Lupis! What's shakin'?
Rachel: Nothing…nothing is "shaking."
Ramie: You look so distant and grim! Lighten up!
Rachel: (I feel like I'm told this way too often)
Bradley: I…I am unpleasantly shocked! Where, oh where, is your fair maiden of a friend, my sweet Rose?
Rachel: She's ill. With the flu.
Bradley: I must go visit her!
Rachel: Objection! You'll do no such thing!
McStrather: Oh! *blush* Miss Lupis. Since your assistant forensic scientist could not be here…I suppose I'll have to help you. Hmph, if I must.
Rachel: Erm…yes, I guess you'll have to, won't you? Well, then, fill me in on the details of the case.
McStrather: Right! You see, Amaurie Deaseup, a ballet dancer and the victim, was found stabbed in the stomach back here after her first performance of the night. It was under very suspicious circumstances indeed.
Rachel: Suspicious circumstances?
McStrather: Yes, you see, here at the theatre tonight, there was a competition. It was merely to showcase talents, but it is my belief that it was more personal to the two dancers competing. The first was 15 year old Amaurie Deaseup, and the second: 19 year old Carmella Armallo. She's our suspect as of right now.
Rachel: Where is she?
McStrather: Hmph, at the police department, of course.
Rachel: (I didn't ask for an attitude) I was just checking. So…she's suspected because they were in a competition?
McStrather: *blush* Why you-…wipe that smirk off of your face!
Rachel: Well, honestly, don't you think it's a little harsh to arrest a young lady on those terms?
McStrather: Heh, not quite, Lupis…you see, we have an eye-witness who can place Armallo at the scene, and some have said that Carmella tends towards violence when she's upset…and those same people have said she is fairly easily upset.
Rachel: Hmmm…
Bradley: I would personally beg to differ on that account. I met the young women briefly…she seemed very sweet and shy to me…and I have spoken to her dance instructor, who said she was "as sweet as Strawberry flavored pastries."
Rachel: …? Alllllllright, then…and who is this dance instructor? I mean, where are they?
Bradley: He went home for the night. It's almost midnight, you know. And the court case is tomorrow…
Rachel: What difference does that make? Without being properly prepared, Justice can't be brought.
Ramie: Right on! Let's get poppin'!
Rachel: ("popping"?) Right…what she said…whatever it means.
McStrather: After a thorough search of the building, we discovered this, right off of the stage.
Rachel: A knife? It was found just off of the stage?
McStrather: Yes, the blood was still fresh on there, and the blood belonged to Miss Deaseup. The knife was clearly the murder weapon.
Rachel: Yes, I suppose so…
Ramie: Suh-weet! Anyone know which fool this knife belongs to?
Rachel: (this is a murder case…why are you so hyper?) Calm down, Miss Chase. We haven't gotten that far yet.
Ramie: *psssh* What-EVER! You gotta get things moving, right? How we gonna get anywhere?
Rachel: We'll get somewhere by taking time to look at all of the facts.
Ramie: …That… is a prosecutor's job.
Rachel: (I hate this bad rap that prosecutors get…even the ever-jubilant Ramie Chase gets cold towards prosecutors) Well, Ramie…you can do your "speedy investigation" over there, and I'll do my…*ahem* "prosecutor's job" over here.
Ramie: Whaaaatever floats 'yer boat!
Rachel: (How on earth am I supposed to float my boat? I can't even afford one. Not like I'd want one…Gah, why am I getting so distracted by something so trivial?) *shiver* anyway, McStrather, please come with me, so we can perform our investigation. We'll take the dressing room.
Ramie: Well, that's not fair! That's the scene of the crime!
Rachel: I'm sure you'll find plenty of useful things out here…besides, you'll go super fast anyway, right?
Ramie: Heck to the YES! Just hurry up, would-ya?
Rachel: Fine, fine.
McStrather: Right this way, Miss Lupis.
. . .
April 18th, 11:56 p.m.
"The Silk Shoe" Dance Studios, Amaurie Deaseup's Dressing Room
Rachel: And you say this is where the crime took place?
McStrather: Well, there's obviously a body lying there on the floor.
Rachel: Urk! R-right…(missed that) Goodness, she was tiny.
McStrather: Yes, she certainly was. She was a ballet dancer after all, quite religiously, too. They don't grow very much.
Rachel: Yes, that is so. I wonder what the motive to kill would have been…
McStrather: We've already discussed that.
Rachel: (Well, don't be so blunt) We need to find out more.
McStrather: Look, we got your defendant for you. Your duty as a prosecutor is to make sure they are guilty.
Rachel: Not if you've got the wrong defendant!
McStrather:…No need to get so touchy. We are pretty sure we have the right criminal.
Rachel: Pretty Sure?
McStrather: *blush* We are positive! Happy now, are you?
Rachel: Yes…for now.
McStrather: Time to investigate. Here, this way; here is the body.
Rachel: She was stabbed in the gut.
McStrather: We've already been over that.
Rachel: *sigh* I don't know what else we can gather from here. Wait-!
McStrather: What is it?
Rachel: I can't use this as definitive evidence…but I just saw something that could help me guess what took place here; I could perform a make-shift crime.
McStrather: I think I know where you're headed…go ahead and show me what you think. I actually have a testimony here I'd like to show you afterwards that could either prove you right or wrong.
Rachel: Well, we'll see. Here goes. There's a mirror here, see?
McStrather: Yes, I can clearly see the big mirror in front of us.
Rachel: (Please don't interrupt me with your snide comments) Right…so, I would assume Amaurie Deaseup was sitting in her chair here, preparing for her dance…
McStrather: Good thinking. She was supposed to be up to perform soon after the murder took place.
Rachel: Right. Anyway, assuming she was sitting in this chair at first, and that the dead body is facing the door, I would assume that she was sitting here when the killer walked in. She looked into the mirror, saw her visitor, and then turned to greet them… them being the killer.
McStrather: Why on earth would she turn to "greet" her own killer?
Rachel: (You figure it out, Sherlock) Why else? Think about who the defendant is! The only reason this body is lying here in front of the door, instead of somewhere else, is because she didn't feel the need to run and avoid attack…the killer was someone she knew and trusted!
McStrather: Oh…OH! I see.
Rachel: Yea. Nothing super complex discovered here, however, this is proof. I'll need it in court tomorrow. Please, if you could, give me the floor-plans of the room.
McStrather: Right, here you are.
Rachel: (Floor-plans of crime-scene added to Court Record) Okay, now let's look around for more evidence.
McStrather: Oh, yes…we found this when we were searching…
Rachel: What on earth is this?
McStrather: It's a charm with a mask on it…like what you would wear to a masquerade?
Rachel: How do you know it's not just a little possession of the victim's?
McStrather: Because we can link it to the crime. But you won't know how it links to the case until tomorrow in court.
Rachel: (Why is he giving me that creepy evil look? I thought he was supposed to be helping me!) And why on earth can't you tell me how this links to the crime right now?
McStrather: Hmph, our main witness needs sleep tonight. I can't give you her testimony, because I might mess it up. She needs to sleep for court, just like everyone else except you it seems. Please try to speed up the investigation if you could?
Rachel: If I was facing off against Nicholas Merriwhether tomorrow, I could go home and sleep now. But this is different…I'm going to be facing off against Ramie Chase…it's a completely different story.
McStrather: Hmph, whatever you say. Just hurry!
Rachel: (What on earth could this mask mean…?) Any more proof in here?
McStrather: I'm afraid not. I've been searching, and there's nothing else I can discover.
Rachel: Wait, what's this?
McStrather: Hm? Oh, it just looks like a torn piece of cloth…
Rachel: Yea, a torn cloth with blood on it.
McStrather: Wh-what? Excuse me, forensics! We need a blood analysis ran on this piece of cloth. Match to the victim!
Forensics: Right away sir!
Rachel: Now, to find out what the piece of cloth belonged to…
McStrather: I doubt you'll find it here. The murderer would have likely moved it.
Rachel: I suppose-
Ramie: Heeeey! You done yet? We couldn't find much of anything outside of here! Oh, yea, 'cept for this…we found it in the teacher's room! It's a suspicious object. So we're takin' it in as evidence!
Rachel: Let me see that for a second. Is this a cape…?
Ramie: Yup! Whas-a-matter? You see a ghost or sumthin'?
Rachel: (This color…I just saw it.) No…
McStrather: What's going on here? Miss Lupis, what's the matter…! Oh, no…
Ramie: What, the rip bothering you? It ain't your cape anyway, so don't worry, it'll get mended. So…?
Rachel: This…this can't be-
Forensics: Mr. McStrather! We preformed the blood analysis. It's confirmed that the blood belongs to the victim!
Ramie: Blood? You guys found blood? You must think you're real sneaky not telling me like that!
Rachel: Calm down. We didn't even know who's blood it was until just now. (she's really getting on my nerves)
Ramie: Oh well, this complicates things a bit, huh? Tooo bad for yooouu!
Rachel: Yea, well don't make up your mind just yet. There's still a court case tomorrow.
Ramie: Ooooh, something shiny! Lemme see!
Rachel: What the-…don't grab!
Ramie: What-EVER, you're the one who's hiding evidence!
Rachel: *sigh* I'd hardly call it evidence.
Ramie: It's like a little charm! How CUTE!
Rachel: Hold on a moment…let me see that…it's got a pin on the back of it. It's a badge. (Evidence updated in court record)
Ramie: Sooo…your point?
Rachel: I'm not sure I have a point yet, however it could prove useful in the future.
Ramie: *Pfft* WHAT-ever. Well, let's all catch some Z's, yo! Tomorrow's a big trial!
Rachel: Right…(somehow I doubt she ever sleeps much)
Deaseup: Wait! Miss…Lupis, it was?
Rachel: Yes?
Deaseup: I…I do not know what to think now! My daughter, she was killed by…her teacher?
Rachel: That's not what I believe…but it's always a possibility.
Deaseup: It…would be a horrible crime! He deserves punishment!
Rachel: Hold on, now! I can't let you go into court tomorrow with a biased view on the situation! There's just as much proof against Miss Armallo. Miss Deaseup, I'd like for you to go home and think about everything you can testify on. And please make your testimony un-biased. Justice won't be brought if you testify falsely.
Deaseup: Yes…I see, I suppose. She was all I had. And now she is gone too. I am counting on you.
Rachel: (That was one intimidating stare she gave me just now). I'm sorry for your losses Mrs. Deaseup. I'll find the truth tomorrow, I promise.
Deaseup: Alright then. *yawn* I must go home and sleep. This day, it has been long.
Rachel: I should probably sleep as well. (Tomorrow's a big day. I really don't know if the proof I have is enough. Actually, it just hit me that I'm really not prepared for tomorrow. I…I'll have to do my best).
. . .