Miss Scarlet with the Knife in the Billiard Room
By: 1000th Ghost
Miss Scarlet wasn't always a murderess. She wasn't always the mysterious, sly, dare I say, deadly, person that she is today. In fact, from the ages of zero through five, she was a normal, happy, sweet little girl. And then…well, then things changed.
Miss Scarlet committed her first murder at the age of six. Now you have to understand, it wasn't intentional. In fact, if it had never happened, she probably never would be the way she is. But it did happen, and there is nothing to be done about it now. Blaming her won't change anything because it wasn't her fault. She hadn't known how to harness the horses. She hadn't known that, if not harnessed properly, the horses would come unattached from the carriage, and the carriage and its inhabitant would come to a most unfortunate end. You could almost say that her father caused his own death by asking her to harness the horses in the first place.
Nonetheless, it seemed that from that point on, Miss Scarlet was changed forever. Some say it was because of her strict upbringing. She needed a way to express herself, a way to escape. Some say it was because the death of her father sort of messed her up in the head. But I say she has no reason. She's simply evil. She loves to kill. If you would rather not read a story where the main character is an evil murderess, I suggest you stop right here and forget about this whole thing. But if you don't mind it, then we will continue.
You still there? Good. Our story begins long after this, eighteen years later in fact. By now Miss Scarlet is a twenty-four-year-old beauty, capable of winning any young man's heart. And she has. Quite a few times. But they always seem to find a way of…disappearing. It seems that Miss Scarlet was afraid to settle down, afraid to give up the wild life she had always lived. But tonight, as her limo pulled up in front of Mr. Boddy's mansion, that was the first thing on her mind.
Let me clarify. She did not intend to give up her…hobby. She merely was looking for someone who she could share her secret with, someone who would accept her for who she was.
Miss Scarlet stepped out of her limo and slowly walked to the front door. She rang the bell, and the door was answered by a maid who looked as if the was around sixty.
"Good evening, miss. Please come in", the maid mumbled, stepping aside so Miss Scarlet could pass by her.
Miss Scarlet followed the sound of music and laughter until she came to the ballroom. Although the house was enormous, she didn't get lost once. She had come here many times before, and so she knew her way around quite well.
But wait, why had she come here many times before? Who is this Mr. Boddy? Why is she at his house? The answers to all those questions are quite simple. Mr. Boddy fancied Miss Scarlet, and so she was invited to entertain him quite a bit. Miss Scarlet was a singer, although not many people knew this. She was called upon to sing at parties every once in awhile. Mr. Boddy, as it often is with multi millionaires, threw many parties, and Miss Scarlet was therefore at his house almost once a week.
But this week was special because this week Miss Scarlet was not an entertainer, this time she was a guest. She was looking forward to meeting Mr. Boddy's friends, since to be associated with such a rich man, you yourself had to possess quiet a lot of money. And the one thing Miss Scarlet was looking for in a man was money.
Oh sure, she knew that Mr. Boddy was sweet on her, and she obviously knew that he was wealthy. But do you think she'd want to marry a fifty year old man? I think not.
When Miss Scarlet entered the ballroom, the entire party fell silent. The only thing that could be heard was the phonograph, playing some jazz song that no one could remember the words to. Everyone stared at her as she walked into the room.
She was used to it. Wherever she went, she was always the center of attention. She was beautiful, and she knew it. And she used it to the best of her advantage. After all, who would ever suspect a knock out to commit murder, of all things?
She was wearing her best dress, although most of her clothes were of a fine variety. Her dress was a tight fitting, low cut, floor length, blood red, silk gown. Her wavy dark brown hair rested gracefully on her shoulders. She wore a ruby necklace and red high heeled shoes. In a word, she was stunning.
After everyone took a minute to observe her, the party once again fell back into swing. Everyone went back to whatever they had been doing, everyone, that is, except
for one man. This one man continued to stare at her, as though she was the sole being on earth.
"He'll do", Miss Scarlet thought, as she slowly walked over to him.
"How do you do?"
The man looked up at her, startled out of his daydream.
"Huh?"
"Not a conversationalist, is he?" she thought. "Oh well."
"I don't believe we've met. What's your name?"
"Um…Jonathan. Jonathan Green."
"Well, Mr. Green, aren't you going to ask me what my name is?"
"Oh, of course. What's your name?"
"Miss Scarlet."
"Do you have a first name?"
"Vivienne."
"Vivienne. That's a lovely name."
"Thanks. I hate it. Call me Miss Scarlet."
"Um…ok. Y-you um…wanna dance?"
"Hmm…he get's right to the point. That's good."
"I'd love too."
Two hours later, the party was dying down, and everyone was preparing to go home. Except for two people. Miss Scarlet and Mr. Green had sneaked into the lounge and were showing each other their affection for one another.
"Miss Scarlet?" Mr. Green asked, uncertainly.
"Yes Mr. Green?"
"Miss Scarlet, you're the most amazing woman I've ever met. You're kind, smart, affectionate, I could go on and on forever. I know I only met you two hours ago, but I find it nearly impossible to deny my feelings for you any longer. I-I love you."
"Oh, so creative", Miss Scarlet thought. "Yeah, you love me. You and every other guy. But…maybe this one's different. Maybe this one's the one."
She sighed, as though ashamed of the fact that she had let herself fall for a man that she had just met two hours ago.
"I love you too."
He smiled at her and cleared his throat.
"Well…here it comes…" she thought.
"Will you marry me?"
"I was wondering when you were ever going to ask me."
"So…is that a yes?"
Instead of answering, she pulled him toward her, and planted a kiss on his lips.
Awe, how sweet. Let's leave them alone for a minute, shall we?
Well, it's been ten minutes. Let's check up on them.
Wait, they were no longer in the lounge. It seems that Mr. Green had been called to the study by Mr. Boddy. Uh oh, trouble?
Miss Scarlet spied at the door, eavesdropping on their conversation. Just a thing that comes naturally to murdering, you know?
"I thought I told you I wanted that money by the seventeenth!"
"Yes, but Mr. Boddy, I-"
"You what, Jonathan? Pray tell, what has been keeping you?"
"I just received word that my mother has been ill, and I was saving for her operation. I need that money for her, so…I don't have your money yet. But I will! Just give me another month. Or two."
"I'm not running a charity here Mr. Green! I'm running a business!"
"If you call blackmail a business", Mr. Green muttered.
"What was that?" Mr. Boddy barked, whirling around to face Mr. Green.
"Nothing sir."
"I didn't think so. You better be careful about what you say boy. I wouldn't want anyone to find out how the late Mr. Green Senior met his untimely-"
"Ok, I get your point. I'll have your money by tomorrow morning."
"Good. You'd better."
Mr. Green turned on his heel and walked swiftly out of the room, not wanting to have any more unwanted conversation with his boss. He was in such a hurry that he failed to see Miss Scarlet standing next to the door.
"So, Mr. Green is also a murderer?" Miss Scarlet thought. "I certainly hit the jackpot. And it was his father, just like me! It must be fate!"
"What a sucker", Mr. Boddy said to himself from inside the study. "I can't believe how easy this is. Just a few more months of blackmailing, and I'll have completely drained every last cent out of the boy. And then perhaps, when she realizes that I am wealthier than she knows, perhaps then I will ask Vivienne for her hand in marriage."
Miss Scarlet stood stock still, shocked with the information she had just received. This brute was trying to get her betrothed's money? So that he could marry her?
She subconsciously reached inside of her red purse and pulled out a sharp, rusty knife. This was going to be fun.
Mr. Boddy stepped out of the study, whistling whatever song had been playing at the party.
"This is almost too easy", Miss Scarlet thought, as she followed Mr. Boddy, unseen in the shadows.
Mr. Boddy stepped into the billiard room, and picked up a cue to play pool with.
"I need some practice for my game with Col. Mustard this Saturday", he mumbled, as he aimed his cue at the black eight ball. Too bad he never got to make his shot.
"Say goodnight, honey", Miss Scarlet whispered sweetly, as she plunged her knife deep into his back.
He fell over onto the pool table, his eyes still wide open.
"Night night", she whispered to him.
She was about to drag his body down to the cellar, when she heard a noise at the door. She turned around, startled, and was starring into the eyes of her fiancé.
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, it's only you."
For a minute Mr. Green didn't say anything. Then he whispered, "Is he dead?"
"I hope so. That was my intention."
He was silent for a moment.
"Why?" he finally asked.
"Because I felt like it."
"You mean, you have no reason?"
She thought for a minute. Did she have a reason? He did threaten Mr. Green and everything…but is that what drove her to do the crime?
"No", she finally decided to herself. "I was going to kill him long before I knew of his blackmailing scheme. I have no reason."
But when she saw the look of horror on Mr. Green's face, she knew she had better make up an excuse, if she wanted to stay engaged.
"Um…I overheard you two talking. I heard him say that he was going to try to take all your money until he had enough money to win me over. Then he was going to propose to me."
"What?" Mr. Green exclaimed. "That's an outrage! You're mine, and he'll never have you!"
"I guess that's a given now, but shh!" she warned him. "Not so loud. I don't want anyone to know what I did."
"Oh. Sorry. Wait, I'm not sorry. Do you realize what you've done? You've killed a man! You've committed a murder!"
"Yeah? So have you."
"Oh no, you didn't overhear that, did you?"
"Don't worry, I don't mind. I'm actually quite glad. I need someone whom I can share my passion for killing with."
Mr. Green looked at her as though she were speaking Chinese.
"You…are a murderer…aren't you?" she asked uncertainly.
"No."
"But, your father…"
"That was an accident. We were at a hunting match. I fired the revolver and shot him. Mr. Boddy saw what happened."
"Wait, it was an accident?"
"Of course. You don't think I would intentionally kill my own father, do you?"
"Um…"
"Miss Scarlet, what on earth is going on? Why did you kill Mr. Boddy? And what's all this about a 'passion for killing'?"
"They kind of answer each other."
"Oh my…" He turned away and stared at the wall.
"I'm so stupid", Miss Scarlet scolded herself. "How could I have believed that he was like me?"
"So, I guess the wedding's off…" she said flatly.
He continued to stare at the wall. She was afraid that he hadn't heard her, and she was about to repeat herself, when he uttered one word.
"No."
"No?" she asked, not daring to believe it.
"No. The wedding's not off."
"It's…not?"
He turned to face her.
"No. But on one condition."
"Oh yes!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. "Just name it, I'll do it! I'll do anything! Anything!"
"Give up killing."
She instantly broke free of him, and stared at him in shock. Now it was her turn to think he was speaking Chinese.
"Give up killing?"
"Yes."
"But…how?"
"What do you mean 'how'? Just stop."
"No, I mean…how could you expect me to do that?"
"You don't think I'd marry a murderer, do you?"
"Yes! I thought you'd accept me for who I am!"
"But Miss Scarlet, it's sinful to murder! It's against the law of God and the government. It's…it's…"
"It's who I am!" she snapped at him. "And if you don't like that, then I don't care! You can just go!"
"But I can't!"
"And why not?"
"Because I love you!"
"Well, I love you too!"
"Good!"
"Good!"
Suddenly they both started to laugh. I'm not sure exactly what they found so humorous, but I suppose there was something.
"Please?" Mr. Green asked, once they had caught their breath.
"Fine, fine. You win. I'll give up killing."
He quickly embraced her and whispered "You won't be sorry!"
"I better not be", she teased him, as she hurried out of the room.
When she came downstairs, she found the entire ballroom turned into a chaotic mess. There were policemen everywhere, and everyone was talking excitedly.
"I just know one of them stole it!" Mrs. Peacock was screaming.
"Don't worry ma'am, we'll search the entire house, top to bottom, until we find your missing necklace", one of the policemen replied to the middle aged, extremely wealthy Mrs. Peacock, one of the other party guests.
"Hmm…a jewel robbery and a murder all in one night?" Miss Scarlet thought, as she slipped, unseen, through the door. "This was my kind of party."
Yes, Miss Scarlet did still love killing. It's hard to break a habit as established as that was. But she did vow to keep her promise to Mr. Green because she really did love him. Whether for his looks, or his money, or maybe something more, I don't know. But she did, and she was ready to step down and take her place as a faithful wife.
It wasn't until a week later that she heard of Mr. Green's death sentence. She read about it in the paper. He was scheduled to be hung the following day for "the murder of Mr. Richard Boddy". Col. Mustard, one of the party guests, had discovered him in the room with the body, and he had had blood stains on his jacket. It was all the evidence they needed.
Miss Scarlet wasn't entirely sure what to do. If she turned herself in, she would undoubtedly be hung in his place. But if she didn't, the only man she had ever truly loved would be gone forever. And it would be all her fault.
It was a difficult decision. Truthfully, what would you have done? Of course, the right thing to do would be to take the blame and set him free, but since when was Miss Scarlet known for doing the right thing?
She wasn't entirely cruel to him. She even came to the execution. He was starring at her the entire time, silently pleading with her to turn herself in. But she didn't.
She would never sacrifice her own life for another, no matter how precious that one life may have been to her.
Miss Scarlet turned away when he died. Let it be known, that for once in her life, Miss Scarlet wasn't excited by killing. She actually felt the grief and sorrow that most
people feel when a loved one's passed on. But that feeling didn't last long. Her familiar passion came back, strong as ever.
"That Col. Mustard", Miss Scarlet muttered under her breath, as she left the crowd of people surrounding the gallows. "How dare he blame Mr. Green. How dare he get him killed. I'll get him for that. I swear, if it's the last thing I do, I'll get him back…"
What's the matter; you wanted this story to have a happy ending? Perhaps you wanted Miss Scarlet to save Mr. Green and forever give up her life of killing? Well, if this is what you're thinking, you should really get a CLUE. When it comes to life and death and love, not all stories have a happy ending.