Hello all! :)
Welcome to my story of crime and mystery, Detective Hope and Agent Fox. I hope you're excited, and will find this story engrossing. I was terribly excited to get this down, but I have a few disclaimers. The first is that this will be my first time writing mystery, so I'm not an expert on the subject. However I have done considerable research. The second, Damia Hart from Beyblade later makes an appearance in this story do to the convenience of another character. I do not own him. And third; this takes place in the future, so the characters present are ten years older than originally created. Enjoy. :)
A crackle resonated through the fairly empty house as twenty seven year old Emily Evans' plastic bag of baking supplies collapsed to the shiny wooden floor. The hand that once held it shook uncontrollably, followed by the violent shivering of the rest of her body. She involuntarily took a couple of steps back as her mouth fell agape and dark azure eyes widened, her heart racing at an unhealthy speed as it welled with fear, sorrow, and denial. Her thoughts swirled so vehemently, she felt dizzy. Her head turned slowly, warily as she examined her surroundings. The body of her sister was curled in on itself behind the living room couch, pressed against the cold wood floor … limp. The TV was left on. Billions of glass shards from broken lamps littered the floor. Blood ran down Emily's sister's chest and a bullet was lodged in her shoulder, wrist, and ankle. Emily felt the tears streaming down her cheeks, burning and blurring her eyes as she kneeled beside her dead sister and dragged her phone from the pocket of her blue jeans. "Lily." She breathed as she began to dial an emergency number, her shaky voice barely a whisper.
Soon to inherit the entire Hope company, being a popular writer, and doubling as a detective; Kirron Hope was quite the busy man. But luckily. the kid was great at what he did and really knew how to work the system. He and his older friend Bryson hung out together on one of the Hope mansion's bigger balconies. Kirron sat at a quaint round table that decorated the balcony, fingers working away at the keyboard of his laptop and lavender eyes boring into the screen as he typed out emails, forms, and other important documents of the like. Bryson was doing quite the opposite of work, leaning lazily against the marble balustrade of the balcony and peering down at the remarkably beautiful scenery below. The sun teased the sky with vivid hues of red, orange, and pink as it neared the horizon to make room for night.
"What was that thing Mother always told us?" Kirron murmured in the quiet, not taking his eyes off the screen or moving his fingers from the keyboard with boredom tingeing his smooth and subtle voice.
"The one about marriage?" Bryson wondered, turning and resting his back on the balustrade in order to watch his albino friend.
"Correct." Kirron hummed.
"Don't get married till you're thirty." Bryson stated.
"Aw yes, that's it." Kirron drawled, "Do you think she was joking when she said that?"
"Yeah definitely. Why?" Bryson queried, quirking a thick eyebrow. "Were you think'n about how we're both out of college, rich and successful, do'n the things we like, irresistibly sexy and attractive, and yet; at ages twenty eight and twenty nine, we both haven't even been on a date in a good five years. We're nearing the point in our lives where most people would have children, but we don't even have girlfriends.
"Why, yes." Kirron looked up from his laptop with a new gleam of amusement in his eyes, "You were thinking the same thing?"
"Yup! Soul Brothers!" Bryson chanted.
"You know it!" Kirron chimed in agreement.
"I think I might grow a beard." Bryson mumbled randomly, tipping his head back and offhandedly crossing his arms.
"Why would you ever want to do that?" Kirron deadpanned, shutting his laptop.
"Cause beards are cool." Bryson justified,
"Ahem. Beards are hideous!" Kirron huffed in disgust.
"Beards are cool." Bryson argued.
"If you ever grow a beard, I'm firing you as my partner." Kirron declared.
"You can't fire me Kirron, you need me." Bryson protested.
"Yes, I do need you … shaved." Kirron snorted, prompting the two into mirth. They stopped when Bryson's phone rang. The brawny male pulled the cellular device from his pocket and put it to his ear. "hello, DHAF. You've reached Agent Fox, what can I do ya for?" He greeted cheerfully, a goofy grin plastered on his face.
"What have I told you about answering the phone like that? Take your work seriously won't you?" Kirron growled, pushing from his seat and joining Bryson against the balustrade.
"Nothing. Just my overly grumpy partner." Bryson told the person on the other line. "Yeah. … yeah. … the sudden death of artist Lily Evans? Got it. Thanks, bye bye." He slid his phone back into his pocket, giving a stern yet amused look. Truly an expression only he could make. "Grab your kit, case, and costume Kirron. The youngest Evans sister was just murdered."
Emily had already called the police, and apparently they were sending two masterful detectives over to examine the crime scene. She sighed miserably, interlacing her fingers in her lap as she sat on the couch awaiting their arrival. Night had thrown its cloak over the city by now, and it certainly didn't help her feel much safer. Some sort of relief managed to cross her mind though as her ears were met with the dinging of the doorbell. She stood, advancing to the front door with a sense of urgency in her step and pulling it open. Two men; two very handsome men, stood patiently at the door. The first was tall and muscular, standing at around six foot four-six foot five with a gracefully toned build. His skin was a shining porcelain and his thick, neatly styled hair a milky white. Emily couldn't see his eyes do to the red woven fedora he wore shading the majority of his face, but she could tell that he had rather smooth and masculine features to match his magnificent physique. And Emily could depict the mark of a blood red rose on the side of his neck. He wore a red formal coat left open pulled over a gray button-up, as well as a pair of black pants and ankle boots of the same color with a slight heel. He pulled on a pair of clean white gloves and a golden watch adorned with red spinels, as well as slinging a black bag that most likely held his materials over his shoulder. The male to his right was older by about a year, standing at around six foot eight with an incredibly big and buff build. His warm complexion was a creamy peanut butter, a tiny scorch mark under his eye. His thick messy hair was a mix of black and auburn. Once again Emily could not see his eyes do to him sporting a brown fedora, but she found dimples present. He wore a brown overcoat left open pulled over a cream colored top, and a pair of black pants and heeled boots to match his friend. He pulled on a pair of black gloves and a silver watch studded with sapphires. He too slung a black bag over his shoulder. Emily found herself rather intimidated by both.
"Detective Hope and Agent Fox, presuming you're Ms. Emily Evans?" The albino spoke lowly, briefly holding up a business card in unison with his bigger friend.
"Y-yes, please come in." Emily replied timidly, taking a few steps back to allow for the two males to enter. Both trotted in at an easy pace, taking the time to examine the room in a look or two. "Looks like there was a fight." Kirron murmured, "Can you explain what happened, Lady Evans?"
"Well I … I … I don't know exactly." Emily stuttered, feeling a chill travel down her spine as her gaze subconsciously shifted to her sister's dead body. Her body began to quiver as she looked at it, eyes brimming with tears as the thought that her sister was dead was almost impossible to grasp onto. "I … I was … coming here to Lily's house in order to …" She began to sniffle.
"If we could please move things along." Kirron sighed.
"Give her a break Hope, her sister just died." Bryson scolded. Kirron blew in slight exasperation with a slow nod. He stepped lightly over to Emily, placing a firm hand on her trembling shoulder. "Would it help to take a few moments to think and recompress Lady Evans?" He queried.
"Yeah … yeah sure." Emily sniffled.
"Take as much time as you need My-Lady." Bryson encouraged. Emily barely nodded, retreating down the hall to get to another room in the house. Kirron leaned back against the arm of the couch, crossing his arms and bending one knee while Bryson relaxed into a chair in the corner.
"Why do you have no shred of sympathy in your heart!?" Bryson snapped.
Coddling gets you nowhere." Kirron retorted sharply.
"Yeah, but kindness gets you everywhere. Ever wonder why your brother always gets what he wants?" Bryson countered, getting a soft moan from his partner. The albino turned and headed down the same hallway Emily did. It didn't take long for him to find her, as the door of the room she chose to hide in was wide open. She was in her sister's room. She sat on the bed, looking down at her lap as the tears just didn't seem to want to stop. She was quite the lovely young woman. She was of average height and a little curvy, with clear fair skin and dark azure eyes. Her sandy blond hair was full of curls and waves, falling past her waist and tapering as they neared the bottom. She wore a blush pink cardigan; sleeves stained with her tears, pulled over an off-the-shoulder white top. She wore a pair of dark jeans tucked into a set of black ankle boots with a slight heel. She accessorized with a necklace with a heart pendent and a matching bracelet. Kirron had to admit that seeing her cry so somberly sunk his heart. He knocked on the wooden doorframe, alerting her that he was there and inquiring to come in. Emily only offered a fragile nod. Kirron strode over to her. Emily certainly didn't expect him to hoist her to her feet by her waist. "What are you-" She was cut off as he pulled her into a gentle embrace.
"I'm … sorry, Lady Evans. I am so sorry. I can't imagine dealing with this is easy. And I feel I may have been too short with you." He crooned, caressing her back.
"Why was she killed!?" Emily sobbed, hesitantly accepting his comfort and burying her face in his chest.
"That is what we're here to find out." Kirron rumbled.
"I just found her like this. There was no one else around. We had plans to bake together, but when I got here … she was dead." Emily explained solemnly, watching Bryson examine her sister's dead body while Kirron surveyed a shattered window. He leaned over the windowsill, grabbing a glove he spotted lying on the ground outside just centimeters away. He pulled himself back into the living room, scraping any access dirt from the glove into a plastic bag. He held the glove out in front of his face.
"What'd ya find Hope?" Bryson asked, getting to his feet.
"A glove found outside the only broken window, which I'm assuming the perpetrator used to both enter and exit the house." Kirron replied.
"You think he dropped it?" Bryson questioned.
"Let's keep looking." Kirron murmured, slipping the glove into another plastic bag. The two searched the living room thoroughly, which resulted in Kirron sliding a revolver from under the couch. "Do you recognize this Lady Evans?" Kirron wondered, dangling the handgun in the air.
"No. It doesn't belong to anyone I know." Emily muttered, shaking her head.
"Then it's gotta belong to the perp." Bryson announced. Kirron immediately sprinkled a bit of powder on the handle of the gun. Bryson followed up by scraping it away with a tiny brush. He then shook his head. "There aren't any prints."
"Then that explains the glove. But why would he leave his gun and his glove?" Kirron asked.
"A lot of confidence?" Bryson guessed.
"No you're right." Kirron stated, "Whoever the perpetrator is, they are completely confident that they won't be caught. And they wanted us to know that. But if that's the case, then I'm assuming there's more to this murder than just homicidal pleasure. This perpetrator could have multiple accomplices or confidants. Or perhaps they held a personal grudge against Ms. Lily and plan to do something els. Or perhaps … this is a threat."
I understand it was a bit short; for me any anyways, but this is only the beginning! :)
The Evans sisters belong to SilverSwirls! Thanks for lending them to me, you're a doll! :) We'll see a lot more characters as we progress. :)
Do leave a review, and remeber that feedback is love! ;)