Whodunit?

A Brittana Murder mystery. A death shakes the lives of Brittany and Santana. Inspired by Agatha Christie.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters. I do not own anything written by Agatha Christie (basic idea comes from Crooked House).

A/N: Nothing much to say I guess… Except that It's On, It was always on; but now I'm sad.


Chapter 4

Dinner was awkward. Santana would have much preferred having dinner with these people before the murder. Now, there was so much subtext in everything going on. Everything they spoke to each other about eventually lead back to Sue, and then things would get quiet. Laughter was almost instantly met with guilt. Did they have the right to be happy in times like this?

Santana tried not to pester anyone into discussing the murder; she didn't say much of anything in fact. She sat back in her chair, calmly ate her meal, occasionally gave Brittany reassuring touches, and simply listened. She tried to listen and remember as much as she could. She had no way of knowing what would be relevant later on.

It was Kurt who broke one particularly long awkward silence with an innocent question. "Since Santana has finally graced us with her presence, it got me to thinking. Did anyone else invite someone to join us for Sue's memorial?"

"Santana isn't here because of Sue," interrupted Brittany, "she came here for me. That was always the plan. She just had horrible timing." This was one of those moments when the truth sounded too convenient. "She was finally going to see me perform with you guys."

"Too bad that won't happen now," muttered Rachel.

"Who says?" Piped up Mercedes. "Why do we have to stop performing just because Sue's gone?"

Finn was now involved, "Mercedes is right. We could make it about continuing her legacy. People love that kind of thing."

"Finn! That is absolutely NOT a good idea. No one's going to want to come see a variety show associated with a horrible murder." Rachel was seriously starting to get on Santana's nerves. How could Brittany stand her; how could anybody? "Frankly, as much as I loved the time we spent together in this show. We should view Sue's death as closure. Now we can move on to bigger and better things."

"Oh" was all Finn could reply with.

Dinner continued on for slightly longer. Santana looked about the table. Relationships between individuals were becoming apparent. Kurt and Mercedes seemed to be very close. They had a shorthand in their words to each other, and every once and a while they gave each other little winks of great endearment. Rachel and Finn were not like any couple Santana had ever encountered before. In any other environment Finn had the potential to be the big man who reigned over others, but here with Rachel he acted like a shrinking violet. For lack of a better term, he was whipped. The two Asians, she so learnt were called Tina and Mike. They were not brother and sister. And despite obvious chemistry and flirting looks between them, they never openly declared themselves a couple.

Dinner came to a conclusion when Kurt suggested they all break open a bottle of wine and retire to the parlor. Santana was secretly thrilled that this idea was suggested because she was sure that alcohol would remove the awkwardness and loosen a few tongues too.

Tina spoke up for seemingly the first time that night saying, "You guys go on ahead. I'm gonna turn in. I've been feeling a little under the weather recently."

Santana was of course disappointed in losing the opportunity to extract information from the quiet girl, but she was one of the only people to catch a small addendum to Tina's exit. She saw Mike grab Tina's hand, and then he whispered in her ear. There was definitely more to those two.

Santana went into the parlor and plopped down on the sofa next to Brittany. "Hey you."

"How are you feeling? I know meeting new people can be stressful; especially these people. And especially considering … you know … what I asked you to do."

"To be honest, I can't tell if people are acting suspiciously or if that is just normal mourning behavior."

"Well, is there anything you want to know? I'll be of any help I can."

"Uh, yeah. What is the deal with Mike and Tina?"

"Santana, of all the possible questions to ask to help you solve a murder, you ask about who might be hooking up backstage?"

"What can I say? I'm curious."

"Well, there isn't much to talk about. They are very close. They're both pretty shy, which is funny because on stage they are the complete opposite. Being such close friends, becoming a couple wouldn't be unbelievable, I'm just not sure if they've taken that step, yet."

"But that step is the best part," Santana replied with a wink.

"Santana! Quit flirting with me and go mingle!"

Despite her best pout, Santana relented. She got up and attempted to engage Finn and Rachel in conversation, while Brittany went over to hang with Kurt and Mercedes by the piano.

"Santana," Rachel addressed her and pulled her closer. "Settle a dispute between the two of us. I feel as though that a moving performance of Amazing Grace would be the perfect way for me to honor Sue at her memorial service, but Finn is trying to convincing me that it would be 'inappropriate.'"

"I'm not saying Sue would appreciate the spectacle. She loved spectacle. I just think that it puts to much attention on you, when it should be on her, the person who's actually dead."

Santana didn't want to aggravate the situation between the feuding lovers, so she tried to come up with an easy compromise. "Maybe just a different song?"

"You know Finn, Santana's right." Santana couldn't believe that had actually worked. Rachel continued, "Amazing Grace is overdone."

"That's not exactly what I meant…"

"A much more appropriate song would be an original composition that encapsulates everything Sue stood for. Finn, we have to work quickly to come up with something by tomorrow afternoon."

Not wanting to let them get away so quickly, Santana attempted to prolong the conversation with more questions. "You guys write original songs?"

"Why yes we do. It was only a matter of time before the usual myriad of show-tunes became too old hat for me. I needed songs that were befitting of Rachel Berry, and who better to write those songs than me, Rachel Berry! It's funny that this is being brought up now considering Finn and I were actually in the middle of a composition when Sue was killed. Not that I'm saying death is funny; it is the opposite of funny… How much wine have I had tonight?" Rachel stumbled away leaving a very surprised Santana alone with Finn.

"For once she's giving me too much credit. I'm barely involved in her songwriting. Usually she just stands there trying out different words and melodies, and asking me what I think of them. If you can keep a secret, I'm pretty sure I was asleep for most of our composing the other day."

"Really, you can sleep through that?" Santana regretted sounding unnecessarily bitchy. "I mean does that happen a lot."

"Well, performing and being an all around awesome guy take a lot out of me. I don't think Rachel notices though; I'm pretty sure I can do it with my eyes open. If she had noticed she would have said something. Wouldn't she? Unless she did notice and is planning on using it against me in the future. I have no real way of knowing what she's doing when I'm asleep, she could have left the room for all I know. Anyways it was fun talking to you Santana, I'm going to go find Rachel."

Now Santana realized why these two were a couple. They were both insanely arrogant, with an emphasis on the insane. Santana did learn an important piece of information though. Finn was Rachel's alibi, but if he was asleep, then she could have killed Sue without him knowing. Rachel's comments at dinner could play into this theory. Disgruntled diva kills her boss and uses the publicity and inheritance to break out solo. Or was that too cliché?

Santana then cornered Mike. Choosing not bring up Tina, she instead asked him about his plans for the future. He replied, "I think a lot of us don't really know what we are going to do with ourselves now that Sue is gone. Some of us were talking this morning about Sue's fortune. I don't see why she wouldn't divide it up equally between us. Even a small share would enough for me to open up my own dancing school. That's an idea I had a while back, but now I don't know. I heard you and Brittany were going to try to move to New York, right?"

"That was then plan yes, but that is being delayed slightly under the current situation."

"I'm sure Brittany will get a share, and that will help you whenever you guys do leave. I understand about the delay though. Sometimes unexpected events make you reevaluate the world around you."

"A death like this one is certainly unexpected."

"Yeah, to think I was in the gym working out when three floors up, Sue was dying."

"We you alone in the gym?"

"What? No … I was with Tina. She was there the entire time."

"Really? She doesn't seem like the gym type."

"There's nothing weird about that. She wanted to try something new. Hahaha."

Mike seemed suspiciously off-put by Santana's questions, so instead of creating suspicion of her true intent, she tried to make her way back over to Brittany. She would eventually have to talk to Tina though, that much was certain.

"How are things over here by the piano? Having fun?"

"You know it!" Kurt, Mercedes, and Brittany replied in comic unison.

"Well that's good. I think I scared of Mike. I kind of made him think about his whereabouts when Sue died. It was definitely a mood-killer." Santana had always been the master of bringing of topics of conversation by saying how much she didn't want to talk about them. Reverse psychology was easy. Thankfully, Kurt and Mercedes played right into it.

"Well I don't blame him, it's hard to think about that sometimes," began Kurt. "I sometimes feel guilty about how during the event in question Mercedes and I were gossiping with chef staff instead of being in place where we could have prevented it."

"Yeah, here we are complaining, and it must feel ten times worse for you, Brittany. I mean, you weren't even here," spoke Mercedes. "Then you and Kurt had to find her like that. Must have been horrible."

Kurt spoke again, "you never did tell say where you were that day, Brittany. And what was the news you were going to tell her when you got back?"

Santana wanted to put a stop to this. She was the one solving this murder, not them. She wasn't going to let anybody imply anything horrible about Brittany.

Fortunately for her, everyone's attentions were shifted to the individual who had just entered the parlor. It was a woman. She was blonde like Brittany, but she seemed to have Santana's attitude. She looked like she carried with her secrets, sadness, or both. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" She had a soft, calm voice, the kind that should be doing books-on-tape. "I just was wondering if there was any food left over from dinner. I kind of regret skipping before."

"Sure Quinn, Mercedes and I will find you something. Come with us." With that Kurt guided Quinn out of the room, followed closely by Mercedes.

Brittany and Santana were alone once again. But before Santana could inquire as to who this mysterious Quinn was, she felt her phone vibrate within her pocket. "It's probably Schue. I should tell him about everything I've learned. Why don't you go to bed, I'll be up soon, okay?"

"Okay goodnight." Brittany left the parlor. Santana left too because she couldn't get a signal there.

"Santana, how are things with Brittany?"

"They're interesting, to day the least. The long version is that Brittany wants to use me to find out who killed Sue. The people here won't talk to the cops, but apparently they'll talk to me."

"That puts you into a very unique position. You should take advantage of it. Have you learned anything so far?"

"I haven't got a chance to talk to everybody, yet. I hope I can before the funeral tomorrow. I'll give you the full story then."

"Good luck and be careful, Santana."

After, Santana hung up she heard a noise coming from the hallway behind her. Going against everything lesson she ever learned watching slasher movies, she attempt to locate the source of the noise in the dark scary hallway. Luckily it was just Brittany's cat, Charity.

"Hello little girl. I almost forgot you were here. I hope you've been taking care of Brittany for me, but now I'm back and I can take over snuggle duties full time again." Santana cradled Charity in her arms and began to pet her. "You know, you the only person in this house I'm sure couldn't have killed Sue … because you don't have thumbs. Isn't that right? It sucks that one of Brittany's friends is a murderer. Whatever happened to robots from the future?"

Charity jumped from Santana's grasp and ran down the hall out of sight. "Man, you open up to someone and all they do is run away." Santana went off to look for Charity. What she found instead greatly surprised her. Charity was there, but in the arms of little girl.

"Hello. My name is Beth. Who are you?"


End of Chapter 4

A/N: I apologize for outrageous amount of infodump in this chapter, which made it longer than normal. Please review.