Ch 6 of Murder She Wrote for your enjoyment...here you go!
Responses:
Nintendo Nut1: Oh, dear...OOPS! I miss these things while I'm typing...it should be fixed by the time I submit this chapter. And I only put in book excerpts if they are integral to the plot, hence why they've been noticeably absent during these past few chapters. Now if you just remember that I'm a dude, everything will be okay.
Anters: Don't worry, there's more of a challenge now. And thanks for the heads-up! This story will probably be completed when you get back.
Ri2: Well, the convenience ends here.
"This looks rather promising..." Lombardo noted, looking at the Petri dish in front of him. "But what is it?"
"I found some dirt at the crime scene..." Lucas said. "I'll bring you the results in a few minutes."
"All right, thanks." Briskly walking out of the room, he nearly collided with McLeod outside the forensics lab. "McLeod. What's up?"
"My nerves are shot, so I'm going to the coffeehouse." McLeod tossed him a set of keys. "Wanna come with?"
"Only if you're paying..." Lombardo said with a smirk.
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"Aah...I needed that." Lombardo said sipping at a cup of java. "That helps..."
"I told you some coffee would do you some good!" McLeod responded.
"I guess you're right..." Something felt very wrong, though. It was as if something bad was about to happen right then and now. Out of the corner of his eye, someone with a Steyr TMP stepped into the coffeehouse and opened fire. "GET DOWN!"
"What-?" Lombardo pushed McLeod to the floor as bullets whistled through the empty air where McLeod's chest was moments before. "Holy shit!"
"Stay down..." Lombardo fired a few shots at the assailant and kept focus, despite the screams and havoc around them. The assailant was grazed in the shoulder and hit dead-on in the leg. He panicked and limped out of the coffeehouse. "What the hell was that about?"
"Someone doesn't want us on their case." McLeod muttered, brushing himself off.
"Yo, Krystal!" Fox yelled into the computer lab. "We got an interrogation to start!"
"All right, all right, I'm coming..." Krystal replied, saving the changes and shutting down the computer.
"Well, well, Marianne. You weren't all upfront about something." Krystal replied with the biting tone of a corrosive acid.
"Okay...now I'm lost..." the shy girl replied.
"You had a fight with David four days before his death!" Fox shouted.
"So? That doesn't mean I killed him!"
"'I should kill you, making a slut out of me.' Remember that, Marianne?" Krystal reminded.
"What? But David and I were friends! We would've..." Marianne trailed off as realization hit her full force. "Wait a minute..."
"What?" Fox asked. "Care to reconsider your alibi?"
"Dammit! Why didn't I see if before...that Loretta did something to set us off!"
"Loretta?" Krystal questioned.
"Loretta Fenwick. She tried to seduce David almost every day during the school year." Marianne admitted.
FLASHBACK
"Hi, David!" Loretta squealed as he and Marianne were dancing. "What's up?"
"Well, well, Loretta. What brings you here?" David asked cordially while Marianne scowled at the little girl.
"Are you dancing in the school dance?" she asked innocently.
"That's what a school dance is for, right?" Marianne couldn't help but laugh at that, and Loretta got angry.
"Come on, David. Why not dance with me?" Loretta replied, getting uncomfortably close to the young man. "I can probably do things better than Miss Lefty here."
"What did you just call me!" Marianne demanded.
"I thank you for the offer, but I'll have to decline." David replied. "Marianne and I will win the school dance trophy, without your help."
"Fine, then." Loretta spat. "But I will be back!" She ran out the door, leaving a bewildered David and fuming Marianne in the room.
END FLASHBACK
"Loretta would always cause stupid arguments between both of us to try and break us up." Marianne had to giggle at that. "But she never did succeed..."
"I can see why..." Krystal agreed, holding back a few snickers. "Fox, find Loretta. See what she can tell us."
"Got it."
"So, what else have we learned about this case?" Link asked Dr. Mario and Falco.
"It's become a game of 'he said, she said.'" Falco noted.
"It-a was supposed to-a look like he-a died in an accident-a..." Dr. Mario said.
"And the suspicion falls on anyone..." Zelda added.
"So, in other words, not too much."
"Yep..." Fox had run into the medical lab and immediately seated himself in the computer, typing up a search and grumbling to himself. "What's with him?"
"He's trying to find something." Krystal replied. "We interviewed Marianne again, and she says to look for someone named Loretta Fenwick."
"Loretta Fenwick?" Zelda spluttered.
"Yes..." Krystal replied. "Do you know where she is?"
"She works at the Stylist's Heaven Beauty Salon in Nelson's Landing." Zelda explained. "She's my hairstylist."
"That was easy..." Link muttered.
"I think so also mentioned an older brother, too...named Ferdinand, I think." Zelda added.
"Okay, then." Fox said. "Falco and I will search for this Ferdinand. Meanwhile, Zelda, you and Krystal interview Loretta, okay? We'll meet back in an hour to compare notes."
"Fine..." Krystal said, pulling out a notebook and starting towards the garage with Zelda in tow. "But don't do anything stupid!"
"We won't..." Fox promised.
"Hey, Lorrie!" Zelda cheerfully squeaked upon entry of the hair salon. "What's up?"
"Well, well, if it isn't Zelda! How's life?" a woman with bizarre hair stepped out from behind the counter and shook hands with her. She noticed Krystal and asked Zelda, "...who's this?"
"I'm Krystal, Zelda's friend." She introduced.
"Nice to meet you...I'm Loretta." She then turned back to Zelda. "So, are you here to get your hair done?"
"Um...not exactly...we're here to ask you about David Clemenceau."
"Whoa...talk about a blast from the past." Loretta said. "What about David do you want to know?" She seated herself in one of the salon chairs, and motioned for Zelda and Krystal to do the same.
"Well, what was he doing before his death?"
"Nothing too noteworthy...why?"
"Was there any events that might have had a factor in his death?" Zelda rephrased.
"No, none at...wait...my big brother, Ferdinand, had fought with him over something the day before the school dance."
FLASHBACK
"Whew, that was fun!" Marianne chirped after a rigorous dancing session with David.
"Yep! I love it when we dance!" Out of the corner of his eye, though, he saw Ferdinand stalk up towards them, with Loretta's protests heard from behind him. "Speak of the devil..."
"Son of a bitch..." Ferdinand muttered, grabbing David by the scruff of his neck and pinning him to the wall. "What did you do to Loretta now?"
"Well, what's the charge?" David asked cockily.
"Don't act like you don't know. You made her cry, you little bastard..."Ferdinand growled, but Loretta tried to say something to make him stop.
"But, brother, he didn't make me cry that badly..." Loretta sobbed.
"Yeah, what did he do? It's not his fault!" Marianne agreed.
"Look, can't we just talk this over like two gentlemen?" David said, trying to calm Ferdinand down.
"Well...hmph." Ferdinand just dropped David to the floor as Marianne rushed over to see if he was wounded.
"Brother?" Loretta's face looked at Ferdinand expectantly, but there was nothing but silence as he walked off. "Please don't do that again if you want to avoid something like that...okay?"
"You talk too much..." Ferdinand muttered. "Do I have to leave you behind?"
"Hey! Wait for me!" Loretta ran off after her brother's retreating figure, leaving David and Marianne to their business in the dance studio.
END FLASHBACK
"Ferdinand went a little ballistic at times, but he knew what he was doing and truly did look out for my best." Loretta told both women. "He was a good brother to me."
"Yeah..." Zelda sighed. "I guess when it comes down to it, your closest friends and family keep us going, huh? Thanks for saying something."
"You're welcome." Loretta grinned. "Now do you want a perm?"
"So, Krystal, who do you think is the murderer?" Zelda asked several minutes later at a local McDonald's.
"I don't know..." The cobalt vulpine answered. "But after that, suspicion falls on this Ferdinand character that Fox and Falco are looking for."
"Yep..." Zelda decided to steer away from that and towards something more personal. "So, did you tell Fox how much you love him?"
"Wha-! Zelda!" Krystal spluttered. "How dare you ask such a thing!"
"Hey, I'm only asking..." Zelda muttered. "But seriously, have you told him?"
"Um, no..."
"Well, I think that you should tell him right away." Zelda nodded to add emphasis to her statement. "If you don't speak a word, it's only going to get worse as time passes."
"You think so?" Krystal asked. Zelda was about to answer when a man in a black trench coat entered, hands in his coat as if he was hiding something. The vulpine gulped and hoped what she thought would happen wouldn't. "Zelda...? Prepare to duck at my word..."
"Why?" Before she could talk anymore, Zelda felt herself being tackled to the ground by Krystal. She was about the protest when the mysterious man pulled out a semi-automatic and let loose a flurry of bullets, shattering windows, scaring people, and unfortunately, killing a few others. Krystal's mouth went agape and Zelda was aghast. "Oh goddesses..."
"Shh..." Krystal warned as she somehow pulled out a P99 from thin air. She took careful aim and squeezed the trigger. The mystery man felt a sharp pain in his leg and looked down as blood and water gushed forth from the wound, spilling out onto his trench coat and forming a puddle on the floor. The semi-automatic fell to the ground as the mystery man limped out the fast-food restaurant, clutching his leg in pain. Krystal breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew...thank goodness."
"Oh no..." Zelda breathed. "Some people got killed! Now what?"
"Call the cops." Krystal said, pointing Zelda towards a pay phone. "I'll get Fox over here..." She sighed and ran a hand through her locks, and only shook her head in frustration. This lunatic was getting too big for his britches...