It's About Time Somebody Got Killed

Now we turn to another fancy apartment across town. It was the home of Mystique, her two children and her new step husband. Mystique wearing a fancy blue gown heard the telephone ring and went to answer it. "Mrs. Alvers speaking…"

"YOU OWE ME BIG TIME RED!" Lance shouted off camera.

"SHADDAP!" Mystique snapped. She changed her tone as she turned her attention back to the caller. "Oh no, she isn't here. Can I take a message? Is it about Dukes? Where is he?"

Rogue walked in. "That's for me isn't it? Give it to me!"

"I said she wasn't here…" Mystique tried to keep the phone away from her but was unsuccessful. "Oh here she is…"

"Hello," Rogue listened on the phone. "Oh well I'm glad he's all right. Thank you for calling Althea. Goodbye."

"What is it? Has she found him?" Mystique badgered Rogue when she hung up.

"He's fine, isn't that enough?" Rogue gave her a look.

"No it isn't!" Mystique snapped.

"You just want money and you haven't a right to any more!" Rogue snapped. "He's made a huge settlement on you so cool it you old hag!"

"How dare you call your own mother an old hag!" Mystique snapped.

"I could call you a lot worse!" Rogue snapped back.

"You know as well as I do that money was gone a long time ago! I need more!" Mystique snapped. "Where is he?"

"I won't tell you! I won't have you hounding him for more money!" Rogue snapped at her.

"I'll tell you, Mother," Pietro walked in. He was dressed very smartly and casually reading a book.

"Pietro!" Rogue snapped. "Have you been listening in on that extension?"

"Of course, what's an extension for?" Pietro shrugged.

"At least I can count on one of my children! That's right my darling boy," Mystique said sweetly. "Tell mother. What did she say?"

"She said that Dukes was in down and he's been seeing Jean right along," Pietro shrugged.

"That woman!" Mystique fumed.

"You're one to talk," Rogue gave her a look.

"She could tell you where Dukes is," Pietro said.

"Oh for crying out loud, Mom…" Rogue groaned. "Even you have more backbone than that! You can't go to her!"

"But we've got to have money!" Mystique snapped.

"Has it ever occurred to you that Lance might work?" Rogue asked sarcastically.

There was a cough. Hidden from view in a large chair sat Lance, dressed very smartly in a black outfit. He got up and gave them a glare and stormed out of the room.

"See what you've done!" Mystique snapped. "You've hurt his feelings! Darling!" She ran out of the room after him.

"You know you have an Oedipus Complex and you won't admit it," Pietro quipped to Rogue.

"Shut up!" Rogue snapped.

"The trouble with you is that you won't face facts," Pietro said casually. "I know that I have a mother fixation but it's slight. I haven't reached the point of…"

"You mean a daddy fixation don't you sissy boy?" Rogue taunted.

"SISSY! SISSY?" Pietro threw the book down. "Okay I don't care if you are a girl! I'm gonna clobber you!"

"Oh yeah right!" Rogue made a fist. "Bring it on Sissy Boy!"

"YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Pietro prepared for battle.

In the next room Mystique was trying to calm down her husband. "Don't mind what she says Lance," Mystique cooed.

"DIE SPEEDY!" Rogue shouted in the next room. The sound of several things breaking could be heard.

"How can I help but mind?" Lance snapped at her. "I'm constantly humiliated just because I haven't any money!"

"Nyah! Nyah! Nyah! You can't catch me!" Pietro was heard laughing as more things were being broken.

"I'll get money!" Mystique said.

"You've been saying that for weeks!" Lance snapped. "Why don't you go see Jean? She handles his money."

"THAT'S IT PIETRO!" Rogue was heard screaming as something else broke. "THIS TIME THE GLOVES ARE COMING OFF!"

"Oh am I soooo scared!" Pietro mocked. "I am…HEY! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT BAZOOKA?"

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Rogue shouted.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

"Lance," Mystique tried not to panic as bits of ceiling came down on her. "I couldn't do that! I couldn't go near that woman! Well not without some tear gas anyway." She winced as another explosion was heard.

"All right! All right!" Lance went to leave.

"Where are you going?" Mystique asked. "Just what are you going to do?"

"Just what I'd said I'd do," Lance snapped at her.

"You wouldn't do that! You couldn't!" Mystique grabbed his arm just as another explosion rocked the place.

"Watch me!" Lance shrugged her off. "I'm outta here!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"Before I get in the line of fire," Lance grumbled as he went out the back door.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"You're not the only one who has a catalog to Bazookas R Us!" Pietro taunted Rogue.

Mystique had it. She picked up a cell phone and dialed. "Miss Grey? This is Mystique Alvers. I wonder if I may see you. Yes that would be fine."

She hung up. "I hate doing this but I have got to get that money!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"DIE!" Rogue shouted.

"If only for repairs," Mystique rolled her eyes. "Not to mention I need to get out of this house before I get killed too!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Soon Mystique found herself in the lobby of Jean's apartment building. As she went up the elevator to Jean's apartment she didn't see someone watching her. It was a small time hood by the name of Bobby 'Iceman' Drake. He frowned as she went upstairs but didn't follow her.

Mystique made her way to Jean's apartment and knocked on the door but there was no answer. "Of all the crying…That little…" Then she noticed the door was open.

"That's odd," She walked in. "Miss Grey? Jean? Hello? Where are you, you little harlot? I mean…"

She walked into the bedroom and found Jean quite dead on the floor. "Oh crap. I wanted to do her in myself. Oh well. Can't have everything."

She then noticed something in Jean's hand and her eyes widened. She quickly took it out and stuffed it inside her purse. "Great! Now I gotta call the cops then cancel my facial! First the tramp ruins my marriage then she ruins my beauty spa treatment!"

She called on her cell phone. "Hello? Front desk? Listen, you gotta call the cops. There's been a murder! Jean Grey. Yeah. I know. Will you guys stop celebrating and call the cops already! No I didn't bump her off! I'd have loved to along with half the town. Well I guess I would like some champagne anyway. Okay bring it right on up. I'll be right here."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

In Kelly's law office, Kelly was having a passionate kiss with his secretary Dorothy when the phone rang. "Mr. Kelly's office," She broke away and answered it. "Yes he's here," She covered the phone. "It's the police."

"The police? Crap!" Kelly groaned as he answered it. "Look if this is about all those parking tickets I can explain…Really? Jean Grey is dead? WHOOPIEEEE! I mean, that's terrible. Terrible. I'll be right there."

He hung up. "Just as soon as I finish celebrating! Break out the champagne!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Meanwhile Bobby 'Iceman' Drake was sitting in a booth at a bar with his on again off again girlfriend Tabitha Smith. "So where have ya been?" Tabitha asked.

"Making money," Bobby shrugged.

"About time," Tabitha said. "Let me see it."

"I don't have it yet," Bobby told her. "But I will. But I got good news. Jean Grey is dead."

"Oh well in that case I don't mind paying the tab," Tabitha grinned. "Bartender! Champagne for everyone!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

In the hallway of Jean's apartment were two cleaning ladies, Tayrn and Mindy. "What are you going to tell them?" Mindy asked her.

"I'm gonna tell 'em everything," Tarn said. "About that awful fight she had with Dukes a while ago! Pass the scotch will ya?"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

In another bar…

"Hey Duncan!" One of his friends called out. "You remember Jean Grey?"

"Unfortunately," Duncan grumbled.

"Somebody just bumped her off," His friend shrugged before he left. "Thought you should know."

"Thanks," Duncan grinned. "Bartender! Champagne!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Back at the crime scene Detective Logan of the police department was investigating with the medical examiner Ororo Munroe. Kelly was there as well. "When was the last time you gave her money for Dukes?" He asked.

"Yesterday," Kelly told him shirking away from the body. "I gave her over a thousand dollars."

"Well there's no sign of it," Logan grunted.

"Perhaps it was a robbery?" Kelly suggested.

"With that sparkler on her finger and over fifty bucks in her purse?" Logan gave him a look. "Looks like our friend Dukes came to collect and ran into a little trouble."

"They said downstairs they hadn't seen him in three months," Officer Scott Summers told Logan.

"There's a lot of things they don't see in this place," Logan grunted. "And you haven't heard or seen him in all this time, Kelly?"

"Not exactly," Kelly admitted. "He called me today but I wasn't in. My secretary took the message. He left word for me to meet him at the Plaza about three but he never showed up."

"His house is closed up and so he's shop," Scott told Logan. "And he hasn't been seen at any hotel."

"You ain't gonna stop at that are ya One Eye?" Logan gave him a look.

"No sir," Scott moved away. "He's enjoying this way too much!"

"I know he'll turn up as soon as he sees this in the papers," Kelly said. "You can't think he had anything to do with this."

"Did you know what they fought about the night he went away?" Logan asked.

"I didn't know they had a fight," Kelly admitted.

"Thanks," Logan grunted. "We'll call you when we need you again."

"Logan," Ororo said. "I've discovered something very interesting."

"Hmmm, that is interesting…" Logan nodded.

Now let's cut to the next scene…

"Wait! All I've got is one line?" Ororo snapped.

"Consider yourself lucky!" Kelly told her.

"Yeah too bad Jean being dead ain't the real thing either," Todd snickered off camera.

"I HEARD THAT TOAD!" Jean shot up.

"AHH! ZOMBIE! SHE'S THE UNDEAD!" Todd laughed as Jean chased him.

"FUNNY TOAD! FUNNY! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DEAD?" Jean snapped.

Let's go to the next scene shall we?

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Back at Mystique's apartment (the one with a lot of holes in the walls) the entire family is sitting around listening to her tell her story. "And there she was! Dead on the floor! The police said that she'd probably been killed about ten minutes before I got there!"

"I thought you said you weren't going there?" Lance snapped.

"Well you said…" Mystique told him.

"Never mind!" Lance interrupted bluntly.

"Did they find any clues? A gun or fingerprints or anything?" Pietro asked excitedly.

"No, not a thing," Mystique said.

"Was there a lot of blood?" Pietro asked.

"Don't say things like that! That's horrible!" Rogue snapped.

"Nonsense, she got exactly what she deserved!" Mystique snapped. "And you're one to talk Rogue! One word: Impact!"

"Did you do it, Mother?" Pietro asked.

"Pietro!" Mystique snapped.

"Why not? You had a motive!" Pietro shrugged.

"Nearly everybody Jean ever met had a motive for killing her," Lance quipped.

"That's for sure," Rogue admitted.

"I hope you won't talk like that to the police when they get here," Mystique said to Pietro.

"The police?" Lance was alarmed. "I thought you said they were finished with you?"

"They said that they were finished with me for the moment," Mystique clarified. "They'd come back later."

"Wow," Pietro whistled. "Murder, adultery, blackmail, older women marrying much younger men and lots of booze. Who knew that old movies had so much fun stuff in them?"

"Right at Christmas time too," Lance agreed.

"Well I've got my alibi," Pietro gave Lance a cheerful look. "I was at the public library. Where were you?"

"I am out of here!" Lance stormed out the back just as the front bell rang.

Pietro went to answer the door. "Yeessssssssssss?"

"Is Mystique in?" Detective Logan asked. Officer Scott was with him.

"Why yes! Come on in!" Pietro was delighted.

Logan noticed all the holes in the walls. "What happened here?"

"Oh nothing," Pietro waved as he led them in. "Just a minor family dispute. Happens all the time."

"I see," Logan blinked. "Mystique I have a few more questions for you." He sat at a chair opposite of Mystique.

"Oh goody! An interrogation!" Pietro sat on a chair right next to Logan and stared at him intently.

"Uh just a few things we want to check up on," Logan said. "Did you happen to see anything in Jean's hand? Anything at all?" He looked at Pietro staring at him intently.

"Nope, nothing," Mystique whistled. "Not a thing."

"Are you sure?" Logan asked. "That one of the bellhops or someone might have entered the room? The medical examiner seems to think that the body was touch. She says…" He looked at Pietro. He was starting to get nervous. "She says that it looked like her hand was forced open after she died. And we just found out that she had a thousand dollars the night before."

"Really?" Rogue glared at Mystique.

"No, I didn't see anything. Then again I was so upset," Mystique sniffed. "I was shocked that such a sweet innocent girl was so brutally murdered."

"That's not what you said ten minutes ago," Pietro reminded her.

"SHUT UP!" Mystique snapped at him. Turning back to Logan. "The point is I can't help you."

"Okay we'll be in touch," Logan got up and went to leave.

Pietro anxiously followed him. "Can I go see the body? I've never seen a dead body!"

"Why do you want to?" Logan gave him a look.

"I'm afraid to ask where this is going," Scott groaned.

"I've been studying psychopathic criminology," Pietro said. "I have a theory. Perhaps this was the work of a sadist or a paranoiac. Maybe it's the beginning of a mass murder? Oh I hope so! If I saw it I might be able to tell. So can I see the body? Oh pretty please with sugar on top?"

"Uh yeah," Logan said nervously, backing away. "That's a good idea. But don't you bother to come down. We'll bring the body to you." He looked at Scott. "Let's get out of here!"

They fled quickly. "Okay what time are you gonna bring up the body?" Pietro called after them. "Yoo-hoo? Guys?"

Meanwhile Rogue had followed her mother to her bedroom where she saw Mystique hide something in her safe. "Okay what have you got there?"

"Christmas presents," Mystique snorted. "Never mind."

"Yeah right! You took that money from Jean's dead body didn't you?" Rogue accused.

"No I didn't!" Mystique snapped. "She didn't have any!"

"Then what did you take? It's evidence isn't it?" Rogue asked.

"That's right! A piece of evidence that's worth at least a few million dollars!" Mystique snapped.

"I thought so. You're gonna hand that right over to the police or else I'll…" Rogue threatened.

"Or what?" Mystique challenged. "Turn me in? I don't think so!" She showed her the multi colored chain Fred had. "Take a look! It's Dukes! He must have killed her!"

"I don't believe you!" Rogue looked at it. "Oh crap…"

Next: Todd and Althea throw an interesting party! Whee!