Murder+in+Apartment+2B

by Hailey

__Murder in Apartment 2-B__ __Chapter 1__ __The Scream__ I finally arrive at my apartment after a long day at the detective agency. I toss my briefcase to the side as I sink down into favorite leather chair. I prop my feet up on the desk and sigh. That's when the sound catches my ear. A scream. A terrible, blood curtailing scream. I fling open the door and bound down the steps. Gasping for breath I reach the second floor and find a large crowd of people surrounding the door to apartment 2B. “//Apartment 2B//,” I think. //“That's Mrs. Carlson's apartment.//” Mrs. Carlson is a kind, middle aged woman who would never do anything to make someone angry with her. “Excuse me,” I say, holding up my detective badge. Without hesitation, the whole crowd separates, leaving me a clear path to the door. I knock carefully on the door. “Mrs. Carlson?” I call. No answer. “ // Great, //// ” // I think. // “ //// I’ll //// need a key.” // I make my way down to the lobby as quickly as possible. When I get to the lobby, I encounter Mr. Berry, the man who works behind the desk. Mr. Berry is a tall, balding man. He is always rather cranky and is hardly ever friendly to anyone. “Hello Mr. Berry,” I say to the man behind the desk and as the door man. “Do you happen to have a spare key for apartment 2-B?” Reluctantly, Mr. Berry hands over the key. “Thank you.” I say. I walk quickly up the stairs and back to the the door of 2-B where the anxious crowd still stands. I cautiously approach the door and insert the key into the lock. I turn the key with a //click// and swing the door open. I step inside and begin to scan the room for any signs of life. I walk into the kitchen and find the white tile floor spattered with blood. Beside the pool of blood lies Mrs. Mason with a long slit across her neck and a bloody knife beside her. __Chapter 2__ __Clues__ I kneel down to get a closer look. I pull on my rubber gloves and pick up the knife. After a short examination I realize that this knife is no more than an ordinary kitchen knife. “//The work of an amateur,”// I think. I stand up and continue looking for clues. I walk around the room and notice that the window is slightly open. The window that leads to the fire escape. //“Now I know how they got in.”// I think. I search the room for more clues but find nothing. I leave the room and close the door. I return the key to Mr. Berry and head back upstairs to my apartment. I sit down at my desk, open my laptop, and begin making a file. I title the file, ‘Murder in Apartment 2-B’. I begin typing up the clues when the phone rings. “Hello, Detective Marie Mason speaking.” I say. “Miss Mason,” Says Mr. Thompson, the head of the detective agency. “There has been a murder in apartment 2-B of your building. Police have just arrived on the scene. I need you to begin investigating.” “I already have.” I reply. “The only clues were the knife beside her and the open window leading to the fire escape.”“Good work Detective Mason. Make arrangements for the interviews with any possible suspects.” Commands Mr. Thompson. “I'll get right on that, Sir.” I say. I hang up the phone and think. //“Who could have been in Mrs. Carlson's apartment?”// Right away I suspect Mr. Berry. Being the door man he knows who owns which apartment and he also has the keys to each and every one. Mr. Berry is such an unhappy man who can't stand kind people like Mrs. Carlson. But then there is also Ms. Clark, a short woman with dark curly hair, who, being the housekeeper, also has access to all of the rooms. Another possible suspect is her ex-husband Mr. Marshal, kind looking a man with sleek blonde hair. They only got divorced a few weeks ago and he may have still been angry with her. Another possible suspect is her neighbor who lives in apartment 2-C, Mr. Johnson, a man with short black hair and a dark mustache. He and Mrs. Carlson have been at odds ever since she received the job that he had also applied for. Mr. Johnson may have thought that he would have gotten the job if she was out of the way. After I finish going through the list of possible suspects I settle down and get some shut eye before the interviews in the morning. __Chapter 3__ __Mr. Berry__ I am up bright and early the next morning. I grab my briefcase and head out the door. I walk down the stairs and stop briefly at the second floor. I am not surprised to find that the front door has been blocked off with bright yellow caution tape. Outside, police still stand puzzled by the events that took place the night before. After a short cab ride I am at the town hall seated in a private interview room. Five minutes later Mr. Berry stands in the doorway. “Ah, Mr. Berry,” I say. “What is this about?” Mr. Berry says grouchily. “Please, take a seat.” I say, gesturing to a chair. “I believe you know about the recent event that Mrs. Carlson was murdered last night at exactly seven o'clock.” “Of course I know that!” Mr. Berry. says “Now, where were //you// at seven o'clock?” I ask. “Don't you know?” he hisses. “I was in the lobby. I gave you the key. Remember?” “Yes. You may go. I will call again if I need you.” I say. Mr. Berry leaves the room without another word. __Chapter 4__ __Ms. Clark__ “Ms. Clark,” I say, “Please, take a seat.” She tentatively sits down. “Is this about the murder in apartment 2-B?” asks Ms. Clark at once. “Yes it is.” I say. “Where were you at exactly seven o'clock last night.” “Er, seven o'clock?” She says, glancing at the door. As if she's suddenly remembered, her expression brightens. “Simple. I was taking out the trash.” “That's strange. I thought that the trash came on Monday's. Yesterday was Thursday.” I say. “It was,” Ms. Clark pauses briefly. “Already full.” “Okay, You may go.” I say. __Chapter 5__ __Mr. Marshal__ “Please take a seat Mr. Marshal.” I say. “You must know by now that last night, your ex-wife was murdered.” “Yes, I am aware.” says Mr. Marshal. “Now, where were you at seven o'clock last night?” I ask. “I was at my house across town.” Mr. Marshal replies. “What is the address of your house?” I ask. “1313 Willow Way.” Mr. Marshal answers. Checking my map I realize that that is almost three miles from where our apartment building is. “Are you angry with your wife about the divorce?” I ask. “I'll admit that when we had been fighting but I would never physically harm her.” He says. “she was alright but we just weren't companionable.” “Thank you,” I say. “You may go.” __Chapter 6__ __Mr. Johnson__ “Hello Mr. Johnson. Please take a seat.” I say. “Let's make this quick. Obviously you know that last night Mrs. Carlson was murdered at seven o'clock.” “I know,” He says. “Terribly unfortunate.” “Where were you when this occurred?” I ask. “At my terrible job.” He says glumly. “Oh your job!” I say. “Didn't Mrs. Carlson get the job that you wanted?” “Yes.” He says stiffly. “I was rather disappointed.” “I see.” I say. “Enough to do something unreasonable such as I don't know, murder her?”“What? I would never! How dare you accuse me of doing something so horrible!” Mr. Johnson cries. “My apologies, Mr. Johnson.” I say. “If you don't believe I was actually at work check my hours that I was clocked in.” He says holding out a card. I examine it and read the times under the words // 'Clock in' // the time reads // '9:15 A.M.' // and under the words // 'Clock out' // it reads // '8:00 P.M.” // “Very well.” I say. “You are free to go.” __Chapter 7__ __The Culprit__ Two streets away from the apartment the traffic is backed up so I tell the cabbie to let me off now. I walk along the side of my apartment past the fire escape that leads up to Mrs. Carlson's apartment. That's when I notice that the trash cans are right beneath the fire escape. I look closer and notice there is a lock of the same dark hair that belongs to Ms. Clark on the ladder. I think I've found the culprit. I call Ms. Clark back into the interview room. “I believe that you forgot something as you were leaving the crime scene.” I say holding up a bag that holds the strand of hair. Quickly Ms. Clark reaches for her own curls. She stops abruptly and bursts into tears. “You caught me!” She wails between sobs. “It's just, Mrs. Carlson was so messy! I couldn't stand being a housekeeper for her anymore!” “That's good because I don't think that you'll be cleaning anymore apartments for a long time.” I say smugly. __Chapter 8__ __Off to Jail__ The police came in and arrested Ms. Carlson. She is now sentenced to a life in prison. “Good work, Detective Mason.” says Mr. Thompson. “I apologize but the celebration will have to be short lived. There's just been word that there's been a bank robbery on 1823 Meadow Drive. I need you to investigate.” “I'm on my way.” I say smiling.