MURDERTOWN - Starring Frank Knight

"Frank! What's all this nonsense about?!" Andrea demanded again, her hands placed firmly on her hips.

Frank tugged the collar of his Hawaiian shirt as sweat began building around his neck, "uh... what? Nothing, Andrea. I watched an old detective movie last night and I was just..."

"Daydreaming?!" she suggested, "if you spent half as much time on your police work, we'd have no crime in this city! Anyway, Adalet, a note was just delivered for you."

Adalet took the note and began reading it out loud, "Dear Adalet. You're the only one I can trust. Come to the set of "Murder by Moonlight" at once! Someone wants me dead!" and it's signed by Lindsay Bannister."

"Lindsay Bannister?" Andrea pondered for a second, "I've heard of her. But I don't know why she would ask you to go on a film set, she's not an actress. She's some drunk heiress. Who could want her dead?!"

"A drunken socialite in need of help?! That's my kind of mystery!" Frank exclaimed jumping out of his seat, "and Adalet, I've just thought of a brilliant way we can sneak onto that film set! Let's go!"

"Wait- sneak in?!" Adalet cried as she rushed after her partner.

Andrea just shook her head, but there was a small smile gracing her face.

"This is the perfect disguise!" Frank boasted, showing off his trench coat and fedora, "watching detective movies when I was a kid is what made me wanna be a cop. Do you think this hat suits me?"

"I'm sure Lindsay will love it!" Adalet teased, "you know, the woman who we came here to find?"

"Sorry, Adalet. We're here to help out a dame in distress, I'll focus now!" he promised.

"Then you can focus on keeping an eye out for anyone else, especially security!" she says while opening the door to the set, "Lindsay didn't say in her note if anyone else knew we would be coming!"

"Good thinking, I'll watch for security," he assured, "you go look for this Lindsay Bannister on the film set!"

Adalet and Hunter headed inside while Frank waited out by the door. When they reached the brightly lit set, they found the woman they were supposed to meet, but unfortunately, she had a date with death before they could. Searching around the set, Adalet discovered some torn paper near one of the cameras, while Hunter dragged out a cigarette case from under the car. Lastly, Adalet picked up a round box off the top of the car after grabbing the cigarette case.

"Frank!" Adalet calls to her partner, "you might want to get in here!"

The detective joined them moments later, "whoa, talk about a realistic dummy!"

"It's not a dummy, Frank!" Adalet corrected him as she sent a message for backup.

"That... That ain't no dummy?! Oh jeez, Adalet, our dame's been bumped off! Lindsay Bannister's been stabbed through the heart!" he exclaims examining the deep wound, "I guess that's what you get for setting up mysterious rendezvous on a detective movie set... You die like in a detective movie! At least this costume is going to come in handy after all. We've got a classic murder mystery to solve!"

"And talking about a mystery," she points to the right arm and leg of the body, "looks like she's missing a shoe and a glove......"

"But for now let's focus on what you DID find," he replies looking at the clues, "what are you gonna do with that ripped-up piece of paper? Make confetti or put it back together?"

"You get two guesses and the first one doesn't count," she joked.

He laughed, "that's a classy cigarette case."

"And for being so classy, you'd think it would be better-taken care of!" Adalet remarks, "it looks like someone tried to scratch a message onto it!"

"Well, okay, I was going to keep it, but I guess you could dust it! But what is that thing?" Frank wondered picking up the box, "it's covered in numbers and letters, like an antique puzzle. Mind if I smash it open?"

She quickly snatched it out of his hands, "let's try a less violent way first."

"No smashing? Oh fine. Be boring, Adalet," he rolled his eyes, "and just unlock it."

And unlock it she did. Adalet spun the dials of the wooden box around and around both clockwise and counterclockwise. Soon, they all clicked into place and the center circle could be popped out and removed. Inside the box was a small rolled-up paper cracked and yellowed with age.

"Swell job, Adalet, working out the combination for that puzzle box you found!" Frank grins.

"There's a message inside..." Adalet says as she unrolls the paper, "Cockerel, bamboo, white and red. You'll all be sorry now Lindsay's dead".

"Now Lindsay's dead"? I'm no great shakes at riddles, but this one mentions our victim!" he reasoned.

"And we know someone who is great at riddles!" she replied.

"Good thinking," he agreed, "let's get it to Russell. He's weird enough to crack this riddle!"

Adalet moved onto the torn note next. She taped together the white and red pieces of paper until she had the full paper restored. The paper was customized with the Ivywood Heights Hotel logo at the top, and the note written on it looked to be from that hotel as well.

"It's a message addressed to our victim!" Adalet said as she read the brief note, "it says "Please leave our hotel". So it's an eviction notice."

"Our victim was getting herself thrown out of the hotel?!" Frank exclaimed in surprise.

"And if she was being evicted, she had to be staying there beforehand!" she deduced, "and the paper shows the logo of the Ivywood Heights Hotel! Let's go check it out."

Before running off to the next possible crime scene, Adalet first needed to examine the cigarette case. She dusted the inner side of the case and the powder sunk into the markings engraved into the metal. Then she turned the case upside down and shook out the excess dust.

"That cigarette case you found on the film set sure cleaned up nicely," Frank remarked as Adalet flipped it back around, "ever thought about becoming a butler, Adalet?"

"But where would you be without me, Frank?" Adalet smirked knowingly.

"Oh okay, I'll stop fooling. Anyway, what does the message you found say?" he asks.

"To Dick Shakespeare, we'll always have Ivywood." And it's signed by Lindsay, our victim!" she answered.

"Dick Shakespeare?! THE Dick Shakespeare! You know who he is, right, Adalet?" he demanded, suddenly looking very excited.

"Ahh... No?" she replies.

"He's only the greatest actor of all time! His detective films are my favourite!" he gushed, "if the victim gave him this cigarette case as a gift, we need to ask him why! ... Is it corny to ask for an autograph?"

"He's probably heard it a thousand times..."

Frank and Adalet tracked down Dick Shakespeare's address and found it to be on the way to the hotel. Once backup had arrived and took over the scene, they left to go talk to the actor about his connection with the deceased.

Dick greeted them while smoking a cigarette and looking very tired, "look, I woke up an hour ago with my face banged up and stinking of booze, Capt. Adalet. What's this about?"

"Sir, may I just start by saying it's a pleasure to meet you?" Frank looked ready to explode from joy, "I'm a big fan of your detective movies an-"

"Frank," Adalet whispered, "hold off on the fanboying, alright?"

"Right, sorry about that, Adalet," he apologizes before clearing his throat, "Sir, we're here because Lindsay Bannister has been murdered."

"What?! And I'm a suspect? I barely knew the kid!" Dick announced.

"Were you working on the "Murder by Moonlight" movie?" Adalet questioned, "that's where Lindsay was found dead."

"No, I didn't get a role in that movie... Look, I met Lindsay a month ago at the tail end of Tinseltown. Two drunks in an Ivywood bar. Is there a sadder sight?" he chuckled humorously, "next thing I know it's morning. We're in bed together with hangovers that could fill Rhine Canyon. I told her: "Girl, I'm old enough to be your grandfather, go find yourself a younger failure to ruin your life with." I didn't see her again."

"Thank you for your time, Dick," she smiles, "also, could my friend here have your autograph, please? He's a big fan of your work."

"Sure, who do I make it out to?"

Once Frank had his autograph, Adalet and him left Dick's apartment and drove over to the Ivywood Heights Hotel. They had barely entered the lobby when they found themselves almost tripping over a large trunk. Adalet noticed that the initials on the side were L.B in gold cursive. Moving the trunk to the side, she saw that Hunter was sniffing a perfume bottle on a small table, and Frank picked it up for a closer look.

"Can you say fancy, Adalet? Yep, this hotel is where the cats got the cream and made butter!" Frank laughed, "that luggage you found looks suspicious. What do the letters "L.B." stand for? Lazy Bozo?"

"I was thinking Lindsay Bannister myself," Adalet responded.

"Ah... right, Adalet. Let's look inside!" he agreed, "but why did Hunter pick out this perfume bottle? Do I smell?!"

"What does the label say?" she asks, choosing not to answer.

He turned the bottle around in his hand, "there's a message attached to it! I'll fetch your dusting kit!"

Frank ran out to the car and back in record time with Adalet's case in his hand. He passed it over to her and she opened it up onto the table. Pulling out the brush and powder, she dusted the label and recovered the missing message.

"Whoa, Adalet, there was a message on that perfume bottle," Frank remarks taking a closer look, "Velma, you stink!" And it's signed by our victim! But who is this Velma?"

"No idea," Adalet says as she placed the bottle into her case for safekeeping, "maybe Hannah can find her in the database!"

With the bottle now out of harm's way, Adalet opened up the victim's trunk. She dug through all the articles of expensive clothing and eventually found something that looked out of place. An envelope stuffed full of money.

"You found an envelope stuffed with cash in our victim's luggage? My dreams just came true, Adalet!" Frank celebrated.

"Frank, it's a clue!" Adalet reminded him.

"Yes. I know it's a clue and we can't take the money. But look what's written on the envelope! "Thanks for everything", and it's signed by Lindsay!" he pointed out, did Lindsay draw a sketch of the recipient too?! Looks like this money was for some guy with a bow tie and a mustache! There's a challenge, Adalet! Can you find who this drawing represents by browsing our database? Go impress me!"

The sketch only had key features to go off of, and unfortunately, this led to the database having many results. But on a hunch, Adalet told the database to crosscheck the results for people who worked in the hotel, and they got a perfect match!

Frank whistled, "well I'll be... ! You actually managed to find who this drawing represents! A guy named Walter Fellows. Why would our victim give cash to this guy? The file says he's a bartender at the Ivywood Heights Hotel..."

Both turned to look at the bar on the other side of the lobby. And sure enough, there was their new suspect wiping down glasses.

"A bartender? Must be my lucky night!" Frank grins already heading to the bar, "let's go talk to Walter right now, Adalet!"

Adalet quickly closed her case and the trunk of luggage before catching up with Frank who had already started talking to Walter.

"So, Walter, why don't you tell Capt. Adalet how you know Lindsay Bannister? And why she was sending you all this cash?" Frank suggested.

Walter smiled around the cigarette he was smoking, "oh, that'll be Little Lindsay's bar bill! She spends more on booze here than all my other customers combined!"

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but you've just lost one customer. Lindsay's been murdered," Adalet informed the man.

"Little Lindsay... dead? No... that poor sweet girl!" he cried putting down the glass, "she was like a daughter to me. She used to sit at my bar and tell me her troubles."

"Sweet girl?" Frank echoed, "we heard she was some wild drunken socialite!"

"I knew the real Lindsay. She had a smile that could light the darkness of bars..." Walter sighs, wiping his misty eyes.

"Poor Lindsay. I saw her in a bar once, you know. She drank a whole bottle of bourbon and got thrown out by the bouncers... My hero," Roxie sighs in reminiscence, "looks like she kept partying till the end though. I'm sure you noticed, Adalet, but one of her shoes and gloves are missing!"

"Yeah, we'd noticed that," Adalet agreed, "and we'll be keeping our eyes open for those missing items!"

"What wasn't missing was the murder weapon. This antique dagger was pushed into her chest quickly and efficiently. It got her right in the heart!" she informed them, "I had a close look at the dagger, there was one substance on it that I couldn't find a trace of on Lindsay. Do you know what lime, gin, and a hint of syrup make, Adalet?"

"I'm guessing a drink, but Fili's the one who knows alcohol. Not me," she smirked.

"A pretty wild party?" Frank guessed with a grin.

"A gimlet!" Roxie announced, "it's a cocktail. Before stabbing your victim, the killer drank a gimlet!"

After making a note for their killer's profile, Adalet and Frank headed to Russell's office to see if he had managed to discover anything about the riddle they had sent him.

"Cockerel, bamboo, white and red. You'll all be sorry now Lindsay's dead". Russell quotes as Adalet and Frank entered his office, "this poetic riddle you brought me is brilliant, Adalet. It's clearly been written by Lindsay's killer!"

"So we're looking for a poet?!" Frank questioned.

"Not so easy. Anyone could write in this style. I'll try something just off the top of my head..." he hums for a moment before continuing, "So Frank is a moron, we know this is true. It's always Adalet who unravels each clue."

He growls, "cut the crap, wise guy. What can you tell us about the killer?"

"The beginning of this riddle sounds familiar. "Cockerel, bamboo, white and red"..." he explains chewing on the arm of his glasses, "those are names for mahjong tiles. You know mahjong, Adalet?"

"It's a Chinese puzzle game, right?" Adalet inquired, "They look like dominoes, only with little pictures instead of dots!"

Russell grins, "exactly! Adalet, there's no doubt about it. You're looking for a killer who plays mahjong!"

With another piece of evidence against their killer, Adalet and Frank headed out of Russell's office to go find Hannah.

"Ugh!" Hannah gags the second they entered her lab, "Adalet, next time you bring me perfume, warn me! My whole office smells like a beauty pageant!"

"Sorry, Hannah," Adalet apologized sheepishly, "I'll remember next time!"

"You're lucky I could still work out who the "Velma" in this message is. It's the victim's stepmother" she reported pulling up the woman's file on one of her large monitors.

"Ha! Now I understand the message "you stink"!" Frank laughed, "I bet she is some kind of old hag stepmother, like in fairy tales!"

"You couldn't be more wrong! Velma Bannister is a famous Ivywood bombshell! And she's practically the same age as the victim!" Hannah explains, "having a step-mom barely older than her must have been weird for Lindsay. But Adalet, when you talk to Velma, make sure Frank doesn't drool!"

Hannah added that she had also taken the liberty of calling the suspect into the station for them and that she was waiting in the interrogation room for them. They thanked the techie as they left the lab to continue their investigation.

"You can come closer officers," Velma purrs while flicking her cigarette holder, "I don't bite... hard."

Frank was beginning to sweat, "it's about... er... your step-daughter. She's... been murdered."

"Yes, I heard about that. That girl had a death wish. Looks like it was granted," she says with a smirk.

"Lindsay was killed on the "Murder by Moonlight" movie set, and you're an actress. Did she come to see you?" Adalet asked.

"No," Velma denied, "I'm not in that movie. And Lindsay didn't like me very much, probably because we're practically the same age. She couldn't handle it, poor little thing. Pretended I didn't exist."

"It must have hurt your feelings!" she reasoned.

She chuckled humorously, "I gave up feelings when I took up smoking."

"Well... ma'am..." Frank cleared his throat, "I think we have everything we need."

Velma blew him a kiss, "well, if you need anything else from me, just whistle. You know how to whistle don't you? You just put your lips together... and blow."

Adalet and Frank watched in silence as Velma showed herself out of the room, leaving behind the scent of cigarette smoke in her wake.

"Is there a train nearby, Adalet? Or is that my heart beating?" Frank joked, "that dame's got me dizzy. If looks could kill, she's certainly the murderer."

"Well, Adalet, this case has more angles than a crooked math professor. How are we gonna solve it?!" Frank wondered, "we've got a murdered socialite who drank so much, she held more liquid than the Hoover Dam!"

"But Walter Fellows loved her," Adalet added.

"It takes a lot to make a barman cry, believe me, I've pretty much got a doctorate in bartender psychology!" he laughs, "and as for Velma, our victim's step-mother... How could a looker like that do anything wrong?!"

His partner face-palmed, "you really need to read up on killers, Frank..."

"Anyway, there's one crucial question we still haven't answered. Why did Lindsay want to meet us on the set of "Murder by Moonlight"... and how did the killer find her there?!" he questioned as a cell phone began ringing, "wait. Who would ring in the middle of the night?"

"The boogeyman?" she suggested.

Frank put the call on speaker so that Adalet could listen in, "hello?"

"Capt. Adalet," a distorted voice came through the speakers, "you're way off base. I know who killed Lindsay Bannister."

"Who is this?!" Frank demanded.

"Are you telling us you know who killed our victim?!" Adalet added in just as forcefully.