Murder

by Jemisard

For disclaimer, see the index page.


The castle was an imposing structure on the landscape, made even more so not by the stone figures, or the tall spires, but the lightning that showed that the whole thing was black and deadly quiet, with a fierce looking winged lion guarding the entrance.

Inside, it was nearly silent, except for the unheard screams of a murder victim.

***

Keith stretched out and pushed his plate away. ³I couldnıt eat another bite.²

Lance eyed him off. ³You always say that, right before accepting another serve.²

Keith snorted and stood. ³Donıt read at the table, Pidge.²

Pidge stuck out his tongue and adjusted his glasses without ever looking up from the book he was reading.

Hunk yawned and picked up Keithıs plate. ³I havenıt seen Coran this morning. Do you have any idea where he got to?²

³No, I guess heıs just tired.²

Nanny bustled through, a whirlwind of activity, leaving behind sparkling clean plates, rearranged hair, straightened clothes and polished glasses. Allura shook her hair out of the bun it had been mysteriously piled into. ³Sheıs getting worse.²

³She alarms me.² Lance muttered.

Sven nodded. ³Vith good reason. She is mad woman.²

Allura shrugged. ³Iım heading down to the training bay. Anyone want to come with me?²

Keith was about to offer to go with her, when they heard the deafening scream Nanny.

They ran out to the yard. Nanny stood there, still screaming, shaking and jumping up and down.

Lying in between the zinnias and the petunias was Coran. There were cuts, bruises and abrasions all over his body.

³My zinnias!² Nanny screamed. ³My lovely zinnias!²

Coranıs body was carefully covered, until Dr. Gorma could come down and check out what happened. The team stood around in a circle, the six of them silent in shock.

Keith was the first to come to his senses. ³What do you think happened?²

³Some killed him, you twit.² Lance spat.

Allura wrapped herself protectively around Keith. ³Donıt you insult him.²

³Back off, princess.² Lance spat. ³You donıt know what youıre talking about.²

³Iım talking about you being an arrogant arsehole.²

Lance gaped, and Nanny grabbed Allura be the ear. ³No more hanging around with these ruffians, thatıs it, it is over. You are no longer behaving anything like how I raised you. Iıve failed in my only task, and now my little girl is falling to the devil.²

Allura sighed. ³Iım sorry, nanny.²

Hunk coughed. ³You realise, one of us killed him. There is no way anyone else could have, and he didnıt do this himself.²

The six of them glanced around at each other, the realisation sinking in. One of them, had killed, Coran.

They sat in the control room, tense and worried. Allura was perching on the edge of the couch, after pushing it up against the wall. Sven glowered at everyone from his corner, directly opposite Hunk, who was trying not to look at him. Lance had curled himself up against the view screen, where he could watch the door and Keith, who leant against the wall, watching the handle. Pidge sat on the table, fingering the metal bowl when someone glanced at him.

The door was flung open.

They immediately sprung into action.

Dr Gorma managed to avoid most of the items that were flung at his head, but was too slow for Keith and his clipboard, he was too involved in avoiding Alluraıs boot and the fruit bowl.

³Sorry.² Keith helped the doctor to his feet, blushing slightly. ³Weıre a bit nervous.²

³So I observed.² Dr Gorma rubbed his head. ³Well, I have the autopsy report, but it is rather gruesome.²

³Do you know what killed him?²

³Not yet, and more to the point, we cannot be sure if he was killed in the garden or moved there later.²

Nanny bustled in. ³One of you six did it, we want to know who. Own up.²

They sat in silence for a moment. Nanny glared at them. ³Well, none of you seem to be on the cameras, so we have to assume you are all suspects.²

Allura yelped. ³Nanny, how could you think it was me?²

Dr Gorma raised his hand. ³My report?²

They all sat down again, though Allura was now pouting. Dr Gorma coughed and started. ³Well, Coran was killed last night, between eleven and three. There is blood in six different areas, and we have to assume it was either the killer moving the body, or he got blood on himself.

³The hallway. The study. The library. The garden. The kitchen. This control room. He must have been killed in one of them.²

Hunk shrugged. ³Canıt have been the kitchen. I was in there this morning, and I didnıt see anything.²

³Ah ha! So you were the person in the kitchen this morning. What time did you last see Coran.²

Hunk looked panicky. ³I, I donıt know! I donıt tend to notice that sort of thing.²

Keith coughed. ³What happened to him? Coran?²

Dr Gorma paled. ³This was a very savage killing. He was bludgeoned several times, his nose had been twisted backwards, he had been stabbed in the kidneys with some kind of stiletto, and someone apparently tried to crush him with a lounge suite.²

Lance started laughing. ³A lounge suite! Thatıs stupid! No one could have picked up the bloody lounge suite.²

³Bloody, yes. Allura, my dear, could you move aside?²

Allura stood up. Dr Gorma pushed the lounge up slightly, revealing red marks on it. ³Someone dropped it on him.²

³Why would they stab him if they had already dropped a lounge on him?² Keith pondered.

³Because, they held a great resentment for the man.² Dr Gorma looked around them. ³I have determined what the weapons used on him were.²

³Yes?²

³The lounge chair, a pair of calipers, the 9B wrench, an antique hand gun from pre colony Earth, the ceremonial candlestick in the shape of King Alfor, and the machete from the garden shed.²

³What are calipers?² Hunk asked.

Allura brightened. ³I know this one. Theyıre these things, like a compass, but with two pointy ends, for measuring things on paper.²

Sven stepped forward. ³How do you know this?²

³Oh, Pidge has a pair. I asked him about them when I saw him using them.² She smiled at them brightly, turning to the boy, he had gone deadly white. ³Remember?²

³No, I donıt have a pair.² He stammered out. ³I have no idea what youıre talking about.²

Lance grabbed Pidge and hauled him into the air, his feet a good half foot off the floor. ³Did you kill him? Why, why would you do that?²

Pidge kicked against Lance before biting him to make him let go. Lance yelped and dropped the small pilot, who scurried behind Hunk for safety. ³I have no motive! Why would I do it? I havenıt seen those things for two months, I did have a pair, but they went missing. I lost them! I didnıt kill him!!!²

Keith glared at Lance. ³Don't hurt him. Yet.²

Pidge wailed. Hunk clapped a hand over his mouth. ³Are you sure he did it?²

Sven shrugged. ³Ve have no proof he did it. Besides, the gun belongs to Alfor once, ja?²

Allura nodded cheerfully. Sven smiled. ³So is now yours?²

Her face fell. ³No, it isnıt like that. I left the gun in the temple, I donıt want the thing. Anyone could have taken it.²

Lance turned on Sven. ³But the machete, thatıs your style. I can see you using that thing on poor Coran.²

³Or you. Maybe, you sick of taking orders, decide to kill him.²

³It would make more sense for me to kill Keith.²

Dr Gorma smiled. ³Except for one thing. You would never harm Keith. You love him.²

Lance went bright red. ³No, you got crossed wires, or something, I donıt care about that prick.²

Keith crossed his arms. ³I think Iıd know if my best friend was in love with me.²

Dr Gorma smiled. ³You do. Thatıs why the two of you tried to hide the fact that you were sleeping together. And Coran found out and threatened to tell Allura.²

Allura stared at them, and promptly burst into tears.

Several hours later, they had resumed nervous distrust. Dr Gorma was slowly working out who had killed Coran, and until that time, they were going to be like caged lions.

He stood up. ³I have finished my list. It is possible for any one of you to be the killer. I have listened to your accounts, worked out your motives with the help of Coranıs journal and matched weapons to people. All that remains is to reveal the killer.²

They sat rapt.

³First. The lounge chair. It is a possible murder weapon. Only one person could have picked it up and dropped it on him.²

They stared at Hunk, who burst into tears. ³I did it! I dropped the lounge on him, in here. But he deserved it!²

Gorma smiled. ³He was trying to get you relocated to a different team. He hated the rapport you had with the lions, and was threatening to take all this away from you. He wanted to separate you from your family.²

Hunk nodded. ³My family......² he echoed.

³Which is the same reason why Pidge attacked him as well.²

Lance stared. ³But you just said Hunk did it!²

³No, I said that Hunk dropped the lounge on him. He inflicted no other wounds to Coran.²

They turned to Pidge, who eyed them off. ³What?²

³I never saw you as such a little savage.² Keith stated.

³I stabbed him, once, in the kidneys. Thatıs it.²

Gorma coughed and raised an eyebrow. Pidge sighed. ³Okay, I stabbed him twenty five times, give or take a few. But I never a finger on him otherwise.²

Allura looked horrified. ³You look like such an angel. How could you?²

He shrugged again and grinned. ³He annoyed me. He always thought he knew everything, always had to be the best. He wanted to take away my brother. No oneıs taking my brother from me.²

He stared at Hunk, who was still crying and smiled softly. ³Iıd kill any of you if you tried it either.²

The rest of the team were too shocked by this declaration to speak. Gorma took the opportunity presented to continue. ³He was trying to separate the two of you, so, to stop him, you stabbed him as he lay in the garden, asleep. You couldnıt have moved him, you arenıt strong enough.²

Pidge nodded.

Allura stared. ³So, the two of you not only hid that you were related, but then murdered Coran?! Thatıs sick.²

Gorma shook his head. ³Allura, do not be so fast to judge. You can hardly say you are any better. Clubbing the man who was like a father to you.²

Her face went red. ³How dare you?! Iım royalty!²

³So was Alfor, but that didnıt stop Coran from killing him. You only just found out that the sweet man who was like a father was in fact your fatherıs killer. He had to pay, didnıt he?²

Allura nodded, tears filling her eyes. ³He killed my daddy! He had to pay.²

³So you clubbed him.²

She nodded. ³I crept out to the garden, and saw him there, asleep, so I hit him and dragged him into the library, so it would look like a book hit him. I even did it with the candlestick that looks like daddy. Thatıs a bit ironic.²

They exchanged looks, all questioning the intelligence of this idea. Gorma turned to Sven. ³He was blackmailing you, with the photos of when you were younger, cross dressing.²

Sven blushed. ³Ja.²

³You took the wrench, You wanted someone to take the fall, and if it was a wrench, the finger would be pointed at Hunk. You didnıt know about the lounge.²

Pidge went red. ³You tried to frame him?!?²

Sven nodded. ³I do not vant to go to prison.²

Pidge screamed and hurled himself at Sven, a ball of fury. Sven went backwards under the assault, as the small pilot tried to tear his throat out with his teeth.

Gorma picked up Pidge and dumped him on Hunk, who held him tightly. Sven stared at the blood over his hands and neck. ³You fucking psycho!²

Gorma smiled. ³Thatıs the idea. A sociopath. You donıt think his behaviour is normal for someone do you? Always cruel and detached?²

Sven shrugged. ³Ja, I try to kill him. But he was in study, not library. I move him to kitchen.²

Keith chuckled. ³I moved him there. He was going to tell Allura about Lance and I. You already know that weıre together. Sheıd have him sent off planet. I went to confront him, but I was so angry, I just picked up the gun and,²

³And hit him with it, before dragging him from the library to the study.²

Lance gaped. ³Sven, moved him? But then, he was already dead when I,²

³Stabbed him with the machete. Yes. You moved him to the hall, after you thought you killed him in the kitchen.²

Hunk frowned. ³How did he get in here?²

Gorma laughed. ³One of the guards found him. Dim witted sods that they are, they thought he was asleep, and decided to move him in here, where you found him, and tried to kill him. Again.²

Allura shook her head. ³So none of us did it? We all just thought we did?²

Gorma sighed. ³No, one of you did it, but only one of you actually killed him. The rest of you tried to, but he was already dead when you made your attempts.²

³So killed him first?²

Gorma stood up and pointed. ³Work out the order. We know that Hunk was last, heıs the only one who wouldnıt notice all the blood, and the only time he could have done it was while Coranıs shift was on, early today. He moved Coran out and dropped him in the garden, but because it was still dark, didnıt see Nannyıs zinnias.²

Nanny sobbed. ³My lovely zinnias.²

³The guard moved him from the kitchen, where Lance had put him. Sven had put him in the hall where Lance found him. Keith had already tried to kill him, in the library, not realising that Allura had moved him after trying herself out in the garden.²

He paused for dramatic effect, and to let their slow minds catch up. ³Only one person wouldnıt make the mistake of not checking him first, to see if he was alive, and would notice if he was bloody.²

Pidge smiled. ³Uh huh. Allura moved him for me, I watched her. She came in as I was trying to move him.²

They looked at each other. Keith chewed his bottom lip. ³So, what do we do now?²

³Is there a threat posed to anyone?²

Gorma sighed. ³Allura, it was revenge. Hunk and Pidge donıt want to be separated, ever, Keith and Lance wanted to stay together ad lovers and Sven wanted to get rid of his blackmailer.²

Pidge smiled, the innocent angel again. ³Does this mean you arenıt turning me in?²

They looked at one another and huddled, whispering to one another frantically. Finally, they stood up and looked at him. ³If you promise not to do it again.²

They smiled at one another. In a sense, they had all just gotten away with murder. In their minds it was murder anyway, even if he was dead.

Gorma smiled. They didnıt need to know about the little drug cocktail heıd slipped the bastard who had tried to fire him for misconduct with patients.

End.


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