Bloody hands - a Hermitcraft and last life murder mystery

Chapter 17

Pearl was suspiciously quick to send Cub away once the two had returned Impulse to The Murder Room. Tango had watched the entire time with alarm, questioning why his only remaining friend was almost dead again. Succinct and blunt answers had been given back until he stopped questioning. Then, when Joel yelled something undecipherable Pearl had sent Cub to 'investigate'. 

'I'll just finish trying to help Impulse up here. You go and make sure everyone's alright... that Ren's not doing anything murder-y.' 

'Alright? You sure?' 

'Yeah. Just go.' 

Cub left, unable to stop suspicion filling his mind as he descended, listening for any other noise, conscious of the creak at every step he took...

He reached the bottom of the stairs, and entered the room. 

Three heads turned towards him, a sense of alarm shared between the group. The fourth person there, Joel, lay dead on the ground, next to Doc. Ren was curled up against the wall sobbing. Martyn as far across the room, terrified.

'What... happened?' Cub managed to ask. 

'It was an accident... Doc didn't mean to... Joel threatened to kill us and... the knife got in the way.' Martyn choked out. 

'Doc killed him?!'

'Accidentally. It's complicated. Just... it wasn't intentional.'

A silent nod back from the shell-shocked Doc. Blood covered him. 

'This isn't good.' 

'You THINK?! Joel's just died!'

'We're gonna have to tell the others about it. Cleo and Pearl...'

'Wait, is it only them two and us left?' Ren looked up, face red from crying.

'And Impulse. He's still alive I think. Though Pearl sent me away quickly.'

'To kill him?' Martyn was quick to reply.

'I don't know. I really don't know. Though it wouldn't be surprising. Anyone could have done this... Even Impulse could be faking.' Figured Cub as he spoke.

'To avoid being named as the other murderer? The third one?' Suggested Martyn.

'Maybe.' A shrug back. 'Holy smokes... Three murderers.'

'Four if I count.' Doc added hollowly.

'That was self defense. You didn't even mean to kill him...'

'I still killed him. He's still dead. It's my fault.' Doc replied bitterly.

'I mean... Joel was a jerk? He wanted to kill us?' Martyn offered. 'Besides, if I was Ren, I would've killed him.'

'If you were Ren... Oh great. Thanks dude.' Interrupted the dog, standing up and storming out the room. Martyn called his name, running towards the door.

'Ren! Wait! I didn't mean it that way.' He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looking up.

'Then how did you mean it?'

'Ren...'

'I'm returning the room with Tango. So you can continue to point me out and exclude me for what I was forced into doing.' Spat the murderer back, each footstep echoing as he went upstairs, the audible sound of a door slamming behind. Martyn sighed, trudging up after. Pearl met him on the landing.

'We need to talk.' She explained brusquely.

'About what?' He tried to sound innocent. Pearl narrowed her eyes.

'Not here. In private.' She continued on and Martyn followed, glancing back down as he did. Hearing the sound of talking, or even arguing, from inside The Murder Room, he suddenly stopped. 

'-me you'd keep it safe.'

'I did.'

'Then tell me where it is!'

'Why would you need it?' 

'You know why I'd need it, Ren.'

'You don't have to do it.'

'Besides, I want to know where it is in case the others decide to trap you in here and we can't talk to each other.' 

'Under Etho's bed.'

'All of it?'

'Martyn! Come on!' Pearl's voice blocked out the conversation, and by the time she'd shut up, the talking had stopped. Cursing her lack of tact, Martyn followed again, entering the Aussie's room, making sure he'd closed the door behind them. 

'What is it?' 

'I don't trust you.'

'What? Why?' Martyn's expression turned into a frown.

'You're hiding something. A lot of things. So what was going on with you and Impulse earlier? Before he pretended to die.' Interrogated Pearl, emphasising her last 3 words. 

'Nothing? And why do you think he was pretending?!'

'Because he survived, and when I went to help him, he was clearly conscious and faking so much that he signalled for me to shut up and pretend that something weird wasn't going on.'

'And I'm related to this because...?'

'Because you were definitely have some kind of non-verbal conversation with him just before. And Ren kept looking over at you for help, like you knew the answers.' 

'I know what I'm doing.' Came Martyn's cryptic reply. 'And yes, I told Impulse to fake death. To see what would happen.'

'Well what happened made you look a lot like the third murderer! Or even the second murderer, because I really don't think Tango did this.' 

'Why not?'

'Because Ren's confessed to half the murders he did, and there's no evidence for him being at any of the crime scenes.'

'Then he's covering up for someone. But Joel's dead, it can't have been him.'

Silence.

'What?'

'Joel's dead. Doc accidentally killed him.' 

'Joel's DEAD?'

'Yes!'

'If Doc killed him by accident, that doesn't mean he's not the murderer! He was still there when Jimmy died, and a potential suspect of forcing Tango into killing Mumbo and taking the blame.'

'Or Ren told Tango to do it in the woods...' Martyn sighed. 'We need to talk to both of them. Tango and Ren. As soon as possible.'

'We've still not figured out what you're doing in all this mess.'

'I'm not a murderer.' 

'I don't know that!' Snapped Pearl. 

'Well, it's true. So if you want to keep lying to yourself and think I am, then...' 

'We'll see what Ren and Tango say.' Pearl walked over to the door, cutting their argument short. Hiding his fear, Martyn nodded silently in agreement and followed out.

Cub was there on the landing, with Doc next to him, the latter refusing to look at anyone. 

'I know about Joel.' Pearl instantly guessed why they were there. 'Martyn told me. We were going to properly interrogate Tango and Ren about what happened.'

'What's that about Tango and Ren?' Cleo appeared next to them, coming from where she now slept in Martyn and Doc's room. 

'We're interrogating them. And getting to the bottom of this mystery.' Explained Pearl, leading the way into The Murder Room. 

Sure enough, Impulse wasn't dead, but sitting down on his bed. Ren stood in the centre of the room, mouth opening to protest, a knife in his hand, looking as though he was about to cry. 

And on his bed/makeshift prison cell, Tango lay dead.