Murders of the Past

That Sinking Feeling

"On the surface, Alastor's parties have had little in common. A lighthouse, a midnight séance..." Isaac muses as the detectives look over the corkboard they had dedicated to Mr. Alastor's parties/murders.

"Murder, meanwhile, has been a recurring theme, with each killing seemingly more grisly than the last!" Maddie declares, staring at the pictures of each of the victims.

"While it appeared these perishing party-goers were not connected beyond Alastor's apparent desire to have them killed... We've discovered that each victim had in some way wronged Giulietta Capecchi and that she had good reason to want all of them dead!" Argo states, nodding towards the young woman's image on the board.

"If these murders can be traced back to Giulietta, is it possible she herself is Alastor?" Isaac suggested, "we know Giulietta is attending tonight's party, hosted by Alastor aboard Concordia's new flagship, the Gigantic before it departs on its maiden voyage tomorrow."

"Then we must investigate before it sails away!" he replies.

"I'm terribly sorry, Argo, but I get frightfully seasick!" he apologizes, looking a little green at just the thought of boarding the ship, "I'm afraid I must remain on dry land. Madeline shall accompany you to the party."

"How exciting, Argo! The Gigantic! It's said to be the world's first unsinkable vessel! A voyage of discovery... the ship of dreams!" Maddie rambles excitedly, "however, we mustn't rock the boat. While it's imperative we unmask Alastor's identity, Giulietta cannot know of our investigation! But for now, let's rendezvous with the Captain. Anchors away!"

Aboard the Gigantic...

"Welcome aboard the Gigantic, Detectives! Captain William Fox at your service!" William introduces as the detectives enter the ship's lobby, "a marvel of modern engineering, this ship. Opulent, luxurious, and completely unsinkable!"

"Grazie, Captain. It's very exciting to be aboard!" Argo smiles, enjoying the feeling of being on the sea again, even if there is a ship between him and the water.

"But we mustn't get carried away. Detective Argo and I are here to investigate one of tonight's party guests," Maddie informed the captain.

"You are welcome to look around," William consents, "in fact, while you are looking for your suspect, could you keep an eye out for Theo Vergeer?"

"Vergeer? The artist?" she questions.

"Yes!" he confirmed, "Mr. Vergeer is returning to Europe on tomorrow's journey and is a guest of honour at tonight's party."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" she vows, "what are we waiting for, Argo? Let's explore the ship!"

Argo and Maddie made their way up to the main deck of the ship. The view of Concordia and the open sea before the boat was amazing, and the ship itself was almost just as breathtaking. The floor was polished to the point you could see your reflection, and the flags hanging from the railings danced in the wind. They walked toward the ship's bow and stumbled across a giant ice sculpture set up for the party. It appeared to be of a horse, but the head was missing.

However, the horse's head wasn't far away at all. It lay on the ground in front of the ice sculpture, just like the dead body beside it. The man's head was cracked open, and blood ran down the side of his face. Judging by the blood on the horse's head, it must have been what caused the injury, but strangely, it didn't look like it had melted off the body, given the jagged ends of the ice, more like it had been broken at the neck.

Near the foot of the dead body was some torn black paper. Whether it was the victim's or not was unclear in its current state. There was also a beautiful jewelry box on one of the deck chairs. The wooden box was decorated with flowers and silver trim, and the lock on it kept its contents secure.