Death on the Royal Empress

Chapter 3: JACK?

Everyone ran out of their rooms. Except Jack. "Where's Jack?" Ariadne asked. We all ran to his room. Blood. Everywhere. "Jack? JACK?" Ariadne screamed, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face. The sight of the blood-splattered room was enough to freeze anyone in their tracks. There was a knife on the floor. I quickly picked it up, my hands trembling, and shoved it into a bag I'd brought for this very reason. I glanced around, my mind racing. Whoever had been in Jack's room needed to be found. I dashed back to my room, trying to maintain a calm facade. I hid the knife in a drawer and closed it, my pulse racing with every second. Returning to the lobby, I saw that Ariadne was still desperately searching for answers. "WHERE'S JACK?" she cried out again, her voice hoarse with desperation. Jack, who was miraculously unharmed, was sitting calmly on his bed, engrossed in a book. "Jack!" Ariadne's voice was a mix of relief and confusion. She hurried to him and threw her arms around him, sobbing uncontrollably. "What's wrong?" Jack asked, looking up with a bemused expression. "Nothing," Ariadne managed to say through her tears, clinging to him tightly. The scene was surreal, the tension almost unbearable. I took a quick swab of the blood on the floor, hoping to find something that might help solve the mystery. Suddenly, the loudspeaker crackled to life. "Everyone, come to the main lobby. Now." Ariadne and Jack were pulled into the crowd, which surged toward the lobby. I followed closely, my mind still focused on the hidden knife. In the main lobby, the floor was smeared with blood. The crowd was a mix of screaming, crying, and anxious whispers. Athena and Jake, who were also twins, stood together, their faces etched with worry. Athena's expression was a mirror of Ariadne's, while Jake looked equally distressed. Luke, who had always been a bit of a loner, was pacing nervously near the entrance. A tall woman in a security uniform entered the room with an air of authority. "Everyone, please remain calm," she said firmly. "I'm Officer Collins. We're investigating a serious situation. Please stay here while we get everything sorted out." The crowd murmured, a wave of fear and confusion washing over them. Officer Collins began to question people, and soon her gaze landed on me. "You," she said, pointing directly at me. "What's your name?" "Avery," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the chaos around me. "What's happening?" "I need to ask you some questions," Officer Collins said, motioning for me to step aside. "We need to account for everyone's whereabouts." Before I could respond, a commotion erupted on the other side of the lobby. The crowd parted to reveal the the maid, who was being escorted by security personnel. Her clothes were stained with blood, and she looked terrified and disoriented. Gasps and murmurs of shock rippled through the crowd. "Is she—" someone started, but the question was left hanging as Luke was led away, leaving a heavy silence in his wake. Officer Collins turned back to me. "Stay here, Avery. I'll be back to speak with you shortly." As she walked away, I glanced at Athena and Jake. Athena's face was pale, her eyes wide with fear, while Jake tried to offer her some comfort, his own anxiety barely hidden. The blood, the chaos, and now the maids arrest were all parts of a disturbing puzzle. I had to uncover the truth and find out what had really happened. As the self-designated detective in our group, I knew it was up to me to piece together the clues and get to the bottom of this horrifying mystery before it was too late.Understood. Here's a continuation where the focus shifts to the conversations among the maids and workers, while the main group remains mostly silent: As the lobby buzzed with tension, Officer Collins continued to manage the situation with authority. Meanwhile, I noticed that the maids and other staff members had started to gather, whispering among themselves. Their conversations might hold the key to understanding what had happened. I approached a small cluster of maids who were huddled together near the edge of the lobby. Their expressions ranged from confusion to fear. They were speaking in hushed tones, but I could make out snippets of their conversation. "Did you see her this morning?" one maid asked another, her voice trembling. "She was acting so strange. I thought she was just tired." "Yeah," another replied, "and she kept talking about how she felt something bad was going to happen. I thought she was just being superstitious." "I heard she was having trouble with one of the guests," added a third maid. "Something about a disagreement? Maybe that's why she was so upset." Their comments piqued my interest. The maid they were referring to might have had a motive or at least some knowledge that could explain the situation. I needed to gather more information. I moved to a different group of workers, who were talking in a more subdued manner. Their faces were tense, and their voices low. "Did you see the blood?" one worker asked. "It's everywhere. I've never seen anything like it." Another worker nodded, eyes wide "Yeah, it's horrifying. I saw the maid running down the hall, and then suddenly there was blood. I don't know what's going on, but it's clear something terrible happened." "Have you heard anything about who might have been involved?" I asked, trying to sound casual. "Anything that might help piece together what happened?" The workers exchanged glances, clearly uncomfortable. "We heard the announcement just like everyone else," one said. "We don't know much. But some of us have been talking, and there were rumors of conflicts between the maid and a few guests. Nothing concrete, though." Their insights were helpful, but they only added to the growing list of possibilities. I needed to cross-check these statements with what I had observed and gather more concrete evidence. I glanced back at the main group—Ariadne, Jack, Athena, Jake, and Luke—all of whom remained visibly anxious but silent. They had been in the same room when the announcement came, so their knowledge of the situation was limited to what they had heard and seen in the aftermath. Officer Collins was wrapping up her questioning of the staff and preparing to address the crowd again. "We are making progress, but we need everyone to stay calm and cooperative," she said, her voice carrying a note of urgency. "If anyone has any more information or remembers anything relevant, please come forward." The lobby fell into an uneasy quiet as everyone processed the gravity of the situation. The staff's murmurs continued, but I knew that to solve this mystery, I needed to focus on the evidence and statements I had. The blood on the floor, the knife I had hidden, and the conflicting stories were all pieces of a puzzle that needed to be assembled carefully. With every passing moment, the urgency to piece together the truth grew. I had to stay focused and thorough in my investigation to uncover what really happened before more harm could come to anyone else.