Murder Mystery

Chapter 1- A Brand New Case

Christian's typical Friday night consisted of him mindlessly scrolling through his phone for something new. He acted like a normal twenty-eight year old, checking his social media and watching Netflix most of the day. What most people don't expect from him is the fact that he's a detective.
Recently, Christian solved the case involving the infamous Moriarty. The criminal mastermind once again tried to kidnap gnomes even after his disappearance when fighting Sherlock Gnomes. But, this time he was stopped by Christian.
"That case was easy! Anyone could solve it," He told the reporters who were hungry for news. Questions came fast and left Christian feeling tired and bored out of his mind.
I need a new case, he thought as he liked a recent post from Phil Lewis. There has to be something out there, something to keep me on edge and my heart beating out of my chest.
His thoughts were suddenly put aside as the door busted open showing his two best friends in the whole world, Francis Fulofrenchpiple and Mary Arroz.
"What's up?" Francis asked as he closed the door behind him.
"Nothing much, just bored out of my mind," Christian responded as he put down his phone. He looked over at Mary who immediately headed for the kitchen in search for a box of cookies.
"I forgot to get groceries," He yelled. "There's some Raisin Bran if you want any!"
Mary sighed while walking over to the pantry where a box of Raisin Bran awaited her. "You're lucky Raisin Bran isn't bad."
Christian chuckled and focused his attention back on his dusty blond friend.[a] He questioned whether or not inform them on his quest for a new case knowing how Mary would react. The difference between his two best friends was how Francis gets excited over new cases while Mary stresses. Being a police officer and being one of the best in the force does take a toll on her state.
"Can we watch Guy Fieri tonight?" Mary asked as she sat next to Christian on the couch. She offered some Raisin Bran to Christian to which he declined.
"Yes!" Francis replied plopping down next to Mary. The two friends laughed while Christian only observed. He didn't want to kill the good mood, but he needed to inform them on his desire for a case.
"So guys," Christian began. "What if I told you I want a case."
It went quiet for a second and the trio looked at each other, each with a different expression. Mary shifted uncomfortably while Francis grinned ear to ear. Christian wondered if Mary knew something that he did not. [b]
"Well, how bad do you want the case?" She asked fiddling with the remote in her hand. Christian's eyes widened and responded with, "I want something new! Please, if you have anything interesting while working at the Police Department tell me."
Mary looked back up at Christian and then over to the smiling Francis and sighed, "Fine."
"Oh this better be good! You always have something good for the news," Francis chirped. "Well," Mary began. "There's murders been going on around our town. I know, I know. It's really odd for there to suddenly be a killer in RaisinVille, but we've seen it happen in other towns outside of here."
Christian's eyes widened as a gasp left him. Mary frowned a bit and looked over at Francis who was flabbergasted. "You wanted the news, so there you go."
"The murders have occured in different places without any trace of who could have done it."
The trio remained silent as they stared at one another awkwardly. "Well," Francis said breaking the tension. "Can I make a report on this?"
"You can but, I personally want to keep the information quiet until we've got any leads on why this may be happening. It's just too weird of a case and I don't know if I want reporters getting in on this just now."
Francis nodded and looked back at Christian who was still processing the information. How could such a small town suddenly have a killer on the loose? It made sense though. Less people occupy the area and no one really care about what goes on. A smart move he would admit, but it wasn't okay for these helpless victims and their families.
"Where did the most recent murder happened?" he asked.
"You know 8th Street? Third house on the left. But listen here buddy, the houses where the killer struck have burnt down after the third day. We believe it is an attempt to kill off the remaining families, but everyone apart from the victims are still alive. It's ten o'clock right now and two days after the murder. What if you go now and the house burns up while you're investigating? I couldn't have that happen to one of my friends."
Christian knew she was right, he would be flabbergasted if either her or Francis were harmed, but this was his job. A detective must do whatever they can to solve the mystery even if it requires sacrifice.
A ding was heard throughout the room which startled them all. "Sorry guys, it was just Kim. She says to turn on the news."
Kim was one of Mary's closest friends and her Chief. The two hung out regularly, on job and outside of it.
Francis grabbed the remote from Mary and switched it to channel nine.
"Hello, I'm your news anchor Samuel Cokieez with the latest channel nine news. We have breaking news that beloved actor Bianca Torres was recently murdered at 7:45 p.m. this evening. Police say there have been previous murders going on, but to not panic. The department has this under control and plan on finding the murderer as soon as possible. On a more lighter note-"
Mary stood up and walked over to the TV to manually turn it off. "So much for not wanting reporters to know."
Francis shook his head and muttered something along the lines of, "That was supposed to be my report."
"Guys, calm down," Christian said. "We're going to stop the murderer. I'm going to head to Cool-Green Avenue now and I'll be back around twelve. Stay here until I get back."
Francis nodded and turned the TV back on. Christian turned the knob and went outside where the chilly air greeted him. "Wait!" Mary exclaimed while going outside for him.
"Christian, you and Francis are both brothers to me. If anything were to ever happen to you guys, I don't know what I'd do."
Christian smiled and said, "No problem girl, I'll be right back."
"But we don't know that!"
"Come on Mary, I can do this." He smiled and punched her shoulder. "You know this guy is gonna be a-okay."
Mary smiled and punched his shoulder, "Okay Cherry Chair Boy, go ahead. Just take this," She said while handing him a key. "This key can open any door. We get two of these at the department and I'm trusting you with this one."
He smiled and hugged Mary, which she returned. They both laughed and waved good-bye, oblivious to the trouble they were getting themselves into.