And Then There Was One (2019)

Chapter 25 - Murder #10

Orlando, Florida

July 3, 2019

Roughly 12:00am EST

Eventually, Roope Hintz, Tayler Thompson, Colby McAuley, Timo Meier, Boris Katchouk, Alex Barre-Boulet and Brendan Gallagher burst from the southeast tunnel that leads out to the World Show'scapade Lagoon, where the Kid's Zone is.

They all skip down the slanted walkway ramp, passing by the iconic sign and coming close to the kid's area.

There is a faded sparkling rainbow-themed archway that greets them, letting them know that they have reached the kid's area.

"There he is!" Roope shouts out. "We picked the right castle exit! How convenient?!"

TT grabs Colby by his scruff, pulling him up into his arms and races into the kid's zone, heading right for a blue hippo. He unleashes a kid-like scream of excitement as he begins to play around in the Kid's Zone. He looks odd, being a child-like spirit inside of a grown male adult's body. But, nevertheless, he is still a kid.

Jonne is sitting at the bottom of a slide's opening with his head in his hands. He appears to be sobbing.

At their arrival, Jonne snaps his head up. He has tears glistening in his eyes.

"I didn't do it! I swear!" Jonne blurts out.

"We're not jumping to conclusions," Brendan says, hopping over the short railing that lines the kid park.

"But we're not going to ignore that facts either," Timo growls at him.

"Easy, Hand-Pass," Jonne growls back at him. "What facts?"

"Like the fact that you were with Mesky alone..." Timo snarls, digging his claws into the plush ground of the park.

Roope walks over to a statue. It's a sculpture of a woman with a mask and has a stream of water spouting out of her pursued 'kissy' lips. He licks the palm of his hand and runs it over his head, flattening his hair down.

"Hey," Roope says, cocking his eyebrows in a sexy expression. "What's up? I know you're a statue, but you're one stone-cold fox. Maybe we could hook up?"

"Roope, stop flirting with the statue and get over here!" Brendan scolds. "And someone grab TT and Coco, before there's something bad there."

"I'm shocked he hasn't flirted with me yet," Alex states, holding his head high and looking at his fingertips like a preppy kid. "But, I suppose if he or anyone did, Katzy would end them. He gets jealous of those that double glance my way. Right, Ross?"

Ross sighs and rolls his eyes. He shoots a look at Roope, who is trying to kiss the statue now.

"ROOPE!" Jonne and Brendan snap.

Roope halts, before kissing the statue, and spins to them. "Sorry...she was kinda hot. And my Texan-sized sexual desires were beginning to act up. I'm starved!"

"Not for long..." someone growls in a dark voice as the lights flicker around the kid's area.

Then the area is flooded with darkness.

"GATHER TOGETHER!!! TAYLER!" Brendan shouts out.

Everyone clusters together as best as they can. There is an ear-splitting scream and then a strange, disgusting gurgling noise.

That's when the lights flicker back on.

Roope is lying face-down at the feet of the female statue. He has multiple stab wounds, including one that looks like the fatal stab to where the heart is. In one of the hands of the statue is a blood-stained knife and in the other is the familiar crumpled up piece of paper. The water stream coming out of the statue's mouth has ceased as well.

"Roope, no!" Jonne gasps, seeing his friend lying still on the ground. He puts two fingers to Roope's neck to check for a pulse and discovers that there is nothing. "Shit!! Guys!! He's dead!"

"No...really?!" Colby sassily says, throwing a paw out. He spins to TT. "And you, NEVER drag me onto this fluffy, childish pile of junk again."

TT's lips quiver. "Sorry, Coco...just having fun."

Jonne gets back up to his feet. "Still thinking I'm the killer here, anyone?! He was my BEST friend, other than Otto. Why would I kill either of them?!"

Brendan taps his chin.

Boris plucks the paper from the statue's fist and unravels it. He reads the latest line of the poem:

"Nine professional hockey players remained wondering what to do,

One fell in love with a woman, who was straight and then there were eight."

Brendan puts his hands on his hips. "The killer isn't letting up and we're getting nowhere. I think everyone grabs hands -- or paws -- and we move through the park this way. For all we know, none of us could be the killer and it really could be someone from the outside. But, then again, it could be one of us still."

"That sounds like a good idea, actually," Ross exclaims. "I'll hold Jonne's hand!"

"Gross, gay," Jonne teases, faking puke.

"Just take my damn hand," Jonne snaps, throwing his hand out for Ross to take.

Brendan grabs Boris' hand. Boris takes Alex's hand (not that he really has a choice). Alex is forced to take Colby's paw (much to Colby's grumbling dislike). Attached to Colby is TT, who is then attached to Timo's paw. Timo's other paw is grabbed by Jonne. And on the other side, bringing up the rear is Ross.

Like an awkward kid chain, Brendan leads them out of the kid's area and in the direction of Deception Hill, where Mitch Hults had been killed earlier. 

****

Did anyone guess Roope Hintz as the potential killer in the end? If so, sorry, he isn't the killer either... :)

Time to make another guess (and feel free to comment guesses below) as we will soon move onto the next murder here!!