The Adventures of Detective Sleuth

Your name? Sarah Sleuth. Your profession? Private eye. Best in the city. You had just finished up a routine dentist's appointment when you heard a scream coming from 20 floors up. You ran up the stairs, and have now arrived at the scene of a grizly murder. An old man in a suit lies dead on the ground. A younger man is sitting in the corner, holding a bloody knife. What do you do? [[Talk to the young man.]] [[Lick the knife.]]

"Yes, I admit it!" says the young man. "I killed my boss! I was angry at him for always passing me up for raises, and I wanted revenge!" You call the police, and they take the young man to jail. Mystery solved. You win! [[RESTART|Detective Sleuth]]

You lick the blood off the knife. It's warm and fresh, type B positive. "Uh, what are you doing?" says the young man, still holding the knife. [[Ask the man to lick the blood.]] [[Touch the dead body!]]

"What's going on?! I just wammmmmghghgh!!!" You have shoved the knife into the young man's mouth. [[Steal the young man's wallet.]] [[Check out the saliva on the knife.]]

You poke around at the dead body a bit. The corpse is of an older man wearing a business suit. There is a pool of blood forming underneath him. [[Question old man.]] [[Dispose of body.]]

You ask the older man to tell you what happened here, but he's keeping tight-lipped. Very suspicious... [[Talk to the young man.]] [[Dispose of body.]]

How are you supposed to investigate the crime scene with this dead body in the way! You drag the body to the window, but you can't quite lift it out. Something in the older man's pockets is making him much heavier!(set: $clothing to 1) [[Ask the young man to help you.]] [[Remove clothes.]]

You take the young man's wallet and dump out all his belongings until you find what you're looking for - a Blockbuster membership card. The man's name is Greg Stabberman. [[Touch the dead body!]] [[Talk to the young man.]]

It's wet. [[Steal the young man's wallet.]] [[Touch the dead body!]]

You ask the young man to help you throw this old man's body out the window. He agrees, surprisingly. The man says that his name is Greg Stabberman. You tell him that you knew that already - you are, after all, an incredible detective. After some work, the two of you push the older man's corpse out the window. He falls 20 stories to the street below, past your dentist's office. [[Search the room for clues.]] [[Your work here is done. Time to go home!]]

Ok, you are now in your underwear. You're not sure how that helps with throwing an old man out the window though.(set: $clothing to 0) [[Put your clothes back on, dummy!]] [[Ask the young man to help you.]]

Ok, you do so. Although you might have put your shirt on inside out by mistake - you're not sure how to tell.(set: $clothing to 0) [[Ask the young man to help you.]] [[Take off your clothes again- wait, I changed my mind, ask the young man to help you.|Ask the young man to help you.]]

Ah, yes. Now we have some space to work with! Let's see... there was only one other person in the room at the time... and the murder weapon was the knife that Greg was holding when you came in. The only conclusion you can draw is that Greg Stabberman murdered his boss in cold blood. You call the police, and they immediately take Greg to jail. Mystery solved. You win! [[RESTART|Detective Sleuth]]

You head out of the room, a spring in your step and a song in your heart. Greg follows you out, more confused than anything. The two of you head down the elevator 20 floors, and head out through your dentist's office. You are now standing in front of 44 Azure Street. The street is fairly busy for this early in the morning, with cars bustling back and forth. There is a corpse of an old man on the sidewalk, which you swear you've seen somewhere before. A street performer is juggling some balls on the other side of the street. [[Examine the corpse to determine a cause of death.]] [[Ask Greg for his opinion.]]

The corpse? Hm... from what you can tell, the man was stabbed, then pushed out of a window. There's only one person you know who could have done both of those things... Greg Stabberman, your very best friend! Oh, what a betrayal! You call the police, and they immediately take Greg to jail. Mystery solved. You win! [[RESTART|Detective Sleuth]]

"Uh... well, he's on the ground outside a 20 story building. Maybe... it's suicide?" Oh. You were referring to the juggler. But that's also a good observation! Hm... is it suicide... or MURDER?! After all, someone could have pushed him from that window! Still, that was good on Greg. Could be useful to have someone like him around helping you. But for now, you need to figure this mystery out! What do you do? [[Call the police to help.]] [[Steal the old man's clothes.]]

You call the police, and they show up about a minute later (you know a guy). You tell them everything you observed so far today, up to and including your dental hygenist's eye color. After hearing your side of the story, the officers immediately arrest Greg for the murder of that old guy. You think they might be jumping to conclusions a bit, but who are you to judge? Mystery solved. You win! [[RESTART|Detective Sleuth]]

NOW we're talking! You strip the old man of his outfit. It's an expensive-looking suit, perfect for either business attire or formal wear. Better yet, it's about your size! Score! As you remove the suit, a large piece of metal falls out. You pick it up and inspect it. The object is a giant key - likely what was making the clothes so heavy. Engraved on the key is a symbol in the shape of an octagon with a detailed ear drawn inside. You add both the suit and the key to your Inventory. Hmm... giant keys? Strange symbols? Clothes?! Perhaps this man's death wasn't just a coincidence. Perhaps... he was killed as part of some larger conspiracy! You're going to need info on all of the murders that have happened in the past week to figure out this case. And there's only one place where you can get that information! [[Continue...|Chapter 2]]

<h3>CHAPTER 2</h3> The time is 11:00 AM - one hour after the end of your dentist's opponent. In that hour, you went back to your office, to organize your thoughts and put on some new clothes (you were covered in blood, after all). Now, you and your new detective partner Greg are at the Sky City police station, looking for clues to help you solve the murder of the old man. "Ah, good morning, Mrs. Sleuth." says an officer working a desk by the door. "The captain is in a meeting with the DA right now, but I'm sure they'll be happy to see you once they're out!" [[Wait patiently for the captain to arrive.]] [[Jump over the desk and run to the captain's office.]]

You and Greg sit in a chair, awaiting the captain's arrival. The officer at the desk looks at you carefully, then at a computer screen. Suddenly, he gets up and handcuffs Greg! Two more officers come in and drag your partner away. The officer you were talking to explains that Greg is wanted as a suspect for a possible murder that took place earlier that morning. Huh. You didn't think he had it in him. Oh well, guess there was no conspiracy after all. [[RETURN TO CHECKPOINT|Chapter 2]] [[RESTART|Detective Sleuth]]

You jump over the desk, stepping on the officer's face. Greg applies first aid to the officer as you run into the captain's office. You are now in the captain's office. The office has dark wood paneling. There is a large painting on the wall, an ornate carpet spanning the floor, and a desk at the back of the room. [[Smell carpet.]] [[Appreciate painting.]] [[Snoop around desk.]]

You smell the carpet and immediately sneeze. Dust. Your one weakness. Well, that and peanuts. And reading. And talking to attractive people. It's one of at most a couple weaknesses, probably.(if: $lookedAtDesk is 1)[ [[Read the papers to help your investigation.]] [[Leave a note.]]] [[Appreciate painting.]] [[Snoop around desk.]]

A giant, professionally painted portrait hangs on the left wall. The portrait is of the captain, wearing their uniform and standing in front of a roaring fireplace. It's a fine worth of craftsmanship - which is good, because it cost four months' earnings to get it commissioned. You almost tear up at the sight of this painting. You honestly can't even imagine someone more beautiful than the captain. The way their hair flows in the wind turns your legs to jelly, the twinkle in their eyes makes you babble like an idiot, and the sound of their laughter pretty much makes you faint on contact. You're surprised someone as incredible as them even bothers to look at you. Not that it particularly matters at the moment. You're on the job right now, which means you have to maintain professionalism!(if: $lookedAtDesk is 1)[ [[Read the papers to help your investigation.]] [[Leave a note.]]] [[Smell carpet.]] [[Snoop around desk.]]

The desk is made of a polished wood - shellac and linseed oil. There is a desktop computer in the middle, with a small picture of you taped to the bottom of the monitor. To the left is another photograph of you. This one is larger, and inside a frame. The picture frame is littered with paper cutouts of pink hearts. To the right is a notepad and a pen, and even further to the right is a pile of documents that are probably important case files.(set: $lookedAtDesk to 1) [[Read the papers to help your investigation.]] [[Leave a note.]] [[Smell carpet.]] [[Appreciate painting.]]

You look through the papers. According to the documents, there have been multiple occurances of the ear-octagon symbol appearing around the city. Of course. It's all coming together now! These symbols are indicative of a cult that has been operating in secret for years! And tonight, they're going to make their move. They're going to kill the mayor! You tell the officers outside about this revalation. With your help, the Sky City Police head to the Turquoise Tuna Warehouse and arrest those cultists before their plan can enter fruition. You win! [[RETURN TO CHECKPOINT|Chapter 2]] [[RESTART|Detective Sleuth]]

You're a busy woman, and you might not be able to stick around much longer. Probably best to leave a note so you can still ask the captain your questions. You grab a pen and start writing on the notepad. Ok. Focus, Sleuth. Keep it professional. "Dear Captain-" Aw, nuts. You dotted your "i" with a heart. Dammit, Sleuth! That's not professional at all! [[Scribble that out and start again.]] [[Just keep writing.]]

You scribble out the "Dear Captain" and start writing on the next line. "My eternally beautiful Captain-" Dammit, Sleuth, that's worse! And you still dotted the "i" with a heart! Do you have any professionalism at all?! [[PANIC]] [[PANIC]]

You continue onto the next line and begin the body of your letter. "I have come to this establishment in order to obtain some information on a case. I believe there is a conspiracy going on, and I need your aid to get to the bottom of it. For you see, I am attempting to solve the mystery of why you are so beautiful, and why my heart ca-" For crying out loud, Detective! I swear, it's like you can't go two sentences without mentioning how perfect and special the captain is! How are you supposed to make this letter seem professional now?! [[PANIC]] [[PANIC]]

To Be Continued...