I was with Cade when the commotion started happening. Honestly, I was kind of thankful that something else happened, we wandered hallways checking every inch of the spare guest rooms for hours. It was mostly my Idea, and Cade seemed pretty annoyed the entire time, so I felt a little bad.

We were walking back to the ballroom when we heard the chattering of many people. From the tone of their voices, it sounded like something bad. When we opened the door, everyone was back in the dining room, much like how it was when we arrived. There were men trying to calm everyone down, through the commotion, Cade and I pushed past the people, eventually finding the other group amidst the chaos.

“What happened?” Cade asked with his usual serious look on his face.

“They found a body,” Leilani said. She didn’t speak much, but when she did, it was always in a reserved matter. There was a body? Did she mean a fake dead body, like one made for the party? After I asked her that question with full confidence, I realized that if it was indeed a fake body, then there likely wouldn’t be such a commotion. She merely shook her head, while there was definitely no sense of disappointment, it sure felt like it.

I don’t know these people at all, but it didn’t seem uncomfortable to be around them for me. I suppose I might just have been an outgoing person. When we were roaming through the halls trying to find any clue, I had a lot of time to think about my situation. I was placed in here with a group of adults, and one other teenager. Leilani couldn’t be younger than me, so we were either the same age, or she was older. Cade, looked to be in his late twenties. He always seemed so irritated, even when we were just merely looking around. His face always had an expression like he was just insulted.

I was lost in my thoughts when the chatter of the room almost instantly died down, the lighting dimmed slightly, and the chatter soon turned to mere whispers. The guests talked among each other, as a young man hastily walked up the right set of stairs. He nearly tripped halfway up. I was much too far away to notice any distinct features, but I did notice he had a short set of blonde hair.

“Attention everyone! I apologize for the delay, but before I begin, I want to state, that the murder mystery party is now canceled! This is not part of any act I can assure you,”

Whispers came from the crowd.

“A tragedy has occurred tonight, I barely can even put this into words, but Joseph Donner was found dead,”

The crowd erupted, with many shocked expressions and sounds coming from the audience. Then, the shouting began. It was all too much to hear anything, but everyone was either scared, angry, or both.

“I know, I know!” The man began to shout over everybody. “I know you are all scared, as the entire family is! But I need everyone to remain calm!”

The shouting and disheveled mob of people grew more and more intense, so much so that they started pushing us around. Cade moved a little in front of me, a small scoff coming from his mouth as he pushed people off of us. He was rather tall, next to him I was only about as tall as his chin.

“As he was murdered during the party, everyone here is a suspect, therefore, we cannot allow any of you to leave!”

I knew then, that the panicked room would only get worse, once they realized they couldn’t leave. Thankfully, a woman snagged the microphone from him, tapping on it a couple of times, causing feedback to echo throughout the entire room.

It worked, and the people eventually settled down a little bit. I heard whispers in the crowd, saying things like “His Wife,” and “Mr’s Donner”. She sniffled before she started talking into the mic.

“As much as this news is a shock to us, and of course, to me the most. My beloved husband is now in a greater place, one far better than this mortal plane. I know that it is a scary time, but please, we need to stay calm and work together right now, not only for my sake but for his sake as well. Please, ladies and gentlemen, help me find my husband's killer,”

She talked a little more, about the times that they shared, the good memories they had, and even calling out some people in the crowd, which had gone mostly silent by now. It was almost like a funeral speech. By the end, she, and a good portion of the crowd, were in tears.

After the speech, the people completely calmed down by now and started talking amongst themselves. Up ahead by the bottom of the stairwell, Cade had noticed that Joshephs wife, was being approached by a line of people, all of them hoping to offer their condolences. I noticed his eyes narrow down, looking around briefly before he turned around to us.

“I’ll be right back,” He said walking off. I had two options: staying here in wait or letting my curiosity get the better of me. I chose the latter, following behind him. I felt like he would get a little annoyed if I went right behind or next to him, so I opted to fall back a little, but only enough so that I would be able to hear what he was saying. After a little while, maybe about fifteen minutes or so, Cade finally met Mrs Donner face to face. From here, I could see her almost perfectly. She was a beautiful woman and had long, silky black hair, that was placed upon her right shoulder and fell in front of her. Her eyes were a dark brown color, and probably the most noticeable feature, was her green eyeshadow, as dark as mold in a cave. I didn’t know how else to describe it. Her dress was all black and made with a material that allowed it to sparkle in the light, her shoes were the same color.

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“Hello, Mrs Donner, I assume?”

“Yes… That would be me,” She said in a rather somber tone.

“I’m deeply troubled by what happened to your husband, and I know you’re going through an unimaginable time right now,” Cade said.

“It’s been such a shock, and to think, that the killer is likely in the room with us right now,”

Cade’s tone lowered, and it became almost impossible to hear, I had to push past a few people, just to get in earshot of his words.

“Well, that’s what I’m here for. You see, I knew your husband quite well, we often had drinks together. You see, My name is Cade. I’m a detective, with no major name or firm. I’m a little off my feet right now, but I assure you, my skills are second to none. I can help you find who did this,”

Mrs Donner seemed stunned, her mouth was slightly agape, before quickly clearing her throat.

“Thank you for your sentiment, but honestly, I cannot in good faith allow you to dive into our family lives as an outsider,” She said. Cade shook his head,

“You misunderstand, I will not pry into any of your personal matters, all I ask is that you let me talk to some of the important people here, who knew him much better than the rest. Please, let me do this, as one last service to him,” Cade bowed his head slightly.

She was speechless, for but a moment, but once again regained her composure, before speaking to him.

“Alright, do what you must, meet with me once I’m done talking to these people, and we’ll talk,”

Cade nodded his head, turned back around, walking to the group. When he passed me, his eyes shifted in my direction. I guess I wasn’t as hidden as I thought I was. A little shamefully, I walked back with him, meeting up with the others. He informed them about what he had talked about.

“I didn’t know that you were a detective Cade, have you regained some of your memory back?” Quinn laughed. A slightly puzzled look formed on Cade's face.

“No, I just lied. It allowed us the opportunity to gain more information. Which reminds me, who found the body? Was it one of the family members?” Cade asked. I was curious as well. I assumed that one of the staff members or one of the guests had found it, and reported it immediately, causing the panic. However, what I wasn’t expecting, was for Leilani and Quinn to point to Arianne.

“Huh? It was you?” I said, pretty obviously surprised.

“If you guys were the ones who found it, why did you report it so fast, we could have looked into it without all of the fuss,” Cade said.

“We didn’t have anywhere to start, remember, we are only here to solve this murder, we don’t know anyone, we had no knowledge of anyone here, this way, we at least have some sort of basis to start with. We can question his wife, and gain entryway into the family, after all, you did just that right?” Quinn said. Cade remained silent for a moment, likely processing something, eventually, he sighed and nodded his head.

“You’re much smarter than I thought,”

I could tell that stung Quinn a little, I don’t think he meant it as a backhanded comment, but it definitely came out that way.

While we were waiting for Mrs Donner to be ready, Leilani suddenly spoke up about something.

“Do any of you two know anything about guns?” She asked.

Guns? I didn’t think so. The most I know is what was shown on television, mainly action movies. Things like firing the gun sideways, or shooting another bullet with a bullet. Safe to say I wouldn't be much help, so I shook my head.

“No, even though I came here with one, I don’t know much about them, just the basics and how to use it,” Cade said.

Leilani motioned to Quinn, who pulled something out of his pant pockets. She grabbed it and showed it to us.

“Woah!” I nearly shouted, my voice a little too loud. A few people turned their heads but quickly looked away.

“Is that thing real?” I asked, regarding the revolver in her hand. She held it by the barrel, so at least she wasn’t pointing it at us.

She merely shrugged her shoulders and handed it back to Quinn. After a little while longer, Mrs Donner walked over to us, specifically Cade.

“Thank you for your patience, come with me, I’d like to introduce you to some people,”

“Would it be okay if these people came with me? They are my family, and attended the party with me today,” Cade said. Mrs Donner gave a slightly annoyed look, but rather quickly smiled and nodded her head. I guess she didn’t want many people.

She led us up the stairs and opened the door at the top, the room was the exact same color palate as the guest rooms. Donner must have loved the red and gold color. Facing where we entered a large black leather couch, with a coffee table in front of it. Behind the couch, was a smaller table, with a lamp standing on it. Other than that there wasn’t anything else in the room.

Sitting on the couch, there were three people, one woman and two men. The man sitting on the very right was young, he had short, blonde hair, and wore a black suit with a grey tie. He seemed nervous, almost distraught, his emerald eyes were wide, nearly bloodshot.

In the middle, another man, one much older. His longer black hair was greying slightly, it was combed to the side, and his bushy eyebrows furrowed like he was thinking about something. His eyes were a plain brown, and wore a dark blue suit with a black tie, and a golden watch around his wrist.

Finally on the very left, A rather tall woman. Her long blonde hair fell down to her hips, it was awfully straight. I couldn’t see her eyes due to the dark sunglasses she wore. Her dress was a long white one, it flowed all the way down to her ankles and had small flower designs woven into it. She sat with her legs crossed, her black heels hanging in the air. Mrs Donner sat down as well.

“Now, where would you like to start, detective”