Questioning the guests (open to all)

[splendid_roman]

Ian was keen to find out who'd murdered the poor man. Although his background was in science he wasn't sure where to start there. He could analyse things to discover what killed him and look for fingerprints, but he needed somewhere to start first. So he was off to find one of the guests to speak to and stopped in front of a door, beyond which he

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[first_in_time]

Barbara squeezed his hand while she listened to the conversation on the other side of the door. Only a few words could be made out; names mostly, all to do with who might have killed Mr. Black.

"Should we go in?" she whispered to Ian, wondering if he wanted to listen in a little more first.

[splendid_roman]

He shook his head, hoping they'd mention something about who killed Dr Black, but they'd gone silent. So Ian knocked and entered. In the dining room was a woman in a red dress and an older man in a dark purple jacket. The woman stood in a corner, looking unhappy, the man was sitting at the table, looking relaxed.

"Yes?" that man said at their entrance. "What do you want?"

"We just wanted to see if everything was all right," Ian replied. "We heard raised voices."

[first_in_time]

"How could everything be alright?" asked the woman, turning up his nose at the two intruders. "Someone has been murdered!"

"We're dreadfully sorry," Barbara replied, the very epitome of humility. "We just want to help."

The man at the table chuckled into a half-glass of whiskey on the rocks. "Help? It's a bit late for that."

[splendid_roman]

"Maybe if we could find out who killed him," Ian said, sliding into a chair opposite the man. "At least we could get justice for him."

"Well, I don't know who did it," the man replied and finished off his whiskey.

"I'm Ian, this is Barbara," Ian said, trying for a friendly footing at least.

"Miss Scarlett." The woman beamed at him. "This is Professor Plum."

[first_in_time]

Barbara frowned. It was all sounding rather familiar but she couldn't work out why. "It's a pleasure, circumstances aside." She eyed Miss Scarlett and her beautiful - albeit clingy - dress, and professor Plum, who simply looked curious, and found her way to the chair next to Ian.

"I wasn't aware that we were to have so many detectives on the case," Professor Plum sneered.

"We work better in teams," Barbara kindly pointed out.

[splendid_roman]

"Did you hear or see anything just before Dr Black was murdered?" Ian asked.

Professor Plum shook his head. "I'm afraid I heard nothing until Miss Scarlett screamed."

She blushed. "I discovered the body. I am not used to seeing dead men at parties."

[first_in_time]

"I should expect not," Barbara pointed out, folding her hands over the table. "Did you see anyone running from the scene at all?"

[splendid_roman]

Miss Scarlett though about that for a moment. "That's what we were arguing about," she admitted. "I thought I saw Professor Plum, but-"

He cut her off. "And I told you it couldn't have been me. I was playing billiards with Mrs White. She happens to be a dab hand at it."

"Perhaps it was someone else," Miss Scarlett admitted.

[first_in_time]

"Does anyone look like Professor Plum?" Barbara asked politely. "You might have been in such a shock that you didn't see them properly."

[splendid_roman]

Professor Plum answered for her. "Mustard's about my height isn't he?"

"I suppose it is," Miss Scarlett said, but she didn't sound like she agreed with him much.

"So we just need to find out where everyone was at the time," Ian said. "Where were you?"

[first_in_time]

"Playing billiards with Mrs White, I told you that!" Plum answered.

"And what about you, Miss Scarlett?" Barbara asked, calling the attention back to the other woman.

"I was going to the kitchens downstairs when I saw Mr. Black," she replied.

[splendid_roman]

Since his question had been mostly directed at Miss Scarlett, even if he hadn't been looking at her, Ian ignored Professor Plum's outburst.

"I don't suppose you know where any of the others were?" Ian asked.

Miss Scarlett shook her head. "Everyone went off in pairs after dinner. I went upstairs to powder my nose and didn't wait to see where they went."

Professor Plum knew, though. "Mustard muttered something about a book to Mrs Peacock and they went off to the library. Black and Reverend Green were having a political discussion, but I'm not sure which room they went in."

[first_in_time]

"So then you don't know when, or indeed if Dr. Black and the Reverend left one another before Dr. Black was murdered?" Barbara asked and only got a shrug in reply.

[splendid_roman]

"Perhaps we should speak to Reverend Green," Ian suggested. "Do you know where he might be?"

Miss Scarlett shock her head, but Professor Plum said, "Try the conservatory. I think I saw him headed in that direction."

[first_in_time]

"Thank you," Barbara said with a kind smile at Miss Scarlett and Professor Plum, as she lifted herself out of the chair, pushed it back until the table and left the room with Ian.

[splendid_roman]

Ian smiled at them both, Miss Scarlett giving him a particularly brilliant smile in return.

"I'm quite enjoying being a detective for the day," Ian said, once they were outside. "Now where you do suppose the conservatory is?"