//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: A New World, a New Lifestyle // by Omega_code //------------------------------// *Click* The lightbulb on the camera flashed, briefly illuminating brightly the dead turquoise mare laying on the floor in a pool of blood. The mare was an earth pony, probably around near her twenties Deputy Maxim noted to himself as he angle the camera for another photo. He never really like this part of the job, taking photos of a crime scene, especially if it was for a murder. He knew it was import to catalog how the room looked and everything, but he always felt it was... disrespectful to take picture of the dead. Especially if they were mulled like she was. The mare was laying on her side, slashes covering her blood soaked chest. They didn’t seem to run too deep, but that was the least of her wounds. Her two forehooves were... cut off, just around the joint in the knee. He had no idea why anypony would do something this... severe, almost feral of way of killing. The white unicorn snapped another picture before his aqua eyes glanced over at Xerox, Scarlet opting out from coming inside, not wanting to get in their way with her bulky snake body. Still, the fox was handling better than Maxim had thought he would. He thought the fox would be a bit hesitant of being so close to a dead body with the fresh smell of blood still linger in the air, but Xerox wasn’t showing any signs as he stood at the edge of the pool of the bloody, his teal eyes slowly examining the mare. Xerox’s head tilted up and his eyes began to scan across the room, one of his claws tapping against the side of his hip. Then something truly bizarre happened, the jewel on his long mane started to glow and his form began to shifted. Before the unicorn's eyes, Xerox completely change from his fox appearance to something the pony had never seen before. “What in the world!?” Maxim exclaimed as he examined the pinkish skinned bipedal creature. Xerox’s eyes were snapped out of his train of thought, and he realized what he just did. “Oh... sorry...” he said in a bit bashful, rubbing a five digit hand on the back of his head. “It’s... just an illusion I cast over myself to help me... think.” “Some illusion...” the unicorn murmured as he gazed over the clothes Xerox was ‘wearing’, how they looked like they were woven out of real cloth. “Yeah...” Xerox replied in a small voice before shaking his head. “Now... are you sure there wasn’t anyone else here when you found this?” he asked, his head turning away and back in examining the room, walking and looking closely at everything. The room was in a mess, with some colorful vests were scattered all the floor. Crumpled up pieces of paper litter around a trash can which stood next to a desk, which was covered in blank music sheets and empty cans of soda. Posters of various rock bands were hung along the side of the walls, an unmade bed sitting underneath most of them on the eastern wall. And standing in the middle of all of that was a electric guitar with an amplifier, though both were busted with steam of guitar snapped in half and the speaker also sliced up. “Yep, else I would had detain them instead,” Maxim answered as he took another photo of the broken equipment. “So... you just arrested Lance because he was the first person you ran into?” Xerox asked with a small frowned. “Yes... I mean, not only that but there were the v-shaped footprints outside and... well....” The unicorn gestured a hoof at the body. “Just look at those slash marks... something like him could’ve done it with ease.” “Or anyone else really,” Xerox pointed out before kneeling down and pointing out a finger at the cuts. “But they are also too low for him to make too.” “What?” Maxim asked dumbfounded with a confused frown. “All of the cuts are mostly located on her chest, meaning if Lance was the cause, then he would have to be kneeling down to swing at her,” Xerox explained, his arms swing out slowly demonstrating with a couple of awkward swings. “And I know from experience being with him that for one it would be very hard for him to do so. He would also most likely stabbed into her if he was attacking from this angle or not bother kneeling all together and slash across her back if he was standing over her.” “I guess when you put it like that... it make sense,” the deputy said with small frown as he tried to picture what was being told to him. “But that’s still a bit hypothetical thinking still.” Xerox frown as he stood up and place a hand under his chin. “Well... how did he kill her without busting his way in?” he questioned, glancing down at the pony. Maxim raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, you did say you had to bust through the door to get in once you notice there was a dead body in here, right?” The pony nodded his head. “Well, how did Lance get in or out without busting the door down himself, or a window for that matter. I mean... he’s not the best at opening doors to tell you that much.” Maxim blinked blankly at the such simple state of fact. He raise a hoof and slowly pointed at Xerox. “Good point... I’ll go check the windows... just to be sure we aren’t missing something,” he said before he left the room. Ah pony feathers... my first real case in months and I possible already made a false arrest! he mentally exclaimed with a shameful shake of his head. Xerox’s eyes followed the deputy head out of the room before glancing back at the mare laying on the floor. I think I just proved Lance’s innocence in all of this... which was easy enough... now to figure out who killed her and why. The three big things that really stuck out to the Zoroark were that the guitar and the amplifier were broken, the front of her fore hooves were hacked off, and the lack of foot prints. He could only guess that those were done after she was killed, based on how the cuts look. The ones on her chest were clean, showing very little jag marks, but her hooves showed signs several cuts marks stacked on top of each other. Meaning they were obviously being hack off, most likely some cutting knife or the like. Mental note, do a check of the kitchen for any missing knives, he told himself as he glanced at the amplifier. He spoted small specks of blood hanging from the metal wire covering and how jagged some of the cuts were. Took a bit more work to cut through that... he said to himself as he looked down at the floor. The mare and her pool of blood stood lied between him and the guitar and amplifier. There were no signs of the blood being disturbed, no footprint leading up to the speaker or away from the room. But there should. It was impossible to cut someone that close, spilling so much blood for it not to get on the bottom of your feet unless you were standing far away. Only that brings up the question of how could you inflict that many cuts, and not get a drop of blood on the bottom of your feet? Xerox closed his eyes and tapped a finger under his chin lightly, pondering possibilities in his mind. Hoof steps echoed from the doorway as Maxim stepped back inside. “All the windows are still intact...” he informed the Zoroark, sounding a bit disappointed in the next part. “So... I possibly made a rash judgement and arrested wrongly...” He let out a long sigh, a hoof rubbing down his face. “Indeed... now, while you were going around the house, how clean did it look?” he asked deputy, opening his eyes and turning to face him. The deputy blinked in surprise at the question. “How clean it looked?” The Zoroark nodded his head head. “Yes, it’s a very simple question. Did it look as messy as this room, or at least kept tidy up and organized?” Maxim continued to frown in confusion at the question. “Tidy and organized I guess... but how is that important to the case?” Xerox smiled. “Elementary my young deputy, because why should our Jane Doe-” he pointed down at the mare “-keep a whole house clean and organized, but leave her room messy and unkept? Unless, someone else did the work.” The pony blinked before his eyes light up and widen. “Somepony was also living with her, but isn’t here!” he stated in realization before smiling widely. “Which means-” “Which means there’s a pony living here but isn’t here at the moment,” Xerox interrupted with a shake of his finger. “We can’t jump to conclusions just yet. For all we know that other pony could be a victim too.” Maxim closed his mouth and slowly nod his head in agreement. “Right... that’s a good point.” “So our next logical step is to asked the neighboring ponies some questions about who our Jane Doe is and who else lives in this house,” the human disguised Zoroark stated matter of factly. “Then we need to find out why she was killed,” he said, tapping his chin lightly. The unicorn also frowned slightly as he tapped his hoof in thought against the carpet floor before their ears perked up at a noise outside. “My word what is that!?” a mare’s voice stated very loudly out in shock. Maxim and Xerox both exchanged glances at each other before they rushed to the door. Maxim opened the door with his magic and the two exited the house to see another unicorn standing outside looking at Scarlet in bewilderment. The other unicorn was a mare with a teal coat and blueish green eyes. She was wearing what looked like a yellow raincoat with a matching set of boots, saddle and a hat, though the boots were slightly covered in mud. Her head whirled around to the two of them and her eyes grew. “What the? Who are you and what are you doing in my house!?” she demanded. Maxim step up in front. “Ma’ma, I’m Deputy Maxim... I regret to inform you that there’s been a murder in your house.” The mare’s harsh glare quickly turned into surprise and shock. “Oh my goodness... who’s been killed? Was it Cello or Sanitary?” she asked worryingly. Xerox’s eyebrow rose slightly upon hearing two names, though Maxim just glanced away with hesitant frown. “The victim was an earth pony, tan fur and hazel mane,” he informed, looking back up at the mare. The mare’s eyes went dull. “...Cello is dead...” she said in ghostly tone, her legs suddenly giving out on her. Maxim rushed to her side and helped her get back up. “You’re okay ma’ma?” he asked, looking at her a bit concerned. “Yes I’m.. good... I just... can’t believe someone killed Cello,” the mare replied, gulped a lump in her throat. “I... I need to sit down...” Maxim slowly nodded his head and helped guided the mare back inside. Xerox got out of the way and stayed outside, Scarlet slithering up to him. “So, status report?” she asked. “Well... I think I was able to prove Lance couldn’t have committed the crime,” he replied. “Well that’s good,” the Serperior said with a nod of her head. “Yeah... now to find the real killer,” he said, placing a hand under his chin and rubbing in a pondering way. “Got any ideas?” Scarlet asked. “Well... the door was locked and the windows weren’t busted open. Meaning whoever killed her was able to get in without the aid of force,” he listed. “So either one of the two ponies who lived here... or even someone Cello knew and let in.” “Both are reasonable possibilities,” Scarlet agreed with another nod of her head. “Yes... and to find out who I need to start looking at the kitchen,” Xerox stated. A frown crossed the Serperior’s face as she glanced at him with a raise eyeridge. “The kitchen?” Xerox nodded his head. “Yes... I have a feeling an important clue is going to be found there.” “Like?” Scarlet inquired. The Zoroark smiled confidently. “The murder weapon, and the last person who was inside with the victim.”