'The Harlequin Apartments' by SeaSnap

SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
In this forum I'll be posting my own Mr Quin story. Please feel to comment but DON'T post another story in this. Make your own forum please!

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  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom

    Every morning, the paperboy arrived at Harlequin Cottage to deliver the morning’s paper at 9 O’clock. Mr Satterthwaite had always just finished his breakfast by 9. But, one Sunday morning, the paperboy didn’t arrive when Mr Satterthwaite had finished his toast. Nor had he arrived 30 minutes later. In fact, the paperboy had not even arrived by the time Mr Satterthwaite had come home from church with Bruce Alcott, his neighbour. The paperboy arrived at 2pm, with blood on his brown tweed waistcoat, with cries of “Murder! Murder at Harlequin Apartments!”

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
    edited October 2013

    Mr Satterthwaite leapt from his comfortable, leather chair by the fire and ran along the road in the direction of the paperboy’s voice. The voice that came in the direction of the Harlequin Apartments. By the time Mr Satterthwaite arrived, him being an old man, most of the residents of Stoptide had crowded round the young boy.

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
    edited October 2013

    “I saw him! I saw him I tell you!” cried the young boy’s squeaky voice “He was up in Apartment 27. I…I…I was knocked out wasn’t I. Woke up and ran.” He carried on, but Mr Satterthwaite had gone inside of the Apartments, and up to Number 27.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom

    With caution and care, Mr Satterthwaite eased open the door. The sight that met him was surprising, for it was not what Mr Satterthwaite intended. What he saw was a room of extreme neatness and order. It was almost perfectly symmetrical. Nothing seemed out of place. Mr Satterthwaite wouldn’t have known this was a scene of crime but for the fact that the elderly man in the armchair, to the left of the door, wasn’t moving. The table behind the armchair where the man was sitting was pristine, except for the morning’s paper lying on it. The corpse was lying back within the chair, and the chair was pulled up by the fire. There was no sign of a struggle, and the only sign of murder was the thick red line around the poor man’s neck. The man had been strangled.

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
    edited November 2013

    Looking out the window, Mr Satterthwaite saw that the crowd around the boy had dispersed. No one else had come towards the apartments, so Mr Satterthwaite guessed that no one took the boy seriously. But, Bruce Alcott had stayed behind and seemed to be thrusting money into the paperboy’s scrawny hand, which the boy placed into a wallet. Then, Bruce left. But only after he grabbed the boy by the cuff, lifted him up to his and murmured something in the boy’s ear. It was only then that Mr Satterthwaite noticed that the paperboy, who was only 4 foot 5 and was dwarfed by Mr Satterthwaite’s 6 foot neighbour, looked smug. He looked like he had power over Bruce Alcott. He looked in control.

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
    edited November 2013

    Sunday was Bridge Club night. Mr Satterthwaite played low, but never lost. No one new ever joined. In fact, it was only ever Mr Satterthwaite, Bruce Alcott, Hannah Alcott, Mrs Whitehall from the post office and 4 other pensioners, with whom Mr Satterthwaite was not connected, who ever played. But tonight, a man appeared, almost out thin air. A man Mr Satterthwaite knew well. Harley Quin. “Good evening, Satterthwaite” said Mr Quin placidly. “So it is, Quin” replied Mr Satterthwaite, slightly annoyed at the man’s informality, “I take it that you know exactly what happened” his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Well,” murmured Mr Quin, not picking up on Mr Satterthwaite’s sarcasm, “I do have an idea of what went on in that apartment, and it’s probably right. I think that the deceased man’s name will enlighten you.” Mr Satterthwaite was about to ask what it was, and how it made any difference, when he looked and saw that the enigmatic Mr Harley Quin had vanished as mysteriously as he had come.

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
    edited November 2013

    Later, as Mr Satterthwaite was putting the cards back in the pack after a successful night, he noticed an incredible similarity between the joker and Mr Harley Quin. With great care, Mr Satterthwaite turned over the card to find the name ‘Calvin Alcott’ written in spindly multi-colours. Suddenly, with the deceased’s name, Mr Satterthwaite thought he knew how Calvin Alcott, the man in the armchair, was murdered.

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
    edited December 2013

    The police station was sparse and bare. Constable Matthews was a plump man, who spoke in loud, sharps sentences. “What do you want?” he shouted, even though Mr Satterthwaite was only across the policeman’s small, wooden desk. “I wish to report a murder in Number 27 of the Harlequin Apartments” said Mr Satterthwaite, very calmly and very pleasantly.  Constable Matthews spat the hot, steaming coffee back into his cup. “What‽” Mr Satterthwaite repeated, just as calmly. “Tell me everything you know” said Constable Matthews, reaching in to one of his desk drawers for a pen and pencil. So Mr Satterthwaite began.

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
    “Yesterday, Calvin Alcott was strangled in Number 27 of the Harlequin Apartments. The only witness was the murderer-” “Who is‽” interjected Constable Matthews, who hadn’t found a pencil or a pen. “Wait, I am getting there” said Mr Satterthwaite, who was slightly annoyed at the interruption. “The murderer had been let in by Calvin Alcott willingly. He was strangled the only thing the murderer had to hand. An elastic band. He left for us two clues, the mark of the band and a newspaper.” Mr Satterthwaite had finished, but Constable Matthews didn’t think so. “So, who is the blasted killer‽” he yelled, leaning over the desk to get in Mr Satterthwaite’s face. “Isn’t it obvious?” said Mr Satterthwaite pleasantly. “The killer is…"
  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom

    “…Bruce Alcott.” interjected a man who had appeared behind Mr Satterthwaite. The man looked like the joker of a pack of cards. “And what is your name?” barked Constable Matthews. “Mr Quin.” Replied Harley Quin, as if that was enough. “So, Mr Quin” asked Constable Matthews “how you came to know that Bruce Alcott is the vile killer.” “I will explain once Mr Satterthwaite has left.” Mr Quin stated. So, reluctantly, Mr Satterthwaite left. Once outside, he tried to work out how his next-door neighbour was the murderer. If the paperboy wasn’t the murderer, how was he involved? After all, he had been paid by Bruce. But what had he been paid to do?

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
    edited January 2014

    Later, after Bruce had been arrested, Harley Quin sat down in Mr Satterthwaite. When he was told its name, Harlequin Cottage, he smiled. “You got it wrong, Satterthwaite” said a very grave Mr Quin. “How?” asked Mr Satterthwaite “How did Bruce do it? What about the paper boy?” “I will explain.” replied Mr Harley Quin.

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
    edited January 2014
    “Calvin and Bruce Alcott were brothers. Neither of them had children, so each had the other named as their sole heir in their will. Hannah married Bruce after he made his will, and it is yet to be changed. Calvin Alcott had just announced that he was going to change his will and leave his possessions to the Apartments. It was the headline of yesterday’s paper, though I doubt you read it.” Mr Satterthwaite groaned. “How could I miss that‽” “At 8:30, Bruce left for his brothers Apartment. He tried to persuade him not to change the will, but was interrupted by the paperboy. In a flash of inspiration, he knocked the paperboy out cold. Then, he took the elastic band off his roll of newspapers and strangled Calvin in his chair. Then, he placed the newspaper on the table. He proceeded to pour a blood-like substance on the boy’s jacket, and then woke him up. He bribed the boy into coming out at 2 O’clock and shouting it out to give him the perfect alibi.” “So he was being bribed, not paid?” asked Mr Satterthwaite.
  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom
    edited January 2014
    “Yes.” replied Harley Quin. “You were going to send an innocent boy to hang.” <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

  • SeaSnapSeaSnap Cornwall, United Kingdom

    “Yes.” replied Harley Quin. “You were going to send an innocent boy to hang."

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