Appointment with death

Charlotte had stormed out of the ballroom. She ripped the mask off her face. She felt so humiliated.
Looking beautifull became a harder task to achieve each day, and those fumbling idots should not make her task any harder.
She sighed, trying to calm herself down. She walked towards the desk, taking a seat on the chair next to it.
She was unsure what would or should happen now. People probably would judge her for loosing temper like that. She hoped she could butter people up.
She stood up again, walking to the window and looking out to the dark city opening before her. She decided to stay away from the party until someone would come find her. She was sure someone would sooner or later.

(and we'll assume some time has passed )
After taking his leave he made his way to the study where he was pretty sure that diva would have decided to go he entered quietly and locked the door behind him. "Well that was certainly a little show you put on." He commented with a dry laugh.

Charlotte swiftly turned her head to the dirsection of the voice. She recognised it, but was not quite sure who it was. "Glad you enjoyed it mr mystery." She replied dryly. "One can't get good staff these days." She said with a sigh, looking out the window again. "I assume you are here to take me back to the party?"

He smiled and approached her, "Not exactly, and I'm surprised you haven't realized who I am." He stated as he removed his mask, "Long time no see Charlotte...how's the kid been?" He asked with a dark smile.

Her eyes widened in shock as she turned to face the man again. Not many people knew that secret of hers. She recognised him now. "She is doing fine. Why are you asking? It has been indeed long, I assumed I sould not her from you again."
She was slightly worried this man had some alterior motive behind his questions. If he was going to blackmail her by using her daughter he was wrong. "How much do you want this time?"

He smirked, he was secretly pleased that he was able to cause this kind of reaction with her, "Well that depends...how much is she worth to you?" He asked as he moved to sit down on the chair behind the desk.

Charlotte crossed her arms as she turned to glare at the man. "Don't put a prize on her. Put the price for your silence, or do you wish for me to reveal your involvment in this all too?" She wouldn't go down without a fight. "Now why are you here detective?"

He smirked as he sat down, "Well....I'm actually here because I have some business I need to finish for the night, you see one of the singer's is going to be a target." He said with a small smile as he looked up at her.

Charlotte seemed to relax. "Well I hope you catch the person. I get tired of fearing for my life." She turned back around to face the window again.

He stood up and moved to stand behind her, "Don't worry...we'll find him." He said softly before he withdrew his knife, "Though your life is pretty insignificant." He stated coldly before he stabbed her. "Oh and one more thing....pleasure doing business with you." He said with a smirk as he withdrew the knife.

Charlotte gasped in surprise when she felt the sharp pain of the knife stabbing through her lower back. That bastard. When he pulled the knife out she sought support from the window glass, feeling the wound with her other hand. It was bleeding alot. "So you are the murderer..." She whispered out, starting to feel a bit woozy from the blood loss.

He laughed, "What gave me away?" He asked tauntingly as he wiped the blade clean on her dress.

She tried swatting him in the face with her bloodied hand. She wanted him as far away from her as possible. "GET OUT!!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, pretty sure someone would hear that and come over.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head at her, "Always so naiive." He said with a sigh as he stabbed her again this time only this time in the stomach before he withdrew the knife and cleaned it before leaving the room through a secret passage.

Charlotte gritted her theet, hearing him leave. "Always so hasty..." She said to partically no one else but herself.
She felt pretty weak, fighting to keep her conciousness. Damn at this rate she surely wouldn't make it. No one seemed to be running towards the study.
Charlotte bit her lip, she wanted that bastard to hang. She looked at her bloodied hand, suddenly getting an idea.
She shakily lifted her hand to the window glass, making a diagonal line upwards with her finger. She stopped, trying ty fight to stay standing just for a while longer. Then she continued, starting to make the line curve downwards to form the first letter of her assailant. But when she reached to the point where the curve should have connected back to the first line her finger kept going down, as did the rest of her body when her feet gave away from under her.
The last thing she saw before the life drained away from her was the unfinished 'P' she had tried to make on the window glass.

Tiana smiled at the man she was dancing with, before she heard a muffled and distant scream.

"Lottie?" She said, quietly.

"What was that?" The man asked her, not having heard the scream.

"Oh. um, I'm sorry, but if you would excuse me for a moment, sir, I need to... powder my nose..." She said, before giving the man a curtsy before she walked off.

She walked out of the ballroom, before she started to walk in the direction she felt she heard the sound had come from. She didn't notice, but she started picking up speed the longer she walked.

Before too long, she was outright running, having kicked off her heels. She had a bad feeling in her stomach as she ran.

She made it to the study door and tried to turn the handle. She started pounding on the door the moment she realized it was locked. "Lottie? Lottie, are you in there? Unlock the door, hun!" She shouted, feeling fear take over her body.

"SOMEBODY! HELP!" She screamed, hoping someone nearby would hear her and come.

She continued to bang on the door, until her hand became raw. She started pounding with her other hand, continuing to call Lottie's name.

After stepping out of the secret passage exit, he dropped the knife off at a hidden alcove before stepping out of the wall and brushing himself off. His eyebrows went up when he heard the cries and putting on a mask of worry he headed for the sound of the cries, he was unsurprised to see a young woman banging on the door. "Uh Miss may I help you?" He asked in tones of concern as he approached her.

Tiana stopped the moment she heard someone behind her. She saw who it was and let out a cry of relief.

"Officer! Thank goodness! My friend, she's in there and the door is locked!" She said, frantically pointing to the study. "She wouldn't have locked the door! She was expecting someone to come get her; that's how she is. She's not answering and earlier I'm positive I heard her scream!" She said, frantically.

her mask was long gone off her face and her hair had started falling down after her run to the study.

He moved his eyes to the door and then reached out to try and calm her down, "All right Miss, if you'll step back please?" He asked quietly before he turned to the door and kicked it in, the door burst open with a loud crash. He stepped inside and his eyes landed on the body crumpled on the floor before slowly moving up to look at the P written in blood on the window. His eyes narrowed and his face darkened but he hid the reaction and turned to look at the woman behind him, "Miss, I think it would be a good idea if you sat down." He said quietly.

Tiana moved out of the way as he kicked in the door. Once he went into the room, she followed behind him.

She didn't even hear his words as she saw her best friend on the ground covered in blood. "Lottie!" She shouted, running over to her friend's fallen body.

"Lottie, no..." She said, when she knelt down beside her friend. She started crying the moment she realized the woman was dead.

She covered her face as she cried. "W-why...?" She whispered, between the sobs.

He sighed and knelt down next to her, "Listen Miss...I need you to tell me what happened before she got killed." He said quietly as he glanced down at Charlotte's body.

Tiana shook her head. "I-I don't know... Someone ac-accidentally spilled some wine on her dr-dress...." She said, stuttering through the sobs. "I was going to go after her after she left the ballroom, but someone distracted me..." She said, before crying harder.

"I-If I hadn't have danced with that guy, she might still be a-alive..." She sobbed, feeling guilt take over her.

"I-I was her best f-friend..." She cried. "Almost her o-only friend..."

He frowned, "Miss you can't blame yourself for this...it wasn't your fault. I want to make that clear, all right? Now I'm going to have to see if I can get that Masquerade shut down so we can do a through investigation." He stated before he looked at her, "Miss I need you to come with me, we'll come back but I need your help identifying who spilled wine on her dress." He said quietly.

Tiana nodded, before looking up at him "You... you think the waiter did this?" She asked, in a soft tone.

Her throat was starting to get sore from the crying. "Can... we cover her up first? She wouldn't want anyone to see her like this..." She said, softly as she looked at Lottie's body.

He sighed, "Quite frankly ma'am everyone here is a suspect...and of course we'll need a sheet or something." He added as he spared the body another glance.