Who Killed Markiplier?

Chapter 9

You pulled away from Damien to see who had shouted. It was a woman who couldn't be much older than you, if not younger. She was dressed in all black and had a hat with a veil folded back over her head, and she stood with a look of intensity. Both the detective and the Colonel dropped their weapons. She had complete control over the situation.

Abe was the first to break. "Who the hell are you?" he asked. To your surprise, Will stepped forward.

"Celine? What are you doing here?"

""Celine?" How the hell do you know her?" The detective's anger was slowly growing back.

"Madame, I'm afraid you've come at a very inopportune time." Benjamin was standing in the doorway, fear showing faintly in his expression. You hadn't heard him arrive and you had no clue how long he had been standing there. He glanced at the shattered clay pieces spread out across the floor and sighed. "That was master's favorite vase."

"Celine, I'm very sorry, but something dreadful has happened here," said Damien.

"You know her, too?" you asked, confused. He had never mentioned about her before. He just nodded.

"I can see that, and I'm glad I got here before it got any worse." Why was she even here? Was she invited as well?

"This shit is only the tip of the iceberg!" The chef stomped in angrily, waving around a soup ladle. "And it's one huge fucking iceberg!"

Everyone was on edge and you were afraid things would escalate again.

"Everyone, please calm down. Fighting isn't going to help anything." You tried to speak clearly and confidently, like the other woman, but even you could hear the slight shaking in your voice. You turned to the new guest. "Celine? I, uh, I'm really sorry. I assume you knew Mark?"

"Of course."

"Wait... you're the lady from the pictures! Of course you knew Mark! Oh shit. Oh shit, he's... I'm sorry, Mark is..." You didn't know how to say it without sounding too harsh or too weak. Hell, you still hadn't fully accepted the fact yourself.

"Celine, Mark is dead," Damien finished for you.

"What?" She sounded heartbroken, finally losing the confident composure. You felt awful, not just from seeing her hurting, but from hearing the news all over again. It didn't hurt any less.

"Dead, like my hopes and dreams," grumbled the chef. You shot him a dirty look. Now really wasn't the time for sarcasm.

"We don't know who the killer is," you added.

"Hence the guns," said the Colonel, holding his gun up for emphasis.

"That is not "hence the guns!"" The detective shouted, holding his up as well.

"Stop waving those bloody guns around!" You were surprised, it was the first time Benjamin had really stepped in and spoken up.

"H-hold on, tell me what happened. How did Mark... die?" Celine didn't seem too concerned about the guns. Of course, the death of her friend was more important at the moment.

"It was murder." Lightning struck as Damien stepped forward. "And worse yet, the body is missing." He sounded... different, and he looked somewhat unfocused as he spoke. You reached out and grabbed his hand. He blinked once and shook his head, before turning to you and giving you a sad smile. He squeezed your hand once before letting go.

"What? Show me. And don't say that word." The butler led the way to the living room, everyone else following close behind.

"What word?" asked the chef. "Murder?" Lightning struck again as he said it.