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PART ONE:

Dorothy

Chapter One

The Room near the Campus In a small room near the Stoddard University Campus were two people, Dorothy Kingship and her boyfriend (a handsome young man). They were looking at each other in silence, the handsome boy was angry so he walked to the window an looked the lights of the town, the light of the street, the red light of the municipal building of Blue River (the town where they lived), suddenly he turned and smiled at Dorothy. He asked to her if she was really sure that she was pregnant. So she said to him that the doctor confirm her that news. She asked him to go and get married, because she was sure that her father was be happy to know that, but the young man did not want because he knew that when the Dorothy’s father found out that her daughter was pregnant and that for this reason she had married he was going to be very angry. So the handsome young man said to Dorothy that was better if she took some pills to abort. The young man did not want to get married immediately with Dorothy, because he knew that when the Dorothy´s father found out, he was going to stop giving her money, and the young man was very interested in the money of the Kingship family. The Kingship family was very rich, because the father had a big and successful company (Kingship Copper Incorporated).

Chapter Two

The Pharmacy Laboratory

The next day (on Monday) the handsome young man met Dorothy near the Pharmacy Laboratory at 8:00 PM. He gave her two pills that would lead to abort, he said to her that she had to take that pills and that she will have fever for an hour or two. And he promised to Dorothy that if the pill did not work he will get married with her. Dorothy when arrived to her apartment, she sat down in her bed and start to think that she would lie to her boyfriend, she would not take the pills and then tell to her boyfriend that the pills did not work so they will get married, but then she thought that if they will get married, lying was not good way to start a marriage. So she took the pills and like an hour later she had fever and a terrible pain in her stomach. After another hour, she threw up. But at the next morning, she was still pregnant. That morning the young man already was in his Philosophy class, but Dorothy had not arrived at the class, so he stared to be worry, but at 9:15 AM, she arrived and passed him a piece of paper which said that the pills did not work and that she was still pregnant. So when he read that paper he showed her in is notebook a note that said that in that week they will get married. The young man after few minutes thought that he had to kill her. So half an hour later he was in the library reading books about famous murders and about toxicology. When he left the library he had written five poisons, then he got the things that a student of the last year of Pharmacy, he could enter in the pharmacy laboratory. Inside the laboratory he looked a bottle with powder of WHITE ARSENIC (As4O6), he put the poison inside of other bottle.

Chapter Three

The Note That evening the young man made the Arsenic pills, but he had to make Dorothy take the pill, but that would not be too difficult. But he had a serious problem “he had to make that the Dorothy´s death appear be a Suicide. The next day he passed very worry about his problem, but during his Spanish class he found the solution. When the Spanish class ended, he invited Dorothy to go to a movie, when the movie ended they went to a restaurant and there he asked her the photo that he had given her, because he did not want that Dorothy had something that compromised him. The next day in the his first class that was Economics he asked to Dorothy that please took notes for him because he had to do a translation from his Spanish class, then he asked her to help him with the homework, he asked her that translate a piece of the book LA CASA DE LAS FLORES NEGRAS, and the piece said “Querido, Espero que me perdonares por la infelicidad que causaré. No hay ninguna otra cosa que pueda hacer.” So Dorothy translate tat for him. And he already had the Dorothy´s Suicide note. This day after the last class in the afternoon the young man met Dorothy, and he said her that his friend said to him that the pills that he had given to the handsome man was the wrong, but now he had given him the correct pills. So the young man said to Dorothy that took the pills. She did not want to take that, but he said to her that if she did not took the pills he will not marry to her, and she was going to ask for help to her father. So he went to his room and se to her room, when he arrived at the room, he phoned her and asked if she already had taken the pills, she said that yes, so he put on the mailbox the Dorothy´s suicide note with the address of Ellen.

Chapter Four

The Municipal Building

The next day at the Philosophy class he was so worry, he was thinking what was going to happen when somebody found the Dorothy´s died or when Ellen phoned to the University office asking for her sister. Few minutes later he heard the door of the room opened and heard that somebody was coming, when he saw who sat down next to him, he only wanted to scream. Dorothy was living! And she passed him a note which said that the pills did not work either, but he immediately thought that she had not taken the pills. He had a big problem in five hours Dorothy had to be dead, because the Dorothy´s suicide note would come at 3:00 PM to Caldwell College where Ellen studied. So he thought that he could kill Dorothy on the Municipal Building. He said to her that at 11:45 the was going to go to the Municipal Building to get married, so at the time Dorothy was there with a beautiful green suit, a green belt, a white blouse, a blue scarf and white gloves. They went to the municipal building, but when they arrived, the office where they had to get a marry license. So they get up to the 14 floor, and there after smoke a cigarette, talk and that Dorothy confessed him that she did not took the pills he pulled her and she died.

PART TWO:

ELLEN

Chapter One

On the Train

Ellen wrote a letter for her boyfriend, Bud Corliss, they were students of Caldwell College. In her letter she said: She was going to be away from Caldwell College, because she wanted to investigate in Blues River the real reason for her sister Dorothy had killed herself. Actually, she did not think that Dorothy had killed herself, because she discovered some things that made her doubt. She wrote that the police thought that Dorothy killed herself because:

1. Ellen had received a note from Dorothy on the day of her death, but Ellen could read in that note that Dorothy said “Darling” and she never called Ellen like that, she always called her like “Dear Ellen” or “Dearest Ellen”, that was so strange for Ellen.

2. Dorothy had in her purse her birth certificate and the police said that she had it because she thought that in that way was going to be so easy for the police identify her.

3. In the top of the building the police found the end of a cigarette, they thought that Dorothy smokes for be calm and the she jumped into the air shaft.

4. When the doctor saw the Dorothy´s body, he discovered that she was pregnant. The police thought that she killed herself because she was afraid to tell the true to her father.

Other things that were strange for Ellen were:

A few hours before Dorothy´s death, she borrowed a belt. When Ellen took the things from the Dorothy´s room,

- She found a belt that was exactly like the belt that Dorothy was using that day. Why Dorothy had borrowed a belt if she had one exactly like the belt of her friend?

Dorothy was wearing a new, cheap pair of gloves, which she had bought that day, but why? Why she bought that gloves if she had a beautiful and expensive pair of gloves in her room.

Dorothy was wearing a beautiful green suit that day, was her best suit, but why she was wearing her best suit if she was going to kill herself?

She also had a white blouse, but that blouse was old and did not look good with her suit. And that was so strange, because Dorothy was very careful with her look.

That day Dorothy was wearing a blue scarf and her brown shoes, the scarf did not look good with her suit.

The way that was dressed Dorothy was like an old poem:

Something old (her blouse).

Something new (her gloves).

Something borrowed (the belt).

Something blue (the scarf). The poem said that if the people got dress like that the day that they get married, they would be lucky in the marriage. Ellen also discovered that in the municipal Building the people could get married. So she thought that Dorothy was going to marry that day.

Chapter Two

The Two Blonds

When Ellen arrived to Blue River, quickly found a hotel and took a room for a few days. Then she phoned to the English Department at Stoddard University and she spoke to the English Professor and she told him that she was the Dorothy´s sister, so e remembered Dorothy and she told him that wanted to talk with him about her sister. So Ellen went to talk with him and she asked him if he could show her or give her information about some partners or students of the English Class of Dorothy, because she wanted to pay some money to that boy that Dorothy was borrowed, but she did not knew the boy. The professor gave her two names of two boys and his addresses:

Gordon C. Gant 1312 west Twenty - Sixth Street

Dwight Powell 1520 west Thirty – Fifth Street

Then Ellen called to the Gordon Gant´s number and a woman answered, Ellen asked for Gordon and the woman named Mrs. Arquette told her that Gordon was going to be out until late that evening. Ellen thought that if she could talk with her, Mrs. Arquette was going to told her something about Gordon´s girlfriends. So Ellen went and when Mrs. Arquette opened the door Ellen said that she was the Gordon´s cousin, so Mrs. Arquette passed Ellen to the living room, there they started to talk about Gordon Gant and Ellen asked if Gordon continue sad for broke up with his girlfriend named Dorothy, but Mrs. Arquette told her that Gordon had not had a formal girlfriend least one named Dorothy. So Ellen wanted go out, because she already knew that Gordon was not the Dorothy´s boyfriend, but suddenly she heard that Gordon was coming.

Chapter Three

The Detective

When Ellen saw came in to Gordon, she run past Gordon and Mrs. Arquette out of the front door. When Ellen arrived to her hotel she felt like a stupid, because she could not talk again with Gordon and Mrs. Arquette. She sat down and started to complete her letter that was for her boyfriend, suddenly she heard that someone knocked the door, when she asked who are? The person said that have clean towels for her.

When Ellen opened the door was Gordon Gant, he passed to the room and he saw on the table the Bud´s letter, he picked it up and ran to the bathroom and started to read it. She did not want, but when he opened the door he said that he would help her, at the beginning she did not believe in him so he felt the room, but she thought that if he was the murdered he had hurt her but he did not. The next morning she called to the Dwight Powell number, and the owner of the house said that he was working at the Folger´s coffee shop, so she went to there and asked him for a coffee and a cheeseburger, she gave her the food and they started to talk. She could know that Dwight was the boyfriend of her sister, but she could not know anything more. That evening they went to the movie theater and then they went to a restaurant to take some coffee

and there they talked about Dorothy he said to her that Dorothy was so possessive and she wanted to get married but he did not want. So Ellen started to think that, that was reason for he killed her.

Chapter Four

On the Roof

The next afternoon Ellen went to the Municipal library to read all the newspapers for check if Dwight had told her something that had not been printed the papers, and so check if Dwight Powell was the Dorothy´s Killer. Ellen had called to the attorney´s office and the secretary had told her that the office was going to be opened until 5:00 PM, but she asked to Dwight if he could went with her to the office, but Dwight did not look happy, because they was going to dance and how Ellen had to go with the attorney they could not went. When they arrived at the Municipal Building was the 8:00 PM there was the attorney´s office, but they could see that the office was closed, so Ellen wanted to go to the roof, Dwight did not like the high places when they where an the roof Ellen said that one of the Stoddard students was killed there the last year, she said that someone had pushed her of the building. But Dwight said her that that student was her ex-girlfriend Dorothy and that she had jumped into the air shaft. Ellen said him that he was the killer, she said that he had killed her because she was pregnant, but he said her that he had broken up with Dorothy because she wanted to get married, but he broke up with her on Christmas (a year before Dorothy´s death). On the year of the Dorothy´s death he was studying in a college of New York and he did not know that Dorothy was pregnant. So Dwight could not be the killer, because Dorothy only had two months pregnant and he on January had gone to New York. But he said to Ellen that someone had told him that Dorothy had a new boyfriend and that he had the name in his room, Ellen and Dwight were in the hotel restaurant and in the next table was a handsome man with a black coat. Dorothy and Dwight went to the Dwight house, when they arrived Dwight went up to his room and Ellen was in the living room, suddenly she heard a big noise, when she went up saw a Bud Corliss and he shot her with a gun three times. Bud had killed Dwight Powell and also killed her girlfriend Ellen Kingship.

PART THREE:

Marion

Chapter One

New York City

Marion Kingship lived alone in a small apartment in New York City, because she did not like her father, she did not trust in him, she thought that he was very cruel and bad, because she knew all the things about her parents’ divorce and about her mother death. While she was studied at the Columbia University in New York, she lived with her father in his house, but when she finished the college she went to live alone in her own apartment she went to eat with her father one evening at week. When her sisters died her relationship with her father was the same, but she went to eat with her father three evenings at week. She works in a small advertising agency where she did not earn much money, but she liked the job and she was very happy. She worked from Monday to Friday, but the Saturdays she dedicated to clean her apartment. One Saturday she was cleaning her apartment when the phone rang, was Bud Corliss, he had an Ellen´s book and he wanted gave it to Marion, so she said that she could see him in the fifth avenue. Bud invited Marion to have a drink and they talked about Ellen and talked about the things that he liked casually Marion also liked the same things, but really he was trying to fall in love with Marion, because as he had spoken with Ellen and Dorothy too much, he knew what things Marion like. He wrote a list where said all the things that he had to do and the things that Marion liked.

Chapter Two

Gordon Gant

The evening of Christmas Leo kingship the father of Marion was working in his office, when the phone rang, was his secretary saying that somebody wanted to see him, was Gordon Gant. Gordon Gant had been investigating about the Ellen and Dorothy killer; he discovered that Burton Corliss (Bud Corliss) did not want the Leo´s daughters, he wanted the money of the family. Lea said him that he could not prove that, but Gordon said him that he knew that Bud had known Dorothy at Stoddard University, because he was in the same classes of Philosophy and Economics of Dorothy, and that classes was very small so he had to know Dorothy. Gordon showed to Leo the annual books of the University and he proved that. Gordon said to Leo Kingship that in the note of the newspaper said that Bud was studied at Caldwell College but did not say, that he had studied at Stoddard University so Marion did not about that. Other thing that Gordon said that in the letter of Ellen he had read that she had known Bud the last year, but if the Caldwell College was very small, why they had not known? The night of the Ellen murder, a young man that was helping Ellen to find the Dorothy´s killer also died. Was so strange! But Leo could not say anything of that to Marion, because if he said that he had investigated a little bit about Bud, Marion never spoke him again. Two days before the Marion´s wedding, Gant went to Leo´s house and he said him that he had found in a small strongbox of Bud some Kingship Copper brochures that were worn and dirty, so that meant that had been reading many times and also found a list about the things that he had to do and the things that Marion liked. Leo Kingship called to the office and asked about where were sended the brochures and the secretary confirmed that. The brochures were sended to Burton Corliss in Blue River. So all the things that Gordon had said was true. They had to tell that thing to Marion and make that Bud confessed the truth.

Chapter Three

The Smelting Works

When Marion, Leo, Bud and Gordon arrived to the Kingship´s factory Marion and Bud went to a room where were a lot of big photographs which showed the process of the smelting works. When Gordon and Leo arrived to that room, they invited Bud to saw the process from the catwalks and Marion was in the room. Leo, Gordon and Bud started to go up of the catwalks at the beginning Leo was in the front of the two young men, and then Bud passed to the front. While they were going up Leo was explaining the process and Bud was asking questions, because he was very interested on that process, because he was thought that Leo was going to die soon and as he was going to get married with his daughter, Kingship Copper Incorporated was going to be of he, but when they arrived the top of the catwalks, Leo Kingship asked him that how did he make that Dorothy wrote a suicide note. Bud said that he did not know Dorothy, but Gordon and Leo made him to confess the true and then Bud fell down of the catwalk and died.