Cathablanca

Episode #15: "Francesca---Arrested For Murder!"

When dawn broke at last, the doors to the house mysteriously opened all by themselves. Some of the people inside rushed out as quickly as possible, leaving before the police learned of the murders. They were later summoned to the police station for questioning.

Inspector Eustacio entered the house and tried to determine who was responsible for the party. "It was my party, Inspector! But I had no idea it would all end up like this! It was horrible ... just horrible! I'll never forget it as long as I live!" sobbed O'Brien.

"YOU'RE A DAMN LIAR, O'BRIEN!!" shouted Steve, pointing an accusing finger at the tabloid sleazemeister. "OFFICER! ARREST HIM! I SAW HIM MURDER A WOMAN WITH MY OWN EYES!!"

"YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH, YOU ADDLE-BRAINED ALCOHOLIC MORON! I'LL SUE YOU FOR EVERY PENNY YOU HAVE!" O'Brien screamed back. He then turned to Inspector Eustacio and said excitedly "Officer, if you want to arrest the killer, THERE SHE IS!" He pointed dramatically at Francesca, who looked stunned. "I saw her commit murder with a butcher's knife! I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!!"

Pandemonium broke out in the entry hall once again. This time, however, the police stepped in and started taking people away in police vehicles, trying to calm the hysterical partygoers.

All together 7 bodies were found in the house, all employees of O'Brien. Norris, half of the Paparazzi team, was among the dead, killed by a gunshot wound to the chest. An older woman, Cynthia, was killed by hanging, while a younger one, Traci, died from multiple knife wounds. Three men died by decapitation with an antique samurai sword, and another woman, Robin, from gunshot wounds.

Francesca and O'Brien were booked for suspicion of murder, and Dirk was held for suspicion of voluntary manslaughter by the D.A.'s office. All three were held without bail at San Jose County facilities.

The knife used in the stabbing was found to have Francesca's fingerprints on it, evidence which forced the police to hold her on suspicion of murder. O'Brien's testimony against her was not enough to force her into custody without bail, since he himself was a suspect and a well known enemy of Francesca's.

Dirk admitted to decapitating the three men with the samurai sword, but claimed it was self defense. He claimed he was being attacked by the three men. One was armed with the sword, one with a baseball bat with nails protruding from it, and one with a gun, which he fired at Dirk's head, barely missing. Dirk managed to wrestle the sword from his attacker, which he then used to defend himself against the three men. He believed they were professional hit men and the whole party was a set-up to frame Francesca.

When the confusion cleared at the scene of the crimes, the news media were all over the story like stink on rotting garbage. Within 12 hours there might have been only a handful of people on the planet that didn't know about what was now dubbed The Winchester House Mystery Massacre.

Erich visited Francesca constantly in jail, and was finally allowed to stay outside her cell with her for far longer than normal visiting hours. Most people believed it was a frame up, and Francesca received the support and well-wishes of millions of people around the world. But the D.A. could not free her on bail.

Dirk had a different problem. Had he killed one man in self-defense, he might have been freed on bail until trial. He could possibly have made bail with even two of his attackers dead, but with three men having their heads expertly sliced off, and Dirk as a known expert in the martial arts, not to mention the four other bodies on the scene, the D.A. had to hold him.

Cathie held things together at the C*E*A, with Sneena and Jo helping out as always. Everyone pitched in to make the best of a bad situation, and all employees visited Francesca and Dirk faithfully in jail.

O'Brien, on the other hand, had no visitors except for his lawyers. He didn't want any. Because of the case pending, he was not permitted by his lawyers to publish anything about it. His editors, on the other hand, published little else but stories about the case, claiming that it was O'Brien, and not Francesca, who was framed. Amazingly, there were many who believed the stories published in the Daily Dirt.

Don't miss the next exciting episode!