The Solution

Music, Mischief and Murder

I went to the hall where the film would be shown,
JR was with me; I wasn't alone.
The suspects had gathered, they wanted to see
If Tootsie had solved the big mystery.

People were coming and filling up seats,
Heather's Sugar and Spice was setting out treats.
Would "Living the Fantasy" be shown tonight?
If you thought it would, you are certainly right.

I went to the front of the theatre where
Claudette and her friends were standing there.
I shook my head and with one painted nail,
Pointed to her and she started to pale.

I said, "Don't you try those eyes filled with tears,
I've been in this business for too many years.
I figured it out in the length of one day,
The Halloween prank you decided to play.

"Your new film is here, it was never gone,
You worked on this plot from midnight till dawn.
Then you baited the hook with Tootsie Chase,
To make it look like a legitimate case.

"There were no police on the case, as such,
But the yellow tape was a very nice touch!
When I entered Mark's house, no blood did I see,
And that seemed a little bit strange to me.

"The guy in the house should have practiced his part.
I had him pegged from the very start.
He didn't pack heat like I knew he should,
But other than that he was pretty good."

Claudette and her friends were starting to grin,
That's when I went back to my theory again.
"I figure, at first, Claudette was in the dark
When the rest of you hatched this plot as a lark.

"I think that the raid at Sugar and Spice,
Was done before you had Claudette's advice.
The brown stain I saw on Rob William's shirt,
Was milk chocolate frosting, it wasn't dirt.

The cookie lips made for the premiere tonight,
Were covered with red frosting, sticky and bright.
Hannah's purse had a stain and I know it was made
From red icing she ate the night of the raid.

"Poor Kyle ate so much, he didn't feel well,
He was holding his stomach that's how I could tell.
Then the plot was cooked up and you called Claudette Steele
To decide how to make the murder look real."

"Why wasn't Casey accused of the crime?"
Hannah Bean asked, before I had time
To tell them I'd gone to the kissfiction site,
And read all the guest entries posted last night.

"You see Mark was chatting with Casey James,
He told Casey the plot and named some names.
I read Casey's last guestbook entry which said,
'So, Mark is the one who is going to play dead!'"

Casey James shrugged and said,
"Why not Claudette? She doesn't have a good alibi yet.
Her drumsticks are missing, the scratches are real.
Why didn't you accuse Claudette Steele?"

I shook my head at the amateur group
Who couldn't snow Tootsie. "Now here's the scoop.
The scratches were from her cat," I said.
If they'd been made last night, they'd still be red.

"She had an old pair of drumsticks you broke
At the scene of the crime as a final joke.
And standing back there by the door,"
I said, Is Mark Weller and he is living not dead!"

Were you a good sleuth, did you solve the crime?
You should have, you know, you've had enough time.
I forgive the group for plotting this case,
But you can't fool Detective, Tootsie Chase!