The door to Edward’s office swung open, smashing into the adjacent wall. “Detective Radmor!” The woman screamed, “I need your help desperately!”

Edward’s eyes shot up to her. “Mrs. Burnett! What is it? What's wrong?”

She ran up to his desk, still hysterical. “Mr. Burnett, he’s dead! Someone’s killed him!”

He stood up slightly, beckoning her to the chair on the other side of his desk. “Please, collect yourself and sit down. I must gather information.” She obliged and sat across from him. Tears began to well in her eyes as the reality continued to set in. “Do you need anything? Perhaps a drink?” he offered.

She declined with a shake, and he continued with his usual questions.

“So, you think someone has killed your husband?”

She simply nods, taking harsh breaths in as tears streamed down her cheeks.

He reached over to hand her his handkerchief, continuing his questions. “Where is he?”

With a shaking hand, she took the cloth and attempted to speak, “In his study still.”

“Alright, seeing as this is a serious case, you must bring me over immediately. I must see the crime scene.” He helped her up from her chair, and they went outside, her assistant waiting patiently and escorting the two to the Burnetts' home.

Upon arrival at the house, the assistant brought Edward up to the study at urgent request. A maid came to comfort Mrs. Burnett at the front. Edward opened the door to the study himself, insisting that no one can enter before him. Bookshelves filled the vast study's walls, which sported old walnut finishes and green carpeting. To the left of men by the door, a commanding desk held Mr. Barnett's slumped, lifeless body, still seated.

Edward continued to look around the room carefully, ensuring his entrance wouldn’t destroy any evidence. He put on leather gloves and entered slowly, continuing to keep a close eye on his surroundings. He inspected the desk. Aside from the body, the desk had papers, a typewriter, a half-drunk cup of coffee, and other small personal items. A small glass bottle sat on the floor below the desk, leaving a wet stain on the carpet.

Edward left the room, demanding that no one else enter before he returns. He returned to the foyer to ring up his assistant. “Hello, Eugene? Please come to the Burnett house quickly; there’s been a suspected murder."

Once Eugene arrived, the two could begin gathering everyone involved. They began with the prime suspect, Mrs. Burnett.

Eugene began, “Who has been in the house recently?”

The lady began, recounting with ease, “Not many, just myself, the housekeepers, and a family friend.”

“Can you gather everyone who has been here?”

After some snuffling, she answered, her face no longer wet, "Irvin, a good friend, is the only visitor we received last month. He’ll be easy to track down.” The mention of Irvin interested both men.

“Where does he normally frequent?”

She responded, seeming inconvenienced, “Jazz clubs or galleries, he’s deeply passionate about the arts."

“Was your husband close with him? Were you?”

The assumption Irvine was close to Mrs. Burnett seemed to offend her deeply. “Of course not, I never interact with men as immature as him."

Edward interjected, “We’ll be back with more questions for you Mrs. Burnett, but for now we’d like to speak with the homemakers. Could you gather them here?” She obliged, gathering her maids, assistant, and cooks.

The two meticulously interviewed the staff, attempting to find any information about this Irvine character. To their shock, the staff knew little to nothing about him. They seemingly viewed him as a business partner to Mr. Burnett. Edward locked off the study and began towards his office and instructed Eugene to wait outside until the coroner could arrive.

Eugene caught him on his way out and whispered, “You really think this was a murder?”

Edward stopped. “Of course, what makes you think otherwise?”

“He clearly committed suicide, a bottle of morphine is sitting next to him.”

Edward responded firmly, “I’m not running off with a theory before I’ve even spoken to all the people involved.”

At his office, Edward found the number to Irvine’s apartment. “Hello? Is this Irvine Flyer? This is Detective Edward Radmor. Could you come to my office? I have an urgent matter I must speak with you about.” On the other side of the line, Irvine confirmed he would head over immediately.

After a short time of waiting, a light knock sounded from the door. When requested to enter, a tall, thin man with short brown hair and cold blue eyes opened the door. He was dressed well and extremely fashionably. Edward welcomed him in, and asked him to sit. “I’ve called you regarding a recent situation involving Mr. Burnett. You’re a good friend of his, yes?”

Irvine seemed invested at the mention of Mr. Burnett, “Certainly, I’m a close business partner of his."

“What information can you give me surrounding Mr. Burnett?”

Irvine thought for a second before responding, “Not too much; we keep the majority of our conversations strictly to business. Although he does confide to me about his wife.”

The detective broke his poker face, perking up about this new information, “What all do you know about his wife?”

Irvine started, “I know of her possible infidelity, their arguments, her wishes to leave. I even know about the man she’s being unfaithful with”.

Edward inquired, “Who is he?”

“Mr. Kingston, the head of a family in her social circle.”

Edward scribbled down his name, along with some other details Irvine provided. He continued questioning the young man across from him, “Are you able to detail your exact locations yesterday?”

Irvine entertained him. “I stayed at my apartment until about noon when I drove to meet with Mr. Burnett. He and I spoke until after dinner. I then went to Aurora’s for the night”.

“Aurora’s? The drum?”

Irvine seemed slightly shocked. “You’ve been there?”

Edward downplayed his knowledge of the speakeasy. “Only once or twice."

“You didn’t strike me as that kind of man.”

Edward got defensive about Irvine's comment, “What kind?”

Irvine gave a slight smile, “The kind of man to be stuck on other men. If you aren't, it’d be a shame, you’re quite a sheik”.

Edward stayed silent for a moment before responding, “You are as well, aren’t you?”

Irvine responded excitedly, “Of course, I’m not ashamed to admit it."

“You’re dismissed,” Edward said abruptly. Irvine got up from his seat and went towards the door, giving the detective a smile before leaving.

“I’ll see you again, I hope.”

Edward met back up with Eugene after the talk with Irvine. The coroner had successfully picked up the body, and sent it off to be autopsied. Edward wanted to question the housekeepers about Mrs. Burnett’s suspected infidelity, but he wasn’t able to focus properly. He ended the investigation for the day, requesting that none of the housekeepers be allowed to leave the premises until questioning continued the next day.

That night, Edward went over to Aurora’s, which was located in an alley downtown.

The speakeasy was a long, single hall with a couple of doors in the very back and filled with the haze of cigarette smoke. Closer to the door included a bar, seating, and a small stage that’s just barely lifted from the rest of the ground. Typically, the stage would be used for a drag show, but tonight there was just music.

Looking straight down the hall, he met eyes with Irvine, and like instinct, they began to walk towards each other. Irvine started, “I’m shocked to see you here, does this have anything to do with you summoning me earlier?”

The other man responded, “Not particularly; I’m simply continuing my investigative work."

Irvine shot Edward a look. “Want to do that work in the back?” With a hesitant nod from Edward, they moved to the back of the speakeasy hall and went into a private room.

Irvine locked the door behind them and pushed Edward into the opposite wall, pinning him down and began lightly kissing him on the ear. He continued holding Edward down with one hand and lifted the middle of his tie with the other, pulling it out of his buttoned blazer, and held it in a tight grip. He pulled on it slightly, tightening the fabric around Edward’s neck as he moved down to kiss his neck. When Edward began to struggle to hold back his coughs from the tight tie, Irvine lightened the grip and moved back up to his mouth to kiss his newfound lover.

The two kissed lightly and sparsely at first, allowing Edward time to warm up to what they were about to do. When he seemed ready, they deepened their kisses, and Irvine leaned in close and began rubbing his crotch against Edward. They stifled each other’s moans with more kisses, and Irvine rubbed harder, causing Edward to fight to free his arm so that he could unzip his fly. When his erection was free, Irvine zipped it back up again and pulled away for a moment.

“I’ll tell you when you can take anything off,” he whispered.

Edward whimpered at the pain of his boner being pushed back up against his pants before Irvine held his hips and guided them to his own. The two rubbed their crotches together, feeling their hard cocks under their wool pants. They didn’t stay there for long before Irvine got impatient and finally allowed Edward and himself to let their members free.

Edward let out a sigh of relief, feeling Irvine’s tip caress the underside of his cock. The relief of the pain, combined with the immediate sensation of Irvine’s light touch, caused Edward to finish, coating himself and Irvine in his cum. Aside, from Edward’s moans, the room stayed silent and still until he came down from the high of his orgasm.

For a few moments after, Irvine stayed silent and still, clearly disappointed his partner couldn’t last longer. He moved his hand up Edward’s chest and returned his grip on his tie. He then dragged his lover downwards by the neck, choking him in the process. Once at an acceptable height, he let go and guided Edward’s mouth to the tip of his dick. Edward kept eye contact with him as he opened his mouth and took in his cock, beginning slowly, taking in and savoring Irvine’s sweat and musk. Irvine trusted hard into Edward, pushing his head back to the wall, and grabbed his short hair.

He began using Edward’s head to pleasure himself, thrusting into him as he forced Edward down until he gagged. Right before he finished, he held Edward’s head and made him choke on his cum, not allowing him to breathe until he swallowed every bit.

When Irvine finally pulled away, Edward went into a coughing fit as he struggled to catch a breath. Irvine put himself away and pulled out a handkerchief to clean the spit and ejaculate off Edward’s lips and chin. When Edward finally put himself back together, Irvine helped him to his feet and the two kissed one last time before going home for the night.

Edward and Eugene arrived at the Burnett home early the next day, requesting Mrs. Burnett to be questioned first. They began, “Your husband was found with a bottle of his morphine below him, and we know you had marital issues. Do you think this could have been a suicide instead of a murder?”

Mrs. Burnett gave an insulted, deeply disgusted look. “Marital issues?! Where did you get this impression? We’ve bickered as all married couples do, but we had no marital issues. And my husband would have never committed such an act as suicide.”

The men wrote down her response, and then requested the housekeepers for questioning. Eugene leaned close to Edward.

“She’s adamant this isn’t a suicide, but there’s no evidence of a struggle or altercation. And how would one murder someone by forcing them to drink a bottle?”

Edward paused to think. “Let’s question the maids before we rule out the possibility of a murder." They then began to painstakingly interview the house staff one by one, questioning about Irvine, Mr. Kingston and any possible infidelity, Mr. Burnett’s temperament, and any arguments the man and lady of the house have had recently.

The maids knew nothing about Mr. Kingston, claiming he’s never even visited the house. However, they had seen Irvine many times in the home before, just not with Mrs. Burnett. Irvine was always limited to Mr. Burnett’s office. The housekeepers had little to nothing to provide, despite Irvine being over so often, they still knew nothing about him.
Before going back to the office for the day, Edward checked the scene of the crime again. All was left as it was, with the exception of Mr. Burnett’s body being removed and his coffee having evaporated.

That evening, after Eugene had been sent home, Edward phoned up Irvine’s residence as he lit his cigarette. “Hello, Irvine? Please come over to my office again, I have a few more questions for you.” The man on the other side confirmed he would be on his way, and they hung up.

After about 30 minutes, Irvine let himself into Edward’s office and sat himself down on the other side of his desk. Edward looked up. “Did we leave our manners at home?”

“I’m sorry, you’re not calling me back for another night of barney-mugging?” Irvine responded in a mocking manner.

“No, I didn’t. I brought you back for questioning; the case you’re involved in is still open.” Edward cleared his throat before continuing, “The housekeepers at the Burnett residence claim they have never seen Mr. Kingston at the home. They also claim you frequently visited Mr. Burnett. Can you describe exactly what you would do during your meetings with Mr. Burnett?”

Irvine leaned closer in, “Would you prefer I showed you instead?” He took Edward’s cig out of his mouth, and took a long draw before blowing the smoke into his face.

He burned the back of Edward’s hand with the end of the cigarette. He pulled his hand away, stood up, and yelled, “What the hell is wrong with you!?”

Irvine put the cigarette back in his mouth and slowly stood up to meet Edward’s face, blowing more smoke into his face before responding. “Nothing, at least I don’t think so; but of course I may be biased." He leaned in more to gently kiss Edward, only pulling away again to take another hit of nicotine. “Do you want me to show you some of what I’d do with Mr. Burnett?”

It took a moment for Edward to process what Irvine had just asked him. “I may need you to.”

Irvine rewarded him for his correct answer with a hit and another kiss before resting the cig on the ashtray. He took his own blazer off and walked over to Edward’s side of the desk to help undress him, getting the man fully naked before he took off the rest of his own clothing. They both took a moment to take in the sight of each other’s nude bodies, the moment broken by Irvine leaning back into Edward’s neck. He left gentle kisses and light bites across his neck and upper chest, the movements progressively intensifying until he was leaving dark marks on his partner.

The pain from the bites forced moans and whimpers from Edward’s throat, encouraging Irvine to continue biting and kissing harder. Irvine pulled away, stood back up and pushed Edward’s head down to his member, letting him suck on it again.

Once his cock was covered in spit and precum, he pulled his lover up by his hair and threw him over his own desk, knocking most of the items off. He held Edward’s back down with one arm and used the other to hold his hips in place so he could insert himself into him.

Irvine slid his cock deep into Edward, and held himself there for a bit as he lit another cigarette. He made sure to take his time, taking joy in Edward begging to be fucked while attempting to rock his hips for any bit of pleasure he could get. He began by thrusting in and out slowly, making sure Edward relaxed fully before picking up the pace. He took the occasional hit of his cigarette as he fucked his dear into the desk, watching him bite and moan into his forearm.

Deciding Edward wasn’t loud enough, Irvine returned his grip on his hair and pulled his head up off his arm, forcing his moans and begs to be louder. Edward came quickly and abruptly, spilling his cum on the floor and receiving a cigarette burn on his back at the height of his climax as punishment. The other man finished in response to Edward’s mixture of moans of pleasure and yells of pain, filling him.

Irvine kept himself inside of him even after finishing, leaning over to meet his ear. “It really is a shame I couldn’t keep Mr. Burnett around. I think the three of us could have had a good time together.”

Edward attempted to turn his head, which was still being held by Irvine’s grip, and gave him a horrified look. “What did you say?”

Irvine pinned him down harder. “He wanted to come clean to his wife about the affairs we were having. Of course, I couldn’t let that happen; it would absolutely ruin my reputation.”

Edward froze, gathering his thoughts before responding, “How...how did you do it?!”

“I added his morphine into his morning coffee, then left the bottle on the floor as if it was a suicide.” After his admission, Irvine pulled out and slammed Edward’s head into the desk until his face was bloodied.

While Edward writhed in pain, Irvine took his pocket knife from his trousers and stabbed the detective at the base of his neck. The last thing he saw before his world turned black was Irvine dressing himself and exiting his office, without looking back and without saying a word.