Murder Mystery Answer – The Fictional Murder of Kelly Johnson

**Episode Transcription

Let’s play a Love and Murder game – a murder mystery game of course.

For a prize – who killed fictional character Kelly Johnson

*prize has expired

Welcome everyone! Welcome to a new episode of Love and Murder – the weekly true crime podcast discussing relationships gone terribly wrong. Where our motto is, you’re either someone’s last love or first murder

I am your host Ky and this show discusses true crime cases told in the form of a story with mystery and suspense.

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In today’s episode, we’re taking a tiny detor from our normal genre and I’m talking about a case of disappearance and mystery.

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Emily Jones could hear the familiar crisp clacking of heels… she straightened up a little. Today was the day; Kelly Johnson, the real-estate mogul was going to announce the CFO of her company. It was the big break Emily knew she deserved, so flashed the best smile she could at her boss. Kelly nodded back at Emily. 

“Ugh I’m late. Ran into Rachel again. Same old stuff,” Kelly was referring to her neighbour Rachel Greene. The women had battled out a property-line dispute in court, and Kelly had won. But that didn’t stop Rachel from making bitter comments and threats.
“Meeting in ten minutes, tell David to join me in the conference room,” Kelly said walking fast.

Emily reminded Kelly of her younger self, about seventeen years ago… Young, eager, ambitious… and a little naive. 

Kelly Johnson had come from nothing. Her parents could barely put food on the table, and battling cancer, her mother had died young.

Consequently, Kelly had to learn to be self-reliant from a young age. She worked diligently, studied ardently, and eventually became a successful realtor after six years of dedicated effort. However, Kelly’s ambitions didn’t stop there. She decided to take on a new challenge and purchased a shabby, rundown motel with the help of investors. With a vision to transform it into a luxury hotel, she successfully oversaw the extensive renovations and turned her dream into a reality. She had partnered with her best friend from highschool,  Lucas Reedm to create Harbourview Realty.… but the two soon parted ways as Kelly got most of the credit for their work.

Kelly felt a twinge of nervousness as she prepared for the upcoming meeting with her company’s senior marketing staff. The marketing manager was none other than Michael Bennett– the first man she had ever loved. 

It was at a shooting range where Kelly and Michael had first crossed paths, quickly hitting it off. Michael had introduced her to the world of hunting and gifted her with her very first firearm. The two were coincidentally working for the same company; Michael had gotten her the investors she needed for her first motel flip.
However, as Kelly’s career began to take off, the two grew apart, and she eventually found love with another coworker, outgrowing her past relationship with Michael after a decade together.

Michael hadn’t taken the news well, but the two still kept in touch.

As she entered the conference room, her accountant, David Lee was already waiting. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes settled on a familiar face.  Kelly was glad that they had moved past their angry breakup. 

“Michael, its been too long,” she smiled at him.

They were meeting with Blue Horizon Realty, and looking to work together on a project. Their company head, Lucas Reed, was not in the meeting. Lucas had been with Kelly initially, and the two had found Harbourview Realty together before a falling out. Lucas had tapped out early, and wasn’t very happy that all news magazines praised Kelly for her success and left his name out. 

Lucas got a job at Blue Horizon Realty, and though he had levelled up through promotions, he was still unhappy about what he lost. He avoided Kelly as much as possible; and it was a well-known fact that he never attended an event where he might run into Kelly.

After the meeting, Kelly stopped Michael from leaving. “ I wanted to talk to you about something important. I’ve been considering making some changes to our finance team, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in taking on the role?

Michael looked interested, “You mean CFO? That’s a big promotion. I’m flattered, but why me? I have always been at the creative side of Harbourview.”

Kelly: Well, you’ve been with the company for five years now, and you’ve consistently delivered results. You have a great eye for marketing strategies and an excellent track record in executing successful campaigns. You work the numbers and get results, and I could use someone like that right now.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I’m not sure I’m qualified for such a significant role.”

Behind them, Emily’s pulse quickened.  Michael Benett?! How was that fair? He didn’t even have a finance background! 

Kelly shrugged, “I believe you are. Besides, I have faith in your abilities, and I think you’d do a fantastic job. Plus, you have the support of the entire team.”

The two agreed to discuss his promotion over dinner next week. 

That evening, the team gathered for drinks. Michael offered to pay for the first round as Emily watched with a certain bitterness. As the night progressed, and watching Micheal’s drunken euphoric bahavior because of a promotion that should be HER’S, Emily’s actions became increasingly agressive as she became more and more drunk.
“There’s just no pleasing her, is there,” she complained to David, “She could have picked either of us, but she chose an old pet. How is that fair?”“Oh please. I won’t bitch about her like you, I have some solid facts. I think Kelly is taking money from the company,” David revealed.

“What?!” Emily whispered loudly, “That’s embezzlement, you have to report it!”

“I am not sure right now; I just have to double-check a few things. But I am positive it’s her.”

Emily left the bar feeling a little reassured. At least Kelly would be out of the company she thought to herself. 

The next morning 

Across town, Detective Allen Parker woke up to a call. 

“Allen, you gotta see this. It’s bad. Like bad bad. ” It was his partner, Rick. Something about his voice seemed urgent. 

When Detective Parker arrived at the scene, he was greeted by a familiar smell… the metallic taste of blood. He knew it was a homicide before entering the room. 

A beautiful brunette was slumped over her desk… half her head splattered across the room.

“Doors and windows were locked, its almost as if she shot herself… except this wasn’t a suicide. No weapon has been recovered at the scene of crime, sir.” an officer reported. 

“Estimated time of death is between 1 am and 4 am”

Parker looked around. This was the house of the famous real estate mogul, Kelly Johnson. Looking at her dead body, Parker was immediately convinced; she was a victim of her own success. This was likely a murder for financial reasons. 

“Have you questioned the people who knew her?”

“Yes, and it seems like there were plenty of people who wanted her dead.”

“Meaning?”

“Sir, we have five potential suspects in this murder case. 

She recently had a meeting with her old business partner, Lucas Reed. He avoided the meeting for no reason, but he is openly her number one enemy.  Suspect 2, Emily Jones, was Kelly’s assistant and her colleagues reported her getting drunk and complaining about Kelly not giving her a well deserved promotion. Suspect 3, Michael Bennett, is the victim’s ex-boyfriend, who was dumped for another man. Until recently, he seemed pretty upset about the matter, but Kelly offered him Emily’s promotion. Suspect 4, Rachel Green, had a longstanding property line dispute with Kelly. She can be seen in yesterday’s cctv footage, pointing a gun at Kelly.  Suspect 5, David Lee, Kelly’s accountant, discovered that she had been embezzling company money. He was the last person to see her alive, but doesn’t seem to have a motive for murder.”

Parker interrogated all five people… and the seemed to be getting nowhere. 

Michael was just gutted over what happened. He was a mess when Parker called him in. His bloodshot eyes and messy hair indicated he hadn’t slept, and was possibly crying. 

“I saw Kelly at the bar, she left with David. If I had known this was the last time we were meeting, I would have said something. I was at the bar till 3 am, it got pretty late. I was celebrating. I mean, you can see me in the cameras, I’m there, and I get up to use the bathroom a lot. I think I passed out in one of the stalls.”

His story checked out, he really was getting up to use the bathroom multiple times. Though Michael was sitting in a blind spot, you could see him every half hour or forty minutes, laughing around, using the bathroom. Infact, at one point, around 2 am, he stumbled out after being in the bathroom for nearly 45 minutes. 

Emily had been at home with her husband, angry over the missed promotion. Her husband was her alibi… but Parker had known spouses to cover in impossible situations. 

Lucas Reed was unavailable because he wasn’t even in the city at the time of the murder, which made the detective all the more suspicious. An important deal was taking place, yet Lucas had chosen not to be in the city. Was he overcompensating for something? Hired hitmen weren’t completely unheard of, especially in the real estate business. 

The computer logs spoke for David Lee; he was home working on some files late into the night well after he had gotten home. His work was documented on Slack, as well as the company’s official files. But these days, one can access files anywhere with their phone. Parker would have to wait for the IT department to figure out his real location at the time he was logged in.

“Where were you Ms. Greene, the night Kelly Johnson died?” Parker inquired with a soft tone towards the elderly woman sitting across the table. 

Rachel Green gracefully tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and responded, “I see what you’re after. A sensational headline that reads, ‘Eccentric elder murders prominent entrepreneur.’ However, I’m sorry to disappoint you. While it’s true Kelly may have brought it upon herself with her selfish actions, I had nothing to do with it. She was always taking things from people, she got what she deserved. As for me… I have never set foot on her property!”

“But Ms.Greene, you did consider a large part of her house as your property. Did you happen to be on that side by chance?”

“Of course, but I couldn’t have shot her from here now could I? What with the windows shut!”

“….I never told you the window was shut.”

Rachel Greene looked uncomfortable and guilty, and she quickly retorted, “Oh I kept an eye on her, so when the police showed up, I knew exactly what was going on.”

“So you must have seen someone going in?’

“I think it was one of her lovers, he unlocked the door with the key and went in. She was sleeping around all the time.”

The detective was a little tired of the woman’s snarky comments on other people’s lifestyle. It was highly likely she was making up this “lover” because Kelly had been too busy to date lately. 

Parker wasn’t convinced. It seemed almost too convenient that the cameras on Kelly Johnsons door were out of order. Also, Rachel had threatened her with a big rifle just one day prior to the murder. 

The bartender from last night had a lot to say about the events that took place that night, “Kelly Johnson had a lotta people talking about her,” he said, “She sure stepped on alotta toes. Her assistant seemed particularly mad at her, and kept saying things about how she was going to get her back for wasting her time. “

“What about Michael Bennett?”

“Oh Mr. Bennett was great. He was funny, and he gave me a great tip at the end of the night for his gin and tonic. He offered to pay for everyone’s drinks too but had forgotten his card. He put up his watch as collateral so I wouldn’t be worried while he went and got some money. When he came back, he told me that came across some cash due to some type of promotion and said he wanted to share his good fortune with me, if you know what I’m sayin.” The bartender said. 

“The David guy, the guy with the glasses, he was just tossing stuff about how Kelly took everyone for granted, and that he was gonna unmask her and what not.”

Allen Parker noted it all down, and his suspicions on Emily kept growing. 

As Lucas Reed flew in that evening, Detective Parker met with him to question him about Kelly. 

Parker noticed the man’s dislike for Kelly right away. But Lucas Reed expressed his disappointment in her death.

“A worthy opponent, Kelly was a strong woman. She always fought tooth and nail and got what she wanted, almost everytime.”

“It is my understanding that you two had a falling out some years ago, and you left Harbourview Realty Partners?”

“But let me be clear, as much as I may dislike Kelly, I would never resort to murder, especially not for something so petty. She may have stolen my ideas and my company, but that’s just business. And from what I’ve heard, she was stealing from her own company as well,” Lucas continued with a note of disgust in his voice.

Parker was intrigued, “What do you mean by that?

Lucas huffed at the detective, “Kelly Johnson was embezzeling money from her company. This was uncovered around the time she was murdered.”

Detective Parker got back into the car with his partner, “We have to find out if anyone knew about Kelly’s embezzlement. Where was this money going? I want a complete financial audit on Kelly Johnson.”

As the week drew to a close, the mysterious case appeared to have solved itself. A startling discovery was made at Kelly Johnson’s house when the lifeless body of Rachel Green was found with a gunshot wound to her head – the same gun used to kill Kelly. Alongside her lay a typed suicide note, which confessed to the murder of Kelly Johnson, blaming her for being a thief. 

Detective Parker was not convinced…. The old woman seemed to have gone to great lengths by printing out her note on Kelly’s computer of all things. But then… she did seem unhinged, and she did feel like Kelly had occupied some of her property. It seemed almost too convenient… but the evidence was heavy. 

“Well, seems like this was an open and shut case,” Parker’s partner commented as he was headed home for the night. 

“I don’t know Rick. Something doesn’t add up. I’ve been going over the interview tapes.. And I feel like maybe we left out something.”

“I don’t know about you, but I am done for the day. I’m meeting Helen for dinner.”

“Okay, enjoy your night” Parker said absently.

“You better get going too, that’s some heavy rain”

Something occurred to him. Michael had been in the bathroom for nearly an hour… wouldn’t anyone have seen him, or reported something? Also, how did he come across all that cash to pay for all of his colleagues?

Parker was going through some camera footage when his cellphone rang.

He picked up the phone “Detective Allen Parker,”

It was David Lee “Detective! I have something important to tell you. I have details about the crime. Kelly was never taking money from the company, it was someone else!” He was whispering loudly, “ Someone was forging her signature the entire time, and I have evidence that says this person killed her!”

Parker told him to calm down and give more details.

“I can’t talk, I think I accidentally tipped off the killer. I am being followed as we speak. Please meet me at the bar”

Parker quickly grabbed his gun and badge to meet with David. The urgency in his voice gave up the pure fear. 

The rain had turned to a storm by now. It was the kind of night that kept people indoors. But Detective Parker had a job to do. He had been trying to reach David Lee, but his calls went unanswered. With a sinking feeling, he finally made it to the bar where they were supposed to meet.

The place was almost deserted, save for a few patrons nursing their drinks in the dimly lit corners. Parker made his way to the bar and took a seat. He ordered a drink, trying to calm his nerves. The clock ticked away, and still no sign of David. Parker was starting to get worried.

He worried if he should just leave. He paid for his drink and went to use the bathroom. But what he found there made his blood run cold. 

David Lee lay lifeless on the floor, a bullet hole in his forehead. Parker’s heart raced as he frantically searched for clues. A boot print on the floor caught his eye. The killer had fled through the window, into the alley behind the bar. 

Parker’s mind went crazy as he realized the killer was still out there, somewhere in the dark and stormy night. 

Detective Parker followed, as he jumped and touched down, he came face to face with the killer. 

“It was you!” Parker exclaimed, pointing a gun at the murderer in front of him. Deep down in his mind, he had known who it was all along… he just hadn’t gone out on his hunch.

Who Dunnit?

*UPDATE: ANSWER IS BELOW

As the investigation into Kelly Johnson’s murder progressed, Detective Parker discovered a shocking plot twist. Michael Bennett, Kelly’s former lover and friend, was actually the killer. Parker had suspected Michael from the beginning, noticing his odd behavior and inconsistencies in his story. However, it wasn’t until he discovered that Michael had been secretly embezzling from the company that everything fell into place. Michael had killed Kelly to keep her from finding out about his embezzlement scheme, and he had been counting on his creative background to throw off any suspicion about his involvement in the finance department.

The clues were all there: Emily’s jealousy about Michael’s promotion, David’s suspicions about Kelly’s embezzlement, and Michael’s own reluctance to take on the CFO role. It was a shocking twist that left everyone reeling, and Detective Parker couldn’t help but wonder how many other secrets were hiding in plain sight.

1. He knew a lot about guns
2. He had been with Kelly a long time, knew how to forge her signatures
3. When he realized David suspected Kelly of embezzlement, he was afraid the truth would come out 
4. He was up for a promotion, he would have all the funds under control 
5. He made it look like Rachel Killed Kelly to tie up loose ends
6. He had made sure the camera at the bar caught him, providing an alibi while he snuck out of the window in the back to kill kelly. He had a key to her house already, and knew where she hid her spare. 

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