"I tell you, Francis, the key to a good detective is observation, observing, and observating skills. Without that and a working prior knowledge and composure for logical deductions, a detective is just...a man." I said.

"Duke, I don't care about detective work. That's your biz. I'm here because this is an amusement park. And I'm here to have fun." Francis said. He was right. Francis and I were at Sunny Show, one of the biggest theme parks ever made. They're famous for SuperSpeed (their rollercoaster), their Sno-Cones, and sun. I was supposed to be having fun with my best friend, but I always end up changing the topic to P.I. work.

My name is Duke. Duke Harison. I'm a famous P.I. in my high school and frequently asked as a consultant for the police. My skills of perception, observation, and deduction are top notch. My father always read Sherlock Holmes books when I was a kid, and I would almost always know who the perpetrator was. No matter the scenario, in fact. I have no idea why, but the most baffling cases that happen are always solved by a theory of mine or gone cold. It has to be very urgent for the police to call me in.

"What do you want to do first, then?" I asked.

"Well, SuperSpeed looks pretty short." Francis answered. Only a twenty minute wait, according to an estimated head count.

"Alright, SuperSpeed it is." I agreed. I had no idea why, but the line went faster when we got in.

"As I was saying, observation is the main ingredient. Look." I said. I shook a blonde woman with a pearl necklace who was in line's hand. Francis rolled his eyes.

"You're a gymnast, aren't you?" I asked.

"Yes, how'd you know?!" she cried. She seemed taken aback.

"Calluses on your hand. Equivalent to an uneven bar on your hands." I said.

"Yeah, whatever Duke." Francis said. I looked forward seeing a young couple making out in line. They were doing that sweet talk where they'd call each other sugar and honey and you're my candy girl and stuff like that.

We finally hit the front of the line after five minutes. SuperSpeed had lightning bolts on a red field on the side of each car. There were four rows of two.

"All aboard, first eight people." the coaster manager said.

"Don't they say 'All Aboard' for trains?" I asked.

"Shut up, Duke. Sorry, sir. We'll sit here." Francis said. He then gave me a dirty look.

"You want to make us go to the back of the line?!" he asked angrily.

"I was just saying..." I managed. We took the second row. I sat behind the blonde gymnast who sat next to her friend. The young couple sat behind us. Two suspicious men dressed in black trenchcoats sat behind them. The guard lowered over our chests and through our heads. Then, SuperSpeed suddenly went backwards extremely fast and then whooshed forward, as if it was building speed to go past regulations. The coaster went up a hill then down again, through a loop-de-loop, through twists and turns, and I could see a long, dark tunnel ahead. Francis was probably having the time of his life on my right. Suddenly, I felt a drop of water. I thought nothing of it and then I felt a warm liquid running down the back of my head. We exited the dark tunnel and I heard a woman's scream.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!"

"Hey, what's this warm liquid?" Francis asked. It was a deep red on his hand. I saw the end of the rollercoaster ahead and braced myself. I knew exactly what the liquid was.

It was blood.

++++++++++++++++++++

"Where's the police and ambulance!?" A man cried. Everyone was already off the rollercoaster. Yellow caution tape surrounded the area. The man behind me had been beheaded. Blood was spewing out of his neck and everyone was in a state of shock.

"What happened here?" the police chief asked. The police chief Warren J. Cossano had came to the scene.

"The man was beheaded." I muttered.

"Duke! Thank goodness you're here! How'd you get here so fast?" Warren asked.

"I was on the coaster." I said. I looked at the body. The man from the young couple had no head. He was laying chest down on the floor. His head was missing.

"He was behind you?" Warren asked.

"Yes. Logically, the only person who could've killed him were the people on this coaster. Assuming me and Francis didn't do it, they're all suspects for the time being." I said. I looked towards the lady who was sitting next to the victim during the ride.

"We don't have time for this! We don't have time for you to play detective! She did it! She must've! She was sitting next to him!" One of the men in black trenchcoats shouted. Everyone gasped and turned their attention towards the woman.

"Innocent until proven guilty." I said.

"I didn't do it! I loved him!" she cried.

"Looks like there was no rollercoaster malfunction. I just talked to the ride's manager. He said everything went smoothly. Well, everything except the man there losing his head." Warren informed.

"So, that seals it. It was one of us." I said.

"Yes, but who?" Warren asked.

"Let's see...the passengers were like this. This man, Friend 'A' on the front right. This woman, Friend 'B' next to him on his left. I was behind Friend 'B' while Francis was behind Friend 'A'. The victim, 'C' was behind me while Lover 'D' was behind Francis. Men in Black 'E' and 'F' were in the last row." I said. I drew a small diagram in the dirt with a stick.

"Well, everyone had their guards down, so Lover 'D' was the only one who could've done it." Warren said.

"Yes. If the guards were down, that is correct." I said. Just then, an officer came to us holding the purse of 'C'.

"Sir, we just found this in the woman's purse." he said. It was a large knife with a cloth wrapped around it. I took the knife and carefully examined it.

"What! I've never seen that knife before!" Lover 'C' cried.

"She did it. Case closed. Let's get outta here." Man in black trenchcoat 'E' said.

"Why'd you do it?" Friend 'A' asked.

"I didn't do it! Please! You have to believe me!" she cried.

"Lock 'em up." Warren said.

"Wait!" I shouted. Everyone looked at me suddenly. A smile was across my face.

"Why'd YOU do it?" I asked. I pointed to Friend 'B'.

"What?!" she cried.

++++++++++++++++++++

"I'll ask again. Why?" I said.

"But, but, the knife! It was in her bag!" she cried.

"You planted it." I said.

"That's insane." she cried.

"What's insane is believing you can sever a person's head with a knife. Especially with a woman's strength. And, why keep the weapon? Why not just throw it off the coaster where it might never be found? Why keep it and risk being searched?" I said.

"What?! I was two rows ahead! How could I have done it?!" she shouted.

"Easy. SuperSpeed's speed plus a piano wire." I said.

"That's preposterous! You just said a woman's strength couldn't take off a head!" she shouted.

"Where's your pearl necklace you had on earlier?" I asked. She gasped. There was no necklace to be found.

"Here's what happened. You had a necklace on a piano wire. You tied a hook to the wire, wrapped it around his neck, and used the coaster's speed to rip off his head." I said.

"But I was two rows ahead!"

"You're a gymnast. You have the balance and could've easily stretched and put a wire around his neck. You had a bag behind your back when you first got on so the guard wouldn't go all the way down. You slipped out, used your balance to stretch and hook the wire to our victim here. The hook was probably in your bag. And, I bet if we looked, the hook is still on the coaster. And, right before the beheading, I felt water. You, knew he was going to die. You knew it. Because you shed a tear before exiting the tunnel. Only the killer could've known that the person was going to die beforehand." I concluded.

"Is this true?" Warren asked. Everyone looked at the woman.

"It's all her fault!" she pointed at Lover 'C'.

"I was going out with him! And he dumped me for her! I WANTED HIM DEAD!" she cried. I took a quick peek in her purse.

"Sleeping pills." I said, "You were going to kill yourself, as well?" I asked. She was sobbing on the floor.

"Let's go." Warren said. He took out his handcuffs and cuffed her behind her back.

++++++++++++++++++++

The woman was apprehended later. Through a search of the coaster, a pearl string necklace was found within the tunnel with tears along the remaining pearls. A hook was also found by the railing. The woman was tried and sentenced to life in prison.

Case Closed.