Draculus Maximus: The Maxen Massacre

Draculus Maximus: Maxen massacre

1.Finally a mystery.....

I am Draculus Maximus, and I work for the company “Detective’s Home”. My brother Sam Maximus is sleeping beside me in his car bed. Sam doesn’t know that I work and neither did my mom or dad. My mom and dad died when I was 9, so now I own the Maximus manor. The Maximus mansion is in Los Angeles, California, USA. I would have been sleeping too if Sam hadn’t made snoring sounds. I am 19 and Sam is 10. I know, you guys must be wondering about how I already work. Well, after I had solved a mystery in Egypt, Detective’s Home wanted to hire me and I accepted, and it’s been like that till now. I go to a school called “Smart Detectives”. As you can tell by the name, they teach us how to become better detectives. I am the best in the school, though they do teach me things that I don’t know.


6th November 2017:


It was a normal Monday. I was getting ready to go to school with my brother. Sam goes to “Challenger”, not to the same school as me. I was brushing my teeth when I heard a familiar sound coming from the globe beside me. The globe is also a phone and was given by Detectives Home to me. This sound only comes when there is a mission for me. I made sure that my brother was outside my room and picked up the phone:


I asked “Hello?”


A recorded voice replied “Hello Draculus. We have a mission for you. There has been a mass killing in Texas by a so-called man- Rock Kill and we want you to investigate this mystery. More information will be given to you when you come to our campus in Texas. You know where it is. This message will be deleted in 5...4...3...2......1.”


“Finally,” I said to myself.


It had been so long since I got a mission in a murder case. I told my brother that I needed to go to Texas. He didn’t mind as I go out all the time.


So, the next day, I started packing my bags and headed to the airport. I always carried the bag which Detectives Home had given me. It has a walkie-talkie and shoes that can fly. I had already booked my tickets after the call. I checked in my bags including the one my company had given me. I proceeded to my gate and waited for my plane while listening to songs by “Five Finger Death Punch”. My plane came half an hour later. My seat was at the very front, so I had more leg space. I stored my briefcase which contained my computer and phone in the pocket in front of me. The flight would take 2 hours, so I eased back into my seat and slept.


I was woken up by a sound of a person saying “We have arrived at El Paso International Airport”. I woke up and picked up my briefcase. I heard a voice saying that I would have to pick up my luggage at the counter 4. So, I headed there, passing the beautiful collection of flowers at display in a flower shop. I also passed a group of coffee shops from which a delightful smell of the mixture of different coffee beans was coming. I looked around and saw the faces of the people living in Texas. They looked very kind. How could someone start killing people just like that? Well, there is always a good and a bad in the world. My baggage came last, so I had to wait for a very long time. Once that was out of my way, I booked an Uber and headed towards the campus of Detective’s Home in Abilene.


The campus came in sight after a 30-minute drive. It was huge. It was made of clear glass. There were curtains drawn in some of the rooms. The driver dropped me at the main gate which was so tall that I had to look straight up to see the top of it. Once I went inside, I was greeted by a lady.


She said “Hello. You must be Draculus Maximus. Nice to meet you”


I replied “Nice to meet you too”


She said “We have your room ready for you. You can freshen up and meet me in the same place”


I replied “Ok. Thank you!”


2. The Plan.....:

As I started heading towards the elevator which would take me to the floor of my room, I looked around to see the Lobby. It was very bright and was made entirely of Marble. It reminded me of the time when my mom and dad took me and Sam to Australia, where we stayed in a great hotel. Just thinking about my parents brought tears to my eyes. The only thing different from that trip was that this time, I was alone, and this was not a hotel. I decided not to think anymore and headed to my room. It was decent. The bed was soft and cushiony. The room had a T.V, a telephone and everything else you would expect a room in a 4-star hotel to have. I didn’t realize that I was sweating until a drop went into my shirt. I decided to take a shower. I took a long and nice shower and changed into new fresh clothes and put on my best perfume. By that time, it was lunch time, but I headed to the lobby just like the lady had said. I met the lady in the same place just like she had said. She led me to a room labeled “Conference Room” on the outside. As I entered, I saw my friend from the company, Demenios. He also happens to be the owner of the company. I said hello and shook hands and sat down.


Demenios said, “You had received a call from us regarding this mission. Am I right?”


I replied, “Yes”


He said “As you already know, there is a man who is killing a lot of people. The last incident of his killing happens to be his second murder incidence. We could not tell you this on the call though. He has killed the 100-year-old James Maxen of the famous Maxen family.


I asked, “When did this happen?”


Demenios replied, “This happened just yesterday. The first incidence of his killing though was also of a member of the Maxen family. His name is Arturo Maxen. He was 110 years old when he was murdered. This had happened a week ago. We believe that Rock Kill will be planning another attack, but we don’t know who and where it will happen. We have called you to help us as we know that you always have tricks up your sleeve.”


I said, “Sir, I believe I do have an idea of who he will attack.”


Demenios eagerly asked, “Yes. Please share the idea with me”


I said “Since Rock Kill has been attacked two of the Maxen family members; I believe that he will go and target another of the Maxen family’s members. Also, since the ages of the people who he has killed have gone from higher to lower (110-100), he will probably attack the next person who is the oldest in the Maxen family.”


Demenios replied, “What a brilliant idea Draculus. We will make sure that the members of the Maxen family are safe now. I have already spoken to the father of Samuel Maxen, who is the youngest Maxen- 2 years old. His name is Robert Maxen. He is 21 years old. He is very scared and is seeking protection from Detective’s Home. Anyway, thank you for your time Draculus and....oh my, it is past 2. You must go and have your lunch. Goodbye.”


I replied, “Goodbye Sir”


I headed towards the food court. There were so many options: Subway, Dominos, Pizza Hut and many more. I wasn’t very hungry, so I went with a 6-foot long Sub with extra chicken. Once I became full, I went over to Demenios to ask him a question.


I asked, “Sir, I would like to visit the Maxen mansion.”


Demenios replied,“Sure Draculus. I will arrange a car for you now.”


I said, “Thank you,


Demenios said, “Draculus, your car is ready.”


I boarded the car and headed for the mansion which was located 5 minutes away. For extra precaution, Demenios sent me with 2 bodyguards armed with guns and grenades. The mansion was really big and was lit up with several lights. I could see a young man on the very top floor of the mansion. On the terrace, there was a private pool. I rang the doorbell as I reached the door. A young man about 21 years of age opened the door. I guessed that he was Robert Maxen.


I asked “Hello. I am from Detective’s Home. My name is Draculus. You must be Robert”


The man replied “Why yes. I am Robert. Nice to meet you”


I asked “Sir, may I come in and have a little talk with you?”


Robert replied “Sure. Why not?”


After I sat down, I told him, “As you know, there has been a murder of your oldest family member. I am very sorry about that. I would just like to ask you a few questions. Did you see the killer?”


Robert replied “Yes. I saw him running out of the door. I looked around the house after that and saw the body.”


I asked him “Can you describe his appearance?”


Robert answered “He had long hair and was wearing a red mask with a joker face on it. He was wearing jeans and a full-sleeves shirt with a Draculuset on top. I reckon it was bulletproof. I also took a look at his car, but not its number plate. It was a Toyota Innova and was black in colour.”


As I noted down points, I said “Sir that was very useful. Thank you very much. Just one more question, who is the oldest of your family after the murders?”


Robert answered “It is Tommy Maxen. He is 97 years old.”


Jotting that down, I replied “Thank you very much; I will not bother you further. I shall be heading out now. Goodbye.”


Robert said “Goodbye”


I headed out the door and got into the car and headed back to the campus. Once I reached the campus, I saw Demenios waiting for me at the entrance. As we walked in together, he asked me about what I got to know, and I told him everything. It was dinner time when I got back, so Demenios and I ate together. We discussed plans for catching the killer while eating. After dinner, I decided to sleep early as I would have to go to the Toyota headquarters and go to every single person’s house who owned a black Innova. That way, I may be able to find out the killer. That will take a lot of time and not only one day. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, but for now, I was planning on sleeping.


3. Surveillance using bodyguards…



7th November 2017:


I woke up with my alarm playing a heavy metal song. I went and started brushing my teeth when I got a call.


I said “Hello?”


Demenios replied “Hey Draculus, this is Demenios. Dude, get down to the lobby quickly, your guess was correct. Tommy Maxen is dead and Robert has said that the same killer has killed him.”


I said “Oh crap. Another Maxen is gone. I’m on my way. We need to surround the mansion with guards.”


Demenios replied “Ok. Come fast though. Goodbye”


As I entered the elevator, a bunch of questions flooded my brain. Why was the killer killing only Maxen’s? Where does he live?... and so many more. Well, I guess I’ll find out when I have a chat with Robert again today. I guess I wouldn’t be going to the Toyota headquarters after all. As I reached the lobby, I spotted Demenios talking with another man who looked about 30 or so. When Demenios saw me, he introduced me to him.


Demenios said “He Draculus. I would like you to meet Mr Jonathan Kennedy. He has been working with us for the past 15 years and will be working with you on your mission as well.”


I shook his hand and introduced myself. He looked surprised when I told him that I was 19. He also told me that I could call him John for short. Then, John and I headed out of the door and got into the limo that was waiting for us and headed towards the Maxen mansion again. This time, again I was going with 4 bodyguards, 2 for me and 2 for John. John, Demenios and I had looked into that killings in detail and were expecting another kill today, so we had a plan in mind. John and I would be talking to the members of the Maxen family, while the guards with the guns and grenades would be on the lookout for the car while hiding in the bushes. Since I had brought along my walkie-talkies, John and I could communicate with the guards easily. I had also brought along a few pocket cameras that could come in handy when trying to take a picture of a person when you don’t want him to know. I rang the doorbell and Robert opened the door. We said hello and I introduced John to him. We all went and sat in the grand living room where there were sofas and chairs.


“Robert, we would like to express our deep sorrows again for your loss and I personally would do anything to help you, so we- Detective’s Home have decided to provide you with a 24/7 protection from the killer by placing 10 of our most trusted guards around your house. There will be five in the day and five in the night. They will have the most sophisticated weapons and will try their best to catch the killer, alive or dead. Is that OK with you?” I asked.


Robert replied “Yup. That is perfect. I would like to thank you for helping us out so much again.”


“Sir, this is our job and we are very happy in doing so. I would just like you to call the oldest member of your family down to where we are sitting as I would like to have a few words with him” John said.


Robert replied “Sure.”


I heard Robert shouting “Grandpa! Please come down here for a second” and a soft reply that said “Sure. I’m coming right away.”


These Maxen’s sure were very polite and nice. I heard faint footsteps growing into louder ones as the oldest member currently alive of the Maxen family came down the steps. He was a bit healthy but fit for a man who is that old. His face looked content and he had a faint smile as well. He wore a suit and boots and had a wrinkled face.


“Hello, guys. I’m Watson. You must be from Detective’s Home.” He said.


“Yes, sir. We are. We would just like to tell you that the killer will probably be targeting you next and we are here to give you our utmost protection.” Said, John


I added on “Regarding that sir, we would like to provide you with 2 of our very own trusted bodyguards who have worked with us for 3 years. This is just to ensure your safety. We would not only be proving you with 2 bodyguards but the whole family. Although there are already going to be 10 guards patrolling the house, we believe that the killer can still find a way to get into the house, so we are providing everyone with 2 personal bodyguards. Is that fine with you sir?”


“Yes. I will definitely support that. Thank you” he said


“No problem. Now we won’t take any more of your time and will be placing the guards around the house as soon as we reach our campus. They will be placed without telling you, so do not panic if you see 5 people with black shirts and pants in front of your house.” I said


“Ok. I won’t. Goodbye” Watson said


We headed out and started our drive back to the campus. When we reached, Demenios wasn’t inside. I asked the receptionist, but she said that she hadn’t seen him for a while. I figured that he had gone for a snack somewhere, but I was beginning to get suspicious because Demenios kept disappearing at random times. I wondered if Demenios had a role to play in the killings. I couldn’t accuse him yet though, without any proof, so I decided to go and have a quick lunch. I told John my theory of who was behind the killing, and he agreed with me. I could not focus much on Demenios though as if I caught the killer in the end, and it was him, then I would know when I caught the killer. I ate a lunch of Caesar salad which tasted delicious with the extra chicken. Oh, how I love chicken! Since I had gotten up early this morning, I really wanted to get some sleep and so I told John that I needed to go and went and got some sleep.


I may have never gotten up if it wasn’t for the call from Sam. When I woke up, I saw the time and my eyes nearly popped out. It was dinner time! I had slept for a whole 8 hours! I got up quickly and picked up the phone and answered.


“Hello?” I asked


“Hi, Draculus. It’s Sam. How many more days will you take to come back?” asked Sam


I replied “At least another 5 days man. I’m really sorry dude, but I really can’t come now.”


“It’s fine. I’ll see you in a few days then?” asked Sam


“Yup. Goodbye” I replied


My good old......young brother. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be up yet and would have probably slept till late in the night. I called up John and asked him if Demenios had told him to work on anything, and he said no, so I decided to relax. There was a pool at the camps, and I had gotten my swimming trunks, so I decided to go swimming. Within seconds, my trunks were on, and I headed towards the pool. It was in a different building, the “Clubhouse”. The clubhouse had everything; A pool, a table tennis court, a badminton court, a pool table and what not. The pool was at the top, so I had to climb up many stairs to get there. By that time, I was totally warmed up. Had I mentioned that I was a national swimmer in California? I was out of shape though now, as I hadn’t swum in a long time. I put my leg in first, to feel the water. It was warm, so I jumped in headfirst. It felt amazing. I swam for an hour and got out and headed to my room. I took a shower and quickly headed to the restaurant in the campus for dinner. I met Demenios and John there. They were sitting at a small table discussing something that I couldn’t hear. I approached their table and they quickly stopped talking. Looks like are talking about something that is a secret. I pulled a chair up to their table and ordered my food. We started discussing our day. After eating our food, we all went back to our rooms and slept. I had a suspicion in my mind that John and Demenios were behind the killings. I was going to check that out for real with my spying skills that I had learned in 2nd grade, but for now, I was going to crash on the bed.


4. Suspect catching:


I woke up with my usual alarm the next day that rang in an irritating tone. I got up and got dressed. I went down to the restaurant to eat my breakfast. I didn’t see Demenios or John there, so I started eating. I had a big day in front of me. I would have to go to Demenios’s room and spy there. I ate a breakfast of boiled eggs and an omelet. I went back to my room to get my spy equipment. It included a motion detector, a device which could hear a further away conversation, a car which takes pictures and videos and a cool watch which vibrates if the motion detector senses a movement. I took all of the equipment and headed to Demenios’s room. I didn’t expect it to be open, and it wasn’t. To check if there were people inside, I took the device that can hear far away conversations and put it to the door. I placed it there for a minute and carefully listened to the earpiece, but I couldn’t hear anything. I had to think of a way to get in now. I could use a master card that the cleaners that walked around the corridors had. I decided to try that. I started walking through the corridors to find a cleaner. The corridors were huge and I wished that I had a hundred of me to pervade through the corridors until one of them found a cleaner.


After 10 minutes of going in circles, I saw a cleaner at the end of the corridor that I was in. I called to her and she approached me.


“Hello, ma'am. I have been locked out of my room with my key inside. I was hoping you could help me open the door with your master key” I said


“Sure dear. I have it here in my pocket. Give me a minute” She said


She opened the door and asked “Will that be all dear? Would you like anything else?”


“No. Thank you, mam.” I replied


I closed the door behind me and took out my spy equipment. I set the car just underneath the table in front of the bed, I wore my watch, and I put the motion detector just on the left side of the door so that if anyone walks in, I will know. I could put away the hearing device for now as I didn’t need to use it unless Demenios and John would whisper, which I doubted. I stationed myself in the washroom, behind the bathtub. There was a bed sheet already kept there, so I hid underneath it.


After an hour of waiting, I finally heard a key turning. Then, I heard the door opening. I felt my watch vibrating and checked in the camera of the car and saw John and Demenios’s face. My heart was literally in my mouth right now. They started a very interesting conversation which could get them arrested if recorded.


“Dude. I think that our plan is working because they still haven’t saved a Maxen yet.” Said John


“Yeah. Remember that Draculus has guessed our plan and has put a lot of guards on the oldest of the Maxen family. He is expecting us to attack them. Such a fool. He still believes us even though we have been disappearing at random moments” replied Demenios


I was so enraged at this. I was lucky that I got my car with me, as it was recording and taking a video of their conversation.


“I think that we should attack the youngest of the Maxen’s as Draculus knows our plan already. I like my code name man: Killer Rock,” said Demenios


“Yeah, I like it too. Remember our plan was that if you get caught trying to kill a person, I will take over. The police won’t be expecting another killer to attack so fast.” Said John


“Yup. I do remember that. We will attack Robert. He seems vulnerable as you described after your meeting with him” said Demenios


“Yup. That should be great. We will go to their house at 12 in the night. We will also tell the guards to go away for today. Until then, we will party in the night so that Draculus won’t get suspicious.” Said John


“Yup. Let’s go down and have a walk in the park to talk more about the plan” said Demenios


Once they left, I quickly got up and stopped the recording and played it. It was perfect. I could show this to the police and Demenios and John could get arrested or even killed. I had to go to the Maxen mansion and talk with the guards and tell them not to go even if they are told by Demenios.


I reached there just before 12, and by that time, I was feeling really hungry. I forced myself not to think about food at all and headed for the guards. As I approached them, they started asking me questions like “Who are you?” “What do you want?” and that stuff. I said “Chill guys. I’m Draculus from Detective’s Home. I’m here to tell you and show you some very interesting news.” I told them that Demenios and John were the killers. At first, they didn’t believe me, but when I should them the video and conversation, they started to believe me.


“Who is the head of this group?” I asked


“It’s me sir” replied a guy


“My name is Ryan,” he said


“Hello, Ryan, nice to meet you. Demenios or John will probably come to you and tell you to not guard the house. Do what they say, but go around the house and wait at the back. Then, stay there until 11:57. After that, hide behind the bushes and try and catch the killer. At any costs, do not let them inside. I will be with you hiding in the bushes and taking footage of everything. Please do not fail me now.” I said


“We won’t sir. That is a guarantee.” He replied


“Thank you. Now I must get going. Good luck. I’ll see you all at 11 then.” I said


I headed back to the campus. I was feeling very good as this was a real murder case and I was the only one solving it. I went straight to my room and slept for an hour. I woke up casually and went down to the restaurant for lunch. I ate fish with fried chicken and barbeque sauce. It was delicious. I had the whole day until late night to relax, so I decided to go to the pool and take a relaxing swim. The water was a bit chilly, which I was surprised by as it was very hot, but it was nice. I sat on the bench in the pool and kept my back to the jets that were blowing strong jets of water straight at my back. It was very massaging. I got out of the pool when I felt that the wind was becoming chilly. I took a warm shower in my room and headed to the games room. There was a pool table, table soccer, table hockey and many other fun games. There was a person from the company who was looking after the room. It was isolated if you excluding me and the person taking care of the place. I asked him if he could play table-hockey with me. He readily agreed and we started playing. We were playing the game when Demenios and John walked in. I was so scared that I couldn’t even move. What if they found out that I was spying on them? Would they kill me as well like they killed the Maxen’s? I was expecting them to do something aggressive, but Demenios casually asked “Hello Draculus. It looks like you are relaxing right now. No problem. I would have probably done the same if I were you. Since I'm here though....can John and I join you?”


I decided to play along with this as they might get suspicious otherwise, so I replied “Yeah. Sure. This gentleman and I(I said pointing to the man taking care of the room) have been playing for a while. I would love to play carom with you guys,”


“Great. Let’s play” said John


So, John, Demenios and I played carom. It turned out that John was a great player; he beat us all by 20 points. Demenios and I had the same score. After I finished playing carom, I decided to eat dinner as it was already nine by then. I ate a dinner of red sauce pasta with extra mushrooms. To wash that down my throat, I drank a glass of sparkling water with lime. Although it was late, there was a long day to go as I still had to catch the Demenios and John. I guessed that Demenios was the one who killed and John was the one who was waiting in the getaway car. It was 11:45 by the time that I reached the Maxen mansion. I met the guards just as I expected. They already knew the plan and went to their position. I went to and hid behind the bushes, with my camera, waiting to record the scene.


The car arrived exactly at 12 midnight. This was it. I pressed the record button and zoomed into the car’s number plate. Then, I saw a man with a mask step out of the shotgun seat. He had a dagger in his hand and a gun on his belt. He walked towards the house entrance. I whispered the guards in my walkie-talkie, for five of them to sneak up behind the car and take the driver and five of them to sneak up behind the killer and catch him. A few seconds after that, as I looked behind the car, there were exactly five people and as I looked behind the killer, who was trying to pick the new lock which the Maxen’s had installed, I also saw five people there. In a matter of 1 second, the killer was on the ground with the five people holding him down, and the driver was dragged out of his seat and also held on the ground. I approached the killer first. One guard pulled out the dagger and the gun from the killer’s hand and belt. I slowly removed the mask that the killer was wearing and saw the face of Demenios underneath it. I did the same with the driver and saw John’s face under it. I had guessed it correctly. I took pictures of them with the masks and without the masks and stopped recording the scene. I put them back in their car and drove to the police station.


I had never been to a police station before, so I didn’t expect it to be so empty. I walked up to the front desk where an officer was standing. Demenios and John were being dragged behind me by two guards. I told the officer the whole story. He then asked me for any proof. I showed him the entire recording that I had taken and the pictures. By the way, he looked at Demenios and John after that, I was sure that he was convinced. He dragged them into a cell and they were put in prison for their entire lifetime.


5. Back to the normal days




I arrived at the airport in California and booked a cab to head back home. I reached there in 30 minutes and I rang the doorbell. My brother opened it, and he greeted me with a big hug. I wasn’t expecting that from my brother, as he never does that when I arrive from outside, but I was gone for a much longer time than I usually do, so that may be one reason. Days went normally for me after that, and I quit Detective’s Home as well. You guys must be wondering about what I do now. So, I have just sent an email to 3 detective companies to join, but I haven’t gotten a reply yet. I’ll probably get into one of them and I’ll have more adventures after that, but that’s for another book. Boy oh boy, was I looking forward to becoming a normal teenager again.....for a while at least.





THE END!





Author-Aakash Kothari


Editor-Rishabh Subramanian