Ditto Town Mystery Mansion

[Bookwyrm]

"I ... I'm not sure anymore. We started with 14, but then people started to die. At least two, but maybe more were killed while Kai and I have been searching. Please, we just want to go home. Is there anything you can tell us that might help? We're looking for a key," Anna said.

[Lady Arwen]

"Key?" Gus shook his head. "Gus only has his key, and he lost it. Glenda has extras."

He shook his head again, wondering at the hate for fun of these Girl Giants, then turned away and sorrowfully started making his way back to his home. He went to the edge of the fall, then grabbing a large piece of bark, jumped onto the water and boogie boarded down the falls.

"Woohoo!" he cried, smiling from ear to ear before the current pulled him under.

[Bookwyrm]

"Um," Anna stared after the small creature, feeling more than a little confused and flustered. "Should we follow him or go look for this Glenda person next?"

[PrinceCor004]

As Neal made his way to the dinning hall, the familiar swish of the large kitchen doors caught his attention. Looking down the hallway, he was almost run over by Malcom's young companion. "Eh, what's the matter now?"

"I sense water nearby. There hasn't been any in this world yet, outside of Glenda's house." Selena turned at the front door and looked back at Decker. "I'm going to check it out."

It only took a moment for Decker to decide what to do. Quickly steeping into one of the nearby shadows and retrieving his fedora from the basement, the Darkling reappeared in the entryway and headed after the red-haired woman.

[narnianerd]

Upon arriving back at the mansion, Jeff retreated back to his perch up on the balcony. The solitude of it insulated him from the insanity that was ensuing down below and gave him some space to think. That's when Selena rushed out from underneath of him. "Here we go again," he didn't approve of all this running off half-cocked. Nevertheless, the she was definitely on to something and it would have been unwise of him not to follow. Moving quickly, he jumped over the balcony railing, latched onto the support pole and slid all the way to the ground, just in time to meet Neal as the fedora-man exited the building.

"What's the rush?"

[PrinceCor004]

"Selena says she's found water here." Neal said as he passed Cowboy. Really, the Darkling wasn't completely sure the red-haired woman had found anything, but it was at least worth a shot.

It didn't take long to find the riverbed Kai had discovered earlier. Following it, the trio eventually came across a tree filled area with the roaring of a nearby waterfall.

"Found it." Selena called back to the two men as she stood on the edge of an outcropping above the falls.

[Bookwyrm]

Anna turned to look when she heard the voices from behind her. She started to wave and then stumbled.

"Kai? I don't feel so good," Anna said and then bent over, clutching her stomach. She began coughing violently and then collapsed on the ground and lay still. The palm of her hand was visible to the onlookers and on it was the number 9.

And then, before the stunned Dittopians surrounding her had time to react, Anna shivered and sat up slowly.

"What happened? I ... why is it so quiet in my head? Anna? Anna? What did you people do to my sister? What is going on?"

[The Rose-Tree Dryad]

Cynthia spent a good deal of time in her room changing into something more appropriate for a revenge-bent heiress, and had a teary-eyed moment when she realized that Lisette wasn't around anymore to help her with her outfits.

"She used to press them and lay them out for me and find coordinating jewelry and everything..." the woman said in trembling tones. "And now I have to learn how to use an iron! I suppose I will probably burn myself, and then Lisette's murderer will have that on them, too. Dreadful, inconsiderate person."

A few ruined dresses and burnt fingers later, Lisette stepped out of her room wearing a long black dress and a jacket with a (100% vegan) black fur collar. She adjusted the little black hat on her head, peering through the black lace veil. If she was going to have to mourn her personal maid, then she might as well mourn in style.

She trotted down to the kitchen, supposing that people would be most likely to congregate near the food. She saw Angie sitting at the table, still drinking coffee.

"Oh, you poor dear," said Cynthia, clucking her tongue. "Have you been here all alone, just you and your thoughts? You won't believe what's happened."

[stargazer]

Angie looked up at Cynthia, who looked as elegant as ever. Her coffee was cold and she realized she'd been alone with her thoughts far too long.

"Oh, sorry," Angie began. "I can't help thinking of Dan. We met in high school, you know. How am I ever going to tell our daughter her daddy is gone?" She resisted the temptation to show off pictures of her family.

At least someone else has died, she reminded herself silently. "But enough about me. What's happened?"

[The Rose-Tree Dryad]

"Oh, goodness. What goings-on we've had! It's getting difficult to even remember all of the murders," said Cynthia, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers as she concentrated, wrinkling her pale brow in the process.

"Once your dear Dan was killed, Mr. Quigley Earnest Dint kicked the bucket soon after. Whilst myself and a number of the others went on a little hike around the grounds and met a gnome-ish woman—whom I still think might be a murderess who deals in poisoned apples—Malcom Lawrence wandered off from our party and was killed. I knew his diet was going to catch up with him one day. Oh, and I managed to solve a riddle for the gnome lady and got a shiny key in the process. And then they sent me back here... and then I found my poor maid Lisette down in the basement. And now I'm going to avenge her.

Hmm. I think we're all caught up now?"

[stargazer]

"All the murders?" Angie repeated. She'd heard about the second victim, Mr. QED, but had been unaware of any others.

Her head spun at Cynthia's account of events; she wasn't sure she understood half of it. She just wanted to get out of here, to get home to her sweet daughter. Then the woman's final words sunk in.

"Your maid Lisette died too? This has to stop before all of us get it. How can I help?"

[PrinceCor004]

Selena and Neal arrived just as Anna had her small fit and then came too. Decker glanced at the young woman on the ground and then at the rest of the group. "There's two Anna's?"

Selena raised an eyebrow at the commotion, but remained oddly detached for the most part.

[Delia Death]

"Two souls, one body," Delia said quietly. "An unfortunate anomaly. But it does help us rule out some possibilities about what is causing the deaths."

[The Rose-Tree Dryad]

In the Kitchen

"Weeell..." said Cynthia, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully. "I don't suppose you know how to iron clothes? I've already burnt three of my dresses, now that Lisette is gone—"

The sound of a nearby thump made her voice falter.

"What was that?" She said, rising from the table and leaving the room, following the general direction of where the sound seemed to come from with Angie in tow.

Cynthia soon found herself standing in the conservatory, where the body of Mr. QED had been found. Except now, on the other side of the glass-walled room, lay Milady, in her human form, among the hothouse flowers. Her body was reclining on a scattering of straw, with a fistful of it clenched in her hand. A half-stuffed scarecrow was crumpled in a corner, its stitched eyes staring at Cynthia and Angie as they approached.

"Oh my," said Cynthia, putting her hands on her hips. "This is quite creepy."

She knelt down beside Milady and gently uncurled her straw-entangled fingers. As the straw fell away from her palm, the image of a number nine, branded in her skin, was revealed.

"And then there were eight," Cynthia remarked with pursed lips.

[stargazer]

This is beyond weird, Angie thought. Milady could be a horse if she wanted, the story went, and now her dead body was surrounded by straw. What on earth was going on here?

She leaned over to look at the number branded into this latest victim's hand. "Definitely a countdown," she said. "I've read my Agatha Christie. * We've either got to solve this or get out of here before it's too late."

Once again she thought of her daughter, grateful they'd made arrangements for her care should the unthinkable ever happen. The Norwoods were a wonderful family and would care for Grace as one of their own.

She shook her head. No. We're going to get out of here, and I'm going to see my little girl again.

But what to do next?

It was only when Cynthia turned back to her that Angie realized she'd said this last aloud.

* And Then There Were None

[The Rose-Tree Dryad]

In the Conservatory

"I'm not sure," Cynthia said, standing up and dusting the straw off her fingers. "I suppose we could move Milady down to the basement with the others, the poor thing... but I've never really been good at manual labor. Let's go see if we can find the others and give them the news; I'm sure that nice Officer Evans will help us with the body. And perhaps they've found another one of those interesting maps."