Shadow of Despair: Mafia in Rogueport!

Day One: The First Spill of Blood

Alive: Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, Sushie, Lakilester, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Spike, Vivian, Bobbery, Ms. Mowz

Point of View – Flurrie

It had taken Flurrie some time to fall asleep the previous night. Her mind had been tortured with the thoughts of the ominous letter they'd all received. Unsure of what to do about the situation she was in, fear and mistrust crept with the elderly wind spirit's mind. She wanted to trust her friends, so for now, she was betting this was a joke. It was the only thing that made sense. None of her friends could do this…none of them had reason to be so sick and twisted as Luigi had been. But these thoughts plagued Flurrie throughout the night, preventing her from sleeping. She knew she had to get up in the morning and travel back to Rogueport, but even the thought of the walk didn't give her reason to sleep. Shivering in her bed, Flurrie thought and thought and thought until her brain grew so exhausted that she eventually passed out.

In the morning, Flurrie awoke to find Goombella missing from her bedroom. Instantly, Flurrie suspected the worst. Where could she have…GOOD HEAVENS! Nononono – it's all true! It's all true! I can't believe it! SOMEONE'S KILLED GOOMBELLA! Dashing out of bed, Flurrie threw on the coral necklace she so refused to be seen without and threw herself out of the bedroom. She didn't even take time to make sure her hair and lipstick were properly done, as the vain actress always did. Fear for her friend propelled her forwards, and the wind spirit busted into the living room of her house with a look of absolute terror plastered on her face.

But then it melted away. Goombella was standing in the living room, reading a book and munching on a granola bar.

"Goombella!" Flurrie shrieked, sounding aghast. "I thought you were dead!"

"W-what…?" Goombella asked, putting down her book and taking a bite of the honey and oats bar. "Why would you think that?"

"W-well, I woke up and you weren't there so I dashed around thinking someone had killed you but alas I found you hiding here in the living room all so safe and sound I'm so relieved!" Flurrie expressed herself all in one breath, something the wind spirit often did due to her excessive skill with holding her breath and manipulating wind. Even though she was used to Flurrie's overreactions and quirkiness, Goombella still sighed as she always did when faced with the actress and her paranoia.

"I'm fine, Flurrie," she said. "We should probably get going soon, though. Everyone wanted to meet in Rogueport at eight o'clock and it's already 7:30."

"I didn't know you were interested in fashion," Flurrie told Goombella, eyeing the book she'd been reading.

"I'm not," Goombella said sourly. "It's just the only thing you have laying around this house. Now could you please hurry up? The journey to Rogueport's kinda far."

"I must fix my hair!" Flurrie decreed, dashing back into her boudoir and coating herself in make-up and hairspray. Done with the ritual, Flurrie returned to the living room, ready to travel. Sighing once more, Goombella snapped her book shut, placed it on the table beside the couch, and rose to meet Flurrie.

"Ready?" the archaeologist asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be, dearie!" Flurrie sang. Nodding, Goombella adjusted her helmet and waddled out of the house. They began the journey to Rogueport, hiking through the Boggly Woods, back through the pipe, through the sewers, and up into the dim streets of Rogueport. "This town always gives me chills," Flurrie remarked, "I don't know how you manage to live here, Goombella."

Goombella tried to see the best in that remark. "Well, I've lived here all my life. Plus, Professor Frankly is here and it's not too far from UGoom, so it works out pretty nice for me," Goombella told her friend. Smiling thinly, Flurrie tried to mask the revolt for Rogueport that lay within her. This city of thieves and thugs did not mix well with a lady of the stage such as her. Nevertheless, Flurrie carried herself through the streets of the town with Goombella at her side. Together, they reached the center of town, where many of their friends were waiting for them.

"Flurrie! Goombella!" Koops said with a grin. Vivian and Koopie Koo stood by his side. "We were beginning to get worried about you guys," he said.

"Oh no need to worry about us, dear!" Flurrie exclaimed, floating over to hug each of her friends. "We're just fine! I knew this was all some hoax!"

"Well, we're still waiting on Sushie, Ms. Mowz, and Lakilester," Vivian said, a tinge of worry in her voice.

"Good morning, dears!" came the chipper voice of Ms. Mowz. Everyone's gaze turned upwards, where she was standing in front of her second-story badge shop. The white mouse clicked her red heels and expertly scaled the side of the roof, doing a backflip and landing on the street.

"She sure knows how to make an entrance," Goombella quipped.

"Oh don't be like that," Flurrie assuaged. "Ms. Mowz is a woman of theatrics, such as myself! We're both daring women of age!"

"Excuse me?" Ms. Mowz asked Flurrie. "I'm quite young, thank you!"

"If thirty-nine is young," Spike said, holding in a fit of giggles. Ms. Mowz smacked him with her tail, unleashing a diatribe about respect on the poor Glitz Pit Fighter. The scene made Flurrie's heart warm, seeing all of them interact and play around like normal…but the scene was soon shattered by the strangled cry that came from the gate leading to the west side of Rogueport. The cry came from Sushie.

"Oh! Thank God!" she spluttered, bouncing over to the others. For a Cheep Cheep of her size, she was moving with unprecedented celerity.

"Sushie!" Watt said with a smile. "We're so…"

"No time!" Sushie barked. "No time! No time! You all must come quick! I…I…I saw something horrible in the West End!"

Fear of the worst caused everyone's stomachs to flip. "Out with it!" Bobbery demanded with gusto, causing some of the resident goombas and bandits in the square to look at the congregation with odd looks on their face.

"Y-you just have to come!" Sushie shouted, dashing back through the gate and leaving everyone in the dust. Sharing looks of great fear, the fourteen others followed her with haste. The routine residents of Rogueport glanced at the large group with suspicion now, wondering what this odd group of colorful individuals was up to. However, stranger things happened in Rogueport, so the local denizens didn't question it at all. Bursting into the West End, the others looked around for some sort of horrible sight that Sushie had been describing.

"W-where is it!?" Bombette demanded to know. "Where is it, Sushie!?"

Sushie gulped. "I-It's in there," she said, pointing to the entrance to the sewers.

"In the sewers?"

She nodded hastily. Flipping sideways, the paper partners fell into the sewers below. Hitting the hard ground, they flipped back and were astonished at the sight in front of them.

"I-it's Lakilester!" Sushie screamed.

In front of the fourteen plus Koopie Koo, the slumped body of Lakilester was resting against one of the sewer walls. His head hung limply against his scarlet stained chest, where a knife was plunged deep. In between the hilt of the dagger and his body, there was a white note with black ink on it. Creeping towards the body, Kooper slowly tore off the note while the others stood there in shock. His eyes silently scanned the paper.

"Well go on!" Bobbery cried. "Read it!"

"By now, it's clear how real this little game is. In the dark of the sewers, Lakilester lays dead. Spend the day investigating wherever you please, but by sunset, meet in the center of town. For our first trial will begin then! We'd really recommend showing up for the trial unless you want to end up like poor Lakilester. Don't take us for fools, because this is very, very real. Signed – The Mafia."

"Is, is he really dead?" Watt wanted to know. "I…I can't believe it."

Instantly, Lady Bow turned to Sushie. "Hey…how did you find him here? What were you doing in the sewers?"

"Now wait a minute," Koops interrupted. "We're really going to turn one on another, just like that! We're all friends!"

"Clearly," Bombette replied. "Don't you remember what happened at Podley's? Podley had been threatened to read that note, and it said the mafia was among us!"

"Someone could've forced him to do that!" Vivian pointed out.

"Yeah, someone here!" Parakarry argued. All around her, Flurrie was beginning to see friendships fall apart. Her mauve eyes drifted over to Lakilester's body. It was a sight she could barely stomach. However, her attention was drawn away from the body towards Kooper, who still held the note in his hand as he spoke.

"Guys…we should assume everything we've read up to this point is the truth," he told them. Flurrie could see Goombella was hanging on to his every word. "Last night at Podley's…and now this. W-we…we can't assume we're all on the same side here. Even if someone external is behind this…we have to assume the worst. So Bow is right, Koops." He turned to Sushie, scratching at the red scarf around his neck. "So…uhm…yeah, how'd you know Lakilester was down here."

Sushie pointed to one of the many doors up ahead. "Behind that second door is the pipe to Lavalava Island," Sushie said. "Remember when the city installed several new pipes last year? In order for me to get back here today, I had to come through the pipe behind that door and walk along this corridor to get to the pipe up ahead leading into the city. So I naturally had to pass…L-Lakilester," she said, having trouble speaking his name.

"Thanks," Kooper said with a smile. "I think we should do as the note said and explore and investigate. I've got somewhere I want to look."

"C-could I come with you?" Goombella asked him.

"Uh, sure," Kooper said with a shrug. Smiling, Goombella waddled after him.

"If ya don't mind," Sushie said, taking a deep breath. "I'm going to head on home for just a bit. I'd like some tea to calm my nerves. After stumbling across…across this alone, I need a moment to myself." Everyone nodded understandingly, wishing the cheep cheep farewell as she hopped back down the way she came, muttering something to herself.

"Where do you wanna look?" Watt asked Bow.

"We should ask some locales down here if they saw anything," Bow answered. "Let's go," she told Watt. The posh Boo floated away, the little bulb of light following closely behind her.

"Koopie and I are gonna head to Flower Fields," Koops told Flurrie and Vivian. "You two are welcome to join us. We think maybe there's a clue at Lakilester's house."

Vivian declined. "I'm going to go to the badge shop with Ms. Mowz. She thinks the best way to gain info is to talk to some of her customers." The squeek nodded enthusiastically.

"Customers always know the latest gossip," she explained. "If anyone might know what happened here, it'd be a denizen of the Rogueport." With that, she and Vivian, along with Koops and Koopie, left for their separate destinations.

"Man, this sure is spooky," Goombario quipped. "I wonder how many networks pour into this part of the sewers. I think Frankly might have some books on the sewers layout. I'll head there."

"I'll come along," Spike spoke up. "No one should go anywhere alone."

"What about Sushie?" Parakarry asked.

"Oh she's just going home," Goombario said. "We all saw her disappear beyond that door. The only place she could be going is Lavalava."

"For now," Parakarry muttered.

Goombario left, tipping his blue cap to everyone. Only Flurrie, Parakarry, Bobbery, and Bombette occupied the crime scene now.

"Well, I'd look to poke around here," Bobbery admitted. "You gals wanna help me?"

"Sure thing," Bombette replied. She seemed to like staying by the sailor's side anyway. "Flurrie?'

Flurrie smiled. "Sure," she said. Parakarry offered to stay too. Flurrie might not be able to stomach handling the body, but she wanted to be present for whatever they found down here. As many times as she had starred in mystery movies, the producers always placed the most evidence at the scene of the crime. While Flurrie knew this was real life, and not some movie, she hoped the same principles applied.

Location – Rogueport Sewers

Present Occupants: Flurrie, Bobbery, Bombette, Parakarry

Getting to work, the four of them began to dissect the crime scene. Parakarry helped Bobbery turn the body over and examine it for further wounds. After a full sweep of the body, the admiral concluded there were no external wounds besides the stab. They affirmed that as the cause of death. Next came the more grueling task, which churned the contents of Flurrie's stomach over.

Bobbery gingerly pulled the knife out of Lakilester.

"If the knife is a one of a kind blade, it may point to something, or rather, someone," the sailor said as he carefully withdrew the blade. Wiping the knife clean of blood, he turned the small dagger over in his hand. It looked like any knife a common street rat would carry. Frowning, Bobbery set it down. Next, the four of them tried to find if Lakilester had left some sort of dying message, but no dice there either. Their search of the sewer inconclusive, they wondered if there was anything to find here at all.

"It seems to me like someone caught Lakilester by surprise, stabbed him with a simple knife, and then fled the scene," Parakarry said. "Nothing glaring was left behind. I don't think there's much to learn from here."

"What do we do with the knife?" Bombette asked. "We can't leave it here, or someone might come back and take it."

"Well someone shouldn't take it with them either," Parakarry pointed out. "That person could be guilty."

"So you're saying you suspect someone here, old boy?" Bobbery asked Parakarry, arching a bushy grey eyebrow.

Gulping, Parakarry made a quick retort. "I didn't mean that, I just meant we should follow what Kooper said. None of us are proven innocent yet. It wouldn't be good to leave a knife with someone at this stage."

Everyone agreed to that.

"So we throw it out," Flurrie said, coming up with a new idea. Down one of the slits into the unreachable parts of the sewers."

"Sounds good to me," Bombette said with a shrug. Nodding, Bobbery walked over to a nearby grate and dropped the knife in. They heard silence for a bit, and then a quiet splash. Seems like whatever lay below the accessible regions of the sewers included water."

"So it's gone," Parakarry affirmed. "So what do we do now?"

"Call a coroner, I suppose," Bobbery replied. "It wouldn't be right of us to leave Lakilester here. I didn't really know the chap, but he seemed pure of heart. I know you two were closer with him, though," Bobbery said to Bombette and Parakarry.

"Actually, he was kind of an outsider," Bombette said. "Maybe that's why the mafia chose him first."

The grim reality of her statement weighed heavily on all of them. Was that truly why Lakilester had been the first to die? Because he wasn't close with any of them? But Bombette's statement held a second meaning. If Lakilester was only the first to die…there would be a second. More of them would die as this sick game continued, and the four present at the scene of the crime realized they may only have a few days left to live.

Location – Underground City

Present Occupants: Flurrie, Bow, Watt

After leaving the scene of the crime, Flurrie investigated some other portions of the sewers. Her walk brought her to the small city that had existed right underneath Rogueport. The wind spirit shook her head sadly at the sight of the toppled fountain display and the grime that covered the walls. This city under Rogueport was a place the local government promised to restore and refurbish, but of course, it never happened. It served as a dank reminder of the city's past. Flurrie's historical ruminations were interrupted by the sight of Bow and Watt, who were talking by the broken old fountain.

"Flurrie!" Bow exclaimed with a smile. The two women had always been fond of one another. They both had luxurious houses at the edge of beautiful forests, so naturally, they had something in common. Floating over to her other airborne friends, Flurrie greeted them with a wave.

"Where'd you go to after…ugh, this morning," Watt said, trying to phrase the discovery of Lakilester's body as nicely as possible.

"I stayed there," Flurrie answered. "Bobbery, Bombette, Parakarry, and myself investigated the crime scene. Bobbery was brave enough to inspect Lakilester's body. He even pulled out the knife."

Watt and Bow turned a little pale, both looking horrified. "He sure is courageous, but I guess you have to be to do what he used to do out on those seas," Bow remarked. "Did anything come of his inspection?"

Flurrie shook her head. "Nothing," the actress said. "It was sad. Not a single clue lay at the scene of the crime."

"Maybe the murderer, or the mafia, made it that way on purpose," Watt said. The three women considered that possibility for a moment before Bow launched into conversation once again.

"Watt and I asked a few of the locals around here if they had seen or heard anything suspicious. We talked to the sketchy information broker, Wonky, for a bit, but he didn't know anything," Bow explained.

"We tried to speak with Dazzle, but he wouldn't tell us anything unless we had some Star Pieces," Watt said sadly.

"You two found nothing at all?" Flurrie asked.

The both shook their heads. "Not a thing," Bow replied. "It's odd how neither we nor the four of you found anything at all down here."

"That just means the clues aren't down here," Watt supposed.

"But then where could they be?" Flurrie wondered aloud. "Oh wait! Goombario mentioned that he was going to visit Professor Frankly. Perhaps that sharp little goomba found something! Professor Frankly does know quite a bit."

"Well why don't you pay him a visit?" Bow told her. "Watt and I will keep poking around here just in case we missed something." Watt nodded with a smile.

"I'll see you darlings later," Flurrie said. "I must go see the Professor at once!"

Location – Professor Frankly's House

Present Occupants: Flurrie, Goombella, Professor Frankly

Flurrie rapped on the door of Frankly's house to be welcomed by neither Goombario or the Professor himself, but Goombella instead.

"Goombella!" Flurrie cried in elation. "I thought you'd gone off with Kooper?"

"I did," Goombella said. "But we couldn't find anything! So he decided to go off on his own while I paid the Professor a visit."

"I got a visit from Goombario earlier as well," Frankly said. "What brings so many of you young'uns to my house today?"

Goombella and Flurrie shared a strange look. They didn't know if they should divulge the truth of this mafia game to Frankly. Goombario obviously hadn't, so they didn't want to betray the braniac's judgment.

"We just need a bit of information is all," Goombella nervously lied. "We thought your house, what will of these books, would be the best place to look!"

Frankly bought into the lie at once, eager to show visitors his wide assortment of books. "Well, Goombario came by to ask about any information I had on the tragedy in Mushroom City last year." That line immediately caught Flurrie's attention. Goombario had told everyone he had come to see Frankly for the purpose of learning about the sewer systems, not the previous game in Mushroom City. Noting that, Flurrie silently grew a tad suspicious of the blue-capped Goomba.

"Well, that's kind of what we wanted to know as well," Goombella said.

Flurrie inwardly chided herself. She and Goombella hadn't had time to discuss what they would ask of Frankly. Deciding she'd need the information Goombario had lied about, Flurrie came up with an alternative request.

"There's a history project at UGoom about the terrible thing," Flurrie lied quickly. "I guess that's why Goombella and Goombario need to know about it. Anyway, I came for some information on the sewer networks. The pipe systems they imposed last year have got me a little confused when I make commutes here from the Boggly Woods, and I'd like to understand the network a little better, Frankly dear."

Goombella didn't question Flurrie's lie. Breathing an inward sigh of relief, Flurrie shared a bug-eyed look with Goombella as Frankly turned around to retrieve books on both subjects.

"Here we are," Frankly said with a sigh, placing both books on his desk. One was entitled, The Tragedy of Mushroom City, and the other, Information of the Rogueport Sewer System. Both of them looked pretty new since they had been published just a year ago.

"Who wrote this book?" Goombella asked, not taking her eyes up from the pages. She skimmed through the book. "It looks like a first-hand account."

"It was submitted to a publishing company anonymously," Professor Frankly replied. "No one knows who wrote it, but it's used as the world's leading reference for what happened during that mysterious week last year."

"Could I borrow this?" Goombella asked, closing the book. "I can't find a copy anywhere, and I really need it for…this project."

"Sure!" Frankly replied. "I don't know why Goombario didn't ask to borrow it. Perhaps he already found one elsewhere…"

Flurrie didn't even open her book, but she was going to read it over her lunch. The pit of her stomach began to growl, and the wind spirit realized how hungry she was after all of this running around.

"Well thank you very much, Frankly hon," Flurrie said with a wink. "I'll be sure to bring this back to you as soon as I get the chance!"

"No rush!" Frankly said with a gap-toothed grin. "It brings warmth to my heart to know people still enjoy the company of a good informational book! Please, keep it for as long as you like!"

Nodding, Flurrie and Goombella bid the Professor goodbye and stepped out into the street. Making their way to the center of town, both of them clutched their books under their arms. Looks of surprise made their way onto their faces as they noticed three of their closer friends milling about the plaza.

"Ah, Flurrie! Goombella!" Koops said with a smile. "Koopie Koo and I just got back from Flower Fields. We were just about to grab a bite to eat at Zess T.'s."

"I'm famished!" Flurrie proclaimed. Goombella nodded in agreement.

"Did you find anything out at Flower Fields?" Goombella asked the two Koopas.

"No," Koopie said with a sigh. "Lakilester's front door was unlocked, but most people leave their doors unlocked anyway. We searched about his house, but we didn't find a thing."

"Ms. Mowz and I had no luck either," Vivian said, being the third person who had been standing in the plaza. "We asked a few customers if they'd seen anything suspicious, but no one had any useful information. She told me to go grab some lunch while she held down the shop, so here I am."

"Maybe if we get some food in our stomachs we'll be able to think clearer," Koops said with a sigh, leading the way into the first of Zess T.'s many chain restaurants.

Location – The Zesty Shroom

Present Occupants: Koops, Koopie Koo, Goombella, Vivian, Flurrie

"So no luck anywhere, huh?" Koops asked as Flurrie and Goombella finished up their half of explaining things. "Man…I thought for sure we'd at least find a clue somewhere!"

Koopie Koo rubbed his shell. "We'll find something, Koops. We just have to have hope."

"Actually," Flurrie said, deciding to share her tiny suspicion. "I found out something interesting. When everyone was heading their separate ways this morning, Goombario told us he was going to Professor Frankly's to ask about the sewer network."

"We'd all left before then," Vivian said.

"Well, that's what he said. But when Goombella and I visited the Professor, Frankly said Goombario had asked about the events in Mushroom City last year. Don't you find that strange, dearies?" Flurrie asked them. Exchanging looks, the four others puzzled the statement before Goombella replied.

"Why would he lie about something so simple?" Goombella wondered aloud. "It's not like telling us he wanted information on what happened last year would incriminate him or anything."

"Maybe he thought we'd think otherwise," Koops pointed out.

"It just doesn't sit well with me," Flurrie told them. "I know Goombario's a smart cookie, so why would he lie about something like this? It just doesn't add up to me."

"Do you think we should bring it up when we all meet in the square?" Vivian asked the others.

Koopie shook her head. "It might not behoove us to do so. It could just be something minor that would throw suspicion at Goombario when he's actually innocent. We wouldn't wanna do that, would we?"

Everyone agreed with her statement. It was the tiniest figment of a lead, and while it was the only thing they had, it could very well turn around and bite them. Resigning to defeat, the five of them ordered lunch and tried to talk about something other than the grisly affair they were caught up in. They didn't want the other customers hearing what they were talking about anyway. They finished up their meals and Koops checked the time on his watch.

"We had a late lunch," he commented. "It's almost sunset."

"Should we get going?" Vivian asked him. He nodded.

They paid the tab and collected their things. Leaving the Zesty Shroom, the five of them traveled to the center of town, wondering what awaited them at this so-called trial.

Location – Rogueport Plaza

Present Occupants: Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, Sushie, Goombella, Koops, Koopie Koo, Flurrie, Spike, Vivian, Bobbery, Ms. Mowz

"So we're all here," Bobbery pointed out as Ms. Mowz was the last to join the group.

"Sorry," the squeek apologized. "But despite what's transpired, business still calls! I couldn't lock up the shop until just now."

"Well, now that everyone's present, we should talk about what we found today," Kooper said. "I, uhm….I wouldn't like to think that any of you are guilty, but we've been given clear instructions."

"Yeah!" Spike backed him up, his Mohawk blowing in the night time breeze. "I mean, if one you is guilty, don't we have to vote or somethin'?"

"If we do…we execute that person," Bombette said grimly. They all realized how important this was. These trials, as they had been during the game in Mushroom City, were the only way to stop the terror of the mafia. The thought of condemning and voting to kill their own friends was mortifying to each of them, but it was something they had to do if they wanted to live.

"So, on that note," Parakarry said, swallowing a bit, "where to begin?"

Bobbery cut in. "Well, you were with us when we examined the crime scene, so why don't we start there?"

"If I may," Ms. Mowz imposed, "who was present for this?"

"I was," Flurrie piped up, "so were Bobbery, Parakarry, and Bombette."

"That's right," Bobbery affirmed her statement. "No one else was there. Parakarry and I examined the body, we even went so far as to pull out the knife."

"Why would you do that?" Watt asked, abhorred.

"Because," Parakarry answered for the sailor, "what if the knife was unique? It would've been easily identifiable to a shop or perhaps even a purchaser."

Watt nodded in understanding.

"Did you find anything?" Kooper asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Bobbery replied. "We swept the whole crime scene, but nothing was there. It was a damn shame, really."

"We didn't find anything at Lakilester's house, either," Koops pointed out. Koopie Koo backed this up. "We searched the whole place, but there was nothing suspicious around."

"Neither did Watt and I," Bow spoke next. "We asked around the underground city if anyone had seen or heard anything, but nothing came up."

"Ms. Mowz and I struck out as well," Vivian explained. "Not a single customer had anything helpful to say."

"I actually ended up staying in Lavalava all day," Sushie said with a shiver. "I still can't get over…that sight. You can ask the others in the Yoshi village. I was with them all day, I swear!"

"It's fine, Sushie," Goombario told her. "On the topic of what we found, I didn't find much either. I didn't find anything from my visit to Frankly's."

This topic caught Flurrie's attention. Those she had dined with gave her a look, but the actress kept silent. She had decided to stick by Koopie Koo's advice and not cast unnecessary suspicion on Goombario.

"Did anyone find anything at all?" Goombario asked the whole of them.

"Actually," Spike said, "I left Goombario on his way to Frankly's. I realized I didn't wanna go visit some old geezer and his dusty collection of books, so I visited the docks instead. Asked around if anyone suspicious had come into town. They said no ships had entered Rogueport for the last three days."

"That would be before we all met at Podley's and received those black envelopes," Koops said. "Which means if it's anyone outside of this group, they didn't come from the docks."

"I don't know why we keep saying it can't be us!" Bombette cried. "The evidence pointing to us is staggering! The notes, Podley's emotions, and now this information Spike's brought forward. I mean honestly, you think there's some murderous band posing as us?"

Everyone grew silent. "I…I guess she's right," Kooper said at last.

"It's the most probable truth," Bow supplied.

"So what do we do now?" Goombella asked.

"I think we should waive that special clause," Flurrie spoke up. "None of us have any evidence today, so we shouldn't vote blindly. Now that we really think this mafia comes from within, we should rest and get our thoughts in order."

"I agree," Watt said. "I wanna use the no-lynch policy!"

"Are we all in agreeance?" Bobbery asked. Everyone nodded, deciding it would be the best thing to do. With that out of the way, they all wished one another goodnight, leaving for their various homes. Goombella told Flurrie's she'd be staying in her own home tonight, much to Flurrie's dismay.

"It's alright," Vivian said. "I'll come stay with you. I could use some time away from my sisters." Smiling, she and Flurrie left Rogueport Plaza together and departed for the Boggly Woods. On by one, they all left the plaza. Sushie back to Lavalava, Goombario to Goomba Village, Koopie and Koops back to Petalburg, Ms. Mowz to her shop, Bobbery to his shanty, Watt and Bow to the Forever Forest, Parakarry to Toad Town, Spike to Glitzville, and Kooper back to his own village. They hadn't found anything today, but tomorrow, as they all truly believed the mafia existed among their friends, the game would certainly change.

Thanks so much to those who reviewed!

Tip: Thanks for the long review! I'm so excited to finish this because I'd been planning it since the original Shadow of Doubt. As for your suspicions, I won't say anything :D

Kaiimi: Ohmygod the fabulous Kaiimi reviewed my story. Thankyousomuch!

Dark Punxysaur: Well I hope no one dies DX I love all the partners. But, some have to go! I won't say a thing of Watt's fate just yet! Thanks for the review!

Meta: Awwwwwwww yeahhh! Thanks!

Guest: Oh hello there! Well I won't be relying on fan wants because well, the whole fic is planned, but another person rooting for Watt? I didn't know so many people liked her...well, I do hope I entertain you! Thanks for the review!

If you liked this chapter, let me know what you thought! See you next mafia time!