CLUE
Starring the Digidestined
Part 3
A/N: In this part, there is very, very slight Kensuke. /Very/ slight. About two sentences worth. Just thought you ought to know. You might not even notice. Also some Takari.
Miss Scarlet-- Miss Miyako Mrs. White--Mrs. Sora Mrs. Peacock--Mrs. Mimi Mr. Green--Mr. Tai Professor Plum--Professor Izzy Colonel Mustard--Colonel TK Wadsworth--Ken Yvette--Kari The Cook--Chef Matt Mr. Boddy-- Mr. Iori Cop--Policeman Joe Motorist--Daisuke J. Edgar Hoover/Jehovah's Witness--Angemon Singing Telegram--Catherine the French Girl
Mimi had evidently recovered somewhat from having a dead man fall into her arms and then being dropped. She was helping the other ladies to carry Matt's body into the study, while the men had the slight form of Mr. Iori. Ken followed all of them, holding a bag of ice to his head.
TK sighed. "Okay, put the corpses on the sofa."
With some difficulty, the women set Matt on the couch
Ken moved the ice and carefully prodded at the dark bruise on his forehead. "Careful, don't get blood on the sofa."
Kari paused, staring at the dagger protruding from Matt's back. "How do we do this? The dagger will go further into his back."
TK motioned with his free arm. "Tip him forward, over the arm." They did so, and TK turned his attention to his own burden. "Now Iori."
They managed to dump Iori's body on the sofa beside Matt. Somehow, Izzy got stuck in-between, and chose to make himself comfortable.
TK, apparently enjoying issuing orders, continued, "Now, who--" He paused and closed Iori's staring eyes. "Who had access to the candlestick?"
"It was given to Miyako," Sora remembered.
Miyako snorted, crossing her arms. "Yeah, but I dropped it on the table. Anyone could have picked it up. You . . . him . . . "
Ken put down his ice and began gathering the weapons. "Look. We still have all these weapons. The gun, the rope, the wrench, the lead pipe. Let's put them all in this cupboard and lock it. There's a homicidal maniac about!" He quickly locked the cupboard, an act met with approval by all but Tai.
"What are you doing with the key?" he asked suspiciously.
"Putting it in my pocket."
"Why?"
"Well, to keep it safe, obviously."
Mimi gasped. "That means that you can open it, whenever you want!"
Ken smirked, a hint of Kaiser coming into his violet eyes. "But it also means that you can't."
"But what if you're the murderer?"
"I'm not."
TK glared at Ken. "But what if you are?"
Defensively, Ken answered, "Well, it's got to be put somewhere. If I've got it, I know I'm safe."
Mimi looked as if she would start crying. "We don't know that WE are!"
Ken snapped his fingers. "I've got an idea. We'll throw it away!"
Everyone agreed enthusiastically, and they ran out into the hall. Ken opened the door and prepared to throw the key out. Waiting outside the door was a strange redhead wearing goggles, who ducked, thinking Ken was about to hit him. The butler quickly recovered and pocketed the key.
"Sorry . . . Sorry . . . " He laughed nervously. "Can we help you?"
The redhead nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb the whole household, but my car broke down out here, and I was wondering if I could use your phone. I'm Daisuke Motimiya."
"Just a moment, please." The group huddled together to discuss their options, while Daisuke just looked confused. After a bit, the group turned back to him, fake grins plastered on their faces.
"Very well, Daisuke," Ken said. "Would you care to come in?"
Daisuke stepped inside and looked around. "Well? Where is it?"
Without thinking, Izzy said, "What, the body?"
"The phone. What body?"
Ken quickly covered for Izzy. "Well, there's no body. There's nobody. There's nobody in the study."
"No!" everyone agreed hastily.
"But I think there's a phone in the lounge," Ken continued, indicating the door.
"Thank you." Daisuke walked into the lounge, followed by Ken, who indicated the phone. "When you finish your call, please wait here."
"Sure," Daisuke said cheerfully.
Ken walked out and locked the door. TK came up behind him and tapped his shoulder, causing Ken to scream in fright. He whirled and brandished his whip. TK looked startled and backed away.
"Where's the key?"
Ken sighed in relief. "In my pocket."
"Not that key," Izzy corrected. "The key to the cupboard with the weapons!"
"Do I have to throw it away?" Ken asked.
"Yes!" everyone shrieked.
They hurried to the door. Ken threw the key as hard as he could, and it bounced into the foliage. He closed the door. "What now?"
Sora held her hand out for the key. "Ken, let me out."
"No."
"Why not?" she demanded.
"We've got to know who did it. We're all in this together, now."
Mimi glared at Sora with open hostility. "If you leave, I'll say that you killed them both."
There was general agreement at that. Sora turned to Ken and purred, "I'll make you sorry you ever started this, one day, when we're alone together. . ."
"Sora, no man in his right mind would EVER be alone together with you."
TK turned and headed purposefully down the hall. "Well, I could use a drink!" He peered into the study as he passed. "Just checking."
"Everything all right?" Mimi asked.
"Yup. Two corpses. Everything's fine."
In the library, TK poured himself a drink. "Anybody else want a whiskey?
Miyako, her nerves obviously stretched tight, said, "Yeah." Sora nodded. TK filled three more glasses at once, spilling some of the whiskey on the table.
"All right, look. Pay attention, everybody." He turned to Ken. "Ken, am I right in thinking there is nobody else in this house?"
"Mmm, no."
"Then there IS someone else in this house?"
Ken blinked. "No, sorry. I said 'no,' meaning 'yes.'"
"'No,' meaning 'yes'"? Look, I want a straight answer. Is there someone else or isn't there, yes or no?"
"Um, no."
"'No,' there IS, or 'no,' there ISN'T?"
Ken coughed. "Yes."
Sora smashed her glass against the fireplace and shrieked, exasperated, "Please!! Don't you think we should get that man out of the house before he finds out what's been going on here?" She threw the remains of the glass into the hearth, where it shattered.
Miyako set her glass down on the table. "Yeah!"
Izzy stared at her, appalled. "How can we throw him outside in this weather?"
She rolled her eyes. "If we let him stay in the house, he may get suspicious."
"Well, if we throw him out, he may get even more suspicious!"
TK groaned. "If I were him, I'd be suspicious already."
Mimi, at her wit's end, screamed, "Oh, who cares?! That guy doesn't matter! Let him stay, locked up for another half an hour! The police will be here by then, and there are two dead bodies in the study!"
Everyone shushed her.
TK turned back to Ken. "Well, there is still some confusion as to whether or not there's anybody else in this house."
Ken looked quite ready to kill someone - not that he would, of course. "I told you, there isn't."
"There isn't any confusion, or there isn't anybody else?"
"Either. Or both."
"Just give me a clear answer!"
"Certainly!" Ken paused, thinking. "What was the question?"
"Is there anybody else in the house?!"
"No!!" everyone shrieked.
TK walked closer to the door. "That's what he says, but does he know? I suggest we handle this in proper military fashion. We split up, and search the house."
"Split up!" Mimi cried, gaping at him.
"Yes. We have very little time left, so we'll split up into pairs."
"Pairs?" Izzy asked, his eyes wide.
"Yes."
"Wait a minute. Suppose that one of us IS the murderer? If we split up into pairs, whichever one is left with the killer might get killed!"
TK shrugged. "Then we would have discovered who the murderer is!"
Mimi looked about ready to cry. "But the other half of the pair would be dead!"
"This is war, Peacock!" She stared at him incredulously. "Casualties are inevitable. You cannot without breaking eggs--every cook will tell you that."
"But look what happened to the cook!" She leaned against the wall, shaking with supressed tears.
Tai stared at TK. "Colonel, are you willing to take that chance?"
"What choice do we have?"
"None," Miyako said grudgingly.
Tai sighed. "I suppose you're right."
Kari sniffled. "Okay. But it's dark upstairs, and I'm afraid of the dark. Will anyone go with me?"
"I will," Izzy and TK volunteered at the same time.
"No, thank you," Tai said quickly.
Ken took eight long matchsticks from a basket near the fireplace. "I suggest we all draw lots for partners." He led them to the kitchen, where he quickly cut the matches into different lengths and arranged them so that no one could tell how long they were.
"Ready? The two shortest together, the next two shortest together. Agreed? And I suggest the two shortest search the cellar, and so on, up."
The guests and Kari approached Ken apprehensively and reached out, each taking a matchstick and comparing. In the end, Miyako and TK ended up together on the ground floor, Sora and Ken chose second floor matchsticks, and the unhappy Tai and Kari chose the attic. Sadly, that left Izzy and Mimi together in the cellar.
"It's you and me, honey bunch," Izzy muttered, glaring jealously at everyone else.
Mimi groaned. "Oh, God."
TK and Miyako paused in the hallway and watched the others go up or down the stairs. TK looked around. "Well, we know what's in the study, we've just come from the library, and the stranger's locked up in the lounge--"
"Let's go look in the billiard room again."
The two went toward the billiard room as Izzy and Mimi searched for the cellar lights.
Darkness. That was all Kari and Tai could see, until Tai finally found the lightswitch. They gazed, terrified, up into the attic. Tai cleared his throat.
"Do you want to go up in front of me?"
"Absolutely not!" Kari cried. "What if the murderer is up there, brother dear? Would you sacrifice your sister?"
"I'm sure there's no one up there."
"Then you go up in front!"
"All right . . ."
Neither of them moved. The only sound was the rain on the roof.
Darkness. Mimi and Izzy stood at the top of the cellar stairs, staring down into the blackness.
"Well . . . Ladies first."
"No, no. You can go first."
"No, no, no, I insist."
"No, I insist."
At that, Izzy lost it. "Well, what are you afraid of, a fate worse than death?"
"No, just death. Isn't that enough?"
Ken and Sora stood apprehensively in front of adjacent rooms, neither looking away from the other. Finally, Ken said, "Are you going in there?"
"Yes, are you?"
"Yes."
They both paused.
"Right!"
"Right."
They looked into the darkened rooms. Ken glanced at the walls.
"Um, I don't see any light switches in there."
"Well, neither do I, but there must be switches somewhere."
"Should I come in with you?"
"No!" Sora shouted, her eyes widening. She quickly recovered. "I mean . . . no, thank you."
They started into the rooms, then jumped back out simultaneously, each looking for the other.
TK and Miyako stood behind the corner bar in the billiard room. TK indicated the bar's narrow exit. "Ladies first."
"No, thanks." They both headed for the exit and squeezed through together, although it was a tight fit. TK walked past Miyako, who kept him in sight, nervously adjusting her glasses. He grabbed a pool cue from the wall. She gasped and backed away, sure that he was going to kill her with it. TK walked over to the pool table and motioned with the stick to look under it. Nothing.
Tai and Kari were still at the bottom of the stairs. Finally, Kari smacked her brother on the head.
"Go on. I'll be right behind you."
"That's why I'm nervous." Tai coughed fakely. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just--"
"We'll go together."
They managed to squeeze up the narrow stairs and began to look around.
Mimi and Izzy inched down the steps, and Mimi finally found a light. Izzy slipped and crashed to the ground. Mimi screamed and dashed down the stairs. "Stay there, murderer!"
TK and Miyako threw open the closet door. Nothing.
Ken wandered nervously in the bedroom. "If there's anybody in here, just look out!" He cracked his whip experimentally.
Sora was also wandering in a bedroom. "Are you hiding? I'm coming . . ."
TK and Miyako glanced into a dark room. "What room's this?" TK asked.
"Search me."
"All right." He started to frisk her.
In a threatening voice, Miyako said, "Get your mitts off me." He did.
Mimi screamed upon seeing a rat. Izzy jumped, glared at her, and started looking around.
TK flipped on the lights, making Miyako gasp. "Nobody here."
Miyako pointed at the curtains on the other end of the room. "Unless. . . behind one of those curtains. . ."
TK backed away. "You look. I'll go search the kitchen." He left. Miyako sighed and walked slowly toward the curtains. They almost seemed to move, and she stopped, horrified. Suddenly, one definitely moved. Miyako tried to scream and couldn't. She cautiously continued on until she reached the curtains. She paused, gathering her nerve, and threw them back, revealing. . .
A broken window with the wind blowing in.
In the study on a desk were photographs and the tapes of the conversation Kari had been making. A gloved hand picked them up and threw them into the fire. Everything burned, the fire crackling. The hand then used the key to unlock the weapons cupboard. It took out the wrench. . .
Daisuke made his phone call, glancing around in fright. "I'm a little nervous . . ."
The lounge fireplace swiveled around, but Daisuke didn't notice.
". . . I'm in this big house, and I've been locked into the lounge. The funny thing is, there's a whole group of people here having some sort of party. And one of them is my old boss from--"
The wrench descended. The phone fell to the floor, then Daisuke followed suit. A gloved hand placed the phone back on its cradle.
TK and Miyako stood in the doorway of the conservatory. It was dilapidated. There was dust and cobwebs all around--it obviously hadn't been used for some time. Miyako walked to the outer wall of windows and watched the rain pouring down. TK walked over to a shelf and picked up a flashlight, then put it down and used a rag to wipe the dirt from his hands. He leaned against the wall, which swung open, causing him to fall backwards. He quickly stood, flushing. "Looks like a secret passage."
Miyako, voice laced with fear, whispered, "Should we see where it leads?"
"What the hell. I'll go first--I've had a good life." He grabbed the flashlight again and led her into the secret passageway. It was narrow, the floor uneven. Miyako tripped and shrieked in surprise. "Oh, God."
"It's all right."
"Maybe for you."
They emerged from the still-rotated fireplace. TK's flashlight beam fell upon Daisuke's corpse. Miyako's brown eyes widened, and she gasped. "Oh, my God!"
The fireplace slid shut with a thud. Miyako whirled and screamed in panic. In the attic, Tai and Kari faintly heard the screams and dashed for the stairs.
Miyako and TK ran to the double doors and banged on them, but the doors were locked. TK joined Miyako in yelling for help.
Ken and Sora dashed out of the bedrooms as Tai and Kari clattered down from the attic. All four collided and fell over, barely missing the stairs.
Miyako and TK were still pounding on the door. And screaming.
The four upstairs untangled themselves. All of them dashed down the stairs, looking around helplessly.
"Where's it coming from?" Ken cried.
Tai gasped, almost falling. "Where are we going?"
They made it to the ground floor just as Mimi and Izzy emerged from the cellar. "Where are they?" Mimi cried.
"The lounge!" Ken finally figured out. He tried the door, which, of course, was locked.
"The door's locked!" Izzy said belatedly.
Tai turned away and glared impatiently at the doctor. "I know!"
"Then unlock it!"
"Where's the key?"
Ken searched frantically through his pockets. "The key is gone!"
Izzy rolled his eyes. "Never mind about the key! Unlock the door!"
Tai grabbed the smaller boy and shook him. "I can't unlock the door without the key!" He released the doctor and rattled the doorknobs. "Let us in, let us in!"
Miyako and TK heard and shouted back, "Let us out! Let us out!"
Ken sighed. "It's no good. Stand back." He walked to the other end of the hall, just outside the study, and braced himself. "There's no alternative. I'm just going to have to break it down!"
The butler ran at full speed for the door. He hit it and fell to the floor, holding his shoulder and shouting in pain. Kari stared at him, thinking hard.
"I know! I have it!" She dashed to the weapons cupboard in the lounge, which was open, and grabbed the revolver.
"Will you shut up? We're doing our best!" Mimi called in a vain attempt to make Miyako and TK stop shouting.
Kari ran out of the study and tripped over the still-sprawled Ken. The gun went off, the shot accidentally hitting the chandelier rope, which sent the chandelier spinning. Tai and Izzy hit the deck. Mimi and Sora crashed into each other.
Miyako and TK, trapped in the lounge, crouched down. "They're shooting at us!" TK cried.
In the hall, panic continued. The chandelier continued to spin, and the rope was fraying, unbeknownst to the party but knownst to us. Kari stood and aimed at the lounge lock. Tai and Izzy, who had begun to get up, hit the deck again. Both of Kari's shots hit the lock.
TK grabbed his shoulder in panic. "I think I've been shot!"
"Come out! The door's open!" Kari called. She lowered the gun, carelessly pointing it in the general direction of Izzy and Tai, who scrambled out of the way. The lounge door opened, and a miraculously unwounded TK and Miyako emerged.
"Why are you shooting that thing at us?" TK asked angrily.
"To get you out."
He shoved her, but the omniscient Miyako noted that it was more like the shove of a lover than an angry colonel.
"You know, you could have killed us! I could've been killed!"
"I'm sorry, okay, Takeru?"
The chandelier spun more quickly, the rope almost completely frayed.
"I can't take any more scares."
The rope snapped. The chandelier landed three feet in back of TK, who collapsed on a love seat in shock. Everyone was silent for three seconds.
Miyako pointed into the lounge, almost hysterical. "But look!"
The party ran across the room, crushing glass as they went. Ken's violet eyes widened. "Dai-chan. . ."
Mimi gasped. "Which one of you did it?"
"We found him! Together!"
Sora blinked. "How did you get in?"
"The door was locked," Tai remembered.
"It's a great trick!"
Miyako pointed at the fireplace. "There's a secret passageway from the conservatory."
Izzy hadn't even noticed the dead Daisuke. He pointed at the revolver in Kari's hand. "Is that the same gun?"
"From the cupboard?" Mimi asked.
"But it was locked!"
Kari looked quite confused. "No, it was unlocked."
Tai, Izzy, and Ken blinked. "Unlocked?" they asked simultaneously.
"Yeah, come and look."
The party ran into the lounge, now accompanied by TK. On the way, Kari tossed the revolver under the broken chandelier. The guests piled into the study, staring in horror at the open cupboard.
Mimi turned to Kari accusingly. "How did you know it was unlocked? How did you know that you could get at the gun?"
"I didn't," Kari objected. "I thought I would break it open, but it was open already."
"A likely story."
The doorbell rang, and everyone froze. Voice tight with fear, Miyako whispered, "Maybe they'll just go away."
The guests stayed frozen. Nothing happened, and Miyako began to grin. Then the doorbell rang again.
Tai pushed Izzy out of the way. "I'm going to open it."
"Why?!" Miyako asked, nearly screaming.
"I have nothing to hide! I didn't do it!" He held his hand out to Ken. "The key."
Ken shook his head and pressed the key silently into Tai's hand.
"Thank you . . ."
And the bushy-haired guest strode into the hall, followed by the rest of the party.
Next time on Clue, stuff happens, people die, and. . .yeah.
Starring the Digidestined
Part 3
A/N: In this part, there is very, very slight Kensuke. /Very/ slight. About two sentences worth. Just thought you ought to know. You might not even notice. Also some Takari.
Miss Scarlet-- Miss Miyako Mrs. White--Mrs. Sora Mrs. Peacock--Mrs. Mimi Mr. Green--Mr. Tai Professor Plum--Professor Izzy Colonel Mustard--Colonel TK Wadsworth--Ken Yvette--Kari The Cook--Chef Matt Mr. Boddy-- Mr. Iori Cop--Policeman Joe Motorist--Daisuke J. Edgar Hoover/Jehovah's Witness--Angemon Singing Telegram--Catherine the French Girl
Mimi had evidently recovered somewhat from having a dead man fall into her arms and then being dropped. She was helping the other ladies to carry Matt's body into the study, while the men had the slight form of Mr. Iori. Ken followed all of them, holding a bag of ice to his head.
TK sighed. "Okay, put the corpses on the sofa."
With some difficulty, the women set Matt on the couch
Ken moved the ice and carefully prodded at the dark bruise on his forehead. "Careful, don't get blood on the sofa."
Kari paused, staring at the dagger protruding from Matt's back. "How do we do this? The dagger will go further into his back."
TK motioned with his free arm. "Tip him forward, over the arm." They did so, and TK turned his attention to his own burden. "Now Iori."
They managed to dump Iori's body on the sofa beside Matt. Somehow, Izzy got stuck in-between, and chose to make himself comfortable.
TK, apparently enjoying issuing orders, continued, "Now, who--" He paused and closed Iori's staring eyes. "Who had access to the candlestick?"
"It was given to Miyako," Sora remembered.
Miyako snorted, crossing her arms. "Yeah, but I dropped it on the table. Anyone could have picked it up. You . . . him . . . "
Ken put down his ice and began gathering the weapons. "Look. We still have all these weapons. The gun, the rope, the wrench, the lead pipe. Let's put them all in this cupboard and lock it. There's a homicidal maniac about!" He quickly locked the cupboard, an act met with approval by all but Tai.
"What are you doing with the key?" he asked suspiciously.
"Putting it in my pocket."
"Why?"
"Well, to keep it safe, obviously."
Mimi gasped. "That means that you can open it, whenever you want!"
Ken smirked, a hint of Kaiser coming into his violet eyes. "But it also means that you can't."
"But what if you're the murderer?"
"I'm not."
TK glared at Ken. "But what if you are?"
Defensively, Ken answered, "Well, it's got to be put somewhere. If I've got it, I know I'm safe."
Mimi looked as if she would start crying. "We don't know that WE are!"
Ken snapped his fingers. "I've got an idea. We'll throw it away!"
Everyone agreed enthusiastically, and they ran out into the hall. Ken opened the door and prepared to throw the key out. Waiting outside the door was a strange redhead wearing goggles, who ducked, thinking Ken was about to hit him. The butler quickly recovered and pocketed the key.
"Sorry . . . Sorry . . . " He laughed nervously. "Can we help you?"
The redhead nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb the whole household, but my car broke down out here, and I was wondering if I could use your phone. I'm Daisuke Motimiya."
"Just a moment, please." The group huddled together to discuss their options, while Daisuke just looked confused. After a bit, the group turned back to him, fake grins plastered on their faces.
"Very well, Daisuke," Ken said. "Would you care to come in?"
Daisuke stepped inside and looked around. "Well? Where is it?"
Without thinking, Izzy said, "What, the body?"
"The phone. What body?"
Ken quickly covered for Izzy. "Well, there's no body. There's nobody. There's nobody in the study."
"No!" everyone agreed hastily.
"But I think there's a phone in the lounge," Ken continued, indicating the door.
"Thank you." Daisuke walked into the lounge, followed by Ken, who indicated the phone. "When you finish your call, please wait here."
"Sure," Daisuke said cheerfully.
Ken walked out and locked the door. TK came up behind him and tapped his shoulder, causing Ken to scream in fright. He whirled and brandished his whip. TK looked startled and backed away.
"Where's the key?"
Ken sighed in relief. "In my pocket."
"Not that key," Izzy corrected. "The key to the cupboard with the weapons!"
"Do I have to throw it away?" Ken asked.
"Yes!" everyone shrieked.
They hurried to the door. Ken threw the key as hard as he could, and it bounced into the foliage. He closed the door. "What now?"
Sora held her hand out for the key. "Ken, let me out."
"No."
"Why not?" she demanded.
"We've got to know who did it. We're all in this together, now."
Mimi glared at Sora with open hostility. "If you leave, I'll say that you killed them both."
There was general agreement at that. Sora turned to Ken and purred, "I'll make you sorry you ever started this, one day, when we're alone together. . ."
"Sora, no man in his right mind would EVER be alone together with you."
TK turned and headed purposefully down the hall. "Well, I could use a drink!" He peered into the study as he passed. "Just checking."
"Everything all right?" Mimi asked.
"Yup. Two corpses. Everything's fine."
In the library, TK poured himself a drink. "Anybody else want a whiskey?
Miyako, her nerves obviously stretched tight, said, "Yeah." Sora nodded. TK filled three more glasses at once, spilling some of the whiskey on the table.
"All right, look. Pay attention, everybody." He turned to Ken. "Ken, am I right in thinking there is nobody else in this house?"
"Mmm, no."
"Then there IS someone else in this house?"
Ken blinked. "No, sorry. I said 'no,' meaning 'yes.'"
"'No,' meaning 'yes'"? Look, I want a straight answer. Is there someone else or isn't there, yes or no?"
"Um, no."
"'No,' there IS, or 'no,' there ISN'T?"
Ken coughed. "Yes."
Sora smashed her glass against the fireplace and shrieked, exasperated, "Please!! Don't you think we should get that man out of the house before he finds out what's been going on here?" She threw the remains of the glass into the hearth, where it shattered.
Miyako set her glass down on the table. "Yeah!"
Izzy stared at her, appalled. "How can we throw him outside in this weather?"
She rolled her eyes. "If we let him stay in the house, he may get suspicious."
"Well, if we throw him out, he may get even more suspicious!"
TK groaned. "If I were him, I'd be suspicious already."
Mimi, at her wit's end, screamed, "Oh, who cares?! That guy doesn't matter! Let him stay, locked up for another half an hour! The police will be here by then, and there are two dead bodies in the study!"
Everyone shushed her.
TK turned back to Ken. "Well, there is still some confusion as to whether or not there's anybody else in this house."
Ken looked quite ready to kill someone - not that he would, of course. "I told you, there isn't."
"There isn't any confusion, or there isn't anybody else?"
"Either. Or both."
"Just give me a clear answer!"
"Certainly!" Ken paused, thinking. "What was the question?"
"Is there anybody else in the house?!"
"No!!" everyone shrieked.
TK walked closer to the door. "That's what he says, but does he know? I suggest we handle this in proper military fashion. We split up, and search the house."
"Split up!" Mimi cried, gaping at him.
"Yes. We have very little time left, so we'll split up into pairs."
"Pairs?" Izzy asked, his eyes wide.
"Yes."
"Wait a minute. Suppose that one of us IS the murderer? If we split up into pairs, whichever one is left with the killer might get killed!"
TK shrugged. "Then we would have discovered who the murderer is!"
Mimi looked about ready to cry. "But the other half of the pair would be dead!"
"This is war, Peacock!" She stared at him incredulously. "Casualties are inevitable. You cannot without breaking eggs--every cook will tell you that."
"But look what happened to the cook!" She leaned against the wall, shaking with supressed tears.
Tai stared at TK. "Colonel, are you willing to take that chance?"
"What choice do we have?"
"None," Miyako said grudgingly.
Tai sighed. "I suppose you're right."
Kari sniffled. "Okay. But it's dark upstairs, and I'm afraid of the dark. Will anyone go with me?"
"I will," Izzy and TK volunteered at the same time.
"No, thank you," Tai said quickly.
Ken took eight long matchsticks from a basket near the fireplace. "I suggest we all draw lots for partners." He led them to the kitchen, where he quickly cut the matches into different lengths and arranged them so that no one could tell how long they were.
"Ready? The two shortest together, the next two shortest together. Agreed? And I suggest the two shortest search the cellar, and so on, up."
The guests and Kari approached Ken apprehensively and reached out, each taking a matchstick and comparing. In the end, Miyako and TK ended up together on the ground floor, Sora and Ken chose second floor matchsticks, and the unhappy Tai and Kari chose the attic. Sadly, that left Izzy and Mimi together in the cellar.
"It's you and me, honey bunch," Izzy muttered, glaring jealously at everyone else.
Mimi groaned. "Oh, God."
TK and Miyako paused in the hallway and watched the others go up or down the stairs. TK looked around. "Well, we know what's in the study, we've just come from the library, and the stranger's locked up in the lounge--"
"Let's go look in the billiard room again."
The two went toward the billiard room as Izzy and Mimi searched for the cellar lights.
Darkness. That was all Kari and Tai could see, until Tai finally found the lightswitch. They gazed, terrified, up into the attic. Tai cleared his throat.
"Do you want to go up in front of me?"
"Absolutely not!" Kari cried. "What if the murderer is up there, brother dear? Would you sacrifice your sister?"
"I'm sure there's no one up there."
"Then you go up in front!"
"All right . . ."
Neither of them moved. The only sound was the rain on the roof.
Darkness. Mimi and Izzy stood at the top of the cellar stairs, staring down into the blackness.
"Well . . . Ladies first."
"No, no. You can go first."
"No, no, no, I insist."
"No, I insist."
At that, Izzy lost it. "Well, what are you afraid of, a fate worse than death?"
"No, just death. Isn't that enough?"
Ken and Sora stood apprehensively in front of adjacent rooms, neither looking away from the other. Finally, Ken said, "Are you going in there?"
"Yes, are you?"
"Yes."
They both paused.
"Right!"
"Right."
They looked into the darkened rooms. Ken glanced at the walls.
"Um, I don't see any light switches in there."
"Well, neither do I, but there must be switches somewhere."
"Should I come in with you?"
"No!" Sora shouted, her eyes widening. She quickly recovered. "I mean . . . no, thank you."
They started into the rooms, then jumped back out simultaneously, each looking for the other.
TK and Miyako stood behind the corner bar in the billiard room. TK indicated the bar's narrow exit. "Ladies first."
"No, thanks." They both headed for the exit and squeezed through together, although it was a tight fit. TK walked past Miyako, who kept him in sight, nervously adjusting her glasses. He grabbed a pool cue from the wall. She gasped and backed away, sure that he was going to kill her with it. TK walked over to the pool table and motioned with the stick to look under it. Nothing.
Tai and Kari were still at the bottom of the stairs. Finally, Kari smacked her brother on the head.
"Go on. I'll be right behind you."
"That's why I'm nervous." Tai coughed fakely. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just--"
"We'll go together."
They managed to squeeze up the narrow stairs and began to look around.
Mimi and Izzy inched down the steps, and Mimi finally found a light. Izzy slipped and crashed to the ground. Mimi screamed and dashed down the stairs. "Stay there, murderer!"
TK and Miyako threw open the closet door. Nothing.
Ken wandered nervously in the bedroom. "If there's anybody in here, just look out!" He cracked his whip experimentally.
Sora was also wandering in a bedroom. "Are you hiding? I'm coming . . ."
TK and Miyako glanced into a dark room. "What room's this?" TK asked.
"Search me."
"All right." He started to frisk her.
In a threatening voice, Miyako said, "Get your mitts off me." He did.
Mimi screamed upon seeing a rat. Izzy jumped, glared at her, and started looking around.
TK flipped on the lights, making Miyako gasp. "Nobody here."
Miyako pointed at the curtains on the other end of the room. "Unless. . . behind one of those curtains. . ."
TK backed away. "You look. I'll go search the kitchen." He left. Miyako sighed and walked slowly toward the curtains. They almost seemed to move, and she stopped, horrified. Suddenly, one definitely moved. Miyako tried to scream and couldn't. She cautiously continued on until she reached the curtains. She paused, gathering her nerve, and threw them back, revealing. . .
A broken window with the wind blowing in.
In the study on a desk were photographs and the tapes of the conversation Kari had been making. A gloved hand picked them up and threw them into the fire. Everything burned, the fire crackling. The hand then used the key to unlock the weapons cupboard. It took out the wrench. . .
Daisuke made his phone call, glancing around in fright. "I'm a little nervous . . ."
The lounge fireplace swiveled around, but Daisuke didn't notice.
". . . I'm in this big house, and I've been locked into the lounge. The funny thing is, there's a whole group of people here having some sort of party. And one of them is my old boss from--"
The wrench descended. The phone fell to the floor, then Daisuke followed suit. A gloved hand placed the phone back on its cradle.
TK and Miyako stood in the doorway of the conservatory. It was dilapidated. There was dust and cobwebs all around--it obviously hadn't been used for some time. Miyako walked to the outer wall of windows and watched the rain pouring down. TK walked over to a shelf and picked up a flashlight, then put it down and used a rag to wipe the dirt from his hands. He leaned against the wall, which swung open, causing him to fall backwards. He quickly stood, flushing. "Looks like a secret passage."
Miyako, voice laced with fear, whispered, "Should we see where it leads?"
"What the hell. I'll go first--I've had a good life." He grabbed the flashlight again and led her into the secret passageway. It was narrow, the floor uneven. Miyako tripped and shrieked in surprise. "Oh, God."
"It's all right."
"Maybe for you."
They emerged from the still-rotated fireplace. TK's flashlight beam fell upon Daisuke's corpse. Miyako's brown eyes widened, and she gasped. "Oh, my God!"
The fireplace slid shut with a thud. Miyako whirled and screamed in panic. In the attic, Tai and Kari faintly heard the screams and dashed for the stairs.
Miyako and TK ran to the double doors and banged on them, but the doors were locked. TK joined Miyako in yelling for help.
Ken and Sora dashed out of the bedrooms as Tai and Kari clattered down from the attic. All four collided and fell over, barely missing the stairs.
Miyako and TK were still pounding on the door. And screaming.
The four upstairs untangled themselves. All of them dashed down the stairs, looking around helplessly.
"Where's it coming from?" Ken cried.
Tai gasped, almost falling. "Where are we going?"
They made it to the ground floor just as Mimi and Izzy emerged from the cellar. "Where are they?" Mimi cried.
"The lounge!" Ken finally figured out. He tried the door, which, of course, was locked.
"The door's locked!" Izzy said belatedly.
Tai turned away and glared impatiently at the doctor. "I know!"
"Then unlock it!"
"Where's the key?"
Ken searched frantically through his pockets. "The key is gone!"
Izzy rolled his eyes. "Never mind about the key! Unlock the door!"
Tai grabbed the smaller boy and shook him. "I can't unlock the door without the key!" He released the doctor and rattled the doorknobs. "Let us in, let us in!"
Miyako and TK heard and shouted back, "Let us out! Let us out!"
Ken sighed. "It's no good. Stand back." He walked to the other end of the hall, just outside the study, and braced himself. "There's no alternative. I'm just going to have to break it down!"
The butler ran at full speed for the door. He hit it and fell to the floor, holding his shoulder and shouting in pain. Kari stared at him, thinking hard.
"I know! I have it!" She dashed to the weapons cupboard in the lounge, which was open, and grabbed the revolver.
"Will you shut up? We're doing our best!" Mimi called in a vain attempt to make Miyako and TK stop shouting.
Kari ran out of the study and tripped over the still-sprawled Ken. The gun went off, the shot accidentally hitting the chandelier rope, which sent the chandelier spinning. Tai and Izzy hit the deck. Mimi and Sora crashed into each other.
Miyako and TK, trapped in the lounge, crouched down. "They're shooting at us!" TK cried.
In the hall, panic continued. The chandelier continued to spin, and the rope was fraying, unbeknownst to the party but knownst to us. Kari stood and aimed at the lounge lock. Tai and Izzy, who had begun to get up, hit the deck again. Both of Kari's shots hit the lock.
TK grabbed his shoulder in panic. "I think I've been shot!"
"Come out! The door's open!" Kari called. She lowered the gun, carelessly pointing it in the general direction of Izzy and Tai, who scrambled out of the way. The lounge door opened, and a miraculously unwounded TK and Miyako emerged.
"Why are you shooting that thing at us?" TK asked angrily.
"To get you out."
He shoved her, but the omniscient Miyako noted that it was more like the shove of a lover than an angry colonel.
"You know, you could have killed us! I could've been killed!"
"I'm sorry, okay, Takeru?"
The chandelier spun more quickly, the rope almost completely frayed.
"I can't take any more scares."
The rope snapped. The chandelier landed three feet in back of TK, who collapsed on a love seat in shock. Everyone was silent for three seconds.
Miyako pointed into the lounge, almost hysterical. "But look!"
The party ran across the room, crushing glass as they went. Ken's violet eyes widened. "Dai-chan. . ."
Mimi gasped. "Which one of you did it?"
"We found him! Together!"
Sora blinked. "How did you get in?"
"The door was locked," Tai remembered.
"It's a great trick!"
Miyako pointed at the fireplace. "There's a secret passageway from the conservatory."
Izzy hadn't even noticed the dead Daisuke. He pointed at the revolver in Kari's hand. "Is that the same gun?"
"From the cupboard?" Mimi asked.
"But it was locked!"
Kari looked quite confused. "No, it was unlocked."
Tai, Izzy, and Ken blinked. "Unlocked?" they asked simultaneously.
"Yeah, come and look."
The party ran into the lounge, now accompanied by TK. On the way, Kari tossed the revolver under the broken chandelier. The guests piled into the study, staring in horror at the open cupboard.
Mimi turned to Kari accusingly. "How did you know it was unlocked? How did you know that you could get at the gun?"
"I didn't," Kari objected. "I thought I would break it open, but it was open already."
"A likely story."
The doorbell rang, and everyone froze. Voice tight with fear, Miyako whispered, "Maybe they'll just go away."
The guests stayed frozen. Nothing happened, and Miyako began to grin. Then the doorbell rang again.
Tai pushed Izzy out of the way. "I'm going to open it."
"Why?!" Miyako asked, nearly screaming.
"I have nothing to hide! I didn't do it!" He held his hand out to Ken. "The key."
Ken shook his head and pressed the key silently into Tai's hand.
"Thank you . . ."
And the bushy-haired guest strode into the hall, followed by the rest of the party.
Next time on Clue, stuff happens, people die, and. . .yeah.