Around time I got back on this. I only own OCs, everyone.

Eli H. Lee


"Ah ha!"

Dawson, Dika, and Parthena looked up to see Basil holding a normal looking notebook. "The last one?" the actress perked her ears, standing up immediately at Basil's nodding.

"Precisely, my dear lady! The last entrees have been dated on the same week as Mr. Daniella's death. Sadly, any information that was given to our first victim before his time was vague at best. However, it was clear that Ratigan and his accomplices were planning their acts of revenge. And-" the detective cut off, suddenly squinting his eyes at the journal before closing it and putting it into his coat. "We don't have a moment to lose!"

"What? Basil, what was in it!?"

"I'll explain on the way, Dawson, but we must reach to the La Duval's ball before it's too late!"

"What?! Who?!"

"Ladies, stay here. This could prove too dangerous considering all conditions!"

"Like bloody hell! This is the murder of my husband you're capturing!"

"'Thena, please…"

"I'd advise you to stay here with Ms. Lovell and Mrs. Judson, Ma'am. Basil is right, this could prove dangerous."

"Now, Dawson! We can't spare another moment!"

…..

Fidget looked through the windows of a pristine looking building and smirked before signaling to the other henchmen nearby. "All clear." Slowly, one by one, each member snuck through the window as quietly as possible.

Inside her lavished room, the lady of the very house fluffed up her dirty blonde hair as she looked in the mirror. Upon hearing the door opening, she sighed heavily. "Not now, Judy. I told you, I can't be disturbed before greeting the guests."

"I'm afraid poor Miss Judy has taken her nap, Mrs. La Duval. You always did work her too much." The door closed behind the owner of the voice. "I never thought this would be when it could all happen. But, I can't really complain now, can I?"

Mrs. La Duval paused in shock, not daring to look towards the door. Placing her hands in her lap, her dark eyes seemed to turn cold in her reflection. "No. I suppose you can't…. Oh god, how long has it been since I last saw you? Thirty, thirty-two years now?"

"Thirty-seven. So, how good was he, hmm? The late Mr. La Duval? Gave you plenty of money, I've heard."

Mrs. La Duval sighed again and bowed her head, saying, "You can't really think of me like that, do you? You and I used to be so close."

"That was before you left us like dirt."

"Because he lied to me! What did you expect me to do in today's society, Bertha!?" Mrs. Duval turned her head to see Bertha Knox standing in front of the door. "To know that my husband was part gerbil! That he had lied to me in my face!?"

"You could have reassured us. You could have at least stood up for William and I. You were our mother after all. But yew didn't. You couldn't even say a word to the daughter you were so glad to spoil for five years of your life, Greta," the younger blonde said, walking closer to her birth mother. "You didn't even come for his funeral."

"He died a criminal."

"You could have at least shown that yew cared for us."

Greta bowed down her head again, refusing to look at her almost look-a-like daughter in the eye. "He married afterwards. He moved on, and so did I."

"You were still Papa's first love. William and I both prove that."

"Why are you here, Bertha? Just to torment me about the past?" the lady snapped, glaring at the hybrid in question, silently hoping it was just a bad dream, just something out of guilty that was being imagine in front of her eyes.

Bertha smirked and removed her over coat to reveal that she was wearing the same outfit as her mother, with the added addition of the apatite necklace. "Again, as I said before, I never thought this would be when it could all happen." Realization flashed in Greta's eyes. Quicker than one would think for her age, she quickly leapt out of her chair and tried to run for the door only to be caught quickly by a ribbon around her throat.

"Oh, don't worry, luv," Bertha said to her. "You'll live. Just… removed from the scene at the moment. After all," Bertha leaned down to her birth mother's ear. "William really wanted to meet our half-brother." Punching the lady in the back of the head, the younger woman in the room smiled at the sight of the lady knocked out on the floor. Looking at the mirror, Bertha touched herself up with enough powder to give a better chance of being seen as Mrs. La Duval. "And to think that I wanted to be just like you."

….

"Don't you see, Dawson!? All those invitation to the La Duval's ball for any law official were fake! And the son to the very hostess of the ball happens to be the very judge for Howard Knox's trial! The very mouse in all of Mousedom that had set the late Mr. Knox's bail and sentence! The mouse who would cause the first attention of the very case we are on itself!" Basil explained as he and Dawson rode on Toby, trying to race against time itself.

"What?! What do you mean by 'cause the first attention to the-"

"The necklace, the apatite necklace that was stolen and has been forged multiple times, Dawson! The original owner is the Lady La Duval! Mother to the very Judge La Duval himself!"

"But why the necklace? Why would they need a necklace to link the murders up together? Wouldn't it have made sense to be believed that they weren't connected?"

"Because the necklace was from someone else, Dawson! Someone else connected to Lady La Duval! Someone from a marriage before the late Lord La Duval! Someone who was connected to the very accomplices!" Dawson's eyes widen as he gripped Toby's fur more.

"Howard Knox?!"

"The lady's first husband! In the report of the stolen necklace, the judge mentioned that there was an engraving on the back, something the forged ones didn't have! By all means then, if the necklace was originally owned by the late Mr. Knox, his children would want it back! And to have it in the hands of the mother to the mouse who sentenced their father to death would have been an insult! The necklace wasn't just something as a mere affliction with the case, Dawson. It was the clue to start again from the very ones who started the whole mess!"

…..

The guests that arrived gathered mostly in the ballroom and were greeted warmly by the hostess. Some wondered where the Judge the ball was for was, but any doubt given to the Lady of the house was quickly dismissed, with her saying that he was probably just taking his time.

Meanwhile, no one took notice of the strange servants that stood within the corners and shadows….


And here's the cliffhanger!

Now, now, don't get upset.

There's still more.

Please review.

Eli out.