"It's logical to assume so, isn't it?"

"Yeah…I guess so." Replied Corey.

"Well, I hope the others are having more luck than we are." Hissed Cathy, closing the box.

"Shall we go and find out, Miss Wadsworth?"

"No, if someone has been in here they might have left some evidence behind."

"Like what?" Asked Corey.

"A hair pin or something. Oh, you know…"

"Like this?" Corey picked up a single hair from the table.

"Yes, exactly. Good job, Corey."

"Thanks." He stared at it for a moment, "so what do we do with it?"

"Well, we attach it to a piece of paper and try to find someone that matches with it." Cathy was beginning to have grave doubts on Corey's intelligence.

"Oh, okay, shall I go and check on Dana…I mean Veronica."

"If you wish." Cathy replied, looking sadly at Corey.

"Well, aren't you coming, Miss Wadsworth?" Corey asked.

"Oh, yes, I suppose I must. Let's take the evidence with us."

Cathy led Corey into the ballroom where all the guests were standing. Veronica, Sophia and Dana were no where to be seen.

"Oh goodness. Where do you suppose they are?"

"Looking for your friends, Miss Wadsworth?" Came a familiar voice from behind, and Cathy turned to see Mary Wadsworth leering down on her.

"In a manner of speaking, Aunt Mary."

"Well, I saw that little spoilt brat in the fancy red dress walking toward the conservatory."

Cathy left Corey to investigate in the ballroom whilst she searched the conservatory.

"Dana! There you are! Have you discovered anything?"

"Hmm…kinda. Sophia's taken the booze from your Daddy's special cabinet in the dining room and they're getting…how would you say it...?"

"Sozzled." She paused for a moment. "WHAT?! What did you say?"

"I said that Sophia's taken your Daddy's big bottle of drink and taken it upstairs to a large room she's found."

"Oh wonderful!" Cathy raced out of the conservatory and upstairs to the landing. "Where on Earth could she be?"

Cathy walked along the landing to the front windows of the house and listened carefully for any sound of life. There was none.

She crossed to the guest bedrooms and she found Sophia there, on the floor, coughing and spluttering as though she was having some sort of fit.

"Dear God!" Cathy cried, "are you alright?"

Sophia could barely breathe. Cathy sat her up and slapped her back hard. A ring came flying out of the girl's mouth! Sophia clutched at her throat and massaged her neck. Cathy picked the little object up from the old moth eaten carpet.

"A ring?" Sophia gasped, "how the Hell did that get into the bottle?"

"Oh goodness! It came from the bottle? Please, let me see it."

Sophia weakly passed the large bottle to Cathy, who looked at the label.

"Cognac? You stole my father's cognac from the dining room?"

"What's the problem? This party needs livening up."

"You don't think it hasn't been enough already? One murder, a possible choking attempt, and now I find that you have stolen my father's most expensive drink!"

"Hey, come on…"

"Where is Veronica?" Cathy snapped, losing her patience.

"She went to the bathroom. She didn't feel so good."

"Excellent." Cathy left the guest room and walked back to the bathroom. She knocked politely on the door.

"Veronica? Are you in there?"

There came no reply, so crossing her heart knowing that her father would have scolded her if he'd seen her kicking the door, she gave it a sharp kick and the door willingly opened, creaking slightly as it opened further into the 'bathroom'.

Veronica lay on the floor, her arm above her head.

"Veronica, are you all right?" Cathy asked her, kneeling down next to her.

The unconscious form gave a groan and fidgeted. Cathy clutched her heart which had been thumping madly in relief. At least it wasn't another dead body.

"Whoosittt?" Veronica slurred.

"It's me, it's Cathy."

"I don't feel so good." Veronica admitted weakly.

"No, I'm sure you don't, because Sophia gave you my father's cognac. It's rather strong, you know."

Veronica rolled over and clutched her stomach.

"Did you drop this in the bottle by accident?" Cathy held up the ring.

Veronica shook her head and gave another groan.

"My stomach really hurts."

"Hurts? How can it hurt…you just happened to get a little tipsy on the drink."

"No, honestly," Groaned Veronica, "it feels like someone's stabbing a knife into it."

Cathy winced, recalling the memory of her father's body.

"That couldn't have been from the drink…no…"

"What?" Veronica gasped.

"Did the drink taste unusual to you, Veronica?"

Veronica stared at her for a moment and then leaned forward suddenly and retched.

"Oh! Careful, Veronica, don't get vomit on the rug, please!"

Veronica raised her head and seemed to glare at Cathy whilst looking very peaky.

"Veronica, stay here for a moment, I'm just going to get the bottle. Do try to keep yourself from vomiting on the floor, please."

Cathy raced back to the guest room where she found Sophia holding the bottle hard against her chest.

"Sophia, can I have the bottle, please?" Cathy asked coaxingly.

"No…I want it."

"But Sophia, this is important. It concerns both you and Veronica. I think the drink may have been poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Sophia immediately let go of the bottle and tossed it away. Cathy rushed to pick it up and smelt it. It emitted a faintly stale odour but retained it's original colour and consistency.

"As I thought…poison. Sophia, I want you to make yourself vomit."

"Sorry?" gasped Sophia in disbelief.

"Yes, you heard me correctly. Make yourself vomit. Although do be careful not to stain anything. You must cleanse all the poison from your stomach. If you don't…who knows what might happen to you?"

Sophia stood up, towering over Cathy.

"All right, missy. Cards on the table. You put the poison in the wine, didn't ya?"

"Of course I didn't." retorted Cathy, "and by the way, it is cognac, not wine."

"I don't give…whatever it is…"

"Sophia, I order you. Make yourself vomit. Veronica is lucky, but it seems that we have a very determined murderer on our hands. First the stabbing of my father, now poison in the cognac."

"You think the…the…murderer did this?" Slurred the adamant girl.

"Of course. I won't say anything to your relatives about this. I'm not sure that my father was the main target now. It could have been anyone. But I still have great suspicions of Mary Wadsworth."

"Mary Wadsworth? She's your aunt…" Hissed Sophia, "h…how can you sssuspect your aunt?"

"Because father said she was a horrible, devious cunning creature."

"That comes from the same girl who told me her father was the real Mr Boddy."

"I know." Replied Cathy, earnestly, "you'll just have to trust me."