The hallway is lit by a huge chandelier, which illuminates a grand staircase. At the top of the staircase stands a woman. She is wearing a white, floor-length dress with long sleeves. A hat with a large brim obscures her face. The light from the chandelier flickers across her, giving her a ghost like quality. At first you think she is a ghost, but then you catch a flash of purple under her hat and realize that she must be Malorie. The woman glides down the staircase towards you. Her purple hair is elegantly coiffed and wound into a bun beneath her hat. "Daphne, dahhhling," she drawls, stretching out each syllable. She reaches Daphne and air kisses her on each cheek. "It has been simply ages since I last saw you!" She turns to survey the rest of the gang, elegantly swishing her skirts as she does so. "These must be your friends!" Her lip curls distastefully when she sees Shaggy and Scooby, but she says nothing. "Come, come, come!" she continues, grabbing Daphne by the arm. "Let me show you your rooms!"
After giving Daphne the keys, Malorie clasps her hands together. "Thank you all so much," she trills, backing towards the door. "I hope you can solve my little… problem." Before anyone can say anything, she leaves. The silence is awkward, but interrupted by Fred, who sticks his head around one of the doors leading off from the hallway. "Hey guys! Look! This room has a fireplace!" You follow him into the room. It is large and as dusty as the rest of the house, but mounted in the wall is a large fireplace. Surrounding the fireplace are some large sofas. You sink down on one of them, struggling to get comfortable on the lumpy upholstery. "So gang!" announces Fred, dropping on to the other sofa. "Any clues so far?"
"Fred we like only just got here!" complains Shaggy, as he slumps down next to you. "Actually guys…" you start, reaching into your pocket, "I have a couple of clues!"
"So… you found these already?" asks Daphne, after the postcard has been passed around. You nod. "And that's not the strangest thing. It's like I knew that I was going to lose my memory. There was a holographic projector set up, almost as if to lure me to the key…" The gang stare at you silently. "What I'm trying to say," you press, "is that maybe I talked to one of you guys about something before…" Fred stares thoughtfully into the fire. "There was this one mystery you were particularly interested in…" he starts. "Something about this house actually!"
"Yes," chips in Daphne. "You said to tell Malorie that we were willing to solve her ghost problems! That's why I suggested the house as our first mystery!" But by now you've stopped listening. "Guys," you interrupt. "Tonight someone is going to come to the house to search for something. They already have the key and possibly other clues. We have to stop them." There is a snorting sound and you look over to the spot next to you, where Shaggy and Scooby have fallen asleep. "We know Velma," replies Daphne. "Every night this 'ghost' appears and circles about the house. That's why Malorie called us in." You shake your head. "No. This time I think they know what they're looking for. On the postcard…" Daphne's voice echoes in your head. Every night this 'ghost' appears and circles about the house. Every night. "Wait… if the 'ghost' already knew that the house was Malorie's," you start, "Then why did they steal the clue which translated into Malorie? That clue wasn't just for me…" Before Daphne and Fred can say anything, you stand up. "I'm going to sleep on it." You walk out of the room, leaving them stranded in front of the fireplace.