Professor Layton and Luke continued looking in confusion at Father Frost, as well as the other devotees. As soon as the music started echoing through the tower, all of the devotees in the vicinity just stopped what they were doing, got on their knees, closed their eyes, put their hands on their knees, and just stayed silent and still.

Professor Layton tried to get an answer, "Father Frost? Is there something I can assist you with?"

Father Frost didn't respond.

Luke wondered what to do next, "What do we do now, Professah?"

The professor put his hand across his chin, trying to think of something.

While he was, the professor a shadow came from behind Luke, which blended with the natural darkness of night impeccably. Its footsteps were completely inaudible, and the only thing that could be seen amidst the darkness were its piercing, silver eyes and familiar voice, "An amusing character, our spiritual Father, don't you agree?"

Luke was caught complete unaware of this, "YAAAAAAAH!" In that brief moment, Luke's hair spiked upward in a comical fashion, and his winter cap actually spun out of his head, did a 360° flip in midair, and fell back on Luke's head!

The professor, on the other hand, kept his composure, "Mr. Queens? It's a pleasure as always, but why are you here?"

Luke quickly recomposed himself and turned around, "Wha?" When he did, he saw the same silver eyes staring at him again, "YAAAAAAAH!"

Silver Queens stared nonchalantly at Luke, "Goodness, it's quite late... You're not in bed, young man? Your parents must be worried sick about you..."

The professor asked again, "Mr. Queens, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Silver turned to the professor and smiled politely, "The same reason that you're here, of course... I am interested in the mystery of this tower. And please, call me Silver. I'm not too fond of formalities."

"My apologies, Silver. Tell me, how did you know that this tower is where our puzzle lies?"

"I simply put facts together. I came here tonight, in my great-grandfather final accomplishment, as I always do, and I saw you two looking around here. And, I know that your daughter and companion was attacked here this afternoon, and you want to put those facts together as well. There's no other reason you would be here so late at night."

Silver pointed at the still-meditating Father Frost, "That is... assuming you're not some kind of overly-religious zealot."

The professor pondered this explanation for a bit, then answered, "I suppose there is logic in that, but if it's not too much to ask, what exactly do you mean by 'your great-grandfather's final accomplishment'? You told me that he traveled the world and collected artifacts for his museum."

Silver nodded, "He did. And when he finished with that accomplishment, he began working on the construction of this clock tower, over one hundred years ago. He was rather ambitious in his lifetime."

Silver pulled out an old black-and-white photograph from his pocket, and showed it to the professor, "Look at this. This was taken during the grand opening of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower back in 1909."

Silver pointed at one of the men who was responsible for the construction of the tower in the photograph. He had an exact resemblance to Silver, "This was my great-grandfather, Asimeous Queens, in his prime."

The professor stared at that man in the picture, "Your resemblance to your great-grandfather is uncanny, Mr. Queens."

Silver smiled, "Seeing as I am the sole remaining heir to my great-grandfather's legacy, I feel a sense of responsibility toward everything he worked for. Do you understand?"

The professor couldn't find any fault to Silver's logic, "I suppose..."

Then, he turned over to face the devotees that were speaking with him earlier, "Silver, have you gained any insight on these... advocates?"

"I believe that these zealots are part of a religious order called the 'Wings of Snow'. This order worships a 'Snow Angel' that is supposedly the cause of the snowfall here in this clock tower. They see this 'Snow Angel' as a deity of sorts, and name her responsible for a number of miracles aside from the snowfall, such as the beautiful music we hear around us, and even restoring the very youth of her followers! In fact, every night, these zealots come to this tower and pay tribute to her."

The professor had wondered something, "Her?"

Silver was quick to answer, "Oh... Just a guess on my part, but truthfully, I don't quite believe their tale to begin with. For starters, new devotees often have to offer an 'oath wage' before they may join their order."

"Silver, what do you mean by 'oath wage' exactly?"

"To put it bluntly, about five hundred dollars..."

Professor Layton, Luke, and Silver all simultaneously drooped their faces in disgust. If there was a good time for a record scratching sound, it would be now...

Luke was the first to ask, "So, you believe that all of this is some sort of scam?"

Silver nodded, "It's possible, and the most likely explanation."

Silver pointed his finger upward, "History has taught us that there have always been many who cheated others for their own...",

Then, he curled his hand into a fist, "Personal gain. As far as I know, these blessings include endless snowfall, wandering spirits, and music. Although, I don't have any hard evidence, I believe that these 'blessings' are... fraudulent."

The professor contemplated out loud, "You don't believe them, Silver?"

"A museum curator knows that everything tells a story... And there are many stories that speak of tales of greed and deceit. The Nigerian Scam is my personal favorite of the bunch..."

The professor nodded, "This is one theory to consider, but how would a cult go about performing these blessings, and at the same time, without arousing suspicion from the public eye?"

"Sadly, I haven't figured that out. I don't devote that much time to this mystery, since I run a museum during the day."

"Of course. I understand, Silver."

Silver turned to walk out the entrance, while the professor was still speaking, "Where are you going?"

With the same strange smile on Silver's face, he answered, "I apologize for not being able to provide more insight... There isn't much else I am capable of at this time, so I'm going home now..."

Luke was starting to get concerned, "Home? You just appeared behind me in the dark, talked to us, and now you're going home..?"

"Yes, good night..."

Before Silver left, the professor wanted to ask one more thing, "Would you mind telling us about..."

Silver had already shut the door, with a confused professor and his apprentice still standing there, "Travis?"

Luke let out a rather annoyed, "Professah. That man's brain is a puzzle."

The professor pondered that as well, "Something is rather off about this man, Luke. However, there isn't much that can be done at this time."

"Professah? What's off about him?"

"Silver mentioned that there were ghosts as one of the blessings in this tower."

Luke nodded, "Yes, that's right. So..."

At that point, the music within the tower stopped playing. Of course, that meant the devotees, which you've probably forgotten about by now are...

"You have some NERVE to make that accusation of our order!"

...staring at the duo.

Though unnerved, the professor stepped forward, "Please do not act irrational. We simply..."

Father Frost's overly-impatient voice overpowered the professor's, "Leave our abode, heretics! We've heard your conversation!"

Luke chimed in, "Hey, calm down!"

The other devotees shouted, "Heretics! Heretics!"

"OOOOOUUUUUTTTTT!"

Father Frost's voice was ear-splitting enough to cause a light tremor underground. Literally...

Giving up, the professor held Luke back, "Come, Luke. There isn't much else that can be done here. We may continue our investigation tomorrow. I have a hunch about where our next clue will lie."

Luke sighed and the duo returned to their car to drive home. It's been a very long day anyway...

On their way to the car, the professor took one last stare at the sky above the clock tower, "How beautiful... It seems so familiar to me, but I can't understand why that is..."

I finally finished this chapter! I had a lot of work involving Thanksgiving and college, so I wasn't typing often! By the way, the story isn't even close to over... Feel free to review!