"Yes, seems like it might be worth our while to poke around the kitchen," Ivor nodded, thoughtfully.

"You guys go on ahead," Lukas said with a nod, "I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on these other people. I don't want anyone trying anything when we're not looking."

"Ah, Lukas. Ever the levelheaded one," Jesse teased.

Lukas rolled his eyes and halfheartedly swiped at her. "Gee, thanks," he joked back.

Jesse ducked the swipe with a laugh and trotted off. So, back to the kitchen it was.

"Back in the kitchen," Petra said, hands on her hips, unknowingly imitating Jesse's train of thought. "So, what are we looking for exactly?"

"We just need concrete evidence- either that Stampy IS the White Pumpkin, or he ISN'T the White Pumpkin. If we're gonna do that, we just need to find something that might show he was involved."

Petra saluted, slightly playfully. "Got it. I'm on the lookout."

Jesse looked around the room, before noticing the creeper painting she'd spotted when she first got to the mansion. Man, that felt like ages ago. Trotting over, she took a closer look at the painting, squinting at it. "... does this painting have... eyeholes?" she wondered, reaching out and carefully extending her fingers toward the eyes of the painting...

Her finger went right through.

"Oh yeah," Petra said, making Jesse jump slightly, since the voice came from right behind her, "how'd I not notice that before?"

Jesse's six arms reached out, feeling around the edge of the painting, all six hands getting a good grip, before she used her own strength to carefully lift the painting off. And... yep, there was a small tunnel, right in the wall.

"Ooh!"

Jesse giggled a bit at Ivor's exclamation, before hopping inside, careful not to scrape her shoulders on the walls. The little tunnel led into a larger area than it first seemed to be, with a lever on the wall right next to the entrance and a torch not too far behind.

"It's some sort of secret passageway!" Ivor said, eyes lighting up. Jesse stifled a giggle- from his lab in the Far Lands she knew just how much he liked secret passageways. "Very clever... what do you suppose that lever does?"

"Okay, everyone, just in case, make sure you're NOWHERE near that arrow trap," Jesse said, leaning out to look through the hole. The two of them looked up and backed away, and Jesse's middle arm reached up and jerked the lever down.

More tipped arrows spat out of the dispenser and slammed, quivering ominously, into the floor.

"More of those tipped arrows," Petra said, frowning at said arrows, "nasty." The hopper engaged and sucked them into the floor.

Ivor turned to look at Jesse, brow raised. "Well, seems like we found how the White Pumpkin killed TorqueDawg..."

"Yeah, and how he's getting around the house," Jesse agreed, looking behind her into the dark secret passageway. Glancing off to her right, she spotted a ladder, and she went over to it and went up the wall, ignoring the ladder.

Petra let out a slightly amused sigh and hovered up after her, leaving Ivor to climb the ladder. "I assume we're investigating the creepy passageway?"

"Your assumption is correct. We've come a little too far to just turn around and call it a day," Jesse responded, also sounding rather amused.

The network of secret passageways was a winding maze, although nowhere near as difficult as the one in the Far Lands, or the one that the scientists used to test them with. Poking around through the passageways, Jesse cautiously walked through it. You know, in case the White Pumpkin was just standing there and watching them.

She shuddered a bit at that. Creepy thought.

"I hope Stampy's okay locked up in the library... we could've put them in even bigger danger." Petra frowned down at the floor, gold eyes a bit pale with worry.

Jesse's eyes narrowed as she chewed on that thought. "I'm pretty sure he'll be safe in there- I don't think the library has traps," she said firmly, and hoped that by vocalizing it she'd make it true.

"I sure hope so."

They all turned a corner, whereupon Jesse spotted another painting back, with eyeholes.

"Look! Another lever!" and sure enough, Ivor was approaching the lever with interested dark blue eyes.

Jesse shuddered a bit at the thought of what the lever did. "It's probably another trap. Don't flip it D- Ivor."

Jesse trotted over to the painting and put her face up to the eyeholes. "It's the library," she said, blinking with interest. "I can see Stampy locked up in there." She kept looking around, spotting a couple dispensers.

"Hey, I have to speak to you. " And the door was opening to reveal... Dan?

"Oh! Dan! What are you doing here?" Stampy asked. Yeah, Jesse would like to know that too.

"I snuck in past that blonde guy. Uh... Lukas? But I have to speak to you. It's really important," Dan said, urgently.

A short silence, as Dan frowned, and then he blurted out, "It was me... I killed Sparklez!"

"What?! YOU'RE the White Pumpkin?!" Stampy yelped, backing away. Jesse had started a bit too, and was now practically pressing her face to the peepholes.

"Oh- what? No no no no." And Dan moved away...

To reveal that the White Pumpkin painting had a pair of gold, moving eyes.

"I swear, it was an accident!"

Stampy sputtered as Jesse froze, eyes wide in horror as she stared at the painting. "But but, Dan, 'accident', really?"

"I swear, I had no idea, there was this button (I'm not good with buttons) but but I had to push it- I had no clue what it would do, now I feel awful..."

"Well, it's just... that's a little hard to believe..."

"I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous, I've been beating myself up about it ever since it happened- and then YOU got locked up in here, I just had to come in, clear my conscience."

Jesse stared at the White Pumpkin painting before shaking her head and jerking away, whirling around to face Petra and Ivor. If she'd had a mirror, she probably would've been paler than Ivor. "The White Pumpkin! He's in there!"

A/N: Ooh! Next chapter'll be fun!

What the what?! 20,000 views? Last chapter it was 19,000!

Choco: Sure, thanks!

RattleSnaketheSandWing: What are you referring to? And yes. Flashbacks are awesome.

NoItsBecky: It's too long for me, I usually don't go too far over 1000 words xD

RapidSammi: Lol xD

TheRealRedGaming: You'll see when I get there!

angelwings: Once we get there, we'll talk xD

Toni42: Ahhh I'm sorry (hides under the table)

x.X. A.L. X.x