Brown tried to ease the situation. "Accidents happen. I'm glad you're all right Wingfield. Why don't we all sit down to dinner?" The guests all walked back into the dining room, except for the teens.
Kaiba was examining the suit's hands. He held out the fingers, "these look like someone used a tool of sort to pry them open."
"Looks rather suspicious to me" Tristen, "like it wasn't an accident."
Yugi shook his head. "But who would want to hurt Officer Wingfield?"
"Maybe him" Joey pointed to the dinning room. Trying to not be noticed, Brad Timbers crept out of an adjacent room and took his place at the table. Everyone was so distracted by conversation, that only Miss Stone noticed his return.
Mai crossed her arms. "Where do you suppose he was?"
Joey's stomach growled. "Could we continue this conversation after dinner?"
Everyone headed into eat, except for Metanoia. She bent down and picked up a small, crumpled piece of paper and put it in her handbag.
What's that?" Bakura asked.
"Don't know" she answered, "we'll check it out later. Right now, I'm thinking that soup looks pretty good."
After the meal, the gang sat in a more secluded part of the house to talk.
"That ax left a pretty big dent in the floor" Metanoia sighed, "I hope we don't have to take money out of the dinner income to pay for it."
"I don't think that...." Tristen started, but stopped suddenly.
"What is it?" Yugi asked. Tristen held up his finger and his other hand to his ear. The echoes of two women's voices were coming from the hall. The group listened intently.
"Really Susan! This dinner isn't going to help! The House is loosing money and isn't worth keeping open!" one of the woman shrieked.
"Stone" Kaiba whispered.
Mrs. Calisto breathed deep, "but Sandra, think of the children! The Canal Street House is more than that to them, it's there home. Please reconsider..."
"No!" the harsh tempered woman cried. "That 'home' you call it is sitting on valuable property. Downtown locations are not cheap, and it's lawfully mine to do with it want I want! I'm giving you a week to come up with the rent you owe."
Calisto gasped, "one week! Sandra we couldn't possibly..."
"One week" she bellowed. "I don't care how many bake sales you have to hold, I want my money!" She turned to walk away, than paused. "One more thing, if any of your payments are late again, there won't be nearly as nice as I'm being now." With that, she stormed off.
"'Nice?!'" Metanoia practically screeched. "That posh, stuck up, little..."
"Keep it down!" Joey warned her.
She sat back and crossed her arms. "Stone really wants to tear that place down, it's not her money she's after."
"Speaking of money" Kaiba added, "she's being investigated for embezzlement of her clothing company, by none other than Officer Wingfield, who just almost met with a suspicious accident..."
"And her boyfriend was sneaking back to the dinning room right after it happened." Yugi caught on.
"Sounds like Stone might not have been 'dragged' here tonight at all" Tea mused.
Bakura suddenly thought of something. "Hey Metanoia, what about that paper you found?"
"Oh yea, let me take get it" she began digging through her bag.
All at once, the lights went out, and the house was plunged into darkness.
"Huh? What gives?!" Joey demanded, trying to stumble out of his seat.
"Watch those hands Wheeler" Mai warned, she had been sitting next to him.
A dim source of light entered the room. It was Mrs. Calisto with a candle from the dinner table. "Are you kids alright?"
"We're fine" Metanoia told her, carefully stepping around the tea table towards her.
"Oh dear, you haven't seen Robert have you?" she asked worriedly.
"Mr. Brown? No we haven't," Kabia replied. "Why?"
She took a deep breath, "because I can't find him anywhere! One minute he was standing next to me. Then the lights went out, and he disappeared!"
Kaiba was examining the suit's hands. He held out the fingers, "these look like someone used a tool of sort to pry them open."
"Looks rather suspicious to me" Tristen, "like it wasn't an accident."
Yugi shook his head. "But who would want to hurt Officer Wingfield?"
"Maybe him" Joey pointed to the dinning room. Trying to not be noticed, Brad Timbers crept out of an adjacent room and took his place at the table. Everyone was so distracted by conversation, that only Miss Stone noticed his return.
Mai crossed her arms. "Where do you suppose he was?"
Joey's stomach growled. "Could we continue this conversation after dinner?"
Everyone headed into eat, except for Metanoia. She bent down and picked up a small, crumpled piece of paper and put it in her handbag.
What's that?" Bakura asked.
"Don't know" she answered, "we'll check it out later. Right now, I'm thinking that soup looks pretty good."
After the meal, the gang sat in a more secluded part of the house to talk.
"That ax left a pretty big dent in the floor" Metanoia sighed, "I hope we don't have to take money out of the dinner income to pay for it."
"I don't think that...." Tristen started, but stopped suddenly.
"What is it?" Yugi asked. Tristen held up his finger and his other hand to his ear. The echoes of two women's voices were coming from the hall. The group listened intently.
"Really Susan! This dinner isn't going to help! The House is loosing money and isn't worth keeping open!" one of the woman shrieked.
"Stone" Kaiba whispered.
Mrs. Calisto breathed deep, "but Sandra, think of the children! The Canal Street House is more than that to them, it's there home. Please reconsider..."
"No!" the harsh tempered woman cried. "That 'home' you call it is sitting on valuable property. Downtown locations are not cheap, and it's lawfully mine to do with it want I want! I'm giving you a week to come up with the rent you owe."
Calisto gasped, "one week! Sandra we couldn't possibly..."
"One week" she bellowed. "I don't care how many bake sales you have to hold, I want my money!" She turned to walk away, than paused. "One more thing, if any of your payments are late again, there won't be nearly as nice as I'm being now." With that, she stormed off.
"'Nice?!'" Metanoia practically screeched. "That posh, stuck up, little..."
"Keep it down!" Joey warned her.
She sat back and crossed her arms. "Stone really wants to tear that place down, it's not her money she's after."
"Speaking of money" Kaiba added, "she's being investigated for embezzlement of her clothing company, by none other than Officer Wingfield, who just almost met with a suspicious accident..."
"And her boyfriend was sneaking back to the dinning room right after it happened." Yugi caught on.
"Sounds like Stone might not have been 'dragged' here tonight at all" Tea mused.
Bakura suddenly thought of something. "Hey Metanoia, what about that paper you found?"
"Oh yea, let me take get it" she began digging through her bag.
All at once, the lights went out, and the house was plunged into darkness.
"Huh? What gives?!" Joey demanded, trying to stumble out of his seat.
"Watch those hands Wheeler" Mai warned, she had been sitting next to him.
A dim source of light entered the room. It was Mrs. Calisto with a candle from the dinner table. "Are you kids alright?"
"We're fine" Metanoia told her, carefully stepping around the tea table towards her.
"Oh dear, you haven't seen Robert have you?" she asked worriedly.
"Mr. Brown? No we haven't," Kabia replied. "Why?"
She took a deep breath, "because I can't find him anywhere! One minute he was standing next to me. Then the lights went out, and he disappeared!"