Chapter 4: Eight Little Indians...
After covering Tara and locking the door, they set back downstairs to the sitting room, each reflecting on Willow's statement. Who would kill Dawn and Tara? Which of them could actually murder their friends?
Cordelia saw Anya looking at her, suspiciously and said, "Oh, no! Don't look at me! I didn't do it! I liked Dawn! I liked Tara! I couldn't…"
"Okay, let's not start accusing anyone of anything, okay?" warned Angel.
"Why not? We have to figure out which one of us did this," said Willow, dully.
"Yeah, God knows if the murderer will stop here," added Xander.
Angel turned to Xander, "Maybe the murderer wants us to get on each other backs, did you think of that? Suspect each other and turn on each other?"
"What do you suggest then?" asked Buffy, angrily.
"We just stay together, no more going off alone. We stay together, the murderer can't pick us off."
"Oh, I don't want to die…" moaned Cordelia. "There so much more I wanted to do in life…"
"Like?" said Xander, testily.
"Star in my own movie, meet Donald Trump… European shopping spree!" she recited, nervously.
Xander threw his hands up in frustration. "You're classic, you know that? Two people are dead and you're still thinking of yourself!?"
"Oh, shut up, Harris, I'm just…"
"Frightened," answered Angel for her. "Cordelia always rambles about herself when she's scared. We all are," he reassured her. "We'll get through this."
She smiled a half-smile at him, relieved he knew her so well.
"Yes, we will," added Giles. "I have some useful books in my room. I'll get them and then do what we do best. Figure this out."
He turned to go up to his room, when Angel said, "No, not alone, remember?"
"Ah yes, um, Spike, would please come with me? The rest of you stay here," he warned as he and Spike went up to get the books.
"I could use some coffee, anyone else?" said Cordelia.
Willow nodded. "I'll come with you," she volunteered. They took everyone else's orders and disappeared into the kitchen.
Buffy looked at the remaining people. Angel and Xander at the far ends of the room, and Anya looking out the window. "We need to get off this island," she said. "You can't fix the radio, Xander?"
Xander shook his head slowly. "It's missing a few parts. There's no use."
Anya sat in shock. "I can't believe this is happening. Dawn, Tara… who's next?"
Angel looked at her and then stood up. "The poem… maybe that's the clue! The first was about Dawn, the next about Tara… What's the next verse?"
"Um… let's see… I practically memorized the thing… okay, we're eight. Eight little Indian boys traveling to Devon, one said he would stay right there, and then there were seven…" recited Anya.
"Traveling to Devon… well, we're all here," mused Angel.
"One said he'd stay here… gee, could it be a bit more vague?" complained Xander.
Buffy began snapping her fingers as she said, "Devon… England… who would stay in England? Not me, or you or any of us Americans!"
"You mean…?" started Angel.
"It's Spike," she said. "Last night, he was warning me… about England… what did he say? He said… that I didn't know England… that it's got a ways of holding on to someone… a way of keeping the past alive…" she began to say, contemplatively.
"Buffy?"
Buffy snapped out of her reverie and faced Angel again. "He said this house has a history and that it won't let us forget it… I think he's next, Angel. We have to protect him!"
"Protect him?" asked Xander, unbelievably. "A vampire? You want us to protect a vampire? And Spike, on top of that? Have you lost your mind?"
"He's next, Xander. The murderer won't go out of sequence. If he doesn't kill Spike, we're all safe. We have to make sure someone is always with him."
"Someone, but the murderer, of course… and since it could be any one of us," said Anya, "we have to triple our efforts. Spike can never be alone with only one person."
"You mean, like he is now, with Giles?" said Xander.
Buffy looked up at the stairs they had gone up. "Yes, they have been gone an awfully long time…" She rose to go up the stairs but when she reached the foot of the stairs, she ended up face to face with Spike who was coming down.
"Going somewhere, pet?" he asked eerily, arms full of books
Relief and worry washed through her body, simultaneously. "Um, no, I was just coming to see what was taking you so long… uh, where's Giles?" she asked, looking behind him.
"Watcher's got all his books scattered about the room…" he explained, going past her and dropping the books on the table. "He's right behind me," he answered her.
"Is he?" she asked, suspiciously, looking up the stairwell.
"Yes," he said, turning to her. "What the bloo - ?" He looked perturbed when Buffy gestured at the empty stairwell. He walked to where she stood and called up, "Watcher! You there?"
"Giles?!" Buffy called up, anxiously, after a moment and then set up the stairs to run into Giles, coming down with an armful of books.
"Yes, already! I'm right here!" he said, impatiently, not noticing Buffy's sigh of relief.
"Where were you? I was scared to death!" Buffy cried.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry," he apologized when he saw her distress and understood her concern. "I had dropped a book," he explained as Willow and Cordelia came in with the refreshments.
"So, everyone still here?" asked Cordelia, a little too brightly, which earned her scowls from the rest of them.
They began to research in earnest for some explanation for the strange events that had occurred.
Buffy threw her book down and looked around. She saw the concentration everyone had in their research. It was more passionate that before. The deaths had made the search for the answer much more critical.
She rose to get another book and saw Giles in the study alone. She walked carefully in and saw he actually was with Cordy and Spike. Cordy was curled on the couch, book in her lap and nodding off. Spike was at the huge desk, crouched intently over another as Giles paced the room.
"Any luck?" she whispered.
Giles looked up and shook his head. "You?"
"None." Buffy looked around the huge study, then asked, "Giles, who did you get this place from?" she asked, curiously.
"Hmm? Oh… it was advertised in the local paper. I leased it through an intermediary. I have the contract here somewhere…" said Giles, going to the desk and leafing through his papers.
Spike looked up briefly, then went back to the book.
"Ah, yes, here it is!" Giles pulled out the sheaf of papers. "Signed and notarized… It's listed to a Mr. Owen. Ulrick Norman Owen."
"Ulrick… man, you guys have weird English names," said Buffy, disdainfully.
But Spike's head had shot up again and he rose, leaning forward, snatching the paper from Giles' hand.
"What the - ?" said Giles, in surprise, as Spike read the paper and then groaned in frustration.
"You bloody pillock!" he swore. "Are you even English?"
"What? Of course I am – "
"Ulrick Norman Owen! U. N. Owen! Un-Owen! Unknown! The classic British code for mind-your-own-bloody-business-I'm-doing-something-a-tad-shady!"
"What?" asked Buffy, stunned.
"What's going on?" asked Cordy, rising from her sleep.
"Your Watcher rented the place from an anonymous owner! I doubt this rubbish's even legal!" he shouted, throwing the sheets on the desk.
"Giles?" Buffy asked, as the others rushed in from the other room.
"I… I didn't know," Giles stumbled.
"Didn't know?!" yelled Spike. "How could you not know?! Or maybe this was your plan all along…"
"Plan? I resent that accusation!" Giles shouted back. "I had nothing to do with this!"
"Really? Convenient, though, how…"
"Okay, easy, boys!" cried Cordy, coming and separating the two. She took Spike by the arm, who snatched his book angrily and let Cordy lead him out of the room.
Buffy watched as the others followed Spike out, leaving her with Giles. She went and quickly closed the door and faced Giles.
"Giles? Talk to me… What's going on? Is Spike right?" she asked.
Giles sat at the desk and rubbed his temple with his fingers. "Yes… and no. Damn, I can't believe I didn't see it!"
"What?"
"This!" he pointed to the contract. "I should have known… Believe me, Buffy, I didn't do this on purpose… I had many things on my mind… I couldn't foresee this…"
"I believe you," she said. "I just… this is so weird. It's like… we're on trial or something, you know? And we're being punished."
Giles looked at her and said, "It's not your fault, Buffy. Faith's sins are hers alone."
"But I was there! I was part of it! Maybe… maybe we all are guilty…" she added.
"This is absurd, Buffy! You can't be held responsible for something you didn't do!"
"I'm not so sure…" she said, softly.
Giles paused, then said, "Buffy, I didn't say anything last night because of everyone that was there. The Watcher's Council has strict instructions about the kind of things that are revealed and concealed within its walls. But as your Watcher, I feel I'm entitled to tell you."
"What, Giles? What is it?" she asked, growing concerned from his tone.
He heaved a great sigh then looked at his hands as he recounted. "I did know a Laura Adams. Laura was my tutor, in fact, in the art of magic. Ethan and I were her apprentices within the Council. We were very powerful, but Laura knew the dangers of entrusting such powers to two young, passionate men such as Ethan and myself. She stressed the importance of patience and discipline."
He rose to the window, continuing his story. "Ethan was impatient. He wanted to perform a spell two levels too advanced. I tried to convince him not to, but the Council was pressuring us to perform to their expectations. Laura tried to stop us, but she got caught in the crossfire of a spell gone bad. She died, Buffy."
He turned to her and asked, "Was it my fault? Do I deserve to be punished for an accident? One perpetuated by someone else, just because I was party to it?"
Buffy sat there, stunned. "I… I don't know. Do you?"
"I don't know, either," he answered, laughing. "It's so absurd… so absurd…"
"Giles?" she asked, worriedly.
Giles' laughter subsided, replaced by a look of fear.
"Maybe we are being punished… maybe we do deserve to be…"
When the clock chimed one, Xander remembered none of them had eaten breakfast, or lunch, for that fact. He was about to suggest food when he looked at the group around him.
They had searched for hours and nothing. More and more, Xander was becoming convinced that Willow might be right. It might be one of them…
Who would kill Dawn and Tara? Obviously not Buffy or Willow. And definitely not him. So that left Angel, Anya, Cordy, Spike and Giles.
Giles had brought them here and had gotten the CD made. But he wouldn't hurt them; Xander had known Giles since high school. No way.
Maybe Cordelia. He knew her too, but she was a demon now… perhaps…
The two vampires? Spike might kill Tara, if the chip stopped working, but Dawn? Despite his reservations about Spike, he knew Spike had cared for Dawn. Could Angelus be back? Xander looked at Angel but couldn't see evidence of the monster of old. But then again, Angel killed before he was Angelus, Xander reminded himself of Erin. What would stop him from killing as Angel?
And Anya. Anya was so ruthless towards Dawn last night, but she had also been mad that Dawn broke her bottles of lotion. And Anya was Anya. He knew Anya, right?
Xander shook his head to himself. This would hard, to find the killer. These were his friends, right? He had known the since…forever. But now he had to, before someone else died. However, some food might help.
"Anyone want anything to eat?" he asked.
Willow finished setting the table. She moved like a robot, her limbs numb from sensation. Tara was gone, Tara was gone… The words tumbled in her head. How could this happen? After all they went through, only to get back together for this to happen.
You're right. Not in this house. When we get off this island, I promise.
There was no promise now, Willow thought. It was over. She was gone.
"There we go," Cordelia said, cheerily. "All done," she said, bringing in the last bowl of food. Willow stared at her with dead eyes and walked into the kitchen.
"Gee, just trying to lighten the mood," she said to Buffy.
"She needs time, Cordy. She really loved Tara," Buffy explained.
"Yeah? Well, you loved Dawn and you're not acting like a zombie," complained Cordy, before realizing what she was saying as Buffy lowered her gaze. "Um, sorry, I mean…"
"It's okay, Cordy… I understand you mean well. Just… give Willow her space."
Cordy nodded as went to the door and called the rest of them from the sitting room to say dinner was ready.
They all filed in, taking their seats in silence. Buffy looked as Xander and Angel walked in with Spike. Good, she thought. He was still safe.
Willow came out with the bread and asked, "Where's Giles?"
Angel said, "He's just finishing one last cross-reference. Didn't want to lose his train of thought."
Cordy looked at him with wide eyes. "You mean, he's alone in there?"
"Well, yeah, I mean…" he gestured to Spike, realizing not all of them knew about Buffy's theory.
"No, Anya's with him," Xander interrupted. "She's checking the last of the demon chronicles."
Cordelia nodded in relief and sat down.
Giles opened the last book, ecstatic he was finally on some kind of lead. The Themitic clause, an eternal reward for the perfect evil… Something that could unleash all hell on earth…
"That's it!" he said aloud, his finger jabbing the book at the answer. "I know who killed them!"
He turned excitedly to tell the others when something came out of nowhere and struck Giles in the face, sending him spiraling into darkness.
"Can't let you tell them just yet… and ruin my plan?" the murderer said, dropping the candlestick by his side.
But Giles was beyond hearing, taking the answer with him to the land of the dead.
Spike asked, "Who set the table?"
"I did," said Willow. "Why?"
He looked at her, suspiciously and said, "The Indians. You only set out seven…" pointing to the centerpiece.
Willow's eyes widened as she looked over and said, "Spike, I never set out the centerpiece, it's been there since this morning."
"There were eight this morning!" he cried.
"But I didn't touch them! I swear! Buffy saw me!" she yelled, getting up.
Buffy looked back and forth from Spike to Willow and said, "Seven… Devon… If it isn't you… then…"
Anya burst in the room and cried, "Come quick! Giles!"
They all rushed back into the study as they saw Giles lying in a pool of blood. "Oh my God!" cried Cordelia, as Buffy ran to his side. She hesitantly touched his chest and then said, "He… He's dead!"
"But why?!" cried Anya. "This is insane!"
"Anya, you were here, what happened?" asked Xander. When she didn't answer, standing and staring at Giles in shock, he grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her. "What happened?!" he yelled.
"Stop!" cried Angel, grabbing Xander by the wrists and wrenching him off Anya. Then he took the shocked girl to the nearest armchair and sat her down. Kneeling in front of her, he asked, "Anya… Anya, did you see what happened to Giles?"
Anya shook her head. "I needed the second volume," she whispered, pointing to the book by the stairs where she had dropped it. "I only left for two minutes…" she said, her face crumpling as tears spilt over.
"Guess the Watcher didn't do it, then." Spike picked up the bloody candlestick beside Giles. "Seems he was hit with this," he said, examining it.
Buffy looked up at him with sad eyes. "I thought it was going to be you… You seem so passionate about England… I forgot Giles was too…"
"What?" asked Spike, confused.
"The verse," she explained. "Wanting to stay in Devon. Giles loved Devon, why didn't I think of that? This is my fault, we should have protected him…" Buffy cursed herself.
"This is not your fault," Spike insisted. "You couldn't have known."
"But the poem! It's a clue! We should have seen it!"
"Buffy, that blasted poem's a nursery rhyme! It's a very old English rhyme! Besides, it didn't help the last people!"
"Last people?" asked Cordy.
Spike looked at Angel and said, "Come on, you remember! This house!" When Angel looked at him, confused, Spike said, as he walked over to the closet and pulled down some spare blankets, "Fifty years ago, ten strangers came here and were killed off, one by one, according to that stupid poem. Giles told you all that. The mystery was unsolved until about ten years ago. They found a confession in a bottle that washed up the coast. One of them had done it, and he was damn proud too. Killed himself after all of them to commit what he thought was the perfect crime."
"So, now what? His ghost is killing us?" asked Anya.
"No ghost. It's one of us!" he said, spreading the blanket on Giles and rolling him up in it.
"This is crazy," stated Cordy. "We all know each other, why would any of kill each other?"
"I don't know, but right now, we have to figure this out," replied Spike.
"Spike's right," said Angel. "Right now, everyone's a suspect. No one goes anywhere alone. No one takes off. Okay?"
"Everyone's a suspect?" asked Willow.
"Yeah, I mean, Buffy didn't do it, or Willow," said Xander.
"And why not?" asked Anya, angrily.
Xander turned to Anya. "Because Buffy wouldn't kill Dawn and Willow wouldn't kill Tara! Or have you forgotten about that?!"
Anya stood and walked over to Xander and said, "Look, I've lived a thousand years and if there's one thing I've learnt is that anyone can kill anyone, even people they love."
Angel nodded as he came in front of Spike to help him lift Giles upstairs. "Everyone's a suspect. No exceptions."
"But how?" said Xander. "I couldn't have killed Giles! I was with you all in the dining room…"
"Except when you got up to go to the washroom," Cordy reminded him. "You could have snuck into the study."
"I was gone for two seconds."
"Long enough to kill someone," said Angel.
"What?! I didn't…"
"Look," Angel cut him off, "We all could have killed Giles. All of us went in to the kitchen at some point or another and could have used the other door to get here."
"So, none of us can go anywhere alone anymore… not even for a second," murmured Buffy.
"No," said Angel, lifting Giles. "Not for a second…"