Chapter 12: And Then there Were None...
[two days later]
Quentin Travers entered the small villa just as his associate came up. "Sir, we have the information you requested."
"Good," said Quentin. "Give me the basics."
The associate cleared his throat and consulted his notes as he relayed the information to Quentin as they walked into the sitting room.
"The consensus is clear for the first six murders. We have collaborated the diary entries of Willow, Anya and Mr. Giles."
"Ah, Giles," mused Quentin. "What a fool," he muttered. "To bring this group here, Slayer included, without informing us? At least he had enough sense to have the boat driver inform us first before the British authorities and Scotland Yard got involved…"
"Yes, sir," the associate said, turning back to his notes, leaving his opinion out. "The events seem to be that Dawn Summers met her demise first, here. She choked on her tea, which was later determined to be laced with some cyanide, possibly potassium."
A man working on the forensics of the sitting room looked up and added, "Traces on the teacup in the fireplace have identified is as such, sir."
Quentin nodded and waved his hand, indicating to the associate to continue.
"We believe the vampire Spike also was terminated here. In that corner. He was the, uh, fifth murder. He was drugged with the same, diluted form of the cyanide and then injected with holy water, according to the diaries."
"Interesting!" exclaimed Quentin. "Quite imaginative our murderer!"
"Yes, sir. They seem to be following the old nursery rhyme."
"Rhyme?"
The associate gave Quentin a copy of the rhyme as they passed into the study.
"Mr. Giles' murder was the third. In here. He was hit with that candlestick," the associate pointed.
"Hmm," said Quentin. "And the others?" he asked, heading for the staircase leading upstairs.
"The second, Tara, was murdered in her room, see? Overslept. She was poisoned as well, with the same kind of cyanide. The fourth, Xander was stabbed with a butcher knife in the kitchen. As for the sixth…"
"Yes?"
"Anya was murdered in her room as well. Hit with a gavel on her forehead. Dressed in a black robe and white wig," the associate said as they came to Anya's room. He opened the door to reveal two Council men performing the usual forensic investigations.
Quentin saw the mark on her forehead and exclaimed, "But surely such a hit could not kill her, she was a demon!"
One of the Council men said, "There's a barrier around the island, sir, preventing the use of any supernatural activity."
"So they were defenseless?"
"To certain degree. In Anya's case, she was poisoned as well. Cyanide."
Quentin thought about this then told his associate. "I want the barrier down."
"Yes, sir, we're working on it."
"Good, what else?" he asked as they exited the room.
"Well, sir, it's sketchy from here. We believe the last four murders happened consecutively, thus preventing Willow from documenting them. We have Willow, Cordelia, Angel and Buffy. Willow, outside her bedroom window, crushed under the clock. Cordelia found on the beach, drowned with a broken neck. Buffy hanged in her room and a burnt stake in the dining room whose scorch marks match the ones found on the tree near the beach, indicating Angel may have been dusted with it there."
"Theories," ordered Quentin.
"The popular belief, according to the diaries, is one of them was the killer. Angel and Xander had searched the island and no one else was on the island."
"Hmm," mused Quentin, moving into Buffy's room.
The associate followed. "Going with that, sir, one theory suggests that Willow did it, killed them all, staked Angel, pushed Cordelia off the cliff and hung Buffy, then killed herself."
"Are you trying to tell me a little girl like Willow, with no magic, fought off Buffy, a trained Slayer, hanged her, then had the strength to pull this," he touched the huge clock, "onto herself?"
The associate coughed nervously. "No, sir, just a theory. Another is that Cordelia is the murderer. Staked Angel, hung Buffy, pushed the clock on Willow and then threw herself off the cliff."
"Good theory," said Quentin, examining the noose.
"Yes, sir, except Cordelia's body was lifted past the water mark. How is that possible?"
"Hmm, good point. What about Angel? He was a ruthless killer before. What about Angelus?"
"We thought of that. Killed them all and then staked himself. Except the stake was found in the dining room on the table by the centerpiece. He would not have been able to do that if he were dusted."
Quentin considered that. "Well, then, it must be Buffy," he said, pulling on the noose. "She killed them all and then hung herself."
The associate coughed again. "Another good theory…"
"But…"
"But if Buffy hung herself, she would have kicked the chair away. When we came her, the chair was set upright, on the far wall. She could not have done that. Therefore someone was alive, after she died."
"By God," exclaimed Quentin. "There's no answer?! Could it have been any of the first six?"
"Well," trailed the associate. "Maybe, but the diary records collaborate. Unless two or possibly all three were lying, which, considering the circumstances, seems unlikely. The diaries were filled with suspicions and distrust. I doubt any of them were allied with each other."
"But, it's mind-boggling!" Quentin said. "How can ten friends, as closely bound together as that group was, turn against each other?"
The associate shrugged. "We're continuing our investigations, sir, but for now, it's quite a mystery…"