Disclaimer: Y'know the usual... I do not own HM or am affiliated with them and I'm not making money off this... ya di ya da...

Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update! Tired, I guess. It's interesting to here who you think the killer(s) is/are! Hee hee! And one thing; this fic isn't related to my other fic, so... yuppers!

Killer Cliche
Day Three

(Monday Morning)

Over a portable stove we brought along on this trip, my father handed me a plate of my favourite kind of breakfast; scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and buttered toast. Mmmm... yummie yummie in my tummie!

Setting myself down to the small glass table, I grabbed two things; the television remote control and a fork.

Nothing much was on, except morning news shows and stuff alike. But that was fine, because they were all talking non-stop about what happened yesterday afternoon... y'know, when Mike Weir won the Masters!

I was absolutely absorbed. I was watching so long that I didn't notice that Gray had finished his breakfast, and stolen a sausage and two strips of bacon from my plate.

"So what's next for you Mike?" said a reporter on TSN, which was showing a repeat of an interview they had did late last night.

"Well, I'll be heading off to Toronto to the Eaton's Centre's Sears to promote Weir Golf there, and an autograph session. Then off to the Air Canada Centre to drop the puck at tomorrow's Leafs/Flyers game." (A/N: Those aren't his exact words, so y'know, whatever. But the stuff did happen...)

"Oh my God!" I shouted, pushing my plate away (which Gray had finished off for me). I grabbed my laptop computer to search the net for last minute information about this.

"So I guess you're going Ann?" my father asked me.

"Of course!" I exclaimed. "I have to!"

Gray covered his ears. "Ann, do you have to yell?"

"YES!" Searching through some websites, I finally found the information I was looking for. "Hm hm hm... okay that's perfect, if I leave soon!" I grabbed my wallet and coat before heading out.

"Hold on a second young lady!" my father called just as I stepped out the door. "Walking around a large city all by yourself is not something you should be doing. Go with someone else, so you won't be alone."

"Aw, c'mon dad," I groaned. "I'm not a kid anymore. I can handle things."

"No Ann," he said firmly. "Especially in a place you aren't familiar with."

"Fine," I huffed, turning to Gray. "C'mon bro."

He shook his head. "Nuh uh. I'm going to the Hockey Hall of Fame with Jeff and Harris."

I growled at him. "Fine! I'm sure there's a whole bunch of people who are willing to go."

Feeling inspired, I went over to Karen's room. If somebody would go, I was sure it was Karen.

"Hi Ann," Karen greeted, looking a little surprised.

"Will you come to the Eaton's Centre and the Air Canada Centre with me?" I asked.

Karen shook her head. "We already went to the Eaton's Centre."

"So what!" I demanded. "We can go again."

"Why don't you ask someone else?" Karen whined. "I'm busy."

"Fine," I told her. "I will."

Finding the next door, I knocked.

"Whah... huh?" I heard Popuri mumble through a yawn from the other side of the door. "Who's the-- AHHHHH!"

I practically jumped out of my skin. "Popuri! Popuri!" Oh no! The killer's got Popuri!

"SPIDER!"

I wanted to hit her over the head.

"I'll... get a tissue or something!" I heard Elli say as she rushed off.

"Popuri," I began calmly. "Let me in please."

The door opened slowly. "Hi Ann," she greeted me. "Could you come back later? We kinda got a crisis here."

The spider was near the light-switch. Rolling my eyes, I balled up my fists and smashed its guts. "Do you and Elli wanna go to the Eaton's Centre with me?"

"Why do you want to go there again?"

"Uh..." I thought for a second. "To go to Sears..." Well, I didn't lie at least.

"Why do you- OH!" Popuri grinned knowingly. "You wanna meet that Canadian right?"

"Um... what Canadian?" I blushed. "There's millions of Canadians in Toronto."

"Yeah, but there a certain Canadian that's coming today to sign autographs after a certain win last night, am I right?" Popuri smiled smugly.

"How do you know about that?"

"Coz I was watching yesterday."

I gawked. "You? Watch sports!"

"Well, I had nothing else to do. Elli was watching the cooking channel in the other room, and there was nothing else on, so I watched."

"And...? What did you think?"

Popuri grinned. "It was really boring."

My own smug smile faded, and was replaced with a growl. "Shut up," was all I could muster.

Popuri scowled. "Well, it was! I don't know how you can put up with it Ann, it's a total snooze fest."

I shook my head quickly. I was wasting time here! Besides, it wasn't the first time someone had told me that. "Okay whatever. Popuri will you please go with me?"

"Okay sure," she bobbed her head up and down.

"Oh, hi Jack," I said, surprised. Popuri, Jack and I were standing at the end of the looooooooooong autograph line. "I never knew you were into golf."

"Well, kinda," Jack shrugged. "I mean, I used to play about once every few months before I moved to the island."

Hmm... well someone who shares the same interests with me just can't be a killer, can they?

"What about you Ann? You into this kind of stuff too?"

I looked around the area. There were newspapers (with the front page highlighting the win yesterday), posters, and don't forget the sea of people. "I kinda am."

After getting a quick autograph, the three of us met outside on the sidewalk, just outside Sears. "So, whatcha wanna do now?" I asked them both.

"Actually, I have to go to the Air Canada Centre to get some tickets," Jack said.

"Hey, me too!" I couldn't help but grin. "C'mon, we can pick up the tickets right now!"

The three of us went over to the arena and picked up five tickets (three for us, two for anyone else who would want to go). Then we spent the rest of the day visiting Chinatown and Greektown. It was a neat experience to see all the different cultures. Our island one has one culture; and that's all of us. It's not even really a culture! I was starting to realize why Karen wanted to live in the city so much. Everything... you can get anything, anytime. And you never feel isolated or lonely.

(Monday Night)

So Jack, Gray, Jeff, Popuri and I went to the hockey game. I'll admit I'm not a big fan of hockey, but seeing Mike Weir (again) was nice. And y'know what was nicer? The huge cheer that filled the arena when he stepped on the ice. I guess this is a very big deal for Canada, since they don't produce much people who get world recognition, let alone golfers (A/N: Canada's second best golfer is Ian Leggatt. Never heard of him? Exactly!). I don't even know how I came to liking him, I guess coz he's a good golfer, without having to sell out cough Tiger Woods cough.

After the first period of the hockey game, I could see that Popuri was getting restless.

"I'm going for a walk okay?" she told me, standing up.

"But that's the fifth time you've got up in the last thirty minutes!" my heart sank. "Popuri, are you bored?"

"N-no, I'm not bored!" she said confidently.

I shook my head, feeling very guilty. "C'mon, I can see right through you. You're bored and you don't have to hide it."

"No Ann, it's okay," Popuri insisted. "Really, I'm fine."

I knew if I didn't leave with her, the guilt would just eat me alive. "C'mon Popuri, let's go back to the inn."

Her face drained of its colour. "Seriously, I'm fine! I'm having fun, really!"

I shook my head and forced her off her seat. "I'll be honest. I'm bored too. So let's just go home and get some rest, okay?"

Popuri smiled. "Okay, let's go." She handed her leftover nachos to Jack (and I gave my popcorn to Gray) and we started for home. I kept my mouth shut during the whole trip back to the inn, because I didn't want Popuri to figure out I didn't want to leave, but I did because I wanted to make me feel less guilty and her more happy (see, aren't I a good friend?).

"You go ahead inside," I told her, waving her away. "I'm just gonna pick up some newspapers." I popped into a nearby Daisy Mart and bought every single newspaper I could find. I don't think I need to tell you why I did that (smile smile!). It was so cool to see Mike Weir's name on every single headline.

With the large packages of paper laden in my arms, I opened the door and stepped into the familiar looking inn lobby. Popuri was nowhere to be seen. In fact, no one was there, not even Robert. That was kinda weird huh?

I looked down the hall, hoping to see someone about. The halls were empty too, but a door that was numberless was wide open, so I decided to have a peek inside. Without a sound, I snuck up to the door.

"Help... someone help!" someone shouted from the room below.

"KAREN!" I screamed, pounding down the steps, unaware of any danger I might of put myself in. One thing came to mind... the serial killings. Was Karen the next victim? I didn't even think about whether this was a set-up or a trap (like the killer could've recorded her crying for help, and played it back to lure people in). I pounded down the steps, to see none other than Karen, tied up to a chair.

"Ann!" Karen gasped, her voice full of appreciation. "Thank God!"

"What happened?" I squeaked, sawing off the ropes that bound her hands and feet with a utility knife I carried around with me all the time. "Was it...?"

"Yeah."

I fought back a scream. This was unbelievable.

"Great, thanks!" Karen quickly squeezed her way though the last gaps of the ropes and we both proceeded up the stairs, when someone started to come down. I couldn't see who it was at first, but taking the precautions, I drove over the railings and under the flight of stairs.

"Well, you escaped huh?" a voice said roughly, grabbing Karen's arm. "Well, I'm not letting you hear alive. Either I die, or you. And I'd prefer you, if you don't mind that girlie." With a gun he carried in his other hand, the man pointed it towards her head.

"KAREN!" I screamed, exposing myself.

The man whirled around to face me. Oh my God!

"Robert!" I yelped.

He kept his clamp on Karen's throat firm as he shifted his gun in my direction, stepping down to the floor. I froze in terror. "Don't make a single move, ya hear me!"

That wasn't going to be a problem.

Karen took the moment Robert left his guard down to kick him in the shin. He cussed out loud and fell to the ground, losing his fingering with the pistol.

"Get the gun Ann get it!"

Robert came up quickly, grabbing Karen's long hair like a dog leash. "Not a smart move girlie. You know, I was thinking about just ending your life quickly, y'know? One quick blow. But since you pulled that little stunt, I'll make sure of it that you die a slow, agonizing death."

"Let go of the girl," I said, the gun now in my hands. "I'm not kidding, I will use this if I have to."

Now unarmed, he was completely useless. In a flash, he pushed Karen aside and made a break for the stairs. With one carefully timed body slam, he was out cold.

"Got any rope?" I asked Karen. She actually managed to find some, and started to tie up his hands.

"Oh Ann!" Karen jumped up and gave me a big hug. "You saved my life!"

"And you solved the mystery Karen," we both grinned and gave each other another hug.

"What'd you say we call the police and get this loser behind bars huh?" Karen exclaimed.

In less than ten minutes, the police had come and dragged the still unconscious man into their squad car. Every guest had come down to the lobby to see what was all the commotion about. I'm sure they didn't except to see the owner of the building they were staying in being hauled away by the cops. But at least the killer was nabbed.

"How'd you know it was Robert who was the killer?" I asked Karen when I finally got the chance.

"I didn't," Karen giggled. "I stumbled on it by accident. But I did manage to find out some stuff about him..." She started to give me some much needed facts.

"Well... when you and Popuri went out, I decided to do some more investigating. Nothing came up for a long time... so I took a break. I went over to the lobby, which was pretty empty, except for that guy at the reception desk... Robert, right?"

"Yeah, the guy who fixed my cable."

"Anyway, I started to talk to him about just random stuff, and I found out that the first woman murdered was his mother, and the second his sister. Then while we were talking about the recent crimes, something slipped his tongue, like 'I did a pretty good job'."

"Oh my God that's stupid!" I said with a giggle.

Karen smiled. "Once he said that, and realized I heard it too, he jumped me and knocked me out with something. I woke up some time later, in a large room, tied up, with him sitting nearby. When he had saw that I had woken up, he left the basement, to 'get some safety'. Then..."

"I walked in," I nodded understandingly. "Wow. And the motive?"

"Probably money. This building's worth at least a million dollars.You see, this is a family-run inn. The initial owner was the mother, Mrs. Beagle, who died two days ago. She was killed by her daughter and son. Then Robert, the son, got greedy and decided he wanted the whole estate for himself, and killed his own sister... just for money! Can you imagine a person more sick?"

"Wow," was all I could say.

Everyone wanted to be the first ones to give us hugs or high fives. I couldn't really make out what everyone was saying, since they were talking very quickly, and there were a lot of people there. Some words I did manage to hear though, were 'hero' and 'front page news'. I guess I'm not so different than a certain Canadian who's been granted the same status today, huh?

"Just one thing," Karen said when everyone was done congratulating us. "What was up with Jack and Maria?"

"Uh..." Jack began. "W-we can't tell you."

"Oh come on!" I groaned. "We both almost died. It's the least you can do."

"You mean Jack and Maria? Oh they're dat-" Elli cupped her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God! Oops, I'm sorry!"

We all erupted into more congratulating again. I kind of suspected the two of them were closer than just friends, though I had never admitted it to myself because... well, I kinda liked Jack too! But all and all, I think everything turned out all right, eh?

The End

Author's Note: Well, that's the end! I hope you enjoyed it, and even if you didn't thanks so sticking around so long! Sorry the story was kinda more about golf and stuff... it was just kinda to throw you off so you'd forget about the mystery! Anyway, please review, it would mean a lot if you told me what you thought! Thanks a whole bunch! Eeee... now I'll go surf other HM fics!