Dedication: To my very faithful reviewer Spaced Out Space Cadet.
Disclaimer: Well, I own this computer that I'm using. Is that enough?
~*~ Okay. So, I was reading this entire story so far this weekend, and I realized that I liked the study too much. This is a small change, but really won't change the clues in the story. The opening of the secret passageway was to the lounge, which was that green room. Sorry about that. Well, that's done. I'm excited. Just read, read, read!
*****************THE MYSTERY OF STONE MANSION*******************
Chapter 8: Misconceptions
Harry woke on Sunday morning with a start. He knew who the murderer was - Gabbla. He had been thinking through it all night. Gabbla was the only one who knew what was going on all along, and hadn't he been missing both times when they found the victims? He didn't want them to search the house. There was no magic wand; house elves have powers and don't need one. It all fit.
By the time he worked everything through the previous night, it was nearly midnight, and he didn't want to wake anyone up. He'd settle for morning.
It was dawn now, and he didn't want to wait a moment longer. Harry jumped out of bed and tore across the room to change. When he was done, he looked at the grandfather clock. Seven. That was late enough.
He opened his door and ran down the hall. "Hermione," he said, knocking on her door. There was no answer. 'She must be at breakfast,' he thought and quickly proceeded to Cho's room. "Cho, it's me," he said. She opened the door immediately.
"Hi, Harry. Good mor - What's wrong?" she asked, seeing his anxious face.
"Can I come in?" Harry asked, looking to the left and right. If Gabbla heard them, he might come right out and attack.
"Sure," she said gesturing him inside with a slightly confused look on her face. He walking in and closed the door behind him, taking no notice of the brilliant blue color of the room.
"It's Gabbla, Cho. He's the murderer," Harry said right away.
Cho stared at him. "What?"
"Gabbla attacked Ginny and Ron." He spent the next ten minutes explaining his reasoning. "Think about it," he continued, "when was the last time you saw Gabbla? When Malfoy threatened him. He attacked Ron and decided to get out of our way so we wouldn't realize it was him doing it all." When he finished, Cho was looking at the carpet with a puzzled expression on her face.
"Does anyone else know about this?" she asked after a moment. "Hermione? Malfoy?"
"I honestly don't really care about Malfoy, but Hermione wasn't in her room; she could be in trouble."
"We need to stop Gabbla as soon as possible, before he attacks someone else," Cho concluded looking Harry in the eyes.
"Right." Harry said with determination. "Let's go."
They opened the door and made their way down the stairs. Looking up and down the dimly lit entrance hall, Harry nodded to the kitchen. He could barely breathe with the suspense. They proceeded to the door. Heart pounding against his ribs, Harry gave one last reassuring look to Cho, reached out of the handle, and swung the door open. There was no one there.
But Harry's past experiences didn't leave him. Gabbla could be lurking near any of the cabinets, behind a stove, or in a secret passage, for that matter.
Cho followed him inside. She began to walk around the island in the middle of the room while Harry looked cautious at the dark cabinets. Something wasn't right. He could feel it.
Cho screamed. Harry turned sharply around. She was backed up against the pantry door, a hand covering her mouth. Harry walked around the marble island and what she was staring at came into view. Next to a fallen candleholder, Gabbla was lying on the floor, unconscious, and apparently under the full body bind.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Harry mechanically picked up the elf's stiff body and carried him into the study. After closing the door behind them, he and Cho merely stood in the empty entrance hall, dumbfounded. He had been so sure that it was Gabbla. All of the clues pointed to him; he had worked it all out. He just didn't understand it.
Cho shook her head and looked to the floor. "Harry, I think I need to just be alone and think right now. Is that alright?"
"Sure," he said. In fact, Harry felt the same way. He needed to think things through, himself. There were only four of them left now.
***
Hermione was alone in the library. She was sitting cross-legged on a squashy armchair, hugging her knees. A letter was in her hand. 'Dear Hermione,' it read, 'I don't quite know how to say this.' The next few phrases ran over and over again in her mind. 'I really like you, Hermione. I have for a while, but I was just too thick to realize it, I'll admit that. I just can't stop thinking about you. I can't get you out of my head. I don't know how you feel about me, but...' Hermione sighed. She didn't quite know, herself. She leaned back and closed her eyes.
Of course she liked Ron. She had since forth year. That's why she went to the Yule Ball with Victor Krum, to make him jealous. Oh, this all seemed so strange. After all of the fighting, he finally admitted that he liked her. There was no denying her feelings now.
"I do, too," she whispered to herself. She smiled and folded the letter back up.
"It's time to get some work done," she mentally told herself, and pulled a book toward her. She had been in the library since six thirty that morning and for most of the day before. She needed to figure out the puzzle, and where would be a better place to find clues than a library? She had already searched through what seemed like a hundred books yet found nothing. "There has to be something here," she said with impatience and slammed the volume shut.
She took hold of a spare candle and stood up. She crossed to a shelf that contained brilliant colored hardbound books that she had not yet come across. 'All of the titles are basically the same as the ones on the other shelves,' she noted as the small flame passed over their names: Magicaling Your Way to Perfection, An Examination of the Salem Witch Trials, Endangered Beasts of Great Britain, and - her eyes strolled upon a book that didn't look as though it belonged there. It was an old black leather bound book, and the golden writing on the spine looked faded. Hermione stared at it for a moment, then took it off the shelf. She traced what she could make out of the title on the front with her finger. Album.
'What is an album doing in a library?' she wondered to herself. Mesmerized and cautiously excited about what may lye in its pages, she sat down once again on her squashy armchair without even realizing she did so.
She opened the copy carefully to the first page. Pasted to it was a very small newspaper clipping that was yellowed with age. The title read: Family Fortune Left to Young Ruby. The article continued. Yesterday, The two owners of Ruby Sweets Inc made a public statement that the world famous company would be left in the hands of their youngest daughter, Miss Ruby. Miss Ruby is quoted as, "Very excited about this new opportunity." No quote was given from the Ruby's eldest daughter who, in the opinion of this journalist, must be very distraught at not given the chance to run the profitable business.
Miss Ruby. That was Ginny. Wondering what would be next, Hermione turned the page. Competitions in the Candy Industry: Competitors Ruby Sweets Inc. and Emerald Gummies are going head to head for domination in the candy business. But she already knew that much, from the first day they arrived at Stone Mansion. She continued on.
The next article was longer, and more disturbing. Hermione's mouth dropped slightly as she read. Mr. and Mrs. Ruby Murdered: The bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Ruby, the previous owners of Ruby Sweets Inc., were found in their home early yesterday morning when their house elf, Gabbla, came to bring them their breakfast. Though there are no clues as to who the culprit is, officials say that there is no doubt that the well-loved candy makers were murdered.
Hermione felt a dead weight in her arms. Gabbla was the Ruby's servant, and they ended up dead. A feeling of excitement rushing through her body, she raced through the book.
The next page contained another article, and on it - was a picture of Harry and Ron. Though, they didn't quite look like the Harry and Ron she knew. They were older and more mature. She glanced at the heading: Bronze Saves Gold in Attack of Life: Yesterday, Professor Gold, teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was attacked by a supporter of the Dark Lord in his home shortly after dusk. Luckily, araur and good friend, Colonial Bronze, was staying with him over holiday. The culprit, Mr. Sapphire, is awaiting trial in which the exact date is still to be determined.
Sapphire? Hermione paused. But that was Cho's name. Could it be some coincidence? Hermione's curiosity drew her eyes to the bottom of the page in another small clipping: Sapphire Sent to Azkaban for Life: Mr. Sapphire, who attacked Professor Gold earlier this year, was sentenced to spend life in Azkaban for attempted murder and supporting the Dark Lord. His wife would not give a formal interview on the subject. For more information on this trial and the history of this attack, please read the newly released novel based on this affair, Gold and Bronze Triumph Over Sapphire by Ms. Silver.
Hermione inhaled. It was all here; she couldn't believe it. "Mr. and Mrs. Ruby left their second daughter, Ginny, their business along with the fortune," Hermione whispered suspenseful. "Then, they were murdered, and Gabbla found their bodies. Malfoy wanted their business." Hermione had gotten off her chair and began pacing. "Mr. Sapphire attacked Harry, and Ron saved him. Mr. Sapphire went to Azkaban, leaving his wife, Cho, behind. Then I wrote a book about it."
Her face fell. How did this whole issue with the attack and the candy business come together? She recalled the first article: No quote was given from the Ruby's eldest daughter... their eldest daughter. Hermione looked through her notepad on the table. Mrs. Sapphire. Could Cho's maiden name have been Ruby?
Hands trembling, Hermione turned the page of the photo album. She looked at the next page in disbelief - there was nothing there. Panic creased throughout her body. She flipped frantically through the empty pages. No. She was so close. There had to be something else there, there had to be. She lifted the book itself off of the table, and watched as a small, folded piece of newspaper slowly fell to the floor.
Heart thumping madly against her chest, she picked it up and carefully opened it. In the upper corner of the withered parchment was a small black and white picture of two very familiar girls. The caption read: Sisters Miss Ruby and Newly Wed Mrs. Sapphire Share Grievances Over Lost Parents.
Hermione stared at the paper in her hands, not blinking. "Cho must have killed her parents for not giving her the business," she whispered aloud. "She was jealous of Ginny, so she killed her. Ron sent her husband to Azkaban so she got rid of him too." She reaffirmed herself - Cho was the murderer.
"This is it," Hermione whispered. "I solved it."
Suddenly, there was a strangled scream from outside the library. 'Harry,' she thought immediately. 'He might be will Cho.' She tore across the room and swung the door open. She came to a halt and gasped in horror of what she saw - Cho was lying on the ground; she was unconscious.
"Harry - wha - what happened?" Hermione whispered, her stomach plummeting terribly. What on earth was going on?
"I don't know, I just found her." He bent over Cho and took her hand. "Cho, Cho," he muttered. She came to within a minute. As she rose from the floor, she looked around with a confused expression on her face. "Cho, are you alright?" Harry asked. "What happened?"
"I - I'm fine" she answered, holding onto Harry as she got up. "I don't know what happened. I was just walking down the hall to see if you had come back down." It seemed hard for her to string these words together. "I - I remember hearing footsteps behind me - and then I blacked out."
"You must have been attacked," Harry concluded. "Doesn't look as though they had a chance to finish you off, though." Cho nodded, looking as though her head was aching terribly.
"What's this?" Cho asked, noticing something on the floor. She bent down to a spot next to her, and drew up, holding a small silver handbag. "Hermione, isn't this yours?" she asked slowly. "Miss Silver, right?" Hermione stared at the bag.
"Wait a second," Harry said slowly looking from Cho to Hermione. "Hermione, where were you just now?"
"The library. Why?" Then it dawned on her. "Harry, you don't think that I attacked Cho?"
"Well, you could have and then ran off into the library when you heard me coming. There's evidence," he muttered.
Cho looked around cautiously. "It could have been Hermione."
"Harry, I didn't do it!" Hermione half shouted with a look of utter shock on her face. "It's Cho! She's been the murderer all along!"
Both Cho and Harry looked taken aback. "What? Are you calling Cho a liar?" Harry defended. "I can't believe you'd even suggest that she's been attacking everyone! For all we know, it's you! There's evidence," he repeated, taking the purse from Cho and holding it out in front of him. "What do you call that?"
"I wasn't in my room the entire day!" Hermione screamed, outraged. "Cho - someone - could have easily gone in there and taken it."
"Cho's been with me nearly all day. You know, I bet that you had this all planned from the beginning," Harry said glaring at her. "Ginny trusted you, and it made it that much easier for you to kill her. Then you got close to Ron just to do him in, too. Now Gabbla -"
"Gabbla's been attacked?" Hermione interrupted.
"Now Gabbla," Harry continued without taking notice of her. "Well, you probably just started telling him about elf rights, and then before you know it, he's gone, too. I can't believe you, Hermione." Harry shook his head tragically with a look of disgust on his face.
"Harry, I didn't do it!" Hermione was beginning to feel a tingling sensation in her upper body. "You have to believe me!"
"I think that I may have believed you one too many times this time, Hermione." He looked away from her coolly and turned to Cho. "Dumbledore should be here at midnight. We'll tell him that we caught the murderer." He cast a dark look toward Hermione.
Cho nodded, and together the two cautiously walked upstairs. Hermione was alone in the hall.
She couldn't believe it. It wasn't Cho. For the first time in her life, she - Hermione - had been wrong.
~*~ Well, that's it for that chapter. There's only one more left. This is your last chance to tell us - who done it? Let's here what you all have to say before the mystery is solved! Love always, Carmen
Disclaimer: Well, I own this computer that I'm using. Is that enough?
~*~ Okay. So, I was reading this entire story so far this weekend, and I realized that I liked the study too much. This is a small change, but really won't change the clues in the story. The opening of the secret passageway was to the lounge, which was that green room. Sorry about that. Well, that's done. I'm excited. Just read, read, read!
*****************THE MYSTERY OF STONE MANSION*******************
Chapter 8: Misconceptions
Harry woke on Sunday morning with a start. He knew who the murderer was - Gabbla. He had been thinking through it all night. Gabbla was the only one who knew what was going on all along, and hadn't he been missing both times when they found the victims? He didn't want them to search the house. There was no magic wand; house elves have powers and don't need one. It all fit.
By the time he worked everything through the previous night, it was nearly midnight, and he didn't want to wake anyone up. He'd settle for morning.
It was dawn now, and he didn't want to wait a moment longer. Harry jumped out of bed and tore across the room to change. When he was done, he looked at the grandfather clock. Seven. That was late enough.
He opened his door and ran down the hall. "Hermione," he said, knocking on her door. There was no answer. 'She must be at breakfast,' he thought and quickly proceeded to Cho's room. "Cho, it's me," he said. She opened the door immediately.
"Hi, Harry. Good mor - What's wrong?" she asked, seeing his anxious face.
"Can I come in?" Harry asked, looking to the left and right. If Gabbla heard them, he might come right out and attack.
"Sure," she said gesturing him inside with a slightly confused look on her face. He walking in and closed the door behind him, taking no notice of the brilliant blue color of the room.
"It's Gabbla, Cho. He's the murderer," Harry said right away.
Cho stared at him. "What?"
"Gabbla attacked Ginny and Ron." He spent the next ten minutes explaining his reasoning. "Think about it," he continued, "when was the last time you saw Gabbla? When Malfoy threatened him. He attacked Ron and decided to get out of our way so we wouldn't realize it was him doing it all." When he finished, Cho was looking at the carpet with a puzzled expression on her face.
"Does anyone else know about this?" she asked after a moment. "Hermione? Malfoy?"
"I honestly don't really care about Malfoy, but Hermione wasn't in her room; she could be in trouble."
"We need to stop Gabbla as soon as possible, before he attacks someone else," Cho concluded looking Harry in the eyes.
"Right." Harry said with determination. "Let's go."
They opened the door and made their way down the stairs. Looking up and down the dimly lit entrance hall, Harry nodded to the kitchen. He could barely breathe with the suspense. They proceeded to the door. Heart pounding against his ribs, Harry gave one last reassuring look to Cho, reached out of the handle, and swung the door open. There was no one there.
But Harry's past experiences didn't leave him. Gabbla could be lurking near any of the cabinets, behind a stove, or in a secret passage, for that matter.
Cho followed him inside. She began to walk around the island in the middle of the room while Harry looked cautious at the dark cabinets. Something wasn't right. He could feel it.
Cho screamed. Harry turned sharply around. She was backed up against the pantry door, a hand covering her mouth. Harry walked around the marble island and what she was staring at came into view. Next to a fallen candleholder, Gabbla was lying on the floor, unconscious, and apparently under the full body bind.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Harry mechanically picked up the elf's stiff body and carried him into the study. After closing the door behind them, he and Cho merely stood in the empty entrance hall, dumbfounded. He had been so sure that it was Gabbla. All of the clues pointed to him; he had worked it all out. He just didn't understand it.
Cho shook her head and looked to the floor. "Harry, I think I need to just be alone and think right now. Is that alright?"
"Sure," he said. In fact, Harry felt the same way. He needed to think things through, himself. There were only four of them left now.
***
Hermione was alone in the library. She was sitting cross-legged on a squashy armchair, hugging her knees. A letter was in her hand. 'Dear Hermione,' it read, 'I don't quite know how to say this.' The next few phrases ran over and over again in her mind. 'I really like you, Hermione. I have for a while, but I was just too thick to realize it, I'll admit that. I just can't stop thinking about you. I can't get you out of my head. I don't know how you feel about me, but...' Hermione sighed. She didn't quite know, herself. She leaned back and closed her eyes.
Of course she liked Ron. She had since forth year. That's why she went to the Yule Ball with Victor Krum, to make him jealous. Oh, this all seemed so strange. After all of the fighting, he finally admitted that he liked her. There was no denying her feelings now.
"I do, too," she whispered to herself. She smiled and folded the letter back up.
"It's time to get some work done," she mentally told herself, and pulled a book toward her. She had been in the library since six thirty that morning and for most of the day before. She needed to figure out the puzzle, and where would be a better place to find clues than a library? She had already searched through what seemed like a hundred books yet found nothing. "There has to be something here," she said with impatience and slammed the volume shut.
She took hold of a spare candle and stood up. She crossed to a shelf that contained brilliant colored hardbound books that she had not yet come across. 'All of the titles are basically the same as the ones on the other shelves,' she noted as the small flame passed over their names: Magicaling Your Way to Perfection, An Examination of the Salem Witch Trials, Endangered Beasts of Great Britain, and - her eyes strolled upon a book that didn't look as though it belonged there. It was an old black leather bound book, and the golden writing on the spine looked faded. Hermione stared at it for a moment, then took it off the shelf. She traced what she could make out of the title on the front with her finger. Album.
'What is an album doing in a library?' she wondered to herself. Mesmerized and cautiously excited about what may lye in its pages, she sat down once again on her squashy armchair without even realizing she did so.
She opened the copy carefully to the first page. Pasted to it was a very small newspaper clipping that was yellowed with age. The title read: Family Fortune Left to Young Ruby. The article continued. Yesterday, The two owners of Ruby Sweets Inc made a public statement that the world famous company would be left in the hands of their youngest daughter, Miss Ruby. Miss Ruby is quoted as, "Very excited about this new opportunity." No quote was given from the Ruby's eldest daughter who, in the opinion of this journalist, must be very distraught at not given the chance to run the profitable business.
Miss Ruby. That was Ginny. Wondering what would be next, Hermione turned the page. Competitions in the Candy Industry: Competitors Ruby Sweets Inc. and Emerald Gummies are going head to head for domination in the candy business. But she already knew that much, from the first day they arrived at Stone Mansion. She continued on.
The next article was longer, and more disturbing. Hermione's mouth dropped slightly as she read. Mr. and Mrs. Ruby Murdered: The bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Ruby, the previous owners of Ruby Sweets Inc., were found in their home early yesterday morning when their house elf, Gabbla, came to bring them their breakfast. Though there are no clues as to who the culprit is, officials say that there is no doubt that the well-loved candy makers were murdered.
Hermione felt a dead weight in her arms. Gabbla was the Ruby's servant, and they ended up dead. A feeling of excitement rushing through her body, she raced through the book.
The next page contained another article, and on it - was a picture of Harry and Ron. Though, they didn't quite look like the Harry and Ron she knew. They were older and more mature. She glanced at the heading: Bronze Saves Gold in Attack of Life: Yesterday, Professor Gold, teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was attacked by a supporter of the Dark Lord in his home shortly after dusk. Luckily, araur and good friend, Colonial Bronze, was staying with him over holiday. The culprit, Mr. Sapphire, is awaiting trial in which the exact date is still to be determined.
Sapphire? Hermione paused. But that was Cho's name. Could it be some coincidence? Hermione's curiosity drew her eyes to the bottom of the page in another small clipping: Sapphire Sent to Azkaban for Life: Mr. Sapphire, who attacked Professor Gold earlier this year, was sentenced to spend life in Azkaban for attempted murder and supporting the Dark Lord. His wife would not give a formal interview on the subject. For more information on this trial and the history of this attack, please read the newly released novel based on this affair, Gold and Bronze Triumph Over Sapphire by Ms. Silver.
Hermione inhaled. It was all here; she couldn't believe it. "Mr. and Mrs. Ruby left their second daughter, Ginny, their business along with the fortune," Hermione whispered suspenseful. "Then, they were murdered, and Gabbla found their bodies. Malfoy wanted their business." Hermione had gotten off her chair and began pacing. "Mr. Sapphire attacked Harry, and Ron saved him. Mr. Sapphire went to Azkaban, leaving his wife, Cho, behind. Then I wrote a book about it."
Her face fell. How did this whole issue with the attack and the candy business come together? She recalled the first article: No quote was given from the Ruby's eldest daughter... their eldest daughter. Hermione looked through her notepad on the table. Mrs. Sapphire. Could Cho's maiden name have been Ruby?
Hands trembling, Hermione turned the page of the photo album. She looked at the next page in disbelief - there was nothing there. Panic creased throughout her body. She flipped frantically through the empty pages. No. She was so close. There had to be something else there, there had to be. She lifted the book itself off of the table, and watched as a small, folded piece of newspaper slowly fell to the floor.
Heart thumping madly against her chest, she picked it up and carefully opened it. In the upper corner of the withered parchment was a small black and white picture of two very familiar girls. The caption read: Sisters Miss Ruby and Newly Wed Mrs. Sapphire Share Grievances Over Lost Parents.
Hermione stared at the paper in her hands, not blinking. "Cho must have killed her parents for not giving her the business," she whispered aloud. "She was jealous of Ginny, so she killed her. Ron sent her husband to Azkaban so she got rid of him too." She reaffirmed herself - Cho was the murderer.
"This is it," Hermione whispered. "I solved it."
Suddenly, there was a strangled scream from outside the library. 'Harry,' she thought immediately. 'He might be will Cho.' She tore across the room and swung the door open. She came to a halt and gasped in horror of what she saw - Cho was lying on the ground; she was unconscious.
"Harry - wha - what happened?" Hermione whispered, her stomach plummeting terribly. What on earth was going on?
"I don't know, I just found her." He bent over Cho and took her hand. "Cho, Cho," he muttered. She came to within a minute. As she rose from the floor, she looked around with a confused expression on her face. "Cho, are you alright?" Harry asked. "What happened?"
"I - I'm fine" she answered, holding onto Harry as she got up. "I don't know what happened. I was just walking down the hall to see if you had come back down." It seemed hard for her to string these words together. "I - I remember hearing footsteps behind me - and then I blacked out."
"You must have been attacked," Harry concluded. "Doesn't look as though they had a chance to finish you off, though." Cho nodded, looking as though her head was aching terribly.
"What's this?" Cho asked, noticing something on the floor. She bent down to a spot next to her, and drew up, holding a small silver handbag. "Hermione, isn't this yours?" she asked slowly. "Miss Silver, right?" Hermione stared at the bag.
"Wait a second," Harry said slowly looking from Cho to Hermione. "Hermione, where were you just now?"
"The library. Why?" Then it dawned on her. "Harry, you don't think that I attacked Cho?"
"Well, you could have and then ran off into the library when you heard me coming. There's evidence," he muttered.
Cho looked around cautiously. "It could have been Hermione."
"Harry, I didn't do it!" Hermione half shouted with a look of utter shock on her face. "It's Cho! She's been the murderer all along!"
Both Cho and Harry looked taken aback. "What? Are you calling Cho a liar?" Harry defended. "I can't believe you'd even suggest that she's been attacking everyone! For all we know, it's you! There's evidence," he repeated, taking the purse from Cho and holding it out in front of him. "What do you call that?"
"I wasn't in my room the entire day!" Hermione screamed, outraged. "Cho - someone - could have easily gone in there and taken it."
"Cho's been with me nearly all day. You know, I bet that you had this all planned from the beginning," Harry said glaring at her. "Ginny trusted you, and it made it that much easier for you to kill her. Then you got close to Ron just to do him in, too. Now Gabbla -"
"Gabbla's been attacked?" Hermione interrupted.
"Now Gabbla," Harry continued without taking notice of her. "Well, you probably just started telling him about elf rights, and then before you know it, he's gone, too. I can't believe you, Hermione." Harry shook his head tragically with a look of disgust on his face.
"Harry, I didn't do it!" Hermione was beginning to feel a tingling sensation in her upper body. "You have to believe me!"
"I think that I may have believed you one too many times this time, Hermione." He looked away from her coolly and turned to Cho. "Dumbledore should be here at midnight. We'll tell him that we caught the murderer." He cast a dark look toward Hermione.
Cho nodded, and together the two cautiously walked upstairs. Hermione was alone in the hall.
She couldn't believe it. It wasn't Cho. For the first time in her life, she - Hermione - had been wrong.
~*~ Well, that's it for that chapter. There's only one more left. This is your last chance to tell us - who done it? Let's here what you all have to say before the mystery is solved! Love always, Carmen