Happy Christmas all! Or Happy Hanukkah if your Jewish. Or Kwanzaa. I'm so excited about Christmas. A fateful reviewer told me that Miss Scarlet always goes first. They are definitely right. I feel really stupid right now… Oh well enough talk. I suggest you get some paper cause the mystery starts here. Enjoy!!!
Disclaimer-I don't own anything, and I'm getting sick of writing this. However I don't want to spend Christmas behind bars so whatever.
Chapter 4 Blackmail, Suicide, and Murder
Harry's POV
"Dinner is served. Please follow me to the dinning room." Said Martin.
We all followed him in a line. The hall was covered in paintings and portraits of people I didn't know. It then hit me that we were muggles! We didn't have our wands!! The thought seemed to hit everyone else because they looked at one another with a looked of surprise and fright. We were screwed if any trouble came. Martin led us straight down the hall into a huge dinning hall. It couldn't match Hogwarts, but it was still fancy. Candles surrounded the room making the shadows dance across the room. I sat down at the far end of the table. Ginny sat next to me, and Draco sat next to her. Ali sat across from me, and Ron sat next to her. Hermione was across from Draco who seemed very pleased.
"Meet our cook, Chief Halon. We call her Cookie so feel free to get food from her after dinner. The kitchen is out that door." Martin said pointing to a door behind Ginny. He, Jen, and Cookie began to bring out our soup. It was potato soup. I never cared for it much, but it really wasn't that bad. We ate in silence until Ali finally broke the uneasy silence.
"Well, how is everyone? I'm still tired after my practice at the club. I'm a singer at a nightclub. I want to sing at a big time club, but this is ok for now. This soup is very good. I'm not much of a cook, but I can cook some things." Malfoy suddenly cut off Ali.
"Are you afraid of silence, Mrs. White because now you're just rambling." Asked Malfoy. What is this? What does Malfoy know about psychology? Well, he is a professor. He must be a shrink or something.
"What? Yes, I mean no. Why do you ask? I'm just trying to start a conversation. Got a problem with that?" Mrs. White asked.
"Well, no, but you stopped having an actual conversation when you talked about soup." Said Mr. Green who was laughing slightly. I figured being afraid of silence was more Mrs. White then Ali.
"So what do you actually do for a living, Professor? You obviously know something about medicine. Are you a doctor or shrink or something?" Asked Miss Scarlet. She had a grin on her face that said that she knew something.
"Yes, I am, but I don't practice." Said Plum who began to look uneasy. I wonder why he doesn't practice.
"Hmm… I see. Do you by any chance know a man by the name of Martin? Maybe not this Martin, but another." Miss Scarlet said nodding towards Martin, the butler. Martin left immediately after that. "He played the piano at my club, but he left when he said he was threatened. I don't know who was threatening, but still."
"You own a club, Miss Scarlet?" asked Mrs. Peacock.
"Sure do. Goes by the name of "And All That Jazz Nite Club. I don't run the entertainment, but I handle the people, the gamblers, and the drinks."
"Is that where you sing, Mrs. White?" I asked. I always knew Ali had a pretty voice. I bet she sings really well.
"Yes actually."
"Do you know Miss Scarlet then?" Plum asked.
"No, but I've definitely seen all of you there before."
"Really. Enlighten us then Mrs. White." Said Mr. Green.
"Well, I've seen you there, Mr. Green. You gamble a lot there in the back. People call you the smartest poker player. Mrs. Peacock, you used to go there certain man, but I never see you with him any more. Col. Mustard, you come and talk in the back with a bunch of men in uniform. I've only seen Prof. Plum there once, but I've heard a lot about him. I have seen Miss Scarlet there, but I never she owned it."
"Wow. So Colonel, are you an actual colonel?" asked Plum. He seemed to want to get the spotlight off of him. I didn't care. I didn't think anyone would really figure out my secret.
"I am. I have been serving since I was 18. It's been about 10 years. I was in the German countryside in World War One. I was shot in the left leg, but it was a minor injury." I said. It surprised me how I knew this stuff. I guess this memory thing just kicked in when I needed it.
"Yes, you know I do remember seeing you in my club, but you may not have seen me." Said Miss Scarlet.
Just then, Martin reappeared. "Please set your bowls to the side. We're now serving then main course."
Ron's POV
I was sooooo hungry! Why didn't they serve dinner? Soup is ok, but I don't like potato soup. Martin finally reappeared and brought out dinner, Italian sausage. Not only was I hungry, but also I wanted everyone to stop talking. Then the spotlight would be off everyone. Food on the table however, didn't stop Miss Scarlet. Hermione must love detective novels or something.
"So what do you do for a living Mr. Green?" she asked me. Damn! I gamble for a living. That doesn't sound good on my part. I'll just make up something.
"I was a telephone operator, but I won a lot of money in a lucky hand of poker and I never have to work again. I just keep playing poker." I said. It wasn't a complete lie. The truth was just stretched a little.
"Is that how you won your nickname that Mrs. White mentioned?" asked Mrs. Peacock. My own sister was turning against me.
"Yep. It was a one in a million shot. There was over ten thousand dollars in money and property. A royal flush to a regular strait flush. I was just lucky enough to get the right cards in time. I sold the property and kept the money." I said. This was partly true too. I just didn't add that I stacked the deck. I used to do that when I was little when we played Exploding Snap.
"Holy shit! That's almost impossible to do. I could never get that even if I tried." Said Plum. Hold on. I think I played a game of poker against him.
"Have you played before, Professor? I seem to remember playing with you." I asked. Maybe they would interrogate Plum.
"Yes, I've played before. I went to the club one night, and took a break from work. We did play. You got lucky again and got a full house. I only had two pairs." Said Plum.
"What about you, Mrs. Peacock? Do you work for some type of business? Your outfit suggests that you work for a law firm or newspaper." Said Mustard. Harry wasn't good at playing detective, but hey, you never know.
"Yes I do."
'That was quick.' I thought.
"I work for the "The Evening Post." It's nothing to bad, but I would like to write some better colums for a better newspaper. My ex-boyfriend was going to get me a job at "The Times." We broke up before he got me a job." she said. Her head began to droop at this last sentence. I guess she still isn't over her boyfriend.
We were finally finished eating when Martin walked back in. He looked nervous which was something because Sirius almost never looked nervous. It was weird seeing him now since he died 2 years ago.
"Say Martin, who is this chair for? Is there another guest?" asked Mrs. White. It finally struck me that there was another chair.
"It's for the seventh guest, Mr. Body. He will be arriving shortly." Said Martin.
"I thought he was our host. That's what the letter said. He wanted to discuss some issues with us." Said Miss Scarlet who looked completely confused. I saw Plum staring at her again. He looked amused that she was confused or maybe he was also looking at her chest because her top was hanging down.
"Oh no Miss. This house belongs to a man named Wadsworth. You will meet him in the lounge."
There was a slight mummer going around the table. Everyone was caught up in his or her own thoughts. Martin's words finally brought them back to earth.
"Can I interest you in fruit or dessert?" he asked us. When no one answered, he said, "Very well. Please follow me to the lounge."
We got up and followed him to the lounge. Plum was right behind Scarlet. I think I even saw here smirk. She was obviously enjoying making Plum drool. This was actually quite funny. I wonder what this weekend will do to them…
Hermione's POV
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Being sexy and seductive is easy. I would do this a while ago if I knew that I could get such satisfying results. Plum was easy. Too bad that the real person is evil. He didn't seem all that bad. Maybe I could change him. I do wish that he would stop staring. I feel like I'm in a zoo. Can't he stare at the decorations in the house or something? I think leaving my shirt down was too much for him.
If I were Plum, I wouldn't be staring at me. The mansion was quite a piece of work itself. There were marvelous paintings and tapestries. They were still life, portraits, and scenery. They were absolutely breathtaking. Then of course there was the old-fashioned furniture. It had the coolest look to it. We walked across the hall to the lounge, which was done in navy blue and wood. The old cabinets looked like they were from the 18th century. The fireplace had a roaring fire in it, but the mantel was done in fine oak wood. There was china in all of the cabinets on the wall. Even though the room looked inviting, the weather outside made it look scary and eerie. There were 2 couches and two armchairs. One couch faced the fireplace. Mustard sat down in an armchair closest to the fireplace. Peacock sat next to him in the other chair. Plum sat on the couch that was next to Peacock's chair. I sat next to Plum to make him jealous. Green was on the other couch next to White who was right across from Mustard.
"Please sit down everyone. Jen, please serve everyone wine, will you? Wadsworth will be here shortly." Martin said leaving the room. Jen followed as soon as she had served everyone.
"Mind if I smoke?" I asked. EEWW!!! I hate smoking. However these cravings are killing me. I hope this won't have any permeate damage to me. No one disagreed with my choice. I guess they figured it was just the Miss Scarlet in me. It surprised me when Plum pulled out a pipe. He gave me his smirk when he lit his pipe and my cigar. How I desperately wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. I knew just how to do it, but it would have to wait. Just then, another man entered and I almost chocked on my cigar. The man looked just like Professor Snape!!! This was all too crazy. I think I'm going to be sick… Martin followed him closely by Jen and Cookie.
"Ladies and Gentleman, may I present Wadsworth? He is your host for the evening." Aid Martin.
I looked at everyone else. Most of them were muttering hellos, but Peacock just gave him an evil look. I'd seen that man before. Oh my God!! That was Peacock's ex. I saw them together at my club. Was he the ex who tried to get her a job? I bet he was lying and just wanted her for her looks. He probably laid her too. Poor Ginny!
"Hello everyone. Welcome to my humble adobe. My friend, Mr. Body, has asked me to invite you here to settle a small disagreement. You all have something in common. You will find out what that is in a little while." Said Wadsworth. I noticed that he wouldn't look at Mrs. Peacock. It's kind of sad really. We sat in silence for a while when heard a bell ring.
"Ah, Mr. Body has arrived. Martin, will please answer that?" Martin got up and left. We heard voices coming from the hall.
"Welcome sir. You are expected. Please follow me to the lounge." Said Martin. A deep voice replied. "Thank you Martin, old boy." They appeared in the door moments later. Mustard, Peacock, and Plum went a deadly pale. Mustard mouthed to me 'Tom Riddle.' Of course! I had seen him before in a book. The others, with the exception of Green, White, and me had seen him before. They immediately understood and began to fidget with something.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, my I present Mr. Body." Said Martin with a slight smirk on his face. He looked pleased with something. Who knows what this wacko was thinking?
"Greetings all. I'm glad that you showed up to discuss a small financial arrangement. I trust you all know what we are talking about." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Well, I'll leave it to Wadsworth to explain some things to you. Thank-you Martin, Jen, Cookie. You are excused." Said Mr. Body. He went and sat in a chair in the corner.
"Ok everyone. I'm instructed to tell a few details about why you are being blackmailed. Mrs. White, you have been a misses for 5 years, but you have only been a White for 1 year. Now your husband is dead so that makes you a widow again. This makes it the fifth time you have been a widow. Your husband was found dead at home."
"Yes he was. I didn't kill him. I was working that night at the club. I can home and found him stabbed several times. His head was also cut off and so was his uhhhhhh well you know…" she said.
At this, the men crossed their legs. Green was trying very hard not to laugh since it was his girlfriend. I would just be glad it wasn't me.
"But all of your husbands have been killed within a year. How do you explain that?"
"Look, I'm only paying this blackmail so I don't loose my reputation as being available to them. I could loose everything. Besides all of my husbands have died a different way: one was shot, one was poisoned, two have been stabbed and I don't know what happened to the fourth one. I blacked out when I found out he was cheating on me." She said.
"I see. Col. Mustard, you have already mentioned that you were in World War One. You drove a very expensive car here and colonels don't make a lot of money. Would you like me to explain how you got the money?" Mustard didn't move. He just kept staring. "Very well. You stole some radio parts from your own side and sold them. Five men died in a crash because their radios didn't work."
"Hey I needed the money. What would you have done?" asked Mustard.
"It's called begging your parents, Mustard." Said Plum. Several people laughed including me. Even Mustard let out a small chuckle.
"Or your clients Plum?" asked Wadsworth who smiled. "You said earlier that you were a doctor, but you aren't allowed to practice. Your license has been lifted."
"Why? What did he do?" I asked, a grin playing across my face. Plum blushed slightly. Ohh, I would remember this
"You know what doctors cannot do with women who are patients? Well he did."
White and Peacock gave Plum disapproving looks while Green and Mustard tried very hard not to laugh. They must have thought about what he saw when he woke up. What perverts!! Oh well. It is kind of funny. No I take that back. It's hilarious!!!
"Well Peacock, your not so innocent yourself. You work for a newspaper, but you might be the most hated columnist there. Your information is taken from others and some is even gotten illegally. I also seem to remember Miss Scarlet helping you to get some info out of a drunk." Wadsworth said. It all came back to me. Yes I had helped her. She payed me well too!
"It's called freedom of speech. I'm allowed to print what I want." Said Peacock hotly. She didn't look to please with Wadsworth. He shouldn't have used her. Ginny wasn't pretty when she got mad.
"What if it involved sleeping with the enemy?" he said into her ear that sent shivers down her spine. Mustard gave Wadsworth an evil glare. Wadsworth must have been a spy for some one and she knew it. He also must have given her some good information. I never would have slept with him.
"Ahem, I have something to say. I won't wait to be denounced. My gambling was won out of cheating. I bought some books over the black-market on how to stack the deck." Everyone just stared. "Thank-you." Said Green who was blushing.
"Well… now that that's all said and done, we move on to our last person, Miss Scarlet. We all know she runs "And All That Jazz Nite Club." That is where we know each other. Our dear Miss Scarlet has a few tricks up her sleeve. You said you take care of the drinks and you helped Mrs. Peacock. Would you mind telling me what you did and what you have done to others?" said Wadsworth with the evil smile back on his face. It was all on me now.
"I'd be delighted. I took the drinks from my cook, add a little of my own touch, and served them. I usually do this for bribes, but Peacock here paid me well. I had some regulars to get money from so I did. I've never done something too illegal." I said with a wicked grin on my face.
"Oh I see. So then helping women lure men to the upstairs apartment for murder isn't illegal then?" Oh crap. I had forgotten about that. Several murders have taken place upstairs in my apartment. I was always able to get the bodies out and so far no one had come questioning about them. Wadsworth saw the guilty look on my face and said, "I see. Well, now I think it's time Mr. Body gave you his gift."
"Yes I believe so." Said Mr. Body who left the room and got a black suitcase from the hall. When he returned, he opened the case and gave us each a package. I didn't know what it was. "Open them." He said.
We opened them.
Mystery POV (ok get your pad and paper cause now no one is talking, you must solve the mystery)
There was tearing noises going around the lounge as the six guests opened their gifts. One guest opened theirs to find a rope with a noose. They grinned evilly as they thought of how they could get revenge on someone in the manor. Another guest found a wrench. They looked up and stared at the person whom they hated the most. The guest sitting next to the one with the lead pipe looked at the candlestick in their box. Their face turned pale and looked nervous. The guest with the lead pipe looked up to see the person across from them giving Mr. Body a dirty look. One of the guests sitting across from the fireplace looked at the knife in disbelief. The person sitting next to them with the revolver got a scared look on their face when they saw the knife.
"Now that you have your gifts, I'll will tell you what they're for. Over the next two days, I will talk with you personally about your payments. These are merely for suicide when you learn what you will be paying. Martin, please take our guests to their rooms for the night." Martin reentered the room and led us out.
They traveled up the stairs with their weapons in their hands. Martin stopped as they reached the top. "Ladies, your room is down the hall that way. Gentlemen, the same on your left. Please make yourselves at home. I will see you in the morning." Martin said as he headed down the stairs.
"Good-night." Said Miss Scarlet who looked quite shaken after the gift unwrapping.
"See you guys in the morning." Said Mr. Green as he turned to go. The others soon followed him.
Midnight (ready for murder?)
The clock in the hall rang its bell announcing it was midnight. There was a small creak, and someone slipped out. Five minutes later, another person slipped out. Five more minutes later yet another guest made there way out of their room. The first made their way downstairs, not making a sound. Their target was murder, and they soon found their prey. While standing in the ballroom, Martin the butler was tiding up the last bit of the room. He carried only a candle. The door creaked open ever so slightly.
"Who's there? I know you're there. Show yourself." Martin called out. No one answered. He went back to his work looking over his shoulder constantly. There was a small sound that made him jump.
"You're going to pay, Martin." Said a cold voice. Martin had no time to react before a knife was stabbed straight into his back.
"You won't get away with this." Said Martin in a weak voice.
"I already have."
Meanwhile in another part of the mansion…
The second guest came down the stairs and went straight to the lounge. They knew their prey was in there. Mr. Body was having a late night brandy. The murder came in ever so slowly with the lead pipe in hand ready to strike. Mr. Body, however, got up and said.
"I'm hungry. I need food." He began to walk out. The murder hid behind a suit of armor just in time.
'Damn! I guess he'll just have to wait.' Said the murder as they walked out.
The third guest to get out of bed went downstairs and crept into the dinning room. The candlestick in their hand became wet as their hands began to get sweaty. They were ready to strike, but Mr. Body had escaped narrowly.
"Jen, come here! I need company!" he said. A smile flashed across his face as Jen came in. Not wanting to see this, the murder slowly left the room. They walked up to bed feeling relieved that they didn't have to kill anyone.
The only other sounds that night were smacking lips coming from the dinning room.
A/N: Wow!!!! I'm so excited. It's Christmas Eve and I just finished. I so proud of myself. Happy Holidays Everyone. Thanks for reading and please review!!
Lots of Love,
RonFan