Chapter Three
Say What?
Meg: I need to clear something up. On my Meg Sarentis story timeline, this story takes place after "La Verité." And don't feel bad if you don't get the next riddle. It wasn't mean for someone outside the story to solve.
Mrs. Butler took the paper.
"It says, 'What is black and white and red all over?'"
Basil gave a start. He grabbed the paper and read the message again. Then he looked back in the doll's head. He then read the paper again, repeating each word slowly to himself. He started to pull out his pipe; I knew then that he was completely baffled.
"All of you, please tell me," he said, "what is black and white and red all over?"
We looked at one another, uncertain of what to say. It was probably the only riddle with the greatest number of possible answers.
"A newspaper?" Dawson suggested.
"A zebra with a sunburn?" Mrs. Butler tried.
"An albino wearing black who spilled red paint on himself!" I announced.
Basil raised an eyebrow at my suggestion. "Or...not," I said meekly.
"Why don't we try Dr. Dawson's idea?" Mrs. Butler asked. "Maybe the clue is in a newspaper."
"It depends. Is the clue in an old newspaper that Mr. Butler keeps? Or does he hide the clue each day in the newspaper? I am sorry Mrs. Butler, but that idea seems a bit broad."
"Isn't it worth a shot?" she persisted.
Basil looked at Dawson. The doctor nodded.
"All right Mrs. Butler."
Two and a half hours later, amidst a bunch of old newspapers, we were nowhere nearer solving the clue than we had been before.
"I still say it's an albino wearing black who spilled red paint on himself," I said.
Dawson looked at me as if he wanted to say, You're such a moron. Mrs. Butler pulled apart newspapers, trying not to admit to herself that there was nothing there. Basil was smoking his pipe. He had not spoken a word for almost an hour.
"Mrs. Butler," he said all of a sudden, "is there nothing in this house that would be 'black and white and red all over?'"
"Nothing that stands out in my mind," Mrs. Butler said apologetically. "There are numerous black things, white things, and red things, but nothing that would hold true to the riddle."
"There could be an albino wearing black who spilled red paint on himself somewhere around here," I repeated.
"Megana," Basil groaned. "Stop saying that."
"You don't seem to have any bright ideas, Mister Basil," I said, starting to lose my temper. "What's your solution to the riddle?"
"I don't have a solution, Miss Sarentis," Basil snapped. "But it certainly would be better than an albino wearing black who spilled paint all over himself!"
"All right, I am intervening in this argument before it gets out of hand," Dawson cut in. "I suggest that we split up and look for something that is 'black and white and red all over.' Mrs. Butler and Meg will take the first floor. Basil and I will take the second."
"I have a better idea," Basil said. "You and Mrs. Butler take the first floor, and Meg and I will take the second."
"Fine."
Basil and I set off for the first of the rooms we were to explore. Basil gripped my shoulder as we walked into the first room.
"Well Meg, I guess the simplicity of the first riddle balances the difficulty of the second."
"Basil, I'm sorry for insulting you about not having a solution. I-"
"I guess we are all just a bit touchy because we have gotten nowhere on this second riddle," he cut in. "At least you had an answer." We looked about the room. It was decorated in various shades of blue.
I forced a laugh. "Like that was a real answer."
Basil began to look around for something that would match the riddle. "Where did you get that answer anyway? I've never heard that one before."
"An albino wearing black who has spilled red paint on himself?" He nodded and then knelt down on the floor to look under the bed. "You'll never guess it; Olivia Flaversham told me that one."
Basil smacked his head on the bottom of the bed. "Ow!"
"Are you all right?" I asked, going over to him.
"Yes," Basil said through gritted teeth, sitting against the bed rubbing his head.
I knelt down next to him. "Does it hurt?"
"No. I've dealt with worse-"
"Here, let me kiss it where it hurts and make it better," I said playfully.
"Meg, I'm fine," he protested as I planted a kiss on his head.
I frowned. "What's wrong?" He didn't say anything. "Smile. Please?"
I could see a smile forming on the corners of his mouth. He leaned over and kissed me on the lips. "I can't bring you on anymore cases if you keep distracting me like this," he said, smiling.
I laughed. "I can't help it."
Basil stood up. He pulled me up. "I need to get rid of you."
"Try!" I shouted, throwing my arms around him.
"Meg!" he said, trying to sound stern but failing. "We're on a case."
"You're no fun." I let go of my hold on him. "Okay, I'm ready to be serious."
I took one look at Basil and began to laugh.
Basil rolled his eyes.
I tried my hardest to stifle my giggles. "All right. Serious. I am serious. Seriously."
Basil shook his head, his eyes twinkling. "Let's try the next room."
The next room was in shades of green.
Basil closed the door. He picked me up and swung me around. Then he kissed me.
"Hypocrite," I muttered.
We more or less got through the search of the second floor, but failed to find anything. It was on our way back to the study that Luther, the old butler, approached us.
"Mr. Basil, Mrs. Butler would like a word with you in the conservatory," he said.
I felt a surge of excitement course through my veins. Had they found the answer to the riddle?
We practically ran to the conservatory, attracting a bit too much attention from Mouseland Yard officials in the hallway. Basil came to a halt, causing me to crash into him. Luckily he caught both our balances. Giving a curt nod to the officials, he led the way to the conservatory at the back of the house.
The conservatory was filled with exotic plants that I could not even begin to name. Basil and I made our way to one small corner, where Dawson and Mrs. Butler were waiting by an easel, where a half-finished painting of a Grecian goddess sat. Tubes of paint and brushes were scattered on a table nearby. A painter's smock hung on a hook on the wall. A few other paintings, from landscapes to portraits, leaned against the wall. Several crates stood nearby.
"Mr. Basil!" Mrs. Butler exclaimed. "I think we've found the thing that is "black and white and red all over!"
"Excellent! Where is it?"
Mrs. Butler motioned to the easel and the crates. "One of my husband's favorite hobbies is painting. He does it merely for leisure. Well, he stores some of his old artwork in these crates, and I thought that perhaps the answer to our clue would be in there."
"And is it?"
Dawson took off the half-finished painting from the easel and placed another canvas on it. "Take a look."
Basil gasped. "Meg," he said, "I believe that your answer to the riddle is not far from Thomas Butler's solution."
Meg: (grins) Cliffhanger! What is the answer to the riddle?
JWJ: There once was a dumb blonde,
Who wrote stupid fanfic all day long.
She was punched in the face,
And disappeared without a trace,
And so her fanfic was completely gone.
Sarah: That was an awful limerick.
JWJ: It rhymed though.
Sarah: (sighs)
Meg: Basil and Meg weren't really acting like they were a couple before because they're on a case, and they have to act professional. I really hope I am pulling off this relationship thing right.