Murder Game
Chapter Eight
By Ronin S. Oath
"What are you doing in here?" a low voice asked.
Conan swung around, slamming right into Walter, who clutched his shoulder to keep him from falling. "But he's in his office… And in the bathtub… Where? Why?"
"Please be quiet," Walter said. "If you'll stop from making so much noise, I'll explain." Walter gave Conan a gentle push in the direction of the bedroom and pulled the shower curtain closed before he followed the boy out of the bathroom and locked the door. "Since it will be two days before the storm will subside and we'll be able to notify the police, I deemed it prudent to store Mr. Augustus's body in a room which could be kept at a cool temperature."
"But what about when the police get here? Doesn't the body have to be just the way it was when we found it? I mean, they'd be able to find clues that would tell who murdered him…"
"You didn't answer my question," Walter interrupted.
"I couldn't decipher the second group of clues," Conan answered. "I looked around Augustus's room to see if I could learn something…"
"And find the manuscript?" he asked.
"I guess I had that in mind too…"
"Did you find it?"
"No. Someone searched the room before I did," Conan answered, and explained about the messy drawers. "Whoever it was must have been looking for the manuscript."
"Do you think they found it?"
"No. I'm pretty sure they didn't."
Walter rose an inch taller and became butler-like again. "Luncheon has been served. I was sent to find you."
When Conan entered the dining room, everyone stopped talking and looked at him.
"Well?" Laura asked.
"I haven't had enough time," Conan said. Conan sat down, with napkin in his lap and a salad in front of him.
"Where have you been?" questioned Senator Maggio.
"In Mr. Augustus's room," Conan replied.
"Why, dear?" Thea questioned, her eyes widening in surprise.
"There are two places most people would hide things in, because they're personal places," Conan said. "I figured that Mr. Augustus would hide whatever he wanted to hide either in his office or in his room. I thought I'd look."
"But aren't you the one who said we should work on the clues instead of wasting time searching for the manuscript?" Julia demanded.
The senator put down his fork, his salad untasted. "Augustus spoke of giving us clues throughout the weekend. There must be a series of clues he'd prepared for us. The question is, where are they?"
"What did you find, Conan?" Rachel questioned.
"No clues and no manuscript," Conan answered, "but I did find that someone had already searched through all the drawers in the chest and the wardrobe."
No one said anything for a long time. Everyone at the table shot questioning glances at the others.
Finally, Senator Maggio said, "We have to assume that one of us found the manuscript."
Walter came in and began removing the salad plates and substituting some kind of soup with chunks of tomatoes and shrimp in it.
"I can't take much more of this," Alex blurted out. "While we're eating lunch, I don't want to hear another word about the manuscript or the murder! We have to talk about something, anything, else!"
There was a long, miserable moment of silence. The dining room was an interior room and didn't have windows, but the storm was still loud enough that they could hear burst of rain and wind slamming against the house.
Walter came in to take the soup plates and bring in chocolate éclairs.
"None for me, thank you," Laura and Julia said together, but Buck reached out and clamped his fingers around Walter's wrist.
"I'll eat theirs," he said.
When they had finished lunch and were waiting for Thea to stand, Alex suddenly said, "Augustus had planned to give us more clues." Alex half stood as he reached into the hip pocket on his very snug jeans. He pulled out a wad of envelopes and laid them on the table.
"What are those?" Senator Maggio asked, although they could already see the names printed in blue ink and Game Clue #3 printed on them.
"Where did you get those?" Thea asked.
"Where'd these come from? What's this all about?" Buck asked.
"I happened upon them," Alex said.
"Where? When?"
Alex scowled. "Where and when doesn't matter. The point is that I found them."
Julia stretched to reach the envelope with her name on it and slid it across the table until she could pick it up. "My envelope's been opened!"
"What difference does it make?" Alex asked.
"You opened all of them so you could read ours as well as yours!"
"That's right," he said. "I thought it would help me find the manuscript."
Senator Maggio put on his most fearful voice. "I assumed we were working together."
Alex shrugged.
"Working together seems to be our only chance to succeed," Thea told them.
"Maybe," Alex said. "In any case, I wasn't able to figure them out. Does that make you happy?"
Laura sniffed self-righteously and said, "At least we know we can't trust Alex any more."
"No sermons," Alex said. "I've given you the next set of clues. Do you want them, or not?"
Thea rose. "Let's take them to the sun-room."
To Be Continued…