A/N: Sorry it took a while to get the next chapter up. It's safe to say that this is not the last one, but the next one might be it. Thanks for reviewing!

Secrets Revealed

Miss Pateer, Sophie, and Francis were blocking every possible escape route. All Louis, Tawny, Twitty, Allison, Tom, and Ren could do was stand still with the will in their hands. As Miss Pateer began talking, Tawny realized that she had unconsciously grabbed Louis' hand with her own. He didn't seem to notice; he was too frightened by Miss Pateer.

"I knew it!" Miss Pateer stepped forward and snatched the will out of Ren's hand. "I knew you were after the money! And I caught you, red-handed."

"Us?" Tawny found herself shouting. "How do we know you weren't the one that was after it? We had no idea of what you were looking for!"

"Ugh, lies," Miss Pateer retorted. "I knew the Stevenson family fortune was in danger when I was asked to run this horrid murder mystery house. I knew someone would find out about it and try to steal it during a group visit. To think that it was the very first group to come here!"

"What are you talking about?" Tawny asked. "We don't want this money! You obviously do. You want to steal it, not us!"

"That's where you're wrong, Miss Kate McRaver," Miss Pateer spat (she still didn't know their real names). "And for some reassurance, I'll see to it that you never get within a mile of this money for the rest of your lives! You'll be leaving Stevenson House tomorrow, and after I report you, you'll never come near this neighborhood again!"

With that, Miss Pateer nodded to Sophie and Francis, who grabbed an arm of each kid and forced them toward the front door. Miss Pateer kept the will clutched in her hands as she walked ahead of the group and opened the door.

Louis' heart was beating wildly. What were they going to do to them? They obviously weren't going to harm them, because Miss Pateer herself had said that they would be going home tomorrow. But it definitely seemed that she was going to frame them for something they didn't do.

As Miss Pateer, Sophie, and Francis shoved the group up the staircase, Miss Pateer began talking again.

"I didn't believe Sophie after your little trick with locking those two back into the attic." She motioned toward Louis and Twitty. "But I kept going up there to investigate and I found the passageway for myself! Luckily, Sophie and Francis took care of that for me. This time, you won't be escaping at all."

She paused as they reached the top of the stairs and started for the second set to the third floor. It was silent as they walked up each step, most of which creaked loudly and made the group even more intimidated.

"There's one thing you might not have thought of." Tawny fought up the courage to speak again. "How can you do all this without anybody finding you out?"

"Simple," Miss Pateer smiled wickedly. "I just have to make sure there are no witnesses, and that you all don't talk."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Oh, I'll have the police on my side, don't worry," Miss Pateer replied smoothly.

"Hey, my mom's the state senator!" Louis yelled out. "We can go public!"

Miss Pateer didn't reply.

"But speaking of witnesses," Tawny went on. "I don't get this. Where is everybody?"

"Easy," Miss Pateer said. "We took everybody out to different restaurants for lunch, in separate groups. You all are supposedly one of those groups, to your classmates at least."

"Oh, how cunning," Tawny said mockingly.

"You had better shut your mouth there!" Miss Pateer snapped at her. "You have already said more than you should!"

The rest of the walk was in silence. It seemed like hours before the group reached the door leading to Eleanor's room. Miss Pateer threw open the door and began marching up the steps. The group didn't even try to resist going up; the grips Sophie and Francis had on their arms were rock solid.

When everyone had reached the top of the room, Miss Pateer threw them toward the far wall where the vent was. "Now it's all right that this is the only bedroom with a lock on the door, because it's the only way out. And I'll be seeing you, Mr. Schemer." She smirked at Louis.

"Um, don't you mean Mr. McDorman?" Louis asked timidly.

"Oh, I think you know perfectly well what I mean." With that, Miss Pateer slammed the door shut and they heard it click immediately.

Tawny slid her back down the wall until she was sitting on the dust covered floor. "Now what are we going to do? We could get in serious trouble if Miss Pateer goes to the police."

"Not on my watch," Louis said confidently and ran to the vent.

With a grunt, he pulled on it, but it would budge.

"Great," Tawny sighed. "Sophie and Francis must have screwed it shut while we were outside. Now we really are stuck in here."

"Maybe we can knock the door down," Louis suggested.

"Are you kidding?" Tawny asked him. "Henry and Clarice probably had this house built with the finest and sturdiest wood that there was."

"Maybe we can find something to knock it down with. How about the cradle?"

He, Twitty, and Tom tried lifting it, but it was too heavy.

"I guess that stops that idea."

Tawny buried her face in her hands and stayed like that for about a minute. Then suddenly, she looked up and a look of pure excitement crossed her face. "Mr. Schemer. Jacob Schemer! Louis, remember that picture we found of him that night in the storage room?"

"Yeah, my so-called twin," Louis replied grimly. "I thought that was just a coincidence."

"It was coincidence. Isn't it obvious now?" Tawny asked. "Miss Pateer thinks you're related to him! She thinks you're trying to finish what he started 100 years ago! It makes sense, doesn't it?"

All of a sudden, Ren got the same look of excitement. "That definitely makes sense, and I'm trusting you on this because I never saw the picture."

"There's just one thing I'm confused about," Tom said. "Why would Miss Pateer be protecting the fortune?"

"Well, duh, she's greedy," Twitty said.

"She probably wanted to find the will and money for herself," Allison added, smiling at Twitty. "She's probably even modifying the will as we speak!"

"But how could she find out about it?" Louis asked.

"There are probably a hundred places of references on the Stevenson family in this subdivision," Ren said. "I remember seeing a library that we passed on the way here. There are probably records inthere."

"You're probably right," Tawny said. "But that doesn't help us. We have to get out of here and go to the police. I really think our only chance is that vent."

"What about the window?" Louis asked, his eyes flickering over to the wall on his left.

"Sure, if you want to fall to your death," Tawny scoffed. "Did you happen to look at that dangerous obstacle course of a roof while we were outside?"

"Then, I guess that vent is our best bet," Ren said. "Someone help me find something that might unscrew it."

She and Allison bent over and began searching the floor for anything that might help.

"That needle might have even done it," Allison commented as she straightened up for a moment.

"Oh no," Tawny said as Allison bent down again. "The needle. The album. We must have left it on the porch!"

"Great, they probably have them by now," Ren said, giving up her search. "I think our best bet of getting out of here is by using our own fingers to get the screws off."

"I was afraid of that," Tawny said, and reluctantly reached for one of the screws.

After about ten minutes of "killing" their hands, Tawny and Tom managed to unscrew two of the nails. They each blew on their hands and shook them out.

"Ugh, that's painful," Tawny winced. "My nails feel like they're about to fall off."

"Almost there," Louis said, ignoring her as another screw came loose. "Got it."

"One more to go," Twitty said. "I could use a little help here."

Allison quickly put her hand on his and helped him try turning the screw. Together, they got it to move and finally twisted it until it came out of the wall.

"Whew!" Allison and Twitty collapsed on their backs.

"It hurt, but it was worth it," Allison smiled.

"Well, we have no time to spare," Tawny said. "Who knows what Miss Pateer has done by now?"

She pulled the vent cover out of the wall and gently placed it aside, so it wouldn't make any noise that could be heard below. Without hesitation, she climbed inside of the opening, which was just big enough for each person to fit in. They slid down the narrow ramp as quickly as they could, and were all finally gathered at the place where Tawny had originally found Louis and Twitty in the wall.

"So, if Miss Pateer's entire story was right, there should be another passage that leads outside," Tawny whispered.

She reached in front of her and felt around. Her hand was rested on a wall, so she moved it to the left and almost fell forward when all she touched was air.

Containing her excitement, she reported to the group, "I think I found it."

She went in first, and immediately found that there was another ramp, only it was wider, so two people could fit in at a time, side by side. She went down with Louis, followed by Twitty and Allison, and then Tom and Ren. When they reached the bottom, they had to round a corner until they saw a light shining through at the far wall.

Tawny crawled forward and pushed at the spot where there were strips of light. It pushed out and fell with a clunk onto the grass outside. She let out the breath she realized she had been holding, crawled through, and somersaulted through the opening and onto the grass.

The rest of the group was more careful. Louis came out as Tawny moved aside. When everyone had gulped in some fresh air, they ran around the side of the house and checked the porch to see if the album and needle were still there. Surprisingly, they were.

Tawny quickly grabbed the two items, checking to see if the money was still inside the hole. It wasn't. With a sigh of disappointment, Tawny beckoned everyone to cross the street and walk around to find a payphone. They walked about three blocks until they came from one. Tom dug a quarter out of his pocket and Tawny made the call to the police station.

>>>>

The police had easily found the group huddled together on a bench next to the payphone, and drove them back to Stevenson House. The officer driving the car with Tawny, Louis, and Ren in it identified himself as Officer Stan. He had listened intently to Tawny on the phone, and had notified all of their parents to come out to Stevenson House at once.

For the first time since they had come to Stevenson House, Louis and Tawny felt safe. When they arrived at the old mansion, they saw that the students were filing in through the front door, apparently having just come back from lunch. Louis couldn't help but smile when he saw their looks of bewilderment when they pulled up in the police cars.

Tawny then pieced together that Miss Pateer, Sophie, and Francis must have taken the kids to lunch, and then left with a lame excuse, to come back and catch them doing something—or to do something themselves. Then they must have rushed back to the restaurants, not noticing the album and needle still sitting on the porch. She could now see Sophie and Francis escorting the kids back in, but Miss Pateer was nowhere to be seen.

Officer Stan and the other officers quickly got everyone inside and began talking to Sophie and Francis, who had very nervous looks on their faces. Tawny looked around the parlor for Miss Pateer, but couldn't find her. Officer Stan began asking her and Louis more questions about what had happened during the week. Their classmates and gotten over their puzzlement and were now excitingly talking to each other and starting small rumors.

"We need to find Miss Pateer right away," Officer Stan said to Tawny and Louis. "Miss Dunlap and Mr. Ovin aren't talking. Can either of you come with me to search the premises?"

"I can," Tawny said. "I think I have an idea of where she is."

>>>>

By the time they had reached the second floor, Tawny had related the entire story to Officer Stan. He seemed a bit surprised when she told him about the passageway. He told her that he had read about the story of the murderin an old newspaper in the local library, but wasn't sure if he should believe it.

Now Tawny was able to prove this to him. She pushed open the wall like she had the first time, and there, cowering in the passageway, was Miss Pateer. She stared up at them with a look that could kill, but when she realized that the person standing next to Tawny was a police officer, she suddenly looked away, terrified.

"All right, ma'am, you're coming with us," Officer Stan said, taking her by the arm and pulling her out of the passageway.

As they made their way back to the parlor, Miss Pateer gave Tawny a sly look, but she ignored it. Miss Pateer wasn't going to weasel her way out of this one. And Tawny had recently just uncovered another secret about Miss Pateer; something she had never expected.

As the three stood on the bottom step of the stairway in the parlor, Tawny quieted everyone down before making her announcement.

"Everybody, I would like to present to you, Miss Patty Pateer Stevenson."

A/N: If you have trouble understanding the facts of this little secret, everything will be explained in this next, and probably last, chapter.