Foreword: andy: Sorry to cause a confusion there. The case I mentioned was the one where a mysterious "fanatic" was sending the rock star strange yet chilling messages. Therefore, Nancy was suspecting that Mrs. Fontaine could be the one who sent the messages because she felt so uneasy around her and had a suspicion that the woman was putting up an act.

Anyway, here is the chapter in which I put tons of clues for you to find. They might be scattered here or there, but they are everywhere. Be careful especially on the scenes when the suspects mention their alibis. You might want to make a timeline of where they were from six to eight at night. Please read and review.

5

Alibi Sonata

Officer Barnhart looked at the body and sighed. "Never knew the fan was serious," he muttered, irritated. He had heard the complaints from the rock star but didn't know if the fan was just fooling around or was trying to scare the singer so he wouldn't produce as many albums as he had over the years. It turned out that the "fanatic" liked the singer so much he—or she—killed him in his house in the middle of the night.

The fifty-year-old officer gave another sigh as he turned around, only to face four naïve-looking youngsters looking at him with curiosity in their eyes shining brighter than the moon does in the town from where he came.

"Can I…ah…help you fellows?"

The girl with reddish blonde hair spoke first. "Yes. We need to know the time Jack was killed."

"Well!" Barnhart said with an expression of mock surprise. "And who might you be, young lady?"

"We're Jack's friends and were hired to do some investigative work on the person who keeps sending Jack these weird threats."

"Hmph! Look at the body yourselves, if you dare. The victim was strangled to death with a rope-like object. You can see the faint blue line on his neck. And according to the report, he could have been killed anytime from six and eight o'clock."

Nancy thought. Six to eight would mean that he was killed right in the middle of the concert. So that at least erased the people at the theater, who had alibis as far as she knew. She turned toward Frank and Joe. "What do you think?"

Frank looked at the scene of the crime. The body had already been removed to the station. He noticed that the shower curtain had been drawn back, and that was what caused Bess to find the body so quickly. Then, he noticed that the door was facing the shower curtain, and to the left of the door was a mirror. Looking into the tub, he noticed that it was completely dry. The drain had been plugged with an old-fashioned rubber plug with a chain attached. Aside from a few strands of hair, the tub was clean. That made the eighteen-year-old detective wonder.

Joe looked at the living room. Something in the room didn't seem right, and he knew it wasn't just a simple case of robbery.

As he walked toward the living room, Joe stepped on something small and thin. He looked down and saw a small notebook with black leather. The cover had the word "Schedule" printed on it. Picking it up with his gloved hand, the young sleuth looked at it. He then opened the notebook to the page where the victim had last written in. What he saw surprised him.

"Did you find anything?" Nancy asked. She was followed by the officer, Frank, and Bess.

When Joe showed the list to her, she gasped. "It… it can't be!"

At the top of the page was the date, and under that was the list:

"To-Do List: 10 AM, with Jenny Fontaine (give her you-know-what); 1 PM, with Abe Connor (payment); 1:45 PM, with Kat Berkeley (tomorrow's date); 3 PM, with Luke Terrain (about my new album); 4 PM, with Latty Meadow (call her if she doesn't come!); 5:10 PM with Smith Wickliffe (re: Kat); 9 PM, call Mrs. Mott (concert appt)."

Nancy could feel the grin on Officer Barnhart's face. "Well, well, well! Looks to me like I finally have the list of suspects!"

Everyone was called to the house. Jenny, Abraham, Smith, Katrina, Luke, Leticia, and Mrs. Mott were there. Mrs. Fontaine accompanied Jenny. All seven of them looked at the detectives and the officer a look of confusion.

"Is what you told us over the phone true?" Katrina asked, holding her breath, disbelieving the fact that Jack was dead.

"Yes, ma'am," the officer responded. "And we'd like to know where you've been from six to eight o'clock."

Leticia answered, "Why, that's the time when we were performing at the concert hall thirty miles from here. I don't think you'd need to ask us about our alibis when we clearly have tight ones and could not possibly come here in less than thirty minutes!"

Smith agreed. "She's right. We all know that none of us were left alone for more than forty minutes at the most. In that time, we can't make it back to the concert hall in time for our performances!"

Officer Barnhart, looking slightly irritated, held up his hands. "Please, people. Tell me the answers to my question."

Jennifer sighed. "All right. I was the first one to perform our solos. My performance lasted fifteen minutes at the most, and I went back to the practice room that was assigned to me to take rest."

"Practice room?"

"Yes," Abraham answered. "Each of us is assigned a room to stay in when the others are performing. That way, we wouldn't be disturbed by each other's practicing their own instruments at the same time."

The officer nodded. "Miss Fontaine, is there a person who saw you in your practice room from six-fifteen to six-fifteen? I believe there was a fifteen-minute intermission during the performance."

Jennifer nodded. "I had the solo from six to six-fifteen. Then, I went to the room to rest for thirty minutes. Then, I went outside and saw Katrina getting ready for her performance. It was just before the intermission, so we talked from six forty-five to seven, when she left to perform on stage. Then, I waited for fifteen minutes, then went to the stage to play with the others."

"So can you confirm her alibi, Miss Berkeley?" the officer asked Katrina. She nodded.

The next to talk was Abraham Connor. "I was resting in the practice room for fifteen minutes when Jennifer was playing. I then went out to play my solos. That lasted fifteen minutes as well. I came back and stayed in the practice room for fifteen minutes. When it was intermission, I got out and talked to Smith for the entire time, right after his solo performance."

Smith added, "And my alibi will be solid, too, since my solo was from six-thirty to six forty-five. Therefore, I have solid alibi from six thirty to seven o'clock."

Officer Barnhart was jotting all these down onto his notebook.

"So, it's your turn now, Miss Berkeley."

Katrina fumbled with her words before finally saying, "I…I was alone from the beginning of the concert to the intermission. I talked with Jennifer for fifteen minutes, then went to perform."

"Why were you out in the hallway?" Officer Barnhart asked, suspicious.

"Oh, I was just getting out of the dusty room to get some air, that's all."

The next one to be interrogated was the conductor, Luke Terrain. He touched his glasses before speaking: "I stayed in the resting room until six-fifteen. I became thirsty, so I went outside to buy something to drink. Let's see… the store I went to was right around the corner, and I went there to buy a can of Pepsi. Check the video camera there; I'm sure you'll see me in line at around six-twenty."

"Go to the store he just mentioned and check the alibi," Officer Barnhart said to the nearby officer who just came into the room.

"All right," he said, then went out to his car.

Nancy didn't think it was necessary for him to go to the store, since if Luke was lying, then he would never tell a lie that would be found out later.

The next one was Leticia Meadows. Fidgeting with her auburn hair, she said, "I was in the hallways cleaning up until Smith's performance started. I then brought unneeded instruments to the storage located at the back of the concert hall. When I got there, I saw Mrs. Mott and talked to her awhile."

"I can confirm that," Mrs. Mott said. "She was carrying the box that contained a tuba to the storage room."

"Where is this storage room?" the officer asked.

"If you went to the parking lot that is specially preserved for the performers and went through the double-door, which is the back entrance of the building, you'd see the door of the storage room to your right. I saw Leticia turning around the corner to the hallway leading to the storage room and she called to me. We talked for a little while, and then left. I think the time was from six-thirty to six-forty."

Frank was noting all these down in his mind. So, he thought, Mrs. Mott also has a solid alibi until six-forty.

"What about after that?" Joe asked Mrs. Mott.

"Oh… I was standing outside the door to the concert hall, listening to the music from six forty-five. I went out to nearby store to get something to drink, just like Luke. I think it was at seven-fifteen. There is only one store around here, so you can go there to check if you'd like. I then went back to the concert hall to listen to the music."

Mrs. Fontaine seemed worried. "Why are you asking questions like that? Do you think the murderer is among us?"

Officer Barnhart seemed hesitant to reply. "I—I can't say that now, ma'am."

Nancy looked at Mrs. Fontaine's expression. She looked concerned enough, but this could be an act. All of her actions could be an act. Something in her mind told her to keep an eye on the lady.

Then, the girl detective remembered how Mrs. Fontaine stayed in her seat during her daughter's solo but left until the intermission, which was from seven to seven-fifteen. Then, she stayed to listen to the entire quartet. That meant that she only had forty-five minutes, which was impossible for her to go to and fro the victim's house. In other words, her alibi was airtight.

But, Nancy wondered, why did she leave in the first place? If she just wanted to listen to her daughter's performance, then why did she come back right before the intermission and not after? Why does she look like she has something to hide from me? And, most important of all, is she connected in the murder in any way?

The girl sleuth's mind was then put back to the alibis.

All the alibis seem solid, she thought. So does this mean that the killer is not in this group of seven suspects? Or is the killer really there amongst them? If so, who is the killer and how did he or she create such a perfect, flawless alibi? Can this be a trick, or magic?

Now, the case of threatened rock star turned into the murder of threatened rock star in just matter of hours. This was not what she had expected at all. She just wanted a single case to keep her occupied with the Hardys, but now there were two mysteries. The threat must have come from the killer, but why did he or she send such queer letters to frighten the popular rock singer? What did the killer gain by that?

There must be a reason, she thought. There has to be one!

Bess looked at Nancy, concerned. "Do you think we should call your dad to let him know about this?"

Nancy shook her head vigorously. "No, Bess! You know how Dad will react; if we say anything about our investigating a murder crime, then he would have a cow and pull us out of this case so fast our heads will be spinning. I have to solve this case; one of my friends is a suspect!"

Bess nodded. Nancy noticed that her friend was smiling. "I knew you'd say that! That was what you said when Frank was framed, remember?"

Suddenly, Nancy could feel herself blushing. It was true; she was determined to clear Frank's name after he was found in a locked room with nobody other than the victim, who was truck on his head and lay there, dead. Frank held the murder weapon, and things couldn't have been any worse.

Nancy looked at Frank. Could he be coming up with a conclusion of his own, or was he as baffled as she was?

The killer stared at the girl detective with an outward look of concern, but the satisfaction in his mind was unbearably pleasing.

She'll never find out, the murderer thought, looking at the innocent suspects that surrounded him.

My plan is perfect! There is no way my trick will be revealed. It was careless of me to leave his notebook lying on the floor like that, but the police will never suspect that I was the killer…

Observing Officer Barnhart, Frank, Joe, Bess, and Nancy, the murderer laughed in his mind.

Even if you were as smart as I think you are, you'll never reach the real conclusion, for I have a trap of my own, waiting for you to fall in…

He smiled. The smile was menacing, but it was too slight for the others to notice.

This is my challenge to you, detectives. Try and catch me if you can. But my plan is not over yet, and I'm not planning to be caught until I finish off one more person as part of my revenge.

Postscript: The next chapter will be about how Maria Voorhees, the dead pianist, died in her mansion, titled: Requiem in Memory:

Nancy noticed that Bess wasn't the only one looking at her. Immediately grabbing the curtain, the girl detective opened it forcefully, but the shadow disappeared into the dark.

"What happened?" Bess asked, concerned.

Nancy closed the curtains. "We've been followed."