Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy :)

Dikratsblim - Thank you so much.

Yeah, I really need to finish the Katrielle game, but at least Layton vs Phoenix Wright was brilliant. I'm really glad you liked the omake. I tried writing one for all of the latest chapters of my stories, but they weren't as much as a success. C'est la vie, I suppose. Edgar's and Emmy's relationship is getting closer and closer and, I'm not going to lie, what I have planned will be devastating for them. Thanks for reading, enjoy the next chapter.

aivenir - Thanks so much, I'm happy that you enjoyed the omake. MHA...how can such a great show have such a troublesome fanbase (sigh). Thanks for reading.

wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, glad you enjoyed it. Also don't worry, everything is fine now. Thank you for your support.

Djinn - Thanks so much. Yeah, my OCs may or may not share some personality traits with...somebody. Thank you for the support and I hope you like the next chapter.

Thanks for reviewing :)


Chapter 3: Discord in Monte d'Or (Part 1)

Edgar and Emmy's Hotel Room

The warmth was what woke Edgar up.

He had managed to bear with it throughout the night by either uncovering the part of the duvet that covered his chest or by merely sticking his foot out, but now he was starting to feel uncomfortable. He slowly opened his eyes and groaned as he saw the sunlight though the closed curtains.

'Oh right, we're in a desert,' he mumbled in his head.

However, surely they would have air conditioning in a hotel like this so why was he still warm. His question was answered when he lifted his head and heard a tired groan that wasn't his own. Confused, he looked down and saw nothing but very familiar bushy brown hair and instantly knew what was going on. What he thought was the duvet tangled around him tightly was actually Emmy using him as a bolster pillow. Her leg was wrapped around her arm was over his chest while the other gripped his shoulder. She laid her head on his chest and Edgar saw that she had a small smile on her face. Edgar was just as guilty, one arm had somehow gone underneath her while the other hugged her waist pulling her closer in.

Edgar gulped. He was dead if she woke up now.

He took his hand of her waist and slowly and carefully unhook her hand from around his chest. He gently started to roll her off him and onto her back, making sure he was taking his time and didn't dare take his eyes of her closed eyes. If he saw her eyelids even move a little bit, he would stop for a few seconds before rolling her again. He had almost made it. He was right above her, managing to free his arm from underneath her and was about to push her gently on to her side when...

RIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGG!

The alarm clock on the bed side table rang.

Emmy's eyes snapped open and was briefly confused as to why a horrified Edgar was hovering over her with his face so close to hers. They blinked, neither of them knowing what to do with this situation so Edgar said the thing that came to his head.

"Good...morning," he stammered.

That wasn't a good idea.

Edgar could practically see the emotions change on her face. Confusion turned into realisation which turned into embarrassment which turned into fury.

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have done anything.


Hotel Dining Area

Layton sipped his tea before glancing at his two assistants from across the table with a small frown. Emmy glared down at her plate with flushed cheeks as she ate her scrambled eggs while Edgar looked down miserably ever so often drinking his glass of orange juice. Layton also the very noticeable handprint on Edgar's face. Layton decided to not raise questions on what happened, but instead go over what they had already learned from the investigation so far.

"Shall we go through yesterday's events?" Layton said which seemed to snap his two assistants out of their depression.

Edgar placed his elbow on the table and laid his head in his open palm, "Well there's nothing much to it. We travel to Monte d'Or after Mrs Ledore sent us a letter."

"When we went to see her," Emmy continued happily, "she told us that a shady character calling himself the Masked Gentleman is stirring up trouble in the city."

Edgar sighed, "However, even though we witnessed one of his miracles, we have no leads, clues, witnesses or anything. We don't even have a Columbo-style hunch on who it could be. Even the police seem to be stumped and they have been investigating way longer than us."

"The whole city is on edge. If the Masked Gentleman isn't caught soon, we don't know what might happen," Emmy finished.

"Indeed," Layton hummed as he finished his tea, "I suggested that we pay Henry a visit. Hopefully he could provide us more information on the attacks."

"Does that mean we'll get to visit the Ledore mansion again?" Edgar asked, "I can have a look at his study and see how the mask was stolen."

"Excellent idea, Edgar," Layton said with a smile, "Let's finish our breakfast and then we'll make our way over there."

A few minutes later and the three stepped out of the hotel, the heat hitting them as soon as they opened the door. Edgar was surprised to see that Monte D'or looked much different during the day then at night. None of the neon lights were lit and there was no loud celebrations happening somewhere in the city. It was probably the only place in the world where the day was much more calmer then the night. Even the hotel they stayed at seemed less of an eyesore. However, the tall buildings that surrounded them were just as extravagant as ever and the streets were still packed with tourists. It didn't help that the sun continued to beat down on them and Edgar had to turn up his collar to make sure he didn't sunburn his neck.

Layton noticed Edgar observing the crowded streets and turned to him.

"The carnival-goers must be exhausted from all the thrills," he said.

"You don't think there's going to be another parade tonight, do you?"

"From what I heard, there is a parade every evening."

"Sounds tiring," Edgar muttered.

Emmy turned to them, her notebook open in her hand, "Are we continuing gathering information from witnesses?"

"Certainly," Layton answered, "I was thinking we could talk to the locals while we make our way to the Ledore residence...hmm? Oh dear," he suddenly uttered.

Edgar followed the Professor's line of sight and smiled in slight amusement when he saw a familiar sight. They saw Bonnie, the little Scottish girl from last night, crying besides the giant sign for the hotel. Edgar jogged towards the sign and kneeled before her, followed by Layton and Emmy.

"Hello Bonnie, don't tell me you got lost again," Edgar gently said.

Bonnie looked up and wiped her tears away as she saw who it was, "No," she firmly denied, "I was only talkin' to the clown for a sec, and then me mam disappeared. She's always daein' 'at!"

Edgar and Emmy rolled their eyes in amusement while Layton gave a small smile.

"Yes, of course, it was your mum that got lost. Let's go and find her then," Edgar said, taking her small hand.

"What about the investigation?" Emmy whispered to Layton.

"I'm sure we can investigate while looking for Bonnie's mother," Layton told her, "besides a gentleman's duty to help those who are in need," he turned to Bonnie, "Can you remember where you last saw your mother, little one?"

Bonnie hummed, "I think...I think it was near the huuuuge tent where the water gans whoosh, whoosh!"

"That must be the fountain of Celebration Boulevard," Edgar deduced.

"What? We're no where near there," Emmy said in confusion, "How did you get- I mean -your mother get lost that bad?"

Bonnie shrugged, "She must have a knack fur it," she answered, making Emmy sweat drop.

"Well, let's head over to the Boulevard," Layton said cheerily said, "We shall conduct interviews on the way there."

They started to walk towards the city centre, but it wasn't long until Bonnie tugged on Edgar's sleeve, "Can I ride on yer shoolders," she requested.

"Err...well, I'm not sure that's a good idea. We'll be interviewing people on the way there and-"

"But I micht lose ye in th' crowds," Bonnie firmly argued.

"Yes but-"

"Please, please, pleeeeeaaasssee," she begged, causing Edgar to sigh wearily and eventually he caved in.

Emmy looked around and giggled as she saw happy Bonnie riding on Edgar's shoulders. The girl was looking around, taking everything she could see at the height she was at while Edgar made sure she didn't fall off. Emmy got her camera out and pointed it at the two.

"Smile!" she chirped before snapping a photo of them.

Both Edgar and Bonnie smiled for the camera, but it was clear that the boy's smile was more forced. Once Emmy had taken their photo, Edgar gave her a look that seemed to say 'Really'. Emmy grinned back in response.

"Hello there. Do I...know you?" a voice from the crowd stopped them.

They were at the entrance to the arcade where an elderly lady caught Layton's attention. She was small with grey hair tied in a bun, fair wrinkly skin and she wore a large pair of glasses. She looked up at Layton, adjusting her glasses to see him better, but it would seem that the Professor recognised her.

"Gloria," he uttered, "I thought it was you."

The now named Gloria smiled up at him, "Oh, of course! It's young Hershel! Last time I saw you, you were just a lad! And you had rather more hair," she said, causing him to chuckle at the last bit.

"A friend of yours, Professor?" Emmy asked as she and Edgar got closer to them.

"Yes, from long ago. This is Gloria," he answered before turning back to the old lady, "What brings you here? Are you on holiday?"

"Oh goodness no," Gloria said, "I moved here to Monte d'Or...five years ago, now? There's only a handful of people left in Stansbury, Hershel. It's a sad, desolate place these days," she told him sadly, "Oh but look at you now. I always knew you would become such a handsome man and you have..." she said before turning to Edgar and Emmy with an uneasy look, "...Are you two a bit young to be married with a child?"

Edgar and Emmy frowned in confusion. They looked at each other, glanced up at Bonnie on Edgar's shoulders, before deciding to take a step away from each other.

"Actually, they are my assistants Emmy and Edgar," Layton introduced them.

"It's nice to meet you, Gloria," Emmy said, "And this little girl can't find her mother, so we're helping her look."

"I would like to point out that if she was my daughter, I would have had her when I nine years old," Edgar dead panned.

"That's nice dear," Gloria said, apparently not listening to what he said, "You know, Hershel, it wouldn't have hurt to come and visit now and then. Too late now, though. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Stansbury. The peace, the quiet, the green...even the creepy-crawlies! Monte d'Or is just hectic these days. Some Randy characters in a mask calling himself the Masked Gentleman or what have you. He's been going after tourists too! You've got to keep an eye out wherever you go. I don't know. Be careful, won't you, Hershel?"

"Of course, I will, Gloria. Well, I has been lovely to see you again, but we really must be getting on," Layton said, tipping his hat at the elderly lady.

After saying their goodbyes, the trio plus Bonnie started to walk south through the shopping district. Layton suggested, since there were so many people loitering about, start interviewing people.

This was what Edgar had been dreading. You know how interviewing people for information for a case is a serious thing, especially when it involves the safety of the entire city and it's citizens. Apparently, people tend to not take you seriously if you happen to have a child on your shoulders. A child who often accidentally kicks you in the chest or interrupts you to ask a question. So far Edgar had no luck getting any information about the Masked Gentleman, but just some haughty comments from a short, round rich man with a stupid moustache called Waltham. Still, Bonnie was having fun and Edgar didn't want to spoil it, so he put up with it.

They had walked down through the Shopping District and onto the Gallery Plaza and split up again. Layton had decided to question the people on the far end of the plaza while Edgar and Emmy stayed close. Edgar looked towards the gallery as they passed and sign which read 'Closed Till Further Notice'.

"Looks like the gallery still hasn't opened," Edgar mused, "the police must be still sweeping the place."

"Me mam was upset 'cause we didn't get to see all the nice stuff in there," Bonnie said, "Maybe it'll be open tomarrah? Orrr...the day aftah tomorrah?"

"Perhaps. I suppose they want to open up as soon as possible."

"When it does open, can ye come wi' us?" Bonnie asked, much to Edgar's surprise.

"Well, we have to see. We're quite busy at the moment," Edgar told her, looking over to Emmy for back up, "won't we?"

She chuckled slightly, "Of course we will."

Suddenly, a young woman jumped in front of them. She had long brown hair, fair skin and pouty lips. She wore a green cardigan over an orange shirt and long grey skirt. Her eyes were wide with wonder and she moved about frantically as if she was about to burst in excitement. Neither of them had seen her coming and were reasonably shocked by her sudden appearance. Edgar had almost dropped Bonnie, but managed to catch her in the last second.

"The Masked Dandleman is the talk of the town!" she enthusiastically cried, "Have you seen what he can do? It's amazible!"

...

...

...

"Emmy, what language is she speaking?" Edgar whispered.

"Don't be rude," Emmy whispered harshly. Although she too had to admit that she couldn't quite understand what this woman was saying.

The woman nodded erratically, "I hope I get to meet him. My name is Serena and I took the bus all the way from Ipshorpe just to see one of his miracles with my own eyes. Bet you'd like to meet him too, right? He's so wonderfabulant! Look, I came up with a puzzle just for him."


Puzzle Start


The puzzle that the woman told the was this:

A, B, and C each ate one of the three differently sized slices of strawberry gateau.

A: "C ate the medium slice, and B had the large one."

B: "A had the large slice, and I had the medium one."

A and B have each made one statement that is true and one that is false. Can you work out who ate which size?

"Why is she tellin' us th' puzzle when she created fur somebody else?" Bonnie whispered questioningly.

"I... really don't know," Edgar replied before he turned to Emmy, "Would you like to answer this one?"

"I would love to," Emmy chirped with a bright smile, "let's see. I think we need to use process of elimination for this one. If we took A's first statement as true then that would contradict B's second statement and therefore B's first statement would be true. Which must ultimately mean that A had the large, B had the small slice, C had the medium sized slice."

"Are you sure?" Edgar said doubtfully, "perhaps you should go over the other options first."

Emmy sighed, "Fine, I suppose you're right. Okay, so if A's second statement is true then that would contradict B's first statement. However, that can't be right because the supposedly true statements left behind would oppose each other. I would also get more or less the same result if I go through the same process with B's statements which means A had the large, B had the small slice, C had the medium sized slice," she deduced.

"Yes! How fandabbydozy!" Serena sang in glee.


Puzzle Solved


"Hey, I was the right the first time!" Emmy shouted angrily at a grinning Edgar.

"Oh Emmy, surely you know better than to listen to me," Edgar slyly said, "besides, take this as a lesson to never doubt yourself," he said, causing her to mumble threats under her breath.

"How did you manage that?" Serena questioned, "You must be really intelligible!"

"Yeah, that's not the right word," Edgar sighed, "Anyway, you came all the way here just to see the Masked Gentlemen. Last night, he turned a bunch of people into stone."

Serena giggled, "I'd love a statue of myself, even I had to be terrified to stalagminium for it! Wherever there's a miracle, you can guaranfirm I'll be at the front of the queue to see it. "

"You do know it's not a show, don't you?" Emmy asked in concerned, "He's dangerous."

"Oh yes, absotively. The Masked Dandleman is real. That's what makes him so thrillerating!"

"Serena, meeting the Masked Gentleman is no more 'thrillerating' than losing your life savings in a casino," Emmy told her.

A soon as she said that, Serena squealed and began jumping up and down in the air, "What do you mean? Have you seen the Masked Dandleman in a casino!? Well, I know where I'll be going tonight!"

Before they could stop her, Serena ran away in the direction of the casino. They watched her leave in confusion until she ran out of sight.

"Well...she's certainly one sandwich short of a picnic," Emmy observed.

"What?" Bonnie asked.

"An absolute nutter," Edgar explained, making Bonnie nod in understanding, "Although, she did raise an interesting point. We think that the Masked Gentlemen is trying to scare people away from Monte d'Or, but the opposite is happening. People are coming to Monte d'Or to see the Masked Gentleman."

"But 'at was only one person," Bonnie pointed out.

"For now," he muttered as they began to walk towards Celebration Boulevard.

Emmy hummed, "More people coming to Monte d'Or means more potential victims for the Masked Gentleman. I can see the problem. Oh the Professor is over there," she pointed underneath the giant circus tent.

He was talking to Mondaunt, Henry Ledore's aide, but they had finished talking and Mondaunt had walked away before they approached.

"Hello Professor," Emmy called out, catching the man's attention, "what were you talking to Mondaunt about?"

"He wanted to inspect the scene of last night's incident himself," Layton answered, "However, it would seem that he too has not found any clues."

Edgar raised an eyebrow, "Did he mention why he wanted to inspect the scene?"

"Out of concern, I believe," Layton answered, making Edgar hum in wonder.

'Henry's aide checking the scene of the crime...interesting,' he though before he spotted somebody on the other side of the marquee.

She was a young woman with brown hair, which was tied up into two side ponytails, fair skin and a round face. Edgar guessed that she must have been in her late teens but it was hard to tell due to how short and slim she was. She was dressed like a performer with a pink shirt and a blue skirt, but really caught Edgar's eye was that she was giving up flyers for the Stellar Circus. The same flyer he picked up last night.

"Prof, I'm going to talk to that woman over there," Edgar said, nodding his head towards the brown haired girl, "you can go on ahead and take Bonnie back to her mother."

Layton hummed curiously, "Of course," he agreed.

Bonnie was less then pleased with the idea, "But I want tae stay on yer shoolders," she complained.

Edgar gently lifted her up and set her down on the ground before him, "Well, if your mother gets lost again then your more the welcome to do so, okay?" he kindly said.

"Okay," Bonnie muttered in disappointment, "bye mistah," she said as she Layton and Emmy walked away.

"Behave yourself," Emmy firmly ordered over her shoulder, making Edgar roll his eyes.

As soon as they were out of sight, Edgar made his way to the woman. She looked up as she approached and offered him a bright smile and a flyer.

"Hullo! You wanna check out our a circus performance?" she chirped.

"I already have a flyer, thank you," he told her, flashing her a charming smile, "I was wondering if I can ask you a few questions."

"For a polite gent, like yourself, no problem."

"Where you here when the incident took place last night?"

The performer smile dropped sadly, "I wasn't far away. The city 'ires us to perform at the parade every night and we 'ad no trouble until the Masked geezer showed up. I know something went wrong, but I didn't see anything. This 'ole thing is making me worry, to be 'onest."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Edgar apologised.

The woman giggled, "I feel much better if you come to our show. I'm Pirouette, by the way."

"Edgar and I promise I will," he replied, "Is there anything else you can tell me about what happened."

Pirouette hummed in thought before her expression brightened, "Oh yeah, I'm ain't sure this is relevant or not, but a little bird told me that some of the city bigwigs went and had a gander at the scene."

"Oh really," Edgar said in interest, "Mr Henry Ledore didn't happen to be one of those bigwigs, would he?"

"Yeah, I think so," Pirouette nodded, "They were all trying to pretend like everything's fine, but they looked pretty uptight to me. They were 'aving a bit of a barney at one point. Trying to pin the blame on each other, sounded like."

Edgar hummed, took out his notebook and jotted that information down.

"I see...that's very interesting," Edgar told her, "thanks so much."

"No problem, see ya!" she said as she walked away.

Edgar waved back before looking down at his notebook. Edgar was starting to see a trend emerging. Wherever the Masked Gentleman had struck, Henry and the rest of the city officials were be all over it. Sure, he could be looking too much into it. He hadn't met Henry yet and it was all based on assumption.

Still, there was something about Henry that made Edgar...suspicious.


Ledore Manor

Layton and Emmy had returned Bonnie to her mother and met up with Edgar to go to the Ledore mansion. They took the same path as they did yesterday, through the back streets, and climbed up the stairs to the door. Layton knocked on the door three times and they waited a few moments until Angela opened it. She seemed much more relaxed then the last time they saw her and was more than eager to let them into the house.

"Hershel! It's good to see you again. I'm sorry, but Henry had to go out rather suddenly. He asked me to show you into his study, though. Please, spend as long as you like," Angela said as she led them upstairs.

"Thank you Angela," Layton said, "Is everything alright?"

"Oh yes," she sighed, "just some business in town, I expect."

Edgar hummed suspiciously.

They climbed the stairs and entered a large, ornate room. The room was furnished with paintings, decorated pottery and even a coffee table and two chairs. Three of the walls had bookshelves displaying large, boring-looking books while the at the far end of the room was made of large white brick with a painting of a country house hung in the middle of it. Before the brick wall was an oak desk and an office chair which hadn't been in use for some time.

Edgar got to work. Inspecting each nook and cranny of the study like an expert. This was possibly the first time Layton and Emmy had seen Edgar show off his burglary skills and he took to it like a fish in water. It was quite amazing to watch him inspect every inch of the room. He scoured the bookshelves, check under things they wouldn't even think to look under, stamped his foot on the floorboards. He turned suddenly to Angela, which surprised her a little.

"Where are the points of entry on this floor?" he asked seriously.

Angela coughed, "Do... you mean windows-"

"Yes, or any other points of entry. Now chop, chop. Do you want your Mask found or what?" Edgar asked impatiently, causing the other three to sweat drop.

"R-right. There are two windows in each room, one large window at the end of the hallway and, of course, there's the balcony," Angela told him hurriedly.

"Good," Edgar said as he headed out of the room, "I'm going to inspect the grounds. Emmy don't break anything."

"What!?" Emmy cried in offence, but he had already left before he could say anything else.

They watched as Edgar was about to climb down the stairs but stopped mid-way down the hall. He pressed his foot down on the floor, hearing the boards creak under his weight before continuing down the stairs.

"He takes this very seriously, doesn't he?" Angela observed with an uneasy smile.

Layton offered her a sheepish smile, "I suppose he does."

"A little too much if you ask me," Emmy muttered before she turned back to the room, "I must say that it's a beautiful study. Rows or books and not a speck of dust."

"Yes," Angela answered, "Henry is rather...fastidious about cleaning. It's what he does to relax."

Emmy didn't really know how to reply to that.

"...That's a very industrious way to relax," she finally said.

Layton inspected the books on the shelves, "This is quite a large home to maintain. Do you have any help?"

"Oh, Henry does most of the work. Whenever he gets anxious, well...he likes to be productive."

"He must have a lot of anxiety in his life," Emmy mused, "Is it true that he built Monte d'Or from nothing?"

Angela nodded, "Oh yes. Henry is quite remarkable like that. Always has been, especially since Randall...ah..." she trailed off slightly, "Please excuse me. Feel free to examine the study as much as you like. I'll be here if you have any questions."

Layton and Emmy inspected the study just like Edgar did. Emmy approached the desk and noticed a layer of dust on it. The only dust found in this room.

"The desk looks untouched," Emmy observed, looking over to Angela who stood near the door.

"I used to see Henry sitting at that desk for hours. Though, not in recent days."

"So Henry would spend a lot of time working in here?" Layton questioned, overhearing their conversation.

Angela sighed sadly, "Sometimes working. Other times he'd just be poring over that awful mask. I wish Randall had never found that mask."

Layton hummed and nodded, "Is it true that Monte d'Or would not exist today had Henry not found that mask and the treasure?" Layton inquired.

"Yes, you could say that," Angela answered, "Henry used his newfound fortune to open a small inn out here in the middle of the desert. It was a modest place to begin with, but it didn't stay that way for very long. People streamed in; explorers, entrepreneurs, and soon tourists... The inn had to be extended, then remodelled. Henry's little hotel project became an astonishing success. And the rest is history. Monte d'Or flourished and became what it is today. Henry credits the existence of Monte d'Or to the Mask of Chaos. That mask had changed to many lives, in so many ways."

"So does the mask actually hold any sort of power?" Emmy asked.

"The person who stole it seem to think so," she replied.

Layton hummed, "I'm very interested in the culprit's motives. I have a feeling everything we fall into place once we unmask our thief."

"Where did you keep the mask?"

They all jumped at the sound of Edgar's voice, turning around to face him leaning on the door. Judging by the grin on his face he had succeeded in surprising them.

"Oh Edgar, I didn't hear you come up the stairs," Angela said as she caught her breath.

"I didn't. I climbed through the point of entry," he explained.

"Edgar, please don't climb up people's houses," Layton gently scolded as Emmy shook her head in disappointment.

Edgar chuckled before turning back to Angela, "So where did you keep it."

"Over there," Angela said, pointing to the space next to the painting, "it was hanging on the wall."

Emmy lifted an eyebrow, "You had a priceless artefact and you just left it hanging on the wall?"

"Why not?" Angela asked, "This is our home. Henry thought displaying the mask brought good luck to Monte d'Or."

Edgar almost laughed at that, but disguised it as a cough before he upset Angela.

"I see," Layton mused, luckily not noticing Edgar's mistake, "Where were you and Henry when the Mask was stolen?"

"I think we were both a him, but neither of us saw or heard anything and soon after that , the Masked Gentleman started playing his tricks in town."

'Interesting,' Edgar thought, inspecting the door's keyhole, 'It looks like a classic lever lock system. Shouldn't be hard to pick, but it's not something you can do in a rush and way too noisy. Unless...the thief already had Henry's key.'

"Do you have any idea why he would want to bring harm to the town?" Emmy asked, snapping Edgar out of his thoughts.

"It could be a disgruntled gambler, someone who lost some property...or maybe someone with a personal grudge," Layton suggested, "It's hard to imagine anyone taking umbrage with someone as unassuming as Henry, though. It would have to be about money."

"It all leads back to Henry," Edgar mused.

Layton cast a glance at Edgar as he said that and frowned in concern before turning back to Angela.

"Has anyone else been in here besides Henry?" he asked.

"Normally this is Henry's private space. But sometimes when he has visitors, he brings them in here," she answered, taking a seat at the coffee table.

"Wouldn't the parlour room be more comfortable?" Emmy asked.

Angela cleared her throat nervously, "Oh yes. The study is only for important guest...or when he doesn't want me to overhear," she said.

'That's grim,' Edgar thought.

"So no one is ever in this room without Henry being here as well, correct?" Layton questioned further.

"Yes. I don't think a guest could have stolen it. Not that we've had many of late. We keep the doors locked at all times, so whoever stole the mask must have come in through a window...or a point of entry."

"I suppose that's possible," Emmy said, "Edgar was able to get through...apparently."

Edgar shrugged. It wasn't too difficult for him to get up since he was pretty nimble, but it was no walk in the park either. There was hardly anything to grab onto and the marble balcony made it difficult to get a grip.

"Hershel," Angela said, "do you have any theories at the moment."

Layton glanced over at Edgar to see if he would like to contribute, but the teen mouthed the word 'later' at him. Layton nodded in understanding before turning back to Angela.

"Well, I'd hazard that the Masked Gentleman is most likely someone living here in town. He could be an ordinary citizen, hidden behind the façade of an ordinary existence."

Angela frowned, "You think so?"

"Angela, let me ask you something. Who in Monte d'Or would benefit from the recent turmoil?"

"Who?" Angela hummed, "Why, I can't think of anyone here who would benefit from this madness."

"Do you know of anyone with a grudge against Henry? Anyone you've had financial disputes with in the past?"

Angela played with one of her hair curls thoughtfully, "The only person I can think of who has a grudge against Henry is, well, Dalston."

"Dalston?" Edgar repeated, "I know that name...wait, wasn't he your, sort of, friend back in Stansbury? The one who wanted to open a hotel chain."

"The very same," Angela confirmed, "Between them, Dalston and Henry own most of the businesses in town. They've been rivals for years. I believe they may have had altercations over the property lines of the one or two hotels. It wouldn't surprise me if Dalston set out to sabotage Henry. You know how he is, Hershel."

"That seems a little drastic," Emmy commented.

"Yes, and Dalston is not one for dramatic displays," Layton added.

"Well, there is also the fact that Dalston has been receiving warnings from the Masked Gentlemen," Angela said, surprising the trio, "and he's the only person in Mote d'Or besides Henry to have received them. I hate to cast aspersions."

"Well...that's certainly interesting," Edgar said, "especially since this is the first time we have heard of this."

"It is rather odd," Layton admitted as he crossed his arms in front of him, "I think it definitely warrants some investigation."

Angela told them that his house was west from their own hotel, near the outskirts of the city. They said their thank you and their goodbyes and promptly left the mansion. As Angela closed the door behind them and they climbed down the steps and down the path, Layton turned to Edgar in curiosity.

"Did you find anything on who could have stolen the mask?"

Edgar hummed, "That's the thing. It's...impossible."

Emmy laughed, "You think it's impossible to steal the mask. You."

"That's not what I meant," Edgar said, "You can steal anything as long as you have the opportunity and the skills to pull it off. What I meant was that it was impossible for any thief to take this job. Even the stupid ones wouldn't and I've met really stupid ones. It's a wonder how they haven't been locked up already. The problem is that the risk is too big for such little reward. You would have to climb up the wall, travel across soft grassland, shimmy up the walls to the first floor, open the windows, walk down a hallway with creaky floorboards, unlock the study, take the mask and then do everything again but backwards without making a single sound. And for what? A mask."

"Perhaps somebody is paying another person to steal it," Emmy suggested.

"I don't think so," Layton hummed, "Angela already told us that the only people who know of the mask existence were a few well-know guests. It is unlikely that anybody else has any knowledge of it or where it was located."

"Even if it was one of those guests, it's highly unlikely that any thief would trust them," Edgar added, "If the employers are too close to the subject there's a likely chance that it's some sort of trap. We have to plan these things carefully, especially checks if the employer is legit. It doesn't help that the police station is not too far away from here."

Layton turned to him, "When you were part of the Grey Street gang, did you ever check on your employers?" he asked.

Edgar shook his head, "No, I tried to stay away from the administrative side. I knew the gang were not stupid enough to compromise their top thief."

"So what does this all mean?" Emmy inquired, "If you didn't think it was stolen by an outside party."

Edgar was about to answer, but Layton cut him before he could get a word in edgewise.

"Let's not assume anything at this stage. We still have to speak to Dalston on the other side of the city."

Edgar hummed in annoyance and shoved his hand in his pocket.

As they walked through the gate and headed down the backstreets again, Emmy sided up to Edgar with a small smile.

"Thank you for...you know," she whispered.

Edgar blinked in confusion, "For what?"

"For not flirting with Angela."

Edgar almost tripped over his feet in surprise. She was right. He hadn't flirted with her. Not a single comment. He didn't even realise he wasn't doing it.

He cleared his throat and gave Emmy a shaky smile, "N-no problem," he stammered.

Emmy smiled again and caught up with the professor, leaving behind a perplexed Edgar. He looked back at the mansion for a moment before continuing walking. A deep frown etched on his brow.

'I guess I really took my promise to Emmy to heart,' Edgar thought, 'weird.'


Outskirts of Monte d'Or

It was as if they had stepped into a completely different part of the world. Once they had passed the Camel's Hump Hotel and the Stellar Circus, the nicely paved road turned into a rough dirt path, green grass and evergreen shrubberies were replaced by golden sand and pillars of rock, and tall buildings were long gone. On their left was nothing but open desert while on their right, in the distance, was the wall of the plateau that towered over the city.

Edgar had decided to take off his leather jacket and sling it over his shoulder to keep cool while Emmy fanned her face. Layton maintained his plain expression, but judging by the beads of sweat running down the side of his head, he was struggling to battle to the heat.

They had been walking for a while now and Edgar was starting to get bored. He lazily looked over the wall of the plateau before his eyes landed on something. A pillar or some-sort carved into the wall. It looked ancient and it reminded him of the ruins at Petra. He decided to point it out to Layton.

"Hey Prof, what's that over there?"

Layton followed his line of sight and smiled as he saw the ruins, more then happy to talk about archaeology.

"That would be the ruins of an ancient civilisation. Although, Monte d'Or is a new city, this entire region was once inhabited thousands of years ago," he answered.

"Huh...really," Edgar hummed, taking out his notebook, 'he's never mentioned that before.'


New Mystery - Traces of Another Civilisation: Monte d'Or is apparently built on the ruins of an ancient civilisation that lived here. However, who these people were and where did they go are a mystery. Even the Prof doesn't seem to know a lot about them. The ruins kind of look familiar, though.


"Look up ahead," Emmy called out, pointing to the only man-made structure in the area.

Edgar put away his notebook and observed the building. The building was gothic in style, but it seemed slightly wonky in places as if the architect drew it after a particularly hazardous ride on a roller coaster. It was large and foboding, made of dark purple stone, had too many windows but they didn't seem to be in the right places and the whole property was surrounded by a brick wall that seemed necessary for any other place but where they were now.

Edgar almost laughed at the sign beside the cast iron gate which read, 'Château Dalston'. Surely, châteaux should be in more scenic areas.

They were about to step through the open gate when a deep growl stopped them in their tracks. Standing in front building was a Doberman with a red bandanna hung around its neck. It bared it's teeth at them and barked, warning them to not get any closer.

Edgar and Layton did the right thing and stepped away from the vicious dog, but Emmy had other ideas.

"Looks like this puppy needs to learn some manners," she said, stepping towards the Doberman with a determined look on her face.

She stopped walking as she felt a hand grab her wrist and pull her back. She snapped her head around and saw Edgar had caught her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Edgar hissed, "Are you serious going to fight it."

Emmy pulled her hand out of his grasp, "Of course, it might attack us."

"Yeah, no shit. It's a guard dog. It's doing it's job like a good boy," Edgar deadpanned.

"Well, what do you suppose we should do then!?" she snapped.

"You could ask me to call him off," a voice called out as the door to the building opened.

Stepping into the bright sun was an older Alphonse Dalston. Layton noticed that hasn't changed much in eighteen years. He had slicked back his hair, grown a handlebar moustache, and now wore a blue shirt and a red tie. However, he still had his large physique and his signature smirk on his face. He called the Doberman to his side, to which it obediently obliged, and Dalston casually approached the trio at the gate.

"Oi Hershel, Layton? Is that you? I haven't seen you in years!" Dalston jovially cried.

Layton chuckled, "Hello, Dalston. It has been some time. You look well."

"What are you doing in Monte d'Or? Don't tell me you've moved here, too?"

"No, I am here on business," Layton corrected, "So you left Stansbury, I see."

"Everyone left! Stansbury turned into a ghost town after that mess with the Ascot family. Ghost towns don't attract many tourists and empty hotels don't make any money," he grumbled.

"Ah yes," Layton remembered, "you always did mean to build your own hotels, didn't you? It seems you've done quite well for yourself here," he said observing the building next to him.

"Enough small talk, Layton. What's your business here?"

"We're investigating the recent events surrounding the Masked Gentleman."

Dalston suddenly grunted in annoyance, "Who put you up to this? Angela?" he deduced correctly, "Oh, let me guess, I'm a suspect now, right? Well that's a load of rubbish."

Edgar looked up from petting the now docile dog on the head, "You getting pretty defensive about it," he pointed out with a smirk.

The hotel owner grunted in anger, "I'm getting defensive over it, because I don't want to be accused of something I didn't do. What do I have to gain from the maniac terrorising the town? This chaos is bad for business - everyone's business!"

"Then why does the Masked Gentleman send you and Mr Ledore letters in advance?" Edgar pressed, "Is it just because you're just great pals or is there something else connecting you three?"

Dalston roared with laughter, "Where did you get this twerp, Layton? If anyone is connected to that creep, it's Angela," he said, making Layton's eyes widened in surprise.

"I beg you're pardon?"

"You weren't the only one Angela blamed for Randall's...untimely end. Henry encouraged Randall to go on that expedition and convinced Angela to let him. Years later, Angela and Henry are married. You know the saying 'Keep you friends close and you enemies closer'?

Edgar and Emmy glanced at Layton who had his hat tilted over his eyes. 'You never told us that,' they both thought.

"Layton holding a grudge against Henry?" Layton eventually said, "After all these years? Come now, Dalston. That seems highly unlikely."

"Angela changed after Randall's death, you know that," Dalston continued, "She got uptight and sulky. Maybe she buried her resentment deep down and she's been plotting all this time. Think about it: Angela never forgave you for Randall's death, practically."

"I...wouldn't say that," Layton hesitantly said.

Dalston rolled his eyes, "Open your eyes, Layton. Henry loved Angela and he couldn't stand seeing her with Randall. That's why he sent Randall out on that expedition into the ruins! Henry knew how dangerous it was!"

"That's ridiculous, Dalston," the Professor formal said.

"Oh really," Dalston chuckled as he twiddled his moustache, "Then how come Henry kept everything Randall discovered about Norwell to himself?"

"What do you mean by that?" Edgar questioned sharply, sending a glare to Layton.

Dalston grinned, "Well the treasure, of course," he revealed dramatically, "Henry wanted to get him out of the way so he could get his hands on it."

"Treasure?" Emmy repeated, "what this about treasure."

Edgar glared back at Layton who decided to not comment or deny on what Dalston said. He kept his eyes on the ground beneath him, his face showing no emotion.

"I see he hasn't told you yet," Dalston deduced with a grin.

"No," Edgar said, not looking away from Layton, "no he hasn't."

"Not yet," Layton answered, looking up and meeting Edgar's glare, "but I will. That's quite the tale Dalston. But without proof, that's all it is."

Dalston chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, "I hope I'm there when the penny finally drops, Layton. This isn't a city of miracles. It's a city of betrayals."

Edgar hummed when he said that. He hate to admit it, but Dalston's words do carry weight.

'What else are you not telling us, Prof,' Edgar thought before he sighed wearily, "I think we should leave. Can't imagine we get any more useful information around here," he muttered snidely.

"That's a good idea," Layton agreed as Emmy nodded along.

She was a little worried about the relationship between Edgar and Layton. She trusted Layton, of course, but she had to admit that that information is useful. It doesn't help that Edgar didn't like to be withheld information. She had to make sure that no conflict arises between the two.

"Well," Dalston sighed, "if you won't talk to me, at least go and see the mayor."

"The mayor?" Layton questioned.

"I've heard he's put together a special task force to root out their masked lunatic. If you're serious about finding the truth, you'll want to have a chat with them."

"He does have a point," Emmy commented.

"Indeed," Layton agreed, "Let's head to the city hall, then."

However, before they could turn around a man wearing a butler's uniform came running through the open gate. He was completely bald with slightly tanned skin, a pointy nose and had small beady eyes. He moved around frantically as waved something in his right hand.

"Mr Dalston!" the butler cried, "Another letter!"

He presented Dalston with a plain looking letter with fancy writing on it and a red stamp in the top right corner. He took and looked over it with a critical eye.

"Two, actually!" the butler shouted as he took out an identical letter from his jacket pocket, "One for you and the other is for someone called Mr Layton. Does anyone know who Mr Layton is!"

The trio looked at each other in confusion before the Professor stepped forwards.

"That...would be me," he told him before the butler shoved the letter in his hand.

As the two men opened their letters, Edgar took a peek at the address and frowned in curiosity.

'Mr Layton?" Edgar thought, "It was addressed to Mr Layton.'

He shook off those thoughts as he followed Emmy's lead and read the letter in Layton's hand over his shoulder. It read:

Greetings, my friends,

I trust you enjoyed last night's festivities. I certainly did. It was so refreshing!

You see, people who are made of stone cannot Cheat or lie.

In fact, they can't do anything unpleasant. They just stand there in dignified silence.

To rob a person of their power to do evil is quiet miraculous, don't you think? Almost as miraculous as my follow-up tonight.

I will be performing in the Gallery Plaza and I assure you it will be a most enlightening experience. I hope you will attend.

Until then I, the Masked Gentleman, bid you adieu.

"There," Dalston loudly said, "A warning from the Masked Gentleman. While I stood before you."

"How did he know we were here?" Edgar muttered before turning to the butler, "Who gave you these letters?" It was nearing midday so it was unlikely any postman delivered them.

"I don't know," the butler said hurriedly, "they were just in our letter boxes."

Emmy glared at the barren scenery around them, "Professor, we're being watched."

"I think you may be right," Layton agreed firmly.

"We've met too many people today. There's no telling who it could be," Edgar added.

Dalston stroked his moustache, "The Plaza will be teeming with tourists tonight."

"Which means we have to warn the mayor," Layton decided, folding up the letter and putting in his pocket, "thank you Dalston. That was very...informative."

"No problem, nice to see you after all these years," the hotel owner said with a proud smirk.

"...Indeed," Layton hesitantly said.

They exited out of the gate and down the dirt road once again, back towards Monte d'Or. Edgar glanced back at Dalston and his nervous butler. The man waved back at him, a victorious grin on his face, and he responded by showing the back of his hand and making a 'V' shape with his index and middle finger before walking away. The last thing he heard as he left through the gate was Dalston's roaring laughter.


Outside City Hall

"You know, for a rich city like this, you'd think they invest in a transport system," Edgar commented as the trio walked through the streets of east Monet d'Or, "just today we've gone east to the arcade, south to the plaza, east again, north through the backstreets to the Ledore mansion. This is the third time today we've taken this route."

"I think the streets are too narrow for a tram system and most of the streets are too crowded for any buses or cars," Layton pointed out.

"I don't know Professor," Emmy piped up, "Misthallery was even less suitable for transport then Monte d'Or and Bucky was able to transport us anywhere we like to go. Even to places where the wasn't a canal."

"We never really figured that one out, huh," Edgar mused.

"Anyway, we're here now," Layton said, pointing to red-brick building up ahead.

The Town Hall was a large, square two storey building not too far from the Ledore Mansion. It was surrounded by pleasant gardens and police officer stood just outside. They walked up the marble stairs and the officer opened the doors for them to enter the busy town hall. The foyer was filled with police and civil servants rushing about with stacks of papers, answering phones and doing other various jobs. Edgar flinched as he saw the amount of police in the room, still not used to them.

"There's a lot of police here," Layton said, raising his voice so they could hear over the hubbub, "this must be the task force Dalston was talking about."

"They sure have up the ante from yesterday," Emmy said as they made their way to the reception desk.

Behind the desk was a purple haired woman who was busy stamping paperwork. She merely glanced up at the three as got to the desk before continuing to stamp more papers.

"Stamp and file, stamp and file..." she murmured tiredly, "the paperwork has gone through the roof since the Masked Gentleman turned up. All these boys in blue milling around and they still can't catch their mark. Imagine if I was bad at my job."

They all shared an uneasy look before Layton turned to her with a kind smile, "We were wondering if the mayor is available. We like to ask for permission to contribute to the task force."

The woman sighed and got up from her chair, "I'll just get him," she told them unenthusiastic before walking into the back room.

Emmy hummed in concern, "She really has lost her faith in the police, hasn't she?"

"Can't say I blame her," Edgar said, "people are starting to get impatient and the police aren't getting closer to finding the Masked Gentleman."

"Hopefully, this new task force will provide some comfort," Layton hummed.

The purple haired woman came out of the back room followed by a grey haired man. He looked to be in late sixties with wrinkled skin, wide round eyes and pair of glasses perched on his long nose. He wore a tweed suit, a dark blue wooden vest and a red tie. He smiled happily and reached out his hand for Layton shake.

"Rhys Williams, mayor of Monte d'Or. It's my great pleasure to welcome you all to fair city," he brightly introduced himself, proceeding to shake Emmy's and then Edgar's hands as well.

"Thank you," Layton said with a tilt of his hat, "my name is Hershel Layton. I'm a friend of Angela Ledore's."

"Emmy Altava, pleased to meet you, mr mayor."

"Edgar Cipher. You seem awfully chipper despite the circumstances," the teen said.

Williams laughed, "I suppose I'm just excited about our new task force, young man. Now how can I help you."

Layton cleared his throat, "My assistants and I are investigating the Masked Gentlemen. We'd like your permission to contact the special task force and offer our assistance."

"Investigating? Fancy that! Well, we need all the help we can get. To be honest our investigation has been a bit...bumpy. We brought in some detectives from out of town and they and our chief of police have not being getting along. However, our strategy meeting is starting in a bit so hopefully they can work things out peacefully. If you like to follow me upstairs, I'll take you to the seminar room."

"Out of town detectives?" Emmy questioned.

"Oh yes, all they way from London," Williams explained.

Edgar tensed up when he heard that, 'Detectives!? From London!?' he thought in horror, "No, no, no. Please let it not be him!'


Seminar Room

"It's him," Edgar moaned as he caught sight of Inspector Clamp Grosky fiddling around with a projector.

It was first thing they saw as they stepped into the large seminar room. The room was filled with rows of wooden desks with around fifty police officers loitering around waiting for the meeting to start. The desk were facing a screen hung up on the wall where two men stood next to talking to each other.

One was tall and thin who wore a dark green suit and slicked back blond hair. He had tanned skin and sharp, intelligent eyes that glanced up at them as they entered the room. The other man was shaped like a barrel. A very tall, menacing, suit wearing, red face barrel. He had greying blond hair, a moustache and scowled down at the other man.

Emmy chuckled at Edgar's remark, "I suppose Grosky is a well renowned-" she reached out and caught Edgar's collar before he could make a get away, "If I have to meet him then so do you."

Layton chuckled as his assistants argued...again and approached Grosky, who was still leaning over the projector. He cleared his throat, catching the inspector off guard and making him jump and almost droop the film reel he was holding. He turned around and saw Layton, Edgar and Emmy.

"Oho, it's Emmy and Layton!" he cried before glaring at Edgar, "and the criminal. You're not the one behind all of this, are you?"

Edgar hummed, "I'm just as surprised to see you. Isn't this supposed to be a team for good detectives," he snarked.

Grosky growled before he smiled proudly, "I have you know I'm a spectacular detective with an impressive arrest record at Scotland Yard."

"And how many of those crimes were helped by the Prof. About half?"

"That sounds about right," Grosky admitted miserably, "at least I caught you."

"I turned myself in."

"Professor Layton, I presume?"

Layton turned away from Edgar and Grosky and saw that the blond man had approached him.

"Detective Inspector Leonard Bloom. Senior detective at Scotland Yard," he introduced himself with a nod of his head.

"That's quite the title," Layton said as he tilted his hat in greeting, "Hershel Layton. How do you do?"

Emmy, having overheard Bloom, hummed curiously, "Must be a really big case to call for a senior detective," she mused, "can't say that the local police are enthusiastic about external help, though," she said as she overlooked the crowd of police officers. Some of them glared grumpily at Grosky and Bloom from a distance.

"How did all these people get into my briefing room?" thundered the large barrel-shaped man, noticing the arrivals, "Who are these civilians,? Where's my tea!?"

Bloom coughed and turned to the larger man, "Chief Inspector Sheffield, May I introduce Professor Hershel Layton. Scotland Yard has solved many difficult cases with his assistance. I assure you, any help he can offer will be invaluable to us."

Sheffield grunted in annoyance, "All right then. Just make sure they don't get in the way. Now, if we're done with the pleasantries, I'd like to get on with solving the case!" he barked as he headed to the podium at the front. He tapped the microphone to test it was working before speaking into it. "Let's not drag this out any longer then we need to. Grab a seat and sit in it."

The police officers did so. Shuffling to an empty seat and sitting down on it as Bloom and Grosky stood at the front with Sheffield. Edgar, Emmy and Layton also took a seat at the desk at the front. Edgar leaned back in his chair and sighed tiredly.

'It's been ages since I last sat down. I'm knackered,' he thought to himself, 'So much information in such a short amount of time. I don't know whether I'll make its through this briefing. If only I could have a short break or something.'


And his wish was granted.

Thank you for reading. This chapter was much longer to write then the other ones so I decided to do it in two parts.

It has almost been a year since I set up a fanfiction account. I honestly can't believe I've made it this far! Of course, I didn't start writing till January (with this story actually) so I still have time till I can celebrate my one year anniversary.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you next time :)