Chapter Three

Every bedroom door up and down the hall burst open as Joey yelled.

"What on Earth is all the commotion?" Gansley grumped.

Joey shakily pointed back the way he had come. "There's a ghost over there going through a trunk!" he wailed.

"Ugh! You got us all up for that?!" Mai exclaimed, holding her purple robe around herself.

Evangeline came out of her room and hurried down the hall. "I don't see anything now," she frowned. "But the trunk's open. . . ." She knelt down, looking through the contents. "What would a ghost want with any of these things?"

Lector walked over to her and knelt as well. "I suppose that would depend on who it was," he said.

"It looked like Evangeline said!" Joey exclaimed, wildly gesturing. "A white dress and long, dark hair!"

Annoyed at being woke up, Tristan sleepily rubbed his eyes as he stood in the doorway. "Are you sure you didn't fall asleep and dream it, Joey? The stories Evangeline told could have easily set your imagination off."

"I was awake, Tristan!" Joey snapped.

Angelique emerged from her room too. "What's in that trunk?" she asked. "We didn't have time to go through it before. . . ."

"Mostly it's a lot of old mementos from our great-great-grandparents' day," Evangeline said. She lifted an old photograph in a fancy oval frame. "Here they are with Samuel 'Snakes' Tolliver, Great-Great-Grandfather's business partner."

Serenity and Duke immediately crowded in to see, as did David.

Joey stared over their shoulders. "But that's the guy Duke's pals with out in Los Angeles!" he blurted.

Duke facepalmed. "Oh no. . . ."

Lector whipped around to stare at Joey. "What?!"

Not aware that he had said anything wrong, Joey pushed between Duke and David for a better look. "It really is! It looks like he's even wearing that purple suit he was wearing when he came to Domino City!" He pointed at the picture.

"It's black-and-white, so who can tell," Duke said flatly.

"Well, don't tell me you don't see the resemblance!" Joey exclaimed.

". . . For that matter, look how much Lector's great-great-grandfather looks like him," Duke said, trying to change the topic.

"Are you saying the Snakes you know is a descendant of this guy or something?" Joey asked.

"I'm not saying anything," Duke said. "I'm just making a point."

Lector quirked an eyebrow. "While this is all very interesting, I would think there are more pressing matters to deal with right now."

"In any case, I think I'll put this picture up somewhere," Evangeline said. She handed it up to Angelique. "And maybe there's some other things in here we should have around the house."

Angelique held the picture out to Joey. "This isn't the woman you saw, is it?" she asked.

"No," Joey frowned. "At least . . . I don't think so. . . ." He squinted at the picture. "Wait a minute. The Snakes in this picture has that freaky scar on his left cheek. You're not gonna tell me his descendant has the exact same scar?!"

Caught, Duke scowled in frustration. "Okay, so it's the same guy. So what?"

"So why didn't anybody tell us?!" Joey exclaimed.

Serenity looked away. "Well . . . we didn't think it was our place. . . . I mean, he wanted as few people to know as possible. . . ."

Lector went sheet-white. "Are you saying our great-great-grandfather's business partner is alive?!"

"And living in Los Angeles," David said.

Evangeline was staring now too. "But how is that possible? He was killed young by some criminal kingpin he fell in with when he tried to betray her!"

Yami Bakura looked singularly bored. "Is it any stranger than people from three thousand years ago being alive?" he retorted, his voice dripping sarcasm.

". . . When you put it that way, no," Evangeline conceded.

"Snakes was brought back from the dead by a mad scientist in his time," Serenity said softly, "but her experiments tore a hole in the space-time continuum. Snakes and some other people ended up in the present-day, and while some of them decided to go back, or just to visit here sometimes, Snakes wanted to live here."

Lector shook his head. "Maybe it's just because I'm tired, or worried about the trials in the morning, but this actually doesn't sound so outlandish right now." He held a hand to his forehead. "I think I'd better go back to bed."

Evangeline straightened and closed the trunk, holding several more items. "I think we all should. Although I've just found Great-Great-Grandmother's diary, so it's going to be hard to resist reading it for a while."

"Are you serious?! What if the ghost comes back and wants it?!" Joey exclaimed.

Evangeline shrugged. "Then I'll try to talk to her and find out what she wants."

"Definitely a more logical reaction than running down the hall screaming 'Ghost,'" Tristan grunted.

Joey scowled.

"Tristan's right," Seto said in irritation. "Although right now, I honestly couldn't care less about ghosts or sirens or time-traveling gamblers. I'm going back to bed. Come on, Mokuba."

Mokuba quickly followed him.

Everyone dispersed soon after, trickling back to their rooms. Rishid soon noticed that Marik seemed sobered. "Is anything wrong, Brother?" he asked.

Marik sighed and shut their door before leaning on it and folding his arms. "I guess it was hearing Johnson worrying about making amends for his crimes and wondering if he would have to go to prison. It's true that I committed a lot of magical crimes that can't be prosecuted, but I also committed crimes that the law would recognize. Sometimes I've wondered if I should be in prison myself." He looked at Rishid in anguish. "I created an international criminal organization, Rishid! And it's still in existence, even though now it's under different leadership."

"I helped you create it," Rishid sighed, his heart heavy. "I helped you do so many of the terrible things you did while seeking the Pharaoh. If anyone should be in prison, it should be me."

"No!" Marik pushed away from the door. "Rishid, you were the seal against that evil being coming out! You had to stay with me, no matter what it took. In my dangerous mental state, you knew that any provocation or disagreement with me could tip the scales and open the way for a far greater disaster." His voice lowered. "You did the only things you could."

"I try to see it that way, but it's difficult." Rishid looked firmly into Marik's eyes. "But in any case, Ishizu's connections with the government kept us both out of prison. She didn't want that to happen to us. You had been saved from the darkness and were ready to turn your life around, as I had longed so much to hear for those five long years. What purpose would there have been, or would there still be, in you being behind bars now? You have done so much good being free—trying to help many of the Rare Hunters and get them on righteous paths, looking after Mokuba and giving him a close friend to be with, assisting Yugi and the entire group on these adventures. . . ."

"I suppose that's true," Marik said. "But still . . ."

"As far as I'm concerned, you have already been in the worst possible prison by drowning in your hate and even being abused by the creature you created," Rishid said.

Marik couldn't deny that. It was hard to picture anything else being worse.

"So try not to worry about it, my brother," Rishid finished. "This is the way it should be for you, and I pray Mr. Johnson will find peace and the right answer for him as well."

Marik finally nodded. "I hope so." He sighed. "And I hope for him, that won't mean prison. That would hurt his friends so much. There must be another way."

"Perhaps the same as for you and I," Rishid said. "Seto Kaiba has connections to the government. Maybe he would be willing to try to arrange for Johnson to stay out of prison and try to correct his wrongdoings from the outside."

"Maybe." Marik sighed. "Well, we'd better get to bed. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." He crossed to the bed he had chosen. "I just hope Joey won't wake us up with more ghost encounters."

xxxx

To everyone's relief, there were no more strange events during the night and they were all able to sleep well. That was especially gratifying when the next day in court was very trying and very long, as they had all feared. Dr. Raven's lawyer did indeed try for a continuance, which the judge rejected, but the trial against him went on so long that the trial against Lector's father didn't even get started. By the time court let out at the end of the workday, everyone was exhausted.

"At least it looks like there's no way Raven's gonna weasel out of this," Joey sighed as they walked out of the courthouse. "The judge figured the trial would only last another day."

"And there's still time that I could end up getting called," Johnson worried.

"There's not much you could even tell about Raven that the rest of us couldn't tell," Seto grunted. "I doubt you'll be called."

"I could be asked about when I found you and Crump in the freezer after Dr. Raven ordered it," Johnson pointed out.

"And the trial against Lector's dad could be another story," Mokuba said. "He really might get called to talk about what happened to Lector. . . ."

Lector looked away. Some of his family had turned out for Raven's trial because the state had needed to call them as witnesses. He had tried to greet them, but his mother and his sister Marie had both been standoffish and uncomfortable, only managing cool "Hello, Démas" replies. He hadn't let himself show his hurt in court, where it was most inappropriate and where he did not want to appear vulnerable anyway, but now that they were outside, the sorrow in his eyes was obvious.

Crump drew an arm around Lector's shoulders. "Your family other than Evangeline and Gabriel are all creeps," he said bitterly.

"They all hate me," Lector said to him in anguish, trying to keep his voice low. "I was the one my father hurt, and even though they think he was horrible to do what he did, they still treat me like dirt. Maybe they blame me for my father falling so far off the right path, even though he was responsible for his own actions and he chose to do what he did."

"Maybe they just don't know how to talk to you after what he did and how they acted," Serenity suggested.

"I've thought of that," Lector agreed, "but it doesn't help. They would know very well that treating me like this would only hurt me worse."

Evangeline hugged him. "I won't forgive any of them for treating you like this," she insisted. "They're all cruel and unfeeling!"

Lector managed a smile and hugged her back. "And I didn't see Adele. I suppose she's angry at me because young Gabriel will have to testify about hearing our father discussing stealing the crates and . . . setting me up as a target to save the rest of the family. . . ."

"She'd better be angry at our father for doing those horrible things for Gabriel to overhear," Evangeline spat.

"I think we should try to get our minds on something more enjoyable," Mai spoke up. "We could all use some cheering up."

"Yeah!" Crump pounced. "And Mardi Gras is over, so we could even do something like venture into the French Quarter now. It'd be safe for the kids and maybe we could just take in the history of this place."

Lector wasn't sure soaking in New Orleans culture would help him feel any better. It might only bring the pain to the forefront of his mind all the more, thinking on how different things were now than they had once been. Still, he really didn't want to have an aversion to his birthplace forever more, so maybe the thought of making new memories there with his real family and friends was a good idea.

"Let's try it," he said. "But even with Mardi Gras over, we should stay off of Bourbon Street. There are places there that are inappropriate for the kids at any time of year."

As it turned out, they had a great time. They dined at a famous and very old restaurant in the French Quarter and later wandered up and down the old streets, admiring the architecture and the old trees.

"Hey, what's this old place?" Joey wondered after they had been walking on Royal Street for a while. He wandered over to an old and large corner building that didn't look occupied.

"I don't have a good feeling about that building," Ishizu said in concern.

"It doesn't look like it so much from the outside, but it's a house," Evangeline said.

"Is it haunted?" Tristan frowned.

"There are certainly countless reports of it," Lector said. "I'm afraid it's the most haunted location in the city, or so they say. It's actually commonly called 'The Haunted House.'"

"WHAT?!" Joey immediately jumped back.

Evangeline nodded. "The common story is that the woman who lived there, Madame LaLaurie, tortured slaves in that house and buried them in it," she said, anger coming into her voice. "Some of it may be exaggerated, as a lot of the stories only started coming around decades after her death, but I don't doubt that some of it is true.

"Through the years, people have reported so many incidents of paranormal activity there. Other horrible things have happened there too, like a murder in 1894. No one is able to live in the house for long because of all the disturbances, and these days it's a popular tourist attraction."

"People tour that?" Tristan frowned. "That's sick!"

"You know how people who are not Joey are strangely attracted to the macabre, myself included," Yami Bakura said.

"No one can actually go inside on the tours, since people still try to live there, but oh boy, if the crowds don't gather outside!" Evangeline shook her head. "It's just as well people can't go in; the house is supposed to be cursed. I don't know why anyone would even want to try living there."

"Not to mention, some of the paranormal activity happens outside the house," Angelique said. "Tour guides have felt their bags being tugged on by invisible hands and lamps go on and off when certain names are said."

". . . Let's get out of here!" Joey screamed, tearing down the sidewalk.

"For once, I really can't blame him," Téa exclaimed.

Everyone quickly went past the old house with its many mysteries. As they started back towards where they had left the vans, the topics turned to something new.

"I read some of Great-Great-Grandmother's diary last night," Evangeline suddenly announced. "Actually, I must admit that some of it wasn't all that compelling. Whenever the entries were cold and matter-of-fact about one or two things that happened that day, I kind of lost interest. But usually she'd talk on about her feelings and interesting things instead."

"What kind of feelings?" Joey frowned. "Like mushy stuff or something?"

"Oh, sometimes," Evangeline smiled. "Or what she thought of her husband's business or his partner. . . ."

"There's stuff about Snakes in there?" Duke broke in.

"Quite a bit, actually," Evangeline said. "She was amazed that he was so young but was running his own empire." She sighed. "Of course, Father always objected to Snakes being honored by the family, since he was a criminal. And even though Great-Great-Grandfather turned all the New Orleans businesses legitimate when he took over, there's still that little issue that he was working with a known criminal. Snakes had legitimate fronts, but everyone working for him knew he had other deals going on in the back."

"Wait a minute," Joey cut in. "I just realized! This guy that's friends with Duke and my sister is a crook?!"

"Was a crook," Duke interrupted impatiently. "He's living honestly now."

"As a gambler," Joey scowled.

"Is there anything about the house in there?" David cut in, thinking it might be prudent to change the subject. Even though the majority of people they associated with were former criminals, Joey would likely be upset for a while that he hadn't been told of Snakes' past.

"I was just coming to that," Evangeline said. "There was a very interesting passage about some kind of lever on one of the tombs in the family cemetery that opens a secret compartment with a family treasure. Apparently that little statue someone unscrewed wasn't the lever, but do you suppose that somebody thought it was?"

"But that would mean somebody else read that diary or knew about that lever some other way," Duke said. "The place has been vacant for years until just several months ago. Who could have done it?"

"Well, I sure didn't," Angelique said. "But I'd like to know who it was too."

"And what about the ghost?" Téa wondered. "Was she trying to lead someone to finding something in that trunk, like the diary?"

"I wish I knew," Evangeline frowned.

"Anyone in the family technically could have been in the house and read the diary," Lector said. "Only why would they wait until the house was occupied again to make their move?"

"Hey, uh . . ." Joey hesitated, awkward. "You don't think that maybe your dad was trying to find that 'family treasure' thinking it would help him out somehow, do you?"

"Anything's possible," Lector said.

"I can't even imagine what it could be," Evangeline said. "But I know I'd like to find it before some prowler does!"

They reached the vans and climbed in. As they started towards home, Serenity looked to Duke. "Hey, Duke, do you think Snakes might know what the treasure is?" she whispered. "Or where it is? I mean, it sounds like his partner trusted him a lot."

"I think it's worth asking him, at least," Duke whispered back. "I'll call when we get back."

xxxx

Somehow, something felt wrong when the group arrived back at the mansion. Everyone had been gone all day and there were no servants, yet as the vehicles pulled into the long driveway it was impossible to shake the ominous feelings. At the same time, no one was quite sure if it was their imagination after being shaken up by The Haunted House or not.

"Something just doesn't feel right here," Evangeline said as they got out. "I can't put my finger on it, but . . ."

"Oh, I hope Oreo is alright!" Bakura exclaimed. "She's been all alone in an unfamiliar house all day!"

"Coming to think about it, if the ghosts came out, she might freak!" Joey realized.

"Well, for once you have a point," Yami Bakura grunted. "She isn't terribly fond of unfamiliar spirits."

"I'm sure she's fine," Angelique tried to soothe them as Evangeline got out the keys.

Soon everyone was entering the house and Bakura was running up the stairs, calling to his beloved cat. Yami Bakura trailed after him, staying alert for any feelings that the ghosts had indeed come out.

Suddenly Evangeline snapped her fingers. "I remembered what's wrong! The upstairs drapes—they're a complete mess!" She ran for the stairs too.

"Did we all subconsciously notice the drapes in one window and that's why something felt wrong?" Téa blinked.

"It's possible," Crump shrugged.

"What room is it?" Lector called after Evangeline. He chased her up the stairs.

"The upstairs study!" Evangeline told him. "You know, the room Great-Grandmother loved because she could sit there and watch the sun set every day!"

"Oreo wasn't in the study." Bakura came out of the room he shared with Yami Bakura, holding the purring cat in his arms. "She couldn't have rumpled the drapes. . . ."

"None of us were in there at all," Yami Bakura grunted. "Not after the tour."

"And I specifically checked that room to make sure everything was in order before going to bed," Angelique said. "The drapes were fine then!"

Téa's eyes widened. "Oh no. . . ."

Lector voiced the horrible thought that was dawning on everyone. "Apparently someone else was in this house while we were gone. And they may still be here!"