Chapter Five

Johnson ran into the room, pointing at the paper in outrage and indignation. "That wasn't there before we left to go downstairs! I would have noticed!"

"So someone really is in this house with us," Lector said in horror.

"Or there's one other possibility," Seto spoke up. "One of us did it."

Everyone spun around to stare at Seto. "But . . . nobody here would do that, big brother," Mokuba protested.

"Of course we wouldn't!" Joey cried, clenching a fist. "What the heck, Kaiba?!"

"There's always the possibility that someone was hypnotized or brainwashed into doing it," Seto said. He didn't want to add "by magic."

"But people can't be hypnotized into doing something they wouldn't do," Bakura protested.

"If they're mind-controlled, some of them can," Marik said. "Or at least . . . I always thought so, before I tried to control Joey. . . ." He hated to mention that dark time, and from the way Joey's eyes flickered, he wasn't happy with the mention either.

"But who could do something like that?" Téa protested. "And who would they choose?"

"The most obvious answer is that it's someone connected with Dr. Raven," Seto said. "And the most likely candidate is his niece, Angelique."

"What?" Angelique fell back, eyes wide. "No! I swear I didn't do this!"

"You probably wouldn't even remember," Seto said. ". . . Unless you really are loyal to your uncle and you don't need to be brainwashed to help him."

Evangeline's eyes flashed. "Angelique would never help him on purpose!" she insisted.

"She didn't immediately try to help me and Crump out of the freezer," Seto pointed out. "She was too scared because she'd been threatened. What if she was threatened again now? What would she do?"

"I haven't had any contact with my uncle or his lawyer!" Angelique cried. "I didn't do this, or any of the other bizarre things!" She turned and fled to her room, slamming the door.

Everyone stood in stunned silence. No one was quite sure what to think or say or do. Seto had made a good point, unfortunately, but they hated to think he was right.

". . . I'd better go to her," Evangeline said at last. "Excuse me. . . ." She quickly departed from the group.

Seto looked to the rest. "Well?" He folded his arms. "What do you think?"

"I think Angelique is our friend," Téa said. "I don't think you should have accused her, Kaiba."

"Should I have waited and done it behind her back?" Seto retorted.

"I don't think you should have done it at all," Téa snapped.

"There are other suspects." Seto looked around the group until he spotted Nesbitt and locked eyes with him. "You're sharing the room with Johnson."

"What?!" Nesbitt rocked back in shock. Then his eyes flamed. "You think I'd do that to my friend?!"

"Look what you did to Lector when Yami Marik was controlling you," Seto countered.

Pain filled Nesbitt's eyes and he turned away, clenching a shaking fist.

"That was uncalled-for," Lector snarled. "As far as things go, Mr. Kaiba, isn't it usually the person you least suspect who's guilty? In that case, maybe it's you!"

"What?!" Seto spat. "You're actually accusing me of working for that slime?!"

"Not while knowing what you're doing," Lector said.

"Seto's way too strong to be mind-controlled!" Mokuba cried.

"Stop!" Yugi ran in between them. "This isn't getting us anywhere! We shouldn't be throwing accusations at each other! We need to work together or we'll never solve this!"

"We need to consider all the options!" Seto insisted. "Raven would love to have at least one of us working against everyone else!"

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean he could really get any of us," Yugi said.

Atem stepped forward. "Yugi is right," he said. "We must stay united if we're going to have any chance! Raven would also love seeing us falling into arguments and distrusting each other."

Yugi nodded. "Right now we should focus on our original idea, that someone unwelcome is in the house with us. Or else they come and go whenever they want because they use another secret passageway we haven't found yet."

"We still didn't try the one in the kitchen," Serenity ventured.

"I don't even remember seeing a silverware display," Lector said. "That may have been one thing that either wasn't preserved or was taken down and put in storage."

Duke sighed. "Maybe the best thing is to keep reading that diary, but Evangeline has it and she might not even feel like reading it now."

"So let's go back to that trunk and see what else is in there!" Joey suggested. "Maybe there's more diaries or something else just as helpful!"

"You're willing to risk seeing the ghost again?" Tristan quipped.

"Eh." Joey turned away with a scowl. "It probably won't come out if a lot of us are there."

It sounded like a good idea, so they went back to the trunk and Lector knelt to go through the rest of it. ". . . This looks like what the silverware is displayed in," he said after a moment. He held up an old, hand-carved display board. "Unfortunately, we may also need the old silverware to make it work, and that doesn't seem to be here. I've only seen modern silverware in the kitchen drawers."

"We should try it with modern silverware anyway, just in case," Yugi said. "I can work with that, unless you have any memory of how it went at all, Lector. . . ."

"It was arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way," Lector said. "But I don't recall if it was small to large or vice versa."

Yugi took the display board. "I'll figure it out. It's like a puzzle, so there has to be a solution," he said with a bright smile.

"And if anyone can find it, Yugi can," Téa smiled.

Lector dug deeper into the trunk. ". . . This looks like a log my great-great-grandfather was writing," he said as he flipped through a small book. "I'll look it over in case there's something important in it."

"Anything else?" Nesbitt asked.

"I don't see anything else that could possibly be relevant," Lector said. He straightened and shut the lid.

Yugi headed to the kitchen to work on the silverware display. Several of the others went with him, while the rest began to slowly filter back to their rooms. Nesbitt lingered in the hall, not facing anyone but not wanting to leave.

"Nesbitt."

He jumped and turned at the sound of Lector's voice. ". . . Do you really still trust me?" he asked.

"Would I stop trusting you just because Mr. Kaiba said something ridiculous?" Lector came closer to him. "I know you didn't put that piece of paper on Johnson's pillow and you're not responsible for anything else that's gone wrong either!"

"How can you be that sure?" Nesbitt countered. "Dr. Raven could be mind-controlling me. . . ."

"No, he couldn't," Lector insisted. "You know what it is to be mind-controlled. You have the willpower to resist it now, and I know you will!"

"We all know it," Gansley said firmly.

Nesbitt started. Gansley, Crump, and Johnson had lingered as well, and were only now making their presence known.

"You're sure?" Nesbitt persisted.

"One hundred percent sure," Crump said gruffly.

Nesbitt looked to Johnson. "You could stay with Gansley if you wanted," he said slowly.

"I trust you, Nesbitt," Johnson insisted. "I'll be fine. So will you!"

Nesbitt looked down and finally nodded. "Thank you. . . ."

Johnson laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go back to the room. I'd like to look around and make sure again that there aren't any secret passages in there before we go to bed."

"I guess we can't be too careful," Nesbitt acknowledged.

Lector relaxed as they walked off, but tensed again when he saw Mokuba watching him from the doorway of the Kaibas' room. He quickly walked over. "Mokuba, I hope you're not too angry with me for what I said."

"Well . . ." Mokuba frowned. "I didn't like it, of course. I mean, at least what Seto said had a point to it. I can't see any point in taking a dig at Seto."

Lector sighed. "I don't really believe he's responsible for anything. I said it because I was angry and I wanted to show him that it doesn't feel good to receive an accusation when you know you're innocent. Nesbitt's had a very difficult time getting over what he did to me. I felt there was no reason for your brother to bring it up again."

"I guess I can see that," Mokuba said. He looked away. He could never forget how Nesbitt had cried out in utter agony as he had broke through Yami Marik's mind-control with the realization that he had badly hurt Lector. He had been absolutely hysterical, unable to calm himself until he knew Lector was going to be alright.

Mokuba gripped the door. He would be completely devastated if he ever did something to hurt Seto, and if it got brought up again when he was finally healing from it, that would definitely hurt.

". . . He'll probably be thinking about it again tonight, won't he," he said at last.

"I'm afraid he will," Lector said. "He's been wondering how any of us can trust him after what your brother said."

"I'm sorry." Mokuba let go of the door and finally looked up at Lector. "And . . . I don't want to stay mad at you. You're just feeling protective of your brother, like I am about Seto."

Lector nodded. "That's true. I'm glad you understand, Mokuba."

"Yeah." Mokuba managed a small smile. "Well . . . I hope Nesbitt is going to be okay. And I hope you are. I know coming back here is tough."

"It is," Lector said wearily, "and all of the commotion isn't making it any easier."

Mokuba shivered. "It's really spooky to think that somebody's in the house with us. Who could it be?! What could they want?! Are they just trying to psych us out, or is that only the first step and people are going to start getting hurt?!"

"I'm certainly afraid it may be the latter," Lector said. "I do agree with your brother that all possibilities need to be considered, and that, unfortunately, is a very strong possibility."

Mokuba looked down, biting his lip. "I hope none of us will get hurt," he said softly.

Lector certainly did as well. "After everyone is sure that there aren't secret passageways in their rooms, I wonder if it would be wise to lock the doors tonight."

"That's a good idea," Mokuba said in some relief. "If the doors can really be locked. . . ."

"They can be," Lector assured him. "Each individual room locks from the inside."

That was definitely encouraging. "I'll make sure we lock the door," Mokuba smiled. "Thanks, Lector."

"Stay safe," Lector told him.

He waited until Mokuba went into the room and shut the door. When he heard the click of the door locking, he headed back towards his and Crump's room. As he approached, it was obvious that Crump was having a heated discussion with Gansley.

"Come on! You're the only one besides Evangeline and Angelique who has a separate room! Things are getting really dangerous here! It's not safe for you to be alone!"

"And just what do you propose, Crump?" Gansley spoke dryly. "Should I move into your and Lector's room and sleep on the floor? Or maybe you want to see a repeat of that disastrous night in the over-booked San Francisco hotel and try to have two of us crowd into one bed."

Crump exhaled in frustration. "Hey, you escaped that craziness by claiming the daybed."

"Yes, and I have no desire to find out what it's like," Gansley grunted. "Johnson and Lector had quite a time of it sharing with you and Nesbitt, respectively. Anyway . . ." He raised an eyebrow. "I highly doubt I could even fit on a bed with any of the rest of you. They're just twin beds."

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Crump said.

"I'll make sure the room is free of secret passages and I'll lock the door," Gansley said. "And I'll keep my cane nearby in case I need to strike an unwanted visitor down."

"You'd better lock the window too," Crump said.

"I will," Gansley promised.

Lector sighed. He had to admit he was worried too. How could he not be, after things had grown more ominous? But Gansley was right that there really wasn't a solution to the problem. There was simply no one for him to share with and no way for him to bunk with two others in any given room.

Maybe, however, Lector should suggest that Evangeline and Angelique bunk together until this mystery was cleared up.

He turned, quickly striding back up the hall to Angelique's room. As far as he knew, Evangeline was still in there with her. He swiftly knocked on the door. "Evangeline?"

After a moment the door opened. "Démas. . . ." Evangeline looked exhausted.

"How's Angelique?" Lector asked.

"She's still upset," Evangeline said. "Only now she's terrified wondering if there's any way that Dr. Raven could be mind-controlling her without her knowledge."

"I really don't think so," Lector said. "Dr. Raven doesn't even have his powers any longer."

"We hope," Evangeline said. "Maybe he doesn't need his staff to make them work."

"Now, don't go thinking that or you'll never be able to calm Angelique down or relax yourself," Lector tried to soothe her. "And I think the two of you should stay in one room until we find out what's going on around here."

"I was thinking the same thing," Evangeline said. "And . . . you know, I really wasn't planning that we'd ever have any servants, but the place is so big and it'll be lonely when all of you go home. I'm kind of thinking it might be nice to have a couple of maids around or something. Maybe a butler."

"I think that's a good idea, as long as you properly screen them all first," Lector said.

Evangeline smiled a bit. "I'm used to a lot of people in the house. I like that the best." She stepped into the hall. "I'll just get a few things and then I'll stay with Angelique tonight."

Lector moved aside, watching in approval.

xxxx

Johnson and Nesbitt had been aggressively going over every square inch of their room again, desperately searching for any possible lever or panel that might open the wall or floor or ceiling. They had checked before, and just as before, there was nothing. But while Nesbitt was ready to call it a night, Johnson wanted to keep looking.

"We need to make sure," he insisted. "The last thing we need is someone coming up to mug us in our sleep. If anything happens in here, you know Kaiba will try to insist you did it."

Nesbitt paused, staring at him. "That's your reason for wanting to keep at this?"

"One of them," Johnson said. He got on the floor and crawled under his bed, feeling across the floor.

"I just don't know how you can all trust me like this," Nesbitt remarked. He walked over to the wardrobe built into the wall and opened the doors. "I mean, after what I did in the winter, it's clearly obvious that I'm capable of any- . . ." He let out a cry as the backing of the wardrobe tore open when he wasn't expecting it and he plunged through into space.

"Nesbitt?!" Immediately Johnson came out from under the bed and ran to the open wardrobe. "Nesbitt, are you here?! Are you hurt?!"

". . . I'm here," Nesbitt finally growled.

Johnson dug out his phone and shined its flashlight into the hole. All that was beyond was empty space and a long drop down, save for a horizontal pipe that Nesbitt was desperately holding on to like it was a jungle gym at a playground. As Johnson watched, he inched his way back to the wardrobe and grabbed for it with one hand. Johnson grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to safety.

"Well," Nesbitt sputtered as he knelt on the floor of the wardrobe among several fallen articles of clothing, "no one came through this way, but now it's wide open!"

"No one could travel through here," Johnson retorted. He leaned in again and beamed the flashlight around the space. "This is bizarre, though. Why does the wardrobe lead to this anyway? Why wasn't it properly closed off with plaster and wood?"

"Evangeline probably has no idea either," Nesbitt said.

". . . And I have to confess it seems unsettling to think of staying here knowing this opening is here," Johnson said. "Technically, someone could grab the other end of that pipe and climb hand over hand until reaching the wardrobe, like you did."

"So what do you want to do?" Nesbitt grunted. ". . . You're still welcome to move in with Gansley."

"And leave you here alone with this?!" Johnson exclaimed. "I completely object!" He grabbed Nesbitt's wrist again and pulled him out of the wardrobe. "Let's just take our clothes out, close the wardrobe, and try to find a way to keep it closed. Maybe . . ." He fell silent, pondering on the problem as he and Nesbitt removed their clothes from the wardrobe.

"Here." Nesbitt grabbed a tie off a hanger and shut the doors, then threaded the tie through the handles and tied it several times.

"Clever," Johnson smirked in approval. "And let's just add this." He brought a chair over and wedged it under the handles.

"Should we tell the others what we found?" Nesbitt asked.

"We probably should," Johnson sighed, "although we all need to get some sleep before court tomorrow. Let's find new places for these clothes so we can go to bed."

Nesbitt was agreeable to that.

xxxx

Gansley wasn't sure what woke him up in the middle of the night. He started, looking blearily around the darkened room before reaching for the lamp next to the bed. Nothing looked amiss, but there was a definite feeling that something wasn't right.

He grabbed his cane and sat up, then pushed himself off the bed. Had someone broken in? Everything looked just as it had when he had laid down. But what was that eerie feeling?

Bah! Maybe he was just letting Joey's fear of ghosts get to him.

He unlocked the door and stepped into the hallway. Everything seemed calm, but the feeling persisted. He walked a couple of doors down and stepped into the large bathroom. It was as big as a bedroom, with the sink and mirror near the door, the huge tub off to the side near the middle, cleaning supplies across from the tub, and the toilet at the back. He had gone in as a test, and the feeling was not only still present, but stronger here.

"Are you playing at being a voyeur?" Gansley grunted, only half-sarcastically.

He moved to walk back out, but the door suddenly flew open and Evangeline was standing there, regarding him in surprise. "Mr. Gansley . . . excuse me. . . ." She hesitated when he just walked out. ". . . You feel it, don't you?"

"The eyes constantly watching me? Unfortunately, yes," Gansley growled. "I felt it in my bedroom first."

Evangeline sighed. "I wanted to believe it was my imagination. I've felt it sometimes, but unless Angelique is lying, she says she hasn't."

"You don't sound like you believe it's just your family," Gansley said.

"Even if it is, I have to wonder if it's any of the good people I remember," Evangeline said. "Why would they do things like this and act so inhospitable? It even follows me into the bathroom!" Her shoulders slumped and she held a hand to her forehead. "I've found it happens when I'm alone. I told Démas I'd decided to hire some servants after all of you leave, to fill up the house with more people. That's a lot of the reason why; I'm hoping to chase away this horrible feeling."

"Have you asked any of the rest of the family about it?" Gansley asked.

"No, and I don't intend to," Evangeline said emphatically. "Mother didn't think I'd last long here and I'd come crawling back to her and Father. After the way they treated Démas, I can't go back, ever! And that means I have to stay here, no matter what. . . ." Her voice lowered and quavered. Now she sounded lost.

"Then what are you planning to do?" Gansley left the gruff tones out of his voice now.

"I don't know," Evangeline said morosely. Another long hesitation. "And I suppose now that I know this feeling isn't just me, I had better come clean and admit that I haven't been entirely honest about the house, either."

Gansley stared at her. "What else have you been concealing?!"

"Remember the big double doors on the ground floor that I said just led to some empty space we were renovating?" Evangeline said. "Duke and Serenity were talking at that point and I don't think they were paying attention, but you seemed attentive. . . ."

Gansley had. Mai had wanted to go in there, thinking it probably led to another wing of the house, but Evangeline had insisted there wasn't anything to see but broken walls and hanging wooden beams. When she had said it was a mess and possibly dangerous, everyone had opted not to look.

"I lied," Evangeline told him. "It's a beautifully furnished wing with lots more bedrooms. But when I went in there to investigate, I felt the most awful feeling of being unwelcome. I didn't feel it in the other part of the house, so I knew I wasn't imagining that. It was in every room in that wing! I ran back out and locked the doors and I haven't been in since. I didn't even tell Angelique the truth; I was afraid she'd be too scared to come live with me, and I didn't think I could do it alone. . . ."

"You would have had to tell her sometime," Gansley said.

"I know," Evangeline nodded, "and I guess I'd better tell everyone the truth now." She straightened. "Will you help me?"

It certainly wasn't something Gansley had ever thought he would be doing, but he nodded too. "Very well."

He couldn't help feeling a bit of apprehension. What on Earth was wrong in this house?