Emmett was trying to be stealth, trying was the key word. He wasn't as stealth as he thought.

"Edward, wait!"

Damn! Someone else was following him. He ran to hide behind a tree, this way he could heard who was calling Edward. The sound of steps behind him made him turn. Constable Black was about to throw their cover away. He touched Black's shoulder. "Shh"

Kate reached to Edward. He was so hard to find alone. It took her a couple of days to put on march her plan.

"Hi, what can I for you?"

"It's really what I can DO for YOU." 'If only he knew.' She thought.

"I saw you the night of the crime, or more precisely, I didn't see you. I know you weren't in your room like you told the police."

"So?"

"I want to make a deal with you. I can offer you an alibi for that night, if you marry me."

He was quiet for a minute. Kate was so sure she finally got him... when he started to laugh. Now it was Kate's turn to be confused.

"I'm serious Edward. I won't stand and see you marry that poor rat of Isabella, when you could have someone like me. Finally I had the leverage to make you see."

Edward guffawed.

"Kate, you're right." She smiled. She felt victory in her hands. "I didn't spend the night in my room. Why don't we go to the police station."

Kate was so happy, she had him! "To give them my alibi?"

Edward led her by the arm. "Oh no. The police knows exactly what I was doing that night. We're going to tell them you were the mysterious woman in the house that night."

"Oh no, wait! wait!"

Emmett couldn't hold his laugh, and went with Edward and Kate.

"Masen, what are you doing?"

"Taking Miss Denali to the police station."

Kate made one last desperate attempt to escape.

"Mr. McCarthy, I'm so glad you're here. Mr. Masen was trying to take advantage of me!"

Emmett looked at Kate, that was a terrible lie to say about anyone. In that moment, constable Black decided to join. He was ashamed of witnessing how low Kate was falling.

"Miss Denali, we heard the whole conversation."

Kate looked to the ground, she got caught.

"Come, Mr. Masen was right. We were looking for you."

xxx

Bella decided to leave the women in the room, she was so bored... No wonder why Jane left long time ago. They were discussing with Rose the plans for her wedding. Tanya offered to go to Paris for her 'trousseau', Esme helped with the design of the dress... Bella just offered to be there for her sister. All of them were so sure the police would find the killer soon, Bella wasn't.

She walk to the garden outside, and found a big tree giving a wonderful shadow. She sat down and opened her book 'A study in scarlet'. She loved Sherlock Holmes and hoped to forget about life and problems in Forkshire for a while. She heard a snicker from the tree, looked up and found Jane.

"Hi! So this is where you were hiding?"

Jane nodded.

"Let me come up with you then."

It wasn't an easy feature. At school, she had no problem climbing in to trees, with her sturdy shoes and the resistant fabric from her uniform. Her soft dress and heeled shoes didn't helped her.

"Ugh!" And with a last jump she was there.

"Come, we can sit together in this branch." Jane called her.

"Now, tell me, what are you doing here?"

"I'm bored Bella. The kids around here are too young, and the girls... well, you're the only girl."

"I know, it happened to me the last summer. Tomorrow I'll take you to the lake with my camera. We can take pictures."

"You have a camera?"

"Shhh! Don't tell anyone. Edward gave me his. He said it was collecting dust in his house."

"But he's living at my house."

"Oh no, he has the most beautiful house, a couple of miles from here.

Jane suddenly blushed. "I heard he's your boyfriend."

Bella smiled. "Yes, that he is."

"Hey Bella, I saw a bag hanging from the roof of the gable window, do you what is it?"

"A bag?"

"Yes, look." Jane pointed to the gable on the left of the house, below the attic. Someone must had thrown it from there.

"Jane, we have to tell to the police."

"Awww"

"Hey, you can tell all the girls back in school that you helped the police to find a clue."

"But what if it only had old rags of a dead critter?"

"We have to find out first."

xxx

Forkshire's police quarters were quiet. Charlie was seated in his office, working on his lists of suspects. Seth was on the field, attending the report of two missed chickens. Charlie chuckled remembering how he sent Seth with the furious farmer Jenks, who had a daughter that fancied Seth a lot.

He heard a scuffle and the wail of a woman.

"What's happening here?"

He saw Jacob pushing Kate into the office. She was crying and screaming.

"You pigs! Have no decency! My mother will write to our representative!"

They passed the front desk. Emmett and Edward were following. Charlie looked to the door, Kate's screams attracted a lot of people.

"Miss Denali tried to extort Mr. Masen." Jacob said, but with his eyes he was making signs to Charlie. Now, because Jacob wasn't very discreet and Charlie wasn't in the mood, he said: "I only want here the people related to this complain." The majority of the crowd walked outside, except a few who considered themselves as pillars of the community. Charlie was truly exasperated.

"Jemima, do you have something to do with this complain?"

"Given the nature of the screams, I consider it wise to stay. She's the only woman in a room full of men."

Charlie looked dumbfounded. "What?"

"She said someone tried to abuse her."

"Is that true Miss Denali?"

Kate looked like a scared rabbit and said in a meek voice. "No."

Jacob smiled. "I think Mrs. Stanley didn't hear you."

Kate glared to him. "No one tried to abuse me... in that sense."

Jemima pouted. Her only excuse to stay in the room just vanished,so she walked out the door...and turned around to stay hidden by the wall.

"Well Black, tell me what happened."

Jacob told him everything he heard.

"Thank you Edward, you were so clever to find out she was the mystery woman."

"How could she know I wasn't in my room then?"

"Well, Miss Denali, I want to know what you were doing that night."

Kate was wringing her hands. "I was with Alice."

"Alice never mentioned you."

"It was supposed to be our secret."

"How come?"

"Every time we had a problem or we got upset, we spent the night in her room. I... I stole cigars from the pantry." Charlie nodded, he recalling Bree saw her coming out from there. "And Alice brought the liquor."

"What kind of liquor?" Maybe Alice took something meant to Carlisle.

"She always brought brandy, but that night she brought vodka."

"Did she told you why?"

"Her stepmother took some bottles to the party."

"Well, you had the cigars, then what happened?"

"I climbed the stairs. W-we had a plan."

"What was this plan?"

"I had to drink to get courage."

Kate didn't notice how interested her audience was.

"Why?"

"I... I t-tried other times, but I couldn't."

Kate was shaking her head, as if the plan was something so horrible. Everybody in the room, and the few who remained listening outside, were absolutely quiet. Could she be the one who...?

"What did you try Miss Denali?"

"It's so terrible, and so embarrassing." She turned to Charlie. "I don't want my mother to know, she would be so ashamed."

Charlie made a non committing noise. If Kate really did it, there's no way he could keep it from Carmen.

"Alice told me to wait 'til everybody was sleeping."

"Miss Alice knew about your plan?"

"yes, she helped with the details."

Everybody was shocked. Alice was an awful woman, but to do something so callous to her own father.

"Alice said to wait, then I went to his room, but he wasn't there!"

"Yes, he was in his study."

Kate turned to Charlie, doubt written in her face.

"No, he was out of the house."

Now Charlie was confused.

"No, he was in his study, we have witnesses who heard him."

"No, he was out, probably with that woman!"

"Of whom are you talking about?"

"Edward, of course. I knew if we woke up together in bed, he would be forced to marry me."

In their stupor, nobody noticed the two petite girls coming inside. Bella gave three steps and slapped Kate.

"You wrench! I hope you end alone!"

Edward held Bella, and asked Kate "Why?"

"I was so angry at the party. You were ignoring me and dancing with her. It wasn't fair! It was her first party and she got the man of my dreams!"

Edward didn't know what to say.

"Kate, I think I'd always been truthful to you. I don't want you in that way. And if we're honest, I just came back. I don't understand!"

"Of course you don't understand! The first time you came, my mother flaunted me, the same way Jemima pushes Jessica."

A faint 'Hey!' was coming from the outside.

"Mom said your parents agreed. But then your mother got sick, and you left. A year later Garrett came, but Mom offered money to him to leave; and he accepted it! So when you came back, still single, I knew I had my chance."

"Kate, my parents never agreed to any kind of relationship."

Emmett cleared his throat. "As a matter of fact Kate, Carlisle talked to your mother. When Dr. Whitlock came to town looking for a house, Carlisle noticed how Alice fancied him. He thought it was a good time to give Alice a vacation, a cruise to the greek islands. He offered to your mother to pay for your expenses so you could go with Alice, but your mother said no. She was worried for the fame of the cruises, and that you would meet a man and marry him letting her alone. I think is your mother the person you shall talk."

"Speaking of her, Jacob, go and get her to come to pick up her daughter, if Mr. Masen doesn't have any complain?"

"Get her free, I think she knows I won't get near her in the future."

Two hours later...

"Sir, we can't find Mrs. Carmen!"