CHAPTER EIGHT: CHURCH BELLS
Everyone woke the next day and put on happy attitudes to disguise their suspicion. Breakfast was not so much a meal as a test to find out who was against who through overcooked potatoes and someone "accidentally" nudging someone's glass of milk off the table. Peach was keen on having Wario, who had passed her the salt, use the same shaker on his own food before she took any in case he had spiked it with poison. She was satisfied when Wario poured heaps of salt onto his eggs and passed it back to her, proving it was safe. Bowser slept in late and arrived in the kitchen after everyone had already started eating. Toad began to complain that his toast didn't have enough butter and cheerfully asked him to pass him the butter dish. Bowser obeyed.

Shy Guy usually skipped breakfast, this morning for two reasons: one, he would be forced to remove his mask to reach his mouth, and two, he was exceedingly paranoid for reasons that nobody really cared about and did not want to risk anything. He stood in the corner and watched the others eat in silence. Some people avoided asking for drinks of seasonings at all costs; others were careful to find out who their enemies were. Toad, once again, asked Bowser to get him something.
"Hey Bowser, could you pour me a glass of water?" Bowser got up from his seat, retrieved a glass from the pantry, and poured in tap water from the sink. Toad took it and drank, having watched Bowser's every move and was quite sure that his water was not poisoned. Toad did not see, however, that he had gone out of his way to retrieve a glass from the very back of the pantry that was chipped on the edge. Peach eyed him suspiciously. Did Bowser's glass have some source of poison in its form? Was the chip on the edge a mark of some kind to remind Bowser which glass he had to take?

After breakfast was over, everyone either stationed themselves in the dining room and talked to each other or headed upstairs to the bedrooms to participate in some activity of their choosing. Toad retrieved a book from the bedside table, went back downstairs, and sat at the end of the table, which was completely deserted. He opened his book and began reading aloud to himself quietly.
"''I've been hearing church bells all day,' he said…'"

Toad appeared to be so engrossed in his story that he kept reading all through dinner. Nobody bothered to make him eat. A few hours later, Mario yawned.
"I guess I'm gonna go to bed now, everyone," he said, stretching his arms.
"Yeah, me too," said Shy Guy. Everyone started yawning and stretching on their way upstairs. Toad was left behind, sitting in his chair reading. It was after everyone had hopped in bed that Peach realized he was missing and went back downstairs to see what was taking him so long.
"Toad, it's… Toad? Toad! What's wrong?" Toad didn't answer. He kept staring at his book without a sound. He never turned the page.
"Toad… Toad… Toad! Toad! Toad, get up!" Peach became frantic. She nudged his head up to see his eyes closed. She put her ear up against his chest; nothing. No heartbeat.

"I guess I'd better see what's going on down there," said Mario, wondering why Peach wasn't back yet. He got out of bed and tiptoed down the stairs. Peach was in tears.
"Oh my god… he isn't—"
"He's dead!" Peach exclaimed, crying. Mario was horrified. More people started shuffling downstairs.
"Who's dead this time?" said Shy Guy heartlessly as he entered the room. Peach cried even harder. Yoshi was silent with grief.
"YOU!" Mario yelled dramatically, pointing his finger.
"Who, me?" Wario said, dumbfounded.
"Not you, Bowser!"
Bowser stood behind Wario, gesturing at himself.
"Me? I didn't do it—"
"YES YOU DID! YOU POURED TOAD'S WATER!"
"What the heck are you talking about, so what if I did—"
"You had to get that SPECIAL GLASS, just for TOAD!"
"What are you saying, I—"
"Let's check the glass, guys," said Wario. "It should still be on the counter." Nobody showed any objections.

"Where is it? There must be something in there... look, there's a drip of water left, somebody drink it, test it to see if it's what killed Toad!"
"Mario, that's horrible," said Shy Guy, unexpectedly. "Just inspect the glass for anything that isn't water. Poison shouldn't be too hard to find, should it?"
After several minutes of intense inspection, nobody could find anything wrong with the glass. It seemed completely ordinary and un-tampered with.
"Let's not point anymore fingers until we can find proof against someone," Wario said reasonably. "Even if there's reason to be unsure of someone's… innocence…" Bowser shot him an ugly stare.