The two walked in on the group huddling around Mr. Green holding the cook's dead body.
"Dangnabbit! Another murder?" Benoit asked.
"She was stabbed. Dinner wasn't that bad." Scarlet joked.
"Ma'am. I am appalled by your lack of sympathy. This is a human being. Show her the respect she gosh darn deserves. I can easily get to the bottom of this by using some simple corn starch and sprinkling it on the handle of—"
"Fingerprints? Does that still work if someone, say, grabbed the knife after it was used to kill the cook? Just wondering… you know, for the others." Colonel Mustard said nervously.
Benoit closed his eyes, "Purgatory. I am trapped in purgatory. I've been a good man, at least I've tried to be. What did I do to deserve this, God?... I mean, besides that."
"Let's put her in the study with the other dead body." Wadsworth suggested.
"Study? Yvette just came from the study, there was no dead body." Blanc said.
"Are you sure?" Wadsworth asked, "Perhaps, in our confusion, we placed Mr. Boddy in the lounge instead."
"I agree, he was not in the study. He must be in the lounge." Yvette agreed.
Once they entered the lounge, Mr. Green and Professor Plum dropped Mrs. Ho.
"Fellas! You can't just drop a woman!" Benoit exclaimed.
"Look." Professor Plum pointed to the empty couch.
"Mr. Boddy is not here. He's not in the study… Mr. Boddy lies. The note was right." Benoit said to himself.
"We must look for him. He's probably the one who killed the cook! Yvette and I will search the conservatory, Mrs. White and Mr. Green, you search the basement, Professor Plum and Colonel Mustard, you search the attic, and Scarlet and Peacock, you search the main level and Mr. Blanc—"
"Mr. Butler. I appreciate you taking charge in this here particular situation but I do believe I am confident in going alone. You groups are probably safer going in pairs but I have dealt with these things before."
"But what if you're the murderer!" Colonel Mustard believed he had an epiphany.
"That might be the dumbest question my ears have had the displeasure of hearing in the fifty-four years I've been walking on this earth." Benoit shook his head. "It-it's unfathomable how stupid that is."
"The murders happened before he arrived, dummy." Mrs. White glared at the Colonel.
"Just… double checking." Mustard grumbled.
"Fine. You know what? I'll stay right here in the lounge. I won't look anywhere else. I'll be with the cook, that'll be my partner." Benoit told the group.
"Are you sure?" Wadsworth looked to the detective.
"Positive."
"Does anyone need to use the facilities before we go searching?" Wadsworth asked.
Yvette and Peacock raised their hands.
"Very well. There are washrooms on multiple levels. Yvette, you can use the main floor one and Peacock, you can use the upstairs one."
The girls nodded and then left. Benoit looked around the room, noticing the bookshelf. Everyone seemed uncomfortable and tense. So, there was no use in weeding out the guilty party.
He sat down next to Professor Plum. "So, which fruit?"
"Plum." The man with the pipe answered.
"Plum. Plain dumb, that's more like. Once I find out who came up with the names, I'll give them a what for. Speaking of what for, what're you being blackmailed for, Mr. Stonefruit?"
Professor Plum cleared his throat, "I'm a psychiatrist. I help people, especially women. In turn, the women help me, if you know what I mean. You know how it is."
Benoit nodded. "I do know how it is. I know how this whole situation is. I assumed those being blackmailed were innocent family types with bills to pay and mouths to feed. I've been here less than an hour and I can sum up why you all are being blackmailed with a single sentence. You're all scum."
"I beg your pardon!" Green exclaimed.
"Sorry, sir, not you. Just everyone else. Mustard probably did shady war dealings, being a colonel and all. Peacock has status she's like to keep with the higher ups. Mrs. Scarlet is a harlot. Oh, her name makes sense now. It rhymes. I'd almost say it's clever if it weren't so damn stupid. Everyone here is an honest-to-God basta—"
Just then, the lights shut off. Mrs. White screamed.
"Everybody stay here!" Benoit yelled.
"I can't see!" Scarlet said.
"Let me hold your hand." Plum volunteered.
"That's not my hand, you creep!" She exclaimed and hit who she thought was Plum.
"Ow!" Colonel Mustard replied.
"Wadsworth, why did the lights shut off again?" Green asked.
"Probably the murderer!" Mustard yelled.
"Don't panic. We'll all be safe if we don't panic." Benoit told the group.
"Don't panic? You're real rich, Colonel Sanders." Scarlet barked.
"Everyone!" Wadsworth huffed and puffed, "I'm sure the lights will come on very soon!"
Almost like clockwork, the lights shot back on. Everyone was present and accounted for, be it, rattled.
Peacock and Yvette entered the lounge.
"Les lumieres! It shut off" Yvette cried "I was so frightened!"
"Being in a dark bathroom isn't how I like to powder my nose!" Peacock whined, "I could have had a heart attack!"
"Maybe that's just what the murderer wanted!" Green pointed out.
"I doubt it was the murderer who shut off the lights!" Wadsworth chuckled, "this house is old. Lights randomly shut off. Pluming doesn't work very well. Sometimes the floors creak. Doesn't mean someone did it on purpose. We are all on edge because of the murder of Mr. Boddy and the cook."
"We don't know if Mr. Boddy is really dead." Mrs. White reminded.
"I know! I examined him! He was dead!" Plum interjected.
"Then where is he?" She asked.
"Same place your magician husband went, probably!" He barked.
She stood agape and silent.
"We were trying to look for him. Let's continue with that, shall we?" Wadsworth suggested.
"Well, Peacock, Mr. Big detective over here had this room covered, lets go to the billiards room." Scarlet told her partner.
Once everyone dispersed, Benoit searched the lounge. He particularly noticed the book case and a book that looked different from the rest.
"Mighty peculiar."
Before he could grab it to inspect it, he heard a blood curdling scream.