Just so you all know, I've had a hard time writing this, here's the first half of the chapter, the final part will be posted by the end of the month. Sorry I didn't post this earlier, Please R&R, and above all, Enjoy
Chapter 4: The Lawyer and the Will
Ratham Hall: London Outskirts: 9:30 Pm
Professor Layton had managed to stop the blood pouring from Sir Ratham's Body. Luckily a Doctor had attended the party and was tending to the body, Layton Re-Joined Clark and Brenda.
"Should we join Luke and Flora outside, Herschel?" Asked Clark.
"No, Clark," Answered Layton, "There is much to do before the police arrive. We will start by gathering information about the murder and the victim, and perhaps the guests and staff can tell us more."
"Alright, Herschel, where should we begin?" Layton scanned the room looking for an answer; very few guests remained in the ballroom, He turned to Clark.
"Well…I suggest you and Brenda question who you can in this area and search for anything interesting, while I'll do the other rooms."
Clark and Brenda seemed pleased with the idea; it seemed a much better plan to split up than go together, it covered ground more quickly.
"I'll meet you here when I'm done." And Layton left, And Clark and Brenda scanned the room and saw very few guests and staff members filled the room, Clark could tell that they had very little to work from.
Layton scanned around the hallway he was in, it smelled of fresh gunpowder and smoke, which could only mean that the gunman must've fired the bullet from this very room, he peeked out the room through the door and analyzed the viewpoint.
Puzzle 4: A Gun's eye view: 55 Picarats
From Layton's standing position, there are three targets that the assassin's bullet can only hit from the doorway,
Target A: The Podium
Target B: The Back door
Target c: A Knight tilted to the side
Only one of these targets is the bullet's main target, which one is it?
(You know the drill)
Layton scratched his head, then smiled to himself, "yes, it is C. I know it is." He felt very pleased with himself.
Then he noticed a large brown cloth next to him, but as he picked it up and examined it, he then noticed it was a Wig of Thick Brown hair, thick enough to cover a man's hair completely, but Layton had seen many gentlemen at the reception with that kind of hair, so he was at a standstill, he pocketed the wig in his jacket.
He then heard a loud noise from the next room over, it sounded like pots and pans crashing! 'The Murderer might be in the next room' Layton thought, he dashed in only to find a mess of pots and pans, and a Chef struggling to pick up everything.
"Uh, Pardon me, sir. Is something wrong?" asked Layton, as he bent to help the man pick up the pots and pans.
The Chef looked embarrassed, "Oh, Momma Mia, I'm so sorry," he said with an Italian accent, "I had just found my serving platter to prepare the cakes and deserts with, but some Idiot rattled them lose while I was in the cellar getting some wine."
"Can I help you pick them up?" Layton asked, knowing that a true gentleman helps those in need.
"Oh, bless you. I would be eternally grateful." and within minutes, the job was done.
Layton scanned the pile for a split second, then without blinking; he picked a platter from the pile on the counter and tossed it to the Chef.
The Chef stared at it in wonder, "Thank you, how did you find it so quickly? It could've taken me half the evening to find it!"
"That is because you see but you fail to observe; you can see the platters but you fail to find which one is the one because you failed to find the emblem at the center of the platter, and obviously you are drunk, as your breath has a hint of alcohol on it, and the desserts are already served."
The Chef looked somewhat befuddled, "Uh…do excuse me, sir, I must go now…" he then slunk away into the back room, and Layton left the kitchen with a suspicious frown on his chin, that Chef seemed very shaken, as if he was in danger, 'or' Thought Layton 'Danger of being caught'.
Layton slunk out to the hallway and into the next room, which was the main dining room, a long ornate dinner table with a white tablecloth stretched throughout the entire room.
There was a man standing next to the table with his back turned, he was tall & slender, and in his early forties. He had Black Hair, and wore a Tan Business suit with a matching necktie.
Layton strolled to the man and cleared his throat, the man turned to him.
"Hello there, Let me introduce myself, I am Professor Layton, and the man's eyes grew wide with relief.
"Oh, you are Professor Layton, the infamous Puzzle solver and Detective they all speak of?" his voice was calm but shaken.
"I am he."
"Well, what an honor!" the Man said, shaking his hand, "We are so blessed by your presence here."
Layton smiled, "And whom do I have the pleasure of addressing here?"
The man blushed, "Oh, do excuse me, allow me to introduce myself: I am Jack Craven, I am a distant relative of Sir Ratham and Business Manager of Ratham industries."
"Can you recap to me what you saw?"
"I was standing sitting Behind James when it happened. Although I did not see what happened; I have every reason to believe Vivian, His Daughter, had nothing to do with it."
And you are sure."
"As Surely as I'm standing here."
"What sort of man was Sir Ratham?"
Jack took a drink of Red Wine and replied, "From what I recall, he was a man who most times was a bit gruff, and somewhat unyielding, but for the most part he was very good and fatherly towards his daughter, and his servants as well."
"So you knew him very well then…"
Jack replied sadly, "What a tragic ending to a great man…His father and my Father were lived very close, we started the business many years before when his father acquired a piece of land that he then made into Ratham Industries, this was many years before his children were born."
Children? Layton couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He never knew that Sir Ratham had a second child, other than Vivian. if he had, he or she would have been present at the reception.
"I Beg your Pardon, Mr. Craven. I do not know of any 'second child' Sir Ratham had, i thought Vivian was his only Child."
"Oh no." Said Jack, "a few years before Vivian came into the world. Lady Ratham, His wife, gave birth to a boy, i remember seeing him the day after he was born, but several weeks afterwards, he disappeared from London, and from that moment on; no one in the family ever talked of him, they even acted as if he never existed."
The last words hit Layton like a kick in the groin, he felt deeply sorry for what happened to the boy, he would feel the same for Flora, she was the only family he had. he then hoped the boy was still alive.
"Have you any knowledge of his business successor?" he asked Jack, hoping to know that Ratham's business wouldn't close down.
Jack took another sip of his wine glass, "I Believe that Sir Ratham had his will drawn up by his personal Lawyer, Thomas Barkley. he is set to read it about a few days from now, and we will then know of what will happen from here on out." Layton decided to find this Thomas Barkley and speak with him, and quickly, too.
"Do you happen to know where this Man is?"
"I honestly have no idea, Professor Layton. i have never met him, and i do not think that he has come to the reception."
Layton decided to continue his search of the other rooms and then Rejoin Luke and Flora along with Clark and Brenda, "Well, thank you very much, Mr. Craven." he shook his hand.
"If you need anything else; i am at your disposal, Professor Layton. i bid you good night and good luck."
Layton tipped his hat and left to continue his search, with all the information he got, he would definitely have a lot to tell Luke and Flora when they met again.
Clark and Brenda scanned the ballroom, only a few guests remained: The barman, who was serving two patrons, and a manservant who was cleaning up dripping blood from Sir Ratham's body. Clark was no Detective, but he knew better than to keep guessing what to do, the Ballroom was in a bit of turmoil with the knocked over tables and spilled food and Wine and shattered glass.
Clark went to the Manservant and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, sir. I Am Clark Triton and this is my Wife, Brenda. We Work alongside Professor Layton, may we ask for a few minutes of our time?"
"If it helps you," he replied, the Manservant was tall and slender with black hair and wore a Black suit.
"You are one of the household staff?" said Clark.
"Yes, I am the Butler, and my name is Bennett." he answered.
"did you see anyone or anything strange during the shooting?"
The Butler scratched his chin, "Now that you mention it, I did hear a creak before the shot sounded, but there was no open door. but i heard a few dings, it was like the bullet was ricocheting off metal, after that, nothing."
Clark and Brenda took awhile to process what they heard. the Bullet ricocheting; Clark never knew much about Gun Safety, but he knew enough to know that bullets never make clanging sounds before hitting their targets, but this was more mysterious than ever. Brenda never handled a gun in her life, if she did; well...who knows what Luke would say.
Brenda took her turn, "Sir, do you know of any any enemies that Sir Ratham had any enemies throughout the course of his life?"
"Well," Said Bennett, "there are always those who envy one man's success and unimaginable wealth. but honestly, I cannot think of anyone who could desire Master Ratham's death."
Brenda didn't buy it, she knew that almost every wealthy businessman in life had a few enemies, and Sir Ratham has at least one, she'd bet her dress on it.
"Sir Ratham had to have at least one enemy." she told he husband.
"I'm sure he does," Replied Clark, "But from what i knew about Sir Ratham, he also was really secretive."
"I Think we should rejoin Luke and Flora now." Said Brenda, but then Layton strolled up to them, with a piece of paper in his hand.
"Hello, Clark, Brenda. have you any luck?"
"Not very much, but thank you, Hershel. what have you there?" Clark Gestured to the paper in Layton's hand.
"Apparently it's the guest list complete with the seating arrangement, i haven't the time to solve this, it appears that someone must've known i was here."
"Let me take a look," said Brenda, "I'm sure i can get it." Layton hesitated, then handed it to Brenda.
Puzzle 6: Fancy seating: 30 Picarats
There are 12 guests, three army men, Five men and four women. The Guests need to be seated at this rectangular table, seat the guest according to the rules shown above:
The Men prefer to sit with a woman beside them.
The Army men prefer to sit at the corners of the table, with a man or woman beside them
The Women prefer to sit in an alternating pattern across the table.
using these rules, seat the guests at the table.
(Once again, you know the drill, cover the answer)
Brenda stared hard at the page, then turned to Layton, "I think this is it."
Layton stared at the page, Brenda had placed the two army men at the left corners of the table, with one man beside one and a woman beside the other one, the men and women alternated on both sides, with the last army man on the right end with the final woman. Clark looked along with Layton and they both smiled.
"Brenda, well done," Clark smiled at his wife and kissed her, Layton smiled too.
"Come you two, it's time we rejoined Luke and Flora outside."
Luke and Flora sat on a bench arm in arm as they waited for Layton, Clark and Brenda to return.
just then a police cruiser roared up the gate with lights flashing and pulled to a stop, barely knocking the gate aside, the doors opened and two detectives approached the gate. one was Emmy, wearing a detective badge clipped to her belt on her Yellow trench coat, along with white riding pants and brown boots. from a distance, one would think she was a horseback rider, or an archeologist.
Emmy strode to the gate, followed by another Man, and Wilson opened it. Emmy Spotted Luke and Flora , and both of them started to the gate.
The Newcomer beside Emmy was Tall. slender and at least twenty five, He had thick Black hair combed to the side, Navy blue eyes, and a cute yet determined complexion. He wore a Black Flannel shirt with a Black Blazer, Navy blue jeans and brown boots. His badge was clipped to his black belt, and he also had a Black Beretta clipped to it as well.
"Hey Emmy." Said Luke, "The Inspector sure wasted no time calling you two over, who's that guy?" he gestured to the young man.
"Luke, Flora," Emmy gestured to him, "This is My Partner, Ross Callen. Ross, Meet Luke and Flora, i told you about them."
"Ah, Yes." he had a rapid British accent, but Luke guessed any man born in England would. "Good to meet you both."
Just then, a side door to the Hall opened and Layton, Clark and Brenda walked to The group.
"Hello, Emmy, it's good you arrived when you did. and who is this gentleman with you?" Ross Stepped Forward and shook his hand.
"Ross Callen, I'm Emmy's Partner at Scotland yard. Pleasure to meet you, Professor Layton." Luke then stepped forward with two Cigar Butts in his hand.
"Hey, Professor. look what i found." he held them both up
Layton examined the Cigar Butts, "Well, that's one avid smoker, he must've burned through the same cigars."
"Wrong." Ross Came forward, slapped on a pair of latex gloves and took the cigars butts from Luke's Hand. He Held them both up for all to see, Vivian and Wilson watched too, "These are two different cigars from different places around the world," He held up the first one, "This one is a chrirpaqui, and this kind of Tobacco comes from Brazil, which means whoever smoked this has been traveling." he then put them both in a plastic bag and pocketed it in his jacket.
"Wait, what about the other one?" Said Vivian
"Oh, that." Said Ross, The other one is a plain Cigar from the convenience store, very cheap brand, i might add," Layton was astounded by Ross, he not only identified both cigars, but he also knew them before he saw them, very clever, "Anyhow," he continued," Come on, Emmy. There;s work to be done."
"Later, guys." and they both walked to the Manor.
Vivian came forward, "Hey Luke, if i didn't kill my Father; why did you chase and catch me?"
"Because, Vivian." Said Luke, "You should know that a True Lady never flees the scene of a crime, especially when they're innocent."
"I'll say." Said Wilson.
Layton yawned, "well, i must return home at once, i must sleep tonight, Flora and Luke, come along. Clark, Please Join us here tomorrow after breakfast, please."
"Of course, Herschel." their limo soon pulled up and Layton, Luke & Flora headed home, Clark and Brenda followed in their own Limo.
Meanwhile, at the Train Station, A Young man who had just disembarked from the evening train to London walked up to the Stationmaster.
"Excuse me ,sir. but do you know how to get to Downtown London?"
"Yes, there is a Bus stop just outside the station, the driver can take you where you need to be." he raised an eyebrow, " And who are you going to see in London?"
The Young man replied, "Professor Herschel Layton." he grabbed his bag and took off for the bus to London.
And there you go, Chapter 5 in the works, plan to release by Christmas, Please Read and Review, enjoy!