Chapter 5
Divide and Conquer
All eight dashed into the kitchen, which was empty. Cautiously, they fanned out and looked over the small room for any indication of the teal-haired cook.
"Well, there's nobody here," Xander sighed, defeated.
Behind him, a freezer opened. Flora, the cook, fell out, causing Felicia to scream.
"I got her!" Xander yelled, catching the limp woman. However, her cold body slipped out of his grasp.
"Look at her back!" Kagero exclaimed.
A knife, the same one given to Xander, stuck out of the young woman's back. Kaze looked at the man in the black suit and pointed, "There's blood on your hands."
"I didn't do it!" protested the businessman, whipping out a handkerchief.
Jakob watched Felicia, sure that she would burst into tears at the sign of her dead sister. The maid did not.
"Dinner wasn't that bad," Camilla whispered.
"Let's take her back to the study," Niles suggested, ignoring the duchess' remark.
"Best to keep all the corpses in one place," Selena shrugged.
Kaze and Xander carried the slim woman to the study. From there, the guests, Felicia and Jakob went back to the library.
"What now?" Camilla asked.
"There's still some question as to whether there's anyone else in this house," Xander said, shooting the butler a dark look.
"There isn't," Jakob shook his head.
"Are you sure?" Kaze asked.
Jakob paused, "Well, there is Mr. Gunter. But he is the mansion's caretaker, and his home is on the edge of the grounds; he seldom ever comes up to the mansion."
"Do you know that for a fact?" Niles questioned.
Felicia nodded, "Mr. Gunter will be sitting out the rain in his small house. He will not venture through this deluge."
All of the guests glanced out the window. The rain was coming down hard. Hard enough that is would be dangerous to even walk in it.
"I suggest we split up and search the house," Kagero suggested, "in pairs."
"Pairs?" Selena gasped.
"But if one of us is with the killer, they might get killed!" Camilla argued.
"Then we would have found the murderer," Kagero shrugged.
"But one of us will be dead!" the duchess cried.
"I agree with Mrs. Crimson," Jakob announced. He grabbed eight match sticks and began to cut them into matching, different lengths.
Xander peeked over his shoulder, "What are you doing?"
"We'll draw lots," Jakob decided. "The two shortest together, then the next two, and so on. Agreed?"
The other seven nodded with varying degrees of certainty. One by one, they each plucked a stick from Jakob's hand.
Each began comparing with one another, trying to find their counterpart. The only sound was a growl from Camilla when the first person she tried, Felicia, didn't match hers.
In the end, Niles was paired with Felicia, Camilla with Xander, Jakob with Kagero and Selena with Kaze.
"Before we split up," Jakob said, "let's get all the weapons and lock them away in the study."
"Good idea!" came a chorus from the guests.
Together, they went to the study and gathered up the six weapons. Jakob removed a key from his pocket and locked them in the cabinet.
When the butler tucked the small key back in his pocket, Kaze called out, "Who said you get to keep the key?"
"I do. I'm the most trustworthy," Jakob said.
"You should throw it away. That way, we're all safe from each other," Xander suggested.
The butler considered it, and nodded. The mob of eight traveled to the door, where Jakob removed a key from his pocket and swung open the door.
And scared the hell out of the older man standing on the doorstep.
"By the gods, calm down!" he cried, ducking out of the way of the shiny object that left Jakob's hand.
"Mr. Gunter!" exclaimed Felicia.
"What on earth are you doing up here?" Jakob asked.
The old man gave a hacking cough. "My house lost power. I came here in hopes to use your telephone."
"Absolutely!" Jakob smiled, while all the guests looked at the butler in horror. "You can use the one in the st—, er…the lounge."
Gunter stepped into the house, clad in a black trench coat that had repelled the rain. Felicia ran ahead and opened the door to the lounge for the caretaker.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" asked the old man, looking at Kaze and Xander. Neither sure of whom he meant, the both shook their heads.
Jakob lead the caretaker to the lounge. "When you've finished your call, please wait in here just in case."
"Just in case of what?" Gunter asked as the door shut on him. The butler locked the door, and slipped the key into his pocket.
"Why did you lock him in?" Kaze asked.
Jakob lowered his voice, "The police will be here in thirty minutes, and we haven't searched the house. This keeps him in one place, so we can search.
"Dr. Blue and Felicia, you search the basement. Mr. Night and Duchess Snow, take the main floor. Myself and Mrs. Crimson will take the upstairs, while Mr. Green and Ms. Silver can search the attic. Is that agreeable?"
The guests nodded, and spread out with into their pairs. Each duo took their assigned level of the house.
Jakob turned to Xander and Camilla, and whispered, "Keep an eye on Mr. Gunter. Just in case."