As they walked down the old, cobblestone path, he paused to watch her suddenly dart over to a bush to pull out another page of her diary. Nodding to her, she got back into his protective embrace, and they continued to walk. Another page was found in the middle of the road, but it was damp from a small puddle. He took it from her, and he found a heating lamp to hook up and dry it out for her. Now with three pages found, he continued to escort her to her parent's house.

At the sight of the old, familiar dirt trail, she found herself cringing inwardly. He looked at her with concern, but he clucked his tongue like he used to do. That small motion brought her training back into gear. She steeled her jaw and nodded. He nodded back to her with a smile, and they continued. She had another hesitation at the sight of the old family home. It looked like a two-story mansion from a completely medieval era. The moonlight glow cast an eerie shadow over it. Something didn't feel right.

"Marjery, what's wrong?" he finally asked.

"I just...feel that...something bad is...inside the house..." she trembled. As much as he was concerned for her well-being, he let his strict, detective persona take over. At the way his back straightened when he looked at her, she about-faced him instantly.

"What is our mission here?"

"To uncover the truth."

"Has it stopped you from the other horrors we've seen across the globe?"

"No."

"Should it stop you now?"

"No," she said in a calmer tone.

"Granted, this is your childhood home. It probably instilled some deep-rooted fear in you. I can understand that. Just remember a few things. You are an adult, and you left it. You can leave all of this behind again. Also, I am with you now. As you were my strength, I am yours. I am protecting you. But, I cannot protect you if you will not let me. Will you let me protect you?"

"Yes," she nodded frantically. She was wringing her hands together. It was a sign of nervousness. He pulled her close to press another kiss to her forehead.

"You are my dearest friend," he smiled and ran a hand over her back. "We will confront and conquer this evil you fear together. Don't worry. Come now. Your parents are waiting."

She took a deep, calming breath before nodding again. As they walked past a stone well, she paused to look at it in thought. She remembered something important. And it was something she simply couldn't talk about. She had repressed a lot of memories on leaving her hometown, and now they were coming back to her, as though a floodgate was opened. There was something she hid in the well that would become vital to their survival in the town. And, possibly, outside of it. Running her hand over the mouth of the well, she pushed in various stones in a pattern. A secret compartment opened up to reveal a small bronze key. Taking it, she blushed at his incredulous look for an explanation.

"Okay, okay! I liked puzzle locks, too," she shrugged. That had him grinning from ear to ear.

"What's the key for?" he asked.

"I forget. It will come to me, eventually," she grinned softly at him. He rose a brow. I said the same thing about the silver key she found. "What? I learn from the best."

"That you do," he nodded, led her up to the porch, and rang the bell at the front door. Francine answered it and let them in. As much as Marjery wanted to hug her parents, something was telling her not to do it just yet. Marco nodded to them from where he was sitting and eating at the table. Once Marjery and Dupin were seated and served some roasted chicken, they were able to discuss the past cases that he did. Marco was rather impressed.

"So, do you truly plan to marry our daughter?" Francine asked when she finished her plate.

"Yes," Dupin nodded. "I care for her very much."

"Do you love her?" Marco smiled.

"I do," Dupin answered him evenly. Marjery blushed softly. It was the type of love for friends, but it was more than enough for her. "I did want to ask why you wished her to be married off when you did. It seems unethical to me."

"Well," Marco sighed. "you were correct about it being a form of debt. However, it wasn't for money. It's more...complex than that."

"Truly?" Dupin asked, as he sipped some water.

"It's rather hard to explain," Francine seemed to tremble. "It's a bad omen for residents to leave town. Now that Marjery is back, will she be living here again?"

"No. I'm a famous detective. My skills are always needed abroad. She is the best assistant I've ever known. And, as you can see, I've taken a distinct liking to her. Our love is just as strong as our friendship. I prefer intellect over looks, too. She knows me better than most ever will," Dupin chuckled.

"I can see that. If you retire, would you move here?" Marco asked.

"That may be possible," Dupin shrugged. At Marjery's sudden cough and sip of water, he took that as a clear 'no' for any future move-ins. It was time to end the dinner. "Anyways, as we are on the discussion of a form of retirement, we do need to retire for the evening. It was a bit of a long journey here. I'm sure you both understand."

"Actually, Dupin, I would like to see my old room first," Marjery said.

"Oh? We can do that, my dear," he smiled. She moved into the small room, and he frowned at how cramped it looked. She clearly didn't have much room to work with. But, she was able to go to the back of her old wall and press in a block. A small section slid over to reveal a bronze box. Taking the key she got from the well, she unlocked it. Then she pulled out two small, clear crystals. They looked completely identical in shape and size. Such a thing was a rarity.

"Dupin," she said softly. "take this."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Something that may help you while you are here," she said carefully. "I have one, too. They are supposed to be tracking crystals. Enhanced by the moon. It's an ancient thing around here. If something happens to me, the crystal you have will lead you to me and vice versa. They are made in pairs for this."

"What are you trying to tell me?" he asked.

"Not here," she frowned. "I...remembered something. And, I think I know why I'm wanted back here. We need to find the rest of my diary pages. There is a code in them that will be revealed when we have them all in order. It's for the library in town."

"Does it relate to our being here to begin with?" he asked carefully.

"It does," she nodded in a hushed whisper. "And...I think it's why my parents wanted me to be married off. Um...not here. We can't talk here. I know a place."

"All right," he nodded back. She put the wall back to rights and pulled out an old toy from her youth. When her mother saw the toy, she chuckled.

"You've had that stuffed rabbit for years," Francine laughed. "I can see why you wanted it."

"I know. Anyways, Dupin and I will be at the hotel," Marjery nodded.

"You could stay here," Marco said.

"We'll be fine at the hotel," Dupin smiled with a wave. When they walked out of the house, he glanced over at a shadow that bolted past them. We were being stalked. Slipping an arm around her waist, he let her lead him off a beaten path. It was hard for anyone following them to get through the tricky pathway now. She knew every single twist and turn through it. Dupin would have been lost without her! When they got to the center of a small grove, she sat on the mossy ground and gestured for him to join her. He was simply amazed at her mysterious past.

"We need to stay here for the night," she whispered. "It's not safe until morning."

"But...our luggage..." he whispered.

"They won't tamper with belongings. Just us," she trembled. "I often came here as a child. To hide from everyone. If I remember...ah..."

He watched her grab a large, flat stone and start digging into the dirt a bit of a ways away. She pulled out another small key that glinted of old steel. She moved to his side and pressed it into his hands. At the sight of it, he had to ask, "What is this for?"

"In case...we get caught..." she shivered. There was something in her eyes that told him that the assistant he knew was no longer present.

"Maggie...what's going on around here? What are you remembering?" he frowned.

"My diary. It has the answers. We found two more pages. The one you dried just a bit ago. Read it, please. We don't have much time," she swallowed. Narrowing his eyes at her, he found the dried page. The only problem was that there wasn't enough light. Even with the moon out, the shaded enclosure kept too much light out.

"It's too dark here," Dupin sighed.

"There was a reason I grabbed my old rabbit," she said with a timid giggle. The rabbit had a zipper on the back. She was able to tug it down and pulled out an old lighter. Smiling softly, he took the lighter and brought out the flame to read. His jaw dropped. When he looked at her, she had her back to him, and she was trembling. He could tell she was weeping.

"I'm speechless..." he whispered.

"We...really need...to leave here..." she said among her tears.

"I noticed that practically all of the men, young and old, had a particular limping gait when they walked. I didn't even think that it could have been a purely genetic trait! This...the whole town...everyone is related to each other?!" he said with shock. "That's why you really left, isn't it?"

"It's why...I didn't want to marry..." she shivered. "I made myself forget...everything! I didn't want to remember! I wanted to start fresh! I..."

"And you have," he said and pulled her close to rock her.

"But...you are fresh blood!" she whispered with a form of fear. "They will want you to stay!"

"To strengthen their bloodline," he winced. "I need to know the history of this town."

"The library, Dupin. It's all in there. But, we need the rest of my diary pages."

"We will find them," he promised. "Hmm. That's also why you protested to me about even thinking about marriage. Wasn't it?"

"Yes," she nodded and shivered. "I didn't remember, at first. But...now I know why..."

"So...who is Stanley to you?"

"He's...my cousin..." she cringed. "His father is my Uncle."

"I see. And the Mayor and his son?"

"They are also distant relations. Cousins of a sort, I think."

"And they saw hope that you returned with me with prospects of wedding you..."

"I didn't want it...to get this bad. Us, that is."

"What do you mean?"

"The way we are now. I was just...so happy to be simply your assistant..."

"Marjery," he said in the old, familiar tone she knew. "In the public eye, we act. When we are alone like this, it's just the same as always. You are my assistant. Let's finish this case, so we can leave and get back home. Away from here. The sooner I gain access to the library, the sooner we can put all of this behind us. Let's move."

"Yes, Detective Dupin," she said, as she regained herself. As much as he wanted to tell himself that it was the same as always, he knew she was right. The acting had become something more. He simply couldn't let that little truth out just yet. It wasn't safe.

"Let's inspect the graveyard again. I saw plenty of loose lamps that we can take from the main street. We can each take one and search for the letters. And, no, we are not separating. I doubt we will get any sleep, either. We've tackled tougher cases than this!"

"That we have," she nodded and led him back out to the main dirt path. Their next course of action was to collect her diary pages. They had nine left to find. They only had until dawn.