{"Shocks like that are how we got our daughter."}

A month later, the Tardis materialises just inside the grounds of a grand old manor house. "Oh, smell that air. Grass and lemonade. And a little bit of mint. A hint of mint. Must be the nineteen twenties." Theta held his hand out for me, holding Fay in a sling in front. He wanted me to wear something nice, so I managed to snag a dress for the decade. I smiled at him as I took his head, my other one nudging Fay lightly causing her to giggle. Her father decided he wanted to have her since she had been with me most of the trips recently. "You can tell what year it is just by smelling?" Donna asked looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, "Oh, yeah." He smirked smugly, "Or maybe that big vintage car coming up the drive gave it away." An open topped tourer turns on the gravel in front of the house and sounds its horn. Two servants come out, the butler and a footman.

"The Professor's baggage, Richard. Step lively." We watch the older driver gets out and removes his goggles. "Good afternoon, Professor Peach." Peach nods back, "Hello, Greeves, old man." The young vicar rides up on his bicycle. "Ah, Reverend." He was greeted with a smile, "Professor Peach. Beautiful day. The Lord's in his heaven, all's right with the world." The reverend spoke, "Reverend Golightly. Lady Eddison requests you make yourselves comfortable in your rooms. Cocktails will be served on the lawn from half past four." I roll my eyes as Theta follows after them, "You go on up. I need check something in the library." Donna scoffed lightly shaking her head. "Oh?" I look back towards the men, "Alone." Peach smirked, "It's supposed to be a party. All this work will be the death of you." Now we are eavesdropping in the shrubbery. "Never mind Planet Zog. A party in the nineteen twenties, that's more like it." Donna smiled towards Theta who smirked back, "The trouble is, we haven't been invited. Oh, I forgot. Yes, we have." He holds up his physic paper with a wink.

After announcing the party, Donna rushed back to get dressed in the proper attire. I stayed with Theta who had been playing with Fay for a few minutes before he knocks on the Tardis door. "We'll be late for cocktails." Donna has changed into a beaded dress suitable for the period. Theta is already The Man in the Brown Suit and I had already been in a nice champagne dress for the era. "What do you think? Flapper or slapper?" She asked with a smirk, doing a small pose. "Flapper. You look lovely. Although no offense, my love looks better." She faked gapped at him before letting out a laugh. "Non taken."

The young footman starts a record playing while the Indian housekeeper gives orders. "Look sharp. We have guests." A man announces loudly as we walk over to them. "Good afternoon." Theta smiles, "Drinks, sir? Ma'am's?" One of the butler's ask the four of us, "Sidecar, please." Donna smirks all smug like, no idea why. "And a lime and soda, thank you." Theta orders as he hands over Fay who reached for me with a whimper. "I'll just take sweet tea." I muttered lightly rocking her back and forth.

"May I announce Lady Clemency Eddison." Lady Eddison is a petite older woman, "Lady Eddison." Theta smiled at her, raising his eyebrows in realization. "Forgive me, but who exactly might you be, and what are you doing here?" She asked with a smile as she shook Theta's hand, "I'm the Doctor, this is My wife Kate and our daughter Fay. And this is Miss Donna Noble, of the Chiswick Nobles." Donna puts on a posh accent and drops a curtsey. "Good afternoon, my lady. Topping day, what? Spiffing. Top hole." Both Theta and I turned slowly to look at her, "No, no, no, no, no. No, don't do that. Don't." I whisper to her as he shows the psychic paper to Lady Eddison. "We were thrilled to receive your invitation, my lady. We met at the Ambassador's reception." She fake smiled as if she really knew who we were, "Doctor, how could I forget you? But one must be sure with the Unicorn on the loose." She leads us over to the table, "A unicorn? Brilliant. Where?" He looks around causing me to chuckle with a shake of my head. "The Unicorn. The jewel thief? Nobody knows who he is. He's just struck again. Snatched Lady Babbington's pearls right from under her nose."

"Funny place to wear pearls." Donna smirked at her own joke, Theta joined her as we were handed our drinks. "May I announce Colonel Hugh Curbishley, the Honourable Roger Curbishley." A young man is pushing his father's wheelchair. "My husband, and my son." Clemency introduced with a kind smile. "Forgive me for not rising. Never been the same ever since that flu epidemic back in eighteen." Hugh smiled up at his wife, "My word, you are a super ladies." I grimaced as Roger looked us up and down. "Oh, I like the cut of your jib. Chin, chin."

"Hello. I'm the Doctor."

"How do you do?"

"Very well."

"Your usual, sir?"

"Ah. Thank you, Davenport. Just how I like it."

"How come she's an Eddison, but her husband and son are Curbishleys?" Donna asked us quietly trying not to be rude, "The Eddison title descends through her. One day Roger will be a lord." Theta explained to her causing her to give him a small nod back, Fay cooed against me. Theta smiled down at her, as if agreeing with what she said. She noticed the same thing we did, about Roger being in a secret relationship with the waiter. For an infant, she's extremely smart, her brain and body growing by the day. While she isn't as smart as she will be when she's older, she can still communicate and pick up on things. "Robina Redmond." A fashionable young woman arrives with a smile. "She's the absolute hit of the social scene. A must. Miss Redmond." Clemency introduced with a smile, "Spiffing to meet you at last, my lady. What super fun."

"Reverend Arnold Golightly." A blonde man was introduced to us, I frowned watching him for a second. "Ah, Reverend. How are you? I heard about the church last Thursday night. Those ruffians breaking in." Clemency smiled up at the man, I looked between them with a raised eyebrow. "You apprehended them, I hear." Curbishley smiled, "As the Christian Fathers taught me, we must forgive them their trespasses. Quite literally." He preached back with a fake smile. "Some of these young boys deserve a descent thrashing." Roger looked towards on of the waiters with a smirk. "Couldn't agree more, sir." He responded with a smirk back at Roger. All three of us had quickly caught onto their relationship, "Typical. All the decent men are on the other bus." Donna mutters, "Or Time Lords." I spoke up sending Theta a wink who smirked and wrapped his arm around me kissing Fay on the head. "Now, my lady. What about this special guest you promised us?"

"Here she is. A lady who needs no introduction." A thirty-something woman is embarrassed by the applause. "No, no, please, don't. Thank you, Lady Eddison. Honestly, there's no need." Theta and I immediately recognized her but Donna didn't as she came over to shake our hands. "Agatha Christie." She introduced herself, "What about her?" Donna asked in confusion. "That's me." Agatha smiled as Donna paused, "No. You're kidding." She gasped in shock. "Agatha Christie. I was just talking about you the other day. I said, I bet she's brilliant. I'm the Doctor, This is Kate, Fay and Donna. Oh, I love your stuff. What a mind. You fool me every time. Well, almost every time. Well, once or twice. Well, once. But it was a good once." She paused awkwardly staring at him before laughing.

"Mrs Christie, I'm so glad you could come. I'm one of your greatest followers. I've read all six of your books. Er, is, er, Mister Christie not joining us?"

"Is he needed? Can't a woman make her own way in the world?"

"Don't give my wife ideas."

"Now Mrs Christie, I have a question. Why a Belgian detective?"

Theta borrows the Colonel's newspaper and I say borrow lightly because he snatched it from the man. "Excuse me, Colonel." He muttered out walking up to us with a frown. "The date on this newspaper." He showed it to me causing my eyebrows to raise, Donna frowned looking over my shoulder. "What about it?" She asked, "It's the day Agatha Christie disappeared. She'd just discovered her husband was having an affair." Donna raised an eyebrow looking back at Agatha, "You'd never think to look at her, smiling away." She muttered lowly, "Well, she's British and moneyed. That's what they do. They carry on. Except for this one time. No one knows exactly what happened. She just vanished. Her car will be found tomorrow morning by the side of a lake. Ten days later, Agatha Christie turns up in a hotel in Harrogate. Said she'd lost her memory. She never spoke about the disappearance till the day she died, but whatever it was." I explained to her while Donna gapped at us in shock. "It's about to happen." She gapped, "Right here, right now." Theta nodded with a small wince. "Professor! The library! Murder! Murder!" The women comes out of the house shouting in horror.

We enter, Theta and I first followed by Donna and Agatha. He goes to the body, "Oh, my goodness." Someone gasped out from behind us. "Bashed on the head. Blunt instrument. Watch broke as he fell. Time of death was quarter past four." He starts to look through the papers on the desk. "A bit of pipe. Call me Hercules Poirot, but I reckon that's blunt enough." Agatha finds a piece of burnt paper in the grate and puts it in her bag. "Nothing worth killing for in that lot. Dry as dust." Theta muttered lowly, "Hold on. The Body In The Library? I mean, Professor Peach, in the library, with the lead piping?" The other guests force their way in.

"Let me see."

"Out of my way."

"Gerald?"

"Saints preserve us."

"Oh how awful."

"Someone should call the police." Agatha muttered turning to look at everyone, "You don't have to. Chief Inspector Smith from Scotland Yard, known as the Doctor, this is my wife. Miss Noble is the plucky young girl who helps us out." He flashes the psychic paper again. "I say." Clemency gasped with wide eyes, "Mrs Christie was right. Go into the sitting room. I will question each of you in turn." He demanded, "Come along. Do as the Doctor says. Leave the room undisturbed." Agatha leads the others away. "The plucky young girl who helps me out?" Donna snarled turning to look at him, while I snorted back a laugh. "No policewomen in 1926." He shrugged causing her to glare, "I'll pluck you in a minute. Why don't we phone the real police?" She asked looking between us, "Well the last thing we want is PC Plod sticking his nose in, especially now I've found this. Morphic residue." He scrapes some gunge off the floorboards. "Morphic? Doesn't sound very 1926." Donna muttered lowly, "It's left behind when certain species genetically re-encode."

"The murderer's an alien?" Donna mocked gently looking towards the door. "Which means one of that lot is an alien in human form." I muttered back with a raised eyebrow as Theta continues to inspect the goo on the pen he grabbed. "Yeah, but think about it. There's a murder, a mystery, and Agatha Christie." Donna raised an eyebrow at us, "So? Happens to me all the time." Theta shrugs it off, "No, but isn't that a bit weird? Agatha Christie didn't walk around surrounded by murders. Not really. I mean, that's like meeting Charles Dickens and he's surrounded by ghosts at Christmas." He goes to taste it, but pauses and slowly turns to look at me. I raise an eyebrow, and he still puts it in his mouth causing me to roll my eyes at him. "Well." He uttered out finally paying attention to Donna again. "Oh, come on! It's not like we could drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy. Could we? Noddy's not real. Is he? Tell me there's no Noddy." I chuckled with a shake of my head, "There's no Noddy." I insisted as we all left the library. "Next thing you know, you'll be telling me it's like Murder On The Orient Express, and they all did it."

"Murder on the Orient Express?" Agatha asked as we walked by her, she had been waiting for us. "Ooo, yeah. One of your best." Donna smiled causing us to wince, "But not yet." Theta muttered to her causing her to wince as well. "Marvellous idea, though." Agatha smiled, "Yeah. Tell you what. Copyright Donna Noble, okay?" She smirked towards me with a wink, "Anyway. Agatha and I will question the suspects. Donna, you search the bedrooms. Look for clues. Any more residue." He demanded towards Donna who gapped at him. "You'll need this." A large magnifying glass, "Is that for real?" Donna asked turning to me. "Go on. You're ever so plucky."Donna takes the magnifying glass and goes upstairs shooting a glare at us causing us to smile. "Right then. Solving a murder mystery with Agatha Christie. Brilliant." Theta happily kissed my forehead. "How like a man to have fun while there's disaster all around him." Agatha mused lightly causing me to snort, Fay had fallen asleep again. "Sorry. Yeah."

"I'll work with you, gladly, but for the sake of justice, not your own amusement."

"Yeah."

Theta is conducting individual interviews as Agatha takes notes. I sat off to the side feeding Fay who had woken up when we brought in the first person. "Now then, Reverend. Where were you at a quarter past four?" Theta asked the reverend, the one he knew I figured did it. "Let me think. Why yes, I remember. I was unpacking in my room." He seemed so smug about his answer, "No alibi, then." I announced with a raised eyebrow towards the man. "You were alone?" Agatha asked, "With the Lord, one is never truly alone, Doctor?" He refused to acknowledge me, and on to the next suspect. "And where were you?" He asked Roger, "Let me think. I was. Oh, yes. I was taking a constitutional in the fields behind the house. Just taking a stroll, that's all." Theta raised an eyebrow at the man, "Alone?" He asked, "Oh, yes, all alone. Totally alone. Absolutely alone. Completely. All of the time. I wandered lonely as the proverbial cloud. There was no one else with me. Not at all. Not ever." We could tell he was lying, most likely with the male waiter from earlier. Next.

"And where were you?" Theta asked Robina who happened to be the next one. "At a quarter past four. Well, I went to the toilet when I arrived, and then er. Oh, yes, I remember. I was preparing myself. Positively buzzing with excitement about the party and the super fun of meeting Lady Eddy." Another liar. "We've only got your word for it." I spoke up causing her to glare at me with an eyeroll. "That's your problem, not mine." Then it is the turn of Curbishley, "And where were you, sir?" Theta asked him with a raised eyebrow, "Quarter past four? Dear me, let me think. Ah, yes, I remember. I was in me study, reading through some military memoirs. Fascinating stuff. Took me back to my days in the army. Started reminiscing. Mafeking, you know. Terrible war."

"Colonel, snap out of it."

"I was in me study.."

"No, no, no. Right out of it."

"Oh, sorry. Got a bit carried away there."

"And where were you at a quarter past four, my lady?" Theta asked with a frown, "Now, let me see. Yes, I remember. I was sitting in the Blue Room, taking my afternoon tea. It's a ritual of mine. I needed to gather strength for the duty of hostess. I then proceeded to the lawn where I met you, Doctor, and I said, who exactly might you be and what are you doing here? And you said, I am the Doctor, This is my wife Kate and this is Miss Donna Noble." I raised an eyebrow at the clearly drunk woman. "Yes, yes. You can stop now. I was there for that bit." He insisted with a sigh in exasperation. "Of course." She hiccups, "Excuse me."

Later, the two detectives are pacing, I couldn't help but laugh as I watched them. "No alibis for any of them. The Secret Adversary remains hidden. We must look for a motive. Use ze little grey cells." Agatha started with a frown as Donna and I took a seat, "Oh, yes, little grey cells. Good old Poirot. You know, I've been to Belgium. Yeah. I remember we were deep in the Ardennes, trying to find Charlemagne. He'd been kidnapped by an insane computer. Then Kate and I had a nice evening..." Theta recalls making his way through the woods with a machete and bow and quiver slung across his back. "Doctor? Doctor." I shook my head with a small smile as he flashed a couple of images between us. "Sorry." He muttered lowly, "Charlemagne lived centuries ago." She stated staring at him with a frown, "I've got a very good memory." He insisted with a frown.

"For such an experienced detective, you missed a big clue." Agatha mused with a smug smirk towards him, "What, that bit of paper you nicked out the fire?" Theta asked as he turned to her with a smirk of his own. "You were looking the other way." She gapped at him causing me to chuckle, "Yeah, but I saw you reflected in the glass of the bookcase." He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "You crafty man. This is all that was left." The charred fragment says aiden. "What's that first letter? N or M?" I asked looking down at the paper, "It's an M. The word is maiden." Agatha mutters, "Maiden! What does that mean?" Agatha and I stared at Theta in slight annoyance as he shouted the word. "We're still no further forward. Our Nemesis remains at large. Unless Miss Noble's found something."

We definitely figured out quickly when we heard her scream. "Doctor! Kate!"The wasp's sting comes through the wooden door when we arrive to the room Donna was standing outside of. "It's a giant wasp." She gasped out in shock, "What do you mean, a giant wasp?" We asked her, speaking together. "I mean, a wasp that's giant." She snapped looking towards us, "It's only a silly little insect." Agatha laughed at her dramatics but I believed her. This thing was huge, to have scared her like that. "When I say giant, I don't mean big, I mean flipping enormous! Look at its sting." Plus there was the giant stinger sticking out of the door. "Let me see." He opens the door, "It's gone. Buzzed off." He breathed out, "But that's fascinating..." She went to touch it causing Theta to turn quickly towards her. "Don't touch it. Don't touch it. Let me..." Theta scoops some gunk from the stinger into a test tube with a pencil. "Giant wasp. Well, tons of amorphous insectivorous lifeforms, but none in this galactic vector." He explains causing Agatha to pause for a second. "I think I understood some of those words. Enough to know that you're completely potty." She gapped at him causing me to chuckle lowly. "Lost its sting, though. That makes it defenceless." Donna spoke up with a raised eyebrow in slight concern. "Oh, a creature this size? Got to be able to grow a new one." I told her gently, "Can we return to sanity? There are no such things as giant wasps." Agatha snapped in annoyance, "Exactly. So. The question is, what's it doing here?"

A scream is heard indoors, we quickly make our way outside to see one of the hostess crushed by a statue. She is still alive when we get to her. "The poor little child." She mutters our before she dies soon we hear buzzing. "There!" The wasp has grown a new stinger already. "Come on!" We run up the stairs, Fay being held tightly in my hands. "Hey, this makes a change. There's a monster, and we're chasing it." Donna teased, "It can't be a monster. It's a trick. They Do It With Mirrors." We finally catch up and face the big wasp, the size of a human maybe even a little bigger. "By all that's holy." Agatha gasped in shock, "Oh, but you are wonderful. Now, just stop. Stop there." The wasp lunges at us, scarring the wall with its stinger. "Oi, fly boy." Donna holds up the magnifying glass and it retreats. "Don't let it get away! Quick, before it reverts back to human form. Where are you? Come on. There's nowhere to run. Show yourself!" Every door opens and someone steps out. "Oh, that's just cheating."

"My faithful companion, this is terrible." Clemency cried out when we told everyone the news. "Excuse me, my lady, but she was on her way to tell you something." One of the butlers mentioned to Lady Eddison. "She never found me. She had an appointment with death instead." Clemency muttered looking down sadly, "She said, the poor little child. Does that mean anything to anyone?" I asked causing most to look confused, "No children in this house for years. Highly unlikely there will be." Curbishley spoke up with a shake of his head, "Mrs Christie, you must have twigged something. You've written simply the best detective stories." Clemency looked up at her, "Tell us, what would Poirot do?" Golightly asked with a raised eyebrow, "Heavens sake. Cards On The Table, woman. You should be helping us." Curbishley snapped angrily. "But, I'm merely a writer." Agatha spoke back with a raised eyebrow, "But surely you can crack it. These events, they're exactly like one of your plots." Robina spoke up with a small laugh, "That's what I've been saying. Agatha, that's got to mean something." Donna looked towards her causing her to frown and look down. "But what? I've no answers. None. I'm sorry, all of you. I'm truly sorry, but I've failed. If anyone can help us, then it's the Doctor, not me." Donna follows after Agatha as Theta and I take a pause to breath and take care of Fay.

Donna and Agatha summoned us into the drawing room away from everyone a few minutes later. Theta opens the case, It is full of lock-picking tools. "Ooo. Someone came here tooled up. The sort of stuff a thief would use." He winked at me causing me to shake my head with a chuckle. "The Unicorn. He's here." Agatha gapped in slight awe, "The Unicorn and the wasp." Theta and I spoke together as Greeves enters. "Your drinks, ladies. Doctor." I didn't want anything to drink at the moment. "Very good, Greeves." Greeves leaves, "How about the science stuff. What did you find?" Donna asked looking over to Theta, Fay was sitting in my lap watching everyone as she played with my fingers. "Vespiform sting. Vespiforms have got hives in the Silfrax galaxy." I explained out loud before Theta could causing him to pout. "Again, you talk like Edward Lear." Agatha stared at the two of us as if we were the strangest things she'd ever seen. "But for some reason, this one's behaving like a character in one of your books."

"Come on, Agatha. What would Miss Marple do? She'd have overheard something vital by now, because the murderer thinks she's just a harmless old lady." Donna spoke with a smile, though it only causing Theta and I to wince as Agatha looked confused. "Clever idea. Miss Marple? Who writes those?" Donna winced at her mistake before she smirked. "Er, copyright Donna Noble. Add it to the list." Donna winked at me causing me to chuckle lowly, "Kate. Donna." My eyes turn to him, he was starting to sweat. "Okay, we could split the copyright." Donna sighs but I quickly stand up, holding onto Fay as Theta starts to wince in pain. "No. Something's inhibiting my enzymes. Argh! I've been poisoned." He is now nearly doubled up in pain. "What do we do? What do we do?." Agatha sniffs his drink, "Bitter almonds. It's cyanide. Sparkling Cyanide."

He quickly staggers into the kitchen and grabs Davenport, "Ginger beer!" He shouts in the man's face. "I beg your pardon?" The man asked bewildered, "He needs ginger beer." I stated as I handed Fay to Donna before I started to search. "The gentleman's gone mad." I find his ginger beer, rushing it over to him and he quickly drinks. "I'm an expert in poisons. Doctor, there's no cure. It's fatal." Theta spits out the surplus ginger beer, pouring some on his head. "Not for me. I can stimulate the inhibited enzymes into reversal. Protein. I need protein." He explained to her, his eyes wide but I was already looking through the cabinets. This kitchen was huge and I had no idea where anything was! "Honey, Walnuts!" I spoke spinning around to face him causing him to nod and grab it from me. "Brilliant, love." He fills his mouth with them, then starts to mime. "I can't understand you. How many words? One. One word. Shake. Milk shake. Milk? Milk? No, not milk? Shake, shake, shake. Cocktail shaker. What do you want, a Harvey Wallbanger?"

We all paused to stare at her, "Harvey Wallbanger?" Theta and I asked together in confusion, "Well, I don't know." She gasped out dramatically, "How is Harvey Wallbanger one word?" Theta asked in exasperation, "What do you need, Doctor?" Agatha veered us back on track. "Salt. He was miming salt. It's salt. He needs something salty." I spun around in panic, looking on one side while Agatha and Donna looked on another. "What about this?" Donna asked, turning to show him a bag. "What is it?" I asked spinning around, "Salt."

"No, too salty."

"Oh, that's too salty."

"What about this?."

"What's that?"

"Anchovies." Theta downs the contents of the jar. "What is it? What else? It's a song? Mammy? I don't know. Camptown Races?" Donna asked looking between us, her grip on Fay never loosened. "Camptown Races?" We asked together, "Well, all right then, Towering Inferno." He paused for a split second, "It's a shock. Look, shock. I need a shock." He waved his hands around dramatically, "Right then. Big shock coming up." Donna grabs me with her free arm, spins me around in a twirl causing me to squeak slightly as I land in Theta's arms who dips me and kisses me long and hard. When he releases me, smoke comes from his mouth and he slowly pulls me upwards. I couldn't help feel slightly dazed, it was a nice kiss. I mean they're always nice with him but damn, "Detox. Oh my. We must do that more often." He winks, "Careful, shocks like that are how we got our daughter." I blush as he smirks smugly, making sure to lean over an give me another kiss. "Might need a few more then." I gapped at him as Donna lightly gagged from off to the side as she held Fay who was watching silently. "Doctor, you are impossible." He winks and clicks his tongue, "Who are you?"

Fay suddenly cooed, reaching for her father who smiled at her. "Yes, I know Fay. You don't have to tell me, daddy is funny looking." Donna looked confused as I snorted at them.

Night has fallen, and thunder and lightning crash overhead. The hosts and guests are on the soup course. There is a vase of Yellow Irises on the table. "A terrible day for all of us. The Professor struck down, Miss Chandrakala taken cruelly from us, and yet we still take dinner." Theta started as we eyed everyone in slight disbelief. "We are British, Doctor. What else must we do?" Clemency asked with a scoff as he rolled his eyes at us. "And then someone tried to poison me. Any one of you had the chance to put cyanide in my drink. But it rather gave me an idea." Theta shot me a wink causing me to roll my eyes with a laugh, "And what would that be?" I gently rocked Fay as I held her against my breast, a blanket covering me curtsy of Agatha. "Well, poison. Drink up." The whole room paused as he smiled at everyone, "I've laced the soup with pepper." He finished causing some to blow out a breath as Donna chuckles into her soup. "Ah, I thought it was jolly spicy." Curbishley laughs as he sips his soup, "But the active ingredient of pepper is piperine, traditionally used as an insecticide. So, anyone got the shivers?" On cue, there is a crash of thunder and the windows blow open, extinguishing the candles.

"What the deuce is that?"

"Listen, listen, listen, listen." A buzz sounded throughout the room, "No, it can't be." Lightning illuminates the room, "Show yourself, demon." Agatha shouted into the darkness, "Nobody move. No, don't! Stay where you are." Then the wasp is there. Chaos and panic. "Out, out, out, out, out, out!" Everyone scatters except us, Agatha and Greeves. Theta takes a sword from the panelled wall. "Not you, Agatha. You've got a long, long life to live yet." He told her with a frown, "Well, we know the butler didn't do it." Donna huffed with a frown, "Then who did?"

Actually, it looks like everyone else is still there. The Colonel is on the floor, wheelchair overturned. "My jewellry. The Firestone, it's gone. Stolen." Clemency shouts in shock, "Roger." Roger has his face in his soup bowl and a large knife in his back. "My son. My child."

Theta and Agatha are quiet, I was playing with Fay who was giggling as I wiggled my fingers. Donna enters the room with a sad look on her face, "That poor footman. Roger's dead and he can't even mourn him. 1926? It's more like the dark ages." Donna scoffed with a grunt, "Did you enquire after the necklace?" Agatha asked, Donna nodded back. "Lady Eddison bought it back from India. It's worth thousands." She explained to us, "This thing can sting, it can fly. It could wipe us all out in seconds. Why is it playing this game?" Theta frowned as I watched him, "Every murder is essentially the same. They are committed because somebody wants something." Agatha explains causing me to frown, "What does a Vespiform want?" I muttered out loud with a frown, "Kate, stop it. The murderer is as human as you or I." Theta made eye contact with me as I raised an eyebrow at her statement. "You're right. Ah, I've been so caught up with giant wasps that I've forgotten. You're the expert."

"I'm not. I told you. I'm just a purveyor of nonsense."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Because plenty of people write detective stories, but yours are the best. And why? Why are you so good, Agatha Christie? Because you understand. You've lived, you've fought, you've had your heart broken. You know about people. Their passions, their hope, and despair, and anger. All of those tiny, huge things that can turn the most ordinary person into a killer. Just think, Agatha. If anyone can solve this, it's you." Later, everyone is gathered for the traditional denouement. "I've called you here on this Endless Night, because we have a murderer in our midst. And when it comes to detection, there's none finer. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Agatha Christie." He smiled giving her the floor, as he went to stand by me. "This is A Crooked House. A house of secrets. To understand the solution, we must examine them all. Starting with you, Miss Redmond." Agatha started out, "But I'm innocent, surely?" Redmond scoffed with an eye roll, "You've never met these people, and these people have never met you. I think the real Robina Redmond never left London. You're impersonating her."

"How silly. What proof do you have?" Robina asked with a frown, "You said you'd been to the toilet." Agatha told her with a raised eyebrow, "Oh, I know this. If she was really posh, she'd say loo." Agatha picks up the locksmith's case. "Earlier today, Miss Noble and I found this on the lawn, right beneath your bathroom window. You must have heard that Miss Noble was searching the bedrooms, so you panicked. You ran upstairs and disposed of the evidence." Robina scoffs again and shakes her head. "I've never seen that thing before in my life." She denies with a fake laugh, "What's inside it?" Clemency asked, "The tools of your trade, Miss Redmond. Or should I say, the Unicorn. You came to this house with one sole intention. To steal the Firestone." She glared, her accent changing to a cockney. "Oh, all right then. It's a fair cop. Yes, I'm the bleeding Unicorn. Ever so nice to meet you, I don't think. I took my chance in the dark and nabbed it. Go on then, you knobs. Arrest me. Sling me in jail." She throws the necklace to Theta causing me to glare at her in annoyance.

"So, is she the murderer?" Donna asked with wide eyes, as she continued to eat her grapes. "Don't be so thick. I might be a thief, but, well, I ain't no killer." Robina snapped with a glare, "Quite. There are darker motives at work. And in examining this household, we come to you, Colonel." Agatha turned to the man, "Damn it, woman. You with your perspicacity. You've rumbled me." The Colonel stands up, "Hugh, you can walk. But why?" Clemency asked in shock that her husband had been faking his disability. "My darling, how else could I be certain of keeping you by my side?" He pleaded with her causing her to frown and shake her head. "I don't understand." She whispered, "You're still a beautiful woman, Clemency. Sooner or later some chap will turn your head. I couldn't bear that. Staying in the chair was the only way I could be certain of keeping you. Confound it, Mrs Christie, how did you discover the truth?" Agatha looked at everyone awkwardly, "Er, actually I had no idea. I was just going to say you're completely innocent." Everyone paused looking slightly amused and horrified, "Oh. Oh."

"Sorry." She smiled at him sheepishly, "Well. Well, shall I sit down then?" He asked her back awkwardly, "I think you better had." I muttered out loud causing him to nod and sit back down. "So he's not the murderer." I shook my head at Donna, "Indeed, not. To find the truth, let's return to this." The Firestone. "Far more than the Unicorn's object of desire. The Firestone has quite a history. Lady Eddison." Agatha smiled down at Clemency who looked away. "I've done nothing." She snipped with a frown, "You brought it back from India, did you not? Before you met the Colonel. You came home with malaria, and confined yourself to this house for six months, in a room that has been kept locked ever since, which I rather think means..." Clemency shook her head with tears in her eyes. "Stop, please." She begged, "I'm so sorry. But you had fallen pregnant in India. Unmarried and ashamed, you hurried back to England with your confidante, a young maid later to become housekeeper. Miss Chandrakala."

"Clemency, is this true?"

"My poor baby. I had to give him away. The shame of it."

"But you never said a word."

"I had no choice. Imagine the scandal. The family name. I'm British. I carry on." Clemency spoke up still full of pride, "And it was no ordinary pregnancy." I told her as I rocked Fay gentle with a small smile looking down at her. "How can you know that?" She scoffed with a glare, "Excuse me Agatha, this is my territory. But when you heard that buzzing sound in the dining room, you said, it can't be. Why did you say that?" Theta asked staring at the women who shook her head. "You'd never believe it." She muttered lowly, "The Doctor has opened my mind to believe many things." Agatha told her gently, "It was forty years ago, in the heat of Delhi, late one night. I was alone, and that's when I saw it. A dazzling light in the sky. The next day, he came to the house. Christopher, the most handsome man I'd ever seen. Our love blazed like a wildfire. I held nothing back. And in return he showed me the incredible truth about himself. He'd made himself human, to learn about us. This was his true shape." The wasp of course, "I loved him so much, it didn't matter. But he was stolen from me. 1885, the year of the great monsoon. The river Jumna rose up and broke its banks. He was Taken At The Flood. But Christopher left me a parting gift. A jewel like no other. I wore it always. Part of me never forgot. I kept it close, always."

"Just like a man. Flashes his family jewels and you end up with a bun in the oven." Robina scoffs with a eye roll, I couldn't help but snort it was the opposite with Theta and I. I was the one born into royalty, "A poor little child. Forty years ago, Miss Chandrakala took that newborn babe to an orphanage. But Professor Peach worked it out. He found the birth certificate." Agatha muttered finally understanding the situation. "Oh, that's maiden. Maiden name."

"Precisely."

"So she killed him?"

"I did not."

"Miss Chandrakala feared that the Professor had unearthed your secret. She was coming to warn you."

"So she killed her."

"I did not." Clemency gasped in horror, "Lady Eddison is innocent. Because at this point, Doctor." Agatha paused, allowing Theta to speak up. "Thank you. At this point, when we consider the lies and the secrets, and the key to these events, then we have to consider it was you, Donna Noble." He pointed down at Donna who gapped at him with food in her mouth. "What? Who did I kill?" She asked looking between everyone, "No, but you said it all along. The vital clue. This whole thing is being acted out like a murder mystery, which means it was you, Agatha Christie." He pointed to Agatha this time causing me to chuckle with a shake of my head. "I beg your pardon, sir?" She glared slightly in alarm, "So she killed them?" I finally sat down on the arm of the chair Donna was sitting in. "No. But she wrote. She wrote those brilliant, clever books. And who's her greatest admirer? The Moving Finger points at you, Lady Eddison."

"Don't. Leave me alone." She started to cry, I almost felt bad for her. "So she did kill them." Donna nodded along as if she knew what was going on, "No. But just think. Last Thursday night, what were you doing?" I asked her as Fay babbled up at her dad who responded in kind as he bent down to smile at her. "I was I was in the library. I was reading my favourite Agatha Christie, thinking about her plots, and how clever she must be. How is that relevant?" She asked me with a frown, "Just think. What else happened on Thursday night?" I asked with a raised eyebrow looking towards the preacher. "I'm sorry?" The preacher glared at me with a frown, "You said on the lawn, this afternoon. Last Thursday night, those boys broke into your church." I pointed out, "That's correct. They did. I discovered the two of them. Thieves in the night. I was most perturbed. But I apprehended them." He tried to excuse causing Theta to snort, finally giving his attention back to everyone. "Really? A man of God against two strong lads? A man in his forties? Or, should I say forty years old, exactly?" He eyed Clemency, whose eyes widened. "Oh, my God." She covered her mouth in shock and horror, "Lady Eddison, your child, how old would he be now?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow, "Forty. He's forty."

"Your child has come home."

"Oh, this is poppycock."

"Oh? You said you were taught by the Christian Fathers, meaning you were raised in an orphanage."

"My son. Can it be?"

"You found those thieves, Reverend, and you got angry. A proper, deep anger, for the first time in your life, and it broke the genetic lock. You changed. You realised your inheritance. After all these years, you knew who you were. Oh, and then it all kicks off, because this isn't just a jewel. It's a Vespiform telepathic recorder. It's part of you, your brain, your very essence. And when you activated, so did the Firestone. It beamed your full identity directly into your mind. And, at the same time, it absorbed the works of Agatha Christie directly from Lady Eddison. It all became part of you. The mechanics of those novels formed a template in your brain. You've killed, in this pattern, because that's what you think the world is. It turns out, we are in the middle of a murder mystery. One of yours, Dame Agatha."

"Dame?"

"Oh. Sorry, not yet."

"So he killed them, yes? Definitely?"

"Yes."

"Well, this has certainly been a most entertaining evening. Really, you can't believe any of this surely, Lady Edizzon."

"Lady who?"

"Lady Edizzzzon."

"Little bit of buzzing there, Vicar." Theta gently tapped his throat with a smirk, "Don't make me angry." He hissed towards Theta who raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Why? What happens then?" Donna taunted with a small smirk, "Damn it, you humanzz, worshipping your tribal sky godzz. I am so much more. That night, the universe exploded in my mind. I wanted to take what wazz mine. And you, Agatha Christie, with your railway station bookstall romancezz, what'z to stop me killing you?" He snarled angrily looking at everyone. "Oh, my dear God. My child." Clemency gasped in realization and sadness. "What'zz to stop me killing you all?" The Reverend transforms into the wasp, Clemency cries out in anguish as she stares at him. "Forgive me." She begs over and over, "No, no, Clemency, come back. Keep away. Keep away, my darling." Curbishley shakes his head as he pulls her back, "No. No more murder. If my imagination made you kill, then my imagination will find a way to stop you, foul creature." Agatha runs out of the room with the Firestone, we quickly follow after her.

"Wait, now it's chasing us."

Theta and Donna shut the main door as I follow after them, holding on to Fay. Agatha is driving the car and she hoots the horn. The wasp bursts out through the doors. "Over here! Come and get me, Reverend." Agatha shouts waving her hands, "Agatha, what are you doing?" Theta shouted at her with wide eyes, "If I started this, Doctor, then I must stop it." Agatha drives off. The wasp hesitates then follows her. "Come on." We rush to get into another car and give chase after Agatha who had sped off. "You said this is the night Agatha Christie loses her memory." Donna looked towards Theta with a frown, "Time is in flux, Donna. For all we know, this is the night Agatha Christie loses her life and history gets changed." He explained to her, "But where's she going?" Agatha passes a signpost for Silent Pool. "The lake. She's heading for the lake. What's she doing?" She pulls over by the lake, quickly getting out. "Here I am, the honey in the trap. Come to me, Vespiform." She yells towards the wasp, "She's controlling it."

"Its mind is based on her thought processes. They're linked."

"Quite so, Doctor. If I die, then this creature might die with me."

"Don't hurt her. You're not meant to be like this. You've got the wrong template in your mind."

"It's not listening to you." Donna takes the Firestone from Agatha and throws it into the lake. The wasp follows it, "How do you kill a wasp? Drown it, just like his father." She suggested with a frown, "Donna, that thing couldn't help itself." Theta told her gently with a frown, "Neither could I." The water is bubbling purple, "Death comes as the end, and justice is served." Agatha quotes with a smirk, "Murder at the Vicar's rage. Needs a bit of work." Theta jutted out his lip with a shrug, "Just one mystery left, Doctor. Who exactly are you?" Suddenly Agatha doubles over in pain. "Oh, it's the Firestone. It's part of the Vespiform's mind. It's dying and it's connected to Agatha." Agatha glows purple for a few moments. "He let her go. Right at the end, the Vespiform chose to save someone's life."

"Is she all right, though?"

"Of course. The amnesia. Wiped her mind of everything that happened. The wasp, the murders." Theta shrugged watching her, "And us. She'll forget about us." Donna spoke sadly, I frowned at the sudden feeling of irony I couldn't shake. "Yeah, but we've solved another riddle. The mystery of Agatha Christie. And tomorrow morning, her car gets found by the side of a lake. A few days later, she turns up in hotel at Harrogate with no idea of what just happened." Agatha has been delivered to the Harrogate Hotel by Tardis. "No one'll ever know." Theta muttered lowly as we watched her for a minute. "Lady Eddison, the Colonel, and all the staff. What about them?" Donna asked looking up at us as I rocked Fay gently, her little eyes closing for another nap. "Shameful story. They'd never talk of it. Too British. While the Unicorn does a bunk back to London town. She can never even say she was there." I explained to Donna who frowned, "What happens to Agatha?" She asked us, "Oh, great life. Met another man, married again. Saw the world. Wrote and wrote and wrote." He smiled, "She never thought her books were any good, though. And she must have spent all those years wondering."

"The thing is, I don't think she ever quite forgot. Great mind like that, some of the details kept bleeding through. All the stuff her imagination could use. Like, Miss Marple." Theta explained as we entered the Tardis. "I should have made her sign a contract." Donna huffed dramatically causing me to snort. Theta makes his way over to the console, pulling open the bottom grating. "And, where is it, where is it, hold on. Here we go." He pulls up a deck plate and gets out an old wooden chest.

"C. That is C for Cybermen, C for Carrionites," He pulls out a green ball, a head of Caesar... "and Christie, Agatha. Look at that." A 1957 paperback edition of Death in the Clouds with a wasp on the cover. "She did remember." Donna gapped in shock, "Somewhere in the back of her mind, it all lingered. And that's not all. Look at the copyright page." I pointed out to her, "Facsimile edition, published in the year five billion!" She backed up in shock causing me to chuckle at her. "People never stop reading them. She is the best selling novelist of all time." I explained as I gently bounced Fay who was giggling. "But she never knew." Donna looked down sadly, "Well, no one knows how they're going to be remembered. All we can do is hope for the best. Maybe that's what kept her writing. Same thing keeps me travelling. Onwards?"

"Onwards."

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Hey, so I posted an announcement on my page. I have a question/decision if you guys will let me know.

If you guys would like a Face Reveal/Q please let me know and I'll set up a date to go live on Tiktok to answer any questions and talk about my books.

Please let me know.

Next comes River Song.

Oh boy.

Thank you all for the love an support!!!

8,139 Words