Nick followed Charity through the door of the garage into a coat room. She heard a loud voice echoing from the kitchen just beyond the coat room, " I don't care what your form says I don't need fifteen pounds of ground beef, I need the cuts of beef I ordered. How do I feed all the guests with this? This isn't a down home barbeque, do you think this house has barbeques?"
Nick looked over at Charity, " Gaston LaRomanche, he might not be the nicest person to talk to but wait until dinner" she replied.
They walked into the kitchen where a monstrous man in white was towering over a wet delivery boy. He had a great thick beard, fiery hazel eyes, and a massive stomach that proved at least he liked his cooking. " Now you are going to go back to the market you are going to get the right order and I don't care if you have to return in the ark you will have the beef I ordered by 3 or else" he said.
The delivery boy nodded and promptly fled past the group, " Oh no, why are you bringing them in through here" he groaned, " you're going to get water all over my floor."
" Don't worry we'll get Maria down here to mop up" said Krystal.
" Better count the silverware first" grumbled Gaston.
Nick was led through the kitchen and through the grand dining room to the main entry. Descending one of the two massive staircases that led to the second floor was Charity's parents, Daniel and Emily.
Nick had met them once, Daniel was a pushing domineering guy, perfect CEO material, Emily was the perfect rich house wife, quiet, dainty, refined woman who wore tailored clothing expensive jewelry never spoke out of turn and always had a smile on her face. " Welcome to our home" said Daniel, to Robert.
" It is nice to be invited" said Robert, shaking Daniel's hand.
Daniel looked over at Nicole, she was over come with the most powerful sense of feeling very small. Daniel didn't like Nicole, she was barely wealthy enough to attend Kingston Academy, she wasn't wealthy enough to be Charity's friend. But Charity chose her own friends, probably to piss him off. " Welcome" he said.
" Thank you" said Nicole, her best smile on her lips.
" Robert, how I give you a tour of the house?" asked Daniel.
" Thank you very much Mr Witherspoon" said Robert, what an ass, Nick thought.
The pair started off, " Nick, come on you'll get your own tour" said Charity, tugging at her sleeve.
The pair went in the opposite direction of Daniel, Denise and Robert. Charity led Nick through the amazingly huge house. The house really looked cut straight from some Hammer horror film or creepy gothic novel but the alcoves and the rooms were filled with dazzling modern technology and truly hideous modern art. " You certainly have... ah... nice art in here" said Nick, staring at a strange twisting statue in an alcove.
" Yah, that's my mom for you" said Charity, " she thinks this stuff will be valuable in later years. My opinion it will only be valuable to melt down for car bumpers."
Nick giggled a bit and then sneezed hard. " It is getting worse isn't it?" asked Charity.
Nick nodded, " I've lived through worse" she replied.
" Not with my family" Charity said, " come on, let me show you the game room."
Charity led Nick through the twisting turning hallways of the house. Nick knew she was going to get hopelessly lost in here if she strayed two feet from Charity. Charity led her into a beautiful room with several HDTVs hanging from the ceiling, two magnificent mahogany pool tables, a long oak fully stocked bar. The one wall were lined with several floor to ceiling windows that looked out at the sea and the guest house now were obscured with the falling sheets of heavy rain. " Nice" said Nick, " this is the first really nice room I've seen so far."
" Come on, I've saved the best for last" said Charity.
Charity led Nick down the hall and took a right and they were in a study. Bookshelves lined the walls, a large granite fireplace was one side with a massive seven foot tall painting on the wall. " Who is that?" asked Nick, looking up at the regal gentlemen with grey hair and a dignified moustache.
" That is my great grandfather Reginald Witherspoon, the patron saint of the family" said Charity, " at the turn of the century the family was nearly broke but Reginald brought the family around and made boat loads of cash in World War 2. One of the things we received from him was that."
Nick looked over at a glass case next to the large desk in the room. It was a magnificent Egyptian death mask. It was cast in brilliant gold, the eyes glittering emeralds. " Wow" said Nick, " that is beautiful. Who is it?"
" That is Pharaoh Sety III who ruled during the Eighteenth Dynasty" said Daniel, standing in the door way, " he ruled in the 14th century BC. My grandfather sponsored several expeditions to Egypt to unlock the secrets of the past. Those emeralds were called Osiris' Eyes and where the window into the afterlife."
" This is truly beautiful" said Nick.
" Don't get too close" said Charity, " it is cursed."
" Charity" snapped Denise.
" Hey, it is true" said Charity folding her arms, " ever since Reginald brought that into our house, we've had accidents, shall we say."
" Charity" said Daniel in a stern tone.
Charity shrugged, " Okay, but we all know I'm right" she said, " come on Nick, you look like your going to fall over. Let me show you to your room."
The pair exited the study and Nick grabbed Charity. " Tell me" she said.
Nick was a sucker for all kinds of ghost stories and this sounded like a real juicy one. " Not right now" said Charity, " this isn't the best time."
" You believe it don't you" said Nick.
" It isn't that" she replied.
" Fess up" said Nick, grabbing Charity's shoulder, " you guys don't have some kind of mummy in the basement who is going to rise up and start chasing Abbott and Costello around hungry for brains?"
" No" said Charity.
The pair rounded a corner and were confronted by an old woman. Old wasn't a good word for her, she was stooped, hobbling on a cane, her skin was wrinkles and her body withered. The only thing about her that was still lively were her green eyes that still shined bright like Charity's. " Who are you?" the old crone asked in a shaking voice.
" Grandma Edith this is..." said Charity.
" Was I talking to you?" she snapped.
" I am Nicole Fairfax" said Nick, " I am a guest of your granddaughter."
" Hmph" she said, " peasant."
Edith hobbled down the hallway and disappeared around the corner. " That was my grandmother Edith Deveau" said Charity, visibly embarrassed, " she's is almost 90 now. She has been getting a little off in the head lately."
" She is certainly interesting" said Nick.
Nick leaned in close, " I bet she is the mummy in the basement" she whispered.

Nick followed Charity up the stairs and again up another flight of stairs. Charity led Nick down a long hall until she came to a half open door. She pushed it all the way open and swept her arms back. " This is your room" said Charity.
Nick looked in awe at the thing, " You're bloody kidding me" said Nick, " this is as big as my living room."
" We have the space" said Charity, " and it is far enough away from my mother so she won't find out about Jinx. Now if you excuse me, I have to get my ass chewed off. So get comfy and I'll be back before dinner."
" See ya" Nick said waving bye.
Nick closed the door and set her satchel on the bed. Jinx pushed the flap up with her head and survey the room. " Come out" said Nick, " stretch your legs."
Jinx slowly climbed out of the satchel and meowed. " Tell me about it" said Nick.
She looked up at the large painting above her bed. It was of a chubby man with a red face smiling, he must be another relative of Charity's, thought Nick.
Nick looked over her shoulder at the bathroom, the tub was calling to her. Nick looked around and saw that her suitcase had been neatly set at the foot of the bed. She grabbed the suitcase and dropped it on the bed with a large hard thump. She lifted the suitcase and put her hand on the mattress. It was hard as a rock, mom was always worrying about my posture, guess this will fix it. Nick took out a change of clothes from her suitcase and started to take off the ones she was wearing that still smelled like the inside of the airplane.
Nick was about to unhook her bra when she turned around at looked at the painting. She was overcome with the strangest sensation that he was leering at her. " Fine, no show for you" said Nick before sticking her tongue out.
She slipped her bathrobe on and walked into the bathroom leaving Jinx to explore their new bedroom.

The bath was just what Nick needed. Her head cleared up and her sinuses became unblocked so she was able to freely breathe through her nose. She knew precisely why Charity insisted on going to school in San Francisco now, she couldn't get much further away from this place and her family. There was an oppressive air about the entire house, years of tradition and wealth made the house feel cold. Nick thanked the fates that she loved her mother so much and for their good relationship, it must suck living in this family.
Nick was starting to fall asleep in the warm water listening to the rhythmic sounds of the rain outside when she heard the door open. " I'm in the tub" Nick called out.
Charity sulked in, " That bad?" asked Nick.
" Oh I'm just cheeky" said Charity, " you look better."
" Warm bath cures all" said Nick. " I brought us some tea to tide us over until dinner" she said, " that is if you can drag yourself out of the tub."
" Okay, okay" said Nick, " be that way."
Nick reluctantly climbed out and dried off. She slipped her clothes on and joined Charity at the table next to the window to have their tea. " So tell me all about this curse" said Nick after enjoying her first sip of warm tea.
" Okay" said Charity, " in 1921 an expedition my grandfather sponsored for the New York Metropolitan Museum of History went to Egypt to dig for loot. It didn't go well for them, to tell the truth it was a total flop. They were almost going to give up and admit defeat and the last night they saw something glittering in the firelight. It was the mask sitting in the sand staring at them with those creepy eyes. They found the burial of Pharaoh Steve or whatever.
" After my great grandfather got the mask, his brother went insane and killed his mistress and himself in this very house. About ten years later a dinner guest was found dead in the study at the foot of the mask's pedestal. Another cousin was murdered in a cheap dive in New York and we later learned he was planning to steal the mask on his next visit. Ten years after that my great aunt drove her car into a tree, another ten and another cousin dies in a rather shady suicide. Every ten years it seems something awful happens to this family and we've just rolled into another ten."
" I'd say the money is a bigger curse than the mask" said Nick, " money makes people do strange things."
" Yah, that is the other problem" said Charity, " mom told me that Grandma Edith called the entire family in, something about her will."
" Her will?" asked Nick.
" She is the oldest living member of my mother's family, the Deveaus" said Charity, " she controls their fortune, a lot of my money grubbing relatives are really keen to get their hands on it, if she ever dies."
" Your family needs more money?" laughed Nick.
" My dad's fortune is primarily tied up in our many businesses" said Charity, " my grandmother's money is totally liquid, that is pure spending money."
" Interesting" said Nick enjoying her tea.
" So you get to meet the wide range of my family" said Charity, " let me apologize in advance."
Nick smiled, " Thanks, and by the way who the guy over my bed?"
" Great Uncle Joseph" said Charity, " married a Vegas Showgirl who was 19 when he was 60. He was certainly the ladies man."
" Explains the leer" said Nick.
" You know, all the women who stay here say the same thing" said Charity, " guess I've never noticed it."
" You've never taken your clothes off in here" said Nick.
" Sorry for that too, we need all the other guest bedrooms for my family" said Charity, " not family, you get a crappy bedroom."
" I've been in worse" said Nick, " so when is dinner?"
" In about an hour" said Charity, " the food here is about the only decent thing here."
" Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on your family" said Nick, " might make things easier?"
Charity scoffed, " You're lucky, you and your mom are best friends" said Charity, " I am not even from the same world as my parents."
" Well I'm here to help" said Nick, " come on, I want to try those pool tables out."
" Okay" said Charity, " let's go."
With their tea finished the pair left, Nick making sure to tell Jinx to be a good girl and they made their way down to the entertainment room. They started playing their first game when a woman entered. Charity looked up from her shot and nearly dropped her pool cue. " Aunt Juliette?" she asked her eyes wide and her mouth slack.
" You've really grown up" she said.
Charity dropped her cue and ran over to the woman. Charity gave Juliette a big hug, " Wow, I haven't seen you in so long" said Charity, " I thought you were still traveling?"
" Not any more, I'm living in New York right now, if you ever came home you'd know" she said, " who is your friend?"
Charity turned, " That is my pal Nick Fairfax from San Francisco" she said, " Nick, this is my Aunt Juliette Deveau, the original Black Sheep of the family."
Aunt Juliette looked a lot like Charity, it was like looking at Charity in ten years when she grew up, if she actually grew up. " Grandma Edith called you here too?" asked Charity.
" She did" said Juliette, " your Aunt Clarice and Uncle John are coming up tomorrow as are your brother and sister from Hannover. You know your father is still upset you didn't go to the private school where six generations of Witherspoons have gone."
" My brother and two sisters are humoring him" said Charity, " I want to be my own person, not just another Witherspoon."
" Good girl" said Juliette, patting Charity on the head, " I'll see you at dinner then."
Juliette turned and let Charity return to her game of pool. " I didn't know you had an Aunt Juliette" said Nick.
" I didn't either until about five years ago when my grandfather died" said Charity, " when she graduated from high school she didn't go to college or marry into a respectable family. She took off and spent the last twenty odd years traveling the world."
" No wonder you two look so much alike" said Nick, " and I finally get to meet your other siblings, my, my this will be a truly exciting weekend."
Charity looked at Nick, and playfully poked her with the pool cue, " I look forward to meeting the rest of your family someday" said Charity, " then I can be sarcastic."
" You're just jealous you can't say the same" said Nick.
The pair played pool into the evening until Graham came into the room and informed them it was dinner time. Charity led Nick across the house into a grand dining room. It was a spectacular room, a long hand carved table dominated the center of the room, but the most dominating feature was an old picture hanging over the roaring fireplace. It was of a man, clad in medieval style clothing, standing on the battlements of a castle looking out at the south coast of England. Charity and Nick sat down at their assigned places. They figured it out from the small place cards set on top of each plate.
Nick sat and surveyed the horror before her. There were four forks, two spoons, two knives, and two different glasses. She had no clue what any of them meant, she was use to eating out of a Chinese food box with any fork she found in the drawer. " Ah Charity" Nick whispered motioning to the spread of silverware before her, " what is this?"
" Just follow my lead" said Charity, " it has been awhile but I think I know what I am doing."
" This isn't like the time you dragged me up on the Double Black Diamond at Aspen is it?" asked Nick.
" Not exactly" said Charity, " here we only break your fingers, not legs."
Denise and Robert sat across the table from them, Daniel sat at the head of the table with his wife to his left, Aunt Juliette to his right. Grandma Edith slowly made her way to the opposite end of the table and a new man sat to her left. " Who is that?" asked Nick.
" Good question" said Charity, " I have no clue."
The man was going bald in a hurry, despite the several hair products he used that turned his hair quiet shiny. His suit looked top shelf, he had a Phi Beta Kappa tie clip, and a sly look in his eye. Lawyer, no other profession put that look in your eye. He was looking for an opening everywhere. His eyes looked directly at Juliette who gave him a cold hard stare in return. He immediately looked at his plate, and Juliette had a proud smile on her face.
From over Daniel's shoulder the first course was carried in by Krystal and a very attractive Hispanic girl who Charity had mentioned she was Marie Trujillo the maid. They first carried the soup course, it was some sort of tomato based soup which Nick enjoyed a great deal. The salad needed help, it was more vegetables than it was actual lettuce and the dressing was over powering vinaigrette. By this point it was full meal for Nick but the main course came out. It was beef medallions, they looked great. As Nick started into her main course she was amazed that nobody spoke during the entire meal. People ate and drank but nobody spoke. Nick loved good conversation with a good meal but no way was she going to start the conversation.
The main course was over, Nick was about to explode with all this good food when desert and coffee came out. It was fresh pie, Nick couldn't stand to eat another bite but it looked so good she couldn't resist. Finally with the last of the plates being removed Daniel finally spoke, breaking the strange silent spell over the entire meal. " So Mr Stamhearst, how are you enjoying my home?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.
" This is a wonderful house" said Robert, " may I ask who is the gentleman over the fireplace?"
A smile of joy crossed Daniel's lips, he was about to boast about his family some more. " That is the first Lord Witherspoon" he said, motioning to the picture, " it was painted in the late 15th century but Lord Holmeword Witherspoon who was given the title lord in the 14th century by King Edward the third. The painting also shows his castle in Yorkshire."
Nick tried her best to avoid smirking, he couldn't be more wrong about the location. " Something amusing you?" asked Denise.
" Oh nothing" said Nick, " but it isn't the Yorkshire coast, it is the Sussex Shore near Dover."
" How can you tell?" asked Daniel.
" My mother was born in Sussex, I spent many summers on those beaches" said Nick, " I also know that castle, it belong to the Earl of Sussex and was called Hartley Castle. But that castle wasn't built until 1580. I remember a painting much like this in that castle, I believe his name was Edward Strathmoor, the 12th Earl of Sussex."
Daniel turned red, and looked at his coffee. Nick felt the size gap between him and her suddenly shrink. " It is still a very nice picture" Nick commented.
Charity was beaming, nobody else had every done that to her father in her presence. She always knew Nick was clever but this topped them all.

Dinner was over, Nick and Charity went back to Nick's room and found Jinx fast asleep on the pillows of the bed. " Good job tonight" said Charity, " I doubt my father is going to consider you an uncultured peasant anymore."
" It was nothing" said Nick.
" We've had that painting for years and nobody had ever noticed what you picked up" said Charity, " you really have a gift for solving mysteries."
" And speaking of mysteries I want to finish the Case of Raven Hill" said Nick.
" Me too" said Charity, " we can compare killers tomorrow morning. Night."
Charity exited from Nick's room and closed the door. Nick opened her suitcase and took her blue silk pajamas with white polka dots out. She lazily changed into them, trying not to look up at Great Uncle Joseph's leer, and crawled into bed.
It took her several minutes of shifting the pillows, sheets, Jinx, and herself around until she finally made herself comfortable. She took her manga, note book and pen off the nightstand. She opened up her manga and absorbed herself in the mystery.

Nick read and made little notes as Rei and her partner Saya Miyamoto invested the murders in the snowed in hotel until she reached the last chapter, the name Koji Seito written and circled at the bottom of the notes. That was who Nick knew was the killer. She wanted to read the last chapter, she always had this same fight with herself with each volume she read. But her common sense over road her enthusiasm when she told herself it was always much more fun to watch Charity's expression when she read it and learned she had gotten it wrong. Nick put her Fairfax Books bookmark in and set manga, notebook, and Hello Kitty pen on the nightstand and set her glasses on top of the entire thing. She rearranged her pillows and had just put her head down when she heard a loud creak from a floor board in front of her door. Nick sat up and wondered who it was. She laid very still for a time, she could almost hear breathing from the other side of the door. She wanted to simply write it off as her imagination, the gloomy house was creating ghosts in her mind. She rolled over and was about to comment on her ghost to Jinx when the door knob suddenly bounced as if a stray hand had struck it.
Nick heard the board creak once again, she wasn't imagining things. Nick leapt to her bare feet and hurried across the cold hardwood floor. She flung the door open and saw a figure wrapped in black hurrying down the hall.