Nick's flashlight illuminated the tight passage. The air inside was stale and thick, guess the maid didn't clean these often. Nick took her first step inside the passage, each footfall created a small cloud of dust. Nick immediately sneezed and sneezed hard. She dug through her pockets and found a Kleenex which she blew her nose with before continuing on. The passage was narrow and short, luckily Nick was both narrow and short and found it easy to walk down the passage.
Nick rounded a corner and was consumed by the darkness of the passage. Only her little Mag-Light offered any illumination. Nick stopped herself and wondered if she should go back and fetch Charity. She decided just to have a quick look to the end of the next corner and then go. She swept the passage looking for anything that out of the ordinary, except for she was in a secret passage in a big creepy mansion. She expected to see eye holes in the walls that would connect to paintings in other rooms, that was a standard for creepy secret passages in the movies.
Nick was nearing the end of this section of the passage. The close quarters of the passage was starting to get to her, her heart was beating faster and faster, her throat was tight, her head was swimming with all sorts of bizarre scenarios of what these passages were for and who was lurking through them. She started to have second thoughts which had started half way down the passage but as she came to the next corner it was all but physically dragging her back. She decided this was too much and turned around.

Before Nick could take a single step something hit her, it was hard and round. Bright stars glittered across her eyes and her mouth was filled with a sharp metallic taste. She hit the dusty ground, her lungs inhaling great volumes of the thick dust making her cough and wheeze desperately to clear her lungs. She faintly heard footsteps in between her desperate gasps, and the thunderous pounding in her head.
It hurt, it hurt bad almost as bad as her last snowboard accident. She just prayed her skull was still intact. She reached up and touched her head. there was a lump already starting to grow. It was dry, that was good there was no blood but it didn't stop it from hurting like absolute hell. Nick slowly groped for a handhold to order to steady herself. She continued to grope and stumbled the walls were totally smooth, excellent construction. Finally Nick found something and gripped on for all her might.
Nick heard a loud click and felt herself tumbling into blinding painful daylight.

Candice was coming out of the shower when she saw Nick stumble out of the wall. She stumbled about and flopped on her back. She was holding her head and it was obvious she was in pain. Candice hurried over and helped Nick onto her bed.

Charity pushed Nick's door open and saw Jinx sitting alone on the bed. The next thing she saw was the open section of the wall. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, she had heard the rumors about secret passages in the house but always thought it was just part of living in a big mansion like this. Charity flipped Nick's satchel open and found her blue Mag-Light was gone. Charity knew she had gone in, and with a killer on the loose she might be in problem. Charity looked at Jinx, creepy mansion, killer on the loose, no Nick was definitely in trouble. Charity rushed into the passage and rounded the corner. She saw another opening half way down. She poked her head in and saw Nick laying in Candice's bed with a big bag of ice on her forehead. " NICK!" Charity shouted flying out of the passage.
Nick winced, at least she wasn't dead. " Are you okay?" asked Charity.
" I'll be fine the minute you stop screaming" said Nick.
" What happened?" asked Charity.
" I got hit over the head in the passageway, I am betting it was Colonel Mustard with the Candlestick" said Nick.
Nick despite thinking her head was going to explode was feeling so much better with the nice on her head and Nurse Candice reassuring her it wasn't a concussion. " Nice to hear you are okay" said Charity, " how did you find it?"
" Jinxie" said Nick, " she was freaking out, I pushed on the wall, something clicked and I found the secret passage. Since when did you have these?"
" I never knew" said Charity.
Candice and the entire family appeared in the doorway. " What happened?" asked Daniel.
" She found that secret passage and somebody hit her on the head" said Charity, " maybe the same somebody that killed Edith."
" The killer is still here?" asked Emily in terror.
" Who else would hit her over the head?" asked Candice.
" Impossible, the sheriff said the killer has fled" said Daniel.
" You think the sheriff can find his ass with both hands and a flashlight?" asked Juliette.
" How should I know, not like I consort with criminals?" said Daniel angrily.
" No but you paid to have him elected" said Juliette.
" I don't need that tone from you" said Daniel, rage bubbling in his voice.
" What if the killer wants to kill us all?" asked Leigh, her voice nothing but a nervous squeak.
Everyone began to shout and babble at each other, blame was being tossed around like a football. " The killer is here" said Nick in a soft voice.
That was enough to shut everybody up, " What?" asked Juliette.
" The killer is one of you" said Nick, one eye still covered by the ice bag, " the killer knew about the secret passages, Edith Duce was not murdered because of the robbery, nobody steals something like that mask, it is impossible to sell. So that leaves someone who was angry at her for changing her will."
Everybody got indignant and stormed off in a dozen different directions. " You really think so?" asked Candice.
" There is no other reason" said Nick, " she had to go before the will could be finalized Monday morning. Now that she is dead the lawyers can contest it and in a few short years the money will go to the family."
" Are you sure?" asked Charity, " granted my family are not exactly destined for family of the year but murder? Is that bit serious?"
Nick gave her the not amused look, " You really believe somebody broke in to steal the mask and killed Edith on accident?"
" I guess it is just hard when it is your family" said Charity, " but you are right. Aunt Candice where you with Uncle John last night?"
Candice looked at her painted toe nails, " I was on the phone with my sister in Dallas" she said rather embarrassed, " there are difficulties between us."
" So he wasn't here?" asked Nick.
" We tried to... you know... make love but it wasn't clicking so he stormed off and I called my sis to complain about it" said Candice, " I didn't see him until we all went to the study after the alarm went off."
Candice took a breath, " I mean it was so amazing when we first got together, morning, noon, all night. He couldn't stay off me, not that I wanted him off me. But in the last year with him becoming more and more involved with the nightclubs, I spend more time with my silver vibrator than I do with him."
" Thanks you" said Nick, Candice certainly like giving out way too much information about herself, " come on Charity, we have work to do."
" Oh no you don't" said Charity, " you aren't going back into that passage."
" There is no way he is going to keep lurking in there" said Nick, " but that isn't what I want to do, I want to start talking to your family."
" Nobody has ever been in those passages... you want to what?" asked Charity.
" I want to push a few buttons" said Nick, getting up, " I need you to help me. Not like you have any bridges to burn here."
Charity put her arm around Nick, " I'll help you burn yours then" she said.

First stop was of course to Daniel, who was storming about his private business room on the top floor. Nick was impressed by the room, a huge domed skylight which on days when it wasn't completely cloudy, two fish tanks in the walls, the desk that filled the center of the room probably cost more than Nick and her mom's townhouse. " What is she doing here? Come to make more ridiculous slanders about my family?" he scoffed.
" I don't believe you are a stupid man Mr Witherspoon" said Nick, " a stupid man could manage a fortune like this and make it prosper. Now where were you last night?"
" I was here" said Daniel, " what of it."
" Can anyone verify that?" asked Nick.
" I was alone, why I was is none of your business" said Daniel.
" You and Emily were arguing about money, I understand" said Nick, " place like this must cost a large fortune, keeping it must be difficult."
" She wants to keep buying those horrid sculptures" he said, looking up at the sky light, " she keeps thinking the stock market never took that turn. Last night was bad, she had been counting on her share of her mother's money. I took as much of her whining as I could before coming up here. I was here until the alarm went off. I was working, you can check with my office on Monday to see that I was."
" Certainly" said Nick, " thank you for your cooperation."
Daniel turned away and stopped acknowledging them. They knew when it was time to flee. They both left and closed the door behind them. Nick removed her now bag of lukewarm water and let Charity inspect her wound. " Nice lump" she said, " what do you think did it?"
" Flashlight" said Nick, " you would have to have one in your hand if you were in that passage way. It was metallic and cold and hurt like hell."
" You want some lunch?" asked Charity, " all this worrying about you has made me hungry."
" Fair enough" said Nick, " I can question the cook while we are at it."
The pair started for the kitchen, " You seem to be enjoying yourself" said Charity, " even after that bump you seem excited."
" I can't help it, I come a rich history of investigators" said Nick, " mom has always said I had my grandfather's eyes."
The pair entered the kitchen where Krystal, Juliette, and Gaston stood about in the kitchen. " Hello" said Krystal, " how is the head?"
" Cheeky" said Nick, " if none of you would mind I would like to ask you where you were last night?"
" I was in the garage ordering parts for Mr Witherspoon's Mercedes CLK" said Krystal, " I put the orders in, went to my room and was about to change into my nightgown when the alarm went off. I saw Graham and Maria coming out of their rooms and we were on the other side of house at the time."
" I was in my room asleep" said Juliette, " not much of an alibi huh."
" Its quiet all right" said Nick.
Gaston didn't answer, he just kept working at tonight's dinner. " Gaston?" asked Nick.
" Hrmph" he grumbled his beard shaking, " what makes you think I killed her? She never complained about my cooking."
" True, I doubt he could fit down the passage" said Nick.
Gaston grumbled more under his breath before moving his massive girth further into the kitchen. " What makes you so interested in this?" asked Krystal.
" I grew up on stories of my grandfather" said Nick, " I always have wanted to see if I could do what my grandfather did."
" Wait, your grandfather wasn't Nicholas Fairfax was he?" asked Juliette.
" Yes, he was" said Nick, beaming with pride.
" Who?" asked Krystal.
" Inspector Nicholas Fairfax was a famous detective for Scotland Yard in the 60s and 70s" said Juliette, " I remember reading about the Brickston Vicarage Murders and how he solved the entire thing by seeing mud on the killer's shoes."

Nick's grandfather was a famous detective in Great Britain. His career spanned from the 1950s all the way until his retirement in 1986. His most spectacular years were during the famous Swinging 60s and the Decadent 70s solving several high profile and seemingly unsolvable mysteries with a skill second only to Sherlock Holmes. Some people, Charity being one of the more focal, thought she had inherited her grandfather's keen senses.

" Excuse me ladies" came a dark gravely voice.
They all turned and saw a tall rain soaked man stood in the coat room. " Yes Edwards?" asked Juliette.
" I'm afraid the bridge has been washed out in the rain" said Lucas Edwards his voice sounding like rolls of thunder, " Sheriff Davis and his men will be delayed in returning while they setup a temporary bridge."
" Very good Edwards" said Juliette, " I shall tell Ms Witherspoon."
" We'll tell her" said Charity, tugging at Nick's shelve, " come on."
Charity led Nick out of the kitchen and into the hall. " Who is he?" asked Nick.
" That is Lucas Edwards, he has been a butler here since my grandfather was running the place" she replied, " and yes he has always been that creepy."
" He is a good fit for the house" said Nick.
The pair climbed all three flights of stairs and went into Emily's study.

Emily's study was filled to the seams with her favorite pieces of art. Nick thought the stuff in the rest of the house was ugly but the stuff that was kept in the study was even uglier. Maybe she isn't keeping here because she likes it but because it is so damned ugly thought Nick. Emily was swirling paint on a large canvas. " Mom" said Charity.
Emily turned, " Oh hello Charity, and hello Nick" she said.
" Edwards said the bridge was washed out" said Charity.
" Hm" she said, " too bad, the killer will still be here."
" Speaking of that" said Nick, " where were you last night?"
Emily almost dropped her brush, the look of indignation on her face was very real. " How dare you" she said, " I will not take these accusations from a low born person such as yourself, how dare you."
" Mother!" shouted Charity, very upset with her mother.
" This is all your fault" Emily snapped at her daughter, " you brought this girl into my home, is this what they teach you at the school? You are an embarrassment to the family, why can't you be more like your brother and sister?"
" My fault? I'm not the one who pissed Edith off so she changed her will which made somebody hit her over the head" said Charity.
Nick's head was throbbing just from the blood pumping through her skull. " ENOUGH!" she shouted, " just shut the bloody hell up."
Both women immediately realizing they both had gone too far. They quietly apologized, " Did you see or hear anything last night?" asked Nick.
" I had Lucas bring me up some herbal tea shortly before the alarm went off" said Emily, " I was in bed reading at the time and needed to relax."
" Thank you" said Nick, " sorry to have upset you."
" This whole situation has been very taxing" said Emily, putting her hand to her forehead, " to even think one of my relatives could be capable of such a thing."
" We never know what we are capable of until the scenario presents itself" said Nick, " sorry to have bothered you."
The pair started to leave when Emily spoke up. " Have you questioned Maria?" asked Emily, " I don't trust that one, she always seem to be sneaking about. I bet she will have some answers for you."
Nick smiled and slightly nodded before leaving. Of course not it couldn't be family, blame the help. But the help often do see more than anyone else. She would be an excellent person to question but it would soon be dinner. Nick wanted a bath before, she felt dirty from laying in that passageway. The pair parted company at Nick's door and Nick went inside.
Jinx was fast asleep in Nick's suitcase. Lucky cat, Nick thought, not a care in the world, no killer ever kills a cat. Nick took her clothes off and went into the bathroom. She looked at her new red shiny lump in her hair line while the tub filled. It was stupid of her to go wandering down that passageway alone, but it was such a thrill. Next time she was going to share it with Charity for certain.
Nick stopped looking at herself in the mirror and turned her attention to the passageway door that was still open in her room. She walked over and closed it. She took a step back and grabbed the sturdy chair from the desk and wedged it against the wall. That would keep them out.

Charity sat on her bed and looked at her room. This was all so foreign to her, she was much more at home in San Francisco. She was still almost bewildered by the murder, but she knew Nick could do it, she wasn't sure why but there was something in her telling her it was possible. Charity slowly got up to change before dinner when she heard the distinct voice of her sister echoing down the hall, and she was not happy.
Charity slipped her shoes off and snuck into the hall on socking feet. Charity crept down the hall and peeked through the door.
Denise was pacing about the room smoking in her underwear, Robert was in bed. " God what a fucking mess" said Denise, " that old bitch had to change the will, god this is so fucked up."
" Calm down" said Robert, " she is dead now, she can't sign a will when she is in a coffin."
Charity took a deep breath, god her sister didn't, no way she killed Edith. " Yah but now all that money is going to be stuck in court until I am old as her" said Denise, " now how am I supposed put in my share of the spa start up money? We needed that money to start the spa. I can't tell my friends that the deal is off because I can't come up with the money. They look to me as the rich one."
" Can't you just ask your dad for the money?" asked Robert.
Denise laughed that nasty short little laugh that she freely dealt to those she thought were less than her, " My father?" she laughed, " my father wouldn't give me a dime, especially for something like a spa. If Charity would ask I bet Dad would because that is what he would expect from her."
" Maybe ask her?" suggested Robert.
Denise laughed some more, " I doubt she would even hear me out" she said, " get up it is almost dinner time."
Charity retreated down the hall, she was constantly wondering about her sister. She certain had the temper and after hearing that the motive, but she was despite all of Charity's best efforts was still her sister.
Charity dressed debating whether or not to tell Nick. As she started down the stairs for dinner she had decided to tell Nick, she would keep it close to her vest until she had more information. Charity knew the only person she could genuinely trust in this house now was Nick and Nick alone.