A True Done It : Part Three

A True Done It
Part Three
Finale

The lights flickered on. Everyone was standing stock still. The head caterer made his way to the kitchen and came back out a few minutes later with the Saloon Girl back into the main room. She looked stricken, even behind her golden yellow satin mask.

“It was the house cat,” said the head caterer. “It has been murdered.”
“Well, I think we should all go ahead and unmask so we can discuss what we should do next,” said the Witch King.

With the masks away, we all revealed our true selves, blinking as though the masks had cast some sort of dark glamour from which we were all being awakened. My counselor was standing next to me and Vi.

“Some party Aslinn…I did not expect dinner and a show,” he said in his soft southern voice.
“I didn’t plan this,” I said to him. “We had planned a little hide and scream, but not this.” Eric Lover was looking around, counting the faces of her friends.
“Are we all here dearest?” asked the lead counselor.
“I think so,” she said, still looking around.
“Someone is missing,” said the lady counselor.
“Who?” asked Dude.
“The Ghost,” said the young counselor. “Where’s the Ghost?” We all looked around and did not see the Classic Ghost in his sheet with eyeholes.

“Damn!” swore the lead counselor. “Everyone split up, go with a counselor and search the house.” He turned to God Speed. “What is on the third floor?”
“The caretaker’s apartment,” said God Speed. “The cat lived up there but roamed around the house through the cat door. The caretaker has been gone all this week.”
“How did the cat die?” asked Westexan.
“Let’s find out,” said our counselor. We followed the counselors into the kitchen. Nia was on tippy toes to look at the little corpse. Iluvtheviking and Linzy and Hoyt were peering over shoulders. God Speed, Dude and Mrs. GS were squatted down looking at the little victim. Mrs. GS touched it's paws and stomach. She looked up at the lady counselor who was inspecting the cat herself.
“It’s cold,” said Mrs. GS. “When was it last seen?”
“I swatted at it about an hour ago. It took a swipe at me, tried to snag my stocking and I was complaining to…” said Iluvtheviking.
“Complaining to whom?” asked the lead counselor.
“The Ghost,” she said simply.

After a few minutes discussion, we broke into groups. One group went into the control room with the camera bank. Westexan, Nia, Lina and Hoyt along with the young counselor went in there, to watch the monitors. God Speed growled scowled a little at that. Liz, True Blood Fan, Mrs. God Speed and the Dude went with the lady counselor. Eric Lover, Iluvtheviking, Minnie and God Speed went with the lead counselor. Renee, Vi, Linzy and myself went with my counselor.
We took advantage of the hidden passageways and headed off to explore the mansion. The group with the lead counselor went to the basement where we had held our meeting.
“Hey,” said Eric Lover, tugging on the lead counselor’s sleeve. “If he was down here and then came back up, we would know it.”
“How do you mean lover?” asked the lead counselor.
“The floors down here are really dusty. We had to take special care about wiping our feet when we came back up so we didn’t track the dust up to the polished floors,” she explained.
“Is there another way up?” he asked.
“Yes, up the hidden stairs, the servant’s stairs,” said Eric Lover, pointing to the narrow wooden door.
“Come on then, dearest,” said the lead counselor, taking her hand in his.

“So, who is the Ghost, anyway?” I asked my counselor as we edged our way through the hidden torture chamber behind the fireplace. I could make out the dentist chair in the dim lights and the trays of torture implements in the table beside it.
“You would recognize him right away if you saw him,” said my counselor.
“Like we recognize you?” I asked.
“Yes, only more so,” he said.
“Is he dangerous?” I asked.
“He can be. That is why one of us is with you,” he said. “We will not allow any of you to be harmed.”
“I know,” I said.

The lady counselor was still in the kitchen with her group, still looking around. She took a minute step back and something clinked at her feet. Dude bent down and picked up a bottle.
“Some of your special refreshment,” said Dude, showing the tall blond the bottle.
“I take it you were taking special care of disposing of these?” she asked.
“Yes, GS was putting them back into the cases so we could just carry them away with us to dispose of at his house,” explained Dude.
“There are several bottles over here,” said Mrs. GS.
“Well, so much for housekeeping,” said the lady counselor.

“There is Aslinn, Liz and Vi with their group,” said Westexan.
“This is boring,” said the young counselor. “I want to go out there.”
“We better stay here,” said Hoyt.
“We could go out there and hunt ourselves, Hoyt,” said the young counselor. “Are there any places the counselors aren’t going?”
“There is a small storage room right off from the caretaker’s apartment,” said Westexan.
“Let’s go Hoyt, let’s go look,” she said, grabbing Hoyt’s wrist. She had him up and out before they could protest.

Westexan pushed the little button marked “mic” and announced over the intercom that the counselor in training and Hoyt were on the move.
“Damn,” swore my counselor under his breath. His eyes peered into the darkened stair way we were in.
“What do we do?” asked Renee.
“C’mon Westexan, tell us where they are,” I said, almost praying.

“I am losing patience with that undisciplined child,” said the lead counselor.
“Wonder where they are,” said God Speed, keeping his voice even. He didn’t like to hear anyone bad mouth his little redheaded counselor. “The camera is right there,” he said. He stepped out in front of it and shrugged his shoulders, pantomiming a question.
“I’m so daft,” said Westexan. “They have gone up to the storage room.”

Everyone began to move to the attic and the storage room. They met on the third floor, counselors and group members together. The lead counselor went to the door, seemed to listen for a moment, then turned the knob and opened the door. Carefully we all stepped through it.
Hoyt and the young counselor were on the couch, locked in a rather passionate embrace on a couch covered in a dust sheet. There were other pieces of furniture draped in dust sheets as well. The couple on the couch was for the moment oblivious to us.
“Find anything you two?” asked the lead counselor, his arms crossed in front of him. The two some jumped up and straightened their clothes and looked a little sheepish.
“Actually, we just got up here,” said the young counselor.
“You and I will discuss this further,” said her guardian tersely. She simply rolled her eyes.
“Did you not hear Westexan on the intercom?” asked the lady counselor.
“No, I was distracted,” she said.
“There are no speakers up here for the intercom,” said GS.
“Heightened senses are a part of our condition,” said her guardian. “She would have heard it had she been paying attention.”
“Well, that is neither here nor there,” said True Blood Fan. “Is the Ghost up here?”

“Here he is,” said the lady counselor. She pulled the sheet off the large enshrouded lump. “What are you doing up here?”
“I’m sorry ma’am. I’m sorry Mr. E., terrible sorry,” he said, looking up at the lead counselor. I didn’t know what to make of the usually stoic counselor’s face. He seemed to be somewhere between a wide mouth laugh and fury. Whatever it was, he killed it quickly.
“Did you kill that cat downstairs?” asked the lead counselor.
“Well, I tried to do as you said, be still, drink Tru:Blood and enjoy the party but one of them pretty gals said I could have it,” said the Ghost.
“What exactly did she say?” asked my counselor.
“Well, the varmint had been after her stockings and she was smoothing them out and checking them for holes and she said she would be much obliged if I sent that cat to Kitty Cat heaven, so I figured it would be alright,” said the most famous face in music history.
“Well, the party is over,” said my counselor to the King of Rock and Roll. “Apologize to these folks.”
“I….I’m sorry,” he stuttered in his soft Mississippi accent.
“It’s okay,” I said, a little star struck.
“Thank ya…thank ya ver’ much,” said the man from Memphis.

The Counselors led their errant companion out of the house and onto the porch. The lead counselor turned to us.
“We had a lovely time, thank you for inviting us to your fete,” said the lead counselor.
“Do you have to travel far for your accommodations?” asked Nia.
“Not far. We will get there with time to spare. Be careful on your way home. I fully expect to you to be at group Wednesday,” said the lead counselor.
“What will you do about the cat?” asked the lady counselor.
“I haven’t the foggiest,” I said.
“Give them this card,” said the lead counselor. “Tell them to call this number and we will discuss restitution.”
“I will,” I said. The lead counselor went over and kissed Lina and Linzy and Eric Lover, then stopped in front of me.
“Good night Aslinn,” he said, barely touching my cheek with his lips.
“Happy Halloween,” I said. My counselor came up and kissed Liz and Nia and Vi on the cheeks and then stopped in front of me.
“I will see you on Tuesday night sweetheart?” he asked.
“You bet,” I said. I felt his lips on the cheek opposite the one the lead counselor kissed. As he turned to leave, I could see Hoyt, Dude and GS speaking to the lady counselor and the young counselor. I looked in the Mercedes and saw the face of the Ghost. He smiled his shy crooked smile and he made the upraised pinkie and thumb sign for ‘I Love You’.

“Well,” said Liz. “It looks like Elvis has just left the building.”