---

---

---

---

Millicent enjoyed her breakfast, admittedly, as she waited. She saw a few people, but didn’t seem to see Ivanna. Then a new face showed up. It was a man this time, but one she hadn’t seen before. Unless there was a mysterious guest that showed up randomly, and he didn’t look like a police officer, so it stood to reason that was Ivanna out of drag.

She, or he, looked so….normal? Was that good to say? Ivanna was a personality, but this man didn’t look like he sparkled where he walked, but looks could be deceiving. Glam needed a day off too.

Millicent stood up, leaving her breakfast where it was, and approached. ”Excuse me, Ivanna? Or I don’t know your outside-of-stage name. I apologize. Can we talk?”

“Brendan,” He said, smiling slightly as he met eyes with Millicent. “Yes, of course.”

Millicent walked back to her seat, hoping Brendan would follow. Once settled, she continued. ”Nasty business this morning huh? How are you holding up?”

Brendan looked uncertain as he sat down. “I don’t know…it’s weird. I’m trying not to think about it too much but…” He stared down at his food without eating.

Millicent nodded. She could definitely understand. Renee may not have been well known to many of them, but she was still here one moment and gone the next. ”I didn’t know her that well, of course, but still…horrible way to go. Did you know her?”

“No. I mean, not more than anyone else did. We talked once here,” Said Brandon.

”It’s interesting if you think about it. All of us random people called here to win a prize. None of us really knowing the other. Not even the family. Completely random. After all, they said during dinner that the family picks their person to be nominated, so it stands to reason we are all here on one of their whims. And since they have control over it, they know where we would be when we got here in our rooms. And it’s the family home so they would have access to everything. Perhaps leave a little….gift in our rooms.” Millicent looked at Brendan, hoping he understood what she was hinting at.

Brendan adjusted the way he was sitting. He quickly picked up and chugged from his hot chocolate mug, setting it down with force and staring at Millicent for several moments. “Did you get a weird note too?” He whispered finally.

Bingo.

”Yes. And I am working on trying to find out who did that and who knows that information. I believe it has to be a family member or staff because they are the ones who picked us and knew what rooms we would be in. I heard through the grapevine that you are fairly close to Felix. Do you think you could speak to him and find out who nominated whom?” Millicent was happy to have Brendan in on the loop now, but she decided not to tell him everything she knew. Not yet.

“I don’t think he knows exactly,” Said Brendan, “Though…” Brendan looked deep in thought. “Good goddess, I was drunk last night…I barely remember…I…think…he said something about how it’s not just the family nominating people…it’s all pretty fuzzy though. I don’t know how many of you got nominated by the family or not, or who nominated anyone but me.” Brendan took his hand off his fork and moved it to his pocket.

Now, that was interesting. If there were people outside the family that could nominate, that opened things up more. ”I think we should talk to Felix then. I can come with, if it helps. There’s more going on here than I think the lot of us realize. And, if I am being honest and I say this because I trust you Brendan, I don’t think Renee’s death was an accident.”

“You think someone killed her?” Brendan whispered. “Yes. We should talk to Felix again. Maybe he knows more than he wanted to tell me…do you think Felix will tell us anything though? I mean….he was in the rooms the first day, maybe he’s seen something…or if he knows who nominated Renee. Should we talk to him alone or together? Do you know if other people got notes? Did Renee? Did the staff?”

Millicent held a hand up. ”All in due time, Brendan. I do think everyone got some type of note, though I don’t know what they were. I think Felix is our best bet for figuring out who nominated us. And yes, we can go together. I don’t know if he will talk, but we can try.” Milicent didn’t admit that she would do what she could to get this information.

Brendan nodded, looking relieved. It was clear he was glad he didn’t have to go alone to talk to Felix, and it was also clear all the things Millicent had said were weighing on his mind. “Yeah…Felix will want to help. And he’ll know something, he has to know something…”

”Then let’s enjoy our brunch and see about talking to him after.” Millicent didn’t want to dwell too much on Renee at the moment. Hopefully they would be informed later if she was taken care of. If someone in the house did murder her, they would hide it. She made a mental note to talk to the doctor. He had to know if it was an accident or not.

Brendan nodded, smiling a little. “Yeah.”

---

---

---

---

---

It appeared that Millicent wasted no time in trying to get information, or at the very least another thread to pull on. It made Sam feel almost helpless. He was a paranormal investigator, not a regular one. He didn't know how to do this, but he needed to try. For Millicent’s sake, for Renee's sake…for everyone's. He walked past where Constance was sitting, grabbing his plate off the table along with his drink before turning around and heading back towards her, a bee line straight into the seat before her. A part of him had wondered if he should've taken the seat next to her like a confessional at church. Which seemed less suspicious? Which would allow for more hushed conversations? He certainly didn't know.

Sam didn't say anything at first, letting the fact that he'd just sat before her settle in before he decided to scare her off fully. How did he start this conversation? What should he say? What shouldn't he? She could very well be the killer, she seemed the least bothered by it all but then again…Miguel was missing, and it wouldn't make sense for her to have killed Renee unless she truly wanted that prize. His brows furrowed, working hard to try and find an angle that didn't seem to exist yet. No blood on the carpet could be seen. No drag marks. Broken bones common with a bad fall and a blow to the head that could be attributed to the fall. Unless…was Tony covering for her? Maybe she did do it and he noticed something odd with the wound but…no.

Sam let out a sigh before he shoveled in a bite of his Crêpe. Wonderful of Gordan to have made it fresh, horrible that Sam had allowed it to get so cold already. ”Sorry for this morning…I can be a bit of a mess when there's a body around. Bad history you know? How you holding up?” Bad History? Jesus was that really the best he could come up with? Two murders in less than a week and ‘Bad History’ was all the mind could do to try and form a sentence.

---

---

---

---

Constance walked into the lounge and looked over at the selection of food and drinks before her and sighed softly. Not that she had much of an appetite in the morning to begin with, but this morning she had even less of one than usual. She decided to pick out a small cup of fruit and a cup of coffee, and then took a seat and started to pick at the fruit.

She was a bit in her mind as she picked that she almost missed that someone was talking to her. She looked over and blinked as she realized the gentleman that had been wearing the wildly inappropriate outfit to dinner the night before was talking to her, asking her how she was. Drat, had she done a poor job on her make up? Or was he just asking to strike up a conversation?

Maybe this was her chance. To get more information from someone. He even gave her an in. Bad history indeed.

”Ah, bad history is a way to put it. I have that as well. I had my own experience with death far too early in life. I’m holding up as well as one can expect. What about yourself?” She lifted her coffee and took a sip, letting the bitter liquid give her incentive to keep going.

Sam gave Constance a tight lipped smile. ”Honestly? I had a panic attack…fully broke down for a moment but…I'm here, and I can't exactly change that so…” His gaze dropped down to his Orange Juice, spying into it as if it would somehow foretell the coming events. But all it showed back was its yellowish sheen before he finally took a sip.

”Mmmm yes, it does seem for the moment we’re all here, and all stuck inside for the day. I am sorry about your panic attack. Did you have someone to help you through it?” Constance took another sip of her coffee before setting the cup down on its saucer and letting it clink softly. She was curious to his answer, mostly to see if there was someone he already trusted.

”Millicent did. I'm sorry to hear your ‘bad history’ as well. Did you want to talk about it? Or even…this?” Sometimes talking about things made it easier, with time of course. Maybe this would be like that as well?

Constance stiffened for a moment at that and paused, before she took a breath and then spoke. ”I wish I hadn’t been so rude to her. I… we were sharing a bathroom and I blocked her from it yesterday. Before dinner. I judged her for being a teacher. And now… I just wish I could apologize.”

Sam wanted to take her hand in his. He could sympathize with the idea of wanting to apologize to those who departed. His hand reached forward slightly before pausing and coming back to his own side, wedging both his hands between his legs. ”That's…harsh. But maybe I could help? I mean, if you believe in the paranormal at all that is.”

”Ha… I do apologize. However, I have no belief in that. Otherwise I might have spoken to my father ages ago…” Constance felt the color slip from her face as she slipped up. Why had she said that so easily! And brought up her father again for the second time that day. If she kept that up, she was going to try again, and all the make up work, for nothing!

”Hey no need to apologize for that. I mean that’s part of what my channel is…was, um about. To help those that don't believe, believe. Though it helps to have people who are skeptical join in on an investigation so they can see with their own eyes. Funny enough, I started ghost hunting in an attempt to contact a father figure who passed away at a young age too…”]

Constance felt her eyebrow raise a bit at that. ”Was? Do you mean it changed?”

”Its on a hiatus. Wanted to do something big for hitting a milestone on the channel but that takes time so till then, its on pause.” Sam answered before stuffing his face with food once more. fuck Fuck FUck FUCk FUCK!

”Ah, that makes sense. I can relate to doing a ghost hunt for a father figure though. My father passed when I was ten, but well, never got any sign of him lingering. That’s why I’m having a hard time today.” Constance picked up her coffee and took another sip and looked at Sam. She got the sense he was hiding something but wasn’t sure how to bring up the theory she and Tony were working on. She needed something to work with. Anything at all. How could she swing the conversation?

”Well, it may not be your father but…there was a sign of someone lingering today. I think it was Renee.” His voice was low, hushed down enough for only the pair to hear. ”After I went back up, well…Miguel is missing as well. I went to check up on him and he wasn't there. Only a few items missing so either he's roaming about the Château or he's MIA. But one of the item's he took was a spirit box. I thought maybe he was trying to signal me something, so I got my own, albeit a bit more advanced one, and someone came through it. Only one word, but clear as day before it fell silent once more.”

”What did the box say?” Constance lowered her voice as well and leaned in close at that point, and her eyebrows furrowed at that point. Someone else was missing? Miguel… Miguel… Oh! He had been the one to punch Lawrence the first time. First Renee now Miguel? She didn’t like that pattern, and the fact that the two people that had put Lawrence in his place were now dead and missing.

”Murdered”

Well, that confirmed what she and Tony had been talking about earlier… If it had been Renee talking. If Constance was letting herself buy into this spirit talk. ”Sam, I’m going to ask you something, and don’t take this the wrong way. Was there something in your room when you arrived?” She dropped her voice to the lowest whisper she could muster, her eyes meeting his.

Sam looked to his left and right with only his eyes. ”Youre not the first to ask that question. So can I assume you also received your welcome package. It seemed to have a lot of information for us.” He hoped she would understand his meaning. More so he didn't want to involve Millicent's name until he absolutely had to. It wasn't his secret to tell.

Well, that confirmed that theory she and Tony had been working on. Seems that the guests had secrets and someone was using those secrets against them. She lifted her cup and took another sip of her coffee. ”Both Tony and I did. We’re thinking everyone got a lot of information in their welcome package.” She would have to pass on this code to Tony, it was quite handy.

Oooooo Bingo! Maybe Sam wasn't as bad at this sleuthing as he thought he was. It appeared Tony himself also had a few skeletons in his closet then. But how would that connect to his examination earlier? ”So far it seems like it.” Though now he was beginning to feel like the odd man out. He only received a post it note with barely anything on it. Everyone else so far seemed to have some odd string to tug on. Why?

”It seems then, we should all work together. If you know anyone else that got that lovely info in the welcome package, let them know that we should chat later then.” Constance finished her coffee, letting the last bitter notes flood her mouth. So much blackmail, this really was turning into some bloody cliche and she wasn’t enjoying it. Someone had brought her here to make a mockery of her, and she would not stand for it once she found out who.

---

---

---

---

Rhiannon stared after Elizabeth as she walked away. ”Unbelievable!” Having a pompous attitude was one thing but to be annoyed because someone died in your house? What, did something like this already happen to them?

”She is absolutely ridiculous. Let's just go find Eleanor. Which room is hers?” Rhiannon asked the maid.

The grief Rhiannon had felt earlier from Renee's death was quickly turning into rage, and it came across clearly not only in Rhiannon's tone but their body language as well.

---

---

---

Other than Gordan and Juliane, the lounge was just the guests. The pair of them appeared not to be paying any attention to the conversations happening.

---

---

---

---

“I am sorry, mademoiselle, but I cannot let you into the family quarters.” She pauses and looks around, verifying that you are alone. No one else is in the foyer. Olivia climbs the stairs to stand with the pair, looking for Elenore. “The door through the library does not always close properly. Downstairs, into the library, back upstairs, and you will be in the family lounge. Elenore’s room is there, it was added.” She gave a small nod and then went back down the stairs to continue cleaning.

"There is a library? This place is massive.” Ralph shook his head. He wasn’t exactly sure where the library was, but if they had to go downstairs first, it would require them to go through the ballroom again. He started that way, figuring Rih would follow him. He realized they wouldn’t have to go any farther, though, as he spotted Elenore entering the room from the family’s side of the chateau.

"Ah, Elenore. We were looking for you.”

Elenore looked up. She was now dressed in a light dress, and despite wearing heels, they looked more comfortable than normal heels. “Yes, Mr. Eldridge?”

"We want Renee’s contact information so we can let her family know what happened.” Elenore frowned and looked between the two of them.

---

---

---

---

Rhiannon grinned when Olivia gave them quiet instructions to get to the library. They followed Ralph, eager to get some information and answers.

Luckily they came across Eleanor quickly. Rhiannon waited for Eleanor to give them Renee's information but the old witch just stood there frowning at them.

”Seriously? Eleanor, the family deserves to know. Someone died or did you forget that already?” Rhiannon was trying and failing to not get worked up again.

“I am aware,” Elenore says, her voice cold. “I also do not believe that you are the appropriate people to inform someone that their loved one is dead.”

”If anyone here was closer to Renee than Rhiannon I’d be surprised.”

“What was her last name?” Elenore asked Rhiannon. “What city is she from? Other than being a teacher, what do you know about her?”

Rhiannon shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. ”I was the last one to see her alive. To know her rather than what she represents. Are you going to inform the family today? They deserve to know, especially since you made sure no one knows we're here.”

“I will be informing the family. What do you mean that I made sure no one knows you’re here?” Elenore looks confused. “Did you not take time off of work? Did you not tell your family you were traveling?”

”Traveling, yes. To some island off the coast of France? No, because we weren't told in that letter. And we have no way of contacting anyone while here since everything has been down due to that storm. Not to mention the blackmail,” Rhiannon grumbled.

Elenore looked increasingly upset, and when Rhiannon said blackmail her jaw dropped. “Several things, first the letter distinctly said that the event was taking place here at the Chateau. Second, I cannot control the weather. I am sorry that you cannot contact your family and friends, however, there is nothing I can do about that. Lastly, what do you mean by blackmail?”

Ralph shifted, he was frowning. He hadn’t told anyone where he was going either. Yes, he had taken the time off, but he just hadn’t said where he was going or why. Rhiannon hadn’t been there when he had talked with the others about the blackmail, she was being blackmailed too? That was a lot of them, at least four of them now. Half of the people here were being blackmailed for sure.

”Several of us got notes in our rooms when we first arrived. They all hinted at knowing something about us, and our past. Something most of us wouldn’t want other people to know about.”

Rhiannon's eyes widened. Why did they say that? This wished they could pull that statement back. They didn't want to answer a lot of awkward questions, but then Ralph announced he and others were being blackmailed.

”You’re being blackmailed, too? What the hell is going on here?” Rhi asked, turning back to Elenore in anger.

“I do not know anything about this blackmail. Show me.” Elenore seems to be holding back anger of her own at Rhiannon’s rage.

”Ya, like I'm going to show you what I'm being accused of,” Rhiannon said, crossing their arms.

“Then leave me be. I have things to attend to. I will not allow this death to stain this event. You are welcome to do as you may, within reason, be a polite guest.” Elenore turned and went down the stairs to the lower part of the ballroom where there were decorations she had been working on the day prior.

Ralph sighed, ”Come on, lets find Millicent and Sam. I don’t know where Miguel is, but the four of us were talking last night.”

Rhiannon's jaw dropped. Was the event really that important to her that a death wasn't going to stop that freight train of a woman?

Rhiannon huffed and crossed their arms. ”She is unbelievable. I can't believe she still wants to go through with this.” Rhiannon turned to follow Ralph, still upset by this whole situation.

”I think this is the only thing she does,” Ralph said quietly heading into the lounge where mostly everyone else was. His stomach rumbled at the smell of food. He had forgotten and it felt weird to eat right now but others were.

Rhiannon could understand a business-as-usual mentality. Hell, they often felt that way when it came towards her career and getting the job done, but it was Renee. The schoolteacher had gotten to Rhiannon.

Rhi walked into the lounge with Ralph and paused. They looked around the room, taking in the people who were eating and drinking. The thought of functioning normally bothered Rhiannon. They didn’t think they could eat, or that they were supposed to.

---

---

---

---

Finally exiting from his room into the lounge, Tony scanned the room. At one table he saw Constance talking to Sam, and at another he saw the interrogative magician - probably a consequence of his drinking last night, he did not recall her name; M-something? - talking to a man that didn't look familiar. He didn't seem to be family or staff, though. The drag queen, maybe. Besides those two pairings, the only other people that seemed to be present were the couple staff that attended to their breakfast. Where are the rest of the nominees? he wondered. There had certainly been more than this. Maybe they're all still getting ready after the unexpected start to the morning they'd all had?

Heading first to where the staff had laid out their breakfast, Tony poured himself a cup of coffee then requested some crepes from the chef. While he worked, Tony sipped some coffee and considered his next steps. He felt like he was back in school, navigating the politics of which table to sit at in the cafeteria. If he had no agenda, he certainly would have preferred to eat with Constance, for multiple reasons. Besides the obvious, there was the fact that his previous conversation with the magician had been more of a cagey standoff, and he didn't think he'd really spoken to the drag queen at all, yet. But he did have an agenda, so all of those reasons to choose one table were in fact reasons to choose the other. He already had Constance as an ally, and hopefully she was working on finding out if Sam was in the same predicament as them, and could be trusted. Joining their conversation would at best be unproductive, at worst could be counterproductive make him less likely to talk. It would be better to put out feelers with the other pair, and hopefully clear some of the tension between him and the magician. Furthermore, everyone else probably expected him to continue his pattern of focusing his attention on Constance, and that, too, was reason to do the opposite. There are people in this château that know far too much about him already; better to do the unexpected and keep them guessing, whenever possible.

With that decision made, once the chef was done Tony thanked him for the crepes, then approached the pair of nominees. "Hopefully I'm not intruding on your conversation?" he asked as he sat down with his breakfast.

“You can sit,” Said the man, gesturing, both his voice and his mannerisms very Ivanna.

Millicent stared at the new arrival. The good doctor had decided to join them. She wanted to speak to him anyway, but she didn’t necessarily want to do so with Brendan here. She still didn’t trust him. So she nodded her agreement and returned to her breakfast. The sooner they were done, the sooner they could talk to Felix.

Tony ate a bite of his crepes before speaking again. ”So, this morning certainly hasn’t gone how any of us expected. How are you two holding up?”

“It’s a lot to think about,” Ivanna said after a moment, looking sad. “I didn’t really know her but…it’s awful.”

”You don’t expect to wake up to someone dead. Or rather, most people don’t.” She looked at Tony now, uncertainty in her gaze. What did he want?

Tony nodded in agreement. ”Most people indeed. Come to think of it, there have been quite a few things now that most people wouldn’t expect. It makes you wonder,” he added as he took another bite, hoping he had managed the casual nonchalance he intended. How the hell do I bring this up without making it obvious?

Ivanna looked lightly confused. “You mean…this chatitino place itself or…” Ivanna looked like he knew something was being implied, just not what, glancing over to Millicent uncertainly.

Millicent glared at Tony now. He was scurrying around whatever point he was trying to make here. ”I don’t know about that so much. The family is odd, to be sure. Full of homophobes and one-percenters who likely don’t know a day’s work, but otherwise a fairly peaceful vacation. Apart from Renee, of course. Hey, you looked at her body, right? Poor thing probably fell.”

Tony sighed. Ivanna seemed confused - he had no idea what a ‘chatitino’ was - and Millicent’s glare said she was getting annoyed. Subtlety was not working well. They warned me not to talk about it at all. Do I dare to be direct with these people? He glanced around and decided no one else would hear, as long as he wasn’t too loud. He resisted the temptation to shoot a pointed look towards Ivanna, hoping this wouldn’t cause a scene. ”Maybe she did, all of her injuries would fit. But the wound on her head… it could be an accident, but I’m not convinced.”

“You--” Ivanna lowered his voice, “You mean you think like…someone pushed her?” Ivanna said, barely audible, “What wound on her head?”

”A wound to the head suggests foul play, doctor. Is that the route you’re leaning towards?” Millicent figured there was more to it, but she hadn’t expected Tony to share that information. If he was telling the truth, of course. ”That’s interesting. Who would want to hurt a preschool teacher?”

Tony nodded, continuing quietly. ”To be clear, it could be that she just hit her head on the way down. It’s possible. But… whatever it was that hit her head, it did quite a bit of damage. As for who, I don’t know, but like I said there have been a few weird things going on. People saying terrible things to guests, people acting strangely, things that don’t belong at an award ceremony. It can’t all be coincidences,” he finished before taking a sip of coffee, eyeing them warily. We’ll see if they have any idea what I mean.

Ivanna nodded slowly. “Some of the family are…not acting…good…ly, but some people are just like that, I think. What do you mean by things that don’t belong at an award ceremony? Do you mean like…” Ivanna shifted uncomfortably, looking very uncertain, “Things like…actual things, like objects? Did someone leave something in your room?” Ivanna looked hesitant.

Millicent bit her tongue. She wanted to see Tony’s reaction to what Ivanna said. She didn’t know if he was looking for information or seeing if they knew more about what’s going on. Millicent figured there had to be someone here with ill intent. She trusted Sam, Ralph, and Ivanna, but that was about as far as she wanted to put her trust.

So, Ivanna is being blackmailed, too. It must be everyone then, like we thought. Millicent was suddenly being quiet, though. Interesting. ”Something like that,” Tony agreed. ”I suspect we all probably have that in common. And what happened to Renee is probably related, so be careful who you talk to. We should all talk more later, somewhere we’re less likely to be overheard.” Tony had already said more than he would’ve liked, he would need to find somewhere safe before he would talk in more detail. Somewhere he could be sure no staff - and no recording devices - could listen. Outside, maybe, if the weather improves.

Ivanna nodded, still looking uncertain. He looked like he wanted to ask more, but stayed quiet.

Millicent still didn’t trust him, but she nodded her understanding. It seemed they all did have something in common. ”Let’s talk later then.” She left it there, clear she wanted Tony to go elsewhere for now.

Tony nodded. ”Later, then,” he echoed, then he picked up his breakfast and moved to another table by himself. Continuing his meal, he reflects on the conversation he just had.

---

---

---

---

---

”Yeah. My doors always open if you need to stop by and chat or discuss what sights can be seen around here.” Sam added as he watched Tony join Millicent and some (homeless) man all sitting together at the table. He was about to go and join them, both to hopefully discuss what Constance and him had just talked about but also to have a bit more of a relaxing meal. He'd still need to go and speak to Juliane when she had a bit more time, but also without raising any suspicion. So for now, he had to mingle. Sam made his way over towards their table, Tony having just left as Sam caught a glimpse of Millicent's look towards him. He fought an urge not to sigh aloud. Why did she have to be so abrasive at times?

He was about to sit when two more people walked into the room, Ralph and Rhi. Where had those two been off to? Sam wondered as he scooted into the chair across from Millicent for just a moment. ”He bathroom buddy, when you get the chance I wanted to chat a bit about the brochure from our welcome packet, see what all we can do while we wait out the storm.” His eyes kept glancing back towards the unknown man sat next to her before he finally said something. ”Im sorry, I don't think we've met yet. I'm Sam, did you miss dinner last night? I know some people were still a bit sea sick to join or stay for its full length.” He asked Brendan.

---

---

---

---

Constance nodded to Sam as he said that, and then watched as he left. She had noticed that Tony had gone to sit with Millicent and another man, (maybe the drag queen? The way they moved seemed similar,) and talked for a bit before he moved off to sit by himself. Constance wanted to talk to Tony about what she had discovered, and also wished to talk to him about if he had discovered anything, but she also figured that he might want to finish his meal at that point. However, Constance really wanted to talk to him about what she had learned, and their new code.

She gently picked up her food and coffee and moved to sit with him and offered him a small smile. "I hope you don't mind if I join you, Tony. I wanted to continue our discussion from earlier. But I'm willing to wait until we're done eating if you want." She lifted her coffee cup to her mouth and took another sip of the cooler liquid and let it coat her mouth, the bitterness steeling her for the day ahead.

---

---

---

Now that all the guests had arrived, Gordon and Juliane waited a bit longer to make sure everyone who was going to eat got food.

---

---

---

---

Ralph grabbed a cup of coffee and a pastry. The crepes tempted him, but he also didn’t think he could eat them right away. Everyone in the room seemed tense and was clustered together in little groups.

He went over to where Millicent and Sam were talking with another man. He had been at the top of the stairs calling for Felix. But Ralph didn’t know his name. Who was he?

”Hey,” he said looking between the three of them. ”Uh, Rhiannon is...with us. You know, the same thing and everything that we talked about last night.” He frowned, uncertain how to explain with a stranger there.

---

---

---

---

Millicent was about to get up when Sam walked over and….wait did he not know who Brendan was? Millicent looked awkwardly between Sam and Brendan, wondering if she should say something, but was that outing Brendan? Millicent assumed it was obvious, but perhaps not.

And Ralph also confirmed Rhiannon was in the same boat they were. This was getting awkward. It was clear that a lot of them were in this situation, but everyone was tiptoeing around the point.

”That’s great, Sam. Yes, let’s discuss that later after Brendan and I go speak to Felix, especially as Brendan is so friendly with Felix.” Millicent made that last point apparent, hoping Sam would pick up on it.

She stood up and excused herself, waiting for Brendan to follow so they could grab Felix and question him.

Felix was in the kitchen, so was Aurélia, the pair sitting on a bench together. The woman had calmed down, her make up was ruined, but she wasn’t crying anymore. There was a faint hint of vomit in the air, but it was not actively in the room. Long cleaned up. Aurélia was sipping a cup of what might be hot chocolate, the smell of alcohol joined with the smell of chocolate.

Felix stood up as Millicent and Brendan entered the room. “Hello mademoiselle, monsieur. How may I help you?” Aurélia looked up from her cup that she held as if it was her only life line. She didn’t stand up though.

“Um…” Brendan looked at Aurélia, worried. “Are you okay? I, um. We’re…” Brendan looked around at everyone awkwardly, “Sorry for interrupting, we just um, wanted to ask Felix something…”

Millicent looked at Aurelia, unsure if she wanted to have a conversation with her in the room. She doubted asking her to leave would go over well. They would need to go about this differently. ”It’s terrible what happened. Are you both fairing okay?”

Felix gave the pair a sad smile. “This is not something we were prepared for. I do not think it was a failing. Being prepared for such things implies more than I care to think of.”

Aurélia sniffed. “I have never seen something like that before.” She shook her head. “I want to go home. But we can't. Nathaniel has taken the boat to contact the mainland.”

“He is the best equipped to make it. He has sailed around the world alone,” Felix said softly.

Millicent noted that they were stuck here then. Which means if this was more than an accident, unless it was Nathaniel, they were here with the person who killed Renee. ”I wouldn’t mind going home myself. Could definitely use more friendly faces here considering I didn’t know anyone before I got here. Did you all know Renee? Or got to know her? I fear I didn’t know her that well and now I feel guilty.”

Brendan nodded. “I spoke to Renee a short while the night before…I didn’t really know what to say. I wish I did. I wish I could have talked to her more.”

“I could not say I know any of your number,” Aurélia said. “I have spoken with Sam but not really anyone else.”

“While I have spent more time in some of the nominees' presence I would only be confident to say I know Ivanna.” Felix nodded towards Brendan.

”That’s wonderful. I imagine getting to know new faces around here can be enjoyable. I was curious, actually, about how nominations go. I know a little as was discussed with Eleanor, but I’ll admit I would love to know who nominated me.”

Brendan hesitated for a moment then also looked to Felix. “Do you have any way of checking who it was? It must be written down somewhere…someone must know, right?”

“I am sorry. I do not know. Elenore would, but she has always been tight lipped about it over the years. A hold over from how her father ran the ceremony. He did not enjoy pomp and circumstance but wanted to reward those who had done quiet things that changed the world. He wanted to encourage those people to continue their work. Elenore tries to hold to those ideals. If you win she might tell the story of what garnered her attention from the list of all those who are nominated. Traditionally dozens or more may be nominated and never know. Only the few out of those that were originally nominated get the invitation to come here.” Felix explained. “I do not understand what that has to do with Renee.” He admitted.

”Well, I was thinking if we knew what Renee did that was so memorable enough, changed the world enough, that she was nominated, we could maybe set up some crowd funding for them since Renee won’t….be able to help them anymore.” Millicent was definitely poking for information, but she did also feel bad. If Renee did help a lot of people then they lost out on something.

Brendan listened as Millicent spoke, then looked to Felix and nodded. “People would want to support that,” Brendan added.

“Ah, I understand. That is noble. I will ask Elenore to inform us of Renee's deeds so we can support continuing her work.” Felix gave them both a deep bow.

It didn’t seem like they would get any more information from Felix. Or rather, Millicent wouldn’t. Ivanna may have better luck. Eleanor was the head. IF they wanted to know anything, she would be the person to talk to.

Brendan nodded, also wondering if they would have any luck with Eleanor or anyone else. Someone else had to know something about something or another. “Thank you, Felix.” Brendan looked to Millicent, unsure what to do next.

“I am happy to help in any way I can,” Felix said, straightening from his bow.

---

---

---

---

---

Ralph had stopped by alongside Rhiannon, apparently she was with them. That much was obvious by the way she'd walked in with Ralph, but he'd also mentioned about what they'd spoken about last night. Sam thought for the briefest of moments before deciding Ralph must've meant Ghost Hunting. He'd heard some cultures used dance to placate or call upon spirits. Perhaps Rhiannon did the same, or the two were unrelated and she was just a firm believer in the paranormal unlike Candance. Wouldn't that be a wonderful juxtaposition? The Ballerina and the Breakdancer, a Non-Believer stuck in rigid system and the Believer break free of the system and making their own. Sam didn't have long within this train of thought however as Millicent both introduced Brendan and quickly left with him. Odd.

She'd mentioned Brendan was especially good friends with Felix too, and that's when it all clicked into place. Every string attached as he followed the trail left behind by Millicent for him to follow. Brendan was Felix's live-in boyfriend. That was why he wasn't at dinner last night, it was only family and nominees and Felix was working. Poor Brendan probably had to dine alone in his room. That aside, Millicent struck gold finding him. Man she was good. As the pair left, Sam motioned for Ralph and Rhi to join him. ”Join me? We were just discussing those informational brochures we all received. I think those two are going to ask some staff about what's possible while the storm rages on, I'm still not sure but was telling others if we want to make some plans we can try and meet together and discuss what our options are.”

---

---

---

---

Tony’s conversation with Millicent and Ivanna had gone about as well as could be expected. Millicent still seemed very cagey with him, but Ivanna had provided all the information he needed. Ivanna was also being blackmailed, and if she and Constance both were in the same boat then surely everyone else must be, too. Millicent wouldn’t admit it, but she didn’t deny it when he suggested that they all were in the same position, either. Honestly, he couldn’t blame her for not wanting to tell him about it. He sure as hell didn’t want to tell anyone either, but the situation was quickly becoming too dangerous to value full privacy over securing allies. Besides, in the grand scheme of things, the fact that he has a secret is not too threatening to reveal. He sure as hell won’t tell anyone more than that, but they have no reason to need to know more, either.

Perhaps almost more significantly, there was no going back now. Tony told them his suspicions about Renee’s death, and there is no way to put that cat back in the bag. He’d defied the warning he was given, and if he was not extremely careful, that could have grave consequences. Now he had to pray that Millicent and Ivanna would take his warning about caution seriously. If either of them had loose lips, it could be his undoing even if he doesn’t step one foot out of line himself. …But, he realized, they don’t know that. Would they be as cautious as they need to be, not knowing he’d been contacted? That should probably be rectified… but it would have to be somewhere he’s certain no one else can possibly overhear.

Tony was jolted out of his thoughts by Constance sitting down next to him. He returned her smile. ”Of course I don’t mind,” he replied, then took a sip of his coffee, which was now starting to cool. ”We’re not alone,” he added, with a pointed look. It was both a straight-to-the-point report of what he’d learned, and a reminder that they shouldn’t speak openly; but to anyone else listening it might seem like no more than a statement of fact.

Constance nodded as Tony said they were not alone. She knew that the staff were probably not on their side, even if they were innocent in all this in the grand scheme of things. She sat up in her chair, not giving up the illusion for a moment. ”Mhm… but well, it seems that Sam also got a very informative welcome packet as well. Quite possibly all of us did.” Constance hoped that he would get the meaning, and that to any onlookers that weren’t in the know it would sound innocent.

Tony nodded at that. It confirmed their theory even more. He, Constance, Sam, and Ivanna had all definitely been blackmailed, and Millicent hadn’t denied it either. That left only a few people they weren’t sure of, but at this point it was a near certainty. The news that all of their peers could be trusted now, at least to a certain extent, was most welcome. But now what? They hadn’t planned this far yet. Somehow he - with their allies’ help - needed to confirm who exactly knew the details of the blackmail, and where those details might be secured. They’d probably need to figure out who killed Renee, too - assuming someone had - if for no other reason than to ensure they avoided a similar fate. Tony was confident that everyone would be on board with the latter goal, and they probably would be for the former as well, especially once they’re all convinced that the two issues are related. Of course, his end goal would have to be kept to himself, but he can figure that part out when the time comes.

Still, they needed a plan. Ideally everyone would be able to discuss it, but it would be incredibly difficult to find anywhere that many people could meet without the risk of them being caught by some recording device - a risk Tony was very hesitant to take. ”I don’t know about you, but I think some fresh air would be very refreshing for all of us, if the weather isn’t too bad. This place may be huge, but too much time cooped up inside can still be a bad thing,” he suggested. If everyone happened to go for a stroll of the grounds, and just ‘coincidentally’ stumbled into each other, they all might have a chance to talk without any eavesdroppers.

”Mmm I do hope that there will be enough umbrellas, but we could also try to see if they might be open to opening the museum up. I doubt they want the guests going too stir crazy, not in this situation.” Constance remembered on the map that the museum was marked as being closed, so maybe that meant that no one had done or left anything in there. She understood why Tony was suggesting outside, even in the weather. There was no way anyone could leave any kind of recording device outside, and with the weather the way it was, it would pick up mostly the rain and wind. However, she wasn’t sure that any of them wanted to risk their health. ”Though maybe also the patio might be a nice place to go.”

”Hmm…” he trailed off, considering it. If they really wanted to, there was no reason they couldn’t bug the museum, or the patio, or even the garden for that matter. But did he need to be that paranoid? I guess the better question is, are they that paranoid, he mused to himself. Maybe Tony was overthinking it too much, even if he’s had plenty of reasons to do so in the past. ”That will probably be good enough, if the weather won’t suit a walk,” he eventually agreed. ”At noon, maybe?”

Constance understood why he was being so hesitant. Everyone had a secret they didn’t want to get out, something worth being blackmailed over. Someone had already died because of that, or so was Constance’s theory. Maybe they were over thinking the idea of the whole house being bugged, but given the circumstances, who could blame them. ”Noon sounds perfect. A bit of time to let breakfast digest and maybe I can finally get my work out in. I will just have to find somewhere to do so.”

Tony nodded, and ate the last bite of his crepes. ”Noon it is, then. And if you insist, just… be careful,” he replied. He didn’t love the idea of her going off somewhere alone, after what happened to Renee, but hopefully he was just being overly paranoid.

Constance’s expression softened at that and she reached over and put her hand over his and squeezed softly. ”I’ll probably do something in my room, or somewhere where others are. Unless you want to join me.” She spoke softly, so that only he could hear her.

Tony smiled softly at her reassuring touch. ”As tempting as that is, I thought I would be no help for that kind of workout?” he teased. ”But no, I should probably spread the word about the benefits of fresh air. Doctor’s orders,” he added with exaggerated professionalism.

Constance blushed and giggled at that. ”Touche… I do need an actual work out. I’ll do my work out in my room then, and meet you outside at noon. Doctor’s orders after all.” She offered him a small smile as she pulled her hand back and then took another sip to finish off her coffee.

Tony returned her smile, then finished his own coffee. ”I’ll let you get on with your workout, then,” he said, standing up. But as he picked up his now-empty plate and cup, he leaned in close to whisper in her ear. ”Don’t tire yourself out too much, we have a long night of dancing and working out ahead of us.” Without lingering further, he went to the serving table for a refill of his coffee then began scanning the room, deciding who to tell about the meeting plans first.

---

---

---

---

Rhiannon followed suit and grabbed the same items as Ralph. It wasn’t that they were hungry; the concept of eating right now didn’t make sense to Rhi, but they were surrounded by people eating. It would be strange not to have the items in front of them.

Rhi followed Ralph over to a group of people. They knew Sam from conversing with them the night before, but they didn’t really converse with the other two. Rhiannon nodded briefly to the group, standing there awkwardly with their pastry and coffee.

”Make plans? And do what? Play pool while Renee’s body sits in the freezer?” Rhiannon asked, clearly still grumpy. Maybe they did need to eat.

---

---

---

Now that all of the guests had eaten, Gordon packed up his station. The pair of staff members left behind some of the food and drinks. They’d come back for it later, maybe after lunch. Juliane made sure what was left was full and well-stocked. She intentionally passed Sam, “I have a break at 11, I’ll come to your room,” she said, whispering so Gordon couldn’t hear her. Ralph raised an eyebrow.

---

---

---

---

Ralph sat down near Sam. ”The stuff about the history of the place?” Ralph asked, confused. He winced a little as Rhi snapped at Sam. ”Hey, come on, sit down. I know you don’t want to, but eat. If you don’t, you’ll make yourself sick.” Ralph set down his mug of coffee and held out his hand, offering Rhi the empty seat near him.

”I think everyone agrees that we need to find out what happened. I don’t know if any of us wants to let this go unanswered. If this wasn’t an accident, I don’t want to be here with someone who would do that.”

---

---

---

---

---

Sam gave Rhi a tight lipped smile. OK, clearly he hadn't gotten his message across. That point was driven in further by Ralph's response as well. His eyes followed Gordon as he began to leave the room, pretending to eat so as not to seem too suspicious before his back stiffened at Juliane's presence and message. Sam simply nodded back before she left. He couldn't rule out the fact that there might be some form of recording devices around them, whether visual or audio, but he needed to be safe. ”Pool is certainly an idea but not exactly what I had in mind. I was thinking more along the lines of discussing what was in our pamphlets and seeing what we could learn about the history of what happened here. A church was burned down and I don't think we know why, whether it was accident or arson it's hard to say but id like to find out. There are others that seem to agree as well.”

Was this too cryptic? Would Ralph understand? Rhi was probably already at a loss, more worried about Renee's passing than almost anyone else. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't know what he was talking about, and how could she? This so far was only between Millicent, Ralph, Miguel, Constance, and Tony. It appeared Ivanna and Rhi were out of the loop for now, maybe Sam should go speak to Ivanna to see if she was ok. As well as to figure out if they were also ‘blackmailed’. Though, her missing presence did send off a few alarms in Sam's brain. First Miguel but potentially with a clue for Sam, now Ivanna…and given the things he'd heard about her, it was certainly possible she could've done the deed. But – no, that's a little too “Confession of a Murder” to be right.

---

---

---

---

With questioning Felix done Millicent made to leave, waiting for Brendan to follow her. Once they were safely away she paused.

Lots of information was swirling in her head and she was putting some of the pieces together. It was clear that each of the nominees had received some sort of "blackmail" correspondence with information they would otherwise not want getting out. It had to be someone who knew each of the nominees coming which led Millicent to believe it was either a member of the family or staff or one of the nominees was made privy to that information, which again led to someone in the La Lune family. All signs pointed to Eleanor, though it very well could be one of the children or other family members.

Renee was more than likely attacked. Millicent had to assume it was because Renee had a secret she didn't want getting out and maybe confronted someone who attacked her. Or perhaps Renee was the person blackmailing them and one of them had a secret they didn't want getting out. Either way, Rennee was at the center of this.

And Miguel was still missing. Did he stumble on something or did he manage to leave, either after killing Renee or just getting out of here before he was next?

"We need to search Renee's room. There has to be something there. But first, we should inform Sam and Ralph with what we learned, even if it wasn't a whole lot."

---

---

---

---

Constance felt a whisper of a smile grace her face at Tony's words. The promise of dancing and more later did cheer her up a bit, even with everything else going on. The thoughts of the blackmail, the possible murder, and everything else swirling around and muddling up any other thought. She knew she needed to let some of the others know of the plan to meet up later, and saw that Sam was sitting with another nominee. She did feel a little twinge of guilt at not remembering their names, but she had not really had the chance to meet them last night.

She got up and gently brushed herself off and walked over to the small group. "Do excuse me for intruding, but our resident doctor was thinking we should all get some fresh air, probably about noon. Doctors orders. Even if the weather isn't the best, getting outside might not be a terrible idea." She really hoped that they would get what she was hinting at, at least Sam would. "Now that I've passed that along, I do hope to see you then. Excuse me."

She pulled herself up and then went to head through the door that lead to her room. She made sure to check all the doors, and locked them all, even the one to the shared bathroom. She frowned as she stared at it for a moment and put her forehead to that door. "I can't promise we'll figure it out, but we'll do something, Renee. I'm sorry." She muttered before she pulled herself away and then went over to move some of the furniture around. She still needed to work out, and she needed the space to do so. She just hoped that nothing would come to surprise her, even if she had still had a lingering bad feeling.

She let herself get lost in her exercise, her routine, settling into her thoughts as she did so. Blackmail was messy, murder was messier. They still didn't know why they were being black mailed. No demands made her worry more. To someone this was a game. Constance wasn't sure that she liked being a pawn in their game. Maybe it was time to figure out how to change the game, or become the queen.

---

---

---

---

Rhiannon stared at Ralph for a moment, tempted to make a scene and storm off. Instead, they huffed, staring at the ceiling before collapsing into the seat beside him. Rhi picked apart their muffin rather than eating it right away. They looked at Sam and frowned. Why was he going on and on about the pamphlets? And why was everyone coming over, saying they should go out and get fresh air? What was everyone going on about?

Rhiannon picked up their coffee cup and froze. Wait… Rhi looked back at Sam and narrowed their eyes at him. ”Was there something extra in your pamphlet that I’m missing?” He seemed keen on having show and tell. And now they had to get some fresh air, doctor's orders? Rhi was starting to wonder if everyone knew without knowing that everyone was being blackmailed.

---

---

---

---

After pouring his second cup of coffee, Tony looked around the room. He saw that besides Constance and himself, the other people still in the room were Sam, the pilot, and the other dancer. He was about to go tell them about the noon meeting they were planning, but as he was considering what to say he saw Constance head over to them, speak for a moment, then leave to her room. Well, I guess she beat me to it, then, he thought. Well, now what? Millicent and Ivanna had gone off somewhere, they would be the only ones left that didn't know about the meeting. They'd need to be told at some point, but Tony seriously doubted that Millicent would welcome him trying to track them down right after they left, considering she seemed to barely tolerate his presence when he talked to them earlier. They'll have to find out later, then.

But then Tony finally remembered that he was forgetting someone. There was another man at dinner last night, wasn't there? ...Yes, the guy that broke Lawrence's nose the first time, then disappeared for the rest of the night. Now that Tony thought of it, he realized he hadn't seen him ever since he left halfway through dinner. Strange. Surely he's not... no, that's crazy. Maybe he's just sick. For a brief moment he considered going to check on the man, before ruling it out. I'm a surgeon, not a general practitioner. If he's sick there's little I could tell him that he wouldn't already know. Besides, this was supposed to be a vacation. A vacation where a woman was killed, everyone is being blackmailed, and the hosts are probably spying on us...

In the short term, there was nothing Tony could do about those first two items, and currently there was no one he could inform about their planned meeting. So he decided to try to tackle the last item instead, picking up his coffee and heading to his room. If he could find any cameras or microphones or anything of the sort in his room, that would be significant. Not only would it prove he was right to be worried about it, but it would help him gain everyone else's trust, too; if he found anything in his room, surely they'd be able to find similar devices in the same places in their rooms. Furthermore, it would mean he could make at least his own room safe for discussing their plans... assuming he found everything, anyway.

Walking through the door to his room, he closed and locked the door behind him, set his coffee on the desk, and got to work. He looked around for a good while, and at least in his own opinion he was pretty thorough. He'd seen people searching for wires before, and although he'd never done it himself he did have some idea as to what he was doing. However, those people had used an RF detector to help with the search, and Tony had nothing of the sort. If there was something hidden in his room - which Tony still suspected was likely - they were probably laughing at him as they watched his fruitless search unfold. Eventually he gave up, having found nothing. It wasn't proof that there wasn't something there, necessarily, but if there was they were probably very well hidden.

Tony could only hope that their investigation into who was blackmailing everyone - and why - would have more success.