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Lunch was not ready. Anyone who wandered into the dining area would be informed by the staff that it would be ready at three. That the lunch would be light and informal, as dinner would be more formal. If anyone asked what was for lunch, they’d be informed that it was Salade Nicoise, Jambon-beurre, and some pastries for dessert. There would be tea, coffee, and juices available as well.

---

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”A change of clothes and some food sounds great,” Ralph agreed. He was quiet for a moment as they dried themselves off. He took off his shoes, but carried them with him when they went upstairs.
”Lena seems like she’ll be easier to find. She’s always in that corner of the bar, right? She is very involved in her tech.” He wondered if Lawrence would be in there too. He didn’t know where Richard spent his time. They’d probably have to look for him.

”Do you mean tell him that we know Renee was his daughter?” Ralph was nervous about that idea. Were they sure he was? The paper said there was a match, but not with who. The text was separate. Who had sent that? There were a lot of questions.

---

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Constance found herself a little irritated when they were informed that lunch would be served at three, as she was getting a little hungry. She should have remembered that the schedule was going to be wonky that day, and also that the French liked to have different schedules. Her daily schedule was thrown off, and she was getting irritated by the fact that everything that day was going wrong. Of course, the worst of it was the fact that two of their fellow nominees were no longer with them.

Before she could say anything else, Sam clapped both her and Tony on the shoulder and then asked them to join him in his room. She did admit to herself she wanted to change her own shoes, as to keep from tracking mud everywhere, and well... she could understand wanting to get alone to talk.

"I would also like to change first. I would like to get this coat off and get fresh shoes. It seems we are all headed upstairs then, shall we go together?" Constance offered a small smile to the two men next to her and then offered her arm to Tony and went to head upstairs, her boots in her hand to prevent herself from tracking mud into the manor.

---

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---

”Mines rooms first off but I understand wanting to change. How's about this? We all get ourselves out of these wet clothes and dirtied shoes and meet up at mine. Doors always open, so just walk in when you're ok? Chances are I'll be changed before you two.” Sam held his shoes in his hand, having no one to take his other or his arm he simply followed behind the pair like an unwanted third wheel. Once they got to the top of the steps he stopped by his door, the first one on the right as one came up. ”This is me. See you two in a bit ok?”

Sam smiled at the pair, almost certain they would both be changing together in some fashion or another. Either that or exchange more whispered secrets between each other as untrusting others seemed to be a hobby they both shared. He desperately wanted to know what Tony's message had meant, what did Tony know that needed to be kept secret beyond his own ‘blackmail’? All these thoughts ran through his mind as he changed out of his clothes and into a new pair of jeans and a shirt simply. He hadn't bothered with new shoes, they were indoors, socks should be fine. He did go into his bathroom to fix up his hair a bit before finally sitting on his bed and waiting patiently.

---

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Rhiannon followed suit and slipped off their shoes to carry upstairs. They looked at Ralph and nodded. ”Ya. It might throw him off, and then we can ask a bunch of questions about if he knew or what happened to her and Miguel.” Rhiannon sneezed as they reached the top of the stairs. I better not be getting sick, they thought to themselves. That was the last thing they needed. There was still the tour.

Rhiannon glanced at Ralph’s room, then theirs. ”Alright. Meet you back out here in fifteen, twenty?” Rhi asked, opening their door. Once they got an answer, Rhiannon headed inside. They went to the bathroom first and tested the door, finding it unlocked. They poked their head inside and sighed. Empty. They walked over and locked the other bathroom door so that they could have a quick shower to warm up.

While Rhiannon stood under the hot water of the running water, they thought about everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. They were reminded about how surreal and quickly everything had happened after the fire from their teenage years. Rhi felt torn between wanting to run and bury themselves in their work, and wanting to get to the bottom of this for Renee’s sake. And Miguel’s they supposed. The problem was, who would want to hurt either of them?

Lawrence had an attitude problem, but he seemed more like the obvious choice, didn’t he? Then there was Richard and Elenore. But Richard had married into the family, hadn’t he? There were the kids. Why did there have to be so many suspects? It couldn’t be any of the guests…right? Rhiannon frowned at the thought that crossed their mind. Too many suspects and no easy way to narrow it all down.

Rhi sighed, shutting off the water and drying off before fixing up their hair and applying their skincare. They unlocked the Lavender Room’s bathroom access before reentering their room, moving to change.

---

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---

Millicent actually took a second to pause as Brendan brought up a good point. She had been so hyper-focused on the sheer weirdness of this entire journey here, on top of the blackmail letters, on top of the, now what is increasingly looking like, murders that she hadn't taken a minute to ascertain the danger they were all in.

It seems all of them had some type of presence outside of the home. Whether it be followers, actual hired staff, friends, family, etc., all of them had ties outside of here, so their disappearance under mysterious circumstances would surely raise some eyebrows. But did any of them know they were here, specifically?

And what of the family's history? With Renee and Miguel both gone, would anyone investigate the family, the home, possibly other dealings outside of the immediate concern? Or was this going to be the super-rich getting away with crimes?

"I don't think we're in any immediate danger. It wouldn't make sense to bump anyone else off unless they suspected we were getting close to the truth. So be on guard, but I think we are okay provided we aren't obvious about it."

She wanted to get food, but was told lunch would be served at 3, which gave them some time. She wanted to speak to Eleanor privately anyway. "Let's go find Eleanor before lunch. I want to ask more about the family, especially her husband. In my experience, spouses will often share more about their partners than the partners themselves."

---

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---

Following everyone else's lead, Tony picked up his muddy shoes to bring back to his room. He nodded as Constance and Sam agreed with changing first before meeting back up. "Sure, that works," he agreed. Apparently they still had another half hour before lunch even started, which seemed pretty late to Tony, but oh well. French people are weird, he supposed. Or maybe dinner was going to be later than usual, in which case it might make sense. It was possible; he wasn't sure how late into the night the ball was expected to run.

Taking Constance's offered arm, Tony led the way upstairs. He nodded as Sam left them to enter his room, noting which door it was. Stopping at Constance's Evergreen Room, he turned to face her. "I should only be a few minutes. Meet back out here, or in your room?" he asked. After receiving her answer, he nods and retreats to his still-hideous Lavender Room. He was certain that whoever was responsible for the room assignments had found it hilarious when they gave him this one. Grumbling to himself, Tony found a towel to set his muddy shoes on, rather than setting them on the floor directly. He wasn't sure the mud would make the room any worse, but it would've been pretty pointless to avoid tracking mud all over the place just to do it now in his own room.

Fortunately, he had indeed packed his brown pair of oxfords, so he would not need to walk around the house barefoot. Of course, this meant he also had to swap belts; they had to match, after all. The rest of his clothes were probably still wearable - he hadn't gotten too wet, thanks to the umbrella - but he might as well change anyway. His outfit ends up being entirely shades of brown, with taupe pants and a walnut long-sleeve polo. Looking in the mirror to make sure he looks presentable, Tony nods to himself and gets ready to head back out and see what Sam wants.

---

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---

Elenore could be found in the ballroom; she was almost done with the decorations for the evening. The place is decorated in summery colors of light aquas, lavender, sunny yellows, bright corals, and lush greens. There were large bouquets of white flowers, with green sprigs of ferns. There was a small stage set up, a microphone, and a music setup. It did not appear there would be a live band playing. It was possible that it was planned, or the weather had prevented anyone from coming to the island. There were fairy lights strung around arches in front of each of the doors in and out of the room. Several high tables were placed around the room, leaving room in the center for dancing. Overall, the decorations were beautiful, it wasn’t over the top, but subtle and charming.

---

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”Fifteen,” Ralph agreed. He went into his room and changed out of his wet clothes. He didn’t think he had time to shower; he also shared his bathroom with Brendan and wasn’t certain if he would need it. So he just quickly used the toilet and cleaned up a bit before changing into dry and clean clothing. He didn’t think getting into the party clothes made sense yet. So he went for something more informal.

He waited in the hall for Rhi. Once they joined him, he headed for the bar. Ralph wasn’t exactly sure where they would find the older man, but the family seemed to gather in the bar area. Richard wasn’t in there, but it wasn’t hard to find him as he was sitting in the next room, the library.

The library and the bar were off from each other. The library further led into the center of the building, the ballroom. The library had a spiral staircase reaching up to the second floor. This second floor was not accessible. A lock on the door at the top of the stairs.

Interesting. The room had floor-to-ceiling shelving and a few places to sit and read in comfortable light. There was a large fireplace, currently unlit, at one end of the room. Richard sat near it, possibly just a habit for the colder days when the fire would be lit. His head came up from the book he was reading when the pair of them entered.

”Hello, Richard, I’m Ralph, this is Rhi. I was wondering if we could talk with you for a little bit.”

Richard gestured to the chair across from him. He lifted a glass of what might have been scotch and raised it to them, taking a sip. “Please, do. Welcome to our home,” he said genially.

---

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"Let's meet back out here once we're done. I'll see you in a few." Constance gave Tony a quick peck on the cheek before dashing into her Evergreen room. Once inside she grabbed a towel from the bathroom and set her boots down on it, as she really didn't want to muddy up her room with her boots. She sighed softly as she walked over to her suitcases and decided what to wear for the afternoon. She was worried about the fact that they were going to have a talk with one of the family members, of the family that clearly had it out for them.

She decided that the skirt she had been wearing was probably too wet, as well as the sweater, and took both of them off. She set them off to the side to dry, as they were both pretty wet by that point, and she didn't want to put them away with her clean clothing. She fished a rather nice brown suede skirt out of her suitcase, and a red sweater top that showed off her shoulders. She found a nice sensible pair of brown flats and gently put them on her feet and tapped her toes and sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She wasn't sure what Sam wished to discuss, but she doubted that it was going to be anything uplifting. Maybe he had information that he was afraid to share with the others? Why had he chosen her and Tony to share it with?

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and stepped out of her room, and then nodded to Tony. "Ready?"

---

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Sam had been waiting patiently for the pair to arrive. He'd already checked his room before for any bugs, and doubted any were added since their little walk. He wanted to make sense of all of this, to be able to trust the other nominees here, especially Tony, but he needed a few things before that could happen. So, when they finally showed up to his room, Sam sat up and showed them the scanner he'd used to check his area for bugs. ”Room's clear, but the walls always have ears so voices low.” He waved them over towards his bed where he sat, a suitcase opened full of equipment for Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal.

”Before we continue I need to know something. I don't care about your secrets or what you did or why you did it. Keep that to yourself if you wish. But that message I saw on your phone? Dude what the fuck? What does it mean? What is it you know that we don't?” Sam placed the reader down onto the bed. ”I have several theories and a couple of plans already on what all is happening. But, I need to know I can trust you in all this before I give you anything. Out of everyone here you're the most suspicious. I don't think you actually did anything but maybe you're complicit in it somehow, someway. So, what do you know, and why do they want you to stay quiet?”

---

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Rhiannon quickly left their room, dressed casually in some comfortable joggers and a team t-shirt. They met Ralph in the lobby, had a quick debrief, and then made their way into the lounge. Richard was nowhere to be found, but after a quick inspection, he could be seen sitting in the library.

Rhi looked around, noting the locked second floor. Must be the family’s private space. Wonder what could be hiding up there, Rhiannon mused. They shoved their hands into their pockets and glanced over at Richard, who seemed rather welcoming and cheerful for having had a dead body in his lobby a few hours ago.

”Mmm, interesting set-up you have here, Richard.” Rhi plopped down in a nearby chair, and examined the older male more closely. They tried to bring an image of Renee back to their mind and compare it to Richard, but the only image Rhiannon could get was of her dead body at the bottom of the stairs.

”What are you reading?” Rhi’s voice sat heavy with emotion, but they tried to clear it.

---

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Millicent took Brendan's silence as agreement as she went to go find Eleanor. After searching for a little while they went into the Ballroom to see Eleanor putting up decorations. Millicent bit her tongue, wondering why things were going forward when there were two dead bodies (one, at least, that Eleanor was aware everyone knew about). Perhaps this was a gulty mind trying to distract or someone who knew and wanted things to go as planned.

Either way, Eleanor knew something. Millicent was sure of it.

"Eleanor? Hey, sorry to bother you while you are working. These decorations are beautiful. We wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing given....everything going on." While she asked, Millicent observed. She paid careful attention to Eleanor's body language. She was hoping the older woman would give something away.

---

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Location: Château de La Lune:
Skills: N/A

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---

Brendan glanced back and forth between Millicent and Elenore.

Millicent was taking a good lead, Brendan would try to follow it. Millicent was a performer too, he trusted in her ability. There was still an anxiety that tugged at the back of his mind, a strong pull that he couldn't shake free of, like that time his dress got caught on the stage doors at a drag competition he still had somehow won. What if Elenore was the killer? Would she kill two people at once? He could not let her get him away from Millicent.

He decided to treat this like his short time in theatre. He had an objective in this scene, he would focus on that, every choice he made would lead back to it, and all his anxiety around whether or not Elenore was the killer was just backstory, motivation, not important in this moment.

"Yeah," Brendan nodded, speaking gently after Millicent had finished, "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

When he did drag or theatre, he always amazed the other performers by having near zero stage fright. He tried to recall that feeling, of bravery in the moment. If he just pretended this was a stage, a made up story, then maybe he could get through it.

---

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Tony had only just arrived at her door when Constance stepped out of her room, nodding to him and asking if he was ready. She had changed clothes as well, and... he glanced down at his own outfit, then back at hers, amused. They matched. Had she predicted his change, or was this sheer coincidence? He had no doubt that the others would think they'd planned this, and draw whatever conclusions they wanted from that. Whatever, he doesn't care what any of these people think as long as they help resolve this mess they'd all found themselves in together.

"Ready," he agreed. Time to see whatever it was that Sam wanted to talk to them privately about. Tony led the way to his door, knocked, then went in after hearing an acknowledgment inside.

Sam was sitting on his bed, holding a device which looked similar to something he'd seen business associates using in the past. An EMF scanner? Nearby sat a suitcase full of similar equipment. Of course! He should've known that with two paranormal investigators - or whatever it was they called themselves - in the house, at least one of them would have insisted on bringing all their gadgets. The alleged "paranormal activity" these people claimed to investigate was invariably nonsense, but some of the equipment he'd seen them use on TV or online was perfectly legitimate. He should've thought of this sooner; being able to scan for recording devices, or any electronic devices for that matter, could be extremely useful. "Good thinking, I should've thought to ask if you had one," Tony said, echoing his thoughts.

Tony stayed standing rather than sitting on the bed, or finding another chair, but he did come close enough to talk quietly. As Sam began talking, explaining what it was he'd wanted to talk about, Tony became annoyed. That was what this is about? That stupid text? That annoyance grew to bordering on anger as Sam called him the most suspicious person here. What the hell?

"What do I know?" Tony fired back, not too loud but not hiding the venom in his tone. "I know the blackmail we all received was put there by someone before we arrived, not by one of us. I know that two people were killed last night, and that she can attest to the fact that I had nothing to do with it," he continued, gesturing towards Constance as he mentioned her. "And I know that I didn't know a single person here until yesterday, so I couldn't have colluded with anyone beforehand," he finished. Although, with his eyes briefly widening a bit in surprise, Tony realized that wasn't quite true. So uninteresting to him that he hadn't even thought of it until now, fleeting gossip he'd heard somewhat recently about a YouTuber named Sam flashed through his mind. Glancing at Constance, another piece of gossip occurred to him, one from further back regarding a ballet dancer with the same name, 'Monroe'. Normally this kind of gossip was utterly uninteresting to him and went in one ear and out the other, so how had he somehow retained this information? And what were the odds that these were the same people he'd heard about, anyway? In any case, he would unpack that later, not right now.

This surprising realization only made him pause for mere moments, but it was enough to take the heat out of his voice. "I'm not sure what it is they thought I 'knew.' I think it must have been the fact that Renee's fall was no accident, but if that's the case then they're an idiot because I really wasn't certain until that text effectively confirmed it. Maybe they thought that the blackmail was enough of a threat to make me compliant, so they didn't mind confirming my suspicion. Maybe whatever happened last night had gone horribly wrong, and they're panicking trying to salvage their original plans for this weekend. I truthfully have no idea. But I do know that any of us being suspicious of each other is a waste of time. It was not one of us that planted the blackmail, and unless I'm mistaken, none of us were unaccounted for last night so none of us were involved. I guess maybe they could've planted one of us as a fake, but if so they've planned this so deeply and are toying with us so much that we're probably all fucked regardless, so there's no point trying to plan against it. If we can't trust each other enough to do what we have to do, then it's already too late to do anything about it," he finished, shrugging.

Tony took a breath, letting the silence linger for a moment. He sure has been ranting a lot, recently. He very much looked forward to being rid of this hell of an island. Unfortunately, he very much doubted that their ordeal was anywhere near being over.

"So. Are you going to tell us your theories, or are you going to keep digging for something that isn't there?"

---

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---

Elenore stood stiffly from what she had been doing, looking at the pair who had entered the ballroom. “Ah, hello Mz. Cromwell, Mr. Wines, good afternoon.” Elenore smiles at them. “If I were to be honest with you I am worried about tonight and tomorrow. The pall of all that has happened may have ruined what should be a grand celebration,” she sighs lightly, gesturing around the room.

“I am doing my best to make this special event. I do not want this tragedy to define the showcase of your talents. Thank you for asking. I am almost finished here. If you would still be interested in helping, you can take these,” she gestured to the bouquets of flowers. “And place one on each of the tables around the room. I would appreciate it.”

Elenore seems satisfied with that, but as she turns to go back to what she was doing she pauses, and then looks back at the pair of them, “Actually, there is one other thing you two could do for me if you’re willing?”

As Elenore asks, a bell can be heard coming from the dining area. “That’ll be lunch. Go ahead and get something to eat. Come back and I will ask for my favor.” Unfortunately for Millicent she still cannot get a good read on Elenore. The woman is too poised, she has obviously spent hours on being graceful under pressure.

---

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“Thank you, I’d take credit, but it was my father-in-law who designed a lot of the layout,” Richard said in response to Rhi complimenting the space. It was a good space. Though Richard did believe it could use an update.

“I am reading À la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust. We have the entire collection of seven novels. It is a bit of a tragedy that it never got finished by Proust. However, there is enough intact of the last several books to make it worth the read. Of course, it is better to read it in French than English. That is how these things go. We unfortunately only have it in French, and considering the length you wouldn’t have time to read it even if it were in English. Maybe when you return home you can look for an English translation,” he suggested. His tone in general was a little dismissive.

Ralph looked at him a little annoyed, but quickly schooled his expression. It was a good thing Richard was primarily focusing on Rhi for his little explanation. Ralph was suddenly uncertain. Should they ask direct questions? Or more subtle ones? His heart rate rose and he felt like he was playing a game of Mafia and was about to be grilled. He hated those types of games.

”So,” Ralph cleared his throat, sitting. ”How have you been enjoying the diversion of the celebration?”

“Hmm, well, this year has certainly been more interesting than previous years. Though it isn’t the first year someone got punched. You wouldn’t believe how often that happens. It is almost an annual tradition. How about yourselves? Other than the dreadful business from this morning. Felix told us.”

Ralph froze a little. Unsure of Richards' motivations. Carefully he said, ”The food has been delicious. The company is good. Though I don’t feel like we’ve had much opportunity to mingle with your family.”

Richards scoffed, “Do not feel bad about that. The whole family is stuck in the past. The era of French wine is dying and they refuse to admit it.”

---

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Constance felt her lips thinning as Sam started to speak, as it sounded as if he was accusing Tony of knowing some grand conspiracy that was beyond their comprehension. She knew that the text did look incriminating, but really? She found herself irritated on Tony's behalf because she knew he was innocent of murder, as they had been together all night.

She reached over and found herself rubbing Tony's back softly, sportively as he spoke, and nodded when he said that she knew he had nothing to do with the murder. She found herself also growing irritated as Sam called Tony the most suspicious there, and her eyes narrowed a bit at that.

"Honestly, you're suspect to me, Sam, given the fact that you had that text about where Miguel was. But Tony is correct. If we can't trust one another, then it is already too late. I do trust Tony, with my life at this point, as I do know he was with me all last night. I'm a very light sleeper, and would have noticed him leave." Constance was still gently rubbing Tony's back, if he had let her, and kept close to him as she spoke.

She perked up a bit as she heard the bell and sighed a bit. "Ah, it seems that lunch is being served. I do apologize but I would love to wrap this up quickly and get some food. My normal schedule is thrown off and I can feel some of the effects."

---

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No matter how hard she tried, Millicent could not get a read on Eleanor. The woman was good. Either she truly felt bad about everything or she was putting on a good show. Millicent wanted to aks more, to bring up her husband and see if that got a reaction, but the bell for lunch rang. Millicent was, admittedly, hungry despite everything. "All right, we'll be back after we get some food and help you out."

She turned, waiting for Brendan to follow, as she made her way to the dining room. Once she was safely away, she spoke up. "I can't get a good read on her. I don't know if she's putting up a front because she is hiding something or genuinely feels bad. We need to get her talking, though. Bring up her husband or Miguel casually. See how she reacts. But first, food."

Millicent made her way in, eager to get some food in her.

---

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[center]

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Location: Library
Skills: N/A
Fit

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”I am more of a doer than a reader,” Rhiannon stated by way of declining the suggestion that she go and buy books by some dude named Proust. Why did everyone think boasting about reading in another language was some sort of magical feat?

Rhiannon listened to the small talk, hoping it would yield to something. Thankfully, it did. Apparently, the wine business was dying, and Richard thought his family was stuck in the past. Interesting. Rhi smiled at Ralph before asking their next question.

”If you could make the switch from wine into another business adventure, what would you want to do?” It might lead to nothing, but Rhi found it interesting that Richard, one of the oldest members of the family, thought the rest of his family was a little behind the times. Mildly, Rhi wondered what Elenor would think of that.

In the distance, the lunch bell rang.

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Sam sighed as Tony began to speak. He never once had said that he thought that Tony had done anything, yet here he was flying off the handle to defend himself about his actions and what was going on here. If anything it made him seem even more suspicious now and made it difficult to tell what exactly was going through his mind. Constance herself began to vouch for the doctor, rubbing his back as she did so. There was the chance that perhaps they had spent the night together last night and that that is why they could easily vouch for each other. But there is also the possibility that they did this together, knowing who Renee was and trying to eliminate someone who would obviously win over the other contestants. ”Calm yourself geeze. I wasn’t saying you did anything or were purposefully complicit. But you’re the one who examined the body, who shared your findings, and when i pressed you for a little bit more you were a bit cagey in the answer. Not wanting to give something that could seem one way or another. Fine. But that text made it seem as if you had more of a definitive answer as to the cause of death, maybe even time of death, and other possible circumstances surrounding the death. I was saying your suspicious by circumstance not by purposefully colluding with them. But you’re right, they may just be panicking in trying to salvage things and in doing so wanted to issue a sort of gag order.”

“I’ll make this quick then. Take these.” Sam pulled out two tape recorders. If the pair had looked behind him then they would’ve noticed he had about three more in his case beyond those. ”I had wanted to do a massive group investigation on this place so I brought some extra equipment with me to spread around. Record any conversation you have with other members of the family, it’ll make passing information much easier and allow for less of a telephone game where words can get lost or muddled. If you want to be suspicious of me then go ahead. I know I didn’t do it, and I showed you all my text freely. If anything these killing have already triggered a few panic attacks for me, some that Millicent has had to help me down from. Doubt your suspect would get anything done with the way I panic, but who knows it could all be an act. So, let's go get some food and hope that we don't need to break into my other plans later.” Sam got up from the bed and closed his case, adding a lock to it so that others couldn’t get into his equipment. Some of it may seem silly, but others were expensive as fuck.

---

---

Location: Château de La Lune:
Skills: N/A

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Elenore seemed quite poised and put together, despite the horrors. Brendan wasn't sure whether to admire her 'show must go on' ability, or be incredibly sus of her for not being more freaked out. Was she admirably calm, or just way too calm? He nodded as she mentioned helping out with the flowers, glancing over to Millicent, wondering what she was thinking about Elenore.

Elenore then asked them to help out with something else, but before she could say what, she was interupted by a bell, which apparently meant food, and that rich people could seemingly be trained the same way as Pavlov's dog. Elenore told them to go get food, then return, and then she'd tell them what to do. Brendan wondered why she couldn't just say it now? How was he supposed to have room for food, when he was so full of suspense? Still, he was glad they'd have a reason to come back and try to find out more, at least. He just hoped whatever she needed help with, it'd continue to be just her, him and Millicent. It'd be hard to learn anything if others were around.

He agreed to help her after he was done eating, following Millicent out into the hall. Once they were alone, Millicent told Brendan that she'd been unable to get a read on Elenore, and suggested that they try and bring up Miguel or Elenore's husband to see her reaction.

Brendan nodded. "Yeah. If she has a weird reaction...well, it'll mean something. We'll work it into the conversation and see if she freaks. We gotta be able to figure out something from her."

Brendan followed Millicent to the food, wondering if he was going to get Pavlov'd from all these bells too. He was certainly going to come away from all this with a much stronger reaction to mystery envelopes in the mail.

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Tony relaxed a bit into Constance's touch as she rubbed his back. Her defending him and turning the suspicion back on Sam was reassuring; it confirmed to him that he wasn't overreacting. He smiled briefly when she said that she trusted him with her life. It may be almost a necessity given the current situation, but it was nice to hear all the same.

As Sam tried to defend his accusations, acting as if he hadn't tried to paint him as the primary suspect, Tony rolled his eyes. "My answer wasn't cagey, it was factual. I couldn't tell you her injuries could only mean she was attacked, because they didn't. I'm not going to lie about what the evidence means just to support my own opinion," Tony answered. But I guess I shouldn't expect a 'ghost hunter' to understand that, he thought, but was not callous enough to say aloud. He didn't care if Sam liked him but he did need him - and everyone else - to be willing to work together on fixing this mess.

After Constance agreed with wanting to wrap this up, Sam produced two tape recorders for them to use to record anything useful they might hear. Tony nodded; this was a good idea. As he went on about defending himself and mentioning how he had freely shown his text, Tony resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. "Yes, you did show us your text. Just remember that I did, too; if I was hiding something I 'knew,' that would have been pretty foolish," he replied. Of course, Tony did have plenty to hide. Just not anything about the situation they'd all found themselves in together.

With that, this awkward meeting was done. "Alright, let's go eat," Tony agreed. Offering Constance his arm as per usual, he led the way out of the room.