CLUES of the Past [closed]

"Hello," a familiar girlish voice called out to Liseran. Lacie smiled at Liseran as she stood in the hallway, "You looked happy in there. You want to talk again?"

Liseran gave out a sigh of relief and knelt down, putting her shoulders on Lacie's.

"Lacie, I'm so glad you're alright!" Liseran said. "Where have you been? It's dangerous to be going around alone. In fact, you should stay indoors. We've been having some...trouble, and I'd be ever so happy if you're safe and sound. Can you be a good girl and stay in this room? There's a man in there, but he's asleep and injured, so it'd best to be quiet. Keep the doors locked and..."

Liseran showed Lacie a pager.

"Press this button if there's trouble, okay?"

She hadn't even heard Lacie's question about wanting to talk, but it came to her now.

"As much as I'd love to talk, Lacie," Liseran said in a motherly voice. "I have something important to attend to. And you should keep safe. Have you eaten?"

"I've been hiding miss," Lacie stated, "I saw what happened this morning so I hid." Lacie took the pager and smiled at Liseran. "I don't mind. I can watch over him for a little longer. Let's talk later okay?"

"Alright," Liseran nodded as she stroked Lacie's long blonde hair. "Stay safe in the meantime."

She was about to leave but she stopped midway.

"Oh..." Liseran said, her voice trailing off. "Please take good care of the person in there. And..."

She went back up to Lacie, knelt down beside her and gave her a small hug. She wondered if the little girl would find it a bit bizarre to have a temp guard embracing a guest, but Lacie didn't seem to react.

"Thank you for your help last night," she said. "You made me realize something really important."

With that she let go reluctantly and watched Lacie go into the room. Remembering to keep focus, Liseran headed for Mr. Body's study in hopes to find him and General Mustard so she could start her patrol.

People are counting on you for once, Lise, she told herself. Everyone in this manor and Cheshire. Don't let them down. You owe it to them.

Walking down the hallway of the second floor, Liseran spots Mr. Plum as he climbs up the stairwell, the iron pipe cane in his hand. Seeing Liseran he nods courteously as he approaches her.

"Mustard put me on night watch with you," Edgar stated, "I just swept through the first floor. All the windows and doors are locked from the inside. Everyone sleeps up here so let's keep our patrol to the second floor."

"Yes, sir," Liseran said with a brief salute.

Keeping her weapons in her hand, she began roaming the empty halls. For a minute, she thought of reactivating her semblance in order to foresee any attacks, but she realized that that in itself took far too much time and would leave her vulnerable under complete focus. Hopefully, things would continue to remain uneventful for the night.

The night was still and silent. Liseran and Plum kept watch in the hallway, all of the bedroom doors in sight and most are locked except for Cheshire's room right next to the master bedroom.

In the silence of the night, all was dark and barely visible. In Mr. Body's bedroom, the dim moonlight barely showed anything through his windows, locked from the inside. The only thing visible were silhouettes in the dark room. The silhouette of a man stood up from the bed and hopped off. He took a few steps into the moonlight but was abruptly stopped as a rope tied into a noose was tossed over his head and pulled until it tightened around his neck.

The man tried to grab at the rope but it had already dug into his flesh. He could neither scream or even yell, his voice silenced by the tight noose choking him, his attacker pulling and pulling as he struggled. The man tried to struggle but it lead to no success. In mere moments the man fell down, his dying breath completely silenced.

The moonlight shone through the window enough to light the room. The body laid face down on the floor, the rope still tightened around his neck. Mr. Body's murderer was gone, the corpse left alone in a locked room on the second floor.

Liseran's hands trembled as the image flashed before her. She stood helplessly as her vision let her see Mr. Body's inevitable death.

"Mr. Plum!" she shouted urgently. "We need to get to Mr. Body! NOW!"

She took his wrist and dragged him as she prayed with all her might that one of her visions might be wrong.

Plum was a bit baffled at first when Liseran started pulling him but one look at the girl's face convinced him to follow along. As they approached the master bedroom, Plum tried to turn the knob but the door was locked. Plum knocked against it and called out to Mr. Body.

Plum waited for a few seconds but no answer came. He tried again, his knocking more rapid this time. When no answer came his started pounding his fist against the door.

"MR. BODY!?" Plum yelled, "If asleep you are in this midnight dreary for this day has left you weak or weary, or if you are simply reading your books of forgotten lore, please open your chamber door!"

Mr. Plum paused briefly. "I'm going to have to remember that one," he mumbled. When no response came, Plum pushed Liseran back and took a few steps back, raising up his iron pipe. With a mighty swing he smashed the door open, the wood around the doorknob shattered to splinters as he broke it off and kicked the door open. The lights turned on in the hallway and all the other guests ran out of their bedrooms. Mustard, Green, Scarlet, and White ran out in their night wear. Mustard was clenching his giant monkey wrench and Dr. Green cocked the hammer on his revolver. They both followed Mr. Plum into the bedroom.

A corpse laid on the ground, dressed in his pajamas and a leather rope wrapped around his neck was Mr. Body. There is a cleaver nearby, the blade bloodied. Blood was pouring from Mr. Body's face that lied flat on the ground.

"Ladies, stay back," Mr. Plum told the three, trying to block the view of the room with his body.

Mustard cautiously approached the body, Green following closely behind. Mustard knelt down and tried to carefully lift up the head. Almost immediately he set it back down. He grabbed a blanket and covered it hastily, the cloth absorbing the blood quickly.

Mustard stood back up and murmured to the doctor.

"If suffocation didn't kill him, his face getting chopped off did," Mustard stated grimly. His fist clenched the monkey wrench and it looked like he was fighting the urge to smash something right then and there. "When I find the bastard that did this, I'm going to--"

"But the doors and windows are both locked from the inside," Dr. Green stated looking around. "How did the killer get in or out?"

"I... I don't know," Mustard mumbled, "But we have to find out... For the sake of Mr. Body..."

Liseran wanted to drop to her knees but she didn't. She remained stiffly standing, too shocked for words.

We were too late... Liseran thought.

She wanted to cry and she wanted to shout, but she stood there. She shoved down all her emotions into a little box and she walked closer to Mr. Body.

"I'm so sorry..." she said so quietly no one else could have heard her.

She then turned to everyone else.

"It's no longer safe to be alone in separate rooms," Liseran suggested. "I don't know how any of this happened, but it's obvious no one should stay alone even for a minute."

She looked at General Mustard.

"General Mustard, can we gather everyone into a different room?" she asked. She looked to down to the draped corpse of Mr. Body sadly. "They shouldn't stay here. Since we can't move Cheshire his room would be the best option..."

Liseran's heart suddenly stopped.

"Cheshire...!" she said in a sharp whisper.

Leaving everyone for a moment, she rushed to Cheshire's room, realizing Lacie hadn't come out because of the commotion. But what if the criminal had struck there when everyone else was busy...She couldn't think straight. She didn't what she was going to do. What next step to take. She was following her instincts, but where had that led her so far?

She knocked sharply on the door but realized it was unlocked.

"Lacie? Cheshire?" she called.

Lacie was lying on the bed next to Cheshire. She wasn't asleep and her eyes were staring at him with a smile on her face. As Liseran enters the room, Lacie sits up and hops off the bed.

"I'm sorry, but he just has such a cute sleeping face," Lacie smiled, "I heard everything you guys were saying next door. I wanted to come and see but I remember that you trusted me to watch Cheshire."

A sad look came over Lacie's face. "Are you going to be okay?" Lacie asked, "This is a lot to take on at once."

Liseran gave Lacie a small hug.

"Thank you," Liseran said. "I'm glad you two are alright. I'll be fine, but I'd be happy if you didn't go outside to see...everything. Don't worry, though. I'll have everyone join you in a few minutes. It's not safe for anyone to be alone right now. Just stay here for a moment, okay?"

Liseran gave Lacie a small wave and she then turned to Cheshire. How's he going to react to all of this? she said with a crease in her forehead. I can't help but feel I'm failing all of this...failing him.

She left the room and retreated to the master bedroom where everyone else was.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "I had to make sure things were fine in Cheshire's room. Anyways, Ms. White and Scarlet, if you'd like, you may retreat there with someone else while we..."

She looked painfully at Mr. Body's corpse.

"Handle things here," she said. She then turned to the three men in the room.

"If that's how you'd like to proceed." she asked. "We need to solve things here fast before something else happens."

"I'll take the ladies there," Dr. Green said, "No use for a doctor when the patient is already dead. Mustard is better with forensics then I am."

Leading White and Scarlet out of the room, Dr. Green went next door to Cheshire's room.

"Cheshire?" Dr. Green's voice was heard, "When did you wake up?"

Liseran was alone in the room with General Mustard and Mr. Plum. Just to make sure, she once again checked the windows. Locked. She was careful not to accidentally touch Mr. Body's corpse and she looked around. The door's knob had been locked earlier so the attack hadn't just been tampering the door. It can go two ways... Liseran thought.

"General Mustard..." Liseran said. "You said this manor was made as a fort. Is it possible there's another exit or entrance to this room aside from the windows and door?"

"Because if not," she continued. "Then someone had access to the door's key."

Before Mustard could even answer, a gunshot was heard coming from next door.

"That was a warning shot Cheshire," Dr. Green's voice was yelling next door, "Don't move!"

"What the bloody-" Mustard stammered, "What's happening??"

Mustard and Plum ran next door and nearly plowed into each other trying to get through the door at the same time.

Dr. Green has his revolver raised, the barrel still smoking from its recent shot. Cheshire is sitting up on the bed, his hands raised to eye level. He had a blank look on his face which must have been hard to pull with a black bullet hole in the wall next to his head. Dr. Green's revolver was aimed right at Cheshire, a look of grave seriousness on the doctor's face.

"Don't move," Green repeated, "I'm not taking any chances. You're the prime suspect right now."

Liseran rushed to the room with General Mustard only to find Dr. Green pointing his gun at Cheshire.

"Dr. Green, stop!" Liseran said, rushing in front of Cheshire without thinking. "You can't possibly think that Cheshire's a suspect! Besides, he was here with Lacie! She could tell you that!"

"Lacie?" Dr. Green asked, "There's nobody else here but Cheshire."

Dr. Green was telling the truth. Lacie was gone from the room, no sign of the little girl anywhere.

"Doesn't matter," Dr. Green muttered, his gun still raised, "Listen, the room was locked from the inside including the window. You and Plum were patrolling the hallway outside all of the bedrooms all night so nobody could have gotten in through the front door. There's only one possible way for anybody to get in and out of that room."

"Space distortion," Scarlet muttered in realization.

"Exactly," Dr. Green confirmed, "Cheshire could have teleported right into the room and killed Mr. Body then got out again without anybody being the wiser. I didn't say anything before because Cheshire was unconscious but now I see he's awake. I don't know how long but right now he's the most likely suspect. I don't have anything against the boy but we can't take any chances."

Mustard and Plum shared a glance at each other and nodded grimly.

"Out of the way young lady," Plum commanded as he approached as he flipped up his iron pipe, holding it like a club.

"I'm sorry but we're going to have to knock him out again," Mustard stated, "If he's the culprit then we can't let him teleport out of here again."

Liseran's eyes widened as she realized Lacie was indeed not there. Her heart was pounding heavily, hands shaking. Cheshire was right behind her and everyone else in front, trying to get to him. Her hands went to Weeping Cerinthe. She lightly touched one of Cheshire's hands.

"No," Liseran said. "No, I can't let you do that."

And then, with a small whisper, "Binder."

Swiftly, Liseran rang her bells into an "8" figure and a large glyph appeared on the floor and dragged the people save for her and Cheshire onto it, unable to get up from the sheer force of gravity.

"I'm sorry!" Liseran told them as she grabbed Cheshire's hand. "But I will prove Cheshire's innocent before any of you can hurt him!"

Before waiting for everyone to react, she cast out a Walker emblem, holding Cheshire's hand firmly.

"We need to leave! Now!"

"Stop," Cheshire said sternly. He pulled his hand away from Liseran's and looked down sadly, "Listen, if you do this then you'll only cause confusion and chaos. Green is right, I am the most likely suspect right now... You can go ahead and knock me out. You can even tie me up."

Cheshire looked at Lacie in the eye. "I did not kill Mr. Body but my word is not good enough here. I'll be counting on you to prove my innocence by working together with everyone here, alright?" Cheshire takes one of Liseran's hands into both of his and squeezed. "No matter what, stay safe, understand?"

"Liseran," Scarlet murmured sadly, "I'm sorry but Cheshire is right. You don't have to watch this. Just come out here with me and we can wait in the hallway alright?"

Liseran's eyes filled with tears a bit and she lowered her head in shame.

"Okay..." she said as she lifted her bell.

She dispelled the Binder and dropped her hands. Her heart ached as she watched them stand up, ready to apprehend Cheshire.

"I'm sorry everyone," she announced. "I understand your point now..."

Scarlet was leading her out, but she gave Cheshire one last glance.

"I'll fix all of this for you..." she said softly. "I promise..."

With that, she went outside, looking at Scarlet with apology and listened as the door closed behind them. When she heard them knock Cheshire out, her heart broke a little. She clenched her fists.

I need to find Lacie... Liseran thought. And I need to find out who did this once and for all.

Liseran turned to Scarlet.

"You do know Lacie, don't you?" Liseran said. "Wasn't she in the room when you went in?"

"Lacie," Scarlet mumbled, "Who are you talking about? There's nobody in this house under that name. Cheshire was all alone when we entered the room."

Dr. Green and General Mustard walked out of the room one by one.

"I tried to do it in one shot," Mustard stated, "He wouldn't have felt it if that is any consolation."

"Edgar Plum will stay here to watch him with Ms. White," Dr. Green stated, "Ms. Scarlet, please stay with them here for the night."

"Now listen young lady," Mustard murmured as he gently put his hands on Liseran's shoulders and looked down at her sternly, "Cheshire may be a little rough around the edges and he may be a little distant with humans, but if there's one thing I know it's that that boy would never kill any human that did him no harm. That said I'm on your side but I have to think of the better of majority of the house. What I want you to do is go through the entire house check every nook and cranny. The killer could still be in this house so watch out. Me and Green will look through the.... the scene and try to find any clues to who killed Mr. Body. Whatever we find, I will tell you.

"Now look at me. I know this is hard but you've got to be strong alright? Cheshire is counting on you and so is the rest of the house. Before I gave him one in the chin he told me to give you a message. He said, 'Everything has a reason behind it. There are a million possibilities but there is only one truth.' He's counting on you young lady."

With that, Mustard let go and walked back to the master bedroom with the doctor leaving Liseran alone in the hallway.

"No one..." Liseran said as Scarlet told her. Her face drained of color. "But that can't--"

She was soon interrupted by General Mustard and even if what he had been said was long, Liseran only absorbed one thing. He's counting on you, young lady.

Liseran felt sore. Her chest ached and her head was spinning, but his words were enough for her to stop whining and start thinking. But what bothered was Lacie.

"Why does no one know about her?" Liseran thought. "...unless she's not a guest at all."

This bugged her a lot and even if she was now unsure about her, Liseran was still bothered that she was alone somewhere in the house near the killer or not. But Liseran's instincts brought her back to Mr. Body's room.

Disregarding Cheshire's ability, there are only a few ways this can go... Liseran thought. One, there's another exit in this room. Two, somehow, someone entered this room when no one was looking and unlocked. Three, the person never left this room...

There were more options. But just one was correct. It was time to investigate the room thoroughly.Crime scene first and foremost.

The room is as last Liseran had last seen it. The only difference was that Mustard had removed the blanket from Mr. Body's body in favor of searching the body for clues. Dr. Green is crouched next to the body trying to discern the exact method and time of death. Mustard is looking through every inch of the window.

"It's no use. There's only one lock here and there's no way anyone could have locked it from the outside."

That scratches out one theory, Liseran thinks. She's about to head outside again, but she comes to her other conclusions. But before she does, she goes over to General Mustard.

"Excuse me, General," Liseran asks. "Do you know the exact time Mr. Body and the others retired last night?"

"Mr. Body and everyone else besides you and Plum went to their rooms around 10 in the evening," Mustard stated as he moved on to check the walls and closet, "I was the last to go to bed so I am a witness to that personally. Mr. Body went to sleep just before I did too."

"The time of death was somewhere around 11 o' clock to midnight," Green stated as he got up, "Not that much blood was drained from his body so I'd say he was dead before his face was chopped off. I can't say for certain without dissecting him but I'm pretty sure it was suffocation."

Liseran nodded and pinched her chin. The suspect didn't necessarily have to be a household guest.

Okay, let's organize things a bit, Liseran thought, because she really wasn't good with investigations.


1.Around ten o' clock everyone retired to their rooms as witnessed by General Mustard.
2. Mr. Plum and I started duties just a few minutes after...
3. Dr. Green states that Mr. Body died around hour 11, leaving an hour for the murderer to strike
4. I had my vision just minutes before the murder and we found him with everyone coming from their rooms save for Lacie and Cheshire. How much time did it take for the killer to leave?


Liseran bit her inner cheek as she told General Mustard and Dr. Green she would scout the rest of the house.

Even if not much blood drained from Mr. Body's face, it wouldn't mean the killer would come out unstained. Cheshire was clean and so is everyone else. If it wasn't one of the guests, then it'd be understandable but that doesn't explain entering and exiting the room. My best conclusion at the moment was that the killer was already in the room when Mr. Body retired.

Liseran walked back and forth, hoping to find more clues.

Maybe figuring the layout of the rooms will help... she thought. She decided to go back to Cheshire's room, painfully at most.

Cheshire's room was surprisingly empty. There's a note on the bed left for Liseran. It reads, "Moving Cheshire downstairs to the Break Room. No windows there and big enough for everyone to sleep in."

While Liseran reads the note she could hear a voice coming from behind the curtains.

"Have you found anything out?"

Lacie stepped around from behind the window curtains, a worried look on her face. "I'm so sorry about what happened to Cheshire. Do you have any idea who could have done it?"