Office of the Gargon Sector Coroner

DATE and HOUR AUTOPSY PERFORMED: 01/06/2016; 8:30 A.M. by

Kunish Agarwal, M.D. 555 Asteroid Drive Nuflik, Gargon 776-Q8H 662-234-XXXX (FAX 662-234-XXXX)

Injury Diagram Assistant: Victoria Witte, M.D.

Full Autopsy Performed

SUMMARY REPORT OF AUTOPSY

Name: Parvati, Kimatra Aadita

Coroner's Case #:2016-277

Date of Birth: 3/23/1982

Age: 33

Race: Upper East Nexian

Sex: Female

Date of Death: 01/05/2016

Body Identified by: Laurel Pennington, employer of the deceased

Case # 001294-23E-2016

Investigative Agency: Nuflik Constabulary, Gargon Sector

EVIDENCE OF TREATMENT:

N/A

EXTERNAL EXAMINATION:

The autopsy is begun at 8:30 A.M. on January 6, 2016. The body is presented in a black body bag. The victim is wearing a red cocktail dress and matching 3-inch heeled shoes. Jewelry included two smooth-textured gold hoop pierced earrings, 1-inch diameter, one in each ear, and one 1-inch wide gold expandable wristband on left wrist.

The body is that of a normally developed female measuring 67 inches and weighing 128 pounds, and appearing generally consistent with the stated age of thirty-three years. The body is cold and unembalmed. Lividity is fixed in the distal portions of the limbs. The eyes are open. The irises are brown and corneas are cloudy. Petechial hemorrhaging is present in the conjuctival surfaces of the eyes. The pupils measure 0.3 cm. The hair is dark brown with lighter brown highlights, wavy, layered and approximately 11 inches in length at the longest point.

There is a single puncture on the left side of the neck, creating a deep wound into the jugular vein. The penetration and angle of the wound suggests that the victim was seized from behind and that the weapon was a sharply pointed object. Minor abrasions are present in the area of the wound, indicating a brief struggle. There are also mild abrasion on the back of the legs. The lack of bruising indicates these occurred post-mortem. Some grape leaves also adhere to the back of victim's dress and legs. Removal of the clothing shows no other marks or abrasions.

The genitalia are that of an adult female and there is no evidence of injury. Pubic hair has been shaved in its entirety within six hours of death. Limbs are equal, symmetrically developed and show no evidence of injury. The fingernails are medium length and fingernail beds are blue. There are no residual scars, and the only marking is an infinity symbol tattoo cross with a thorned rose on the right shoulder.

Toxicology report indicates the victim had a blood alcohol concentration of .23, which, combined with body weight, would make the victim legally drunk. There is no sign that this alcohol was forcibly administered and the conclusion would be that it was self-absorbed over a period of 2-3 hours.

OPINION

Time of Death: Body temperature, rigor and algor mortis, and stomach contents approximate the time of death between 7:30 and 9:30 P.M. on 01/05/2016.

Immediate Cause of Death: Loss of blood due to puncture of the jugular vein. Death would have occurred within minutes.

Manner of Death: Homicide

Remarks: Decedent originally presented to this office as homicide victim. Presence of the post-mortem abrasion marks do not contradict this conclusion. This is a single strike homicide with the body moved to different location post-mortem.

Kunish Agarwal, M.D.

Chloe LaFevre () Devin Winters () Marion Bellemare (Italia)

Chloe, Devin and Marion sit at the table, going over the autopsy and discussing the clues that they had gotten. They were still stumped, so instead decided that they would just lay everything out among themselves to come up with the most realistic solution.

“First of all” Chloe said, a slight purr to her voice “according to the autopsy, Kim would have been about six foot tall. It says she was 5’7” but wearing 3” heels.”

“We don’t really know how tall everyone was though…” Devin tapered off for a moment before crossing her legs “but, we do know that whoever it was, was wearing heels that weren’t heels. I’m thinking maybe some kind of platforms or something?”

“I agree” Marion said, glancing over at the autopsy again “and, we know that when we first saw Nigel and his wife, they were the same height. However, later on when they were arguing in their robes, he was several inches shorter than her.”

Chloe nodded, and maneuvered their clue book so she could see it better and go over some of the other things they had learned. “Also, according to Kim’s diary that we read, she was definitely upset about a package… I’m betting it was the same package that blew up Arthur and Aribella’s ship. When we spoke to the mechanics, they said that the person was very ‘exotic’ looking. If that doesn’t describe Kim, then I don’t know what does.”

“That would mean that Kim put that package on the ship without knowing it would blow them up, and that she was feeling horrible about it. I bet that’s why she left Nigel’s employ!” Devin exclaimed, looking excited.

“I bet if he had known Kim would be at the party, he wouldn’t have went” Marion said, glancing over at them both.

“Though it makes sense that they were arguing at the ball. Maybe she was confronting him about it and telling him to back off? His wife says he was always intent on getting her back, maybe she refused because of what he had made her do?” Chloe said.

“How involved is Grabbingsly in all of this though?” Marion asked, shrugging her shoulders “his name comes up a lot throughout this investigation, and Kim was having an affair with him too.”

“Maybe Nigel was tasked to take Arthur out by Grabbinsly, but Nigel didn’t want to do it himself, so he asked Kim to? In exchange, he would get a cut from the money they’d rake in from the grapes?”

“Unless,” Chloe said “Grabbingsly asked Kim to deliver the package instead of Nigel. She was having an affair with him too…”

“That’s possible, but then why would Nigel kill Kim?” Devin asked.

“Maybe Grabbingsly asked him to” said Marion

There was a short silence while everyone tried to think over this new theory, before Devin shook her head. “No, it had to of been Nigel that got Kim to put the package on the ship. Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to leave his employ. Besides, she continued the affair with Grabbingsly even after the tragedy. I don’t believe she would have done that if he had been the one to order her.”

“Well okay then… do we think Julian was being framed?” Devin asked, looking over at the two girls.

“That’s interesting” Chloe said, taking a look at the picture of the murder weapon “If he was framed specifically, there has to be some motive for that too. As far as I know, no one else knew about that bottle opener.” Chloe sighed and then shook her head “and when we interviewed Julian in jail, he told us he got the bottle opener from a different place than the first time he told us about it. Do you guys remember?”

“Yes” Marion said “at first he said he won it in an auction, then in jail he told us he won it in a contest at a chef convention.” She paused “unless he just mixed his words up and meant auction instead of contest?”

“I think that regardless, he was probably framed because he knew about the Ruby Romans” Chloe said “besides, he really liked Lauren, and if they were to hit it off romantically, it would be that much harder to get Lauren to sell.”

“And” Marion added “according do Julian’s background, he also owned neighboring land. If he’s in jail, then Grabbinsly could probably purchase his land as well.”

The trio gaze at the autopsy again “The penetration and angle of the wound suggests that the victim was seized from behind and that the weapon was a sharply pointed object… but she was arguing with someone and yelling ‘no no!’ before she died.” Devin said “I mean, she could have started to run away?” Devin continues “I’m almost convinced that Arthur told Nigel about the grapes. If you know your brother in law knows about wine and grapes, wouldn't you first go to him to confirm before going to have it confirmed by an expert? I'm guessing the expert in Japan was one of the two people that knew about the grapes. I mean otherwise I don't think Nigel would even care about the property.”

“It is a possibility that he told Denise, and she told Nigel. Although they aren’t on the best of terms…” Chloe added.

“That fits” said Marion “I mean they were estranged enough that Arthur probably didn't know Nigel's connection with Grabbingsly, and I have no reason to believe Arthur would tell anyone he knows is in bed with Grabbingsly, or you know... he'd never be able to fix the grange up.”

“So, are we agreeing on who we figure did these acts?” Chloe asked, looking at her companions.

“Yes” Marion said, going over the conclusions they had come to. “Kim killed Arthur and Arabella on either Grabbingsly's or Nigel's orders - if Nigel's, then he was asked by Grabbinsly, and Nigel killed Kim.”

“Nigel has some knowledge of grapes and either Arthur told him or wanted to confirm... or someone was sent by Grabbingsly to check out the property, noticed them, and asked Nigel about them. Nigel wanted in on the money.” Devin said, before adding “Maybe Kim planned to come clean to Lauren that night about Arthur”

“That would make the most sense” said Chloe “That’s probably why they were arguing.”

“Let’s write our answers down and present them to Nutsy. I sure hope we’re correct.”

Who rigged the shuttle that killed Arthur and Arabella? Kim rigged the shuttle, although she didn’t know that’s what she was doing.

Why were they killed? They were killed because of the expensive grapes they were taking to get appraised. Aribella’s death was included on accident.

Who killed Kimatra? Nigel Desmond killed Kimatra

Why was she killed? She was killed because she was planning to ‘come clean’ about her involvement with the shuttle accident.

What role did the Ruby Romans play in all this? The Ruby Roman grapes were the main reason for everything. They’re the most expensive grapes in the universe, and worth millions if cultivated en masse.

How involved was Grabbingsly? Grabbinsly knew about it all, and ordered Nigel to kill Kim.

Was there a ghost in the vineyard maze that night? The only ghost in the vineyard maze was Aribella.

Valera takes a quick swig of her ale and leans back in her chair. "Seriously, who would've thought that Ruby Roman were stinkin' grapes! M'head is still spinnin' from that one."

The pirate sighed dejectedly to herself cause she was awful with puzzles, but she wasn't going to give up. Spreading sheets of paper covered in notes the team had jotted down about everything they though was important to the case, Valera though maybe if they started to sort through it all they could start getting close to the answer.

"Aye Lilith, from our notes I might think that there are a few who ye might think to benefit. My hunch is with Norman, Denise and maybe that Nigel fellow." The viera lifted her pirate hat slightly and rubbed her forehead, all this thinking wasn't something she was super used to.

Balancing a steaming hot cocoa with cream, Myra swung to and fro in her rocking chair. Absorbed in thought, she blew softly over her divine potation. Organized like always, she had spread out a rose-colored chart in her lap which showed the complicated relationships between victims and suspects. Green and red lines linked names together and several comments covered the blank spaces in between. "Denise would be a suspect for sure. Jealousy, adultery and greed are a big trio of base motives. However, since Kimatra talked about a male sending her to the space shuttle and Denise was dead drunk at the festival, I would disregard her for now. Let´s talk about Nigel Demon and Norman Sharke. I don´t think Grabbingsly would get his fingers dirty. He could be the evil mastermind behind all this yet he would have his henchmen to do the filthy jobs!. What do you think?"

Verrek looked over the papers with tired sunken eyes. What the devil had he gotten himself into? The only puzzles he knew how to solve were locks and security systems. Why did he have to drag himself through these tedious details, couldn't those more skilled with such things be put in charge and give him a call once there was some good brawling to be had?

No, it wouldn't be fair to his team to leave the burden of such things on them. Last thing they needed was the additional weight of his sorry arse holding them back.

He forced himself to pay attention to what his friends were discussing.

Valera had just named off three likely suspects to which Myra had shared her thoughts on. It all sounding very conveluded to Verrek, he didn't fare well in discussions, his skills were in the acts of infiltration and investigation not talking. He decided that if this was all he could bring to the table he might as well lay it in the open. Hopefully the others would see that he at least wished he could be of use.

"I'm thinking this is all a bit of a mess, mayhaps we should tail a few of these suspects and see what they get up to? They may not do anything incriminating on purpose but they're bound to let something slip in a conversation or while going about their business."

Krios sat at a table next to the group having a make-shift clue game playing and each piece was crafted to look like the people in the tragedy, Moving the pieces around carefully not to miss step anyone. The laying down the ones that were dead and having some float in the air using magic. Speaking up he announced his speculations, "Kimatra rigged the shuttle, but she didn't no what she was doing or what was in the package that she was storing on the shuttle. The whole reason is that people are getting killed is because of those stupid grapes, why must the people of Earth be so greedy." Shaking his head then taking a sip of his drink and continuing, "After Kimatra found out that she either know of what the package had done or of the grapes, I feel it was Grabbingsly or someone he hired. I guess she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those damn grapes were very much the reason all this is happening they sell for tons of money on Earth. Grabbingsly was so involved that he would kill to get what he wanted which was the grapes." hinting even more that the grapes were the root of all evil. "And finally, I feel that the ghost in the graveyard is no other than..." magic flicking the piece that was to be Arabella across the table and landing in front of everyone. "Arabella!!!" Pronouncing the name in a loud tone.

Krios then sat back down since he had flustered himself so much that he was standing by the end of his rant. Sipping on his drink some more and taking a bit of a sandwich that he had waiting for him after he tried figuring out the murder case. Krios still felt as if he had contributed nothing to the case, but it was worth the try.

Myra had stopped her rocking and observed entranced if Krios achieved new clues with magic. Deliberating, she nibbled on her red pencil, wishing she would be allowed to administer her famous truth serum to every one of the suspects. An expertly brewed concoction out of Ginkgo biloba leaves, salted with a finger twist of Barium muriaticum and one little dollop of diluted toxin from the bushmaster, sweetened with acacia honey so the patient won´t note the medical taste of the mixture, would do the trick. Served with a delicious piece of cake, and they would go on and on, talking and talking.... The alchemist sighed. No chance for this so far.

Lilith sat back and listened, nodding her head as everyone walked through their own tale or piece of information. Putting a hand on her head she looked through the clues again and again trying to spot something that would jump out at her. As she did so she began answering her friends. "I believe Kimatra placing the package in the shuttle was a direct order from Grabbingsly, I don't think he would have told another person to tell her. This seems like a thing he would do himself." She scanned a few more lines before continuing. "I also believe only Arthur, and Arlington knew about the grapes when Arthur and Arabella were killed, Grabbinglsy got spooked by the fact that he was possibly going to lose out on the place he wanted so desperately. He figured offing the man before he went through with whatever it was he was going to do was the only way to get what he wanted. Sadly Arthur wasn't the only collateral damage." She trailed off for a second letting her eyes wander over to the sweet little girl. "Grabbingsly probably would have gotten this place if Kimatra hadn't of turned on him which most likely pissed the SOB off, with the help of Kimatra and Julian this place was going to be saved again." She was starting to get a headache from staring at the letters so hard waiting for something they missed to jump out at her. Grabbing a second piece of paper off the table she smiles. "High heels that don't look like high heels!" She shouts. "I remember overhearing Imelda and Nusty talking about height, she was explaining that a lot of males wear stacked heels to make themselves look taller. Imelda then listed off three males here that she either knew or figured adjusted their height. One of them was Julian but the other two where Norman, and Nigel. Arabella and Stefanie both claimed to have seen high heels that didn't look like high heels. It also states here that Arabella saw them on a mechanic the day she died." This was the breakthrough they needed taking them one step closer to figuring this whole thing out. "The killer was wearing stacked heels when they killed Kimatra that is the one thing we know for sure, we just need to figure out who the person wearing them was." Sitting back down Lilith begins looking over the clues for something else they may have missed.

Valera furrowed her brow then turned to Feng who was lying quietly at the other end of the room. "Go git mah thinkin cap!" She ordered her giant stone sentinel. It didn't take Feng long at all, he returned with a hat that was crumpled together aluminium foil. Swapping hats out of nowhere the pirate blurted, "ALIENS!" Her eyes widened then she quickly took off the tinfoil hat and threw it at Feng. "Wrong hat mate, that's me conspiracy hat. Thought you had it right for a moment till I blurted out nonsense. I need mah thinkin one!" The second time around Feng brought the correct hat.

With her thinking hat on Valera sobered up and got to work, this mystery wasn't going to solve itself. "Aye, Kimatra was there at the shuttle bay. I think her heels and the heels that were seen in the maze are different. Since they mentioned RED HEELs in the shuttle bay and STRANGE HEELS in the maze." Valera pauses for a moment before continuing. "Here's how I think it all went down, let's see if you guys are followin me...

[spoiler=Valera's current deductions] -Kimatra put the package in Arthur & Arabella's ship, an order from Garbbingsly. -Kimatra DID NOT KNOW what was in the box. -Whatever was in the box Kimatra put in the ship caused the explosion. -When Kimatra found out she had been the cause of Arthur and Arabella's Death she turned against Grabbingsly, how could someone be so cruel? -Now with Kimatra in the way and making Grabbingsly's life harder the man has to take action. -At the party Kimatra was drinking, could it be because she felt absolutely terrible for being the one to kill Arthur and Arabella? -Now ye all all to remember the Ruby Roman grapes only actually grew in the center of the maze, this might have somethin to do with this. -Because Grabbingsly wanted Kimatra out of the way he had her silenced. Somehow he got Kimatra to go out into that maze, they were overheard talking about the grapes in the center before she was killed.

The things we need to sort out: -Who picked up Julian's Corkscrew? When did they get a chance to take it from the antique utensil case in the dining room? -Norman seems like an all talk kind of guy, plus his high heel shoes were platforms so they wouldn't have a heel.(see vampire costume) He wasn't the killer in the maze. -This is between Denise and Nigel Demond.

The friends from Cosmic Sleuths were sitting around a large wooden table inside the inn, chatting and debating their final decision on the murders.

Jettison may have missed some facts along the way but he still looked determined to do his best and help out. At least he was ok at picking up clues from images and notes they had kept. So between the group of six he had spread every little thing, weather it would be helpful or not. The last thing he wanted was to miss something.

"Who'as th bit about th' suspects we ruled out so far?" He asked, scratching the shaven side of his ginger hair with a quizzical look.

Ilaera looks down at the notes, trying to find the list of all the people inside the inn at the time of the murder.

Dr.Stefanie Longacre Norman Sharke Denise Demond Nigel Demond Arlington Johnson Cheval D’Coeur Imelda Spermophilus Nigel Vulpine Chief Inspector Roquefort Brie Kandace Laurel Pennington Kimatra Parvati Carmen Hidalgo Julian

“I think it’s safe to say we can remove the Inspector and Kandace from the list” she says to the others. “No way they could have done it. I also have the feeling we could go and remove Laurel, Carmen and Julian from this list we have”.

Kenny looked at the list. “We have to make it quick, we all need time to dress up for the Revel, so please come to the point”.

Sashi looks at the list. “Can we cross out the names from the people we’re sure off?” she asks Ilaera. Then quickly crossed out the names of the persons Ilaera mentioned, without really waiting for an answer”.

Ilaera just let’s her do as she wants, knowing the other girl was way too excited for the event and finding out the murderer to really listen to the others

"I agree wif' ya there. An ugh...we gotta get fancy again? What is it bout' this place. They got mad last time I wore shorts ta' a event..but its too damn warm fer' slacks." Pouting Jettison leaded his head on the table, crumpling papers below his cheek. It wasnt that he didnt like getting dressed up, or that he lacked clothing for it, just that...well it was becoming tedious.

Esme starts to laugh and pats Jett on his back. She then notices something under his face that has a bit of writing. She tries to concentrate and find out what it is, unsure if she saw it before. She grabs the piece of paper and pulls it away from Jett. Looking at it she notices it’s Kimatra’s autopsy report. “So there it is” she says out loud. When the others look up to see what’s up, she holds up the report. “I knew we had the autopsy report, but I hadn’t seen it, I only know what it said because Ilaera gave us a summary”.

Emjee jumps in and looks to Ilaera. “What were the clues we had been given so far?”.

Ilaera looks down at the papers in front of her with all the information on the murders. There were also pieces of paper that had the written conversations on them.

"According to this conversation between Nutsy and Francine we can remove even more suspects from our list”.

After reading the information again, she crossed out the names of Imelda and Nigel. “We already kinda expected them to be innocent, but according to this Francine doesn’t believe in that either. And since there’s no proof for that at all, we’ll just remove them from our list for now”.

She then looks down at the list again, then grabs another piece of paper. “Stefanie and Cheval have been together the entire time, so they’re out too”. Before she can cross out their names, Sashi jumped up to do so.

“Anyone thinking Arlington did it?” she asks while looking around. Ilaera doesn’t really look around, cause she already knows the answer, she crossed out his name too. She then looks up at Jett with a curious expression, this was very serious matter and it deserved their full attention and the man wasn’t really in it at the moment.

She then looked at the new list of suspects.

Dr.Stefanie Longacre Norman Sharke Denise Demond Nigel Demond Arlington Johnson Cheval D’Coeur Imelda Spermophilus Nigel Vulpine Chief Inspector Roquefort Brie Kandace Laurel Pennington Kimatra Parvati Carmen Hidalgo Julian

"Only 4 possible suspects left. Although I do think I’ve narrowed it down to just two of them at the moment, one for each of the murders."

Jett senses that Ilaera aint pleased and picks up his act and shuffles through a few papers he had noticed earlier. Though he may not have much to add verbally, at least he could play it up that he was trying to use his head and not just pout about the outfit change.

Esme says she already narrowed her own list down to only two real suspects too, she wonders out loud what the others are thinking.

The friends chat a bit about the possible suspects and the information they have on them. They’re wondering if they should try and find out more about their 4 suspects.

Kenny rubbed his temples in frustration as he attempted to study the papers scattered about the room. There were notes, graphs with various suspect’s names highlighted, and others crossed out, copies of crime scene photos, autopsy reports, suspect statements, and all the other information they had gathered to go through.

“Why did it have to be so complicated?” He wondered aloud, wishing they could have neatly pinned everything on Grabbingsly, and have done with it....

"Denise is Arthur's sister, do we know if she stood to inherit any of this place?" He asked, but agreed that Arabella would most likely have recognized her if she was able to remember that the woman was pretty.

"Ugh" he groaned "I could use some wine. I think Ilaera is probably spot on, but let's compare your notes again."

Jett of course perked up with the idea of Alcohol, standing up and about to slip away to pour himself and Kenny drinks when he felt a hand tightly gripping his shoulder. Of course it was Ilaera, giving him a cold stare as if to say 'get back to pretending you have half a clue whats going on'. So he puffed his cheeks and sat himself back down, somewhat excited for the party now that he thought of the free food and liquor. At least he had that bit to look forward to.

Esmee looks at all the notes in front of them, trying to compare it with the suspects they have and the people they have in mind. It all seems to fit in with the theory Ilaera told them about earlier.

Ilaera starts to look at all the information they gathered so far. "I really believe Denise couldn’t have killed her own brother, so for that case I have to cross out her name, but I do think she continues to be a suspect for the other case. Her husband doesn’t seem to be smart enough to pull it off, so I’m going to cross out his name, no way he would have been able to kill anyone without help”

Sashi jumps up again, excited to narrow the list down some more. “Maybe it was Norman?”.

Esme shakes her head. “I don’t think he did it. I see no motive, no evidence directing to him. I really believe he’s innocent too”.

Emjee looks at the list. “Well, I have to agree with Sashi”.

Jett is stuck as butts and missed enough of the case due to some stuff he had to leave for that he has no clue. Which doesnt help the team one bit. Nor does his childlike attitude building up. So he says they can have fun debating and he is going to get changed. Maybe it’ll be more figured out when he is back.

Kenny joins him and says he has a feeling the girls would do better deciding. He could go either way. They at least each seemed set with their idea.

Ilaera is starting to get annoyed with Jett and she’s surprised Kenny gives in as well. But when the brit scurries off with a grin she just facepalms and knows she can’t easily get him back. At least this time he is leaving for a useful reason, unlike the promise of wine moments ago. So she asks the others what their ideas are.

They start another debate on the suspects they have left, unsure what to do next, as they seem to miss information on the suspects left. Then from out of nowhere Ilaera jumps up, looking at the information on the paper she holds.

”What if Kimatra killed Arthur and Arabelle?”.

She notices how the others want to defend Kimatra, but before they can do so, she tells them to just listen to her first.

”Kimatra worked for Grabbingsly at the time of the shuttle accident. We all know that he wanted to buy the inn, so that he could build high-end condos in the area. Maybe she was desperate to do her work, to please him, she went further that she had to go and rigged the shuttle to get Arthur out of the way. Maybe she was thinking that without Arthur around Laurel would give in and sell the inn to her boss”.

She looks to the other girls, they just sit and listen to her, so she knows that they’re starting to get her point. “But maybe she didn’t know Arabelle would have been there too? Or maybe she regretted doing it after she did it and got to know Laurel. Who knows maybe that’s the real reason she wanted to help her in building up the inn again?”

”I still think Denise has something to do with it”.

”That’s it!” Esme says while jumping up, excited about it. “Denise thought her husband was having an affair with Kimatra, so she might have killed Kimatra for that”.

“So, Denise killed Kimatra?”

“What if Denise found out that Kimatra killed Arthur?” Ilaera then said to the others, knowing they would get quiet because of that. And they did. “Arthur was her brother, Arabelle her niece. What if she not only thought that Kimatra was having an affair with her husband, but also found out that she killed her brother and niece. That she caused the accident, there’s no better motive then revenge”.

The other girls grab the papers they have in front of them, trying to find information that fits with the newest theory.

“I think that’s right, two killers, two different cases, but the second one caused because of the first one”.

The girls continue to chat about their theory. Then after a while they notice how the guys come back down.

They look great, even though they didn’t really help with narrowing down the suspects. After they came back, they did ask how it was going and if there was already a suspect.

Ilaera glares at them, as if they betrayed her, but then takes a breath and starts to explain the theory that ended up in narrowing down the suspects so far that they were able to give the solution.

The girls get up to change too. Knowing it best at this point to just get a move on.

Of course Jett had quickly found a place on the floor, not seeming to care that his clean outfit was likely to get a bit dusty. The nearby couches were just as covered in paper and notes, and he wanted to relax a bit before heading out. So he spread out on a small rug, kicking his leg back and forth as it lay over his other knee smoking and humming away.

With a sudden brush of air in his face, Jett felt sharp claws on his forehead. He huffed a smoky breath at the creature who had been off on his own for most of this adventure. Jett was of course feeling a bit annoyed with the fact that he had some sort of 'jett free holiday'. Though he really didnt mind the silence it caused.

Potch leaned down and bit Jett’s nose, letting out his bird like chuckle. Saying in his blunt tone "DUMB, DID YOU MISS ME?"

Of course the ginger just waved a hand af him, not bothering to answer as he closed his eyes. Needing a rest before the girls drug him out to the ball or whatever it was.

After that, Kenny and Jett discuss the other questions that still need answers, unsure what to say about them. n the meantime Kenny had been able to force Jett back on chair, like a (mostly)civilized human being, the floor was too dusty for the clothes he was in. Then the girls come back down, apparently they had been talking about the other questions themselves too, cause they immediately start to explain what they think.

“So Kimatra rigged the shuttle and was responsible for Arthur and Arabelle’s death. Denise murdered Kimatra, because of the affair she believed was there and because she knew Kimatra was responsible for the shuttle accident. Grabbingsly, even though he was Kimatra’s boss, was not involved in the murders in any way. Yes, he wanted to get the inn and the land, but he wouldn’t have taken it so far”. Ilaera slowed down to take a breath.

“When the Ruby Romans were discovered they all believed they would be the way to put the inn and it's vineyard back at the maps. They would also be able to help Laurel keep the inn and make it profitable again” Esme said about matter o' factly.

“We also believe there has been a ghost inside the maze at the night of Kimatra’s murder. I mean with the ghost group from Arlington and Arabelle around the inn, why couldn’t there be. And also we do have a note from Arabelle saying that a pirate would come to play with her. And of course there's also the ghost of the former owner hanging around the gazebo, maybe even with his wife that came over for a visit too. Although Stefanie could have seen a light too. The girl’s hysterical”.

"At least we all agree on that lil' tid bit. Stef is at th' coo-coo bananas level." He stretched his arms innthe air as he stood, knowing that if he didnt get his butt in gear mama Ilaera could once again scold him.

With that being said and all questions answered, they’re ready to meet up with the others and give their thoughts about the cases.

"1. Who rigged the shuttle that killed Arthur and Arabella? 2. Why were they killed? 3. Who killed Kimatra?

Nigel her husband - had an affair with Kimatra and is still fuming about the affair. Yet one odd thing, she is now several inches taller than her husband, yet he has always appeared taller than she. Regarding the Shuttle - nothing mechanically wrong - but a package was delivered and loaded by a woman. Denise was Arthurs younger sister - she never liked her sister-in-law (Laurel - Arthurs husband)

Mulling over the information as she talks, Gatorgirl finally blurts out.. Other items I thought worth considering:

1. Julian -that he never used the corkscrew that night. He won it in a contest at a chef convention. Would Julian kill Kimatra to get her out of the way? After all, he REALLY likes Laurel. 2)Gerardo - made an investment deal with Grabbingsly which had resulted in the loss of most of his holdings ... Julian was convinced that Grabbingsly had cheated his father.

Keep in mind if money was a motive ... the Ruby Red grapes. The most expensive grapes in the world."

Willow listens intently to each and makes quick notations then removes her glasses and rubs her eyes...

"I am no where in the conundrum of murderers.. tell me what you think about more then one? If more then one they would work as a team possibly, though it could be separate murders also, what do you think?"

Putting her glasses back on, she gazes at each in turn.

Bcsam sits quietly taking an absent bite of his food when he remembers to, yet mainly stares at the paper Willow writes on as if deep in thought before finally nodding as if to himself then begins to speak...

4. Why was she killed?
5. What role did the Ruby Romans play in all this?
6. How involved was Grabbingsly?
7. Was there a ghost in the vineyard maze that night?"

Chewing on the back of the pencil in distraction, Willow finally throws out some questions of her own...

"Was the original murders, the shuttle accident about this famous Ruby Romans? Arabella seemed to think she was an accident, so the object was to kill Arthur?"

Gatorgirl, sitting at the same table throws out more questions..

"Kimatra Parvati - hired as a promotion agent. Agreed to share profits. Is capitalizing on the ghost stories. (Was there a ghost in the vineyard maze that night? ... or was she just making up the stories to bring in more guests?)

So here's a couple of thoughts...

The obvious - is Denise Desmond

"I'm thinking out loud here but i think it is the husband and wife together with the height thing to try and throw everyone off...Nigel and Denise Demond...

Both Willow and Gatorgirl simply stare with eyes wide until finally Willow blurts the first thing on her mind.

"How did you come to that conclusion Bcsam?"

..Finally rememebering to grab pen and parchment she writes every word he says hurriedly, obviously excited now.

Pausing for a moment possibly to allow Willow to catch up with her writing, Bcsam then begins to speak using his hands as gestures to his words emphasizing important points. It took quite a few minutes and Willow, being a slow writer simply managed to get the summation of his logic. When done, her notes show Bcsam emphasizing his main reasoning:

"I think she is the one to drop the gift off at the time the mechanics saw her in high heels and caused an accident...and the husband is a low life wanting to make the sale to Grabbings and get the money...The shoes are to throw everyone off.I think the husband had been messing about too...she may be pressing to get rich quick on that account too."

Taking a deep breath then smiling Willow nods quickly..

"This is wonderful Bcsam! Now for Francine's other questions.. would they work into this final mystery?"

All read Willow's previous notation of the questions as she speaks softly then asks their opinion on her answers..

" 1. Who rigged the shuttle that killed Arthur and Arabella? We are saying they both did? 2. Why were they killed? Greed! 3. Who killed Kimatra? Both again? 4. Why was she killed? Because she saw too much? 5. What role did the Ruby Romans play in all this? The grapes just played into the greed of both? 6. How involved was Grabbingsly? He was the buyer, right? 7. Was there a ghost in the vineyard maze that night? Maybe the little girl or someone else?

There was a long thoughtful pause from each then suddenly Bcsam holds up a finger as if making a point and his voice begins hesitantly yet ends with great conviction.

"What if the husband dressed up as his wife to do this murder and set up his wife as the murderer? I think that the husband was wearing high platforms before all this and now is not in order to make his wife appear taller. You see the wife liked Arabella and I think this way it still makes sense that she still liked her and wouldn't want to hurt her. But I think the husband set her up to be the murderer. His wife won't let up on him because he had that affair and this is how he is getting rid of her (his wife) making her out to be the bad one."

Willow pulls off her glasses as she stares at him forgetting to write at the moment.

"There is just one murderer then?"

Shaking his head Bcsam points to her journal in a reminder to write as he grins while Willow quickly complies..

"Two, two murderers. You see, Grabbingsly is the other murderer, purely in it for the money nothing else....motive is money. Angry, he's the slimy murderous type too. He was suspected of being the killer too by the other members.. Nigel gets a cut of the money and also gets rid of his nagging wife who won't let him forget that he fooled around with Kimatra.....now she is out of the picture. Property is worth a lot and even more so now that there are the very costly grapes in the garden. Arabella was killed by Nigel dressed as a woman to implicate his wife. I think Nigel is just as much a slime ball as Grabbingsly is."

Quickly writing every word down and even a few notes on the side of the page had her journal filled, then looking at Bcsam and Gatorgirl, and Chook begins to grin...

"We have it, I feel it.. we figured it out!"

Adding the questions again and in light of this revelation of Bcsam, the Travelers work on the main questions:

1. Who rigged the shuttle that killed Arthur and Arabella? "Kimatra talked of a package in her diary(not knowing what it was)....could nigel or grabbings have tricked her into delivering the package to the shuttle and then she was murdered to silence her for good? She had an affair with both of these jerks..i think it was Nigel because she talked of ending it...Meaning the relationship.
2. Why were they killed? Willow quickly wrote the one word that seemed to be a common factor..Greed!
3. Who killed Kimatra? Did Nigel kill his former girlfriend to implicate his wife?
4. Why was she killed? Nigel obviously cares nothing for either of them! He wants access to the Ruby Red grapes after all Nigel is one of the Nexus' most up-and-coming wine connoisseurs. However, she may have over heard too much or perhaps she was bribing him.
5. What role did the Ruby Romans play in all this? The team agreed that the one of a kind grapes was actually the cause of one of the murderers at least.
6. How involved was Grabbingsly? He was the buyer, and the murderer. I imagine Arthur didn't want to sell.
7. Was there a ghost in the vineyard maze that night? That is a conundrum, there seemed to be a light.. was it simply a flashlight that the murderer used to navigate the maze? Each member of the team frowned at some of the questions.. one would start to speak then stop as their expressions became more and more puzzled...still not totally sure of some of the details, yet the team is confident of the final, the murderers.

The fairly silent Chook finally speaks.. "Let's consider all angles and make sure we are confident of the murderers."

Then turns the pages back to the first as everyone concentrates on all the clues.

Finally Gatorgirl sighs and clears her throat..

"Uh.. another idea.. "

Looking apologetically toward each of the team...

"..anyone think it could be Julian?"

Suddenly everyone was so quiet you could hear a pen drop as they lean forward to listen to her quiet whisper..

"He killed Kimatra with the Corkscrew - that he supposedly won as at a chef convention? Getting Kimatra out of the way would leave Laurel all to himself (remember that he REALLY likes her). He's obviously aware of the Ruby Reds ... which leads back to the GREED angle.

Also Rocknard Grabbingsly, has deep pockets and has ordered Norman to obtain the Grange properties at any price. Before Kimatra's arrival, the grab might have been a whole lot easier. Do you think Norman would have killed for Grabbingsly? OR did he have Julien kill her ... If they teamed up, Grabbingsly would be able to buy the property. Kimatra was the only one helping to keep the property profitable and Julien would have access to the Ruby Red's."

On another note: I totally forgot about this part .... but I do remember Daddy wrapping up a package very carefully, as if it were alive or something." Did he wrap the bomb himself that blew up the shuttle?

Gatorgirl was suddenly quiet. Chook leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest as she listened, Willow nervously removed her glasses and began distractedly cleaning them glancing back and forth obviously very puzzled. Finally all turn toward Bcsam.

"I'm not convinced that Julien had anything to do with the murder. It's his cork screw but just makes it easy to implicate him is all i think....still I think it was all Grabbingsly and Nigel as the murderers. The light in the center may have been one of the two checking out the grapes to see how much was actually growing. i'm leaning towards Nigel,sort of counting the cash if you will."

The team spent a long time discussing the ramifications of each position and finally put it to a vote. Reading the small pieces of paper and marking the vote, Chook finally looks at each person...

"We go with our original estimation.. the murderers according to Bcsam"

Even Gatorgirl was agreeable to this and all were confident that this was the right decision.

As team Traveler began to now truly enjoy their meal the only dent in their happiness was mention of the missing team member Judykm who had to leave a few days earlier yet all agreed with a toast to the team in hope they should see them again soon... maybe for another mystery! After giving their conclusion of the case to the authorities, the rest of the evening's discussion was related to the excitement at the upcoming revelry and what would be appropriate to wear. Before retiring for the night all agreed to meet the next day in the garden wearing their party attire.

Celeste sighs. “We’ve been going in circles. What are we missing?” Spring sips her tea, and kicks a tiny pebble away. “I...I...don’t know. I know we’re so close. I can feel it. Maybe we already know. We just need to believe in ourselves.” Aicha nods. More in tune with magic and the supernatural world than her colleagues, she has always believed that what Arabella has been trying to tell them holds more stock than some of the other “grown ups” want to believe. Tanner thumps the edge of the fountain “Those shoes…!” She says. “They have to mean something!”

“So let’s start at the beginning! I think maybe by the time we reach the end, we’ll know.” Spring and Celeste say in unison. If it weren’t for the fact that they were trying to solve three senseless murders, they might have laughed. Instead they just smiled at each other and got out their notebooks and began to tell the story.

“Once upon a time” Spring started out. “There was a man named Arthur who loved his family very much. He had a lovely wife named Laurel and a beautiful little daughter who they named Arabella. They were his entire world and he wanted to give them everything and more."

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE NOVEL

They listen to the explanations of other investigators. Some of them shared theories, some were completely different. “Oh wow, maybe we don’t really have this,” whispered Bitsy. “We’re just as smart, and anyway all of our minds together can only help the investigation.” They look at each other and hook pinkies “In this together, right or wrong!” Just as they say “wrong” the room has fallen silent, and all the others in the room look at the two lady detectives.

Trixie steps forward confidently. “We may all have some element wrong, but here’s what my partner and I think.

So who rigged the Arthur’s shuttle resulting in the death of Arthur and his darling daughter? We know that there was an extra mechanic who checked the shuttle and wore high heels that were not high heels. We also know that a dark haired female paid for a package delivery that day and loaded it onto the shuttle. From the reading of Kimatra’s diary found in her room, we believe that the female was Kimatra herself.” A gasp comes from Laurel, who turns to hide her face against Julien’s chest. “Try not to think too badly of her, though. We believe that she didn’t know what was in that package. It was her fiance Grabbingly who convinced her deliver it, not revealing the deadly contents. Wracked with guilt, she came to the Grange to help make amends for her unintentional crime.

But why were Arthur and Arabella killed? We believe they were killed for plain old fashioned greed. Grabbingsly was trying to buy the land as well as Arlington’s land not because he wanted to acquire the land to build condos as he told Norman, but because he had found out about the Ruby Romans growing both in the Grange vineyards and in Arlington’s backyard. He had to stop Arthur from confirming that they were indeed Ruby Romans, since he knew that once that happened, Arthur would never sell the land. Arthur had been foolish enough to tell his brother-in-law, a supposed “expert” on grapes, who then blabbed to his buddy Grabbingsly, setting Arthur up for murder.

So then, who killed Kimatra then and why? The murder of Kimatra was much more personal. Kimatra deeply regretted the role she played in the death of Arthur and Arabella and came to the Grange to try and absolve some of her guilt by helping Laurel make the country inn a success. This would put her in direct odds with Grabbingsly’s aims of acquiring the property. She also had relationships with both Nigel and Norman. So who was it in the end? We know it was somebody who wore heels that weren’t heels and also somebody who knew about the Ruby Romans. To this end, we believe it was Nigel. He was seen having a heated conversation with Kimatra shortly before her death. Kimatra had broken up with him, the chance to make money on the grapes was slipping away from him as the Grange became more successful. So while the crowd was distracted by Imelda’s set, the two continued their argument in the dining room where he picked up the corkscrew. When they were alone in the vineyard, he took the opportunity to deal with her once and for all.

Finally was there a ghost in the vineyard maze that night? Let’s keep the story of the haunted grange alive. Yes there was a ghost in the vineyard. It was the little girl who so dearly loved her bears. Laurel, your daughter, Arabella is still here and has been helping to guide us, to keep you safe.”

Will looked up from the papers strewn all over the desk, his dark hair rumpled and his eyes a bit unfocused as he stared at Dana. His mind was still on the notes and clues he’d gone over and over. “Oh…Sergei,” he said vaguely. “Yeah…I’ll get ready soon.”

“Soon is not good enough, Alexander,” Dana fumed. “Get your butt ready. We’re down to the wire here and I’m not walking in with you looking like…this.” She waved a hand at his well-worn t-shirt and ripped jeans.

“But, Sergei, what if we missed something?” Will asked worriedly.

Dana sighed. “Alexander, we’ve been over it and over it. So many times that it’s all mixing together…not to mention your eyes are crossing. You’re not wearing your glasses again,” she scolded. “If we keep second guessing ourselves then we’ll never stop. We need to just go with what we decided on. Now get dressed and meet me downstairs. You have thirty minutes.” With that command, Dana swept from the room.

It took Will a moment or two to realize that his partner had been dressed…and looked stunning. “Damn,” he breathed, “she really knows how to make an impression.” With a final glance at the papers, Will sighed and turned to get dressed in his fancier clothes.

While she waited downstairs, Dana went over the papers that she carried. On them were the conclusions that she and Will had finally, after much discussion, agreed upon. She still wasn’t certain about some things, but time was nearly up and their conclusions would have to do.

Will made it down the stairs in record time…only twenty minutes. But the way his suit jacket was tossed over his arm and the look in his eyes had Dana groaning. Sure enough the young man hurried over. “Let’s go, Sergei. I need to check something out!” he said, pulling her toward the doorway leading to the vineyard.

“Alexander, what are you doing??” Dana protested and then found a lantern thrust into her hand.

“I want to investigate the scene just once more,” Will told her. “I had a thought.”

“Of course you did,” Dana rolled her eyes and went along.

“What if that well in the center is a portal of some type?” Will said excitedly. “What if the ghosts are able to come from another realm to the vineyard via the well? Something has to be special about it for it to be at the center of the maze and for Arthur to say in his note that he had to take Ruby Roman to the center!”

“Wait a minute!” Dana stopped. “You’re going try to find the ghosts?? Alexander, that’s crazy! What if they are the ones that killed Kimatra?”

“What if they are?” Will said. “Then we need to investigate even more! And you’re the perfect bait.”

“And risk winding up the next… What did you say??!” Dana cut off her tirade and stared at her partner. “I am not bait, Alexander!”

“Aww come on, Sergei,” Will pleaded. “This could be our big chance. And I’ll be close by to help.”

Shaking her head, Dana said, “Our big chance lays back there…inside…where the reveal ball is to be held.” Not to mention where it was safer than trying to summon ghosts in the dark, she thought to herself. Not that she really believed such things, but better to err on the side of caution. “We have the answer we came up with earlier and that’s what we’re sticking to. Now let’s go back.”

“But…” Will began and then saw the hard look he was getting. Sighing, he said, “Alright, fine. But when it turns out that I was right, don’t blame me that we didn’t have that evidence on our list.”

“I won’t,” Dana assured him and started back to the house with Will following. “And put on your jacket before we go inside so that you’re presentable.” She didn’t even have to glance back to know that Will was pouting over the direction and the fact that she’d halted his wild goose…or wild ghost…chase.

The conclusions that the PI’s came to earlier and will be presenting at the reveal:

1. Who rigged the shuttle that killed Arthur and Arabella?

This answer caused much debate between Dana and Will. Signs pointed to Kimatra with the mechanics clues and Arabella’s mention of red high heels…such as Kimatra was wearing at her death. However that would be too easy according to Will. And let’s not forget the earlier clues from Arabella stating that she saw a mechanic, and using the masculine pronoun to refer to said mechanic. Also it was stated by Arabella that he had heels, similar to the ‘heels that were not heels’ which Stef recalled from Kimatra’s murder scene. In Will’s opinion Arabella would have known Kimatra or her aunt Denise, thus ruling out those two ladies. Francine had said that Cheval and Stef were both innocent and Arabella concered, and Carmen was known by Arabella and was also believed innocent, thus it must not have been a woman who actually caused the shuttle accident. The PI’s believe that the murderer was Grabbingsly in disguise.

2. Why were they killed?

Grabbingsly wanted the land at all costs and though he normally had underlings do his dirty work, he made certain that this time it was done right.

3. Who killed Kimatra? 4. Why was she killed?

Nigel wanted Kimatra back and she refused him. That is what the argument between them earlier was about. She wanted nothing to do with him and Grabbingsly’s scheme having discovered the plot with the package. She was upset and drank too much at the party and wandered outside. As people had been in and out of the room and even the kitchen, Nigel could have slipped the corkscrew into his pocket at some point. He tried to talk to Kimatra again while they were in the maze (thus the whispers that Arabella heard) and convince her to come back to him and help with the plan to get the Grange for Grabbingsly. When she still refused, he knew that he had to kill her since she knew of the plot and also the existence of Ruby Roman. He, under Grabbingsly’s orders, could not allow her to help Laurel save the Grange. He had to have on his platform shoes (‘heels that aren’t heels’) in order to be tall enough to kill Kimatra in the way he did. Also, he drug her body to the center to make it appear that the ghost had killed her, since the light had been seen emanating from the center of the maze. However, the PI’s believe that the light was Nigel with a flashlight, checking on the existence of Ruby Roman.

5. What role did the Ruby Romans play in all this?

Ruby Roman would mean the saving of the Grange and security for Laurel. Neither she nor Arlington would be willing to sell their land to Grabbingsly once the identity of the expensive grapes was confirmed.

6. How involved was Grabbingsly?

Grabbingsly is behind everything. He had at some point had Kimatra, Norman, and Nigel all working for him. When it appeared that the plan wasn’t going according to his wishes, he took matters into his own hands.

7. Was there a ghost in the vineyard maze that night?

Will certainly thinks so and would like to investigate further! Dana however is skeptical. They have come to the conclusion…reluctantly…that Arabella was the only ghost on that fateful night. Though Will maintains that the others simply weren’t there but do exist.