Whodunit?
By: Amanda Higgins
higginsclan@centuryinter.net

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Disclaimer: I did not create these characters.  I'm just using them in
this story.  No money is being paid to me for writing this; I just did
it for fun. Thanks for reading!
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	"Welcome to the Whodunit Hotel.  Please follow me, and I will show you
to your rooms," said a tall, pale-faced man, turning to walk briskly
down a long hall.  He resembled Lurch on the Addams Family.
	Mark, Steve, Jesse, and Amanda picked up their bags and pursued him
quickly so they didn't get too far behind.  As they were walking, they
looked around at the hotel's decor.  It looked exactly the way one would
picture a murder mystery hotel to look.  Fancy yet a bit spooky.  They
caught a glimpse of a dining room with a large table.  A black grand
piano was sitting in the lobby living up to its name - grand.
	The reason the friends were all about to spend Saturday evening and
Sunday morning solving a pretend mystery at the Whodunit Hotel was that
Steve had won a contest at the police station.  A week prior all the
police officers entered a raffle for an "exciting getaway for four." 
Steve hadn't expected to win; who ever does?  However, when he did, he
knew which three people he would take with him.  Two of his friends, Dr.
Amanda Bentley and Dr. Jesse Travis, along with his father and best
friend, Dr. Mark Sloan.  None of them had ever gone to a murder mystery
hotel to solve a pretend mystery before, so this was exciting.  Mark had
commented earlier, "It'll be nice to solve a murder mystery where no one
is really murdered for a change."
	The tall, pale-faced man stopped in front of Room Ten.  He handed them
one key apiece.  The keys were very old fashioned.  "Dr. Sloan, you will
be in this room.  Dr. Bentley, you will be in Room Eleven.  Lt. Sloan,
Room Twelve.  And Dr. Travis has lucky number thirteen.  Any questions
about the hotel or what will occur during your stay?"
	Mark spoke first.  "What's your name?"
	The tall man smirked.  "The butler, sir.  Any other questions?"
	"How many guests will be staying this weekend?"  inquired Amanda.
	"We have twenty here.  We try to keep the number small.  That way
everyone is more involved.  Lt. Sloan is our only contest winner
though.  Everyone else is a regular guest."
	Jesse asked, "When is the 'murder' going to take place?"
	The butler replied, "As in real murders, it could happen to anyone at
anytime."  He let out an evil laugh and walked back down the hall.  He
called over his shoulder, "Dinner will be in the dining room at eight
o'clock sharp."
	Mark, Jesse, Amanda, and Steve didn't know what to make of the butler. 
Finally Amanda commented, "He was strange."
	"Maybe he's just getting into his character," Jesse suggested.
	"What should we do until eight?"  Steve wondered aloud.
	"We could look around the hotel, and meet some other guests.  Let's
unpack first," said Mark.  They all agreed and went to their separate
rooms.  The rooms were all basically the same.  Inside was an antique
looking queen-sized bed.  There were candlesticks and candleholders all
around.  "I guess the lights go out a lot here," Mark thought.  A
candelabra sat on top of a nightstand by the bed.  The one story hotel
was built around a courtyard.  From one room you could look straight
across into another.  Mark peered out his window. Several other curtains
were drawn away from the window, but he couldn't see anyone.  Inside the
bathroom, there was a claw-footed bathtub.  Mark smiled and began
opening a dresser drawer.  This was going to be an interesting weekend.
	Amanda was looking around in her room too.  "I never liked antiques,"
she mumbled.  "It sure does make for a spooky setting though.  Just
right for solving a mystery."
	In his room, Steve was putting some shirts into a drawer.  "How do
people come up with these contests?"  he thought.  He was sure the
weekend would be fun, but the whole place was sort of unsettling.  Steve
reassured himself, "That's how they want us to feel.  They want everyone
to be scared out of their minds.  Not me."
	Jesse was looking around his room.  He saw a candleholder on the wall
and grinned.  "I wonder if I push on this candleholder, I'll discover a
revolving wall panel."  He playfully pushed on the candleholder, and
before he knew it, Jesse was spun around a couple times only to land on
a bed.  "Whoa!"  he exclaimed.  "What happened?"
	"That's what I'd like to know," a startled voice said.  "Just a second
ago there wasn't anyone lying on my bed."
	Jesse looked over and saw a beautiful young blond woman.  Her bright
blue eyes were opened wide.  He stuttered as he tried to explain.  "I
just pushed on a candleholder for fun to see if it would be a revolving
wall panel like in the movies.  I guess it was!"
	The woman laughed.  Her eyes returned to normal size.  "Sort of
forward, aren't you?  We don't even know each other and you're on my
bed."  She grinned and laughed again.  "I'm Sharon Karles."
	Jesse had been laughing too.  "Jesse Travis."  He got off the bed and
shook her hand.  "This hotel didn't miss a beat.  They probably knew
someone would try looking for secret passages or something at one
point."
	"I wonder if mine works," Sharon mused.  "Let me try."  She walked over
to the candleholder on the wall and pushed on it sideways.  Immediately,
she disappeared.  A few seconds later, she was back, landing on her
bed.  "That's incredible!"  She pushed a strand of hair away from her
face.  There was suddenly a pounding on the door.  Sharon gasped.  "My
husband!  Get out of here before he sees you!"  She shoved Jesse towards
the candleholder which he pushed.  He was sent spinning into his room,
landing on his bed.
	Feeling a little dizzy, he lay there a moment before getting up.  Jesse
was a bit disappointed that Sharon was married, but he put that thought
aside.  "Oh well," he thought.  He devilishly grinned and decided to
scare Steve in the next room.  Hoping the candleholder on the opposite
side of the wall worked, he pushed on it.  A second later he went
spinning into the other room, landing on Steve who had been resting on
the bed.
	"What the ..." Steve exclaimed.  He lept up, knocking the laughing
Jesse to the floor.  "Jesse, how did you get in here?"  He looked
shocked.  Jesse showed him the revolving panel, and after Steve had
tested it a couple times, they decided to shock Amanda.  Steve went to
knock on her door.
	"Hi, Steve," she said.  "I was about to come ask you guys if you were
ready to explore the hotel yet."
	Steve entered the room.  "Almost.  Jesse will probably be here in a few
seconds.  I don't know about Dad."
	True to Steve's word, Jesse came flying through the revolving panel,
landing on Amanda's bed.  She screamed loudly.  Steve and Jesse burst
out laughing.  When Amanda realized who it was, her jaw dropped.  "How
did you ...?"  she began. 
	Just then, Mark came into the room with concern on his face.  "What
happened?"
	Jesse explained about the revolving wall panel, and told them about his
first encounter with it and with Sharon Karles.  Amanda tested the
panel, and Mark seemed intrigued.  "You can get into anyone's room if
you wanted to.  I bet we could go through every room in the hotel if we
started in Room One."  He changed the subject.  "Why don't we check out
the rest of the hotel now?"  Everyone was ready, so they decided to go
to the lobby.
	A man and woman with friendly expressions came over to them
immediately.  The tall, thick-bearded man spoke first, "Hello, I'm
Thomas Grant.  This is my wife Anna.  We own the Whodunit Hotel.  We're
glad you all could join us this weekend."
	Steve introduced himself and the others.  Anna Grant, who was
gray-haired and chubby, smiled broadly. "Ah, Steve Sloan, the contest 
winner.  Well, enjoy yourselves."  The couple walked away.
	"Nice people," Amanda commented.
	Mark couldn't help walking over to admire the piano.  A young woman was
playing a slow, melancholy piece.  She smiled at Mark.  "Do you play?"
	He smiled back.  "A little, yes."  
	She stopped playing and stood up.  "Go ahead.  Play something
cheerful.  Heaven knows we need something to liven things up in here."
	Mark replied, "No, that was fine, keep playing."
	"Nah, I do it all evening long.  My fingers need a rest."
	"Do you work here?"
	"Yeah.  My job is to keep things in a creepy mood.  But, since the
bosses left the room, why not have some fun?"  The woman shrugged.
	Mark grinned.  "Well, okay.  Even sitting down at a grand is an
experience for me."  He sat on the bench and began to play a lively tune
he'd known for a long time.  When he'd finished, the guests in the room
clapped.  The loudest were, of course, Steve, Jesse, and Amanda.  Mark
spotted Mr. and Mrs. Grant at the back of the room.  They were clapping
politely, but Mark could tell they weren't too pleased that the 'creepy
mood' had been broken.  He let the young woman have her seat back and
thanked her.
	"You were great," she answered with a huge smile.
	Mark rejoined his son and friends.  It was almost eight o'clock.  Jesse
saw Sharon and a man, probably her husband, enter the lobby.  He pointed
them out to his friends.  Sharon spotted him, and playfully winked.
Jesse blushed, as his companions snickered.  At that time, a bell was
rung signaling dinner.  The guests herded into the dining room and found
their seats.  A placecard was in front of each chair.  Amanda, Jesse,
Steve, and Mark were sitting nowhere near each other.  Jesse
miraculously wound up next to Sharon.
	"Hey, what luck," she said with a smile.
	Jesse returned the smile.  He saw Amanda across the table try to cover
a laugh with a cough.  That made him want to laugh, and he cleared his
throat.
	"Did you find any more revolving panels besides the one between our
rooms?"  Sharon asked.
	"Actually, yeah.  There's been a revolving panel in every room I've
been in.  You could probably go through all the hotel rooms if you
started in Room One and kept going," Jesse answered.  He noticed the
man, who was probably Sharon's husband, was glowering at him.
	"Wow."
	"Out of curiosity, is that your husband?"
	"Yes, but he's no fun.  Chris would never go looking for revolving wall
panels like you did.  I had to drag him along on this trip."
	Jesse acknowledged her answer and pretended to be very interested in
his silverware.  Chris was glaring at him even more fiercely now.  "Man,
if looks could kill," he thought.  "And we were just talking.  I wonder
what he'd do if someone really was hitting on his wife."
	Outside a huge thunderstorm was going on.  It was raining hard.  The
dining room was brightly lit, but with the curtains open, the storm was
very obvious and contributed to the spooky hotel setting.
	Mr. Grant stood up, ringing the bell again.  The talking fell into
silence.  "Thank you.  In case some of you don't know me, I'm Thomas
Grant.  My wife Anna and I are the owners here at the Whodunit Hotel. 
Dinner is about to be served.  The meal is chicken, corn, potatoes, and
rolls.  Drink orders will be taken after the food is brought out.  I
hope you all enjoy the meal and your weekend stay."  Mr. Grant sat down
as everyone around the table clapped.  Some clapped even louder as the
food was brought out by people in aprons and chef's hats.  They all
lined up by the wall in case anything was needed.  The platters were
individually passed around the table.  Jesse concentrated on his food as
did Steve.  Amanda and Mark were having conversations with the people
around them.
	Sharon tried talking to Jesse some more.  When she was fed up with his
brief answers and nods, she asked, "Why aren't you talking to me?"
	Jesse subtly replied, "Because your husband is glaring at me, and I
don't want to start any trouble.  It's not you."
	She giggled.  "Oh, him.  Well, his bark is worse than his bite.  He
just likes to play Mr. Tough Guy. Don't worry, if he tries anything,
I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you.  Now will you talk to me?"
	A little reluctantly, Jesse agreed and they began talking about their
careers.  She was a costume designer.  She wanted to hear some medical
stories.  "I thought about being a doctor, but it was too much school
for me.  Four years of college was all I could take."
	As people were finishing their meals, Mr. Grant stood up again and rang
the bell.  Again, everyone stopped talking.  "Now, for our evening
activity, we're all going into the lobby to get to know each other
better.  If you will all stand up ..."  What Mr. Grant was about to say
would never be heard.  
	The lights went out suddenly.  People were mumbling nervously.  A
gunshot rang out loud and clear.  Many people began shrieking and
panicking.  Steve called out, "Remember, people, this is a pretend
murder mystery.  No one's really dead."  That calmed some down.
	Just then, the lights flickered back on.  Everyone was surprised to see
Mr. Grant lying facedown on the table.  Mrs. Grant began to lift him
up.  "Honey?"  she said hesitantly to him.  Everyone saw a huge
bloodstain spreading across his chest.  Mrs. Grant dropped him back down
and began to scream.  "No!  He's dead!  It's not supposed to go like
this!  This is wrong!  He's really dead!"  She fainted, but was caught
by a guest before she hit the floor.  Amanda, Jesse, Mark, and Steve had
all moved toward Mr. Grant's body quickly to try to get his pulse.  It
was a hard task because many people were moving around, panicking once
more.  A kitchen worker beat the four to Mr. Grant's body.  He felt for
a pulse, but then looked up at everyone, his face white as a sheet.  "No
pulse," he whispered.  He backed away from the body and went back over
to the wall as if in a trance.  A co-worker went over and put an arm
around him.
	Mark, Jesse, Steve, and Amanda had still been on their way to the body
when the lights went out again.  Screams were heard all around and there
was a rush to get to the door and into the lobby.  Mark got shoved
around and ended up away from Steve, Amanda, and Jesse.  He banged his
head pretty hard on something.  He swayed dizzily before falling to the
floor.
	Some staff members brought in candles to hand out.  One of the men
called out, "Everyone, listen!  We don't know what's going on, but we're
safe in the lobby.  When the lights come back on, we'll be able to find
out more.  Try to calm down.  Panicking makes things worse."
	When Steve got his candle, he looked around.  He saw Jesse and Amanda,
but where was his dad?  He got on tip-toes and raised his candle.  No
sign of that familiar white hair.  "Jesse, Amanda, do you see Dad
anywhere?"  They began looking around too.
	"Steve, you don't think," Amanda began.  In unison, she and Steve said,
"Let's find him."  All three of them headed back to the dining room. 
Steve was the first one inside.  He noticed that Mr. Grant's body was
gone.  "Hey, where's the body?"
	Jesse replied grimly as he hurried to the other side of the room, "That
body, I don't know, but there's Mark."  Amanda and Steve rushed over
too.  Jesse knelt down and felt for Mark's pulse.  "He has a pulse, and
he's breathing."  Jesse moved his candle closer.  "It looks as though he
has a bump coming out of his forehead.  He must have hit his head on
something."
	Amanda shook Mark very gently.  "Mark?"
	Steve looked worried.  "Dad?"
	Mark stirred then.  He blinked his eyes a couple times before starting
to sit up.
	"Mark, don't move yet.  Wait a minute," Amanda instructed.
	"I hit my head on something," Mark said, slowly sitting up anyway.  He
felt the bump on his forehead, wincing.
	"Think you can walk?"  Steve asked.
	"Yeah, I'll be okay," Mark answered.  He got up slowly with Steve and
Jesse's help.  After standing still for a moment, he noticed that Mr.
Grant's body was gone.  "Where's Grant's body?"
	"Grant's tomb?"  Jesse joked nervously.  Amanda and Steve gave him a
withering glance.  "Sorry, I joke when I'm nervous."
	"We don't know.  It was gone when we came in to look for you," Steve
replied.
	"That's strange," Mark said.
	Amanda added, "It sure is.  I thought this was going to be a pretend
murder mystery this weekend, but I guess we can't escape."
	Jesse was watching Mark when he swayed slightly.  Luckily, Steve
noticed too, and held his arm to steady him.  "Mark, are you sure you're
all right?  I think it would be a good idea if you would lie down for a
while."
	"Jesse, I'll be fine.  Besides, who could lie down with all this going
on?"  At that moment, the lights came back on.  In the lobby, a general
sigh of relief was heard.  The four went back into the lobby with Amanda
and Steve holding onto Mark's two arms.  
	A staff member came in the front door holding a huge flashlight.  He
was soaking wet and muddy up to his knees.  "There's a huge tree that
has fallen in front of the gate.  We're stuck here for the night at
least.  The phones aren't working either.  Let's just think positively
that the murderer wouldn't have stuck around.  We'll be safe."  Some
people seemed momentarily reassured by this.
	Steve spoke up, "Grant's body is gone."  Everyone turned to look at him
in shock.  Those who had been momentarily reassured were even more
frightened now.  Some staff members went into the dining room.  They
came back out seconds later.
	"There was a note on the table," one woman announced.
	Amanda whispered to Steve, "Was it there when we were?"
	He whispered back, "I didn't notice if it was.  If it wasn't, it means
the killer is still nearby."
	The woman continued, "It says: 'This started out as mystery fun, but a
real one has just begun.  Grant is dead, so you'll be, unless you can
catch me.' "  The woman cleared her throat.  "We think that you should
all stick together.  Stay with the people you came with or join up with
another group.  Remain in your rooms and keep track of each other.  The
staff will be in here in case you need us."
	There were many frightened and subdued faces as people headed to their
rooms.  Mark, Steve, Amanda, and Jesse went into Mark's room.  Amanda
got a frightened feeling when she saw the curtains open and rushed to
close them.  Three surprised faces were looking at her when she
finished.
	"Uh, it just felt like the thing to do.  I'm a little nervous," Amanda
explained with some embarrassment.
	Mark said with understanding, "It's all right.  I think we're all
nervous."  He swayed again.  Steve and Jesse grabbed his arms.  Mark
commented, "I think I must have hit my head a little harder than I
thought."
	Amanda repeated what Jesse had said earlier.  "Mark, you should lie
down.  Take some Tylenol and rest."
	Mark answered, "I guess you're right."  He got onto the bed.  "You all
are going to stay in here, aren't you?  I don't think we should split
up."
	"Yeah, Dad, we're staying," Steve told him.  On a lighter note, he
added, "As long as you don't start snoring."
	They all laughed.  It felt good to break the tension.
	Jesse asked, "Hey, Mark, where's your Tylenol?"
	"Oh, top nightstand drawer.  I'll get it."  He reached over and pulled
out the small bottle.  He took two tablets out before placing the bottle
back into the drawer.  He put them on the nightstand and lay down.
	Jesse went into the bathroom.  He picked up a paper cup, but no water
came out of the faucet.  "Great," he mumbled.  "Uh, guys, I'm going to
go get a drink from the kitchen.  No water's coming out."
	Steve asked, "Want me to come with you?"
	"No, thanks, Steve.  It's only a few steps to the lobby.  I can
manage."
	"Okay, but be careful," Steve cautioned.
	"Take a candle and some matches just in case the lights go out again,"
Amanda added, handing him the supplies.
	Jesse took them and thanked Amanda.  He left the room, walking down the
hall, thinking about what great friends he had.  All of a sudden, strong
hands reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into a room.
	Over ten minutes had passed when Steve and Amanda started pacing. 
"Where is he?"  she wondered aloud. It doesn't take anyone this long to
get some water and come back.  Something must have happened."
	Steve nodded, musing over his own thoughts.
	Mark had been sitting up in bed worrying.  He suggested, "Why don't you
two go look for him?  I'm sure he's in trouble."
	"We can't leave you alone, Dad," Steve replied.
	"That's right.  We can't put you in danger," Amanda said.
	"I'll turn out the lights and lock the door.  No one will even know I'm
in here," Mark insisted.  "we have to find Jesse."
	Steve and Amanda thought for a moment.  They looked at each other and
shrugged helplessly.  "You're right," Amanda said.
	"Yeah," Steve admitted.  "But you don't leave this room.  Don't make a
sound," he continued firmly.  "Got it?"
	Mark nodded.  "Be careful."  He got up and handed them two candles and
some matches.
	"Remember, not a sound," Steve reminded his father as he was leaving. 
All the lights were out in the room.  
	Mark laid a hand briefly on Steve's shoulder.  "Not a sound," he
repeated.  Steve left the room.  Once the door closed, the room was
pitch black.  Mark couldn't see a thing and promptly banged into the
nightstand knocking a heavy candelabra over with a huge crash. 
	Steve's eyes widened and he ran back over to the locked door.  "Dad?" 
he hissed as loudly as he dared.
	"Sorry, son," came the whispered reply.
	Steve put a hand to his forehead.  He turned back away from the door,
but didn't see Amanda anywhere. "She was right beside me!" he thought. 
He ran down to the lobby.  Just staff members.
	One looked up.  "Sir, why are you out of your room?" he asked.  "There
could be a murderer around."
	Steve was exasperated.  "I know!"  he practically shouted.  "Two of my
friends are missing.  I think we need to start a search."
	The staff member looked reluctant to admit this, but said, "Several
other guests are missing too.  I suppose it is time.  We originally
thought it would be best to wait until morning."  He stood up.  "Hey,
let's alert all the guests.  We're going to search for the missing
people.  We outnumber the murderer.  He'll never get us in a group."
	Steve was relieved at their sudden course of action.  He decided to go
back and get his father.  He unlocked the door and went inside.  It was
still pitch black in there.  "Dad, it's me," Steve announced just in
case there was any doubt.  Flipping on the lightswitch, he saw a
candelabra on the floor and a rumpled bed.  The nightstand on the
opposite side of the bed had been knocked over.  It looked as though
there had been a struggle.  Steve figured the crash he had heard earlier
was the candelabra.  But that didn't explain anything else that was
messed up.  Mark hadn't even been under the covers of the bed.  He
wouldn't have gotten comfortable in a dangerous situation.  Also, the
nightstand was pretty heavy.  It couldn't be knocked over by just
bumping into it.  Steve felt as though his stomach were tied up in
knots.  If anything happened to his dad, Amanda, or Jesse, he didn't
know how he would forgive himself.  He knew he could've prevented their
disappearances.  Steve went out to the lobby to rejoin the staff.
	"One more disappearance," Steve told the man he'd talked to moments
earlier.
	"Great," the man replied sarcastically.  "We have seven guests left
including you."  To everyone, he called out, "Okay, since most people
have disappeared in the hallway near the rooms, we'll start there. 
We're going to check in Room One first, then go through all the
revolving wall panels.  It'll go quicker than using the doors."  He
explained where the panels were.  Everyone was surprised; no one had
found them yet.  Except Jesse, that is.  Steve looked around for Sharon
Karles and her husband, but it looked as though they were missing too.
	The search began.  They had gone through all the rooms up to number
nine.  One of the staff went over to the window to peer out when all of
a sudden, she disappeared through the floor.  Everyone heard her scream
and rushed over.  "Amy, are you okay?" another staff member called into
an open hole.  It looked like a trap door opening.
	A muffled "yes" was heard.  Then Amy called, "There are ladder steps. 
Come on down here!  There are a bunch of tunnels!"
	After all the guests and staff went down the ladder steps, they
followed Amy down one of the tunnels.  "I heard some noise down here,"
she whispered.  There were doors all along the tunnel walls that opened
into hotel rooms.  Every door was opened to reveal an empty room.
	"I never knew these were here," one of the hotel staff said just loudly
enough to be heard.
	Another door was opened, and the people who could see inside gasped in
happy surprise.  The search party entered the room.  There everyone
was!  They all had their hands and feet tied.
	Steve dashed over to his father and Amanda who were next to each
other.  Steve untied them quickly.  Mark hugged him; so did Amanda. 
"Who did this to you?" Steve asked.
	"I bet he can answer that," Amanda answered anxiously, pointing behind
Steve.  Steve turned around.  A tall man with a mask stood across the
room.
	The masked man spoke in a deep voice, most likely disguised.  "Anyone
care to take a guess who I am?"  When no one spoke up right away, he
continued, "Guess while you can."
	No one was guessing.  Finally, Mark said, "Mr. Grant."
	Everyone turned to him, surprised.  One lady said rudely, "Uh, no. 
He's dead.  Remember?"
	"Is he?" Mark asked.  "The only one who can verify that is the kitchen
worker who felt his pulse.  I don't see him anywhere."
	"Maybe the kitchen worker did it then," another guest suggested.
	"I doubt it.  Mr. Grant was tall, and so is the man standing before
us.  The kitchen worker was shorter than he is," Mark pointed out.
	The masked man remarked, "You're a smart man, Dr. Sloan."  He raised
his mask.  It was indeed Mr. Grant.  He smiled broadly.
	"So this was a pretend murder?"  Sharon asked, sounding a bit confused.
	"I'm living proof that it was," he replied with a chuckle.
	"Oh yeah," she said, as if it were a huge revelation.
	Most people were laughing with relief, and everyone was smiling.  Well,
almost everyone.  Steve had a puzzled look on his face.  Then, his face
lit up like a kid's at Christmas.  "Wait a minute," he said loudly. 
Everyone quieted down and looked at Steve.  He walked over to Mr.
Grant.  "Actually, Mr. Grant isn't the murderer."  Confused whispers
were heard.  "The butler did it," Steve finished.  He pulled down Mr.
Grant's beard.  It was fake.
	Everyone began laughing again, including the butler/Mr. Grant.  "I
guess good minds run in the family."
	Mark had been laughing along with everyone else when he stopped short. 
"Where's Jesse?"  Amanda and Steve started looking around the room.
	"He's not here," Amanda said, looking concerned.  "He's been missing a
long time.  I didn't see him when I was brought in either."
	Everyone's mood turned serious again.  One by one, they began to file
up the ladder into Room Nine.  As Mark, Amanda, and Steve came out into
the hallway, they headed toward the lobby.  Just then, a mud-covered
Jesse came in the front door.  The three ran toward him.  Amanda
exclaimed, "What on earth happened to you?"
	Jesse wiped some of the mud off his face.  He grumpily explained,
"Someone grabbed me, took me down a trap door, into a room, and tied me
up.  I was trying to escape.  I managed to stand up, but when I did, I
was hopping around trying to keep my balance.  I bumped one of those
stupid candleholders on the wall, and I got dumped outside.  I was just
going to walk around the hotel to the front entrance.  I fell in the
mud, got untied, tried to move, got stuck in the mud, got loose, got
stuck again, and then repeated that ritual until I got to the front
entrance."  Mud was sliding off him; he looked ridiculous.  Amanda tried
to stifle a giggle, but it didn't work.  That set Mark off, and then the
whole crowd of people - guests, staff, butler, and all - just began to
howl with laughter.  Jesse tried to keep pouting, but couldn't help it. 
He began laughing too.
	After Jesse had taken a nice long shower, he went into Mark's room
where his three friends had gathered for a while until they had calmed
down enough to go to sleep.  "By the way," Jesse asked, "who was the
murderer?"  Glancing at each other first, Amanda, Mark, and Steve
replied at the same time, "The butler did it!"