Black wasted no time in explaining the rules of the hunt as we polished off our pie and coffee.
It was pretty straightforward, we would work in pairs. Each team would reach into a jar and draw out a clue that would take us to the next location. Each clue was different so there would be no following other couples. The kitchen and other guests’ bedrooms were off limits. The final step of the hunt was to claim the small wooden box hidden in the library which was now locked and guarded by the butler. To get past the butler we would need a key which could be discovered by whichever couple solved their puzzles first. When the couple presented themselves with the key a bell would be rung summoning everyone back to the library. Though everyone had a shot at finding the box, the couple with the key would be given a clue. The game was over at midnight whether the box was found or not. Champagne would be served.
“Are we done with dessert? Then let us begin,” Mrs. Black said, laying her napkin on the table.
We filed out of the dining room like obedient children, but I delayed Alex so that I could have a word with him before joining the others.
“I may have a plan,” I whispered.
“Already?” He sounded impressed.
“I want you to follow the clues on your own while I try something else.”
“What?” he asked worriedly. Admittedly I have, from time to time, gotten into trouble while exploring on my own. But this was just a game, not a criminal investigation. There would be no danger.
“I think there’s a secret way into the library. If I can get in, then I can spend my time hunting for the box. You’ll follow the clues in case I’m wrong and we have to do it the old-fashioned way.”
“Okay,” he agreed but sounded dubious. I smiled encouragingly.
Because we had dallied, Alex got the last clue. It was a little obscure but not impossible.
The unstable place to sit while throwing money away holds the next clue.
“The front porch has rocking chairs,” I said softly when he showed me the paper. “There’s an ornamental wishing well on the right side of the staircase. There are some pennies lying around it. They are new and untarnished, so I think they are props. If nothing is obvious at first glance, look under the seats. I can’t think they hid anything in the garden itself, not with it raining.”
“Roger!” Alex said and we parted company. “See you soon.”
First I explored the rooms on either side of the library. One was some kind of a parlor and the other a small office. The parlor had a fireplace but the walls were wallpapered right up to the stone face. There was no way that there was some kind of a secret stair there.
Though my legs protested, I decided to go back to our bedroom and check out the ill-fitting panel near our fireplace. Along the way I saw the Crowes clinging to the shadows, and I heard Bill Grant explaining something about cars to his wife.
It took me some minutes of pressing and pushing to find the latch that opened the panel beside the fireplace. I might not have found it at all, but I got out the penlight I keep in my purse, and squishing my face against the wall I shone the light toward the mantel and was finally able to spot the slight scuffing of the wood that showed where I needed to press.
The panel opened silently but not with ease. The hinges were stiff and coated with dust. There were also an unpleasant number of cobwebs blacking my way. I shone the light into the narrow black hole and was relieved when I saw a staircase and not just a wall in a hidden cupboard.
I went to the bathroom and fetched a towel. I flapped it at the cobwebs and was very glad to find them deserted. Webs were messy but okay if I got them in my hair. Spiders were not.
My next concern was the state of the staircase but I tested a few steps while clinging to the doorframe and they seemed solid. Still….
I dragged a chair over and propped open the door. First of all, I didn’t want to
It was pretty straightforward, we would work in pairs. Each team would reach into a jar and draw out a clue that would take us to the next location. Each clue was different so there would be no following other couples. The kitchen and other guests’ bedrooms were off limits. The final step of the hunt was to claim the small wooden box hidden in the library which was now locked and guarded by the butler. To get past the butler we would need a key which could be discovered by whichever couple solved their puzzles first. When the couple presented themselves with the key a bell would be rung summoning everyone back to the library. Though everyone had a shot at finding the box, the couple with the key would be given a clue. The game was over at midnight whether the box was found or not. Champagne would be served.
“Are we done with dessert? Then let us begin,” Mrs. Black said, laying her napkin on the table.
We filed out of the dining room like obedient children, but I delayed Alex so that I could have a word with him before joining the others.
“I may have a plan,” I whispered.
“Already?” He sounded impressed.
“I want you to follow the clues on your own while I try something else.”
“What?” he asked worriedly. Admittedly I have, from time to time, gotten into trouble while exploring on my own. But this was just a game, not a criminal investigation. There would be no danger.
“I think there’s a secret way into the library. If I can get in, then I can spend my time hunting for the box. You’ll follow the clues in case I’m wrong and we have to do it the old-fashioned way.”
“Okay,” he agreed but sounded dubious. I smiled encouragingly.
Because we had dallied, Alex got the last clue. It was a little obscure but not impossible.
The unstable place to sit while throwing money away holds the next clue.
“The front porch has rocking chairs,” I said softly when he showed me the paper. “There’s an ornamental wishing well on the right side of the staircase. There are some pennies lying around it. They are new and untarnished, so I think they are props. If nothing is obvious at first glance, look under the seats. I can’t think they hid anything in the garden itself, not with it raining.”
“Roger!” Alex said and we parted company. “See you soon.”
First I explored the rooms on either side of the library. One was some kind of a parlor and the other a small office. The parlor had a fireplace but the walls were wallpapered right up to the stone face. There was no way that there was some kind of a secret stair there.
Though my legs protested, I decided to go back to our bedroom and check out the ill-fitting panel near our fireplace. Along the way I saw the Crowes clinging to the shadows, and I heard Bill Grant explaining something about cars to his wife.
It took me some minutes of pressing and pushing to find the latch that opened the panel beside the fireplace. I might not have found it at all, but I got out the penlight I keep in my purse, and squishing my face against the wall I shone the light toward the mantel and was finally able to spot the slight scuffing of the wood that showed where I needed to press.
The panel opened silently but not with ease. The hinges were stiff and coated with dust. There were also an unpleasant number of cobwebs blacking my way. I shone the light into the narrow black hole and was relieved when I saw a staircase and not just a wall in a hidden cupboard.
I went to the bathroom and fetched a towel. I flapped it at the cobwebs and was very glad to find them deserted. Webs were messy but okay if I got them in my hair. Spiders were not.
My next concern was the state of the staircase but I tested a few steps while clinging to the doorframe and they seemed solid. Still….
I dragged a chair over and propped open the door. First of all, I didn’t want to
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