Suddenly, Jeffrey had an idea. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he enquired.
"Well, that depends on what you're thinking!" Shaun responded, jokingly.
"Do you also suspect that Judy?" queried Jeffrey.
"Well, her actions are way too fishy for us not to," replied Shaun, "With her eavesdropping and unconvincing horror story, even a newbie detective will suspect her. So we've gotta see how much she knows....the question is: how?"
"I've got an idea," answered Jeffrey, excitedly, "We'll call her up and tell her we've found the piano, then look at her reaction. That way, even if she tries to escape, there's no way out. But how do we get her here without letting her suspect anything beforehand?"
"Don't they have those kind of bells to call the servants in these old houses?" Shaun mumbled as he glanced around the room, then, his eyes focused on just exactly what he was looking for. The young detective walked over and pulled the string, which he presumed to be leading to a bell in the kitchen. However, after some time of pulling, there were still no signs of the maid approaching.
"I'll head downstairs to see what she's up to," concluded Jeffrey impatiently as he dashed downstairs into the kitchen, where the maid was washing the dishes from their breakfast, exactly as they presumed. As silent as a mouse, Jeffrey tiptoed towards the maid, then gently tapped her on the shoulder. CLING CLANG! Without warning, in her shock, Judy broke the plate which she was washing by dropping it onto the floor, her over-reaction arising even more suspicions. "Oh my goodness, Mr Donovan!" she almost screamed, "What do you mean by sneaking on me like that?"
"Didn't you hear us calling you from upstairs?" enquired Jeffrey, "We've been pulling on that bell for ages! Where were you?"
"What bell? I.....I was here washing the dishes all the time and I didn't hear any bell," stammered Judy, her breathing quickened, "Mr Donovan, please do not sneak up on me like that. Indeed, being in this haunted house is enough for one's nerves." Then, she resumed her work.
As Jeffrey reached the flight of stairs leading to the attic, he perceived a very faint music. Assuming that the music from the previous evening has commenced, he rushed to the attic to discover that it was only Shaun playing the piano. "What took you so long? Are you seducing Judy again?" Shaun joked.
After Jeffrey had recounted the maid's strange reaction, he queried, "How long have you been playing?"
"For quite a while now," replied Shaun, "Didn't you hear any music downstairs?"
When Jeffrey replied in the negative, Shaun continued, "Then, did you know that I was pulling the bell all the time, and had only started playing the piano about five minutes ago?" Again, Jeffrey shook his head. On hearing this, Shaun smiled a knowing smile. "Well, in that case, half the mystery is already solved. Tonight will bring us the solution to the other half!"
~To be Continued~
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