Pumyra Gets a Clue:

Fatal Illusion – Chapter One

Aboard the Rhine Maiden

 

          The view of the countryside from the Rhine Maiden was breathtaking, if not beautiful to Pumyra’s mind.  The mountains surrounding the river were huge compared to Hook Mountain, and the scent in the air was crisp and clean.  She could almost see Ian Masque’s castle at the top of one.  From this distance, it looked foreboding.

          Well, either way, I should get to know these people.  Ian Masque probably wants me to do that, anyway.  She turned from the eerily enchanting scene, only to nearly bump into one of the guests.

          The woman was young and attractive.  Her shoulder length hair was a perfect chocolate brown, and it surrounded a pretty face that was as smooth as porcelain and the color of a creamy peach.  Her red evening dress curved carelessly around her, cutting out her natural figure very nicely.

          “Oh, uh, are you Miss Scarlet?” Pumyra guessed.  She certainly looked like a “Miss”…

          The young woman turned.  “You’re here!” she said, looking as if she couldn’t decide whether to be surprised or relieved.  Her voice was high and sweet sounding.  “I felt awfully alone on this ship with all these people.  They all want something from Masque.”  She looked inquiringly at Pumyra.  “Can I trust you?”  She looked around, as if making sure no one was listening.  “Listen, I’m parched.  Perhaps you can get me a drink from the bar downstairs.”

          Pumyra blinked.  “Um… do I know you?  Have we met?”

          Scarlet shook her head.  “No, but that magician, Martin Urfe, said that Masque had invited a private investigator.  I assume that’s you.”

          Pumyra smiled and nodded.  “Yes, that’s me.  I’m Pumyra Jensen, best investigator in Pennsylvania.”  She held out her hand.

          Scarlet smiled back and shook the Thundarian’s hand.  “And I assume you’ve deduced that I’m Miss Scarlet.”

          “Yes.  You don’t mind if I ask you a few questions, do you?”

          “Of course not.”

          Pumyra pulled out her notepad and opened it to a blank page, pulling a pen out from behind her ear.  “What do you know of the other guests?”

          “Martin Urfe is the heir to the busted fortune of Bloodworth Estates.  There’s no money left so he performs illusions for Ian Masque and his friends.  As for the rest, I don’t know.”  She chuckled.  “I’ll never guess how you investigators do that.”

          “Do what?”  Pumyra looked up from her notebook, where she was scribbling down: Urfe is broke and does magic for Masque.

          “Do that thing with the notebook and pen appearing out of nowhere.”

          “Well, it helps if no one knows who or what you are until too late.”

          “You’d certainly stick out in a crowd with that type of make-up job.”  Scarlet pointed at Pumyra’s markings.

          “They’re… scars,” Pumyra said quickly, “from someone who beat me and left me with amnesia in the middle of a street a few years ago.”

          Scarlet raised an eyebrow, as if she didn’t quite believe the lie.  “Hmm… well, keep asking, investigator.”

          “What do you know about Masque and this party?” Pumyra asked, turning back to her notebook.

          “All I know is that he invited us to a New Year’s Eve party on the top of a mountain peak,” Scarlet said in an exasperated tone.

          “Optimistic answer,” Pumyra said with a smile, writing in her notebook furiously.  “Um, are you interested in magic?”

          Scarlet thought for a while.  “I don’t know.”

          Pumyra raised an eyebrow.  “Okay, I think that’s it.”  She put away the pen and the notebook, making Scarlet smile before turning back to the scenery flowing past.

          Scarlet and Pumyra were not the only people on the deck.  One other, a young man in a green suit, was on the opposite side of the deck, leaning against the railing.  There was nothing about him that was memorable, except maybe the way he held himself.  Pumyra was immediately reminded of an aristocrat.

          He turned to look at her as she approached him.  “Enjoying our little cruise?” he asked her in a pleasantly smooth voice.  “There has to be a better way to welcome the New Year.”  He held out his hand.  “The name’s Green.  And you are…?”

          “Jensen, Pumyra Jensen.”

          “Ah, the private investigator.  I’ve heard about you.”  He looked her over.  “I guess what they say about your looks is true.  Odd, but appealing none-the-less.”

          For some reason, she was tempted to pull back her fist and slug him, but she restrained the urge.  “You don’t mind if I ask you a couple questions, do you?”

          “Ask away, though I doubt I have anything useful to you.”

          She pulled out her notebook and pen again.  “Why are you here?”

          He leaned towards her.  “Look,” he said sternly.  “I’m here for the same reason everyone else is.  We all hope to make a deal with Masque and get our hands on some of his money.”  He smiled.  “You know what they say about home.  It’s one step removed from madness.”

          And you’re five steps moved into rudeness, she thought, writing down: Green wants Masque’s money.  She did not voice her opinion, though.  “What do you know of the other guests?”

          “I’d watch out for Scarlet if I were you,” he answered, glancing over in the girl’s direction to make sure she wasn’t listening.  “Cherche la femme, as the French would say; she’s up to something.  And don’t let Mustard or Plum fool you, either.  They both want something.”

          “How do you know Masque?”

          “He’s a collector and eccentric, mostly what I read in the papers.  He likes orchestrating unusual gatherings like this one.”

          “Are you interested in magic?”

          “I have nothing to say about that.”

          She nodded.  “That will be all.”

          He raised an eyebrow.  “If you have more questions, you can always feel free to join me in my room once we get to the chateau.”  He smiled suggestively.

          Pumyra growled indignantly, then stalked towards the door leading to the inside of the ship.  She figured that now was a better time than any to get Scarlet that drink… and maybe talk to the other guests.

          She opened the glass door and walked into a room that made her think of Old Jensen’s study.  The red carpet contrasted attractively against the white wall, and the gold railing that stood at the edge of the room, turning it into balcony inside Pumyra’s head, and ran down the side of the stairs added a touch that just screamed wealth.  The antique furniture and beautiful seat cushions only added to that illusion.

          Glancing towards the right side of the room, she saw two women sitting at a table, listening to some rather dull and spooky music on a phonograph.  One was an old lady who resembled David’s Aunt Jeanette a bit too much for comfort, dressed in the maid’s clothing of a black dress with a white apron and matching hat.

          The other woman, who was sitting much closer to the door, was clothed in a gown of light blue, with a matching feather attached to the center of her headpiece with a blue jewel.  As she turned towards the sound of the door closing, Pumyra recognized her from the papers.

          “Mrs. Peacock!”

          The older woman smiled.  “Oh, look,” she said to the maid while still looking at Pumyra.  Her voice was deep and had that “aristocrat” type air to it.  “Another New Year’s reveler.  Tell me, have you found anything to do on this creepy boat?”

          “I’m the private investigator, Mrs. Peacock,” Pumyra replied, taking out her notebook and pen.  “It’s my job to talk to you and the other guests, or so I assume.”

          “I guess that means Masque hasn’t told you anything either.  Well, at least if you’re asking me questions, it will give me something to do.”

          “Why are you here?  Did you want to get away from,” Pumyra paused, trying to think of a delicate way to say this, “everything?”

          “Oh, don’t tell me that you’re going to throw those ugly old rumors in my face,” Mrs. Peacock replied in an offhand manner.  “I simply had to leave the States.  I tell you, that senator’s wife would have killed him,” she slapped one hand into the other for emphasis, “even if he wasn’t… friends with me.”  A faraway look came into her eyes.  “And I have to admit the chance to see Green again was inviting.”

          Pumyra blinked.  Hmm.  I guess she is a slut.  She quickly wrote in her notepad: Peacock left the United States after her lover was killed.  “What do you know about any of the other guests?”

          “I met Green in New York, working his way through the city’s women with a married heart,” Mrs. Peacock replied with a smile.  She looked thoughtful before continuing.  “But when he met me, something seemed to click, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he wanted something from me.  And I once went to a Sabata show.”  She leaned on the left arm of her chair a little.  “You know, some people say that the mad artist’s paintings portray the future.”  She chuckled a little.  “Now, that is mad!”

          Pumyra nodded absently as she scribbled down: Green and Peacock met in New York.  “Yes, that does sound odd.”  However, Mumm-Ra’s cauldron practically did the same thing, so it’s not as odd as you think.  She added, as an afterthought: Sabata’s paintings may foretell the future.  “What do you know about Masque?”

          “Have you seen our host’s ‘castle’?”  Mrs. Peacock took on a mysterious air as Pumyra nodded.  “More like a nightmare on a mountain!  A madhouse built by a madman!”  She leaned closer to the Thundercat and whispered, “But would you like to know a little secret?  Masque ran out of money after building it.  All gone, and none of these desperate people know this…” she looked over her shoulder, as if expecting someone to be listening.  “Except me.”

          Pumyra nodded while she wrote down: Masque ran out of money building his castle.  “I see.”  She stood up straight as Mrs. Peacock righted herself in her chair.  “What do you know about magic tricks?”

          “You’re asking the wrong person.”  Mrs. Peacock smiled.

          “Thank you, Mrs. Peacock.”

          “It’s been a pleasure, Ms. Investigator.”

          Pumyra walked over to the old woman, who jumped as soon as she realized there was someone in front of her.  “Oh, you startled me!” she said in a kind voice.  “Creeping up so slowly!  You should make a bit of noise when you walk.”

          “I’m sorry, I did not wish to startle you.”  Pumyra showed the woman her pad and pen.  “I’m the investigator, and I was hoping I’d be able to ask you a few questions.”

          “Questions?”

          “Simple ones, like, may I please know your name?”

          “Oh, you can call me Mrs. White, dearie.  And go ahead and ask away.  I’ve got nothing to hide.”

          “Alright.  No offense, but why do you think you were invited?”

          “No reason at all!  Though I did see that some of the bric-a-brac here was found by Sir Alexander Boddy.  I was the nanny for his son Xavier, but that was so many years ago.”

          “What do you know about any of the guests?” Pumyra asked as she scribbled down: Sir Boddy found the artifacts and White was nanny for his son.

          “Let’s see.  I know Mr. Green’s family fortune just vanished!  The tabloids were full of that story.  And that magician fellow, Martin Urfe, the same thing happened to him.  And, I’ll tell you one more thing: that artist fellow, Sabata, he gives me the creeps.”

          “Did you ever work for Masque?”  She wrote: Green and Urfe are broke.

          “Ian Masque?  Never!  That’s why I’m so jumpy.  Heavens, why did he invite me?  I never met the man… at least, I don’t think so.”

          “What do you know about magic?”

          Mrs. White raised a hand.  “Sorry.”

          Pumyra nodded.  “Where’s the bar?”

          “Oh, it’s downstairs, dearie.  Colonel Mustard is serving the drinks, and Martin Urfe is sitting in a couch nearby.  It’s right at the other end of the room, and pretty hard to miss.”

          “Thank you.”  Pumyra walked slowly down the stairs, gazing with wonder at the bookcase at the bottom.  Instead of books it held a couple of attractive old weapons.  Next to it, she saw a couple of doors.  She walked over to them, accidentally bumping into the angle statue that stood on the very end of the banister and tried to open them.  Damn, she thought when she couldn’t move them.  Locked.

Turning from them, she saw a woman in a clean tan suit looking at what appeared to be an ancient drum.  There was a lovely blond in a green dress playing a snappy tune on the piano behind her, as well as two men near her, and two on the opposite side of the room.

Of the two men near the piano, one was a decrepit old man dressed in gray clothes and sitting in a wheelchair, drawing something on a piece of paper with a charcoal pencil.  This had to be Sabata, as he was the only one who fit the description of an eccentric artist.

The other was in his late thirties, dressed in a smart violet suit, sitting in a green plush chair while smoking a pipe.  Since she knew he wasn’t Ian Masque, she guessed that he was the man called Professor Plum.

The men at the other end, who must have been Urfe and Mustard, were not difficult to differentiate.  Urfe was sitting at one end of a plush green love seat identical to the chair the professor sat in.  He was dressed in the typical magician’s suit of black and white with a red vest, but he did not have the top hat.

Mustard was standing behind the bar, drinking to his heart’s content.  He was dressed in sand colored army clothing, boots and all.  Even though he looked old, he held himself in a way that suggested that he was still in damn good shape, and was a man used to being obeyed.

The brunette woman turned and blinked.  “Oh,” she said in a think voice with a German accent.  “It’s the last arrival.  You nearly missed this boat.”

          “But I didn’t, and that’s all that really matters.”  Pumyra narrowed her eyes.  “You must be that psychiatrist, Julia Kell.”

          “I guess my English gives it away,” Dr. Kell replied.  “Are you a reporter?”  She motioned towards the pad and pen.

          “No.  I’m an investigator.  May I ask you some questions?”

          “I cannot guarantee answers, but go ahead.”

          “Why are you here?”

          “Let’s say that I’m trying to do my traveling outside Germany before 1939.”

          Pumyra only raised an eyebrow.  “Do you treat – I mean know – any of the guests here?”

          “These guests?  I know nothing about them professionally.  I have read of our little Russian friend Popov in secret dossiers,” she motioned towards the blond woman playing the piano.  “Turns out she participated in the Soviet ESP experiments.  It’s a great help in her spying, I’m sure.”

          “ESP?”  Pumyra paused for a second, then quickly scribbled down: Popov knows about ESP.  “Do you know anything about ESP?”

          “No.”

          Somehow, Pumyra did not believe her, but she continued anyway.  “How do you know Masque?”

          “Masque?  Didn’t know him at all.  Though he’d make a classic psychiatric patient.  I’m sure he exhibits some unique pathology.  I never met him until I boarded the ship.”

          “I see.  What do you know about magic tricks?”

          “I can’t help you there.”

          “Well, thank you anyways for what you could do.”

          “Whatever I could do to help.”  Dr. Kell smiled then turned back to the drum.

          She passed the doctor and walked over to Professor Plum.  Noticing that there was an empty green seat next to him, she sat in it.

          He looked up at her as she sat down.  “Oh,” he said in a sort of slimy English accent, “ah, hello, I say… didn’t we meet at the Museum gala last spring?”  He studied her for a second, and then shook his head.  “Perhaps not.”

          She smiled.  “You’re the first person to suggest that I look like someone else.  That’s a surprise.”

          “I doubt you are the only one with that kind of hair-style, though you might like to think so.”  He tapped his pipe, as if to move the ashes in it.  “I heard that Masque invited an investigator on board.  Since you have the pen and paper, I’ll assume that’s you.”

          “Yes.  You don’t mind if I ask you a few questions, do you?”

          “There isn’t exactly anything else to do on this ship.  Go ahead.”

          “So what draws you to this little party, professor?”

          “Why, the amazing collection on this ship.  Strange lot, don’t you think?  Nearly every object here is connected to the Egyptian cult of the netherworld, the so-called death cult of Egypt.”  He smiled slightly.  “Masque seems to have a one tract mind.”

          “What do you know about the guests here?” she asked, scribbling down: Plum says Masque’s artifacts are connected to an Egyptian death cult.

          “I don’t know anything about that.”

          “What do you know about Masque?”

          “Masque?”  The question seemed to surprise the professor.  “Nothing except he’s a collector, incredibly wealthy and must be an amazing eccentric to build a castle on top of a mountain.  I’m hoping he’ll fund my expedition to the Gobi Desert.”

          Plum wants Masque’s money for an expedition joined her notepad.  “What do you know about magic tricks?”

          “Sorry, I have no answer for you.”

          “Do you know anything about ESP?”

          “I don’t know anything about that.”

          Pumyra looked around at the collection of ancient artifacts, and a question occurred to her.  “Where did Masque get these artifacts?”

          “Every artifact here was found by Sir Alexander Boddy,” the professor said a bit reverently, “an amazing explorer.  I knew him from his museum exhibits.  He was an amateur Egyptologist but he made some incredible finds.  Then of course he died with his wife in a tragic plane crash.  It was in all the papers.  He was survived by a son who apparently vanished!”

          “You mean… he just disappeared into nowhere?  Didn’t anyone look for him?”  The artifacts were found by Sir Alexander Boddy… who died in a plane crash.  His son survived.

          “Yes, I believe so, but they never found him.”

          She shook her head, then got back onto the subject.  “Anyway.  Tell me the truth… did you come here for Masque’s party… or for these artifacts?”

          “Well, perhaps.  I’ve seen similar items, of course in the Cairo Museum.  Not on display… they were considered too disturbing since some say the Cult of the Netherworld is still strong.”

          She leaned forward.  “Is there a secret behind Masque’s strange collection?”

          He looked at her.  “Well, you know about the original discoverer, don’t you?  How Alexander Boddy and his wife died in a suspicious plane accident?”  He leaned towards her.  “Tell me – how did Masque get all this stuff – can you tell me that?”

          She nodded.  Alexander Boddy dies in a suspicious plane crash.  “Thank you.”  She sat thinking for a minute, and then happened to glance at Sabata.  He was ignoring her, taken up in whatever he was drawing.  She stood up and walked over to him.  He looked at her, but didn’t say anything.  “Sabata?  May I ask why you are here?”

          “Go away,” he said in a rough voice, “can’t you see I’m creating! Go away!”

          She continued to try and question him, but all his other answers consisted of one word: “Bah!”  She sighed, and decided she’d question Urfe instead.  She turned from the artist and walked over towards Martin Urfe.  He looked up as she approached.

          “Ah, the special guest!” he said in the most annoyingly high voice when he had gotten a good look at her.  “Allow me… I’m Martin Urfe, amateur magician and penniless land baron… and part of this evening’s entertainment!  Mr. Masque is so eager to meet you… he’s asked that you personally bring him the Puzzle Box.  It’s the prize of the collection.  Here’s the key to the display case, over there.  Do be a good sport and run it over to him.”

          Pumyra, dumbfounded, could only take the key and put it in her pocket.  Good grief, does this man ever shut up? She thought, sighing.  “And do you know anything that might help?” she said in an exasperated tone.

          “I’d watch out for Scarlet.  She seems strangely… anxious.”

          “Well, wouldn’t you if you were on a ship with a whole bunch of people you’d never met before?”

          He seemed to shrink away from her.  “I guess I didn’t think of it that way…”

          Obviously.  “Do you know the other guests?”

          “Who do you want to know about?” he said in a way that told her he wasn’t going to shut up any time soon.  “Popov, the Soviet spy who worked with Ivan Alla’s ESP project in Vladivostok?  Scary lady…. Or how about the psychiatrist Julia Kell?  Sit on her couch and you might never get up.  And then there’s Sabata.  Met him yet?  Meet him.  He may be an artist but on this trip, I’d say he’s… indispensable.”

          “Alright, since you seem to know everybody, how about I ask you another question?  How do you know Masque?”

          “Know Masque?  I’m afraid I barely know him at all.  He invited me to perform some magic.  It’s not as if I had any better place to be on New Year’s Eve.”

          “What do you know about magic tricks?” she interrupted before he could go on.

          “Everything, my friend,” he said in an annoyingly superior tone.

          “Do you know anything about ESP?”

          “Sorry, I wish I could help.”

          “What do you know about the artifacts here?”

          He paused for a second, as if unsure of how to answer the question.  “Why, I don’t know.”

          She was tempted to step on his ego, but decided against it.  “Does Masque have some secret hidden in the Puzzle Box?”

          “Oh yes – Ian Masque knows, but I don’t think he’s telling.”

          “What do you know about the Puzzle Box?”

          “Sorry, I wish I could help.”

          “If I bring the Puzzle Box, you think Masque will tell me why he invited me here?”

          “Could be – but then with Masque I think anything imaginable is possible.  Best just bring the box along so our host doesn’t get cross.”

          “I’ll bring it when I’m good and ready,” she snapped, turning towards the bar.

          Colonel Mustard nodded at her.  “Ah,” he said in a deep, rough voice, “you must be the investigator I heard people buzzing about.  I did my share of investigating for the military, you know.”

          She instantly warmed to him, unlike Urfe, who just plain annoyed her.  “Tell me about yourself,” she said with an award-winning smile.

          “Oh, I’m just a good journeyman military man – who did my duty when the time came.”  He took a swig of the glass of whine he was holding.

          “What do you know about the other guests?”

          He became stern, the colonel inside coming out.  “I’ll tell you this much – if that psychiatrist Julia Kell isn’t an agent of the third Reich, then I’m not a retired Colonel.  And, I bet that Russian woman is an agent for the Soviets!”

          She nodded.  “How do you know Masque?”

          “Ian masque is a cipher to me,” he said shaking his head.  “I know of his money and his strangeness, but then who doesn’t?”

          “What do you know about magic tricks?”

          “Just this – a trick gone wrong can kill.”  He leaned forward a bit.  “I’d advise you to be very careful.”

          Her face becoming serious, she nodded.  “Do you know anything about ESP?”

          “That’s nothing but hogwash!”

          “Do you know anything about all these artifacts on display?”

          “I’m afraid antiquity is not my forte.”

          “Do you know anything about the Puzzle Box?”

          “I don’t know anything about that.”

          “Do you believe in anything supernatural?”

          His answer surprised her greatly.  “Yes.  I’d never admit it to any soldiers under my command.  But I know that the ancient cultures hide strange secrets.”

          She blinked, a bit shocked, before continuing.  “Does Masque really believe in magic?”

          “Oh, I doubt that.  All this magic rubbish is probably a cover for something else Masque really wants.”

          She nodded.  “Just one more question, Colonel.”  She smiled again.  “Can I have a drink?”

          He smiled as he poured her a glass of wine.  “Take care of yourself, now,” he told her as she turned to leave.  “I smell something strange afoot.”

          She nodded.  “So do I.  Like you, I’ve been in the line of danger before.”

          “Strange, considering that you’re a woman, but then again, you’re an inspector, so I wouldn’t be surprised.”

          I’m pretty sure you would, she thought, smiling, as she walked over to Plum.  Talking to Urfe and Mustard had brought up more questions that she needed the answers to.  She sat down next to the professor again.  Though he did not look up, he did smile slightly.

          “More questions you wish to ask, miss?”

          “As a matter of fact, yes.  Do you know anything about the Puzzle Box?”

          “I’m sorry, I have no answer for you.”

          “Did you have anything to do with the Puzzle Box?”

          He finally looked at her over his glasses.  “Only this, my friend, I told Masque it was an amazing box that throughout history had been used to hide secrets… deadly secrets.”

          She nodded.  “I… see.”

          She stood up and continued walking towards the stairs.  On the way, however, she paused by the piano where Popov was still playing her music.  I shouldn’t disturb her now, she thought.  It might disrupt her rhythm.  I’ll wait until she stops playing.  She decided to question Kell instead.

          The psychiatrist didn’t seem too anxious to answer any more questions, but she did anyway.  When Pumyra asked her about the artifacts, she shook her head and said, “I don’t know anything about that.”

          “Do you know anything about the Puzzle Box?”

          “Sorry.”

          Pumyra began tapping her foot.  “Tell me the truth… did you come here for Masque’s party… or for these artifacts?”

          “Both, and I also found the guest list very intriguing.”

          “Do you believe in anything supernatural?”

          “I’m a scientist,” Dr. Kell replied harshly, “but I have seen in people’s hearts and minds that the universe is not as simple as we’d like to think.”

          That’s not an answer, Pumyra though, but asked another question instead of being rude.  “Does anyone on board besides Masque believe in magic?”  She didn’t know why she was asking such a question, but something in her head told her she’d need to know the answer later.

          “I would think not – but I bet some people – like Green – are pretty good at pretending.”

          “Hmm…” Pumyra nodded, then started up the staircase opposite of the one she had gone down.  Along the way she passed a display case… that held puzzle boxes.

          She paused to look at them.  Masque has quite a collection of puzzle boxes, she thought, bending down to look at them all.  Hmm… another one.  He must collect them.  She stood up and looked around.  I wonder where he got these artifacts.  She looked back into the case.  I wonder which one it is that he wants me to bring to him.

          She turned and walked over to Mrs. White, who was still sitting at the table with Mrs. Peacock.  The old woman smiled as she walked over.  “Eh, you’re making noise this time!  More questions you’d like answered?”

          “Yes,” Pumyra said with a smile.  “Do you know anything about ESP?”

          “Sorry.”

          “What do you know about the artifacts here?”

          “I can’t help you.”

          “Do you know anything about the Puzzle Box?”

          “I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that.”

          Pumyra sighed, and tried one more question.  “Do any of the guests know about Masque’s collection?”

          “I saw Martin Urfe chatting with Masque about all that strange stuff.  Gave me the creeps, as if the two of them were plotting!  And Professor Plum acts as though he knows what all that stuff is!”

          Hmm… so Urfe does know something.  She nodded, and then turned to Mrs. Peacock.  “Mrs. Peacock?”

          “Ask away, there’s nothing else to do,” was the reply.

          “Do you know anything about ESP?”

          “Why would I?

          Why indeed, you slut.  “What do you know about the artifacts here?”

          “What are you talking about?”

          “She’s talking about the urns, Chinese boxes, and Egyptian relics,” Mrs. White replied.

          “As far as I’m concerned, they’re all ancient and not worth having, despite their worth.”

          “Do you know anything about the Puzzle Box?” Pumyra asked.

          “I don’t know anything about that, whatever it is.”

          “Does Masque really believe in magic?”

          “Oh, yes,” the woman replied, her eyes lighting up.  Despite her cheating heart, she did seem eager to help… probably so that her past would not be brought up.  “I’ve spoken to him about magic.  He told me that he had a first-hand experience of something.  Scared me talking to him, really.”

          Pumyra thought carefully.  “Thank you, Mrs. Peacock, Mrs. White.  You’ve both been helpful.”

          “Anything to make your job easier, darling,” the latter replied with a smile.

          Pumyra walked out onto the deck again.  She was loath to approach Mr. Green again, but she forced her repulsion down and walked over to him.  He watched as she approached him.  “Couldn’t keep away?”

          “You wish,” she snapped.  “Do you know anything about ESP?”

          “I have nothing to say about that.”

          “What do you know about the artifacts here?”

          “I haven’t a clue about that.”

          “Do you know anything about the Puzzle Box?”

          “Wish I could help you there – but I can’t.”

          “Does Masque have some secret hidden in the Puzzle Box?”

          “If I know Masque,” he replied quietly, “you can be sure of that.”  He looked her over again.  “You know, you’re prettier the second time around.”

          She spat something rude and vulgar at him that startled him completely before turning around and stalking away.  She paused to calm down before handing Miss Scarlet her drink.

          “Thank you,” the young woman said gratefully.  She took a swallow then placed the glass down.  “We shouldn’t stay here and talk anymore.  People are watching us.”

          “Chances are, their watching me,” Pumyra snarled, thinking of Green.  “Apparently, my appearance attracts an awful lot of attention.”

          “You aren’t exactly bad looking,” Scarlet replied.  “I heard you asking Green more questions.  Do you need to ask me any?”

          “Yes, and thank you for reminding me.  What do you know about ESP?”

          Scarlet shook her head.  “Nothing.”

          “Do you know anything about the artifacts here?”

          “Sorry… I don’t know anything about that.”

          “What do you know about the Puzzle Box?”

          “Nothing.”

          Pumyra looked at Scarlet.  She didn’t know why, but she got the impression that Scarlet had at least some ESP.  “Have you had any flashes of intuition since this trip started?” she said carefully.  “Tell me!”

          “Yes… my intuition was to trust you.”

          Pumyra blinked.  “Odd… I better go get that Puzzle Box like Masque wants me to.”

          “Why does he want you to get him a Puzzle box?”

          “I don’t know… but I plan on asking him.”  She turned and walked back inside.  She walked immediately over to the display case and took the key out of her pocket.  She tried the door first, but it was locked.  She inserted the key and unlocked it.  She slowly opened the door, then wondered which one it was that Masque wanted.  For some reason, the one that sat alone on the top shelf caught her attention.  She reached out and picked it up then slowly closed the door.

          “Greetings friends.”

          Pumyra jumped, then walked over to the banister and looked over it.  There stood a man that she recognized from the first glance: Ian Masque.  Finally, she thought.

          “Thank you all – for coming to my little New Year’s Eve fete,” he continued in his smooth and mesmerizing voice.  He reminded her of Aluro trying to be charming.  “Once we are at the chateau, my good friend Martin Urfe will entertain us with his incredible illusion, ‘Escape from Death!’  But that’s only the start.  Take time to meet your fellow guests.  Each of you has been especially selected.  Please enjoy my ship and my collection.  I promise you this New Year’s Eve will bring you amazing, even startling surprises.”

          Pumyra held the box under her arm as she walked down the steps until she stood next to him.  He turned to look at her.  “Ah, my last guest,” he said.  “And such an important one, too.”  Something else about him reminded her of Aluro, but she couldn’t place it.

          “Why did you invite all these people?” she asked him.

          “Give me the box, and everything will become clear!”

          “Not yet, buster.  You’re going to answer my questions, first.”

          “If you want.”

          “Who are all these people?”

          “Oh, mingle, meet them.  Such an incredible assortment of people.  A hypnotist, a magician, and even a psychiatrist – and they all want something from me.  But you are the wild card in this little party.  I’d tell you what you’re doing here – but then that would take all the fun away, now wouldn’t it?”

          “Why your interest in magic?”

          “Magic… is real, my friend.  Trust me, I know.”

          “Indeed.  Do you know anything about ESP?”

          “Wish I had something to say about that – but I don’t.”

          “What are all these artifacts?”

          That’s the big question, isn’t it?  I suggest you look around.  Get a feeling for the collection.  It’s quite a body of work…”

          It was that which flipped the switch.  He reminded her of Aluro because he seemed to be acting out the part of a charming gentleman.  Unable to think of any more questions, she looked at the box under her arm.  “I have the Chinese Puzzle Box.”

          “So you do.  Please give it to me.”

          She bit her lip, and then handed it over.  “Here.”  As he took it, she suddenly wanted to snatch it back.  Her dealings with Mumm-Ra, the mutants, and the Luna-tacks had given her a very slight sixth sense to anything evil, and what Professor Plum had said about the box frightened her.  I told Masque that it was an amazing box that throughout history had been used to hide secrets…

          Deadly secrets…

          “Thank you,” he said politely.  “A most interesting sample, this… It’s called, ‘The Puzzle Box of Death’.  Now, let me show you how this amazing box works.”  He turned from her to look at the others just as Green came walking down the stairs opposite of Pumyra.  “May I have everyone’s attention please.”  He opened the top of the box… then gagged.  “Oh… I…” He grabbed his neck, gasping.  The Puzzle Box dropped from his other hand.  “Ahgh…” He fell to his knees holding onto his neck with both hands.  “Ahgh…” Then he fell forward, flat on his face, right at Dr. Kell’s feet.

          The piano playing stopped as the psychiatrist screamed in horror then slowly knelt down to check Masque’s pulse.  She looked up.  “Masque is dead,” she said quietly.

          Pumyra could only stare.  What the hell happened?  She bent down and reached out to pick up the box from where it had fallen –

          “That box is deadly,” Kell snapped at her, “don’t touch it!”

          Pumyra glared at the woman, but stood up anyway.  She looked at Green, who only glanced at her.  He, too, was speechless, but that didn’t stop him from acting.  He carefully approached the body, and as he was picking it up, Pumyra glanced at the top of the stairs just in time to see Scarlet as she said, “I knew something bad was going to happen.”

          Pumyra turned back towards Green, and saw that he was dragging Masque’s body into the two doors that had been locked earlier.  She stood still for a few moments, wondering how she was going to be able to pick up the box without Kell getting on her case.

Something tells me there’s more behind this invitation than just a party…

          Pumyra looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching her.  They weren’t.  She turned back to the doors that Green had entered carrying Masque’s body, and then turned the handle.  This time, the doors were not locked.  She opened them and walked into a red-carpeted hall with white walls.  She walked over to the only door she could see, and froze when she heard something.

          THUMP, THUMP.

          That’s probably Green depositing Masque’s body somewhere, she thought, looking up at the ceiling where the noise had come from.  The reason she was here was because she thought there was someone on this ship that she had not met.  As everyone, including her, had been watching Masque die, something out of the corner of her eye had moved, and it wasn’t Green.  If she was correct, someone had opened the doors the second that Masque had fallen forward.

She turned back to the door she had seen, and only then noticed the combination lock underneath the handle.  She tried the door, but it was locked.  She bent down and listened to the clicks as she slowly turned it, but the movement was too smooth for her to hear any differences.  She sighed, then stood up and looked around.  There were two staircases on either side of the end of the hall.  One was roped off, so she assumed that was where Green had taken the body.  The other however, was not.

          She walked over to it and trotted up the stairs.  However, the door there had some sort of complicated lock on it, and she was unable to open that as well.  She stalked down the stairs, a bit angered.  She wasn’t so angry, however, that she didn’t notice someone quickly closing the door as she walked back into the hall.  She ran to the doors and opened them as fast as she could.

          No one had moved since Masque had been killed.  It seemed they were afraid that if they moved, they would be the next killed.

          Kell looked at her as she closed the doors.  “I wish I could have watched the guests when Masque died… to see who wasn’t surprised!”

          Pumyra nodded, but her mind was still on the person on the ship that she hadn’t yet met.  And now that she thought about it… where was Green?  He should be finished by now.  She shook her head and walked over to Sabata.

          On the way, she passed Plum, who said, “Masque should have known better.  Chinese Puzzle Boxes are always booby-trapped.”

          She sighed, and then turned towards Sabata with a big grin on her face.  “Sabata?  Could I have a picture?”  If what they say about you is true, I’m going to need one.

          “You want a picture, a genuine ‘Sabata’?” he asked her.  “Hah!”

She was startled.  She had thought he was going to reply with his usual reply: “Bah!”

          “Do you know…” he continued, “about my pictures… what they really show?”  She noticed he had a slight Spanish accent.  “  Show me something magical… and I’ll draw you something even more amazing… I draw you the future!”

          She blinked.  “What do you mean… show you something magical?”

          “Bah!”

          She tried questioning him again, but she couldn’t get anything out of him but that one word (which, by the way, was driving her nuts).  She sighed, giving up.  Then she turned at the sound of someone chuckling.  It was Plum, and he tried to cover it up by coughing into his hand.  She shook her head, and noticed that someone else was watching the proceedings without moving a muscle or making a sound.  If it weren’t for her breathing, and the fact that Pumyra had seen her playing the piano earlier, Popov would have passed for a stature.

          “Masque is dead,” she said with a thick Russian accent as Pumyra came over, “and yet this little party goes on.  Strange, no?”

          “Why are you here?” Pumyra asked, not even bothering to introduce herself.

          “Why am I here?”  Popov sounded surprised, but she quickly got over it and countered Pumyra’s question.  “Why are you here?  Why is anyone here?  It’s the eve before the world changes… forever.”

          I hate it when people do that.  “What do you know about the other guests?”

          “Strangers everyone of them, dreary no?  But I can guess that this woman psychiatrist, Kell, is, I imagine, a spy.”  She narrowed her eyes very slightly.  “I saw you talking to that woman in red… be careful, my friend.  Red is such a volatile color.”

          Is it just me, or does almost everyone on this boat not like Miss Scarlet?  “What do you know about magic tricks?”

          “I can’t help you with that.”

          “What do you know about the artifacts here?”

          “I can’t answer that.”

          “Do you know anything about the Puzzle Box?’

          “I know nothing about that.”

          “How did you get invited to Masque’s little party?”

          “Who knows?  Perhaps Masque heard that I’m a trained hypnotist… maybe he hoped I’d help him discover some terribly interesting previous life somewhere.”  Popov smiled suggestively.  “Maybe later – if you’re good – I’ll hypnotize you.”

          “No thank you,” Pumyra replied quickly.  Her eyes narrowed at the Russian.  “Did you have anything to do with that Puzzle Box?”

          “No, that’s absurd,” Popov replied laughingly.  “But the real question is why Urfe asked you to bring it to Masque.”

          Why, indeed.  “Have you had any flashes of intuition since this trip started?  Tell me!”

          “Sorry… intuition exists, but I only have my intellect.”

          “Who do you think might have ESP?”

          “Women tend to score higher… and the psychic power is usually stronger with someone who is young.”

          “Tell me about your ESP experiments,” Pumyra said, becoming a charming little angel.  “They sound fascinating…”

          “Better than tell you… let me show you…” Popov turned around and pulled five test cards from on top of the piano.  She held one out with its back towards Pumyra, and the symbol towards herself.  “The five symbols are square, plus sign, wavy lines, circle, and star.  Now, what is this card?”

          Pumyra blinked.  “Uh… square.”

          Popov checked the card and smiled.  “Good…” She pulled out a different card.  “What is this card?”

          “Star.”

          “Hmm, that was wrong… what is this card?”

          “Wavy lines.”

          “Good… what is this card?”

          “Circle.”

          “Good… what is this card?”

          “Plus sign.”

          “Hmm, that was wrong…” Popov shuffled the cards and handed them to Pumyra.  “You seem to have ESP.  You might find it useful.  Take the cards and amuse yourself.”

          “Thank you.”  Pumyra put them in her pocket, then turned and walked up the steps.

          She needed to talk to Scarlet.

Something tells me there’s more behind this invitation than just a party…

          “You,” Scarlet said in an accusing voice as Pumyra walked towards her.  “You brought Masque that box… the deadly box that killed him.”

          “I hope you don’t think I had anything to do… with Masque’s death!” Pumyra replied.  “I just brought him that box.”

          “I don’t know what to think.”

          “You don’t think I knew the box would kill Masque?”

          “You brought him the Puzzle Box.  How can I still trust you?”

          “Alright, alright, let’s quit the arguing.  I need you to answer more questions, and I’m not made for arguing anyway!”

          “So ask away, cat woman!”

          Pumyra felt chilled.  “What?”

          Scarlet shook her head.  “Nothing.”

          “Okay.  Now, are you interested in magic?”

          “No.”

          “Can I test you for ESP?”

          Scarlet blinked in surprise.  “Go ahead… but I can tell you I do not have ESP.”

          “That’s what I thought… until Popov tested me.”  She pulled the cards out of her pocket.  “Alright, the symbols are a square, a circle, a plus sign, a star, and wavy lines.”  She held up a card so that she could see what it was, and Scarlet couldn’t.  “What is this card?”  It was a star.

          “Star,” Scarlet said, shrugging a shoulder.

          Pumyra nodded.  “What is this card?”  A square.

          “Square.”

          “This one?”  A circle.

          “Circle.”

          “And this one?”  A plus sign.

          “Wavy lines.”

          “No.  What’s this card?”  The wavy lines.

          “Wavy lines.”

          Pumyra put the cards back in her pocket.  “Very good.  You may have ESP.”  She looked into Scarlet’s eyes.  “Think hard… can you see anything?”

          She closed her eyes.  “I can see three numbers… today’s date.”  She opened them again.  “What does it mean?”

          Pumyra smiled secretly.  “I know… but first I must talk to Urfe and Mustard.”  She ran to the door, shouting over her shoulder.  “Thank you, Scarlet, you’ve been a great help!”

          She paused just as she closed the door behind her.  Mrs. Peacock looked at her.  “I do hope that Masque’s death doesn’t affect the menu when we get to his castle,” she said regally.  “I’m soooo hungry!”

          Pumyra blinked.  What an unfeeling bitch!  She nodded, and then walked over to Mrs. White, who shook her head.

          “I have such a bad feeling about this now,” the maid said.  “Our host is dead – he didn’t even make it to his own party!”

          “Yes – and I’m going to get to the bottom of this before the year is over!” Pumyra replied.

          “I’d move, then.  You’ve got only hours left.  The sun is setting in a few minutes.”

Something tells me there’s more behind this invitation than just a party…

          Urfe looked up as Pumyra approached him.  “I – I didn’t know that box was deadly,” he whimpered.  “You do believe me, don’t you?”

          “What did you want from Masque?” she asked, totally unsympathetic.

          “What does anyone here want from Masque?” he countered.  “Money?  Power?  In case you haven’t noticed, this boat is full of desperate people.”

          “Do you know anything about the Puzzle Box?”

          “I haven’t the faintest idea.”

          “Did you have anything to do with that Puzzle Box?”

          “I say,” he snapped, “don’t blame me just because… I asked you to bring it to Masque.  Only Masque touched his artifacts!”

          “I get the feeling you know something about Masque,” she growled, tempted to grab him by the collar and pull his face inches from hers.  “What is it?”

          “I – I don’t know anything…” he whimpered.  “Leave me alone!”

          She sighed.  I’m not getting anything out of this.  Damn magician!

          Magician?  Magic!

          “Urfe,” she said sweetly, sitting next to him.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything.  I’m just getting all stressed out from trying to get to the bottom of this.  Masque was murdered, and I’m trying to find out who did it so that he or she can’t kill anyone else.”

          “Well, I certainly don’t blame you for that.”

          She glanced over at the colonel and saw that he was laughing into his glass of wine.  Well, there are some things a woman inspector can do that a man cannot… unless the subject is either gay or another woman.  “Well, let me ask you one more question that won’t get you all upset.”  She smiled sweetly.  “Can you teach me a magic trick?”  She batted her eyes flirtatiously.

          “Teach you a trick?”  He seemed startled by that.  “Well, it will have to be something… simple.  Like the Key card trick.”  He held out a hand and pointed at it with the other.  There was a small puff of smoke, and a deck of playing cards appeared in his hand.  He fanned it out and held the cards towards her.  “Take a card!”

          She pulled a card out randomly from the deck and looked at it.  It was the four of diamonds.

          “Now, when you looked at your card, I quickly noticed the card just before yours… the Key card.”  He held up half the deck, showing her the card.  “The Jack of spades.  Now put your card back into the deck.”  She did, and watched as he closed the deck, turned it around, and fanned it out again so that he could see what the cards were.  “Your card was the – four of diamonds… because it’s to the right of the Jack of spades.”  He closed the deck and handed it to her.  “Here’s the deck, chum.  You can do this trick with anyone who might be interested.”

          “Thank you,” she said sweetly, kissing him on the cheek.  He tried to say something, but it only came out as babbles.  She stood up and walked over to Colonel Mustard, who was still chuckling into his wine glass.

          “Oh, bad business,” he said, calming down.  “We’d better get off this ship.”

          “That’s what I’m thinking.”

          He glanced back at Urfe, and smiled.  “I see you can take good care of yourself.”

          She nodded.  “Colonel, would anyone here have wanted Masque dead?”

          “Why not?  Who knows what this lot would want from Masque – dead or alive.”

          “Do you think the Puzzle Box may tell us what happened?” she asked quietly, leaning closer towards him.

          “Why yes.  I picked it up just like you, and nothing happened… Interesting, isn’t it?”  He pointed at her.  “Do be careful opening it we don’t need two corpses.”

          She smiled slightly and nodded again.  “Colonel, you’ve been in war and seen people die like that.  What killed Masque?”

          “Only one way to find that out.  Pick up that box.”  He thought carefully.  “However, since, as you pointed out, I’ve been in war, it’s possible that there was some sort of gas inside the box.  Masque must have been close enough to get a lethal dose as it came out.  It would have spread out by now, though, so there’s no telling what it was.”

          She nodded.  “I’ll be careful when I figure out a way to get that blasted box away from Dr. Kell.”  She walked over towards Sabata.  He looked up at her as she stood in front of him.  “Hello, Sabata.”

          “Bah!”

          “I can show you a magic trick,” she purred, shuffling the cards Urfe had given her.  “Want to see it?”

          He blinked, and then nodded.  “Yes.  Show me the trick.”

          She fanned out the cards like Urfe had done.  “Take a card.”

          While Sabata looked at his card, she quickly glanced at the Key card… the Queen of Hearts.

          “Okay,” he said.  “And now I put it back.”  She held out the cards as he carefully put it back.  “And now you show me my card, okay?”

          She looked at the cards.  To the right of the Key card, she thought.  It was the Ace of Clubs.  She pulled it out and showed it to him.

          “Yes, that is my card!” he said in a delighted voice.  “Amazing – and here – is a picture for you.”  He pulled whatever he had been drawing off of its pad and handed it to her.  It was a charcoal drawing of Mrs. White… dropping a vase.

          “Thank you, Sabata,” she said thoughtfully.  She walked towards the doors at the end of the room, folding the picture carefully as she put it in her pocket.  She opened the doors and walked into the hall again.  She walked over to the door with the combination lock on it, then knelt down and put her hand on it.  Today’s date, she thought.  She carefully turned the dial until she had put in the combination, and then tried the handle.  It easily gave way under her hand.

          All right.  Now let’s see what’s so important that this door needs a lock.  She pushed it open, and walked into a cargo room.  There were barrels of wine and meat hooks, and what looked like hundreds of boxes.  She walked over to another bookshelf, this one bent with age and covered with cobwebs.  A wrench and a hook sat on one shelf, and a pair of work gloves sat on the one above it.

          Gloves! She thought, smiling.  If I’m wearing these while picking up the box, technically I won’t be touching it!  She picked them up and dropped them in her pocket with the two decks of cards, Sabata’s picture, her invitation, and the news clipping about Masque.  She turned, and her eyes fell upon a wooden chest.  She walked over to it, and saw that it wasn’t locked.  She reached out a hand to open it–

          “Looking for something?”

          She screeched with fright, whipping around in a defensive position.  Green backed off in surprise.  “Don’t do that to me again,” she snarled at him.

          “Oh, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said by way of an apology.  “I took Masque’s body upstairs to his cabin.  No need to have it lying around upsetting the women.”

          “Fine.  Now leave me.”

          He nodded, and then turned to leave the room.  She scoffed in his direction, and bent down to open the chest again.  Inside was a pile of clothes, topped with a gear.  She reached in, picked up the gear, and dropped it into her pocket with everything else.

          I have a feeling I’m going to need this, she thought, standing up.

Something tells me there’s more behind this invitation than just a party…

          Kell turned as Pumyra bent down towards the box.  “I said not to touch that!”

          Pumyra pulled the gloves out of her pocket and put them on.  “Technically, I won’t be.”  She reached out and picked up the box.  “Now leave me, Kell, while I get on with my work.”  She paused, noticing that there was something else.  She reached out and picked it up.  It looked like one of those curtain pins, but it was awfully plain.  She shook her head, and dropped it into her pocket.

          She walked up the stairs, pausing as she passed Mrs. White and Mrs. Peacock.  The former had stood up and picked up an urn.  “This… urn fascinates me!”  It slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor with a crash, breaking into eight or nine different pieces.  “Heavens,” the maid said with horror, “it was so slippery… as if it had been oiled!”

          Pumyra placed the box on the floor and walked over to the pile.  “Don’t worry about it, Mrs. White,” Peacock said in a comforting tone as the maid sat down again.  “Masque won’t exactly be able to get angry at you for it.”

          Pumyra rolled her eyes and gently moved one of the bigger pieces of the urn.  Underneath was two more of those curtain pin things, one a bit larger than the other.

          “My, what are those?” Mrs. White asked.

          “I don’t know,” Pumyra replied standing up.  “They look like curtain pins, but something tells me they’re not.”  She dropped them in her pocket and picked up the box again.

          “Be careful with that, dear,” the maid said with just a touch of alarm in her voice.  “I don’t think I’d survive another death on this ship!”

          “And then we’d have three bodies to get rid of,” Mrs. Peacock added.

          “Don’t worry,” Pumyra replied to them.  “I know what I’m doing.”  She walked out onto the deck.  She looked at Green, who looked back.

          “Terrible business, hmm?” he asked as if nothing had happened just a few minutes before.  “You think Masque would know how dangerous his collection is…”

          She ignored him and walked over to Scarlet.  “You seem scared…”

          “Of course – Masque is dead!”  Scarlet turned to look at her.  “And the ship is out of control.  Find the captain – he must be inside the wheelhouse!”  Then she noticed the puzzle box.  “I thought Dr. Kell said not to touch that!”

          “There’s something in this box that is necessary to getting out of this situation alive,” Pumyra replied.  “And I’m not touching it.  I’m wearing gloves.”

Something tells me there’s more behind this invitation than just a party…

          Pumyra was sitting at the bottom of the steps that led up to the other locked door – the wheelhouse.  The Puzzle Box sat in her lap, still unopened.  Pumyra had tried everything she could think of to open it, but nothing worked.  She lifted it and studied it.  There was some sort of circular lock on the front, so Masque must have used some sort of key…

          A circular key?

          Pumyra reached into her pocket and quickly fished out the three curtain pin things.  She looked at them, then at the lock.

          Of course!  These aren’t curtain pins – they’re the keys to the puzzle box!  That’s why one of them was next to the box!  Masque must have used it to get the damned thing open!  She frowned.  But why were two of them in that urn?