Page 21 of Be A Detective, They Said. It’ll Be Fun, They Said

“Said the woman who would live in a mausoleum with tapestries of people killing each other if not for us,” I reminded her.

“Ohhh,” Marty breathed as we stepped onto the hardwood flooring at the entryway. “How adorable!”

And it was adorable. Done in a cottage core vibe with French country accents, there were lots of gingham pillows and willowy curtains. An overstuffed couch in pale blue with a toile throw, aged vessels in all shapes and sizes displayed in the arched window overlooking her backyard and gardens.

“Would you just look at that armoire, Marty?” I squealed, pointing to the corner of the room where an antiqued French blue armoire sat, an enormous wicker basket of flowers on top, the stems draping gracefully down over the sides.

“To die for,” she whispered.

“Smells like a damn candle store in here,” Nina groused, her nostrils flaring.

“Lavender,” I commented. The scent was light but pleasing. “Okay, basement first.”

We strode through the kitchen, a pretty mixture of pale green and ivory cabinets with wood shelving and accents.

When we got to the basement door in an alcove off the kitchen, we all fell silent.

Nina toyed with not one, but four or five of the bolt locks. “What the fuck is she hiding down there? Frankenstein?” She threw her hands up. “If fucking Frankenstein is real, I’m out. Hear me? If this is some sort of kooky science lab with brains and eyeballs in mason jars, I. Am. Out.”

I laughed out loud. “If that’s true, I am, too. Now, can we pop these locks, please? I don’t know what she has down there, but I want to find out.”

Nina turned each of the locks and pulled the door open with a creak. We made our way carefully down the steep steps with me in the lead.

I stopped short, gripping the wood bannisters and gasping out loud.

Nina was the first to speak as she took in exactly why I gasped. “Holy fucking looney-toons. That’s just shy of crackers.”

I stepped into the basement…filled with whiteboards.

Covered in one conspiracy theory after another. Each lush with red string, pictures of locations, and photos of people involved in the conspiracies. Coordinates, theories tying each alleged conspiracy together.

It was madness.

Nina gave Marty a nudge. “I think you’ve got some pretty hefty competition, Murder Board Queen.”

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