▌Chapter 10 ─ The Velvet Masque ▌
▌Part 1 ─ Season 1 ─ Episode 6 ─ The Mystery of Blackwood Lodge ▌

━━━━━ ALORA WOKE UP the following day and went to her laptop, she and Nancy were trying to figure out why Lucy had mentioned Ryan Hudson.

"Come on, Lucy. What's the connection between you and Ryan Hudson? I can't find it in that teenage poem of yours Nancy and I pulled out of a time capsule. There's a ball, a prince, a Pegasus, a kraken, and a Medusa. Thanks, Lucy. Way to be literal. What do you do when the dead stop talking to you?"

Alora leaned back in her chair, her and Nancy were determined to find out what had happened to Lucy Sable. They just needed to get more information about the story so they could figure it out.

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The twins stood at Ryan Hudson's door, Nancy proceeded to lift her hand knocking on the front door. They both exchanged a look with each then proceeded to move closer to the door listening for something. When they didn't hear anything the two pushed open the door and walked in.

"Hello?" Nancy called out.

"Is anybody home?" Alora asked. Nancy pushed the door back to close it.

"Mr. Hudson?"

The two walked forward slightly, they both noticed a chair had been pulled out. A plate of food and a glass was on the table but there was no sign on anyone. The two continued down the hallway passing a water wall. Suddenly they both felt something and turned around to see nothing behind them.

Nancy and Alora came to the end of the hallway and peered around the corner looking into an office. They then noticed something on the table. Moving down the steps Nancy picked it up while Alora looked at it. The symbol on the front of the card looked familiar. Then Alora remembered that it was in Lucy's poem.

"She started pulling away. It was after this party she went to some exclusive underground thing." The words of what Karen had told them ran through her mind. Nancy seemed to be on the same page and proceeded to flip the envelope and pull an invitation out of it.

"The Velvet Masque." It read. Nancy flipped it to the other side seeing nothing. Underneath it read 'Dusk.' She put the invitation back into the card and the twins turned around and walked out of the house.

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Alora climbed out of Nancy's car, the two headed up the steps of the Claw. Alora opened the door allowing her sister to go in first, then she followed behind her. George and Nick were there, Nick turned around to look at the twins.

"What do we know about the Velvet Masque?" Nancy asked, as the two walked over to George and Nick.

"Uh, is that a band?" Nick asked in return.

"No. It's the underground, depraved, pervy, rich people's party for East Coast one-percenters." George told them.

"That's in a different secret location every five years." Alora added.

"Yeah, yeah. But I always thought it was an urban legend." Nancy said.

"Legend or not, steer clear. Rumor is, they brand townies or hunt them... or both." George then walked away from the three.

"Uh, speaking of shady rich people with questionable hobbies..."

"Let me guess. You found more dirt on Owen in those files. See, I always thought Tiffany was targeting the Hudsons."

"Yeah, she was, but Owen's name keeps popping up. And the Hudsons and the Marvins used to do business together, so maybe Owen knew Tiffany was digging up skeletons. I've been following him around to see what I can find."

"What did you find?" Nancy asked him with a smile on her face.

"Uh, that I don't really like following people around."

"Show us what you got. We'll talk to Owen."

"Oh, no, not me. He's not interested in me." Alora said.

"Uh, okay." Nick went to grab the files but stopped and turned to look at Nancy. "Hey... don't let this guy pull any of his rich and charming crap on you."

"Don't worry. Rich and charming isn't my type unless it's you." The two then proceeded to kiss, George looked at them with a disgusted look on her face.

"Guys. Come on. People eat here." She said.

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After Nancy had talked to Owen, she went to pick Alora back up from the Claw. The two then went back home. Nancy pulled her keys out and proceeded to unlock the first door. The twins walked in and Alora closed that door. Nancy then unlocked the second door, both walked in. Nancy proceeded to place her keys back in her back. The door suddenly closed behind them, causing the two to jump and turn around to see Ryan Hudson standing at their door.

"Sorry. I-I didn't mean to scare you." Ryan said, looking at the twins.

"Ryan. What are you doing here?" Nancy asked him.

"I think someone's trying to kill me." The two looked at him, Alora tilted her head slightly, shock falling onto her face. They moved into the dinning room and Ryan sat down in the chair looking at the twins as they looked back at him. "I really need to talk to your father right now."

"You tell us what happened in your house, we'll tell you where he is." Alora told the older man.

"I don't know. All I know is-is... I was hearing things all night. You know, I think somebody might have broke in. They were rummaging through my stuff. I freaked out. I left. I went and stayed at a hotel." Ryan took a gulp of his alcohol just as Nancy's phone went off. She declined the call, both Alora and Nancy sat down in the chairs staring at Ryan.

"Who do you think is after you?" Nancy asked him.

"Let's just say that I owe money to people that you don't want to owe money to." Ryan answered.

"You're a Hudson. Write a check."

"I can't. My father... cut me off. He hit the roof when he found out about what happened at the fundraiser."

"You mean making out with your teenaged ex-girlfriend at a fundraiser to honor your dead wife?"

"He froze my assets, Nancy. I'm broke." Ryan proceeded to laugh looking between Nancy and Alora. "I'm broke. Except... I have these antique Roman coins. It's the most valuable thing that I own. It was a wedding gift from my family, and I was gonna take them and sell them at this underground auction tonight."

Alora and Nancy looked at each other then leaned forward in their chairs. "Let us guess. The Velvet Masque." Alora said.

"I didn't say that. Look, all I know is that these coins are in my family's secure private storage facility. And as I'm persona non grata, I can't get them. But I figured, you know, maybe your father could... pull some strings."

"He's in Boston. And unreachable. But we can get your coins." Ryan sighed. "We kind of know how to break into places."

"Oh, yeah, right. What have you two ever broken into?"

"Your house, two weeks ago."

"You know what? Don't answer that. I don't want to know. But tell me, what's in it for you, Nancy and Alora Drew?"

"You take us to the Velvet Masque." Nancy said, Ryan proceeded to lean back in his chair looking between the two. "Well? Do we have a deal?" Nancy proceeded to lift her hand towards Ryan. He placed his hand on Nancy's and proceeded to shake it.