▌Chapter 11 ─ The Bony Scot ▌
▌Part 2 ─ Season 1 ─ Episode 6 ─ The Mystery of Blackwood Lodge ▌

━━━━━ ALORA WALKED UPSTAIRS to her room changing into different clothes and grabbing some essential tools she might need just in case. Eventually she walked down the steps with Nancy following behind her.

"Hey, I have a question for you." Nancy said, as she turned past the stairs and walked towards the kitchen.

"Look, if it's about the layout, we already went over it." Ryan replied.

"It's about Lucy Sable." Alora said, crossing her hands over her chest along with Nancy. Ryan stopped what he was doing, then he turned to look at the twins.

"Eh, Lucy Sable like the town ghost story?" Ryan asked, as he walked over to them.

"She went to the Velvet Masque the year before she died. You were probably there." Nancy told him. "Do you remember seeing her?" Before they could get their question, someone knocked on their door. Alora and Nancy turned around to look back towards the door.

"We'll be right back." Alora and Nancy walked to the front door. Nancy opened the door, Alora looked to see Nick and George.

"Hey. Uh, what's up?" Nancy asked them.

"Wh-What's up? Is everything okay? I've been leaving messages." Nick said.

"You're both missing inventory day." George told them, Alora sent her a small smile.

"Uh, I'm fine. Alora's fine. I should have called, but I..." Nancy accidentally pushed on the door allowing Nick and George to see Ryan in the background.

"Is that... Ryan Hudson?" George asked them. The two walked out and closed the door behind them. Alora and Nancy looked at Nick and George.

"Okay." Nancy breathed out.

"You're both helping Ryan Hudson?" George went on to ask them.

"Just today." Alora replied.

"It's important. He thinks somebody's trying to kill him." Nancy added.

"So go help that person, not the liar-slash-crazy-ex-boyfriend in your kitchen who may have killed someone."

"Spoiler: he may have killed two someones... Tiffany and Lucy Sable. He's the only common denominator."

"Lucy Sable? What's she got to do with this?" Nick asked them. Alora and Nancy looked at each other, then they looked at Nick and George.

"We're being haunted by her. Okay?" Alora said, getting it out in the open. The two looked at the twins.

"She's... been communicating with us." Nancy added.

"Oh. So I get possessed, and now you're haunted? This isn't a competition."

"Okay. Uh, what's she communicating?"

"Something happened to her at the Velvet Masque 20 years ago."

"Why didn't either of you tell me about that this morning? Or-or when it all started."

"It's like you don't trust us."

"We made a deal with Ryan to get us into the Velvet Masque."

"What if the bad thing that happened to her was Ryan?"

"We can handle it, George." Alora told her.

"What's he get out of this deal, huh? A date with an 18-year-old?"

"We made a deal to retrieve some coins for him. Some old Roman burial coins." Nancy said.

"He's trying to auction them off tonight." Alora added.

"But if we can get into the party, maybe we can figure out what happened to Lucy."

"What about Tiffany?"

"We're working on it. I've got some calls in to my friend who's analyzing her blood, okay? Are we good?"

Nick proceeded to nod his head in agreement. "Yeah. Hundred percent."

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The twins stood in the house, watching Lucy Sable grab onto Ryan's arm. His ring was burning as the man collapsed to the ground screaming. She then disappeared, Nancy placed the container of coins onto the table and the two walked over to Ryan.

"What the hell was what?" Ryan asked the two.

"That was Lucy Sable. You might not remember her, but she definitely remembers you." In the aftermath of what had happened Nancy and Alora sat at the table looking at Ryan's ring.

"'Ryan and Tiffany.'"

"So... we all saw that, right?" Ryan asked the twins. "I mean... A ghost... I mean, that-that's... what we're saying here, that's what's happening here?"

"That's what's happening here." Alora answered.

"It's this house. It's your house."

"No." Nancy said. "It isn't this house. Who do you think was at your house last night?" Ryan looked between the two.

"Lucy Sable..." Alora placed the ring down in front of Ryan. "...is haunting you, too." Ryan leaned back in his chair still looking at the two.

"Come on, you knew her, didn't you?"

"When we were teenagers, we-we... went out a couple times, that's it." Nancy's phone buzzed, she declined the call. Seconds later Alora's went off but she also declined the call. Nancy sighed and pulled the poem out of her bag. She unfolded it and handed it over to Ryan.

"Here, read that."

"'The Prince carried me to a secret ball.' Lucy wrote this?"

"That's you, isn't it? The Prince? You-you took her to the Velvet Masque. Wha-What happened there? What happened afterwards?"

"Look, all I know is that we had a summer fling, it ended, and then she went off the deep end, somebody murdered her. That's it, end of story." Nancy's phone rang, she stood up and walked into the other room and answered the phone call.

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The night had finally come, Alora and Nancy walked under the umbrella with Ryan. Nancy was in a blue dress. While Alora was in a red dress. They walked over to the wall, and stood there.

"This is your last chance if you both don't want to be here." Ryan told the twins. They both looked at him. "No, you know what? This was a mistake."

"Like it was for your last date?" Nancy asked him.

"You got your coins. We made a deal." Alora reminded him.

"Fine, but if anything happens to you, neither of you are not my responsibility."

"You don't want us to go in? Tell us what happened to Lucy right here."

Ryan chuckled at the two. "You don't give up, do you? Hello." A few people passed them. "I already told you two, I don't know anything about her." The three proceeded to walk up the steps and stand at the top looking out. Alora noticed Ace opening a car door. Seconds later Nick, George, and Bess stepped out of the car.

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Alora, and Nancy walked in the building with Ryan. The two looked around at everyone. "So, this is what the rich do when they think nobody's looking." Nancy said.

The two turned around and walked away from Ryan as he started to talk to them. They walked down the hallway, Nancy pulled the poem out so they could use it to find what Lucy had been talking about.

"We haven't seen a Pegasus, Medusa or kraken." The two looked up from the paper and looked into the room. "Till now." They both looked at the mask that rested in front of them. "'I watched Medusa embrace the kraken and not her husband, the king.'"

"Why am I not surprised." Owen said, coming up behind Alora and Nancy.

"What's the kraken?" Nancy asked, looking back at the mask.

"My Uncle Sebastian. He masqueraded as the kraken every year until he died. He was like a dad to me."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"It was a long time ago, but thanks. Is it true you two came here with Ryan Hudson?"

"He got us in." Alora answered.

"What?" Nancy asked the man. "You had your chance. Do you happen to know anything about Ryan bringing Lucy Sable here in 1999?"

"At five years old, I wasn't quite old enough to attend."

"But I'm sure you heard stories from the party, right?" Nancy walked around her sister and turned to look at Owen who walked closer to her.

"Listen, Nancy, no one tells stories about what goes on here."

"Got it."

"Back to Ryan. You wouldn't happen to know about a certain set of coins he's auctioning?"

"Everybody wants those coins."

"Those coins are proof that the Hudsons double-crossed my family." Nancy and Alora turned their heads to look at Owen. "The Bonny Scot was a co-venture between our companies until it sank. 12 souls died, including my Uncle Sebastian. He and Everett Hudson used to be huge rivals. My aunt always suspected foul play."

"And then you heard Ryan was selling those coins tonight when they're supposed to be underwater. We don't have them. You'll have to bid. Sorry."

"Make it up to me by leaving. Both of you. Please. I'm trying to protect you and your sister."

Nancy turned to look back at Owen. "We'll leave... as soon as you tell me where we can find a Pegasus."

Owen proceeded to lead the two out of the mask room. "Should be this way." He said. Soon they came face to face with Nick. Alora looked at the two and thought it was historical that Nancy was caught in a love triangle even if she might not know it herself. "Nicholas. You're here, too."

"Oh, that is not my name."

"Not his name."

"Cool. Nancy, Alora, walk down the hallway. Third door on the right. Remember our agreement." Owen proceeded to walk past them. Alora looked back to see Ryan talking with his mother. Nancy grabbed a hold of Nick's hand and her sister's and pulled them down the hallway.

"You two seem chummy." Nick mentioned.

"Please tell me you're not here to steal the coins." Nancy said.

"We're here to steal the coins." Nick answered.

"Great." Alora breathed out, while Nancy sighed.

"You didn't leave us much choice." Nick said, taking his mask off.

"There are too many of us here. You're gonna get caught. Then all of us will get thrown out before any of us get the chance to do what we came here to do."

"We wouldn't be doing this if you and Alora would just tell us why you're chasing a ghost."

"Nick, I need you to trust us. Please."

"Then trust me. Let me in."

"Soon. I promise." Nancy and Alora proceeded to walk away from Nick heading down the hallway. The twins made it into an almost empty room. Nancy held onto the poem while the two looked around. Eventually they came to a stop in front of something that had been covered. Nancy and Alora walked up to it, Nancy removed the cloth just a little to reveal a Pegasus.

"Pegasus." The two then back up slightly. "'The monsters were cruel, so I did hide behind the Pegasus's wing. I watched Medusa embrace the kraken and not her husband, the king.'" The two looked to see a young Lucy Sable come out from behind the picture. They watched as Ryan's mother came into the room with Sebastian, Owen's Uncle.

"Oh, Sebastian. I've missed you." Celia Hudson said. The two then watched them kiss. Lucy peered out and Celia gasped seeing her. "You have to go." The woman walked away from Sebastian and moved towards Lucy grabbing onto her arm. "You are in so much trouble. What are you doing here? I said... what are you doing here?"

The twins looked to see Celia standing right in front of them. They proceeded to walk out of the room with Celia. She looked at them while Nancy and Alora stared at what was in front of them.

"You should have been back there. In fact, neither of you shouldn't even be at this party at all. This is no place for girls like you two." Celia told the two.

"A townie?" The twins asked.

Celia scoffed. "The less gracious attendees can be awful to locals."

"Locals like Lucy Sable?" Nancy asked her.

"She came to this party with your son 20 years ago." Alora said.

"Did she? Well, my son has had a lot of summer dates." Celia turned around to look back at the twins.

"But you'd remember a girl who caught you in a compromising position with your husband's greatest rival, wouldn't you?"

"What exactly do you mean, dear?"

"I think Lucy caught you with Sebastian Marvin. Less than a year later, she was dead. Not long after, so was he. In a shipwreck."

"Words have consequences, young lady. Some rumors even kill. I would not take kindly to someone spreading that one. But I imagine you can be very discreet. Just like your father."

"What does that mean?" Alora asked her.

"It means it's time for both of you to go home." Celia said, walking away from the twins.

Nancy walked into the bidding room with Alora, the two watched as George, Bess, and Nick were escorted out. The two then walked out of the room afterwards. Alora noticed the wind pushing some leaves into another room. She walked towards it, Nancy following behind her as she had seen the same thing.

They came up to the door as the wind continued to push the leaves out. Alora walked in first, Nancy following behind her. The two made it back into the room Celia had pulled them out of. When they got closer they saw Ryan kissing Lucy Sable.

"Ryan." The twins called out. He pulled back, looked at them and then at Lucy. She grabbed a hold of his arm and started to do the same thing to his ring which she had done earlier in the day. "It's the ring. Ryan, it's the ring." A screech came from Lucy, and Ryan fell to the ground, the ring falling off his finger as well. Lucy then disappeared nowhere to be seen.

Nancy and Alora walked over to Ryan as he held onto his hand. Nancy kicked the ring into the water to cool it down. Then she kneeled down to pick it up, Ryan looked at her then at Alora. The two looked at the engraving on the inside of the ring.

"'Lucy, arrow, Tiffany.'"

"They're connected. Lucy was trying to tell us that her death led to Tiffany's. Ryan."

"No, I didn't... I didn't kill anybody, I swear to both of you." Ryan replied.

"You lied about knowing Lucy. You've been lying about everything the entire time." Alora said.

"I know. I know. Look, I was away at boarding school... when Lucy was murdered. After she died, my dad told me I could never talk about her again."

"That's the first time we've ever believed that you actually cared about something." Nancy said as she and Alora sat down on the floor. "Or someone."

"I really liked her. I mean, I brought her here just to try to impress her, you know, and that was a big mistake. Something bad happened that night and I tried... I tried to get her to tell me what it was, and she wouldn't. I had this one good thing in my life, and I ruined it. My parents, they would never let me see her again, and every time Lucy called, they... they wouldn't let me talk to her. They just kept telling me that... they handled it."

"How did they handle it?"

"The same way they handled everything back then. Carson Drew." The twins proceeded to look at each other.

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They had made it home, the two walked through the door and Nancy closed it. The two walked over to the couch and sat down. Seconds later Nancy's phone was buzzing. She answered it and stood up from the couch. Soon Alora was following behind her.

"Nancy. Hey, I got your texts." John said.

"Tell me you have an update, John." Nancy replied.

"Oh, I have an update, John. Uh, Tiffany's sample's gonna require more time, but Lucy' crown had a second set of DNA. The hair samples present belong to two separate people. The first belonged to Lucy; it matches the blood sample from the rocks."

"And the second must belong to the guy who killed her."

"Actually, not a guy. A girl. The second hair sample had female DNA."

"Maybe Celia Hudson did it and not our father. "

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Nancy and Alora walked up the steps of the Claw and walked through the front door. "Looks like we missed some things." Nancy said, looking at the others. The two were still of course in their dresses. Everyone looked at the twins.

"Cause you were too busy ghost hunting." George said. "Headline: Things didn't go so well for us."

Nancy walked over to the table and pulled out the coins placing them on said table. "I wouldn't say that." Nick proceeded to walk over to them. "I switched them when you guys got kicked out. Some rich guy is now $4.16 richer."

"It took us getting kicked out for you two to help us?"

"Or because you got kicked out, we had to help." Alora remarked.

"Mm, that's a way to frame it." Bess said, looking at her phone.

"Teamwork." Alora walked away from Nancy heading over to the others. She sat down in the chair and proceeded to look at Ace as he looked at her.

"You look beautiful, Lor." Ace said, using her nickname. The orange haired woman looked at him and smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Ace." She replied, still smiling at him. The conversation stopped when they heard a car coming to a stop outside.

"I'll handle that." Nancy said, walking out of the Claw.

Alora stayed at the bar while the other's moved over to the booth. She heard the other's talking but didn't seem to care what they had been talking about.

"We should finish up inventory day... or at least start it." George told everyone.

"That sounds like fun. Oddly enough." Alora said, climbing off the chair and following behind George and Ace.