“Wait!” I called. “There’s still the question of who gets the note. Unless all of you want to read it.” I shrugged. I guess it really wasn’t my problem.
“What do you mean ‘all of you’? Aren’t you part of this too?” asked a girl from somewhere in the back.
I shook my head, “Nope, not really. I’m not related or anything, in fact I didn’t even know Lady C until a few weeks ago.”
“I never knew her.” A girl piped up.
“Me neither.” Said another.
“My dad and her had a feud so I never EVER knew her.” Still another said.

I looked around the room every one was watching me. Why?! Why was everyone looking at me?!
“The more we have the faster we’ll be done.” Adel said logically

“If I go on this ‘quest’ when on earth am I going to break those seven,” I put enfaces on the seven, “colts?”
“Three actually.”
I looked at Jessica. “What? That guy with the red hair showed me seven.”
“I know. That was before Mr Green sold four of them.”
“But..” I was stunned. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?” This night was just too weird.
“I thought someone would have.” She said uncertainly.
“Mr Green has been selling a lot of things lately.” She murmured, brow furrowed.

“Wait. He’s been selling things that don’t belong to him?” Taylor joined in. “Isn’t that illegal or something?”
“It’s use of the black market.” I said tonelessly.
I sighed. I had seen this kind of work before, after my grandmother’s death. My aunt’s husband sold everything granmum owned on the black market or ‘ebay’.
I thought Mr Green was an honest man, but I guess you’d have to pretend such things if you wanted to get away with something.
“Then he wants our treasure too!” Someone put in dramatically.
“Oh, great now we have an evil axis.” I thought sarcastically. “So what should we do with him?”
“Well, we’ll need to catch him in the act. That’s how they do it in the movies!”

In my opinion this was turning into a movie way too fast.

“Okay, now, enough hanging around. We have to get to that shed before dawn.” I said.

Katrina and Brooke decided on the whole group, others, like me, were fence sitters and unable to decide. A good group leader is the basis of teamwork, which is what we are aiming for. But is equality just as important?

“We should be a team – a team of leaders.” I persisted eagerly. “We’re each special and talented in our own way, excelling at different areas. I think everyone can be a leader and step up to take the lead when the rest of the group is lost. We can cover up for each other’s flaws and really work as a team. Everyone can have a chance to lead and help each other out of trouble.”

Patiently, I awaited answers from the rest of the group. The more I wondered about the idea, the more I believed it could work. Now I just really wished the whole team thought so too.

Suddenly, something struck me. “Wait!” I called out. Everyone turned to look at me, and suddenly speech evaded me for a few scary moments. I took control of my breath, and I could speak again. “Turn the big map over.”

“What?” Someone said.

“Turn it over. It’s the next clue!”

They stared at me, but Camille began to turn over pieces. I helped her, and soon, everyone was flipping map pieces. When we were done, we peered at the paper. I just saw the scribbling of the letters, and was heart broken. But then, someone abruptly turned off the light, and suddenly, everything was clear.

Written on the back of the giant map was a letter.

‘Dearest nieces,

By now you have learned teamwork. Without that, you would not have come so far, to reveal this final clue.

At the top of the fifth hill on my property line, Heather Hill, is a small shed. You may have seen it before, or not. Go there, together, and follow this clue.

“The first clue may have guided you
The second may have warned,
Follow this final clue,
And you will be rewarded.
Bring the Duke and Duchess to the hill.
Find the unicorn
And greater still
Discover the meaning to the words
Which have puzzled you ’til early Morn.
Ex pay fri shin do.

You must solve this before dawn. Best of luck to all,
Aunt Christabell.”

“Wow!” someone murmured. I had noticed something strange, though. “The final words!” I said. “Before, they were ‘ex pay fro shin di’, but now, they’re ‘ex pay fri shin do’!”

“Doesn’t matter,” someone shrugged. “Let’s go to the hill. It says that we have until dawn.”

This was bothering me. We have until dawn… how did Aunt Christabell know that we were going to meet here at midnight? It was just like with the peril message and Kite. Though a million warnings were setting off in my head, I was curious. I wanted to solve this mystery, and I was going to do it.

“I’ll take it, if that’s alright with everyone.”

Ahem… AHEMMMMM. Can I have your attention please? Ladies?

I’m very sorry to crash your meeting, but I’m hoping you’ll give me a few minutes of your time to explain why I’ve been lurking around, then we can get to the business of why I’m here.

My name is Lois McLane and I’m a reporter for the New York Times. Shortly before her death I received a package from Lady C at my apartment in Manhattan. I have no idea how she got my home address, but that’s beside the point…

There were two letters inside the package. One was addressed to me, the other was addressed ‘STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. DO NOT OPEN. Read your letter for instructions’.

You’re welcome to read the letter that was addressed to me, but in a nutshell Lady C said she admired the integrity of my reporting. I’m telling you that hoping it will give me some credibility, cuz by the looks on your faces I can see you’re suspicious of my motives. The letter also said that if I followed her instructions, I’d have an exclusive on the story. At least up to this point…

Her first instruction was that I must attend the reading of the will. The esteemed William Wellington the third would be aware of my presence along with some of the farm and household staff, but otherwise I was to remain ‘under the radar’ and just observe the goings-on.

Her second instruction was to deliver the confidential letter to whoever emerged as leader among the beneficiaries. She said I’d know when the time was right. I came here thinking I was supposed to deliver this to Roselyn since she organized the meeting. But given her sudden departure for a family emergency, I guess you’ll need to decide…

Who gets this letter?

As I was furiously thinking about all the cryptic notes, a hand wrapped around my arm, pulling me away from the crowd assembled around the clues and map, into a deserted corner. Regaining my balance from my trip, I turned around, finding myself staring straight at Robyn. “What’s wrong?”

“Okay, listen.” she muttered uneasily “When I…ran away…I…I nearly got run over by a horse, Kite, and she never gets out. But the clue said something about its finder being in peril.”

“That’s so strange.” I said, more baffled than ever. “How could it all be so coincidential? It seems almost impossible that Christabel had anything to do with Kite and her behaviour.”

Robyn looked back at me. “There’s certainly something we don’t know.”

The two of us returned to the crowd once more, where the conversation topic was now about a suspicious lady I’ve spotted stealthily drifting around, Lois McLane. “I’ve seen her!” Robyn spoke up.

Meanwhile, I pondered about the clues and the map. The more I tried to define them though, the more confusing they were. I was almost relieved when my train of thoughts were curtly interrupted by a loud ring of a mobile. The next few moments were a blur, the only clear parts being Roselyn saying something about having to leave us to the job, without her.

Hopelessly wobbling at the legs, I barely managed to choke out at the news: “But…Roselyn, who will lead us now? You’re the one who knows everybody in this room.”

“But I’m not the only one. You guys will know what to do” she replied reassuringly, dashing towards the door. “Trust me, and Lady C.” I wasn’t sure whether the reassurance was for me or her. An abrupt clang as the shed door closed sliced through the silence of the small gathered crowd.

I sighed. I’ve been doing that a lot lately. “She…she’s right.” I uttered quietly, hoping it was loud enough for everyone to hear. “We’re a family, we can do this.” Glancing at the map, I decided it was the best way to go so far.

Many different pieces make a very special whole.

Scamp lay sleeping in my arms like a human baby; paws suspended in the air. He snored softly.
“You treat him like a real kid.” The girl next to me sneered. She looked well to do. Straight blond hair in a perfect pony tail and expensive looking clothes.
“He’s my fur-child.” I smiled, more at my ‘baby’ than at her. She raised an acutely plucked eyebrow. “Fur-what?”
Inwardly I rolled my eyes. If there was one thing I couldn’t get along with it was snooty people.
Thankfully I didn’t have to further the conversation since just then Roselyn stepped in front and started speaking.
Now for the answers….(or not)