A Second Chance

The Penultimate Peril Part One

"I like her as well." I agreed.

"Me too." Klaus nodded.

"Me too." Sunny grinned. Putting on our hats, we got out the taxi and walked over to Kit who was spying on a man in a black suit and red tie with black hair and a moustache.

"That's Frank Denouement. He's one of the managers. He's with us. You can trust him." Kit told us. Then another man walked over and stood next to the first man, they looked exactly the same.

"I must need new glasses because I'm seeing double." Klaus frowned giving his spyglass to Violet.

"That's Frank's treacherous brother, Ernest. Does not trust him, no matter what he says. The schism has turned many siblings into enemies. Remember, F is for Frank, who is friendly. E is for Ernest who is evil." Kit said.

"How can we tell them apart?" Violet questioned.

"Unfortunately, the only way to determine if someone is noble or wicked is through close observation. But you'll have to be careful about what you tell them because if the wrong brother finds out what we're up to..." Kit began, quickly hiding behind a bush when the brothers turned to look in our direction. Kit leaned around to check they weren't looking any more after a moment. "We could all be in danger. I've sent a message to Frank. He'll meet you in the lobby unless it was intercepted by Ernest."

"You're not coming?" I frowned.

"I'm afraid I have my own mission, but I'll be back tonight. If you've discovered that the Last Safe Place is no longer safe, we'll send a signal to warn V.F.D. Do you understand?" Kit explained.

"We're going to disguise ourselves as concierges to determine if J.S. is a villain or a noble volunteer." Klaus started.

"A manager named Frank will try to help us, but his brother, Ernest, will try to stop us." I added.

"Signal V.F.D." Sunny finished.

"Perfect. Do you have everything you need?" Kit smiled.

"I can't find my ribbon." Violet sighed.

"I always carry a spare." Kit said, handing Violet a ribbon. "Your mother always tied her hair up when she needed to think, too." Klaus adjusted his glasses slightly. "And your father always adjusted his glasses like that before a mission. You remind of them so much. You all do."

"It's hard to believe our parents went on secret missions." Klaus admitted.

"Your parents put many brave deeds on the books. Without them, V.F.D would never have survived after the schism." Kit sighed.

"We heard about the schism." Violet told her.

"It was a tragic night. I'm sorry, melancholy is a side effect of my condition. I'm distraught and I'm pregnant. Good luck Baudelaires, I'll see you tonight. And please be careful." With a nod we turned to leave. "Wait, Ashlyn, I just wanted to remind you of the deal you made with my brother."

"Yes, I remember it." I told her.

"Good. In the telegram he sent me telling me he was going into hiding said to tell you to meet him at Anwhistle Aquatics, or what's left of it." Kit said.

"Thank you for letting me now." I smiled.

"I just want you to know that I think what your doing is very noble but don't hold your hopes too high. I know them." Kit warned.

"Thank you for the warning and I'm sure you did know him but that was a long time ago, they've changed." I reassured.

"I don't want to see another noble person hurt because of Ol –" Kit began.