Selena's P.O.V
I woke up a tad bit too early and rose from my bed in the corner near the window. Well not before letting out a big yawn.
I rubbed my eyes and looked over at the Baudelaires to see them still asleep. Pft and they say I sleep too much. I leapt up from the bed and walked towards Klaus who was sleeping with his mouth slightly open. I know just what to do.
I went back to my bag with my precious items and pulled put my small air horn. Should I wake him up......Nah!
I put the horn back into my bag and got dressed instead and decided to head downstairs to the grand piano i saw earlier. I felt the need to play a little tune on it ever since i saw it. I sat down at the piano and let my hands brush across the keys gently before letting out a sigh. I still remember the piano at my Aunt's house, the one she had gotten me for my birthday. I looked around real quick taking in the airy feeling, like someone was here. Well obviously people were here but I was getting strange vibes, I simply shrugged it off and started.
(Le song form da piano below(^♡^)and the link is. https://youtu.be/hypdWWUF53g. If it doesn't work.)
After I finished I stood and did a bow to my imaginary audience.
"Thank you! Thank you very much!" I said in a silent cheery voice. If anyone walks in on me they would think I went mad-
"You have a beautiful voice." A tired voice whispered.
I swear I almost jumped out of my skin. Startled by the presence of someone I turned and saw the Baudelaires standing by the doorway with smiles on their faces. I turned beet red.
"Uh thanks." I mumbled and moved away from the piano.
"You have to teach me how to play the piano like that. I'm surprised Monty hasn't woken up yet by now though." Violet said.
She's right, where is Monty?
"You're right let's go find him." I said and they nodded in agreement. And from then on we started our search.
"Uncle Monty?!" Klaus yelled.
"Monty?" Violet chorused with him. But the sounds seemed to just echo throughout the house.
"Somethings not right." I said in a low voice. Klaus grasped my hand in reassurance.
"He's here, he has to be. Uncle Monty?" He continued to call out.
We made our way to the Reptile room assuming he might have probably slept there after doing some overnight work.
There was a chair facing in the other direction and as soon as we walked around the temperature in the room dropped to freezing cold. There was only one sentence running through my mind as I set my eyes on Monty's corpse.
We should have left earlier.
He sat in the chair with his face drained of color and a look of agony permanently painted on his face as his eyes stared lifelessly at nothing. His left eye developed dark veins that creeped across his face. The strangest yet horrifying thing was that there were now two punctures holes on his cheek.
"Monty! How could this happen?" Klaus asked.
"We know exactly how this happened." Violet responded and bowed her head slightly in silent respect.
I started to shed tears and held hugged Klaus. He returned my hug and brushed my hair softly.
"It's going to be okay. We'll find a way around this." He whispered soothingly in my ear.
I choked down my sobs and nodded onto his shirt. We'll make him pay for what he did to Monty.
"My,my,my what a terrible accident. Whoever discovers this will be very upset. For the sleep of death, what dreams may come." Count Olaf's voice rang throughout the mournful silence.
"You murderer!" I said through my tears. I gently wiped my face and mustered up the courage to look at him. A cold blooded killer.
"You murdered him." Klaus said turning his gaze into an accusing one.
"Klaus I'm surprised a smart pants like you ouught to figured out that jolly old Uncle Monty died from a snakebite, not murder. Look at the teeth Mark's on his cheek, look at his cold waxy face, look at his unblinking eyes." He said menacingly.
Violet shed tears as well.
"Stop it! Stop talking like that!" She yelled at him.
"Your right, there's no time for chit-chat. We have a ship to catch and I'd like to be on board in time to have a bottle of wine before lunch. Peru, we are going to Peru." He said nonchalantly ignoring our facial expressions.
"What makes you think we'd go anywhere with you?" I asked coldly eyeing him.
"What?" He asked.
"I said what makes you think we're going anywhere with you?" I said staring him down.
"We surely wouldn't go anywhere with you, much less even a few feet near you." I spoke with finality.
He smiled spitefully.
"Well then I guess I have to take my own luggage." Count Olaf said and took up two suitcases from the floor and made his way towards the doorway. He shook one of them and we heard a cry.
"Sunny!" Klaus yelled and we all went bustling out of the house.
"Let her out this instant." Violet demanded.
"She won't be able to breathe." Klaus stressed out.
Count Olaf simply opened the jeep and started putting the two suitcases in. He turned and let out an aggravated sigh.
"I'm so tired of having to explain everything to you. You're supposed to be so smart yet you persistently seem to forget about this." He seethed and pulled out his signature big knife. We stepped back in fear.
"I'll leave some breathing holes for her." He said and started to stab the suitcase.
"No!" I yelled.
"Stop!" Klaus yelled.
(A/N: Everybody yelled.....ok I'll stop)
"I'm kidding, that's not the suitcase she's in....I think." He said smiling.
"Please don't hurt her." Violet begged. He went back to being aggravated.
"Then get in the car." He said through gritted teeth.
We fumbled into the car but not before he grabbed my upper arm and pulled me to the front passenger seat. He smiled down at me.
"Aren't you a talented one my future countess. Made specifically for me." He said in a low voice which made me start to fidget.
We made our way around to the passenger seat and he opened the door.
"And in saying that you'll stay here for safe keeping." He said in a sickly sweet voice before shoving me into the car and locking the door. I turned in my seat and gazed at my friends.
"What are we gonna do?" I asked. None of them seemed to have a plan.
"He'll hurt Sunny if we try anything now." Klaus spoke up.
The door was pried open and in Count Olaf came .
"Indeed I would." He said maniacally. He got in and strapped my seatbelt across me and put his own on as well.
"Really, there's no one to blame but yourselves. If you hadn't stranded me at the movies I wouldn't have had to kill Monty and we'd all be on our way to Peru, where I would have had to kill Monty." He said on mock reasoning. He struggled to get the car on.
"Of course after someone discovers he's dead you'll be long gone and I'll be taking advantage of Peru's extremely law guardianship laws."he said still struggling to start the car.
"Aha!" He said in triumph when the car started. Oh no
He started to drive out of the driveway away from the mansion.
"You can't take us out of the country...can he?" Klaus queried.
"And who's going to stop me?" He asked turning to look at them.
Conveniently enough a car came barreling down the driveway towards us and a very much distracted Count Olaf.
"Look out!" I screeched. As soon as he turned back around everyone started to scream. He turned the wheel to the right just in time and the car swerved into the snake bush coming to a big stop and the impact caused the Bush to fall and shatter the windshield.
Just before the impact of the bush, Klaus reached to the front seat and pushed me down using his clothed back to protect me from the raining shards of glass. I looked up and saw the front of the car looking really busted up and smoke was starting to come from the engine.
That had gotten Count Olaf dashing out of the car.
"Furnaces of hell!" He yelled taking in the damage.
"What were you thinking careening down the driveway like a maniac?" He continued and stormed to the car the driver was at. When we came out we were met with Mr. Poe coming out of his car quickly.
"Me? I was driving below the speed limit." Mr. Poe said not seeming to notice us yet.
It's a miracle! Any more later and we would be on a ship with a murderer wanting a fortune he shouldn't have.
"Mr. Poe." Violet said running to him. He seemed surprised.
"Violet Baudelaire?" He asked.
"I'm so grateful you ran into us."she said.
For once he had done something helpful, considering since I first met him. At least we now have a chance to get out of this mess.
"Well I wouldn't say that. It was clearly the fault of the other driver." He said indignantly. Wow, he's still thick headed.
"Why......oh..I'd never..." Count Olaf said with his fake accent back again.
"I thought there were four of you. Oh there's the baby." Mr. Poe said looking over to the car . Klaus had just lifted her out of the trunk and walked out to join us.
"You're not Doctor Montgomery." He said looking over at Count Olaf.
"My spleen!" He said faking pain and groaned for extra effect. Talk about horrible acting, if you could even call it that. I mean why didn't you roll out of the car in pain, you just stood there. I kid you not I face palmed, hard.
To make things more awkward Mr. Poe decided to have a coughing fit and calmed down a bit afterwards.
"Hello my name is Stephano. I'm Dr. Montgomery's new assistant. I mean I was. I don't know how to say it." Count Olaf feigned sadness.
"Uncle Monty's dead." Klaus said. At least we don't have to listen to more poor acting.
"That's how to say it." Olaf said.
"He's dead. But that....that's terrible. How did it happen?" Mr. Poe asked.
Well I dunno. Maybe...Oh! Just maybe you left four children to stay in the middle of nowhere away from the police and left them in the care of a nice man to try and brush off your mistakes, leave them under the doormat. Keeping in mind you allowed a terrible actor, not to mention a conman, to adopt these three because you didn't understand the concept of closest living relatives. Oh and did you forget that you know that dude is mad and money hungry, he wanted to freaking marry Violet, an underaged girl and is still on the run from the authorities. And you have the nerve to ask 'HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?'
Someone hold me back I'm about to go ham. Klaus noticed my facial expressions and quickly held my hand in hopes of calming me down. This baboon...
"He was bitten by a snake. I was on my way to get the coroner. The children were too hysterical to be left alone." Count Olaf quickly added in.
"He wasn't taking us to the coroner, he was taking us to Peru." Klaus tried to reason out with Mr. Poe.
"What? Wha...see hysterical." Count Olaf exclaimed.
"No, the children must be confused. Dr. Montgomery was taking them to Peru. Last night he called me to insist on me rearranging my morning itinerary to bring them these passports." Mr. Poe said and took out our passports. Count Olaf snatched them from his grip and pocketed them. You let this unknown man pocket our passports, real smart.
"Mr. Poe he's Count Olaf." I said.
"He's in disguise and he's trying to take us away." Klaus backed me up.
"Who am I? What am I doing? Don't you miss the vivid imagination of children." Count Olaf said trying to make us look delirious.
"I never had one." Mr. Poe said.
"Children, you must be distraught about losing your uncle. Count Olaf is a man who tried to steal their fortune." Mr. Poe said ignoring our accusations further. Just great.
"Really?" Count Olaf feigned shock.
"Yes." He answered.
"And do I look anything like this Count Olaf?" He asked.
"No you don't. Count Olaf has one long eyebrow and a very short beard, you have a very long beard and I hope you don't mind me saying so, no eyebrows at all." Mr. Poe said falling for the phony disguise.
"He shaved his eyebrows." I said annoyed by his naivety.
"And let his beard grow. Can't you see? Anyone could see that." Violet helped me.
"Except Mr. Poe of course." Sunny grumbled.
"Sunny's right. Count Olaf has a tattoo on his left ankle, it looks like an eye." Klaus spoke up as well.
"I hate to trouble you sir, but just to put the children's minds at ease, would you be so kind as to show us your ankle." Mr. Poe asked him.
Count Olaf stared at him before smiling a fake smile.
"I'd be happy to."
He put his leg up on the jeep and pulled up his trousers to show his foot clad in a sock and pulled his sock down to reveal.....clear skin? He must have covered it with something! Now we look crazy.
"My apologies Mr. Stephano." Mr. Poe apologized.
"It is no problem. As long as the vehicle is operational, then we really must go." He said smiling a bit in victory rather than friendliness.
"No!" We yelled in unison.
"No." Mr. Poe said surprisingly.
"No?" 'Stephano' questioned.
"None of us are going anywhere until the police have been called." Mr. Poe said in finality.
"Oh come on man. It's just a fender bender." Count Olaf said in annoyance.
Mr. Poe took out his telephone and walked around. We all went inside.
"It's quite urgent... first name Montgomery, last name Montgomery.... no this isn't a prank call. Hello? Hello?!"
"I don't understand how he got rid of his tattoo." Klaus said.
"It's a very painful procedure." Sunny babbled.
"Good news. I managed to get through to the local sheriff's department. It seems there is an escaped cow from a local dairy farm giving them the runaround , but they assured me they'll send someone as soon as they're able." Mr. Poe said putting away his phone.
The doorbell rang shortly after.
"They must have made quick work with that cow. Can I help you ma'am? Uh sir. Uh." He answered the door.
"I'm nurse Lucafont." A fake high pitched voice said from outside the doorway. I looked around Mr. Poe and saw one of Count olaf's henchmen.... Just great.
"Nurse Lucafont from the local sheriff's department's medical examiner's office?" 'Stephano' feigned interest.
"From the local..erm.... I heard there's been a terrible accident involving a snake." He.. or she said in the same high pitched voice. Way over exaggerated voice.
"That was fast. I only just made the call." Mr. Poe said. So not weird.
"I believe... speed is of the essence in an emergency sir. Can I get a cup of coffee?" He/she asked.
"I'm suspicious." Sunny said.
"Don't you want to examine the body." Count Olaf asked.
"Right the body lead the way." High pitched lady/man said entering the house.
"It's right over here in the Reptile Room." 'Stephano' said motioning everyone forward.
"Excuse me, but why are you wearing that mask over your face." Klaus asked him/her.
"I heard there are reptiles. They might be contagious."the 'nurse' said.
"Reptiles aren't contagious. Are you sure you're a qualified nurse?" Klaus asked hoping to expose the 'nurse'.
"Maybe the children should wait outside. Being in a room with a dead body would be traumatic." 'Stephano' interrupted quickly.
"Oh yes, thank you Stephano for that excellent point. I must say you show genuine compassion for these children." Mr. Poe said. Genuine compassion, that's laughable.
"I appreciate it. Perhaps I will out here with the children while you and nurse Lucafont go in and examine the body." He suggested.
"The body? Ah yes perhaps we should both wait with the children." Mr. Poe said a bit nervously. What a scaredy cat.
"I wouldn't want nurse Lucafont alone." He urged on.
"Oh I'm sure a nurse will have seen plenty of dead bodies." Mr. Poe said offhandedly.
"Maybe I can wait with the children too." The nurse mumbled.
"Well that won't work. Who will perform the examination?" Mr. Poe asked. Seriously no one wants to go in.
"Why don't Selena, Klaus, Sunny and I wait with Mr. Poe, while Stephano goes with nurse Lucafont to examine the body?" Violet suggested. That works.
"No child. If I were standing closer to you I would slap you in the throat." Count Olaf disagreed.
"That doesn't sound like the best plan." Mr. Poe agreed with Violet.
"Fine. Right this way nurse. But remember I will be just on the other side of this door." He said and walked off with his henchman. Not suspicious at all.
When we thought we were alone, Mr. Poe turned to us and gave us a sympathetic look.
"Oh I'm sorry children. Dr. Montgomery did seem like an appropriate guardian for you." Mr. Poe said sincerely.
"He was more than that. He was much much more than appropriate." Klaus said looking heartbroken. I gripped his hand firmly and gave him a side hug.
"Please don't let him be our new guardian." Violet brought up Stephano.
"Oh don't be silly children. It is quite shocking that Dr. Montgomery has died, but I'm not going to simply just hand you and your fortune over to his assistant. Not without some very thorough paperwork." Mr. Poe tried to convince us.
We heard all of a sudden a high pitched scream coming from the Reptile Room and rushed in to see what was wrong.
"What's happening? What's wrong?" Mr. Poe rushed out.
"Nurse Lucafont was startled by a lizard." Count Olaf said.
"But it's a Reptile Room." I said looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't know that meant literally." He/she shrugged it off.
"Anyway you came just in time. The nurse has just finished her autopsy." 'Stephano' said.
"Did you determine the cause of death?" Mr. Poe asked.
"Snake bite." They chorused.
"Are you sure?" Klaus asked not believing them.
"Uh two bites on his cheek. Only a snake could've done that." The nurse said.
"How terribly tragic. Case closed." 'Stephano' dismissed it offhandedly.
"But Uncle Monty is..was one of the world's leading herpetologists. He would know better than to let a dangerous snake bite him." Violet denied it.
"I tested his blood, in his veins I found the venom of one of the most dangerous snakes in the world." The 'nurse' said.
"Good heaven's which one?" Mr. Poe asked looking terrified.
"The incredibly deadly viper." Count Olaf said dramatically. Woah boy.
"That's kind of impossible." I said in a matter of fact tone.
"The incredibly deadly viper is one of the least dangerous and most friendliest creatures in the world." Violet helped me.
"Come now Violet it's called the incredibly deadly viper." Mr. Poe said not believing us.
"It's a misnomer." I said rolling my eyes.
"Uncle Monty named it that to scare his colleagues at the Herpetological Society." Klaus helped us.
"He sounds highly unstable. Not good guardian material."Count Olaf said.
"He was a wonderful and caring person and the incredibly deadly viper wouldn't hurt anyone and we can prove it." Violet angrily spoke.
"How can you prove it when you don't even know where it is." Count Olaf retorted back.
"We know where it is it's right-" I began but was cut off.
"Hmm fleeing the scene of the crime, highly suspicious." He said wearily.
"It's all falling into place. Dr. Montgomery must have forgotten to lock the cage probably allowing the viper to slip out and kill him." Mr. Poe said looking like he solved a hard puzzle.
"I guess we'll never know what Dr. Montgomery did to trigger the bloodlust in its reptile brain. I myself know nothing about snakes. I only just got here just as recently and scarcely had the time to learn. But I hear the slimy creatures hold grudges." Count Olaf said. Where's the police when you need them.
"That's the problem with exotic pets. Maybe nature isn't meant to be tamed." The nurse said.
"What did you say your name was?" Klaus asked.
"I'm Doctor Lucafont." He/she answered him.
"Nurse." Count Olaf corrected silently.
"Nurse Lucafont." He/she said.
"Sorry, what was that?" Klaus asked again.
"I'm nurse Lucafont." The 'nurse' repeated.
"Can't understand you under your mask." Klaus urged on.
"I said I'm nurse Lucafont." The 'nurse' said ripping off his/her mask and spoke in his/her normal voice.
"You see, that's not a nurse at all." I said to Mr. Poe.
"Its one of Count Olaf's accomplices." Violet said.
"You mean the hooked man who worked as my temporary secretary and broke the typewriter?" He asked. Is he serious?
"No." Klaus said with an annoyed edge.
"Well I've never met any others. Besides I'm sure Count Olaf is many miles away." Mr. Poe said in denial again.
"Or inches." Count Olaf grumbled.
"Exactly...what was that?" Mr. Poe asked. Yep I never want to see him again if we make it out of this.
"I mean the incredibly deadly viper may be inches away ready to strike again." He said.
The screeching iguana clock went off startling Mr. Poe.
"It struck again!" Mr. Poe yelped in fright.
We all rushed into the hall to look.
"Its the screeching iguana clock." Violet explained.
"Oh would you look at the time. The SS Prospero departs at 5:00pm. You better go upstairs children and pack for your Peruvian adventure." Count Olaf exclaimed.
"Mr. Poe we can't go with Stephano. We don't have the paperwork yet." Violet cried out to him.
"She's right. You do seem like a good person, but the children's adventures abroad will have to wait. Come on we really need to go." Mr. Poe said hurriedly. Count Olaf hurried to stop him.
"You're not going anywhere." He said in his normal voice. Finally his true colors are showing, that's both good and bad.
"And why not?" Mr. Poe asked with his naivety.
"Because no one is leaving this house with a snake on the loose. Right nurse" he said returning to his fake voice.
"Yeah, absolutely." The 'nurse' said looking unbothered.
"But that's absurd. I'm already late for the bank and I'm up for a very important promotion." Mr. Poe tried to protest.
Really that's the only thing he found absurd after all of this happened.
"The bank will have to wait. When your back was turned just now, Nurse Lucafont informed me that the entire place was under lockdown." He said rolling his eyes at the banker's naivety.
"You mean-" Mr. Poe started.
"Yes! Quarantine!" He answered dramatically as if waiting for something to happen.
"What?" Mr. Poe asked confused with the sudden pause. Same.
Count Olaf pressed his sleeve continuously. A static sounded from his sleeve.
"A quarantine!" He yelled again slamming his finger on something. The radio static picked up.
"How long is that going to take?" Mr. Poe asked impatiently. I'd like to leave as well and get away from this weirdo.
"Uh the police....it's in their hands now. Oh that must he them." He said shrugging. The doorbell rang.
"I must say, these are some impressive response time for a house in the country." Mr. Poe said. How many hints does this guy need.
We all went to the door and Count Olaf opened it to reveal Hooky in a police uniform with a very fake badge and the bald guy in the same attire.
"Mobile crime lab. At your service." Hooky said holding his badge as he came in.
The two old ladies came in also with yellow caution tape.
"We always get our man." They say in unison.
"Or snake." One of them said going over to join the rest of Count Olaf's henchmen who were standing behind him in a bundle.
"Their his accomplices." I stressed out wanting to RIP out someone's hair.
"And their all wearing costumes." Klaus added.
"No children these are adults. Adults don't wear costumes unless it's for a charity event or they happen to be employed as actors." He said explaining it to us as if he were Einstein and we were dummies.
"They are employed as actors." Violet argued back.
"You two create a perimeter. No one gets in or out of the house until the reptile is caught." Hooky ordered.
"You two get that body in the van and get back to me for some TLC before it's DOA." He said pointing at the old ladies.
"But you said no one could leave the house." They said confused.
"I meant no one except you." Hooky exclaimed.
"Oh!" They all said before joining the others.
"Don't you recognize him? That's the hook handed man." Klaus said trying to reason with Mr. Poe. He's really not budging.
"And those two women were in Count Olaf's play." Violet backed him up.
"Oh children. It's rude to question police authority. Besides the women in the play had ghastly theatrical makeup on their faces and this man is opening a can of peaches with his hands not hooks." He said nonchalantly.
Hooky was holding a can of peaches in his 'hands'. By hands I mean the fake ones you would buy in a shop.
"That's Uncle Monty's food! Stop eating his food!" Klaus exclaimed.
"I was only going to have a few peaches." Hooky said sheepishly.
"The children lost their Uncle today, I'm sure you can understand. Children why don't you go upstairs. The adults will take care of it from here." Mr. Poe said in a calm voice.
"But Mr. Poe-"
"The adults will take care of it from here." He repeated more sternly.
"Come, these adults won't take care of anything but we will." Violet said and we went upstairs to our room.
"We know the incredibly deadly viper didn't kill Monty." Violet said once we were upstairs.
"And we know that Olaf did." Klaus said.
"He never believes anything we say, yet it's staring right at him in the face." I said seething. He's an absolute-
"Not without evidence and proof." Violet concluded.
"Nurse Lucafont may be a fake nurse but Uncle Monty had two marks like a snake would make. I saw them this morning." Klaus said pacing the wooden floors.
"I saw the incredibly deadly viper this morning too, it was in the cage." Violet added in.
"While we were in the hall, Count Olaf may have snuck away and set it loose." I said.
"Or worse." Klaus continued.
"This is terrible. We bonded over biting." Sunny said from her spot on the chair Violet put her.
"If we could find the snake...if we could find how Monty really died. We could prove that it's innocent." Klaus said, hope filling his voice.
"And that Stephano is guilty. And Mr. Poe would have to have Count Olaf arrested." Violet backed him up.
"If we'd found proof earlier, maybe we could have saved Uncle Monty." Klaus said sadly.
"You shouldn't think like that. Besides, Monty would have wanted us to be doing all of this now instead of being dragged to Peru Klaus, we're making him proud." I said soothingly.
"If we put Count Olaf behind bars, we can stop him from harming anyone ever again." Violet said in a determined voice.
"Do you think we can get back inside the Reptile Room?" Violet asked Klaus who was already formulating a plan.
"I think I have a way." He said and looked out the window.
"Great, if you get into the Reptile Room, I'll look through Count Olaf's suitcase to try and find evidence."Violet said giving Klaus his instructions.
"I can find a way to distract them. I'll use the piano to lead him away from searching for you, but only for a bit." I said wishing to take part in this plan," be safe you guys." I said before exiting the room quickly, but silently.
I hid behind a wall real quickly when I saw Count Olaf walking up the steps, pulling out his big knife. This is real peachy. He walked in the room and that's when I made a quick dash for the piano. Sighing through my nose, I prepared to do my song and started playing a bit slower this time.
( Le song below(^♡^)..... The link is https://youtu.be/oEiP4TFP49E if it doesn't come up.)
Right after I made sure to end strong as to help notify them that my distraction has come to an end and I'd be chopped into sushi if they didn't hurry it up.
"Ay record time!" I said in satisfaction.
"Another performance for me. Why I'm flattered my future Countess. Now I'm just wondering how I'll reciprocate my feelings." Count Olaf's voice whispered on my ear before I was yanked out of my seat by his hands. ¿Que?
He had grabbed me by my arms and I struggled a bit before sighing. This is why people exercise, I get it now.
"Hmm? Would you mind telling me, sweetheart, where I might find the Baudelaires?" He asked holding up the knife in one hand and rubbing the cool metal against my face. I flinched back from the cold metal and only glared. He still had one arm holding my two arms and I couldn't get out of his grip.
"Oh I don't know. Probably up and about foiling your plan. And you know exactly what they would be trying to do right now." I said feeling his hand slightly tighten around my wrists.
"Well you see now sweetheart, you forgot to properly modify your plan because now I have leverage and it's going to take a lot more than a silly banker or aggressive orphans to stop me." He said smiling a sickeningly sweet smile before dragging me with him. Ha, I can get away from this sicko anytime...I think.
We went out the front door and walked towards the jeep where Violet stood with the suitcase wide open. She was looking around after looking in the suitcase, for Sunny I presumed.
"Sunny?" She asked in confusion.
"I'd say partly cloudy." Count Olaf said sneering at her from behind. She turned around gasping slightly when she saw us.
"I thought you were supposed to be a nice girl. Nice girls aren't supposed to dig through people's personal, private property. Especially when it's...wait wasn't it locked?" He questioned looking at the opened suitcase with terror yet cold calculation.
"It was." Violet said proudly. I smiled at that.
"Oh how clever. But I bet your not clever enough for this. I have four tickets with me to Peru right now I was going to take you, your friend and siblings because that's just the kind of guardian I am. But I'll settle for just the two of you." He said smiling menacingly.
We heard a loud screeching coming from the inside of the house again. Me knowing it was the screeching iguana clock , though it wasn't as affectective on Count Olaf this time though.
"That's the screeching iguana clock." He said unfazed.
It went off a second time which confused him for a bit.
"What is-" before he had a chance to finish his statement I kicked him in the shin and ran with Violet who saw the open doorway for our escape.
We ran back inside to see Sunny on the ground playing with the incredibly deadly viper laughing at Mr. Poe's distress.
"Don't touch her! Grab her! Run away! Kill the snake! Leave it alone! Give it some food! Don't let it bite her!" Mr. Poe said screaming with fear.
The snake gently bit her in a playful manner, but that wasn't what Mr. Poe saw.
"It bit her! It's bitten her! It bit her! Calm down!" Mr. Poe continued and started to slap himself trying to calm down. I looked at Violet who was equally amused.
"Get moving! Call an ambulance! Call a scientist! Call my wife! This is ghastly! This is phantasmargorical!" He continued to yell in panick.
"Oh look, it...it looks like the baby's playing." One of the old ladies said.
"With the incredibly deadly viper?" Mr. Poe asked after his episode.
"From the expeditional journal of Dr. Montgomery Montgomery, April 24. The incredibly deadly viper wouldn't hurt a fly, I know this because I tried to feed it flies this morning. Its friendly and kind, playful and smart and if you can get past your first impression, it can make a wonderful edition to the family. And therefore it couldn't have killed Uncle Monty." Klaus verified from the journal he found.
"Well I guess it does look rather harmless." Mr. Poe said regaining his color a bit.
"That doesn't change anything. There are still plenty of deadly types of snakes in that room that could have done it. The Mamba Mal bites as it strangles, the Irascible Python is homicidally grumpy, the Virginia Wolf snake can bludgeon you to death with a type writer. " Count Olaf tried to push it off on the other snakes. Violet patted my arm and made a motion towards the door before she silently crept out. I did my best to keep silent from then on.
"How do you know?" Klaus asked.
"Because I read up on all the types of snakes in the library section of the Reptile Room." He said looking as if he's stating the obvious.
"Psst boss." Nurse Lucafont murmured.
"Don't interrupt me while I'm talking. If I may say so myself I'm quite am expert on snakes." He boasted on. You said you weren't one a few minutes back.
"Aha!" Sunny babbled out.
"You said you didn't know anything about snakes." Klaus said confidently. Caught red handed.
"I..that is-" he tried to back himself up.
"That's right Stephano, explain." Mr. Poe finally caught on. But not before another one of his coughing fits." Explain yourself." He said when he was done.
"The reason I said I don't know anything about snakes is because I was being modest." He rushed out.
"At a crime scene you decide to be modest?" I asked to which he ignored.
"You weren't being modest. You haven't been modest a day in your life, you're lying. And he's lying now, he's a liar and a murderer and he killed Uncle Monty." Klaus said sternly.
"You have no proof." Count Olaf said smirking in hidden triumph.
Violet decided to come back at the perfect time with the suitcase she had unlocked before in hand.
"Yes we do. Come with me." She said to everyone before entering the Reptile Room. We all followed her and gathered around one of the many tables.
"What is... what is all this?" Mr. Poe asked looking confused again.
"Evidence which was found in Stephano's suitcase." Violet said and everyone turned to look at Count Olaf.
He revealed himself to us and boy did Mr. Poe's face drain of color fast, but in that moment when he took off his disguise the screeching iguana clock dismounted off of it's rightful place and landed on Count Olaf's back. He started screaming and running around before leaving with his theatre troop following him. We ran after them, but that attempt was futile because they were already in the van making a run for it.
"Count Olaf is driving away!" Mr. Poe shouted out the obvious.
We looked around and I looked over at the labyrinth to find him running into it.
"Guys, he's heading into the labrynth." I alerted them.
"I guess there wasn't room in the van." Mr. Poe queried.
"What are you waiting for? Go after him!" Violet exclaimed .
"This is a job for the police, I'll go call them. I'm sure they'll put a road block or something." Mr. Poe said chickening out.
"He's not getting away!" Klaus said and we all took off in a run leaving Mr. Poe behind.
We entered the Labyrinth and I followed their instructions because I wasn't in there before.
It didn't take long until we found the center of the maze. We made a plan to cut him off but in the end we and only saw the big statue, but no Count Olaf.
"It's a dead end." Klaus let out an aggravated sigh.
"That's impossible, we can retrace our steps." Violet suggested.
But I knew then that our plans would be futile and he was probably already out of the maze by now. I shook my head no.
"What's the point? Count Olaf escaped, Uncle Monty's dead. We never got to go to Peru or say goodbye or ask him about this." Klaus said in defeat. I sighed and looked around for any clues as to where he went. Klaus lifted his hand and held out a piece of paper.
"Klaus, what is that?" Violet asked.
"It's in Uncle Monty's handwriting. He must have copied it down during the movie." Klaus said and examined the piece of paper.
It read 'Monty take the children to Peru on the SS Prospero. From there Lemony will take them to the Valley of Four Draughts'.
"You were right next to him. If he'd gotten a message we would have seen it." Violet said confused.
"Not if he had some secret way of receiving it. Do you remember the strange object I found in the fire. I think it's gone." Klaus said looking at the telescope shaped object.
"He had one at the movies I think." I added in.
We heard an abrupt mechanism sound coming from the statue and the center started to come down until it disappeared. The hedges moved out of the way so we could see the statue and there stood not a statue, but a woman looking like one. Oh! I remember she's Mr. Poe's secretary.
"A good Labyrinth is full of secrets." She said with a poised smile.
"Who are you?" Violet asked.
"Why are you dressed as a statue?" Klaus asked.
"She's Mr. Poe's secretary." I said knowing for sure now because of her face.
"Both excellent questions Baudelaires. You're friend though has quick wit as well." She said. I also remembered her from somewhere else too.
"Aren't you that female actress from the movie? You work for Mr. Poe and you're an actress, that's cool! It's like having two identities!" I said in awe.
"It's more of a volunteer position. I'm sorry I arrived too late to help your uncle and guardian. But I can still bring Count Olaf to justice." She said with swaggering determination.
"Uncle Monty had a spy glass like that. What was he trying to tell us? What is in Peru?" Klaus asked. I mentally face palmed. That looked like a telescope to me.
"Forget Peru. It's been compromised." She said.
"I know you have a great many questions and I promise there are many great answers. Find your Aunt Josephine. She's a brave formidable woman. She can keep you safe and tell you everything you need to know, let me handle Count Olaf." The lady said strictly.
"Count Olaf stole something from me, I think it's apart of a spy glass." Klaus said.
"It certainly is, I will get it back to you young Baudelaire, I promise." The lady promised him and pointed to the house, meaning we should go.
We returned back to the front of the house to see people in uniforms taking out Monty's reptiles from his house.
"Who are you?" Klaus asked one of the persons walking by.
"What are you doing with Uncle Monty's reptiles?" Violet asked.
"After I called up the police, I rang up the Herpetological Society. They kindly offered to retrieve Dr. Montgomery's reptiles. Retrieve means to take away." Mr. Poe said. It was sad really, I would kinda miss them even though I didn't like most of them.
"We know what retrieve means. Where are they taking them?" Klaus asked further questions.
"Well they're orphans now so they'll be moving on to other homes where their guardians won't hopefully die on them like Dr. Montgomery. And seeing as your Aunt's legal contract says you would be staying with the Baudelaires Selena, you're coming too." Mr. Poe said totally disregarding our feelings. She gave him a contract. That pulled at my heart strings, my aunt.
"Could we at least say goodbye." I asked for my friends. I knew they had wanted to.
"After what you've been through I'd think you'd never want to see another reptile again. Besides I have to take you to your new guardian.
"No!" We all said in unison.
"We know where we are going." Klaus said.
"I know where you're going too and I'm the adult so I decide. To your Aunt Josephine." He said.
"We're going to our Aunt Josephine." Violet said at the same time.
"She's next on our list." Mr. Poe said and motioned us towards the car.
We got into the car and started to drive away. I looked back one last time to see Monty's house and engrave it into my memory and I saw the incredibly deadly viper sneak into the bushes. I smiled knowing it would have escaped. Where will it go?
After a couple minutes, Violet decided to speak.
"Mr. Poe, what can you tell us about your secretary?" Violet asked him.
"Oh terrible disappointment. It turned out he worked for Count Olaf." Mr. Poe said offhandedly.
"Not that secretary the other one." I said. He really needs some help.
"Who?.........Oh! Jacqueline. Excellent typist, unfortunate habit for disappearing days at a time. I don't make it a habit of socializing with my employees, that's really all I know. Other than the fact that she came highly recommended by your parents."he said and kept his attention focused on the road.
The rest of the trip, I leaned my head on the glass and went in and out of consciousness. I felt shuffling and then a warm hand on my shoulder leaning me onto a warm surface.i felt the fabric of someone's clothing and knew I was on their shoulder, but I was too tired to open my eyes. I just hope that when I wake up everything will be back to normal on someway. No Count Olaf, that's all I asked.
Author's Note:
LONG CHAPTER TODAY!! This took me awhile but I put a pot of effort into it and I'm really surprised by the outcome.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. ♡
Aunt Josephine Eh.....hm......