"Now...Winony," Mina said as they reached the lobby. "Do you promise to tell me the truth about this? Like who it belongs to..."

Winona pursed her lips which were a shade of pale violet. "Is death really the end, Mina?"

"Er...uh..." Mina stammered. "Can I buy a vowel?"

"The answer is, yes!" Winona said with a ghoulish grin. "Of course, I can tell you what this spooky boo-ble is."

Mina reached into her jacket pocket. "Even if it might belong to you..."

She removed the creepy brooch from her pocket and thrust it into Winona's eyes. A black diamond cut into the very visage of death itself, it twinkled in Winona's eyes. "Gloomarvelous!" she exclaimed.

Mina bit her lip nervously. "So, did you misplace this? Perhaps in the hand of an evil butler assassin?!"

"What the hullababoo are you talking about?!" Winona exclaimed. "Mina, you know me. I may be a retro goth, and adore The Remedy and Cherokee and the Banshees, but my style only goes back to the eighties. This morbid treasure is positively ancient!"

"It is..." Mina stammered, her jaw nearly on the floor.

"Yes!" Winona said, "Histogothically, those brooches date back to before the civil war!"

"What the huh?!" Mina gasped. "The civil war?! What have I gotten myself into."

"That's not all," Winona said. "But those brooches all belonged to a secret society of dignified southern lady killers."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Dignified...southern...lady...killers..." Mina said, taking deep breaths between words. The visage of Georgia Peach appeared in her mind.

"I saw a late night documentary on them," Winona said, a fond smile on them. "The Axe Wives. All young widows from rich southern families who married into wealth and killed their husbands. They all wore jet black skull brooches carved in diamond."

"..."

It was like Mina's tongue had been removed from the sheer shock. But it grew back just as quickly. She tapped her butterfly necklace and exclaimed, "Connection!"

The very killer of Greta Goode was inside the courtroom. And she had used her very seductive looks and innocent wiles to worm her way close to Banks to frame him. For what means, she was still unsure...but if she summoned her EAP, she'd truly make that elusive connection.

"Excuse me for a minute, Winona," Mina said and muttered, "Yoga, don't fail me now!"

She gave a loud eccentric "Ommmmmm!" making Winona wonder if she had an aneurism.

She pinched her fingers in circles but as she did, Raven's squawky interrupted her. "Hold that white girl pose, kid!"

She opened her eyes to see her mentor grinning big. "I've figured this case out, by jove! You have to come with me!"

Without warning, he seized her hand, leaving Winona stupefied and began to lead her down the lobby hallway. "Where are we going?" Mina demanded.

"I can't tell ya here, kid! Let's get out in the parking lot."

Mina nearly stumbled over her heels at the speed Raven was leading her. "Does this have to do with Georgia Peach?" Mina asked, hoping her mentor was on the same lead as her.

"Yes indeedy it does!" Raven sang.

The two left through the back exit into the freezing late autumn air. They passed several cars before arriving at Raven's purple cruiser.

"Now that you've probably given me like fifteen foot calluses!" Mina said, angrily puffing out her pale cheeks. "Care to explain?"

She faced Raven who bowed his head, a pile of dark bushy hair falling over one eye. As the wind nipped their skin, the comedic and loud man was dead silent.

There was a soft click and Mina nearly did a double take.

Raven had produced a gun and was pointing it at her...his own protege.

"Get in the trunk...kid," he growled in an emotionless voice.