The Living Painting Detective Bethany has faced many strange cases. From poisoning, kidnappings, lunatics to classic murder cases, Bethany has dealt with all of it. Most of these have something in common, murder. Yet this particular case stands out for the very opposite. It's not a murder, yet for Bethany, it's one that she considers very peculiar. It all started in a windy February afternoon. Bethany was busy filling her old cases and revising some follow ups to the conclusion of these cases. She hadn't taken a case in a couple of days, as her antics as Nocturne had occupied the majority of her nights. Nevertheless this was about to change, when suddenly May walked into her office accompanied by an old man. "Bethany, Mr. Ashford would like to speak with you. He claims to have something that might interest you." May spoke. Bethany got up from her and extended her arm to offer a handshake. The man accepted the handshaked and Bethany proceeded to motion him to sit in one of the chairs. Before she sat back, she quickly scanned her visitor. The man seemed to be in his late fifties, as his black hair and moustache had begun to turn grey. Nevertheless, the man seemed very refined, his grey suit looked impeccable and the fabric showed that he was a wealthy man. "Good afternoon, Mr. Ashford. Please take a seat and we'll discuss your business." Bethany then took her own sit as well. "Oh yes. Good afternoon, Ms. Hunter. My name is Henry Ashford and I have come to you, because I have a most puzzling issue." Mr. Ashford said. "I specialize in solving puzzling issues, so please do tell." Bethany replied. "Well you see, my family's legacy lies in its art. Both my father and my grandfather were painters, and while I personally do not have the gift of the paint, I oversee our art business. You may have heard of Stanley Ashford, my grandfather." "Yes, I heard of him. He was a very famous painter, not only locally, but worldwide." Bethany crossed her hands, listening to the tale. "Yes, indeed. Well, a few years ago, in the interest of preserving this city's history and the legacy of our family, we donated one of my grandfather's masterpieces to the Fortune Museum of Art. The painting itself is a family portrait of one of the founding families of Fortune City, the Winstead family. Now here, Ms. Hunter, have a look at how the original painting should look." Mr. Ashford took a picture from a folder he had brought and handed it to Bethany. Bethany took a look at the picture. The painting itself portrayed a manor and its landscape. In front of the manor, was the family that Mr. Ashford had mentioned. The family was composed of four members, a girl, a boy, a woman and a man. The attention to detail was astounding, as you could see the scar on Mr. Winstead's face and all the other details as if the family was standing in person. Mrs. Winstead showed a beauty with no comparison. Her features seemed to indicate that she was around her early thirties when the portrait was done, and it was clear that she was in her prime. Her blue eyes and dark straight hair made her delicate skin stand out. The red color of her lips accentuated it even more, and her face showed no aging marks. On the other hand, Mr. Winstead showed signs of being in his late thirties. Nevertheless, he was quite the handsome man. Judging by the portrait, he was rather muscular and tall, combined with his scar, it showed the possibility of some military experience. Much like his wife, his eyes were blue and his hair dark as the night. On the other hand, the boy looked like he was around 10 years old and the girl around 8. "I studied this painting in a class, back in college. Your grandfather's work was impressive. But I imagine that you are not here to talk about the brilliance of his work, please do tell me what's the problem." Bethany looked back at Mr. Ashford "You are right. However, I should warn you, what I am about to tell you might seem unreal to you. The problem started three days ago. That Monday morning, when the museum opened, everyone was greeted by a strange surprise. The lady in the portrait had just vanished!" Mr. Ashford's expression show some degree of fear. "The lady just vanished?" Bethany was surprised at hearing this. "Yes! And that's not all, the next day, the boy had disappeared too! And yesterday, the girl disappeared as well!" "So what you are saying is, that three of the family members disappeared each day? As if the painting was somehow brought to life?" Bethany asked. "Yes, indeed. That's not all, Ms. Hunter. The order in which the family members have disappeared from the painting, is the exact order in which they died!" Mr. Ashford showed once more clear signs of being frightened by his own tale. "Well while that's a truly fantastic tale, I think we should find a logical explanation." Bethany replied. "Which is why I have come here, I hope that you can solve this mystery. I'm willing to pay a handsome reward." Mr. Ashford took out another picture, "This picture shows the current state of the portrait. I hope that helps." Bethany took a quick look at the picture and just like Mr. Ashford described, the portrait seemed the same but with three of its subjects, missing. "I must admit, that the case it's pretty interesting. I'll take it. But I need to ask you some more questions." Bethany said. "Go ahead, Ms. Hunter." "Very well, for starters, I imagine there must be some sort of security at the museum. Do the video cameras show anything?" Bethany asked. "While I myself don't work at the museum, my interest being the painting due to the connection to my family, I was informed that the video tapes showed that nothing happened during the night." Mr. Ashford said. "What about the security guards? Did they see anything?" Bethany was beginning to form a picture of the scene in her mind. "There was only one stationed and he is the reason why the whole mystery became popular. According to him, during one of his rounds across the museum, he spotted a woman walking in the museum that night. He claims that it was the woman from the painting. So now people are beginning to believe that the place is haunted." Mr. Ashford once more showed signs of fear. "Interesting. What about the painting, has it been examined?" "Yes. The Museum's curator has inspected it thoroughly and on each occasion he has claimed that it is the genuine article." Mr. Ashford replied. "One last question. How much is it worth?" Bethany asked. "It's one of my grandfather's most recognized works, so it's around 30 millions or so." Mr. Ashford. "I see. Well Mr. Ashford, it's clear to me that I won't be able to solve this until I take a look at the museum myself. I'll have a look immediately and I will report to you, once I finish the case." Bethany replied, standing up from her chair. "Thank you, Ms. Hunter. I will rest peacefully once this madness ceases to be. I'll await your results with much anticipation. Ohh and please, one more thing. The picture of the painting's current state was taken in secret, as the curator was against taking any pictures in case it could harm the portrait, so I would recommend not mentioning it. I haven't had the opportunity to take it to an expert, but I'll leave it in your hands, in case the picture can prove useful. I'll take my leave now, Ms. Hunter. Good luck!" Mr. Ashford bid farewell and left. Before Bethany could leave to investigate the museum, she needed to make a few preparations. She took the pictures that Mr. Ashford had given her and brought them over to May. May had a degree in art, so if anyone could help Bethany in this puzzle, it was her. "May, it seems your expertise in art will prove to be invaluable in today's case." Bethany said. "Oh? What are we working with today?" May asked. "Take a look at these." Bethany handed over the two pictures, "According to Mr. Ashford, a mystery has been going at the museum these past few days. If you take a look at the painting, you'll see a strange occurrence. The original painting had four family members, but now it only has one, as the picture shows." Bethany pointed at the two pictures. "What the heck? Are we dealing with a ghost paint here?" May couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That's what I want you to find out. Everyone is assuming that there is some sort of paranormal activity going on at the museum, but I believe we should first exhaust all logical explanations before jumping to ghost stories. Now the curator claims that after examining the painting, it's still the same. However, since you are infinitely better at art than me, I want you to corroborate that statement. Take a look at the two pictures and let me know if there are any other inconsistencies with the paintings." Bethany prepared to leave. "Got it. Give me a few hours and I'll let you know if I see anything." May replied. "I'm counting on you! I'll be back in a while, gonna take a look at the museum." Bethany smiled and left the office. 30 Minutes Later Bethany had made her way to the museum, and the first thing she noticed was that a huge crowd had formed at the entrance. Apparently there were quite a few people interested in seeing the mysterious painting and the ghostly rumors. Bethany however, was here for business, so she talked with the receptionist, explaining that she was there on behalf of Mr. Ashford. The receptionist gave her a special permit and let her enter. With her special permit, Bethany made her way to where the mysterious painting was hanging. She took a look at it and just as Mr. Ashford had said, three of the family members were missing. Bethany tried to get closer to the painting so that she could examine the borders, but before she could, she was interrupted by a woman. "Excuse me, miss, but you must stay five feet away from the painting. Museum rules." The woman said with a demanding tone. "And you are?" Bethany looked at the woman, analyzing her. The woman was a raven haired beauty. Her conservative outfit gave her a somewhat sensual "secretary" look. The lack of any rings in either of her hands also gave away her marital status. "I am the museum's curator, Stella Keys." The curator replied. "Oh well it's a good thing you are here, Mrs. Keys. I'm detective Bethany Hunter and I am here on behalf of Mr. Henry Ashford, who asked me t investigate the matter of his grandfather's painting." "Well Mrs. Hunter, I don't think there is much you can do in the matter. I'm afraid we are as much in the dark as everyone else." Stella said. "In that case, it won't hurt if I ask you a few questions. Please give me fifteen minutes of your time." Bethany shot back. "Very well, Mrs. Hunter. But if we must, let's discuss the matter in my office, to avoid spreading more rumors." Stella looked at the crowd that had formed around the exhibition. "Alright, I understand." Bethany nodded and followed her. Stella led Bethany to her office, which was located not very far from the exhibition of the painting. Once Bethany was inside, she noticed that the office was quite peculiar. It seemed more like a treasure trove, as there was a plethora of knick knacks throughout the entire office. There were also a few paintings hanging in the walls of the office, more than likely those that had been taken out of the exhibition. What caught Bethany's attention, however, were two victorian dresses located at each side of the desk. One was purple and the other was blue, they were quite beautiful and more than likely a relic, as the texture seemed to indicate that they were of top caliber for their time. "Please sit down, Ms. Hunter." Stella took her seat behind the desk and motioned for Bethany to take hers. "Those are quite beautiful. Where did you got them?" Bethany inquired about the dresses as she took her sit. "Ohh these? I got them a while ago in one of the donations. They weren't fit for the exhibitions as we don't currently have anything regarding victorian clothing and fashion, so I was allowed to keep them at my office. I love victorian fashion and its elegance." Stella replied. "Ohh I see. They are quite beautiful and I have to admit, I love victorian dresses too. They just radiate elegance. But in any case, I'm here because of the painting. I already know the basic story so I'm here for details. Now for starts, Ms. Keys, how was the security during the night when the lady disappeared from the painting." Bethany asked. "Sadly, the museum hasn't been doing very well these past few months, so we only had one security guard. However, we have a complex camera system and during the incident there were no signs of anyone taking the painting or leaving. The museum was examined the day after the incident and there were no traces of anything. I personally examined the painting and it's still the same." Stella replied. "Has anyone from the outside examined the painting as well?" "Ms. Hunter, I'll have you know that I'm a very capable woman. There is no need for outside evaluation as I doubt anyone other than the Ashfords, is more knowledgeable about this painting than I." Stella seemed to be riled up by that question. "I don't mean to imply anything rude against you, Ms. Keys. I simply need to gather as much data as possible." Bethany took note. "I understand." "In any case, what about the tapes? Who has access to them?" Bethany asked. "That would be the chief of security and the museum's director, Axton Miller. The chief of security is currently on a two week vacation in Bermuda, so Mr. Miller was the one who examined the tapes." Stella regained her composure. "So, what is the museums current stance on the matter?" Bethany examined Stella's expression. "We don't know what's going on. But the matter of the fact is that the painting is still the same. So for the time being, we will continue with our exhibition." Stella replied. "Speaking of, I noticed that earlier you said that the museum hasn't had too many visitors. Yet I noticed that right now the place is packed with people. Do you think the strange painting will be beneficial to the museum in the long term?" "As much as it pains me to say so, the rumors regarding the painting and the paranormal phenomenon have indeed made us gather our biggest crowd yet. So yes, I think the whole business with the painting will be very beneficial for the museum. Though, I do hope that we can solve this matter soon." Stella replied, tapping her foot rapidly. "Which reminds me, the rumor about the paranormal situation started with the guard's testimony. Could you please give me his name and address? I need to discuss a few things with him." Bethany asked. "I'm not supposed to share information regarding our staff, but if it will help solve the mystery, I will share what I have. His name is Mike Moore, he should be working in the lobby as he requested a change to day shifts." "Ok. Well I think that should be all for now, Ms. Keys. Thank you so much for your help." Bethany stood from her chair. "I'm glad to be of assistance. I am very interested in seeing this matter solved." Stella stood up and lead the way outside. Before Bethany left, she noticed a peculiar knick knack that caught her attention. Behind a glass lay what looked like a flute of sorts. "Before I leave, Ms. Keys, what's that?" Bethany pointed at the flute. "Ohh that's an old dart gun. It was used ages ago in stealth missions. It's the precursor to the modern dart gun." Stella replied. "Does it still work?" Bethany asked. "I don't know, I haven't tried it." "Ah well, it's still very interesting." Bethany began to walk towards the door. Stella left the room before Bethany, which gave the latter an opportunity to quickly capture picture of the office. Once outside, Bethany headed back to the lobby and asked the receptionist for the whereabouts of the security guard. The lady proved to be very amiable and kindly pointed at one of the guards standing in the entrance. Bethany quickly made her way towards the officer, hoping that his testimony could clear the remaining doubts she had. "Excuse me mister, are you Mike Moore?" Bethany asked the guard. "Yes, I am. Who is asking?" Mike replied. "I'm detective Bethany Hunter. I'm here on behalf of Mr. Ashford who has asked for my help in the case of the strange painting." Bethany replied, analyzing the guard. "Ohh that...I..that's some spook business, Ms. Hunter. I am not sure you want to mess with the spirits." Mike replied. "Spirits? Are you implying that the museum is by any chance, haunted?" "Ohh! I know it first hand, miss. The things I saw can only be the product of the supernatural?' Mike replied, showing clear signs of fear in his expression. "Well in any case, that's precisely why I am here. I would like to know more about what you saw." Bethany crossed her arms. "Miss, you won't believe what I saw, but I'm sure that it's 100% true. It all started three days ago. I was assigned the lonesome night guard shift...." "Pardon me for interrupting you, Mr. Moore, but you were the only guard on duty? Why weren't there any other guards?" Bethany asked. "Prior to the rumors of the painting, the museum wasn't doing very well. So they decided to cut costs and they figured that one guard would be sufficient for a night shift, since the museum isn't very big." Mike replied. "Ahh I see, please continue." Bethany looked at him with curiosity. "Anyway, it was around midnight when I was doing my round and I saw the most frightening image. As I entered the exhibition area where the paintings are, I saw the ghostly image of a woman standing in front of me. The woman was dressed in one of those dresses of ages ago and she looked as pale as a ghost, which made her black her hair stand out. I must admit, I was scared at seeing her. Something told me that it wasn't a random intruder, that it was an encounter with the beyond. Before I could ask her anything or even move closer, I suddenly felt dizzy and felt to the floor. I dunno if I fainted due to the fear or if the lady has some sort of power, but it happened. I woke up in the security area, apparently Mr. Miller found me unconscious in the exhibition room and dragged me over here. I tell you miss, the image of that ghostly lady is burned in my mind." Mike expression showed how terrified he felt by retelling the story. "I have gathered a few interesting points from your tale that will surely allow me to solve this issue. However, there are still a few things that I need answers for. For starters you say that her image is burned into your mind, if that's the case, did you take a good look at her face?" Bethany asked. " I tried to madame, but as much as the image is burned in my mind, I can't properly recall the face. She had a veil of sorts that blocked my view. I could still see that she had dark hair." Mike replied. "Interesting, what about the dress? Do you know the color or if it looked like one the lady in the portrait was wearing?" "I really hadn't paid much attention to the painting, so I can't confirm that. I made the connection between the image I saw and the painting, once the disappearance had been discovered. The lights were off, so I can't describe perfectly the color of her dress, but it was a dark color, that much I know." Moore seemed to be pondering. "I see. Are there any other details you might want to add?" Bethany asked. "Oh my story is far from over, Ms. Hunter. For the next night I was also assigned the night shift. I was once again walking through the museum when I started hearing a boy laughing. I couldn't find the source of the laughter, I panicked and began to ran frantically through the museum trying to find the boy. As I made my way back to the exhibition room, there she was again. I tried to yell at the lady, but my forces once again failed me and I felt into the ground. I woke up in the security room, where Mr. Miller brought me after he found me laying unconscious, again. When I told him my tale, he said that I should take the next day off and that he would take the night shift himself. He was very interested in solving the matter." Moore's expression once more showed fear. "So in the second night, you heard a boy laughing and saw the lady once again. But in the third night, Mr. Miller took the shift himself?" Bethany was piecing the puzzle in her mind. "That is correct." Moore nodded. "Interesting." Bethany crossed her arms once more, "Out of curiosity, did you always believed in ghosts?" "Yes, I been a bit of a believer for a long time. This isn't my first time seeing a spectre, I saw one when I was a kid." Moore seemed to be reminiscing. "And does anybody else know that?" Bethany asked. "Yeah! The boys sometimes give me a hard time because of it. They once pulled a prank on me for my birthday. I protested against the night shift, because of that very reason. I had a feeling that being in a place surrounded by ancient things of people who have been dead for a long time was a bad idea, and boy was I right." Moore seemed relieved, possibly due to the fact that he wouldn't have to do the night shift no longer. "Very interesting. One more thing, do you have access to the security cameras?" "No, only the chief of security and Mr. Miller do. Mr. Miller revised the tapes and he told me that he couldn't find anything, that the tapes didn't even show when I fainted. Scary stuff, Ms. Hunter." Moore showed fear once more. "I see. Well Mr. Moore that would be all for now. You have been an invaluable help in solving this case. You shall see why in the next few hours. Thank you very much!" Bethany smiled at the guard. "Ohh well, I'm glad to be of assistance Ms. Hunter. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask." Moore seemed flattered by Bethany's comments. "I'll count on that. I'll see you later, Mr. Moore." Bethany smiled and left. 45 Minutes Later Bethany made her way back to the office. She had enough information to form her theory and now she only needed one more piece of decisive evidence. May's observations would prove her theory and if they were as she expected, the case was solved. "I'm back, what do you got for me?" Bethany said, closing the door behind her. "Oh I'm sure you are gonna like this, come here, I got something for you." May said as she pointed at a notebook she had in her desk, next to the pictures. Bethany took a look at the pictures and noticed that May had made a lot of marks in both of them. "At first glance, it's true that the paintings look remarkably the same, however it is by no means the same painting." May said with a bit of determination behind her statement. "As I suspected, please go into more detail." Bethany said, as she look at the notes made in the notebook. "The mistakes might not be seen by an inexperienced eye, but they are clear. For example if you take a look at where the clouds are in the original painting, you'll notice that it was done in soft manner. However, if you take a look at the other painting, you'll see that the brush was a tad more rough. That is not the only detail, however, as for example if you take a look at the bushes, you'll see that the green used in both scenarios is a tad different. On top of that, the bushes pattern in the new painting doesn't match with the one of the original. As for the manor, there are a plethora of small issues that I can go into detail if you want to." May seemed proud of her work. "I want to compare the original portrait with a picture I took earlier today." Bethany took out her phone and compared the photo she had taken with the original portrait, "Hmm, just as I suspected." "Do you need any more details?" May asked once more. "No, that would be all. All I need now is confirmation that the paintings are not the same." Bethany said. "They are by no means the same painting. I can confirm that the new one is a forgery!" May replied. "And thus the mystery is solved. Excellent work, May! You outdone yourself, I knew I could count on you!" Bethany smiled. "Thank you, that means a lot!" May seemed ecstatic, she felt accomplished, " And now what do we do?' "Now it's time for me to take my place and do my part of the job. We have to hurry, however, if my fears are correct, the criminals are about to act." Bethany said as she got her phone and dialed a number. "Yes, it's me." Bethany said to the person she called, "As ironic as it might be, I need your help in a case of theft. Get the police to lock down the museum and make sure that no one in the staff leaves. If we are lucky we'll stop the thieves in time." Bethany hanged up and called Mr. Ashford telling him to make his way back to the museum as well. She made her preparations and with May, headed back to the museum as fast as she could. 20 Minutes Later Bethany drove as fast as she could, avoiding traffic jams with ease. Her experience with Fortune City's streets allowed her to take shortcuts. It was a race against time, and if she didn't act fast, the case could be lost. After twenty minutes both women arrived at the museum. They quickly got out of the car and ran the stairs leading to the museum. The crow was still there, and it had increased as the police had ordered that anyone who wasn't staff had to leave the premises. To make matters more interesting, the press now seemed to be interested in the case too. Bethany got to the entrance and one of the policemen quickly recognized her, allowing her to enter along with May. Once inside, Bethany was greeted by the person she had called. It was none other than Jolene, who was waiting for Bethany with anticipation. "So, I heard you are now a bit of a ghost hunter. Hunting the living is too mainstream now?" Jolene said with a smirk. "Ohh I assure you, this is no ghost tale." Bethany replied, "Now, where's everyone?" "We have the staff and Mr. Ashford in the exhibition room. We managed to get everyone you wanted there." Jolene replied. "Good, let's go catch our "ghost'" then." Bethany said. The three women headed t the exhibition room where everyone was waiting. The staff seemed nervous due to the commotion. Among the crowd, Bethany managed to spot Mike Moore who seemed just as worried as everyone else. As Bethany and May entered the room, a well dressed man stepped out from the crowd, he seemed to be mad. "What's the meaning of this? I had enough with this charade, officers, I have a museum to run and you are not helping." The man said in a rude tone. "Ahh you must be Mr. Axton Miller, right? Don't worry, this will be rather quick." Bethany said with a smirk on her face. "Yes, I am. Who are you?" Axton replied. "Bethany Hunter and I'm here to solve the mystery that's been plaguing your museum." Bethany said coldly. "We are in no need of assistance." Axton shot back. "Maybe not you, but Mr. Ashford is. For he and his family has been wronged." Bethany kept her cold tone. "What? What do you mean?" Axton lowered his defense. "Oh you'll see soon enough." Bethany glared at him. "Ready to get the show on the road?" Jolene asked. "You bet." Bethany moved closer to the painting and then motioned to Mr. Ashford to get closer. "Ladies and gentlemen, as you may know, for the past few days the museum has been plagued with rumors of a fantastic tale regarding this magnificent painting," Bethany pointed at the living painting, "As some of you might have known, speculation has run wild, claiming that the painting was alive and that its subjects have been disappearing from it. An act of the supernatural as some would like you to believe. I however, have bad news for those of you who believed in the paranormal tale, for it has been nothing more than a magic trick." "A magic trick, Ms. Hunter? What do you mean?" Mr. Ashford asked. "A magic trick is nothing more than an illusion. The magician controls the scene and pulls the strings in a way that it masks the truth, hiding it behind the veil of magic, making its audience believe that they are truly witnessing something beyond their powers. But no matter how many smokes and mirrors a magician might use, at the end of it all, a magic trick is just that. A trick, and once you expose it to the light of true and reason, the illusion is eliminated and the trick is revealed for what it is. Such is this case." Bethany said. "This is nonsense!" Axton said "If I were you I would shut up." May said. "Now let's try and break down the magic trick that we have witnessed here in these past few days. Once we have done that, the culprits will be exposed along with trick. Let's begin our timeline. Mr. Mike Moore is given a night shift, and on the first night of the incident he encounters a ghostly woman who is supposedly is the lady in the portrait. He loses consciousness and wakes up in the security room where he was dragged by one Mr. Axton Miller. Afterwards the lady disappears from the painting. Mr. Miller supposedly checks the security footage and there is no record of anything happening. According to one curator that goes by the name of Stella Keys, the painting is the same and the only thing that changed was the missing lady. The next day Mr. Moore during his night shift, hears a boy laughing and sees the woman once more. He falls unconscious and is dragged back to the security room by Mr. Miller. The boy disappears, Mr. Miller offers to do the night shift the third night and the girl disappears next. Our trusty curator still claims that the portrait is the same. Everyone follows me up to this point?" Bethany asked. "Yes." The staff said. "And here is where the magic trick lies. Everyone has been deluded into thinking what our crafty magicians wanted us to think. Let's break down the trick. For starters, the painting is by no means the same one, as a matter of fact, the one standing in front of us is a forgery." Bethany said. "That's right! I compared the original painting with a picture we had of the current painting and they don't match." May said. "Yet everyone believed that the painting was the genuine thing. Why? Because our curator kept insisting in that it was. On top of that, she refused to allow anyone to examine it and forbid everyone for taking pictures. Why? Because the illusion that the painting was the exact one needed to be asserted." Bethany said. As Bethany spoke, Stella began to ran out of the room. Jolene quickly ordered some cops to catch her and they did it with ease. "Where are you going, Ms. Keys? I'm far from done." Bethany smirked. "Go to hell!" Stella said. "Ohh but I'm not the one going to hell tonight!" Bethany smirked once more, "In any case, let's continue. Now let's tackle the subject of the ghost lady our friend Mike saw. At first glance, his description might make you believe that he saw a ghost indeed and truth be told the honest man really does believe he saw one. Sadly for our friend who enjoys the paranormal that it's not the case. Take a look at this picture," Bethany took out the picture of the original portrait and showed it to the crowd, "If you notice, Mrs. Winstead was a lady of fair skin and black hair. She wore a purple victorian dress. One would need a black hair and a purple dress to impersonate her. And guess who has both things? Yes, the ghost lady is none other than our curator, Stella Keys!" The crowd was completely shocked by the revelation. Mike seemed to be the one most shocked, for obvious reasons. "But Ms. Hunter, the woman I saw was very pale and she had a dress that you can't easily find." Mike said. "I'm glad you brought it up, because I have something to show everyone," Bethany took out her phone and showed the picture of Stella's office, "If you would take a look at the left corner of the room, you will see a purple victorian dress that matches quite well the dress of the lady in the portrait. As for the pale look, it's something that can be easily achieved with makeup." "But Ms. Hunter what about me fainting?" Mike asked. "Quite simple, you were shot with a sleeping dart. And once again, I would like you to take a look at Ms. Stella's office. You will see that she has a dart gun." Bethany walked towards Mike, "If you would allow me, I need to check your neck." Bethany checked it and found two marks of darts in the back of his neck, "If you would take a look at Mr. Moore's neck you will see that it confirms my theory of him being shot with the dart." "So there was nothing paranormal?" Mike asked, somewhat disappointed. "Not at all, in fact, I would like to add one thing. That's why you were chosen for the night shift." Bethany said. "What??!" Mike seemed puzzled. "You were chosen for the night shift, because you were the most prone to believe in a ghost story. Keep in mind that our magicians wanted us to believe in the ghost story, therefore they needed a witness." "This is a load of crap, I had enough!" Axton tried to leave. "Not so fast, Axton, for you are next. Let's talk about the security here, shall we? Don't any of you find it weird that the museum suddenly dropped the amount of security during the night? Isn't it convenient that right when the chief of security is given a two week vacations, these mysterious things start happening?" Bethany asked. "Yeah that does sound fishy!" Someone from the crowd. "As it should, for the security has been manipulated from day one. Once again, it's all part of the trick. Mr. Moore is tasked with the duty of guarding the museum alone during the night, why? Because more than one guard would have made things hard for our magicians." Bethany crossed her arms, " Mr. Moor encounters the "ghost lady" and is shot with a sleeping dart. He is dragged back to the security room by Axton, who happened to "find him" laying there. Sadly for Axton, I know better than that. It was him that shot Mike with the dart!" "SHE IS LYING!" Axton yelled. "Stella couldn't do it because she had to act as the ghost lady. So you snuck behind, stalked Mike and shot him with the dart. The fact that you dragged him to the security, meaning that you were the first one who encountered him, makes you a primer suspect and sadly for you, you don't have an alibi. What's worse is that in your haste to make us believe the magic trick, you wiped the security tapes, which in turn casts more blame on you. " Bethany smirked. "How could she....!" Axton was at a loss of words. "Once the image of the ghost lady had been burned in Mike's mind, there was no need for him. Which is why on the third night, Axton so generously offered to take the shift for him. It was nothing more than to make their job of exchanging the paintings, easier." Bethany said. "We need one more thing before we can officialize their arrests. Motive." Jolene said. "Quite simple, money. As many of you may know, the museum wasn't doing very well. And it gave Axton and Stella an opportunity. Realizing that not many people were coming, they decided to make forgeries and steal the original painting. According to Mr. Ashford, the painting was worth over 30 million, which they would more than likely split. However, rather than just stealing it, they came up with a better plan. They decided to create a mystery around it. They then created a multitude of replicas, eliminating one family member with each replica. This way they would end up creating a mystery that would attract more people to the museum and add more value to the portrait, so that when the final trick was done, they could sell the portrait for more than just 30 million and at the same time bring people back to the museum." Bethany said. "Alright, that works for me." Jolene said. "The people in the painting disappeared in the same order as they died in real life, to give it a more supernatural element. This combined with the events that Mike saw, finalized the trick, making everyone believe that they were seeing a genuine ghost story come to life." Bethany added. "But what about the original painting, do you think it can be found?" Mr. Ashford asked. "Mr. Ashford I'm glad that you brought this up to me. Had you taken that picture to someone else, they would have been able to deduce that it was a fake, however it would had been too late. I believe they planned on doing their trick one last time with making Mr. Winstead disappear tonight. However, my meddling in their affairs more than likely made them realize that they needed to act fast. Which is why I requested Jolene to lock the place up. I believe a thorough search of the place might uncover all the remaining evidence we need." Jolene ordered the policemen to check Axton and Stella's offices. In Stella's offices they found the dress, makeup, dart gun along with darts and the fake portraits that had been hidden in a safe. In Axton's office they had to open up a big safe and sure enough, they ended up finding the genuine article. With the painting safe in place and the two perpetrators cuffed, the case was at its end. "Got the two lovebirds caged up. They are gonna have to do a lot of explaining." Jolene said. "Let me know if you find anything else. I would like to know whether there is a third party who did the forgery or if they did the forgeries themselves." "Oh don't worry, I'll make sure to get every last detail out of them. Thanks for making our jobs easier again." Jolene gave Bethany a kiss in the cheek. "Ms. Hunter, I can't thank you enough for finding the portrait! More than the monetary value, an important piece of our family's history would had been lost if it were not for you. You have my eternal gratitude!" Mr. Ashford couldn't be happier. "Just doing my job, Mr. Ashford!" Bethany smiled. "And an excellent performance at that. I have one last question, though. What would they had done once they sold it?" Mr. Ashford asked. "From the evidence we recovered, it seems that they made a final forgery containing the entire family. I imagine they would had place it and let the rumors die down until it eventually became an urban legend." Bethany said, "They must have been planning it for a long time, because coming up with five forgeries is no easy task. However, they were quite sloppy on some aspects. They were so sure that they were in control of everything that let some things slip up." "Well in any case, I have to thank you. I shall pay you a hefty reward and have my grandson do a portrait of you!" Mr. Ashford said. "I'm honored, Mr. Ashford!" Bethany replied. With the case settled, it was time to head back home. It had been a long day and quite a unique case, surely they had earned their rest. "I have to say, May. I am in your debt. Had it not been for your help, the lead could had been lost." Bethany said. "Thanks Beth, that means a lot coming from you." May smiled. "Now let's go, I'm starving and a pizza would hit the spot right now." Bethany laugh. "You and me both! Come on, I know of a place where they make an awesome pepperoni pizza." May said. And so ended one of the strangest cases of Bethany. Despite the clever trick that Axton and Stella put up, Bethany managed to unveil it for the cheap trick that it was. Now it was time for a well earned rest.