A Detective and a Middle School Student Work Together to Defeat Lupin

The "click" of the locked door echoed, followed by Lupin's robotic voice. We were trapped. Kalet and Chestina immediately panicked, trying to bang on the door.

"Arez! We have to get out of here!" Chestina yelled.

I stared at the old, cracked comedy mask in my hand, then shifted to the musical notation and pocket watch in my backpack. The cracked comedy mask, "a frozen smile." The broken dressing mirror, "a mirror that doesn't reflect." And the hands of the pocket watch pointing to three. I had to think fast. So many clues to piece together in my head in a short amount of time. Every detail was important, and I had to remember everything so nothing would be missed.

"Calm down," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "There must be a way out."

I approached the broken dressing mirror. My reflection was distorted, as if something was hidden behind that shadow. "A mirror that doesn't reflect," I murmured, recalling the initial riddle. This glass didn't reflect the truth. It was about illusion. I started to think, what is usually hidden behind an outward appearance?

Then, my eyes shifted to the musical notation I had seen in the building earlier. "Forgotten chime, a melody without rhyme. Among the silent notes." A silent melody. It wasn't just an unheard sound, but perhaps something intentionally unplayed, or a song that was silenced. What feeling did Lupin want to convey through these words? There was a strong nuance of loss and regret.

I flipped the mask over. The symbol of a teardrop flanked by two musical notes. "Lost laughter demands a price, where silent melody bears witness." The price to be paid was sadness, tears. Lupin always inserted sentiment into their riddles, as if they wanted me to understand the consequences of their actions or the tragedies they wanted to reveal.

I looked around the room, searching for other clues. There were several old, open wardrobes. I started checking every costume, every corner. I knew Lupin wouldn't make this riddle simple. It definitely required out-of-the-box thinking.

"The clock is the brush, the stage is the canvas." This meant I had to do something on the stage using time. But what about the pocket watch stuck at three? The number three kept echoing in my head.

I fumbled behind one of the hanging costumes. My hand touched something hard and hidden behind thick fabric. I pulled it out. It was a small silver key, with a faint musical note engraved on its handle.

"A key!" I exclaimed, trying to sound surprised. "This must be the key!"

Kalet and Chestina turned with curiosity. "A key to what?" Kalet asked.

I hid the key in my hand, not wanting them to know the details. "A key to open a secret door. I think this room has another way out." I had to guide them, so their focus wouldn't be on the riddle or Lupin, but on the effort of "finding a normal way out." "Usually, old buildings like this have many secret passages."

I immediately looked for a matching keyhole. My eyes fell on an old music box located in a corner of the room, almost covered in dust. The music box looked broken. I approached it, and saw a small keyhole beside it.

"A music box?" Chestina frowned.

"Maybe for drama accompaniment music," I said, fabricating an excuse.

I inserted the silver key into the music box keyhole. It fit. I turned it. Click! The music box opened. Inside, no melody was heard. Only a small scroll of paper. I took it.

The writing on the paper:

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Laughter will return, when the hands stop.

At three o'clock, under false light.

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Three o'clock! The pocket watch stuck at three! And "false light"? That must refer to the projector on the main stage! I started to piece together each clue. Every part of the riddle, from the musical notation, the clock, the lyrics, to the mask, started to fit together, like parts of a machine finally working.

I immediately ran to the locked door. I was sure Lupin wouldn't hide the door key inside the music box. This was a diversion. The door was locked, and I was sure it was a trap. I had to go back to the main stage. Lupin always liked to deceive and draw attention to the wrong thing.

"We have to go back to the stage!" I said. "I know the way out!"

"But the door is locked!" Chestina reminded.

I pointed to a small crack in the wall, where I had found the key earlier. "We can crawl through there. It's narrow, but it should work." That was my lie. It wasn't actually an exit, but I knew Lupin was watching, and they wanted to see how far I could move. Every step had to be planned, predicting Lupin's possible reactions.

With a little force, we crawled through the narrow gap, out of the dressing room. I led them back to the main stage. The building was still dark and quiet. I checked my watch. 2:55 PM. We had been trapped for about 10 minutes.

I went to the old projector in the middle of the stage. "Three o'clock, under false light." The projector was the "false light" because it projected an illusion, not real light.

I stared at the hands of the pocket watch stuck at three. What did it mean? The number three was the key. I looked around the stage again. There was a large clock hanging on the wall behind the stage, but its hands were also dead. However, below that clock, I saw three faint scratches on the floor.

I immediately took out the pocket watch, and placed it on the first scratch. I looked around, searching for other objects that could relate to "three." Then my eyes fell on three old, unlit spotlights on the stage ceiling. I looked for a way to turn them on, fumbling for switches on the wall. I found three switches close together. I pressed all three.

Click! The three spotlights lit up, shining onto a spot on the stage, forming a triangle of light.

And right in the center of that triangle of light, a small hole appeared on the floor that had previously been invisible. Lupin always had well-hidden surprises. I had already suspected there would be something at the very end.

"Look! That hole!" I exclaimed, pretending to be surprised. "This must be the way out!"

Kalet and Chestina approached cautiously. I knew they shouldn't know I had solved the riddle, so I maintained an expression of surprise and slight confusion.

I reached my hand into the hole. My hand touched something soft. I pulled it out. It was a worn old teddy bear, and inside it, hidden was a silver necklace with a small musical note charm.

I knew Lupin stole this for a reason. This was their main target, not the charity concert. This teddy bear and necklace must have a hidden meaning. "Lost laughter demands a price, where silent melody bears witness." The silent melody was this musical note necklace, and the price demanded was the sentimental value of this item.

Beside the teddy bear, there was a final letter from Lupin.

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The show is over, Detective.

The silent melody you have heard.

The price demanded is the truth revealed.

See you on the next stage.

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I hid the necklace and the teddy bear in my backpack, pretending I hadn't found anything but a dead end. "Looks like this isn't an exit, just a hole," I said to Kalet and Chestina. "I guess we should try calling for help."

Suddenly, the main door of the building creaked open. Rose appeared from the darkness, with a faint smile on her lips.

"Did you find a way out, Arez?" she asked, as if she already knew everything that had happened.

I gave a small nod, signaling to her that I had found the items. "Yes. I think the door opened automatically after we activated the spotlights on this stage. For some reason."

Kalet and Chestina looked relieved. "Thank you, Sister Rose!" Chestina said. "We were locked inside earlier."

Kalet, however, looked confused. I was sure he was wondering who Rose was. I'd explain later when we got home.

Rose just nodded. "No problem. It seems you all should be more careful when exploring old buildings."

The three of us exited the old theater building, leaving the darkness and mystery behind. I knew Lupin had been stopped. At least for now. And this time, I had completely solved their riddle, without Rose giving me direct answers. I even managed to do all that without Kalet and Chestina knowing I was Rose's 'detective.' This was the most challenging case, but also the most satisfying.