"Ladies and gentlemen thank you for flying with us today. The temperature is currently 65 degrees Fahrenheit, or 18 degrees Celsius and slightly overcast. Whether you're coming home, or here to see the sights have a great rest of your day here in England!"

Grabbing her luggage Kayla stepped outside and took a deep breath of that sweet England air. Thankfully, Hazeldale had a fairly similar climate, so it didn't feel that different from home. She was used to the clouds and the rain. The weather was supposed to be pretty good for her trip. Today was the only gloomy day in the forecast, but the rest of the time it was hopefully going to be decently warm and sunny! She had landed at Gatwick airport just south of London. From here she would take the train down further South to where she was staying for the week.

Kayla made it an effort to travel abroad at least once a year. Thanks to Andrea she was able to get buddy passes and so traveling like this was totally affordable. This time around she was staying in the Southeast England countryside at the legendary Marigold Inn. They had horseback riding nearby, plus it was close enough to Rye and Camber Castle that she figured she'd visit out those places as well. On the way back she'd stay in the city for a few nights before heading back home.

The train ride out was so dreamy. Kayla found herself staring out the window almost the whole time. She adored the English countryside. She had shows like Downtown Abbey and The Crown to thank for that! Between gazing out the window and reading one of the many books she packed, the train ride passed by quickly. After getting to the station it was a quick taxi ride out to the inn. It was just was cute as the pictures made it out to be, no, it was even cuter. Leading way to the grounds was this gorgeous arch covered in ivy that spilled all down the sides and across the stone walls that ran in front of the property. The stone path looked old and cobbled together, but it was so charming and rustic at the same time.

The inn itself was of brick construction with more ivy winding its way up the sides at various points. There were a couple other buildings nearby as well, Kayla figured these were for any live-in staff and the owners. Which, speaking of the owner, it was this sweet older lady named Gladys Abner. The Inn had been in her family for generations, and she was the most recent inheritor of the property. Kayla was looking forward to meeting her. From some of the reviews she had read online, she was a delight to talk to.

Stepping into the main lobby, Kayla was greeted by a young lady at the front desk. She was wearing a black sweater over a white button up shirt tucked into a black skirt. Her brunette hair was held back in a loose ponytail. A pair of thin glasses sat on her nose.

"Welcome," she said with her warm English accent as she greeted Kayla with a smile, "how was your travel?"

"It was great," Kayla said, "yeah, not bad at all."

"Lovely to hear. Please, you may set your bags down over there. When you're ready, I can check you in right up here."

"Awesome!"

Setting her bags down Kayla went through the check in process, getting her room assignment as well as her key. She was staying up on the second floor in the Studio Suite. Making a beeline up to the room, Kayla hurried her way in and for a moment just stood there taking it in. The vaulted ceiling made the space feel so much larger, and the skylights up above bathed the room in warm light. The first order of business after kicking off her sneakers was to jump onto the bed and just lay there for a minute. She didn't mind traveling, but for some reason she was feeling pretty tired.

For fear of falling asleep and really messing up her cycle, Kayla forced herself up and headed for the bath. It was rare that she would actually take a bath, but on vacation where a large tub was so readily available she just had to indulge herself.

"Oh yeah...that hits the spot," Kayla said as she lowered her body into the warm soapy water once the tub was full.

She sat there for a good while, letting the steam exfoliate her pores. However, she was not about to let herself get all pruney from sitting in a tub full of water for too long. Being mindful of this, she got out just as she started to feel the skin on her fingertips wrinkle ever so slightly.

Wrapping herself in a towel, Kayla washed her face at the sink before conducting her nightly skincare routine and drying her hair. Sauntering back into the bedroom, Kayla was practically floating. She was so relaxed and at ease, even after a long day of travel. She changed into her sleepwear and crawled under the covers, allowing her body to just sink into the mattress. She laid there for a moment and just closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she did so.

This trip was all about relaxation, and so far Kayla was off to a great start. Grabbing her book from the nightstand she decided she'd round off the night by reading as much as she could before falling asleep. She hardly lasted even ten minutes! With each new line, Kayla's eyes grew heavier and heavier. Before long her head gently fell onto her pillow as sleep overcame her.

.  .  .  .  .

The next day, Kayla awoke feeling very well rested and ready for a busy day of...well, not much really! The first thing she wanted to do was explore the grounds and go for a nice stroll. Maybe do some reading outdoors even. Basically, just take things easy. She had no real set agenda for her stay at the inn. The only thing she really wanted to do was go horseback riding and maybe take a canoe ride on the lake. Otherwise, she'd just stroll around the grounds and enjoy the countryside scenery.

Getting dressed for the day she put on a white t shirt tucked into black jean shorts. Dark nylons and lace up boots finished out the ensemble as well as a pink fluffy coat. It was a bit chilly outside after all, thankfully the weather was supposed to improve tomorrow!

She quickly did her makeup and straightened her hair before heading downstairs to grab some breakfast. Locking the door to her room behind her, she turned to head down the hallway but was stopped as she bumped into someone.

"Oh my god," she said, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't even looking!"

The girl smiled, "no, please, I wasn't looking where I was going. My apologies for being in such a hurry."

From the looks of her she appeared to be a little younger than Kayla, but probably not by that much. She was from the area, or at least she sounded like it with her English accent. She was taller than Kayla too, but a good couple of inches. But she had a very kind and fair face, and Kayla could tell she was genuinely apologetic for their little collision earlier. Her outfit was super cute if Kayla did say so herself. She was wearing white shirt under a red jacket, light blue jean shorts, and red sneakers with black tights. Her medium length brown hair framed her face with one side swept over her shoulder. Kayla decided to be friendly and continue the conversation with the girl.

"You know, I'm sure the front desk would scold you for rushing around. Doesn't quite fit the relaxing vibes of staying at a countryside inn."

The girl smiled, her green eyes sparkled in the soft indoor lighting.

"I'm sure they would," she said, "but unfortunately I'm not here to relax. I wish I was though, this is such an adorable place! I could stay here for ages!"

"Right? Well, I don't want to get in your way any longer than I have to. Have a good day!"

"Thanks, you too!"

Kayla headed down the hall toward the staircase as the girl headed the opposite direction. She pondered for a moment what someone like her could be doing at the inn if she wasn't here on vacation. Was she one of the staff? No, not with the way she talked about the inn. She was here on some kind of temporary business. But what kind of business could that be? Kayla shook her head after realizing how much she was thinking about this. She wasn't here to snoop! But was the girl she ran into here to snoop...?

No! Kayla had to stop worrying about it. Whoever that girl was and whatever she was here to do it had nothing to do with Kayla. Yes, she was here to rest and relax and that was it.

Making her way down to the dining room now she was greeted by the girl who had checked her in.

"Good morning! How did you sleep?"

"Great! Yeah, I'm loving everything so far."

"We are just so glad to hear that. Please, have a seat over in the dining room. I'll bring you some breakfast."

Kayla thanked the girl as she sat down. Shortly after the front desk girl returned with a tray of assorted breakfast foods. It was quite the spread and smelled amazing! Kayla dug in right away, her book propped up on the table so she could read as she ate.

"I didn't find anything, but then again I only conducted a preliminary search. Nothing too detailed. But so far, nothing out of the ordinary."

Kayla set her book down as she perked up and listened. She recognized the voice. It was the girl she had run into upstairs!

"Well, I do hate to trouble you but most of the problems have been occurring...at night."

A different voice had responded. It was older, much older, and Kayla's initial guess was that it belonged to Gladys Abner the owner of the inn. She continued to eavesdrop on the conversation. It was happening just down the hall and around the corner. Perhaps they didn't realize there was anyone in the dining room.

"Well, if it brings you peace of mind, I can stay around until nightfall to see if I find anything."

"I would be so very grateful if you did. This inn means the world to me, and I just...I want to get to the bottom of this."

"Of course, as do I! I'd hate to see such a cute little place go under."

"I appreciate you saying that. Well, if there's anything else you need, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Mrs. Abner."

"Darling, what have I told you? Call me Gladys, you needn't be so formal."

"Sure thing, Gladys."

"That's the spirit!"

And with that the conversation was finished. The next thing Kayla heard was footsteps coming up the hallway, and so she quickly picked her book back up so as not to appear like she had been eavesdropping. Out of the corner of her eye she watched the girl from before walk by her and toward the front counter. Ever fiber of Kayla's being was telling her to follow her and reveal that she was a reporter. After what she had just heard her first hunch about the girl had been spot on! Call it a reporter's intuition or what, but that girl was definitely here to look into something strange going on at the inn.

Kayla went back and forth in her mind as to whether or not to get involved. On the one hand, she could pretend she hadn't heard anything and just go on with her vacation. On the other hand, if there was something strange happening she would eventually get wrapped up into it anyway so she might as well get ahead of the curve. She let out a sigh as she came to this conclusion. It seemed that no matter where she went, some kind of adventure awaited her. Setting her book down she got up and chased after the girl. She knew she'd probably come to regret this, but throwing caution to the wind she dove headfirst into whatever she was about to rope herself into.

"Hey, wait up!"

The girl turned around stopping in the middle of the hall.

"Oh, hello," she said, "seems like we've crossed paths once again!"

"Yes, hey listen, I don't mean to be a lousy snoop...but I kind of overheard your conversation with the owner just now."

"I see...blimey, I knew it wasn't best to have that chat right out in the open like that."

"No, it's okay. My name is Kayla Grace, I'm a reporter from the U.S.."

"Well fancy that, eh?"

"Yeah, I'm here on vacation for the week. So, trust me when I say eavesdropping on your conversation was the last thing I intended to do."

"I can relate to that..."

"But now that I've heard what's going on...well, I can't help but offer to lend a hand."

"I see, well miss Grace, I can assure you that I am more than capable of handling this on my own. If you're here on holiday, then please, by all means go off and enjoy your stay!"

"I wish I could, but now that I know that somethings afoot...it's going to be awfully hard to truly relax."

"Well, from one 'lousy snoop' to another, I totally understand what you mean."

"So is it alright if I jump in and help you out?"

"Sure thing! I'll never say no to some good sleuthing company after all," Sara said with a wink.

Kayla smiled, "cool, thanks."

"By the way, the name's Sara, Sara Philips. You said your name was, Kayla, right?"

"Yep!"

"Well, Kayla, let's find a good spot to sit down and I can let you in on everything I know so far."

And so the two snoops did just that. Heading back to where Kayla was eating breakfast, Sara filled her in on what it was that was going on at the Marigold Inn. She was there looking into a haunting, or at least that's what Gladys Abner had called her up to look into. She was having quite a hard time keeping staff around, and the new ones she did manage to hire would quit in a few weeks. Guests were becoming harder and harder to come by as well. The reason being for all of this were the strange occurrences reported on the grounds of the inn. Strange sounds were heard late at night, lights would flicker and then be perfectly fine, and a few guests had even claimed to see a ghost walking out in the gardens!

These were all new problems for the inn. For years it had been an incredibly popular vacation spot out in the countryside, but with all the strange phenomenon happening it was at risk of going out of business! That's where Sara, and now Kayla were to come in. Gladys didn't want to believe that the inn was haunted, and was trying to see if there was some logical explanation for what was happening. It was up to Sara and Kayla to look into the matter and see if they could figure out just what was "haunting" the Marigold Inn.

"I spent some time looking around already," Sara said, "and so far everything seems pretty normal. Then again, it is daytime and the real spooky stuff seems to happen at night! I have an engagement this evening, otherwise I'd stay over!"

"Well, it's a good thing I'm around then!"

"I agree! If you don't mind, tonight, would you stay up a bit and be on the lookout to see if you notice anything strange?"

"Of course!"

"Excellent. I'll be around tomorrow again. You can let me know if you see anything past dark."

"Fingers crossed I do!"

Sara smiled as she got up from the table.

"Well, if you have things all squared away here, I think I'll head out early then. I really appreciate the help with this one. Sorry about your holiday though. I know this is probably the last thing you wanted to be worrying about."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I've come to realize that no matter where I go something like this seems to happen. Trouble just follows me around I guess."

"It's the same here for me!"

"How long have you been doing detective work for anyway?" Kayla asked.

Sara looked up as she did the math real quick, "for about five years now I reckon!"

"Wow, impressive!"

"How about you?"

"A little under a year," Kayla said sheepishly. Compared to Sara's five years of experience she felt super under-qualified to be helping her. Still, it would be nice to work alongside someone with that much experience. It was definitely a great opportunity to observe and learn from a veteran.

"I suppose a warm welcome is in order then," Sara said, "it's always a pleasure when I get to meet new and upcoming sleuths! I'd love to hear about some of your adventures. Perhaps when we wrap this all up you can tell me about some of them."

"Oh my god," Kayla said, "yes, I wold love that! But, I really don't have too much to share. I'm sure you have way more!"

"Well, it's no contest, but yes I would love to swap stories over tea or coffee or whatever it is you're into. Let's hope we can solve this case quickly! It was nice meeting you, Kayla! I look forward to working with you!"

"Likewise! Take care."

Sara waved as she headed out, leaving Kayla to finish up her breakfast. Sara couldn't help but feel a little starstruck. She was very much looking forward to hearing Sara's many adventures. Kayla had only been at it a year now and had already encountered her fair share of perilous endeavors. She couldn't imagine what one was bound to run into over the course of five years!

For the rest of the day Kayla tried her best to relax before nightfall. That was much easier said than done though. The entire day she was just itching for it to be dark so that she could start poking around and looking out for anything strange.

After a not so relaxing day of waiting around, the evening finally arrived. Leaving her room with her phone and a flashlight in hand just in case, Kayla began her investigation. She walked around nearly ever square inch of the inn listening for strange sounds or hoping that maybe the lights would flicker or something, but sadly just like Sara had experienced earlier there wasn't anything to report. Disappointed, she sat down on a cushioned bench by a window and stared outside toward the garden.

That's when she saw it.

At first, she thought maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her, but after looking out long enough she was certain there was someone...or something, out there! She could just barely make out a figure walking slowly through the gardens. The strangest thing was that there was no bodily shape really. It was like someone was wearing a dark sheet over their body as they walked. Or, it could always be a ghost. Kayla of course didn't believe this for one second, and grabbing her flashlight she rushed outside into the night.

Storming toward the garden she kept her flashlight out in front of her as she carefully looked around the gardens, pointing it all around looking for any signs of life. Thankfully, the soft lights escaping from the inn behind her helped illuminate the night a bit, but it was still pretty dark.

"I know you're out here!" She said, "who are you and what do you want?!"

There was no reply, not even the sound of feet scurrying in the dark. Just silence. Whoever it was that had been roaming the gardens had split before Kayla could get out there. She cursed under her breath as she realized this. She was just about to head back when something behind her made her pause for a moment. The lights from the inn suddenly just all turned off...all at once!

Donning her flashlight, Kayla raced back toward the inn. Storming inside she aimed her light around the empty lobby.

*click!*

"What the hell?" Kayla said as the lights suddenly came back on.

She turned off her flash light as she walked slowly through the lobby. That's when she heard a faint sound coming from behind the check in counter toward the back office. Kayla crept over listening carefully as she did so. The closer she got, the louder the sound became until finally she was close enough that she recognized exactly what the sound was! Rushing to the back office where the door was already slightly ajar, Kayla pushed it all the way open.

"Mmmmmmmmph!"

It was the girl that had checked her in the first day! She was hogtied on the floor. Her glasses were crooked on her face, and her hair was coming loose from its ponytail. Both her loafers had come off in her struggle, exposing her tights clad feet. She was gagged with a bunch of tape wound around her mouth holding what seemed to something stuffed in her mouth. Her skirt had been hiked up, revealing a pair of white panties underneath her tights. She looked up at Kayla as she entered the room and bounced around in her hogtie, her eyes pleading for help.

Kayla quickly hurried over to the girl's side and began untying her.

"Fmmmmph mmmmmph mmmmph!"

"Sorry, guess I should remove that first."

Kayla paused her untying efforts and peeled back the many layers of tape from the girls mouth. She then carefully dislodged the large handkerchief that was stuffed inside and tossed it to the floor.

"Oh my god, thank you!"

"Of course, I can't believe someone did this to you! What happened?"

Kayla resumed her untying efforts as the girl described how she had ended up like this.

"It all happened so fast," she said, "I was just up here, and then all of the sudden the lights went out. That's when someone grabbed me and dragged me in here and tied me up! They didn't hurt me or anything, they just wrapped all these ropes around me and then...left."

Kayla looked around the room as she continued to untie the girl. That's when she spotted it. In the corner of the room there was a black safe. It had clearly been broken into with the door wide open and some of the contents spilled out onto the floor. That must have been what the intruder was after. It was hard for Kayla not to beat herself up over this! Had she not chased after that "ghost" outside maybe she could have been here to stop the inn from being robbed! Then again, she might also have ended up like the front desk girl. Still, it was frustrating that whoever had pulled off this heist had done so right under her nose! She didn't look forward to telling Sara about it...

After getting the girl untied, the two of them reconvened in the lobby. Kayla poured her a hot cup of tea as they sat by the fireplace. She felt bad for the girl, but thankfully she seemed to be doing okay! Her name was Heather. Kayla had learned this after chatting with the girl whilst helping her get untied.

"Thanks again, Kayla. I really appreciate the help. How'd you know to find me?"

"Let's just say I have a good sense for things of this nature. I'm a reporter from the states. I'm supposed to be here on vacation, but things are taking a bit of detour I must say."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's okay, I'm just happy to help. I feel bad for Gladys. This inn is adorable, I'd hate to see it go under."

"Oh my god, same here! That poor old lady works so hard to keep this place up and running. I've seen a bunch of folks quit since I started here, but I'm trying to stick it out on her behalf. I don't know how much longer me and the others are going to last though. If things keep up like this, it just won't be worth it for anyone to stick around."

"Who works here besides you?"

"There's a few other front desk workers, and then the maintenance crew. I say crew, but it's really just one guy. So I guess that makes like four or five of us. Yeah, kinda of a skeleton crew."

"I'll say! Well, hopefully I can get to the bottom of things before everything goes to hell."

"Yeah, I'm just glad you're here! It works out that we have a reporter staying with us to help investigate all this stuff. Seems like we're finally catching a break!"

"Oh, well, I can't take all the credit. I'm working with a girl from around here, Sara. She's how I found out about all this. I saw her looking into things, and well, just couldn't keep my nose out of trouble I guess!"

The girl laughed, "that makes more sense I guess. I wish you and Sara the best luck in finding whoever it is responsible for all this ruckus!"

"Yes, at least we know it's not a ghost now. So we can rule out that possibility."

"Ah yes, I suppose that is a bit of good news."

Standing up the girl brushed off her skirt and waved goodbye to Kayla.

"I'm going to do a quick lockup and then head to bed. It's a shame that the intruders couldn't have waited just a bit longer until my shift was over! In any case, thanks again for rescuing me. I was in for quite a long night otherwise!"

"No problem! I'm glad you're okay. I'll see you around."

Kayla got up shortly after and headed up to bed herself. At least she'd have something to update Sara about even if she had failed to stop the inn from being robbed! She tried not to be too hard on herself and just get some good rest. She was anticipating a big day tomorrow. With Sara by her side, she had her hopes up that the two of them could get to the bottom of things!

.  .  .  .  .

The next day, Kayla planned to meet with Sara out in the main lobby. Before she arrived, Kayla sat down with Gladys. The old lady was quite the heavy sleeper and had missed all of the previous nights shenanigans!

"I just can't believe it," she said, "there was quite a bit of money stored away in that safe, you know. I just don't know what I'm going to do at this point! If only my husband were here. He's way on a business trip right now."

"I'm sure that's why you were targeted," Kayla said.

"You think so?"

"It makes sense at least. I mean, is he an intimidating guy?"

Gladys smiled, "he does have quite the fiery spirit! We've only been married a little over a year now, but we've known each other for years. But yes, I guess it does make sense to target the inn while he's away. In any case, I'm really in the thick of it now. Without that money, and with all this still going on...I have no idea how I'm going to keep the Marigold Inn alive!"

"Don't worry," Kayla said as she laid a hand of reassurance on the old woman's shoulder, "Sara and I are going to get to the bottom of this. Don't worry!"

"You think so?"

"We know so!"

Kayla turned to see Sara walk in, hands on her hips and a confident smile donned on her face.

"God she's so cool!" Kayla thought to herself.

The British sleuth walked over to the table, her brown boots gently thumping on the carpet as she approached. Her outfit was super chic today with a black turtleneck tucked into a belted jean skirt with patterned tights even. She grabbed a seat next to Kayla, crossing her legs over as she sat down. Kayla was just so in awe of her presence. She was so confident, and just had this aura of experience around her. Thankfully, Kayla had dressed up a bit herself so she didn't feel totally out of place. Her snooping outfit of choice for the day was maroon jumper with a argyle sweater vest pulled over the top. Her legs were covered in a pair of tights, and her white ankle boots rounded out the ensemble.
"Well," Gladys said as she looked at the two girls, "I really do appreciate the help. I'm going to go take care of some paperwork. Let me know if you need anything from me."

As Gladys got up and left, Sara turned to Kayla.

"So," she said, "any updates from last night."

Kayla let out a deep sigh.

"Blimey, was it that bad?"

Kayla told her everything that had happened as Sara sat there and listened, her eyes wide with intrigue.

"And yeah," Kayla said as she finished up, "all the money from the safe was taken. So it's not looking too good."

"Christ, I'm sorry, Kayla. At least you're okay!"

"Thanks."

"Did Gladys say anything else about it? Does she know who might be targeting her?"

Kayla shook her head, "no, she has no clue who could be doing all of this."

Sara crossed her arms as she bounced her foot around and stared off deep in thought. She finally snapped back after her quick brainstorming session and laid out a plan.

"Here's what we should do," she said, "if we're going to find anything from last night we should probably start with..."

"...the security tapes!"

Kayla didn't mean to interrupt, she just realized that she and Sara were thinking the same thing.

"Look at us," Sara said smirking, "on the same page and everything. I love it. Come on, we haven't a moment to waste. Let's go check the footage and see if that gets us anywhere!"

The girls headed off toward the maintenance room. After knocking on the door, it opened to reveal a young man on the other side dressed in a worker's jumpsuit. He smiled as he greeted Kayla and Sara.

"Thought I might run into you both today," he said, "come on in."

Stepping aside from the door frame he let them file in before shutting the door behind him. The room was small with a bunch of equipment and tools stacked away on shelves. At the back of the room was a desk with a bunch of monitors for the security cameras, exactly what Kayla and Sara were looking for.

"I poured over the footage myself," he said, "but didn't find anything. Then again, I am only one pair of eyes, so perhaps you'll see something I missed! But please, have a seat and check things over for yourself! I need to go do some work around the property, so I'll be out and about. Spend as much time as you need in here!"

They thanked him as he packed up his tools and left. Pulling up another chair, Sara plopped down next to Kayla as the two of them poured over the footage.

"I spy a nosy snoop," Sara said as she pointed out Kayla on the security footage.

Kayla blushed as Sara playfully elbowed her in the arm.

"Too bad I wasn't much use," Kayla said.

"Hey, don't be too down about it. I can't tell you how many times I've been in the exact same position. Just because you're around doesn't guarantee you'll be able to help. From what it sounded like this was a well orchestrated heist. So really, it's alright. No need to be down about it!"

Kayla was touched by Sara's kind words. Even though she'd told herself the same thing in her head, hearing it from someone else was extra reassuring.

"Okay," Kayla said as she carefully watched the timestamps, "the blackout occurs right around...here!"

They watched the footage carefully, but nothing eventful happened at all. The recording just kind of glitched for a second before going back to normal. The next thing they saw was Kayla rushing in behind the counter to rescue Heather.

"It jumped," Sara said, "the footage from the break-in isn't there."

"It must have happened during the blackout," Kayla said.

"Wait, but that doesn't make any sense," Sara said, "usually security footage has some kind of backup power separate from the main power to protect against this kind of thing."

"I mean, it is an old building," Kayla said, "maybe it's all connected?"

"I doubt that," Sara said, "come on, let's go check with Gladys."

Marching over to Gladys' office they headed in and inquired about the security cameras. She confirmed Sara's hunch that the cameras were in fact on their own separate power supply. There was an old electrical closet outside that had a backup generator for the cameras.

Thanking Gladys for the information, the girls headed outside to find that closet! It took them a little bit, but they finally found it at the back of the building hidden by some hanging moss. Sadly, the door was locked shut! They'd need a key to get in.

"Blast," Sara said, "so many hoops to jump through. Guess we need to go find that maintenance guy."

"Sara, wait."

Kayla was getting an uneasy feeling. Something wasn't right here. If the cameras did in fact cut out, that meant the thieves had to have broken into this closet to shut off the generator. But the lock was still intact. There was no signs of forced entry at all. That meant...

As Kayla stared at the lock and put all the pieces of the puzzle together in her head, Sara watched and slowly connected the dots in her own mind. The finally looked up at each when they both realized what was going on. It seemed as though they had come to the exact same conclusion about what had happened!

But it came too late...

They were suddenly ambushed from behind as two figures grabbed a hold of them.

"Hey what the helmpph!"

A bag was pulled over Kayla's head as her attacker quickly spun her around and slung her over his shoulders. Sara was grabbed and scooped up too. Kayla heard her protesting all the while, but the people that had grabbed them were strong and held on tight as they lugged the girls away. The bags on their head concealed where it was they were being taken, but from the sound of it they were going back inside and down some stairs. The air was dank and cold wherever they were, Kayla guess it was maybe some kind of cellar under the inn.

*THUMP*

She was tossed to the cold floor as she felt Sara land beside her. As they were about to get up and defend themselves, they were once again grabbed as their attackers began to tie them up with rope. Starting with Kayla's arms they forced them behind her back and tied them in a box shape so that her hands were nearly touching her elbows on either side. Rope wrapped around her forearms kept them in this shape. She then had rope passed above and below her chest so that her arms were really pinned in place. Shoving her bag covered face into the floor, her legs were grabbed as she felt rope being tied around her legs, digging in through her tights. Finally, after she was properly tied up, her attacker lifted her back up so that she was sitting now.

*whoosh!*

The bag was ripped away from her head, her glasses had managed to say on during the whole encounter thankfully, but her hair was a mess now. She looked over at Sara who had quite the displeased look on her face, her body encased with rope in the same way that Kayla had been. She was already shifting around as she tested her bindings. Meanwhile, Kayla looked up at the people that had grabbed them. Sure enough, her hunch right, but she was also shocked to see who else was also responsible!

Standing in front of her were two individuals. The first being the maintenance man they had run into encountered earlier. He had a much less friendly look on his face now, and seemed quite irritated. Then again, Kayla and Sara were getting in his way, so it was understandable. The second individual is who really surprised Kayla.

It was Heather.

"What the hell?!" Kayla said as she stared the girl down.

Heather's arms were crossed as she wore a smug grin on her face.

"I should be asking you the same thing," she said, "they the hell are you so damn nosy!? You wouldn't be in this mess if you just minded your own businesses!"

"Heather, cool it."

"Quiet, Marcus, I'm still mad at you."

"Me? Why?!"

"You tied me up WAY tighter than you needed to. I just know it."

"It needed to look realistic, I don't know what you want me to tell you."

"And you pulled my skirt up too you perv! Tell me how that was necessary, hm?!"

"Hey! Would you both cut it out!"

Kayla and Sara turned to see a third individual step out from behind them. It was an older man, probably around Gladys' age in fact. He walked between Marcus and Heather and folded his arms into his chest before letting out a long sigh.

"Just my luck," he said, "I thought I was only going to have to deal with one snoop, but no, she brought a friend! How delightful."

"Who are you supposed to be?" Sara asked.

"I am the rightful owner of this inn thank you very much. Or, I used to be, up until that old hag stabbed me in the back!"

Kayla thought for a second before realizing who this guy might be. She decided to go for it and give a guess and see if she was right.

"Are you her ex-husband or something?"

He smirked, "the name's Richard."

She'd nailed it! She found it odd to think that Gladys had only just married her first husband over a year ago, and went out on a limb in guessing that this was some disgruntled ex-husband. Turns out, her detective skills were as sharp as ever! Even Sara managed to steal over an impressed look at her sleuthing companion. Kayla tried not to let it go to her head. She had other things to worry about at the moment.

"Why are you doing this," she asked, "revenge?"

"Precisely! This inn belonged to us both. We ran it for years. But then, that nasty bitch decided she had grown tired of me and left me for some other schmuck."

"Gee, I can't imagine why," Sara quipped.

Kayla stifled a laugh at Sara's clever retort.

"Laugh it up, because in a minute I guarantee you won't be! I've had it with this place. It was supposed to be my retirement plan, but little did I know she hadn't written my into anything concerning the inn. I was no more than an employee in terms of status. I lost it all in the divorce. I was planning to just sabotage it into the ground, but you two seem to be getting in my way! No matter, it's time for this inn to go anyway."

"Wait...what are you planning to do?" Kayla asked.

But she didn't need an answer. Out of the corner of her eye she spied a bunch of cans of gasoline. He was going to burn the whole place down!

"Hey, look," Kayla said as she tried to talk him down once she realized what he was planning, "it doesn't have to be this way. I'm sure we can talk with Gladys and work something out."

"You don't think I haven't tried that? She's unreasonable and doesn't even care to listen to me! She's forced my hand. If this is how she wants things to be, then so be it!"

"Come on, mate," Sara said, "is this really necessary?"

"Yes! And I'm tired of both of your yapping! Marcus, Heather, can you shut these two up for me?"

"Gladly, boss!"

Kayla rolled her eyes, as the two lackeys grabbed nearby rolls of clear packing tape and approached Sara and Kayla. Kneeling down by Kayla's feet, Heather grabbed her white boots and pulled them off, tossing them aside on the dusty floor. Kayla watched as Marcus did the same to Sara, tossing her boots next to Kayla's before reaching down and removing Sara's grey socks. Sara eyed Marcus with a great look of disdain as he scrunched both of her socks up in his hand. She knew what was coming, but fought to get in the last word anyway.

"Are you really just going to do whatever he says? It's not worth whatever he's paying you."

"I've had enough out of you! This was all going off without a hitch until you bloody messed it all up!"

"Right, because we're the ones to blame," Kayla added getting in on the fun now.

"You're damn straight you're the ones to blame if you hadn't..."

"Oy, Marcus,"Heather said as she scowled at him, "just get on with it. They're only going to keep badgering you...let's just gag them and get a move on."

"Fine!"

Taking his free hand, Marcus held Sara's face, pinching her cheeks as he did so.

"Ouch! Do you really have to be so roummmph!"

Her speech was curtailed as he jammed both the socks into her mouth and packed them in past her lips before wrapping the clear packing tape around her head, trapping her brunette locks underneath it in the process. Kayla turned back around just in time for Heather to reach forward and crudely stuff both of Kayla's patterned socks into her mouth.

"Fmmmmph!" Kayla grunted as Heather forced them in, her mouth hardly able to close over the fluffy mass.

Like Sara, Kayla's lower face was encased in clear packing tape sealing both of her socks inside, her gaping mouth stuffed full of socks still visible behind the layers of tape.

"Mmmmph! Hmmmmmmph!"

Kayla and Sara weren't about to let their gags stop them from giving an earful to Marcus and Heather. Ignoring their muffled protests, they grabbed more rope as if the amount they had already used wasn't enough!

Grabbing Kayla's tights clad legs with one hand, Heather used the other to shove Kayla backwards so that she fell back on her hands. In one swift motion, Heather flipped Kayla over onto her stomach and then grabbing her ankles pulled them up toward her hands.

"Mmmmmph!"

Kayla winced as heather pulled hard on the ropes as she connected Kayla's ankles to her wrists. Sara, while being spared a hogtie, was still being further trussed up by Marcus. He pushed her over onto her back, but instead of flipping her over he folded her legs and pushed them into her chest. Winding rope around her legs, he pinned them in that folded position before using rope to secure Sara's legs to her torso. Rolling her over, he propped Sara up so that she was propped up on her knees with her legs folded and tied underneath her. To add insult to injury, he even looped rope behind Sara's neck and tied it off around her knees, pulling the loop tight so that Sara's whole body was stringently balltied. She was very unhappy with this current arrangement.

"Ffffmmmmph mmmmmmmmnnnnph! Ggggggnmmmph! Mmmmmmph!"

She wriggled as much as her ropes would let her, shouting through her sock stuffed mouth all the while. As if on cue, Richard returned to the cellar, grinning as he watched Kayla and Sara struggle in their binds.

"Bloody hell," he said, "you both seem a little tied up, now don't you?"

"Mmmmmmmmmph!"

"What are you going to do with them?" Heather asked.

"Nothing, we leave them here while the whole place burns to the ground! That should tie up all our loose ends."

"Nnnnnmmmph! Mmmmmmph!"

"It's too late for that now," he said in response to the girl's muffled pleas, "you should have thought about that before you meddled in other people's businesses! I'm sorry it has to be this way...but you've left me no other choice. Marcus, Heather, are you ready to finish this?"

"Yes," Heather answered, "shall I go and begin warning the guests?"

"You remember what to tell them, right?"

"That there's a gas leak."

"Atta' girl, get on with it then."

Heather ran back up the stairs as Marcus grabbed one of the gasoline canisters and started dousing a large pile of newspapers and other burnable materials in the corner. Kayla met Sara's concerned gaze, the two snoops realizing the severity of their situation. If they didn't find a way out in time...well, Kayla didn't really want to think about that right now!

*WHOOOOOSH!*

The cellar lit up as the dry paper caught fire. Stepping back, Marcus tossed the gasoline canister into the flames for good measure. The fire roared as the flames nearly reached the ceiling.

"That should buy us just enough time to get everyone out safely, but not enough time to save the building."

"Excellent work, my boy! Now quickly, let's make our exit before anyone sees me. I'll be waiting at the agreed upon location. Once things are wrapped up here, meet me there with Heather. We can discuss payment then."

Marcus nodded before the two of them hurried up the stairs and out of the cellar. In the meantime, the fire blazed as sweat began to bead at Kayla's forehead.

"Nnnnmph!"

She rustled around in her hogtie, arching her back and trying to find any way she could pick at the ropes with her fingers.

"GGggggnmph!"

Sara was hard at work doing the same thing, but on their own neither could find a knot within reach. Kayla was so busy trying to get loose on her own, that she totally missed the fact that Sara was shouting as loud as she could through her gag trying to get Kayla's attention.

"PHnrnnnnnnmmph! Hnnnnmmnnnph!"

Finally realizing that Sara was desperately trying to get her attention, Kayla turned her head and acknowledged Sara.

"Mmhnph!"

Tipping her body onto it's side, Sara fell so that her back was now turned to Kayla. Her denim skirt no longer covering her rear as she flashed Kayla, her underwear clearly visible underneath her patterned tights. Trying not to stare, Kayla noticed Sara wagging her hands motioning for Kayla. She quickly realized what Sara was trying to communicate, and rolling over onto her side she shuffled over so that her hands were within reach of Sara's. She was slightly embarrassed that she hadn't thought of this herself, but now was not the time to worry about that!

The fire was growing larger by the minute, the damp cellar turning into a furnace as smoke filled the air. Kayla's nostrils burned as she inhaled the fumes, her forehead now drenched with sweat. Together, she and Sara picked at each other's ropes, their window of escape getting smaller and smaller.

"Ggnnnnnmph!"

Kayla focused as hard as she could, trying not to get frustrated every time her fingers slipped and she had to find the knot again. She could feel Sara's fingers working just as hard, the two girls fighting for their very lives!

*CRASH!*

A beam from the ceiling slammed into the ground, sending a wave of dust and smoke into Kayla's face. They were running out of time!

"Hmmmmmmmmph!"

"Nnnnnnnnmmmph!"

Kayla had managed to undo a couple of the knots holding Sara's arms in place, and could feel that Sara had managed to do the same. Surely they were almost there. It had to be only a couple more knots before...

"MMMMMPH!"

Sara jerked her hands away from Kayla. Was something wrong? No! She was free! Or, at least her hands were. She pushed herself up back onto her knees, and reached over to finish untying Kayla's arms. It took her a little longer to get Kayla free from her hogtie, but once she was free Kayla rolled herself over onto her rear and started working on the ropes around her ankles.

The ceiling creaked and groaned above them, threatening to collapse any second now!

"Ggggnmph!"

Kayla grunted victoriously, finally freeing her legs. She would worry about that wretched gag later. There was simply no time to waste if she and Sara were going to escape. Springing to her feet, she quickly snatched up her boots as she bolted up the stairs, Sara following quickly at her heels.

Bursting through the cellar door, Kayla stumbled outside, the cool afternoon breeze bringing immediate relief after being trapped underground amidst the flames. She reached up and started to undo the tape around her head, watching as Sara did the same.

"Bleh!" Sara spat out her socks, drenched in saliva, onto the grass, "Kayla, are you okay?"

After spitting her own socks out, Kayla answered, "yeah, I'm fine. Holy shit, that was intense though."

"I'll say, but we're not out of it yet. We need to get that fire out as soon as possible. We'll worry about the rest later, but we can't let the inn burn!"

Slipping her boots back on, leaving her soggy socks behind, Kayla raced back into the inn with Sara. They worked together, making sure fire services were called before grabbing fire extinguishers and heading back to the cellar to try and keep the flames at bay.

Before long, help arrived, and Kayla and Sara stepped back to let the professionals take care of the fire. The damage was pretty bad, but the inn had survived. They had at least that to celebrate. Still, Gladys was really upset. They found her out front with the other guests, her face wet with tears.

Her expression quickly changed from sadness to anger once Kayla and Sara informed her of what had actually happened.

"Why that...that...that bitter, nasty, old man! I'll never forgive him for this! I knew he was upset about the divorce, but I never would have thought he would do something like this. How could anyone do something like this? It's just...why it's evil is what it is!

"Don't worry," Sara said as she gently clasped her hands around Gladys', "we've already talked to the authorities. They'll find your ex-husband, and if they don't so help me god, I'll track him down for you."

Gladys smiled, clearly comforted by Sara's kind words.

"Thank you," she said, "I'll need to assess the damage myself, but the Marigold Inn is still standing thanks to you."

Once again, Kayla was in awe as she watched Sara at work. She just always knew the right thing to do or the right thing to say. It was so inspiring watching her.

Noticing Kayla's admiring gaze, Sara smiled.

"You know," she said, "it would be criminal to take all the credit. If I hadn't had Kayla by my side, I'm not sure how I would have made it out."

Kayla blushed.

"Well, the two of you make a great team, I'll say. I really cannot begin to thank you enough."

But that was okay, Kayla wasn't in it for the thanks or personal recognition. She was just happy they had managed to save the Inn. Her vacation on the other hand...was not going to be so easily saved. She'd spend the rest of it in London, which was fine, but she was going to miss the Marigold Inn.

"Well now, are you all set?"

Kayla stood by the cab that Sara had called, the driver loading Kayla's luggage into the trunk.

"I think so," Kayla said, "before I go I just want to say thanks, for everything."

Sara tilted her head, "shouldn't I be the one thanking you? This was supposed to be your holiday!"

"Yeah, I know, I just...wanted to thank you for letting me be your partner. I learned a lot from you, and I just wanted to say thanks."

"Well, let me offer my thanks to you as well. You made a mighty fine partner."

"We're all set back here! You ready to go?"

Kayla turned back and responded to the taxi driver, "Yeah, be there in second!"

"So, this is where we part ways then."

"Yeah, hey is it too much to ask if we..."

"...keep in touch? Yes, of course we'll keep in touch!"

Kayla smiled, and without thinking she quickly lunged forward and gave Sara a hug. Sara returned the gesture, hugging Kayla back. Sure, her vacation had turned out to be vastly different than what she had planned, but she'd made a new friend along the way, a snooping friend at that!

Finally pulling away from Sara's embrace, Kayla climbed into the back of the cab. She rolled down the window as she exchanged her final goodbyes with Sara.

"Enjoy the rest of your trip!" Sara shouted as, "and safe travels when you head back across the pond! I'll be in touch with you soon!"

"Sounds good! Thanks again for everything, Sara!"

And with that, the two sleuths parted ways. Sara was staying behind to make sure everything was squared away with Gladys and the police, and Kayla was headed to hopefully finish her vacation without any more peril! Then again, given her track record she wouldn't be surprised if a group of goons raided her hotel room and tied her up or something.

She shook her head and laughed for thinking such a thing, no, now was not the time to entertain such thoughts. Instead, she rested her head on the seat behind her and smiled thinking about the new friend she had made.

Peril aside, it really had been a great vacation.