The Hidden Escalator

The Hidden Escalator is the eighth part of the Town of Haven fiction.

Sypnosis
"Our friends find themselves in a recreation of a Nancy Drew novel... In a modern version."

Plot
The group was staying in their homes doing their own activities. Orion was reading mystery books, Mei was practicing some spells, Evelyn was watching television, Jashley was practicing whistling a bagpipe, Dexter was playing with his Rubik`s Cube, and Neko was crafting potions.

Orion suddenly gets a call from one of his werewolves.

"Hello?" Orion spoke.

"Hey, um... I may have something to tell you." The werewolf spoke back.

"What is it?"

"A teenage girl called me earlier that shes a detective and wanted you and your friends to accompany her."

"And who`s the girl`s name?"

"Cassie Drew."

Orion paused for a second and spoke to himself.

"Cassie Drew? Like... Nancy Drew? What is going on? Is Cassie Drew a Haven version of Nancy?"

The werewolf interrupted Orion.

"Orion? Are you there?"

"Oh yeah, um, sorry. I'll call my friends. Where am I supposed to meet this Cassie Drew?"

"Salem Cafe."

"Got it. Thanks for the info."

Orion then texted his friends on their group chat.

"A werewolf told me were going to meet a girl detective named Cassie Drew at Salem Cafe. So pack some flashlight, notebooks, pens and charge your phones."

Evelyn responded: "Wait... Were accompanying a detective?"

Mei responded: "Wtf?"

Jashley responded: "I thought detectives can handle stuff on their own."

Orion later responded: "What's weird? Her name is similar to Nancy Drew!"

Dexter responded: "Oh yeah... This is confusing."

Neko responded: "Agreed."

Mei then responded: "Anyways... Let's do what Orion said. Pack our flashlights, notebooks, and pens and charge our phones."

Minutes later, the group gathered to a table for seven at Salem Cafe. With one seat reserved for this "Cassie Drew".

"So when does she arrive?" Evelyn questioned.

"No idea." Orion answered. "But one of my werewolves said that she`ll be here."

Suddenly, a blue roadster parked in a vacant lot in front of the group. A feminine figure stepped out of her vehicle, showing her brown boots. She then fixes her titian hair and takes off her sunglasses before speaking in front of the teens.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation." She spoke. "I'm sure you all have been waiting for me."

"Are you Cassie Drew?" Neko questioned.

"Indeed I was." She later holds the empty seat. "Is this seat for me?"

"Well yes." Jashley answered. "Go on. Take a seat."

Cassie sat on the vacant spot before explaining why she called them.

"So there's a reason why I want you all to come here." Cassie opens her bag looking for something. She then finds a file and places it on the table. "I'm currently working on a case. And let's just say it's far more creepy than you all expected."

"The Mystery of Twin Palms?" Dexter questioned. "Whats Twin Palms?"

"Let me explain to you the full story. I got a call from a friend of mine named Helen Browning. She said that her great-grandmother named Miss Rosa believes that her mansion known as Twin Palms is haunted. So to higher the chance of solving this case faster, I decided to call all of you."

"Well then let's go." Orion spoke. "We don't want to waste their time waiting for us."

The group entered Orion`s Camaro. He then drives to follow Cassie`s blue roadster to Miss Rosa`s home. Helen was waiting for them by the pathway.

"Cassie. I'm glad you're here." Helen spoke to Cassie before staring at the group. "Are they the ones that are gonna accompany you?"

"Well yes." Cassie answered.

"Well, that's good!. You guys must be Orion, Mei, Evelyn, Jashley, Dexter, and Neko. I'm Helen Browning. Cassie`s friend." Helen introduced herself. "Let's go. My great-grandmother is inside."

Cassie and the others entered Miss Rosa`s house, with Miss Rosa in the living room.

"I know that you all are here because my great-granddaughter already told you. Yes, I believe my mansion is indeed haunted. My lights usually flicker, my kitchen drawers were opening and closing by themselves. I've already prepared your rooms upstairs. You can start your investigation tomorrow." Miss Rosa then walks to her bedroom.

There were four bedrooms. One was occupied by Miss Rosa, one was occupied by Orion, Mei, Evelyn, and Dexter, one was occupied by Dexter, Jashley, Neko, and Cassie, and the other was occupied by Helen.

In the middle of the night, everyone woke up after hearing whispers and loud thuds from downstairs.

"Miss Rosa, it is best if you stay in your room." Evelyn spoke. Miss Rosa later returns to her room.

Everyone is scattered to search the mansion. Orion was inspecting the items at the mansion`s old attic, Mei was checking the old clock in the living room, Evelyn searches the kitchen, Jashley checks the foyer, Dexter searches the dining hall, Neko searches the second-floor hallway, Cassie at the music room, and Helen at the bathrooms. But so far, they found no signs of the thuds or the whispers.

"Let's just continue searching tomorrow." Cassie told the others. They later returned to their respective bedrooms and continued sleeping.

The next day, the investigation continues, Orion, Mei, Evelyn, and Helen are searching the house, while Jashley, Dexter, Neko, and Cassie are interviewing some residents of Miss Rosa`s neighborhood. They then interviewed a man named Nathan Roger, who was strangely interested in Miss Rosa`s house.

"Excuse me!" Cassie and the others calling Nathan. "Do you know about the Twin Palms mansion?"

"Actually yes." Nathan answered. "Well aside from the said haunting of this mansion. I heard that Miss Flora`s mansion has hidden passages. I'm not sure where they are located, but who knows where. But a hidden passage is better than a witch tree symbol."

"Thanks for the info!" Neko spoke.

Nathan then walks off. Cassie runs back to find Orion and the others. Neko rings Orion about the details, but he`s not answering. As soon as Cassie entered the mansion, she found Orion on the floor with a rag next to him. Cassie then yelled out to the others outside.

"Guys! Orion`s in trouble!"

Neko lifts the unconscious Alpha to a couch in the living room. And while they were waiting for him to wake up, Cassie is inspecting the rag that was found next to him. She then found traces of liquid in the rag, smelled it, and immediately recognized it.

"Chloroform... Orion was knocked out!!" Cassie spoke. "Someone must have been inside the mansion and place this rag with chloroform into Orion so that he gets unconscious."

Orion suddenly gasped as he woke up. Dexter, Jashley, and Neko calmed him down.

"Drink this water!" Neko quickly gives Orion a glass of water. Orion then breathes for a few seconds before speaking.

"What happened?" Orion questioned.

"You were knocked out. I found you on the floor and a rag that is a bit soaked in chloroform next to your body." Cassie explained. "What happened?"

"Mei and the others including Miss Rosa were kidnapped by a man. As far as i can tell, he was wearing a jacket with initials N and R on the back of the jacket. That's all I can see before one of his men knocked me out." Orion answered.

"N, R..." Cassie and the others gasped as they realized about the initials. "Nathan Roger!" Neko gasped. "The one we just interviewed!"

"So Nathan walked off just to return to the mansion to kidnap the others and knock Orion out. But how?" Dexter questioned.

"I got it!" Jashley answered. "Remember what Nathan mentioned? This mansion was full of hidden passages."

The group, now with Orion, checked every wall of the mansion. Until Orion felt something hollow while they were searching the mansion`s basement.

"Guys, I found something," Orion spoke. "I think it's one of the passages."

Orion found a hidden door knob at the hollow part of the wall, revealing that its a door. He opens the door to reveal a very long passage. They then follow the long passage only to reached something at the end.

"It's a hidden escalator!" Neko spoke. "And it's also long... Wow."

"Maybe I should go first." Cassie spoke. "I have been in close calls every time I solve a mystery. And I don't want you guys to be harmed."

Cassie approaches the escalator, with the others following her. They later reached the other side of the escalator, revealing a door. They then opened the door, only to find themselves in Haven`s Mall.

"Let's not stop here. They could be nearby." Orion spoke.

They searched the entire hallway of the Mall where the escalator ended. Searching every room until they found a storage room. As the group took a peak of the room through a doorway, they can find Mei, Evelyn, Helen, and Miss Rosa tied in chairs surrounding a round table. Papers can be seen in the table, while the man who turned out to be Nathan Roger is pointing at the papers.

"Now Miss Rosa-" Nathan can be heard breathing heavily. "-Sign these god damn papers!"

"I cant, Mister Nathan." Miss Rosa answered. "I have a great-grandaughter to take good care of and-" Nathan slams the table, interrupting Miss Rosa and scaring Mei, Evelyn and Helen.

"We need to find a way to free them." Dexter spoke. "But how are we gonna do this?"

Cassie later spoke. "I know just the plan!"

Their plan begins. And Nathan immediately spots Orion`s shadow.

"I thought I knocked you out!" Nathan spoke. "Well, time to knock you out again!"

While Nathan was distracted, Jashley, Dexter, and Neko knocked Nathan`s men out. And Cassie freed Mei, Evelyn, Mei, and Miss Rosa. Cassie then follows Nathan to stop him.

"Say bye-bye now." Nathan spoke. Orion smiled and spoke back. "You should say bye-bye."

Cassie then sprays a can of nutgen onto Nathan`s mouth, causing him to freak out on the floor. Eventually, the cops arrived and arrested Nathan Roger and his men.

Outside of the Mall. Helen spoke to the others

"Cassie, Orion, Mei, Evelyn, Jashley, Dexter, Neko, thanks. If it wasn't for you, our house would be destroyed, and great-grandmother would be kidnapped forever."

"It was nothing" Cassie spoke. They later watched as Helen and Miss Flora walk to their home. Cassie then looked to her friends.

"Thanks guys. I couldn't have done it without you."

"I'm glad we came to help." Neko spoke.

"Anyways, its time for me to go home. See you guys soon someday?"

"Yea. Sure." Mei spoke.

The group watches as Cassie Drew walked off, relieving to solve a mystery

Trivia

 * This is the first part to be the longest ever.
 * This part is loosely based on the Nancy Drew book "The Hidden Staircase". This part is also based on the film adaptation of the same book.
 * There were various Nancy Drew references:
 * Before the case, Jashley was mentioned practicing whistling a bagpipe. Which is a reference to "The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes".
 * Orion was mentioned inspecting the mansion`s old attic in the middle of the night. Which is a reference to "The Secret in the Old Attic".
 * Mei was mentioned checking an old clock in the middle of the night. The old clock is a reference to the very first Nancy Drew book "The Secret of the Old Clock."
 * Nathan Roger mentioned "the witch tree symbol" during his interview. Which is a reference to "The Witch Tree Symbol."
 * This is the first part where Mei swears.