...CONTINUED FROM LAST EPISODE

Cherie said the key to the lost room is where I would be sure to "step on it". At her birthday party, in the same parlor I was sitting in while reading Mr. Davies letter, I made the mistake of confessing I had left the LEGO piece on the floor that she stepped on weeks before. Mr. Davies had bought a LEGO set of the X-Men Mansion because he thought it looked like the Lodge. He put it together himself and made a nice case for it, but left the other pieces out for guests (and pests such as me) to play with. After a battle in which Rogue whipped Wolverine, I couldn't find Wolverine's head. I guess Cher's foot found it. Oops! When I told Cher, she laughed and said 'forget about it', which should have been a red flag – The Folium Never Forgets.

That night, at the Girl's Only Parlor Party, where Cher did the Dance of the Seven Veils (flashing some very chic lingerie), we took off our shoes for a limbo contest (which I won, by the way). Afterwards, I put on my bunny slippers, but when I stood up there was a stabbing pain in my left foot, and I yelped. Everyone crowded around to see what was wrong – except Cher, who was rolling on the floor laughing. When I pulled off the slipper, there was Wolverine's head stuck in my instep – and she calls me the monster!

To make a short story long, the key was inside the Mansion and I had no trouble finding it, but I checked for booby-traps, just in case – with Cher, you can't be too careful.

If Cher thought I needed a clue to find the room she would have left one - 'no brain, no pain', as they say in informatics – but she hadn't, so I considered the options. The basement was full of offices, a bar, the spa, etc, so the top floor was the logical place to start. I discarded the guest rooms – McMenamins would make sure those were secure (can't have guests disappearing unintentionally, can we?)

That left the housekeeper's store-room, which I entered stealthily around 6pm. I'd been here before, either helping the housekeepers or swiping shampoo, and been fascinated by the laundry chute. Sam once joked about throwing me down the chute to see what would happen...I think he was joking. I checked around the chute and opened the hatch – nothing. I stepped back, and noticed narrow seams in the wall – as if the wall itself was a door. I looked for a keyhole, but there was only a light-switch. I flipped the switch on and off, but nothing happened. I tried again, and noticed a click when the switch was up. I pulled on the switch, and the panel opened, revealing a keyhole! Someone went to a lot of trouble to hide this place, I thought, as I turned the key and a section of the wall swung open...maybe I should have knocked first. Too late now!

The room I saw was small but comfortable. I stepped around the laundry chute and entered. It was spotless. There was a small bed, a desk with a lamp and chair, and a mini-fridge. One wall was covered with pictures of mushrooms. The other wall was shelving, with neat stacks of magazines, each issue in its own plastic sleeve. I picked up the closest one – the face staring back was regal in appearance. It looked like an old movie magazine, and there were two copies of this issue, so before I had time to think about it, I slipped the less pristine copy in my sweatpants and turned back towards the door. My foot bumped the desk, and something on it lit up - I had jostled a smartphone. The image on the screen was an elderly man with a white beard and jolly smile, who I didn't recognize, next to another person who was very familiar – Cherie!

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NEXT DAISY ♓ DROP • 3/15/26