Welcome one and all to the Last Door on the Left – a travel agency for the adventurous soul. Have you always wanted to see the world beyond the wardrobe? Longed to wait for the train at 9 ¾? Pined for tickets to hear Plava Laguna sing at Phloston Paradise? Look no further.
Welcome, wayfarers, to The Last Door on the Left; a travel agency catering to the intrepid among us. This week, we’re aiming for decadence with a hint of whodunit, so the Door opens into a beautiful mansion in New England, fully staffed for your convenience – if you can survive the experience.
As you arrive at the manor, be sure to enjoy the dramatic landscaping of the grounds. The undertaking of appreciating the estate begins when you get blown in on a dark and stormy night. And check in with the butler, Wadsworth, upon arriving at the house, as he will doubtlessly be running the show. Of course, if you ask him what a butler does, he’ll tell you, “I buttle, sir.”
Savvy Traveller Side Note #1: keep an eye on the other guests, and take everything you’re told with a grain of salt. Your own observations will tell you more than anything they’re likely to say! More that you can believe, anyway.
Savvy Traveller Side Note #2: Host gift. If you’ve had the foresight and thoughtfulness to bring one, definitely don’t hesitate to present it. Somehow, we think the window of opportunity won’t last long.
Packing Pro-Tip #1: magnifying glass. You never know when you might need to solve a murder, and the minutiae can mean the difference between Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick, and Professor Plum in the study with the revolver.
Feel free to look around the house as you get settled in; it’s important that you get a feel for your surroundings. Secret passageways are unlikely to find themselves!
Savvy Traveller Side Note #3: the guests are not the only ones with secrets. Did the Cook really pick up those knife skills in culinary school? Is that French maid even French? Oui oui, madame! (oh no, I just want to powder my nose.)
Packing Pro-Tip #2: a note pad. Proper note taking can make all the difference when it comes to deducing the responsible party from a roomful of plausible suspects. “A double negative has led to proof positive!”
Of course, should the worst occur and you find yourself with a murder to solve, a seven-door farce-style exploration of the victim’s last moments is clearly the next logical step. Watch out for distractions, slain staff, and twice-killed corpses. Nothing is what it seems where blackmail and its prey are involved!
Savvy Traveller Side Note #4: No one is safe, no one is sane (FLAMES! FLAMES ON THE SIDE OF MY FACE!) and no one is innocent. These may be the best dressed baddies on the block, but bet your bottom dollar, any one of them could be holding the candlestick in the conservatory or the lead pipe in the billiard room.
If, after all the bodies have been examined and all the notes have been taken, after all of the potential “endings” have been explored, you’re still not sure you can definitively say who the murderer is, perhaps it’s time to take another look at Wadsworth? After all, you know what they always say…
The butler did it.
