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RIP Creed. Sorry that he had to go but it’s an interesting choice being that every can assume and seems to assume it was natural causes.

Ah the mystery of the journal book. It does seem very much like it was Pam. It will be interesting to see.

I happen to love Erin and it was nice to get a little bit of her story here too.

You are doing such a wonderful job of weaving tougher the mystery and the love story and keeping us all intrigued.

And then to have it end with that Roy confession. You are quite the queen of cliffhanger.

For once I don’t have to worry about being spoiled in the chat. Yeah me. And yeah you for such a great job with this chapter.

I don't know how you do it, but this fic just keeps getting more and more interesting!

First time catching one of these things in the nick of time!

Okay, first off, Creed? How *dare*. Where will we get our Creed Thoughts now? I kid, of course, but I'm just glad he's at peace.

The ending with Roy was ingenious. You captured his actions and mannerisms perfectly here. His absolute drunken state, the knawing guilt, relying on the man he probably already knows is trying to steal his fiance... it's extremely tragic. I'm not sympathetic to Roy, but I can't help but feel that he doesn't deserve what's happening... I'll get to that.

But nooo, Erin! Please! Look, I love Kelly too, but I will say if it was her, we're getting some premiere Ryan moments, and I am here for that.

Phyllis and Andy's revelations were welcome, the latter making complete sense given the canon character's history. He seems fine financially, but Nard Dog will be ruined if the Bernards' reputation tanks. He cares about status more than money.

Okay, the two are Pam and Toby.
Pam? The book and possibly manipulating Roy as she laid peacefully despite all that unrest and Jim is running ragged, probably doing this *for* him in the first place. Sweet Irony.
But... I dunno, Toby just seems more plausible. We now know absolutely nothing about him- heck, we know more about Erin now, the poor thing, and *he knows this house*. Inside and out. And with the book, he not only has an idea of Jim's thought process but also knows exactly which buttons to press, when, and how often. And returning the book is only gonna drive Jim even madder, now that he's crafting an extremely useful alibi in Pam.
Do believe Roy is a killer? Sure. But he's not one to pull the strings, especially not in the state he's in right now. He wants Pam framed and jailed, preventing him or anyone else-especially Jim-from having her.

Michael dogs on him a lot in canon, but if Season 4 has proven anything, he can act like a spineless coward when it comes to Pam, a mere infatuation. Obvious? Not too much, but definitely plausible.

And finally... Never change Dwight, never change.

Oscar... in the sitting room... with the candlestick? You slay me.

I love Jim’s gambit here with Dwight and how perfectly it hits the mark. I'm glad you're showing us Jim being a clever reporter who knows how to get information with people. The Money callback here was also great... I am very interested in what the 1940s version of Sprinkles being euthanized was.

Pam sliding into bed with him and them waking up cuddled together was ADORABLE. And the bathtub scene... wow. Also, very femme fatale move, Pam. #PamIsTheKiller #TeachTheControversy

THAT CLIFFHANGER. HOW DARE YOU, MADAM. PLEASE WRITE FAST.

I hope it was Roy who was killed LOL. But I have a feeling that would put all the suspicion on Pam and make Jim not trust her again :(

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And the murderball begins to roll.

The Agatha Christie novel thing was great, and my word Dwight and Oscar were the absolute highlights of this chapter. The exchanges full of regret and resentment and bitterness are just so eloquently translated. The subtle callback to "Money" and the attitude towards homosexuality at the time does demonstrate Jim's truly empathetic nature, despite his fast-talking snark. Hell, you did this whole love square plot better than the show did.

So the guessing game:
I don't think it's most of the staff. Kevin and Erin are none too bright and total sweethearts (despite the former's gambling problem), Kelly couldn't care less, Creed just wants to be left to his own devices, Devon's not even around half the time, and the closest I can see is Ryan, but he wouldn't really have the motivation or the drive other than Packer's a prick (or his paycheck).

So my three possible culprits now are:

PHYLLIS: We know the least about Phyllis, and her actions indicate she's hiding something.

ANDY: We know even less about Andy, only that he's flamboyant, a singer, and went to Cornell (so, canon). He *does* come from big money, after all; the Bernard family is loaded and can definitely have some secrets, none of which may even involve him. And he is the one who found the next body, so he may be responsible for that murder alone?

Not JIM, not PAM... but TOBY. Who seeks to frame one or both of them for the murders.
-----
THE ALIBIS:
- Jim: I've mentioned before his silence towards Pam and his shock when seeing Packer's body being indications of guilt, but there's the fact that he would do *anything* for Pam, how the story has been pushed aside for Pam.
- Pam: His notebook was missing the next morning after he and Pam made love (more on that later), she was gone for a period of time this morning before she cuddled by his side, and if Jim is the genius this story paints him as, he guessed it was her from the start.
- TOBY: He's the HoH. He has access to every room in the vicinity, knows the place inside and out. Kevin is an easy target (the poor thing), as can the other staff... well mostly just Ryan, but that's because he's an ass.
He has barely interacted with anyone in this story, and it's always Jim, always antagonistically. He responded to Packer's death with "stunned silenced", which can easily be faked. He snuck around while the Schruperts were hot on the case.
He knows Laurels' estate inside and out. If anyone can trap all of them there, it's him.

THE NOTEBOOK:
- Jim: Someone is already onto him and has stolen it. Bear in mind, he flipped out when it went missing, and who knows what other info he had *besides* the profiles of the various guests and employees? He may have info of the house itself, he's gone for walks in the past.
- Pam: She knows how smart he is, and he can deduce how any one of them can be framed for their crimes. So she stole it, not to incriminate him but one of the others, giving him the story he's been looking for, a story that will give them a lovely life of luxury.
- TOBY: With the notebook, he now has access to Jim's entire experience in the house so far. And he can easily craft something out of that, something that will incriminate either party. Hell, Jim probably wrote some passages about Pam, giving him more ammo.

MOTIVATION:
- Jim: He wants to write the biggest story The Philidelphia Tribune has ever seen, to give Pam the life she deserves.
- Pam: She's so sick of Roy's bull, of Packer, of this whole damn life and wants to live a fancy new life with Jim, possibly on the run.
- TOBY: obviously his immediate crush on Pam. This probably isn't the first time he's seen her, either; Roy must've visited with Packer a lot and they get along despite the leverage he had over Roy, and Pam - of course - would always tag along. Her bright face and sunny disposition warmed his heart, but he hoped one day Roy can be out of the picture, and that nearly could've happened... but she wants Jim.
And if *Toby* can't have her, *then nobody will*. And both lovers will suffer for it. Because his bitterness and resentment took control of his life.

"'What kind of notes are you taking?'"

"He made an entry for Toby that included only that he was head of the house staff and not that he had sent a chill up Jim’s spine."

"Jim wasn’t sure where Toby’s sudden hostility had come from, but he didn’t care to stick around for more of it."

"Others were missing, too--Kelly and Erin, TOBY, PHYLLIS, Ryan, Michael--but it didn’t matter."

And this is the most telling:

"This outwardly benign line of questioning and the way Toby talked was starting to get underneath Jim’s skin and make him feel...unsettled. And not just because he didn’t know how to answer Toby’s query, but also because he suddenly was struck with the realization that these were people, real people, and he’d been sneaking around the house hoping to dig up dirt on them so he could jot it down in his little leatherbound book."

Jim and Pam seem to be too empathetic and kind to kill someone... but Toby sure isn't. It may be too obvious, but the plausibility and the motives are certainly there. This is why I believe if any of the three *actually* did it, Roy is that dead body Andy found.

My hope is that the ending isn't a tragedy (since that's not one of the genres) and that if either Jim or Pam really *is* the killer, the two have some sort of happy ending (which is legit my only concern right now because *it's well-deserved*.)

If you've ever read my writing, I'm a big fan of character studies, and you got me roped into a piece of fiction that meets that niche.

I can't stand it. Thank you.

Well done!

Oh my word this is so good, has me absolutely gripped!

I have a question - do you know who the murderer is already, do you have that plotted out? Or are you just winging it really well? ;)

Author's Response: Maybe a little bit of both! ;)

My brain is melted from being back to work so the coherency of my reviews is down a keleventy percent, but I need you to know that this is perfect & I’m genuinely devastated that Jim and Dwight solving crime in the Savannah isn’t a spin off show that NBC has run with. You should pitch it to them, with this story.

Okay, I am still deeply suspicious of why Packer wanted Wallace here.

I like how this came out when Jim observing Dwight and Angela's relationship. It felt like you struck the right balance between recognizing that the audience feels like they've got a good idea of what the dynamic is, and acknowledging that Jim doesn't and wouldn't just be able to tell somehow.

I will say, I Feel like Pam is still very much alive as a reasonable murder suspect, and I am going to be just tickled pink if you end up going that route. That feels like it would be fascinating. But also, my suspect after this chapter is... Schoolboy Rowe, probably in consultation with Creed, who has been giving him illicit steroid-like substances.

Oh BT! I am so enthralled by this story! All the delightfully intricate details and canon elements woven so seamlessly together, it feels so original. Jim and Dwight working as a team is just perfect. I can’t wait to read all these clues unfolding like a flower in the coming chapters.

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“I’m protecting someone I love. That’s all you’ll hear from me.” ...DAMN, THAT HURT

There's that Lipton-Angela-Dwight-Oscar love square mess I've been waiting for! I really feel for Dwight here, the near pet-name got to me.

I love that Jim is pushing for evidence, despite all odds. Even Dwight, who he's already had a rapport with. But he's methodical, too, telling them the truth but with a easy, calming tone. It gains their trust, and thus, spills their secrets. No wonder he wants to write bigger stories.

Angela is SO in character here. Stubborness, denial, regret, deflection... excellent. Also, Oscar, being a Georgian native? Great, now all I can hear is his voice from the real "Murder" episode. "...We'got no greenbacks..." Curious as to what his deal is (outside of the obvious).

I mean... I dunno, I'm still pointing my finger at Phyllis, but we'll see. As I said, Toby is too outwardly weird to be the guy, Michael is well, Michael, and Jim? Okay, I'm going to say no, but I'm keeping that in my back pocket. Not letting that go, not completely.

Still, though, an amazing turn of events, can't wait to read more!

(How did you do this to me?)

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So I usually leave reviews following every few chapters but I downloaded the whole thing as a ePub when I finally got to start it. because of that I've been reading it like a novel because frankly it reads like one.

So clever and intriguing and it's really keeping me on the edge of my seat.

I got all caught up in a few days reading until later than I planned in the evenings cause it's so good.

The dynamics you've got going with Jim and Dwight are delightful, Jim still clearly frustrated with this strange guy but I also am enjoying the slight swap of their roles.

And the love story brewing with Pam and Jim is just as much heartfelt as in show but with the added pang for Pams situation this time tied to Roy by something more than her own personal chains. This addition both adds suspense and suspicion but also makes us root even more for the Jim to protect her and sweep her away.

Can't wait to see what's going to happen next.