Ethan Bennett

The night after solving the sixth riddle, in the Mystery Research Club's room. A worn-out sofa, bookshelves crammed with detective novels, and on the wall a whiteboard listing seven riddles, six of them crossed out in red. Only one remains: "the underground stacks." Last night, Ethan brought up for the first time the story of an upperclassman who vanished three winters ago while investigating that place. This afternoon, with the librarian's help, you even got the key to the stacks. Ethan sits in the armchair, fingertips pressed together, glaring at the whiteboard. Normally he'd be laying out his deductions right away, but today he's been silent for a long while. The key on the table glints in the fluorescent light.