"What!? It can't be." - Annabel screams, distraught.

"Believe me, Annabel. Unfortunately, it is." - I say, trying to calm her down.

"It's terrifying, but it's true." - Arthur adds. - "We left her in the woods. There's nothing we can do now. She's been eliminated."

"But why!? Why!?" - Rose, shaken, collapses into a chair.

"This is all my fault." - Annabel replies, crying. - "I should never have organized this meeting here at the villa."

"Stop crying." - Arthur interjects. - "You have nothing to do with this. The culprit is definitely that mysterious man. First, he kidnapped Lucy, and then he eliminated her."

"What do we do now?" asks Mary, frightened. - "He could come back and attack us too."

"No, nothing will happen to us if we lock ourselves in the house." - I respond, trying to reassure the girls.

"Lucy shouldn't have gone out alone." - Robert interjects. - "Her recklessness has cost her dearly. Now let's try to stay calm and all go to sleep."

"What kind of person are you!?" - Arthur glares at him with disgust.

"He's right, we can't do anything else for now." - Joel chimes in.

"Let's barricade all the doors and windows." - Annabel says, having recovered from her tears. - "Tomorrow morning, we should find a way to leave the villa and report everything to the police."

"You all go to your rooms and lock yourselves in. I'll take care of the other doors and windows." - as I speak, I look at Joel and stop him. - "You'll help me."

Everyone heads up to their rooms. Joel and I check and close all the doors and windows on the ground floor. We head upstairs. The silence is unsettling. It's now past midnight. Before entering my room, I go back downstairs to check the shoe cabinet near the entrance.

"What are you looking for?" - Joel asks.

"I'm looking for Lucy's slippers. They're not here. If she really went out the front door, she must have left them somewhere. I think she never left."

"Where are you going with this? Maybe the mummy got into the villa by climbing in through Lucy's bedroom window."

"No. The girls checked all the doors and windows when we went out. They would have definitely noticed if Lucy's was left open. I think she went out of her own volition. When she did, she took off her slippers to put on her shoes. If you noticed, she was wearing them when we found her."

"So, she must have gone out the service door."

"Yes, Joel. I think so too. Let's go see."

We head to the opposite side of the villa, and in front of the door, we find Lucy's slippers.

"These are her slippers, there's no doubt." - Joel observes. - "Her name is even written on them."

"So, Lucy left the house through the service door. But I don't understand why she would come this way and not through the front door. Maybe she did it to avoid being seen by us. Joel, did you notice how much mud there is on the threshold? It looks like this exit is used quite often."

"This door leads to the basement or the wood shed. It's normal for it to be used frequently. Now that we've found the slippers, let's go to sleep. We'll think about it tomorrow."

"Yes, you're right. Let's go to sleep too."

We head to our room, and each get into our beds. Within a few minutes, I hear Joel's breathing turn into deep snoring. I can't fall asleep.

"Something doesn't add up." - I think. - "The mummy kidnapped Lucy when she left through the service door. Why didn't he run into the woods? Why did he pass in front of the windows of the living room, which are on the opposite side? Maybe he wanted to scare us? And why did he attack Rose in the woods? It's too complicated at this hour of the night. I'll think about it tomorrow."

I close my eyes, and Morpheus takes hold of me.

After a few hours of deep sleep, we are awakened by a scream coming from Rose's room. We rush in that direction and find her on the bed, wrapped in the sheets.

"The mummy came into my room and wanted to kidnap me."

"But then he really is after you." - Robert tells her.

"How did he get into your room?" - Arthur asks. - "You closed the window, right?"

"Yes, I closed it." - Rose replies.

"He made a hole in the glass and opened the window." - I observe, moving the curtains.

"But how did he manage to get up here?" - Robert asks.

"Probably climbed from there." - Arthur points to a tree that significantly exceeds the first-floor balcony.

"Joel..." - I say quietly - "there's something strange. It's raining. If the mummy entered from outside, we should have footprints or wet marks on the floor."

"Yes, you're right." - Joel observes, then turns to the others - "Listen, it's not safe to be alone. Let's all sleep in the living room and wait for dawn. As we go down the stairs, I notice something peculiar."

"Annabel, is that the velvet ribbon that Lucy wore around her neck?"

"Yes, it belonged to her. I found it when you all went out to chase the mummy. It was on the ground in front of the front door."

None of us can sleep. Outside, it's pouring rain. Our silence is interrupted by Robert's voice.

"We're dealing with a madman. After Lucy, now he wants to strike Rose."

"And what if he wants to eliminate us all? One by one?" - Marc asks, alarmed.

"Don't say nonsense, Marc. You're just scaring us more." - Mary shouts.

"Let's all try to stay calm." - I try to restore calm while thinking - "There's something really strange. If the mummy kidnapped Lucy and ran into the woods to eliminate her, we should have found the ribbon she had around her neck at the scene of the crime and not in front of the main door of the villa."

"Rose, why didn't you react immediately when the mummy came into your room?" - Mary asks her.

"I was very scared. I screamed as much as I could, and she ran away."

Robert approaches Rose and, in a flattering tone, reassures her.

"Don't worry, little one. The mummy can't hurt you now that I'm here beside you. And besides, there are many of us, and she's alone. She will never have the courage to attack us."

"Listen, Rose, were you unable to see who it was?" - Mary continues.

"Unfortunately, not because it was dark."

While the boys are talking, my eye catches Arthur's camera.

"Maybe when Lucy was kidnapped, he was filming."

I ask Arthur for permission to use it. I rewind the tape and watch what has been recorded. Rose and Mary are seen in front of the living room window, and behind them, outside, is the mummy carrying Lucy's body.

"Just as I thought. Lucy has the ribbon around her neck. So, the mummy kidnapped her and then passed in front of the window. But Lucy left the house through the service door. Why did the mummy pass by here? And what if it was one of them? Maybe there's some old grudge or desire for revenge among them. No, it's not possible. When Lucy was kidnapped, we were all together in the dining room."

"If you want, I can make coffee for everyone," Annabel suggests.

"Good idea. We really need it," replies Robert.

"Annabel, excuse the question. If I'm not mistaken, you were the last person to see Lucy alive."

"Exactly."

"When we went upstairs, I noticed she was pale as if she had seen a ghost."

"Yes, when we got near the rooms, she picked up a letter that was under her door. After reading it, she changed colour."

"The content of the letter must have convinced her to leave the house," I say quietly to Joel.

"This explains the presence of the slippers in front of the service door," Joel reflects, still quietly.

"She wanted to leave without being seen by anyone."

"But who could have delivered the letter to her?"

"It must have been one of your friends. We need to find out. What I don't understand, however, is why the mummy attacked Rose twice. Lucy might be the cause of old grudges, but Rose doesn't know any of you. She's here only because her cousin Mary invited her. Like me, she met you for the first time when we arrived. Wait a minute. Maybe she saw something she shouldn't have seen!?"

"Here's the coffee."

Our conversation is interrupted by Annabel's arrival. In the meantime, I approach Rose.

"Miss Rose, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Yes, of course."

"Did you already know these people?"

"No, apart from Mary and Annabel, I met everyone else here for the first time."

"What did you do when you arrived at the villa?"

"I went upstairs to find my room. Not knowing which one it was, I opened them all, and by mistake, I walked into Robert's room and then into Arthur's and also into Marc's. How embarrassing. They were changing." Rose turns completely red in the face.

"Did you notice anything unusual?"

"For example, what?"

"I don't know. Bandages, a cloak..."

"Mr. De Giorgi..." Robert interjects, "...are you suggesting that the mummy is one of us?"

"Don't mind what he says," Joel interjects. "My mentor likes to play detective."

"Rose, are you sure you didn't see anything?" I ask again.

"I was embarrassed. They were changing. I closed the door immediately. But now that I think about it, something caught my eye. I can't focus on it. But I don't think it's an important detail. Anyway, I don't remember."

"Think carefully, Rose. It's very important."

At that moment, a loud thunder and a blinding flash illuminate the room. The power goes out, and we are left completely in the dark.

"The lights went out," Mary says, frightened.

"This storm couldn't have come at a worse time," Robert observes.

"Guys, I'm scared," Marc's voice is very frightened.

"I'll go get some candles," Annabel hurries to say.

"Are you sure you want to go alone?" Arthur asks.

"I'll go with her," Rose interjects.

"If you don't mind, I'll come with you," I add, following the two girls.

We fumble down the hallway and find two candlesticks. Annabel lights them. As we head back toward the living room, we hear a strange sound of breaking glass.

"What is that noise?" Rose asks, scared.

"I think it came from the living room," Annabel replies.

"Do you think it's another attack from the mummy?" Rose asks again.

Suddenly, we sense a presence running toward us and throwing something. I push the girls against the wall. We turn and look at the floor.

"But that's the same axe the mummy wanted to throw at me in the woods," Rose screams.

"The mummy has struck again," Annabel replies.

"By now I'm sure of it. That man wants to eliminate Rose," I think, looking at the axe. "But why does he have it in for her?"

Suddenly, we hear a scream.

"But that's Mary's voice," Rose observes.

All three of us run toward the living room with the lit candles. Once we arrive, we see the others staring up.

"The French window of the staircase has been opened. Don't move from here. Joel, come with me." As I say this, we run up the stairs. "What a disaster."

"Look, Giorgio. The mummy broke the glass of the window to get into the villa."

"No, I don't think so. The window isn't closed from the inside. If the mummy had entered from the outside and actually broken the glass to get in, the window would still be closed, and the lock bar would be in the hole of the frame. Instead, the latch is not in its guide. Maybe the culprit opened the window from the inside, went out onto the balcony, and slightly opened it, and to make it look like he entered from the outside, he broke the glass."

"He climbed in again from the balcony," Robert's voice behind me startles me.

"I told you not to move," I say reproachfully.

"We can't just stand and watch," Robert replies, stepping out onto the balcony with Arthur.

"He climbed in again by climbing the tree," Arthur points to it for the second time.

"Joel..." I pull him aside. "...now, I'm sure. Whoever attacked Rose and kidnapped Lucy is one of those three."

While I watch them on the balcony, I notice a detail that makes me understand the trick the murderer used. The only thing that is still unclear to me is why he wants to eliminate Rose, but I will soon find out. We all return to the dining room.

"And now what do we do?" Mary asks.

"Let's do nothing," I interject in a deep voice. "I know who the real culprit is. I know the identity of the mummy. Thanks to a series of clues, I have figured out who is responsible for Lucy's crime."

"Stop it. What are you saying, Giorgio!?" Robert yells.

"Let him speak," Joel interjects.

"But we all know that the real culprit is the mummy," Robert continues.

"Yes, exactly," Arthur adds. "And it's still in the woods, ready to strike us again."

"Do you really believe it's still in the woods?" I reply with a laugh. "Let's recap everything. The first time, Rose was attacked in the woods. Then in her room. And what was the condition of the room?"

"It was all in order," Arthur observes. "He got into her room from the balcony."

"Exactly, he climbed the tree and scaled the balcony railing," Robert clarifies.

"Let's assume it went exactly as you two say. Why weren't there any traces of mud in Rose's room if it was raining outside?" I ask, watching their expressions.

"That's true, why not?" Arthur wonders.

"The reason is very simple. The culprit has always been inside the villa. He got into Lucy's empty room, came out onto the balcony, and entered Rose's room to eliminate her. But her screams scared him. He fled. He returned to Lucy's room and changed. Then he joined us in Rose's room with an innocent demeanour, pretending to be worried about the new attack. In conclusion, the culprit of Lucy's crime and the attacker of Rose are the same person, and it's one of you."

"Mr. Giorgio," Robert interjects, "I understand you enjoy playing detective. But think. When that man kidnapped Lucy, we were all in the dining room, remember? No one was missing. So, it's mathematically impossible that one of us is the mummy."

"Robert, you're mistaken, and you should know it. It just takes a few stage tricks, and the game is done. The kidnapping was staged inside the villa with a dummy."

"What!? A dummy!?" Robert asks, astonished.

"Exactly, an inflatable puppet resembling the mummy. Lucy's body was tied to the dummy, and then, with the aid of a long rope, our man created a pulley system. He attached the rope from one side of the balcony to the other and then hung the dummy and Lucy so they could slide down the prepared rope. At the right moment, with mathematical precision, he cut it all. The puppet and Lucy fell in front of the window, but he, pulling the string, quickly retrieved them. Who could prepare this trick? Only the person who was upstairs in the villa because he was observing the wonders of the attic. Isn't that right, Marc?"

"Are you joking, Giorgio?" Marc says, in shock and fear.

"I have evidence for what I'm stating. The ropes left precise marks on the balcony railing, two fairly deep cuts. And then, given your experience in set design, you're the only one who knows how to invent cinematic tricks."

"But stop it. And according to you, how would I have gotten rid of Lucy's body? Don't you remember that when we went to look for her in the woods, I was there too? You would have seen me if I had retrieved the body."

"I also know how you got rid of the body. Do you remember the velvet ribbon that Annabel found in front of the front door? Lucy had it around her neck when we saw her pass in front of the window. But the ribbon was found after we went out to chase that man. This means someone passed in front of the front door with Lucy's body."

"It wasn't me. How could I carry the body while running? I wouldn't have been able to run in the woods dragging her body behind me. Don't you think?"

"It didn't happen like that. I realized why we didn't notice you, Marc," I observe him. "Because you only transported Lucy's head."

"What!?" everyone shouts, including Joel.

"That's the truth. We only saw Lucy's head pass in front of the window because the rest of her body was wrapped in a cloak. That's how it went."

"But that's absurd. What motive would I have had to eliminate Lucy? And why would I also want to get rid of Rose?" Marc yells desperately. "And there's one more thing..."

"Yes, it's true," I preempt him. "Why don't you declare it in front of everyone?" Marc looks at me, surprised. "You have an important piece of evidence in your favour. You know very well that your build and that of the mummy are very different."

"That's true, Marc," Annabel intervenes. "The mummy is much slimmer."

"Right," Arthur observes. "Why didn't you point that out right away?"

"Because it could backfire on him," I observe the astonished faces of everyone in the room. "Marc is afraid I'll ask him this question: 'Are you really that fat?'" He collapses to his knees. "Marc, you are not fat at all. In fact, you could hide Lucy's head under your sweater and return to the forest with all of us. Your plan was truly ingenious. In the letter, you arranged to meet Lucy in the woods where, undisturbed, you decided to eliminate her. Then you returned to the villa, executing the trick with the ropes. You recovered the evidence of the crime and hid it under your clothes. You ran into the woods behind us. All that was left was to pretend to look for Lucy and place the head at the crime scene. You fooled all of us. You let yourself be fooled by your size because you had a very precise plan to carry out in this villa. Congratulations, Marc. You devised a complex and seemingly foolproof plan. With the invention of the mummy, you could pin all your guilt onto someone else. But unfortunately, something happens that puts your plan at risk. In fact, it complicates after Rose accidentally opens the bedroom door and sees you changing. Rose doesn't know Marc like everyone else, and if she had thought about what she saw, she would have certainly noticed the difference in physique, and the plan to eliminate Lucy would have been lost. So, in the woods, you attacked Rose to try to silence her for good. But you failed and were forced to flee. After this incident, you feared your victim would get scared and decided to leave the villa to go home. So, you cut the phone line and caused the bridge to collapse. With the trick of the letter, you lured Lucy into the woods and eliminated her. I don't know what you wrote in the letter, but probably there was some reference to the story that happened five years earlier, to Christine, when you were all in the theatre club. Do I need to add anything else, Marc?"

"No, enough," Marc starts to cry. "It's true, it was me. I did it for Christine. One day, while we were working together on a project, Christine showed me a novel. Her dream was to become a famous writer. And then, inexplicably, she committed suicide. I understood why she took her own life. I realized it after I saw Lucy's short films."

"But why Lucy's film?" Mary asks.

"Are you suggesting that..." Robert interjects.

"Exactly. Her short film is nothing but the perfect copy of the novel that Christine wrote."

"I can't believe Lucy stole her story!?" - Arthur says to Marc, astonished.

"And that's exactly what happened. The screenplay that won her the critics' award was nothing, but the novel stolen from Christine." - Marc collapses into tears again - "The day before the award was given, the day before the suicide, Christine called me and told me she was devastated, that she could no longer trust anyone. That's why I wrote the letter to Lucy. I told her to come to the woods if she didn't want me to reveal her secret to everyone. She showed up, and I killed her, thus avenging poor Christine."

An unsettling silence falls. We all watch Marc on his knees. Suddenly, he stands up. He looks at us with the eyes of a lover.

"Now it's all over. Now that I've done my duty, I can join Christine." - he pulls a knife out from his jacket sleeve. Joel rushes towards Marc.

"No, don't do it, Marc."

"Stay away, Joel." - Marc presses the knife to his throat - "Christine, your suffering has been avenged. Now I can come to join you, my love."

"Great acting. Congratulations." - I interrupt Marc's outburst with applause - "I think it's time to end this ridiculous play."

"But what are you saying, Giorgio!?" - Joel asks, and for the first time, I notice in him the look of someone who has no idea what is happening.

"Perhaps, Marc, you have harboured the desire to avenge Christine, and for this reason, you committed the serious crime against Lucy, but then you also tried to eliminate Rose. This is not the act of a vindicator. This is the precise act of someone who does not want to pay for their crime with prison and hopes, until the end, to avoid being unmasked. Marc, you are not a vindicator. You have made the gravest of errors, hoping to get away with it." Marc lowers the knife and collapses to his knees in silence. The others watch him helplessly. I approach Joel, who is also still and immobile. "Now that everything is clear, I would say it's necessary to find a way to contact someone to free us from this isolation. Is there another way to get to the other side of the woods?"

"Given that it's already daylight," - Arthur interjects - "we can follow the path through the woods and descend the cliff to reach the village."

"Yes, let's do that. Once we reach the village, you will all go to the police to report what happened and turn Marc over to justice."

We set off. Marc, with his hands tied, goes down first. The others follow him. Joel and I bring up the rear.

"I would say my job is done."

"Yes, Giorgio. For the first time, I realize that this diary is not just special for you. I have always been shocked by Christine's suicide. Only today, thanks to you, have I managed to uncover the truth. Justice has triumphed. Thank you. I'm going with my friends. You go back to yours."

I stop to watch them descend the cliff. After a few steps, Joel turns around. He looks at me and smiles. He continues on his way while I, carried by the beam of light, return to my reality. The phone rings.

"Hello."

"But where the hell have you been!?" Anna's voice, my boss, makes me jump up from the sofa.

"I just got home, why?"

"Are you kidding me!? I've been calling you all day and you didn't answer. I'm sorry, Giorgio. You're fired."

"Fired!? But what did I do?" - I think, staring at my phone. I look outside the window. It's dark. I check the clock.

"But it's not possible!?" - I shout in shock. It's 10:00 PM on Monday, January 16th.