J. Smoke - The Reptile Room

Chapter TWELVE

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

After Klaus had pointed out the lie Stephano had told, he caused the other adults to have mixed feelings. Mr. Poe was furious. Stephano was annoyed. Inspector Haircut looked confused. And Nurse Lucafont was worried.

"Stephano," said Mr. Poe, "Klaus is indeed correct about what he said. What is going on?"

"When I said I knew nothing about snakes, I was only being modest," lied Stephano.

"That's not true!" Klaus cried. "Mr. Poe, this man is a liar and a murderer, and he killed our Uncle Monty."

"You have no evidence," snarled Stephano angrily.

"We actually do," Violet entered the room. Behind her was Smoke and Mr. Poe's secretary. Violet put Stephano's suitcase on the table, and poured the contents all over it.

"What's this?" asked Mr. Poe.

"It's my private junk collection," lied Stephano.

"It's the evidence to the crime Stephano has committed," Violet said.

"Nice girls shouldn't be snooping through other people's things," Mr. Poe said.

"My sister is a nice girl," said Klaus. "What she did was an emergency."

Violet picked up a small can from the pile. "This is a can of whitewash, Stephano used it to cover his tattoo on his ankle."

"That's absurd!" Stephano exclaimed.

"And here is a jar used for venom samples," Violet continued. "This one is labelled 'Mamba du Mal'. If someone looked in the cabinet for venom samples, they would see that it isn't in there."

Mr. Poe walked over to the cabinet, and opened it. "You're right," he said, "it is empty."

"Last night, Stephano used this sample of venom, and a syringe," Violet held out the object. "Stephano poked a hole with this very syringe, and poked an extra one to make it look like it was a snake bite."

"Normally," Klaus added, "In a book on the Mamba du Mal, if it actually bit Uncle Monty, it would give its victims a tenebrous hue."

"If we rub off the whitewash over Stephano's ankle," Violet said. "It will prove that he is Count Olaf."

"Okay," said Mr. Poe. "Who has a cloth?"

"Not me," Violet said.

"Not me," Klaus said.

"Oui!" Sunny said.

"Not me," Smoke said.

"Not me," said Mr. Poe's secretary.

"Not me," said Nurse Lucafont.

"Well if no one does," said Inspector Haircut. "We might as well forget about the whole thing."

Everyone ignored him.

"I have a cloth," Mr. Poe held it up.

"Are you kidding me, there's germs all over," said Stephano. "I don't want to end up with the flu of something."

"Well if you are Count Olaf, germs may be the least of your problems," Mr. Poe said. "Your left ankle, please."

Stephano—the last time I shall refer this man by his phony name—put his left ankle on the table, and watched as the banker licked his handkerchief, and crouch down low. He slowly began rubbing his ankle, and after a few seconds, the children could see the notorious tattoo of an eye staring right back at him. For the first time in their lives, the Baudelaires were happy to see it.