What Friends Are For

Decoded

"This doesn't make any sense!" Ms. Henry exclaimed from the hallway, disturbing everyone at the breakfast table.

"I'll go see what she's talking about." Violet said as Klaus's eyes narrowed. It only confirmed her suspicions that her brother was planning something, possibly something dangerous, and she felt that she had the responsibility to stop him in whatever way possible.

But when she read the letter from Lily, she couldn't tell what it was supposed to mean and brought it into the kitchen for help. Klaus looked through it, and by the shock that formed on his face, decoded it immediately.

"'I don't know where I am but I think I'm near Briny Beach. Send help and I...love you all, Lily Shade.' She used the first word of each sentence as a word to tell us what she knows so far! It's simple and yet brilliant!"

"Then where do you think she is? Our old house?" Violet and Klaus shared a look. Klaus knew Violet was only being protective, but she was coming off as rude and inconsiderate.

"I think Count Olaf took her to his house. Maybe we should go visit Justice--"

"No Klaus. I would love to see Justice Strauss, too, but if Olaf is only across the street--"

"That's what friends are for." Sunny chimed in. No one could think of a better comeback.

"Sunny's right Violet." Duncan said as he patted the youngest Baudelaire on the head. "That's what friends are for. We need to find Lily, whatever it takes. You wouldn't stop looking for us, so we won't stop until we find her."

"But how do we know she's in that house specifically?"

"I don't know Violet." Klaus said skeptically. "I guess we have to think like Lily for this, like when Aunt Josephine faked her death."

"But Aunt Josephine loved Grammar and had a whole library to look her mistakes up. She wasn't a detective with notes and--" here Violet gasped. She looked at the mail on the table and pulled her hair up in a ribbon. The clues were right there like Lily had said. "Pictures never lie." She finished, picking up the Metro Daily and Ms. Henry's magazine for the rich investors.

"What does my magazine have to do with Lily's note? I only get it once a month, and Lily usually steals the older copies."

"Has she ever said why?"

"Not in English."

"Ég þarf það til að ná í serialistsins." Michel said from behind her. "I asked her what it means but she wouldn't tell me. She only said it was Icelandic."

"It means 'I need it to catch a serial arsonist.'" Klaus translated. "What's your idea Violet?"

"Lily can tell who Olaf and his associates are by looking at their pictures. We need to get every file and picture of Olaf, especially disguised, and see if he has bought any real-estate in the past month or so."

"We don't have to look far," Duncan said as he scanned through the magazine. "Al Funcoot has bought himself a house in the city near Briny Beach, which once belonged to the notorious Count Olaf, who is still on the lam."

"What does Al Funcoot have to do with this?" Ms. Henry asked. The Baudelaire's then showed her that Al Funcoot was only an alias for Count Olaf. "Should we call the authorities?" There was a pause to think. Olaf was always two steps ahead of them, so why should this be any different?

"No," the six orphans said together. They began to plan out a way to help Lily escape Olaf's clutches.