Clue [Sanders Sides AU]

Chapter Two - Under Cover of the Dark

"Gentlemen, you all have one thing in common," Thomas declared, "You're all being blackmailed."

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone processed the information.

"For some considerable time, all of you have been paying what you can afford and in some cases, more than you can afford, to someone who threatens to expose you and none of you know who's blackmailing you, do you?"

"Oh, please," Anxious huffed, "I've never heard anything so ridiculous," he slowly began to ramble again, "I mean, nobody could blackmail me. My life is an open book," that's a lie and he knew it, "I've never done anything wrong."

Thomas looked around the room, a calmness in his gaze, "Anybody else wish to deny it?"

The question was met with silence.

"Very well," Thomas continued on with his explanation, "As everyone here is in the same boat, there's no harm in my revealing some details, and my instructions are to do so," he took a seat on the edge of the desk, various papers in hand, "Thank you, Remy," he offered the other butler a small smile, silently dismissing him.

"Sure thing," he quietly replied, exiting the room at a fast pace.

"Don't you think you might spare us this humiliation?" Snake spoke up.

"I'm sorry," Thomas offered Snake a sympathetic glance, "Professor Demented," he quickly turned his focus to the claimed psychologist, who had made himself comfortable by the fireplace, "You were once a professor of psychiatry, specializing in helping paranoid and homicidal lunatics suffering from delusions of grandeur."

"Yes, but now I work for the United Nations," Demented replied simply, taking another drag from his cigarette

"So, your work has not changed. But you don't practice medicine at the UN," Thomas made his way over to the desk, "His license to practice has been lifted. Correct?"

"Why?" Heart asked, tilting his head in Demented's direction, a curiosity held in his eyes, "What'd he do?"

"His relationships with his patients weren't very professional," Princey cut in, taking a small swig from his drink.

"Wait, you're saying he—"

"I didn't sleep with any of my patients," Demented cut in, shooting a glare at Heart, "I was just..." he trailed off, making a gesture with his hand, "Overly friendly."

Anxious couldn't help but make a disgusted face, unsure of what exactly "overly friendly," entailed. Thomas seemed to notice the face he made, "Are you making moral judgment, Mr. Anxious," he asked, slowly approaching the young man, "How, then, do you justify taking bribes?" he took a seat in the empty space on the couch Anxious sat on, "In return for delivering your father Senator Anxious' vote to certain lobbyists?"

"My father is a paid consultant," Anxious countered, "There is nothing wrong with that."

"Not if it's publicly declared, perhaps," Thomas took in a deep breath before continuing, "But if the payment is delivered by slipping used greenbacks in plain envelopes under the door of the men's room, how would you describe that transaction?"

"I'd say it stinks," Princey declared, having made his way over to the butler and Anxious, his drink half empty.

"Oh, how would you know?" Anxious snapped in reply, shooting Princey a glare, "When where you in that men's room?"

"So it's true?" Demented asked.

"No, it's a vicious lie!" Anxious exclaimed, standing up from his seat on the couch for only a moment, glaring hard at the poorly dressed man.