“I’ve told you over and over,” Stephano said, and Violet could tell that he was grow-ing angry. “The easiest way is for me to take the three children into town, while you follow with Dr. Lucafont and the corpse. What could be simpler?”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Mr. Poe said with a sigh, and Violet hurried into the Reptile Room.

“Klaus, Klaus,” she cried. “Tell me you’ve found something! I went to Stephano’s room but there’s nothing there to help us, and I think Stephano’s going to get us alone in his car.”

Klaus smiled for an answer and began to read out loud from the book he was holding.

“‘The Mamba du Mal,’” he read, “‘is one of the deadliest snakes in the hemisphere, noted for its strangulatory grip, used in conjunction with its deadly venom, giving all of its victims a tenebrous hue, which is ghastly to behold.’”

“Strangulatory? Conjunction? Tenebrous? Hue?” Violet repeated. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I didn’t either,” Klaus admitted, “until I looked up some of the words. ‘Strangulatory’ means ‘having to do with strangling.’ ‘In conjunction’ means ‘together.’ ‘Tenebrous’ means ‘dark.’ And ‘hue’ means ‘color.’ So the Mamba du Mal is noted for strangling people while it bites them, leaving their corpses dark with bruises.”

“Stop! Stop!” Violet cried, covering her ears. “I don’t want to hear any more about what happened to Uncle Monty!”

“You don’t understand,” Klaus said gently.

“That isn’t what happened to Uncle Monty.”

“But Dr. Lucafont said there was the venom of the Mamba du Mal in Monty’s veins,” she said.

“I’m sure there was,” Klaus said, “but the snake didn’t put it there. If it had, Uncle Monty’s body would have been dark with bruises. But you and I remember that it was as pale as can be.”

Violet started to speak, and then stopped, remembering the pale, pale face of Uncle Monty when they discovered him. “That’s true,” she said. “But then how was he poisoned?”

“Remember how Uncle Monty said he kept the venoms of all his poisonous snakes in test tubes, to study them?” Klaus said. “I think Stephano took the venom and injected it into Uncle Monty.”

“Really?” Violet shuddered. “That’s awful.”

“Okipi!” Sunny shrieked, apparently in agreement.

“When we tell Mr. Poe about this,” Klaus said confidently, “Stephano will be arrested for Uncle Monty’s murder and sent to jail. No longer will he try to whisk us away to Peru, or threaten us with knives, or make us carry his suitcase, or anything like that.”

Violet looked at her brother, her eyes wide with excitement. “Suitcase!” she said. “His suitcase!”

“What are you talking about?” Klaus said quizzically, and Violet was about to explain when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Violet called, signaling to Sunny not to bite Mr. Poe as he walked in.