The sound of the ambulance siren faded, and I sighed with relief. She was still alive when they took her, so there’s a good chance they’ll get her to pull through. And I didn’t need to risk getting poisoned to try and keep her alive.

As stupid as it would have been, I actually liked her, and I don’t want her to die.

She’s not out of the woods yet, but it looks a little better than before. She didn’t die immediately, so that’s good. 

I glanced over at the officer who was taking a look at the sugary drink discarded on the ground. “Based on the injuries and evidence I’d say someone dosed her with caustic soda.”

No shit. It’s pretty obvious that she was poisoned.

Meguire nodded, writing it down in his notepad. Currently him, the police, Rachel, Serena, Celia, Johnny, Dweeb, the groom, me, and the Commander are in the bride's room since we all were the ones in here within the time of poisoning. “So it was her favorite drink that was tainted."

The Dweeb walked up and pointed at the puddle on the floor. “Excuse me, Sir, but what is that white thing in the drink?”

You know damn well what that is. But he needed to point it out so they would know.

The officer pulled out a pair of tweezers from his pocket to pick it up and get a better look at it. “Excuse me, sir. I found a capsule-” The officer didn’t get a chance to finish because Meguire jumped onto the new clue faster than he could speak.

He crouched down to look at it himself. “Let me see! Hm. It would seem to me that our culprit put the poison in the capsule and then dropped it into Catherine’s Lemon Punch. The capsule could take up to thirty minutes to dissolve which makes the time of delivery difficult to place.”

He stood and turned to us, who had gathered in the room, minus the Commander who was by the window so he could watch the ambulance drive away.

“Alright. The seven of you were in and out of the victims room before she collapsed. This means that any one of you had ample opportunity to poison her drink.”

I raised an uncaring eyebrow at his accusation. Yeah, cause me, Rach, and Serena are like that.

And I’ve already told him I’d use violence, not sneaky shit like poison.

“You’re actually considering me as a suspect?!” The groom exclaimed in disbelief.

Meguire nodded. “Of course I am. I wouldn’t exclude anyone as a suspect even if he is the groom. I want lab results on that capsule ASAP!” He shouted the last part to the officer with the capsule.

I scowled at him. “Hey wait a damn minute. If we’re suspects, so is he? What? He gets a free pass just cause he’s your boss?” I demanded, jabbing my thumb backward towards the Commander.

Meguire sweat a bit. “Now I know you’re not a fan of him, but there’s no way he poisoned his own daughter.” I scoffed at the bullshit.

Oh that’s just not fair. “Stella is right. I was in and out of the room around the same time as the others. You have to consider me a suspect.”

Hm. I didn’t expect that from him. That’s actually . . . fair of him. Why can’t he be that way with me most of the time then?

Meguire laughed nervously but agreed with his boss. Rachel gasped in realization and held her hand up a bit. “Did I mention to you that I videotaped the whole incident?” I blinked at her words before looking at the camera that was still on the stool.

“Oh right.” I mumbled as Serena beamed. “That’s right! I told you to leave it running when we left just in case. Y’know, totally my idea.” I rolled my eyes and smacked her arm, causing her to shoot me a look.

Not the time, Serena.

Meguire hurried and picked up the camera. “You’re kidding. You’re saying we actually have a video tape here that could have the crime being committed on it?!”

He called for a TV to be brought in and hooked it all together so we could all watch what had been recorded.

As we watched it was clear that it wasn’t filmed, and if it was we couldn't tell. “It doesn’t look like the actual crime made it on camera.” The Commander noted with crossed arms.

“But by watching at least one thing we can see that nearly everybody came in contact with that can of punch.” Meguire said.

Both of them turned to the rest of us after the video ended. “Which doesn’t change the fact that every person in this room is a suspect.” I groaned in annoyance. How many times am I going to be a suspect when I didn’t even do anything this time.

I glared at my brother since he’s the source of bad luck.

They went back to watching the tape. Over and over and over again. The sun was beginning to set with how long they’ve been at it, and I’m starting to get annoyed.

I nudged my brother with my leg. “Yo Dweeb. Do something already, I’m so done with this.” I whispered.

He gave me a strange look. “I can’t magically conjure evidence.” He whispered back.

I clicked my tongue, throwing my hands behind my head. “What use are you then?” He scowled at me as Rach and Serena began to get sadder than they already are.

“I wonder if Ms. McLoughlin has come out of surgery yet.” Rachel wondered aloud.

Serena held back tears. “What kind of deranged loser would go and poison someone’s lemon punch?” 

A psycho? An angry person? Someone who was bored? Honestly there’s a lot of answers for that. Doesn’t help when we’ve got nothing to go on.

“Lemon Punch” The groom mumbled. Hm?

My brother and I looked towards him, and he smiled sadly. “Whenever she drank that stuff, it reminded me of this girl I knew when I was young. I’d give her a can of it, and her face would light up. She drank it like there was no tomorrow. I miss her so much, and I never even knew her name.”

He sounded so sad, and there was something about his eyes that I’ve seen before time and time again.

In Rachel, Jimmy, and Kirstin.

I stared at him in confusion, but he wasn’t really paying attention, just off in thought. That story . . . 

Wait, he doesn’t know? I’m sure that she does know. She had more to the story that she’d tell us later.

Not long after, an officer came back with a clipboard. “Inspector, results from the lab have come in. What they discovered about the capsule is that it took about fifteen to sixteen minutes to dissolve in the drink. Not the thirty minutes you originally thought.”

That cuts the window down in half, so that’s a start, I guess. “Is that so? If the poison was put in fifteen minutes before Catherine collapsed and the 911 call came in at 1:46 PM, then we can assume the capsule was placed in the drink sometime around 1:30 PM. Now if we can figure out who was in the room with her at 1:30 . . .”

Serena seemed to remember something and interrupted him. “Wait a second. 1:30 is about time, Ms. McLoghlin’s scary dad left the room.” She said, startling both Meguire and the Commander.

Well, it's not like I believe he actually did it to be perfectly honest.

“Well if that’s the case, then the groom and I are both cleared. We saw her well after that. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a friend to visit in the hospital.” Johnny piped in, making me give him a flat stare.

Seriously, dude, you creep me out. 

“Sir, there’s something else about the can that you haven’t heard yet. We couldn’t find the Commander’s fingerprints on it anywhere.” A cop said, holding up the evidence bag.

What the hell?He clearly touched it. We all saw it, it’s on tape for crying out loud. “What kind of police work are you shoving off on us?!” The Commander shouted, going for the remote and pausing where he’s holding the can.

“Just take a look. I’m on video holding the can!”

Oof. I do not envy the guys at the lab. But it is strange. How come it didn’t show his prints? Are the cops covering for their boss? No, that wouldn’t do since they’re on video. 

I blinked as a thought crossed my mind. I looked over at my friend and saw she was empty-handed.

I crouched next to my brother. “Hey, Dweeb. Remember how she had an extra can and gave it to Serena?” I asked.

He blinked before his eyes widened and he rushed to the TV while the cops were talking amongst themselves, trying to quell the anger of both Commander and Inspector.

“You’re right, let’s see, she didn't have it when they went to get batteries.” Jimmy went through the tape to see Serena walk towards the table before it cut out, and she was gone.

Then we see Ms. McLoughlin picked up a can and . . . a! There it is! The second can! 

So if his fingerprints aren’t on the can, that must mean whoever tried to kill her came after him. And only two people visited afterwards.

Jimmy went up to the man with the can since he managed to escape scrutiny. “Sir. Were the Commander’s fingerprints the only ones you didn’t find?” He questioned him innocently.

Since it came from a child the cop didn’t think much about answering. “No. We also didn’t find any from Mr. Yamino over there.” Johnny didn’t do it.

The only reason Celia has prints is because she bought it, and it couldn’t have been her because that can wasn’t even opened yet.

Which means only one person could have done it. 

But how? They were in the room after the capsule time, I don’t understand. It doesn’t make any sense.

Another officer came into the room. “Inspector, I found this in the hallway trash can. We think it’s a desiccant.” Hm?

We looked at the small vial held in the handkerchief of the officer. “Desiccant, huh? Could be any number of substances that absorb moisture.” I frowned.

I wish I paid more attention to basic chemistry. I don’t know what that stuff means. “This glass bottle must be what our suspect kept his or her poison in. Send it to the lab, check it for prints.”

I looked down at my brother and noticed the hard facial expression. Ah, he figured it out. Not just who but how.

He met my gaze with his unwavering determined one. “Stella, I’m going to need you to be my voice.”

I hesitated, scratching my cheek. “I don’t know Dweeb. How would that work?” I asked, shaking my head. I’d be conscious and have to pretend all is well. “Just sit there. Keep your mouth moving or covered when you’re unsure. I’ll take care of it, promise. But without Richard here you’re my only hope. Who’d they listen to more? The sister of Jimmy Kudo or a rich girl who doesn’t know much?” 

He’s got a point there. But I’m no actor, I’m not mom.

He’s right, though. No one is going to listen to her as well as they would from me until she has all the evidence stated. And would it be acting? If I think about it as lying, it makes me feel a little better.

It wouldn’t make me think, is this what mom would say? Would mom do this? I hate trying to compare to my family.

I sighed. “Alright. I’ll give it a shot. This better work. And you better not make me sound like you, Dweeb.” He grinned at me before adjusting his little bow tie to simulate my voice.

I walked over and casually sat in the chair and crossed my legs, leaned back, and draped my arm over the back. Tilting my head downward as I forced a serious expression on my face.

The Dweeb took cover behind me and the chair, keeping himself hidden. “Hm? Stella?” Rachel spoke.

My voice came out, but not from me. I moved my lips a bit to keep the charade. 

This is weird.

“I think I figured something out. I know the name of the person who poisoned our teacher’s Lemon Punch.”

Well . . . at least he didn’t make me sound too dorky. Everyone turned to me and I got a little nervous but kept a hard exterior. “That’s a bold assumption Stella. Are you sure about this?” Meguire asked.

I, not Jimmy, scoffed. Then I moved my mouth because I knew Jimmy would start again. “Before you judge a book by its cover you said that the culprit put the poison in the punch fifteen minutes Ms. McLoighlin drank it, right?”

Hm. Normally he’d say correct instead of right.. At least he knows he needs to sound more like me.

“Yeah, running off the knowledge that it takes about that long for the capsule to dissolve you’d be right.” Oh, Meguire decided to humor me.

That’s new. “But that knowledge is based on the assumption that the poison was actually inside of the capsule. The only thing we can know without a doubt is that the capsule was found in the poisoned punch.”

Meguire walked closer to me, causing me to clench my jaw briefly. “You’re saying that the capsule . . .”

Unsure what to do, I nodded, which was a good choice because Jimmy continued. “That’s right, Meguire. The capsule could have been put in simply as a diversion. To make us think that the poison was placed in the punch fifteen minutes earlier when it could have been at any other time.”

Huh? Oh shit! I get it now! 

Meguire nodded, following along. “You make a good point. Which puts the both of you back in the running as suspects I’m afraid.” Meguire looked over at Johnny and the groom.

"I suppose a smart Investigator should look at all theories. But still. It’s possible that the poison was actually in the capsule.” Johnny inputed.

“I don’t think so.” My voice cut in. Luckily, they weren’t looking at me, which is good considering I didn’t move my mouth. “I have proof that the capsule wasn’t poisoned. And it's actually on Rachel’s videotape.”

Everyone turned to the TV, and while they were looking away, the Dweeb slipped the remote in my hand.

Could have given me a heads up, but okay then. I turned it on to show when the drinks were mixed up. “Take a good look at the can of punch, Meguire. What do you see?”

I’m glad he’s sticking to talking like me, I know it must be hard for him not to go in full Dweeb mode.

Meguire went closer to look at it before gasping. “The labels are facing different directions!” He exclaimed. 

Bingo. “Serena, where did you put your can of punch when you and Rachel left to get camera batteries?” My voice questioned her, and I turned my eyes to her with the others.

“We were in a hurry, so I set it on the table. Ah! Wait, so that’s my can of punch?!” She shrieked with disbelief.

“That’s right. She accidentally picked up your can, which was sitting right in front of hers.” Rachel gasped as well, remembering it play out. 

“That’s why the Commanders and Johnny’s fingerprints weren’t found on the can. They did touch the can, which she was drinking, but that didn’t end up being the drink that poisoned her. The poison was placed in Serena’s can, which she picked up by mistake. I bet Serena’s fingerprints were all over it.” The cop with the evidence nodded, confirming Jimmy’s theory. “That means that my daughter had to be poisoned sometime between picking up Serena’s drink and when she collapsed. Seeing as Serena never fell ill in the least.” The Commander spoke, following along as well.

Serna shivered, grabbing her elbows. “That’s so creepy.” Yeah, that could have been bad for you, but you were never the target. “That’s right, which only leaves five possible suspects. We’ve got Conan, Tony, Rachel, Serena, and of course myself.” I tried not to wince.

I’ve never said the name Conan. It’s a hard thing for me to do. I’ll call him Squirt, Munchkin, Shrimp, Brat, but not Conan.

That’s not his name.

His name is Jimmy. He’s my Dweeb. And saying that name reminds me of the harm that came to him while I was away. 

I should have gone. Normally I’d follow along to tease them. It’s a favorite pastime. But . . . I wasn’t there.

“Rachel and Serena returned from the store when Tony was holding the can of punch. They were only there seconds before Ms. McLoghlin snatched it out of his hands. They never got near it, and as shown on the video, neither Conan nor myself ever got near it, and our fingerprints aren’t on the can.” 

Meguire and the Commander turned to look at the groom.

At Tony.

“So then, that leaves only you.” Meguire accused, and the Commander's face turned to disbelief. He wasn’t a fan of him to begin with, but it appears the thought of him doing so rattles him.

“You forgot one other person. And that’s Ms. McLoughlin herself.”

Huh? HUH?! The hell?! I tried not to show my own shock that would have matched all of theirs. “No! Not suicide!” Meguire shouted in disbelief.

“If she wanted to commit suicide by poisoning, she must have put it in her punch right before collapsing. But she would have needed a container of some kind to put the poison in.” Jimmy continued on.

“Like say maybe an anti-bottle and a desiccant.” Meguire said.

I’m not sure what all this is adding to, but I nodded anyway. “Yes. And caustic soda is a dangerous substance. If left in the open, it liquifies quickly. And since Ms. McLoughlin was always in this room; she would have needed to keep the soda in some kind of container. Like you just said.”

Meguire shook his head in confusion, but he seemed to be taking in ‘my’ words very seriously.

“But the bottle was found in the hallway trash.” He noted. That’s true. “Which indicates that someone other than our victim. So maybe our culprit came into the room with the caustic soda bottled and in hand. After dropping the dose into Lemon Punch, he made his way out the door, dropping the now useless bottle in the trash. Which leaves the groom as the only possible suspect.”

Everyone turned quickly to Tony, who was startled and noticeably sweating. 

I see. So that’s how you did it. You rat. “How could you do something like this?!” Celia, who had been quiet during the whole thing, shouted.

The Commander quickly snatched Tony by the collar of his shirt, anger pouring off of him in waves. “You rotten punk! How could you do that to my daughter?! Answer me!” He screamed.

Tony, who had been nervous before, actually smirked at the frightful Commander.

Well, well. He’s got some balls.

He pulled out of his grip and snapped at him. “You finally know how it feels, huh Commander?! It was twenty years ago! You were chasing down some criminal when your suspect's car hit my mother as we were trying to cross the intersection.” 

Oh now that I didn’t see coming. So it wasn’t because of some grudge against Ms. McLoughlin. It was her dad. The Commander.

That’s what he was really after. “She was on the ground, unconscious but alive! If you would have taken her to the hospital, she might have had a chance! But you did nothing! My mother died on the cold concrete of that street fifteen minutes later. From that day, I’ve never forgotten that cruel face of yours! Those unflinching, unfeeling eyes that killed my mother!” He screamed with so much hurt and anger that even I felt bad for the dude.

Not bad enough to excuse him, but killing someone precious to him does seem like appropriate revenge. But it’s not because she was innocent. 

I looked to the Commander, who was shocked. “Is the kid telling the truth?” Meguire questioned his boss wearily.

The Commander’s shoulders sagged. “Yes. I’m afraid that Tony is right about this. Except his mom was lying on the other side of the car where I couldn’t see her. I just thought there was a kid in the line of fire.” He closed his eyes and tilted his head down in shame. 

I see. So that’s what happened.

“Right. My mom was the only real family I knew in this life. After that I got lucky and was adopted by the Tsuji’s who couldn’t have kids of their own. So I grew up forgetting. But then that fateful day in college, Celia introduced me to her friend. When I learned it was your daughter, revenge began to stir inside me with a ferocity greater than ever before!” He glowered at the Commander, who was no longer angry, just absolutely shocked and hurt by the revelation his daughter could be dead because of him.

“But why Catherine? Why not take out your revenge on the person who killed your mother!” The Commander shook, unable to comprehend the situation.

“Because if you die, you’d never know the pain of losing the person closest to you. Of losing the person you love so much.” 

It makes sense. If I was in that headspace, I’d probably do that, too. But it’d have to be really fucked up for even me to go along with it.

I do understand, though. My family is really the only thing I have. Issues and all. Them and Harley. 

I wasn’t the only one who was taking in his words with some sympathy. After all, he doesn’t care about himself.

That much is clear. He just wanted to avenge his mother in some way.

“Besides, Catherine was a fool. She never thought for a second that I was using her to get to you. She was too blinded by the thoughts of my family's fortune-”

Before he could spew more nonsense about innocent McLoughlin, Celia ran over and gave him one hell of a slap that nearly took him down. 

Okay, I like her. “And you were too blinded by your childish thoughts of revenge!” She roared.

Tony glared at her, but she wasn’t afraid. Only angry. She was the only one who’s anger didn’t dissipate during this reveal.

“Yes! Because she knew everything! She knew about your mothers death, and she knew about your adoption!”

What the? The Commander didn’t even know that!

“You’re lying! She wouldn’t marry me knowing I lied to her so much!” Tony accused her, but Celia just met his glare head on with one of her own.

And to be honest, hers was more intimidating.

“After seeing her with that lemon drink so often, it never hit ya?! You’re the man she’s been dreaming about for the last twenty years! You’re Catherine’s first love!”

Tony’s face paled, and he, like everyone else, was shocked by this news.

So he finally realizes it. It’s funny how she knew, but he never did.

Even though he loved that little girl so much.

He poisoned his first love.

Celia’s head drooped a bit. “She insisted you looked like the kid from her past, so we checked it out. We found out she was right, and even after accepting your proposal, she was trying to find a way to gain your forgiveness!” Celia began to cry, shutting her eyes tight.

“She felt so bad for snooping. Then you try and kill her!”

Wait, if she knew all of that . . . did she know he wanted to kill her?! But . . . why?! “She knew I lied to her, but she loved me so much anyway.” Tony began to cry himself, realizing how foolish he was.

My brother stepped out to stand next to me, and we watched him. What a sad man. I feel pity for the guy. 

An officer rushed in. “Commander! We just got a report from the emergency room! The surgery was a success. Your daughter’s going to be just fine!”

Ah! Relief filled the room at the news, and everyone began to move in joy, grabbing onto someone or turning to them with excitement.

All but Tony.

However, he was as relieved as everyone else. Maybe even more.

I stood and walked over, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. I didn’t say anything, and neither did he. But I was glad that despite everything he did, he didn’t kill the only love of his life. 

As everyone cheered, he cried silent tears of relief, and I shut my eyes thinking of their sad love.

~

Two months later, after everything was said in done, Ms. McLoughlin was released from the hospital. Rachel, Serena, Jimmy, and I had gone to visit her on that day, and we were all headed to the station.

I gotta say she looks like she was never poisoned. Her recovery went well.

“My dad was telling me that Tony got a pretty light sentence for what he did to you. Are you okay with that?” Rachel asked our old teacher. “The reason he got a light sentence is because I didn’t press charges. I couldn’t hate him for acting on an undying love for his mother. Maybe one day we can forgive each other.”

She stopped with a sad look on her face. “Way to go Rach.” I hissed.

We were supposed to cheer her up. Rachel began to panic when Serena rushed to the vending machine we were by. “Cheer up, do you want a soft drink? My dad gives me a lot of money.”

My eye twitched at her statement. Yeah. Because you guys are wasting money rich.

I’m rich, but I’m not Sebastian rich!

Serena put in the coins and Ms. McLoughlin excitedly rushed to the machine “That sounds good! Now let’s see, ah.”

A wistful look crossed her face, and she pushed a button. After the sounds of it vending, she reached in and picked up . . .

“You’ve got to be kidding me? Are you insane?” I asked as she beamed at us, showcasing her drink.

Lemon. Fucking. Punch.

She giggled at me. “Come now Stella. I haven't had one of these in months.”

My friends laughed nervously at her choice. She popped it open with a smile, and I could only remember her wedding day. “This will always remind me never to get married.”

She took a big swig and the girls tried to cheer her up, claiming she’d find the right guy.

She did.

Three years later. The groom was the only man she had ever loved. It's the same one from twenty years ago. The one that she almost married once. The one that tried to kill her.

It’s insane, but I’m honestly happy that they got their happy ending.

Love is a strange thing.