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“Are you sure you didn’t agree to alibi for each other?” Ryland accuses, glaring at Mrs. Violet. The woman’s face heats with anger at his audacity.
“Excuse me? How dare you point the finger at me. Retaliation for finding evidence against you isn’t honorable,” she seethes.
“Then explain how we found your fingernail where Matthew was murdered in the conservatory, with a candlestick no less,” Ryland throws right back as he folds his arms across his chest with a smug smile. Yes! Go, best friend. I can’t imagine the guts it’s taking for him to stand his ground in a room full of alphas.
“You don’t know some random fingernail belongs to me. I would never have killed Matt. If Karen’s word wouldn’t be enough for you, I was in a meeting during Charles’ murder on screen with every alpha on the council. Is that good enough for you?“ Her eyes water as she narrows them on Ry. The two emotions don’t match, making me think she’s hiding something, but it certainly seems she’s not the killer.
Andrik must sense the tension building and decides to cut in with his theory. “If Karen has an alibi, then what about Mark? He could’ve killed all three, he’s always watching behind the camera. He’s also been overheard making negative comments about Verity and the show. Could be a disgruntled employee. He was even fighting with Karen in the open.”
“Hate to debunk your theory, but I had to treat Mark for an injury this morning before breakfast. He fainted at the sight of his own blood. There’s no way he would have been able to pull this off.” Emmett gives a quirk of his lips in a way that shows he’s sorry. “I didn’t have a chance to tell you yet,” he adds in a lower tone. They were focused on my birthday after he came to the kitchen.
“We did find red glitter on the bodies,” he adds as an afterthought, throwing shade on Rosey. At this point, we’ve pointed fingers at just about everyone we have evidence on.
“Rosey’s glitter gets everywhere, trust me. The shit is worse than glue. She sneezed next to me once and had to wipe the glitter off before she sent me out for a taping. Look,” I hold out my arm for everyone to see, “I hugged her this morning and still have some of the cursed specks on me. All Matthew had to do was touch something she touched to get some on him.”
Maniacal laughter comes from behind me, making me jump. I startle so badly, I grip my twin alpha’s arms on either side. The sound of the callous laughter grates on my nerves, it’s not a joyous sound.
It’s evil.
Pure, unfiltered evil.
A chill runs over my body, and Jedrik drags me onto his lap. We all stare at the man wearing the forest green suit. There’s a frightening gleam in his eyes, and spittle flies from his mouth as his laughter grows more forceful. It’s the only thing you can hear in the room as we all stare at him in confusion.
“You’re all fools. Utter and complete fools!” He draws a revolver out of his pocket and aims the gun at us. I cower into Jedrik’s body as the realization suddenly becomes clear. The silent estate manager, the man who always seems to be watching everything unfold from the shadows, the man who was so busy making sure everything always went off without a hitch… He’s the killer. We didn’t even find anything to tie him to the murders. Well, aside from the evidence we weren’t able to test yet.
He seems to hold us all in a trance for a split second, and before anyone can make a move, he starts confessing like a true villain having his shining moment.
“I hope you enjoyed your meals, because they’ll be your last. I can see Mr. Baldwin is already showing the effects of the poison. Soon enough, the rest of you will too. I put it in your soup, something I knew none of you pretentious, stuck up, think-you’re-better-than-anyone-else alphaholes could resist.” He shifts his gun to the man mentioned, who sure enough isn’t looking so good. His face is redder than a ripe tomato. Sweat streams down his face, and his hands move to grip his throat. His mouth opens and closes like he wants to say something, but he can’t.
Mr. Emerald doesn’t give him a chance to speak, anyway. He only has time to listen to his own voice. As he continues talking, he moves around the room, while he shifts who the gun is pointed at.
“It wasn’t any of the simpletons on the staff. I killed that idiot boy Matthew when he caught me cultivating the plant I used to poison you with. Wasn’t expecting him to be so adept with foliage. Or be fucking Mrs. Violet in the conservatory in the first place.”
“How dare y—“ Mrs. Violet is hit in the side of the head before she can utter another word, the pipe in his other hand coming out of nowhere. She falls to the side, crumpling to the ground, knocked out. Emmett makes a move for her, but the gun whips in his direction and he freezes in place.
The villain of our story continues speaking like nothing happened. “And Chad. Poor ole Chad. A complete case of wrong place, wrong time. Caught me coming out of the passageways right after watching Mark and Karen’s little love tryst. However, that’s also when I saw my opportunity to get the council here sooner.
“A single dead body could be a one off. Especially if he disappeared. I was planning on taking him outside the gates and into the wilderness, but that plan got ruined.” The gun points at me and my alphas. Jedrik’s hold on me tightens. He’s more than ready to shove me to the ground and cover me with his body. The strain in his muscles tells me exactly what his plan is. My alphas’ scents have all turned incredibly sharp with their protective instincts rocketing through the roof.
“But two bodies. That starts to stir the fear. Who will be next? Nobody knows.” He laughs again, the sound like nails scraping across my skin.
“And my final victim, Charles. I killed him simply because he was alone and I wanted to. Beautifully, I might add. And the reason you’re all here early, exactly to plan. I overheard Mrs. Violet on the phone with you and knew you’d be here after one more kill.
“That’s when I began perfecting the dosage of poison to administer in your soup. I started with a crew member, and then another. I knew I had to up the amount when they didn’t die.
“It was me who killed Matthew in the conservatory with a candlestick,“ he says, pointing the gun at his chest to emphasize his point. As if it wasn’t abundantly clear.
He drags his free hand through his hair. “It was me who killed Chad in the study with a wrench.”
“And it was me who killed Charles with a dagger in the billiard room.“ Each time he says the word me, he puts extra emphasis on it, like he’s proud of what he’s done. “I spent years formulating my plans and only had three months to make sure they went off without a hitch, to make sure my goal of killing the council was met. I even watched you from the secret passageways, something I thought I was the only one privy to.”
As if he has epic planning skills, which to be honest he does—he managed the estate while still pulling off murders without anyone thinking it could be him—Mr. Baldwin keels over, his body drops to the floor where he seizes. Foam bubbles out of his mouth, a sickly yellow color, and after a few seconds, he stops moving. At least I think he does. Jedrik’s hand covers my eyes, and he holds my head against his chest. Something I’ll be eternally grateful for.
He doesn’t even let me up to see when one of the councilmen clears his throat and asks, “Why’d you do this?”
“Why?” Mr. Emerald cackles. The sound so evil I flinch into Jedrik. “Because this mansion belonged to my family’s estate, and twenty years ago, my incompetent father lost it in a game of fucking poker. This estate is my inheritance, and I’m taking it back! I’ve killed you all, and now it’s mine. I’ve stopped your treachery and I’ll restore her to the prideful place she once was. No more defiling her by whoring out omegas here.”
“Freeze,” Andrik barks, the command so forceful and strong it coats the room. It rushes over me like ice water, and the only reason I’m able to resist is because of Emmett’s magical pill. I shrug off Jedrik’s hand and take in the room.
