Murder on the Playground - 7. Burning Questions

“It has to be Samson, right?” Rico casually leaned in, whispering in Alana’s ear.

The pair were sat in the lounge after breakfast, waiting for the next event to start. Each with a drink in their hands, the basketball player and the TV host shared their theories as they observed Samson, Troy and Tiffany at the other end of the lounge. The young trio stood by a window, laughing as they chatted.

“Why would you think that?” Alana whispered back, making sure the others couldn’t hear her. She was still suspicious of everyone, but Samson was admittedly not at the top of her list.

“Because everyone else seems to have something shady going on. Samson’s the only one who’s been slipping under the radar so far, right?” Rico explained his reasoning. “Well, Tiff too, but she’s the detective, so we can probably rule her out.”

“Are you ruling her out because she’s the detective or because you think she’s hot?” Alana gave him a knowing look that had Rico grinning from ear to ear. “Ok, I think I can guess from that Cheshire Cat face.”

“Oh, come on, Alana. I can’t help it if the girl’s a hottie,” Rico bit his lower lip as he let his eyes wander over to Tiffany, waiting to see if she’d turn around and look his way. “But no, it’s got nothing to do with that. I think she’s innocent here. If it was her, I would’ve sussed her out by now.”

“I wouldn’t rule anyone out,” the woman shook her head. “Let’s look at it logically. Marcus had the most to gain, he inherited almost everything. But then again, there’s also Kelly. She didn’t get anything, so maybe she did it for revenge. I’d bet on one of those two.”

“Whoever it was, why did they kill you then? Did you have any dirt on anyone?”

“I was the lawyer. I had dirt on most people here,” Alana deadpanned. “It doesn’t exactly narrow it down.”

“Did you have any dirt on me?”

“Of course, that business deal between Wordsworth and Nick. But everyone already knows about that now. There are others whose secrets haven’t been revealed yet. But now that I’m dead, I can’t say anything,” she replied, lowering her voice even more. “But don’t forget, maybe they weren’t after me. Maybe they meant to kill Tiffany.”

“Yeah, true. That would make more sense,” Rico looked annoyed. “We better get some good questions from the audience then.”

As if his words summoned them, two crew members entered the lounge, letting the contestants know it was time to gather in the grand hall as the next event was about to begin. Getting up from the sofa, Rico and Alana walked out of the room, followed by the other three. As they made their way down the hallway, they saw Eric and Marcus coming over from the gym, heading their way.

“You guys ready?” the quarterback seemed as confident as ever, a boyish smile dancing across his lips as he swaggered over to the group. “This should be fun, right?”

“I’m ready, man,” Rico clapped him on the back. “Why are you so excited about it, though? You’re not nervous?”

“Why would I be? It’s just a game,” Eric shrugged. “I’m hyped to see what’s gonna get revealed.”

“You’re saying that like you’ve got nothing to hide,” Marcus gave him a side-eye.

“I know I’m not the murderer, so whatever. Bring it on.”

“Oh, well, if you say you’re not, I’m sure everyone believes you,” the dancer ribbed him. “I wanna announce I’m not the murderer either. Hope that helps!”

“Come on, less talking, more moving,” Rico urged them as he held open the door. “Ladies first,” he caught Tiffany’s eye, sending her a flirty wink.

“Thanks, babe! Such a gentleman,” the girl’s face lit up as she walked past him, closely followed by Alana and the boys.

As soon as the group entered the grand hall, they saw Nicholas Stone at the head of the table, sitting expectantly. Kelly, Gloria and Clementine had already arrived as well, seated to his left.

“Ah, everyone’s here. Nice,” the host looked pleased as he scanned over the new arrivals. “Please, take your seats so we can begin.”

One by one, the contestants made their way to the table, chatter filling the room as they tried to decide where to sit. Small bottles of water were placed at every seat, while several trays with snacks and fruit were laid out on the table.

“Nicholas, babe, how long are you going to keep us in suspense?” Gloria leaned towards the host, her long hair falling elegantly around her face. “Put us out of our misery here.”

“Yeah, I’m ready to start! My brain is buzzing with information!” Tiffany pulled out her trusty notebook and pen, setting them on the table in front of her. “Though that might be the energy drink talking.”

“I’m with the girls,” Samson clapped his hands. “Let’s get this show on the road! The sooner we catch the killer, the sooner I get out of this cook uniform.”

“I dunno, I’m kinda digging my getup,” Eric looked down at his priest robes, or what was left of them anyway.

“Me too,” Troy agreed. “I might show up at a red carpet like this next time.”

“I don’t think you’d have many complaints, darling,” Gloria let out a melodic laugh as she looked over at the actor sitting in nothing but his suspender pants.

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait any longer,” Nicholas stood up from his seat, picking up a stack of cards from the table. The ten contestants immediately went quiet, their eyes glued to the host. “Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you’re ready, because as I announced earlier today, we have a special event for you all: a Q&A with our lovely viewers! We’ve cherry-picked a question for each of you, and you must answer truthfully.”

“I’m assuming none of the questions are ‘Are you the killer?’” Kelly raised her hand, cutting in.

“Sharp as always, Miss Turner,” Nicholas gave her a nod. “We won’t reveal the killer’s identity yet. That’s for you to guess later today. Anyway, I’ve got the questions right here, so we can start. Does anyone want to go first?”

“I might as well,” Marcus volunteered, drawing curious looks from others. “I’ve got nothing to hide anyway.”

“Alright then, young Alfie Fortescue,” the host smiled. “Here’s your question. @FlawlessFinns wants to know: What is Alfie’s beef with Lucy the lawyer? We all saw there’s something shady going on there.”

“Uhm, ok then,” Marcus cleared his throat as he sat up straight, trying to seem confident. “A few years ago, when I was still in college, I was a little reckless and I… I got arrested for a DUI. Long story short, I called Alana to sort it out. I asked her not to tell anything to my father, but she ratted me out anyway.”

“Of course I did,” Alana cut in.

“Yeah, of course you did,” Marcus repeated, mocking her voice. “And no, that doesn’t mean I wanted to kill you,” he quickly added. “Because I know some of you were thinking it.”

“It’s definitely a motive, honey,” Gloria shrugged.

“Are you volunteering to go next, Ms. Thibodeaux?” Marcus gave her the stink eye.

“I’ll go next,” Clementine raised her hand. “Might as well get it over with.”

“Very well, Ms. Green,” Nicholas shuffled his papers until he found the right one. “@littlejoana has a question for you: What is the deal with Judy and Reggie? She keeps defending him all the time. It’s a little sus.”

“It’s more than a little sus,” Rico agreed, eyeing Clementine and Troy. “Everyone’s noticed it.”

The older woman let out a sigh as she clasped her hands, glancing at Troy. “Very well, I’ll tell you. The truth of the matter is, Reggie is my son.”

Shocked gasps seemed to echo all around the table as nearly everyone stared at Clementine and Troy in disbelief.

“What?! I honestly did not see that coming,” Tiffany whispered, turning to Rico to find an equally surprised expression on his face.

“You sneaky little…” Samson shook his head as he looked at his lover sitting next to him. The singer had figured Troy was hiding a secret - as all the characters were - but he was nowhere close to figuring it out.

“It’s true,” Troy admitted. “Judy is my mom, but my parents never told anyone the truth. Only Uncle Nick knew.”

“But why hide it?” Samson was curious.

“Because,” Clementine took it upon herself to answer, “I was supposed to be married off to someone else. Obviously, that didn’t happen after… my affair with Reggie’s dad and the pregnancy.”

“So many secrets, my child,” Eric shook his head reverently.

“We all harbor them,” Nicholas replied, taking back control of the conversation. “And I think you could be the perfect candidate to reveal yours next, Father Tabernacle. Here’s your question from @MurderIWrote: Come on, I want to know why Nick owns Father Tabernacle’s land! What’s the deal there?”

“I think we all want to know that,” Clementine had a peaceful, satisfied smile on her face, happy the heat was off her for the time being. Eric, on the other hand, looked downright annoyed. He cracked his knuckles as he lifted his head up high, clenching his jaw.

“Very well. As you all know, some years ago, Nick donated some money for church renovations. However…”

“Let me guess - you stole my father’s money?” Marcus glared at the other man.

“My, my, how eager are we to throw around accusations. No, that is not quite what happened.”

“Then what happened?”

“Well, as a prominent member of the church, I decided to… invest some of the money into my property, seeing as…”

“So you renovated your own house instead of the church?” Marcus finished the sentence for him.

“Of course it sounds bad when you put it like that!” the athlete grunted. “Long story short, Nick sued since I technically broke the donation agreement, and since I had no money to pay him back… we had to settle in a different way.”

“So that’s how you repaid my father? Biting back the hand that feeds you,” the dancer steepled his fingers as he gave Eric a smug look. “Not looking good for you, Father.”

“It’s always the ones you least expect, isn’t it?” Gloria gloated.

“I’m not saying he did it, but it’s not a big leap from stealing to murder,” Samson decided to stoke the fire even more.

“What do you mean? It’s a huge leap!” Eric disagreed. “So I took a couple of… tens of thousands of dollars. But killing two people in cold blood? Never!”

“Fighting words from Father Tabernacle. But let’s move on to the next question,” the host interrupted their exchange. “Miss Marie Thibodeaux, the next question is for you - @ZigZa6g says: So we all want to know - what was Nick talking about in the will? What did Marie want that he couldn’t give her?”

It was now Eric’s turn to gloat, as he turned to Gloria with a shit-eating grin on his handsome face. He wasn’t the only one, as all the other contestants eyed the actress with keen interest. She wasn’t deterred in the slightest, however, staying in character as she looked wistfully into the distance.

“Eh, I knew this was going to come up again,” she fidgeted with a bracelet around her wrist, acting distraught. “I don’t think any of you will be surprised to hear that I was madly in love with Nick. The truth is, I wanted us to get married. I always imagined us settling down together, and Nick knew that. But he refused to propose. He said that after his first marriage failed, he didn’t believe in getting married again. And now… now I see how little that matters.”

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry,” Tiffany leaned across the table, gently placing a hand on Gloria’s. “Well, I think it’s safe to say Miss Thibodeaux isn’t our killer.”

“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions so quickly, child,” Eric cautioned her. “The devil can lurk in anyone.”

“But the rules say we must answer truthfully. Marie was obviously in love with Nick!”

“Just because she was in love with him doesn’t mean she didn’t kill him,” Kelly chimed in, supporting Eric and earning herself a death stare from Gloria. “So many crimes are committed because of passion.”

Troy, who had been silently observing the exchange from his seat, suddenly found himself staring at Kelly, mulling over her words. What was it that Gloria said the previous day when she caught him in the bathroom with Samson? ‘I understand the ways of passion, trust me.’

The actor slowly sat up straight in his chair, fixing Gloria with a concerned look. “They do say the line between love and hate is very thin. I hate to say it, but Miss Turner might have a point here. Could be a crime of passion we’re talkin’ about here.”

Gloria’s jaw practically dropped as she heard the actor’s words. She may have expected Eric or Kelly to accuse her, but never Troy. “I cannot believe this, Reggie! This is how you repay me after I kept your secret?”

“You knew Judy was his mom?” Kelly was curious.

“No, I’m talking about his other secret,” Gloria replied eagerly as a smug grin found its way onto her face. “Me catching him and Mr. Olive making out in the bathroom yesterday!”

“You’re kidding?!” Marcus gasped, his hand flying to his open mouth.

“We weren’t making out!” Samson shot up from his chair, protesting.

“No, you were just holding each other innocently. Did you slip and he caught you?” Gloria rolled her eyes, while Clementine and Alana chuckled quietly to themselves.

“I can’t believe this!” Marcus shook his head in distress, getting up from his seat. Before anyone could react, he snatched his bottle of water and with a quick, furious motion, flung its contents at Samson. The water hit the singer in a cold splash, soaking his chest and face as he sat there in shock.

“Ahh! You bitch!” Samson let out a loud gasp as he jumped from his seat and flung his head in Marcus’ direction. “My mascara!”

“Wear a waterproof one next time,” the dancer grinned shamelessly before slipping back into character. “I cannot believe you, Mr. Olive. How could you do this to me?! I thought… I thought I meant something to you.”

This time, it was Troy who was caught by surprise. As soon as he stopped laughing, the actor realized things didn’t add up. “Wait, why is Marcus angry at you?” his brow furrowed as he looked at the soaked Samson standing in front of him.

“Because,” Marcus responded before the popstar even had the chance, “we’re boyfriends. At least I thought we were, but now… I don’t know what to believe any- ahh!”

It was now Marcus’ turn to be soaked as Samson snickered at him, a half-empty water bottle in his hand.

“Hold on... Samson, is this true? Are you two…?” Troy seemed confused as he eyed the two men.

“Yes,” the singer sighed in exasperation, “Marcus and I… I mean, Alfie and I are lovers.”

“Wait, so you were banging Nick’s son and nephew at the same time?” Eric seemed impressed more than anything, eyeing him with disbelief.

Samson grabbed a kitchen towel to clean himself, visibly annoyed. Things were quickly getting out of hand, and all because Gloria couldn’t keep her big mouth shut. Still, he certainly wasn’t going to reveal that his romance with Troy was all too real, and not at all part of the script.

“Called it!” Rico shouted, turning to Alana. “Didn’t I call it? I said Samson was shifty.”

“Yeah, you did,” the woman nodded in agreement.

“Wow…” Tiffany seemed baffled, her wide eyes moving from one person to another. “Is there anyone else who slept with Samson?”

“Hey!” the singer fixed her with a look full of indignation.

“Sorry… With Mr. Olive,” the starlet corrected herself.

“Well, I know who just shot to the top of my list,” Kelly said calmly. “I mean, Mr. Olive literally started working for Nick a few months ago, does anyone really know him that well? He’s managed to seduce two people who got something out of the will, and now Nick is suddenly dead. If that doesn’t sound suspicious, I don’t know what does.”

“Or maybe you’re just jealous I bagged two hotties,” Samson shot back before plopping back down into his chair. Everyone seemed to believe he and Troy were only a pretend couple, which was definitely a good thing. However, the downside was that he was now the prime suspect.

“Well, this has certainly been… revealing. And quite amusing to watch, which is why I didn’t want to interrupt you,” Nicholas said, startling everyone. In the commotion, they had completely forgotten the host was right there. “However, there is something I’d like to say…”

In unison, Samson and Troy looked at each other, their eyes betraying the concern they felt. Was Nicholas going to expose them in front of everyone?

“We still haven’t finished our Q&A session,” the host continued, grinning as the two men breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “Now, let’s pick up where we left off, shall we?”

With at least some semblance of order restored, the contestants went back to answering viewers’ questions one by one, until only two remained: Troy and Kelly.

“Miss Phoebe Turner, aka Nick’s long lost daughter,” Nicholas spun on his heel, turning to the young songstress. The girl looked up at him with determination, as if ready to face any challenge. “This question is for you. @ItsNiceItsDifferentItsUnusual asks: So Judy said Phoebe came into the kitchen around the time Mrs. Edwards was killed. Maybe she went there to take the ketchup - or get rid of it???”

“No,” Kelly replied quickly - perhaps a little too quickly, as the others eyed her with suspicion. “I went to the kitchen to have a snack, or some water, or whatever. I don’t even remember what it was. But I didn’t mess with the ketchup. I wasn’t even paying attention to it. Why would I?”

“Well, someone did,” Tiffany chewed on her pen as she tapped her fingers on the surface of the table. “If you didn’t, and Judy also says she didn’t…”

“That’s right,” Clementine nodded. “When I went there to make a sandwich, the ketchup was already gone.”

“Then there’s no way to know who took it,” Tiffany concluded. “I should’ve made a stakeout in the kitchen that night.”

“And give a heart attack to anyone going for a late-night snack?” Alana chuckled at the girl’s idea.

“That would be a price I’m willing to pay,” the girl replied. “At least we’d find out who the killer was.”

“If only you’d thought of that sooner, Miss Maxwell,” Nicholas chimed in. “Anyway, let’s move on to our final question for today, which is for our stableboy… Sorry, hot stableboy. Reggie, @NoriusSux wants to know: We all saw that clip of Reggie sneaking out that night when Miss Maxwell got that note. Was that just a red herring?”

Troy bit his lip to prevent himself from breaking into a smile. Once again, all eyes were on him, but he did not seem particularly concerned.

“Fine, I admit it,” the actor said. “I did sneak out of my room that night… and went to visit Mr. Olive. I just had to see him. Knowing that he was so close… I couldn’t resist it.”

“Mr. Olive, is that true?” Tiffany asked.

“Oh yes, I can confirm it’s true,” Samson gave her a nod without hesitation. “He scared the crap out of me too. But he had no murderous intentions, I assure you.”

“Alright, we’ve heard enough,” Marcus pretended to be upset. “I don’t think anyone wants to imagine what he wanted to do with you, Mr. Olive. And by the way, as soon as this investigation is over, you better start looking for a new job. There’s no place for you at my ranch anymore. And if it weren’t for my father’s will, you’d be out of there too, Reggie.”

“Oh, come on, Alfie. We’re still cousins,” Troy pleaded. “You’re not going to let this ruin our years of friendship, are you?”

All of a sudden, Gloria raised a hand, drawing attention to herself. “Can I make a suggestion? Why don’t we have Reggie and Alfie fight for Mr. Olive? Preferably in very skimpy outfits and oiled up.”

“Hey! As Mr. Olive, I should have a say in that,” Samson cut in. “And yes, I one hundred percent approve. In fact, I saw a bottle of oil in the kitchen, I could go and…”

“There will be no need for that,” Nicholas quickly put a stop to their plans. “This is a family show, after all. Of course, what you do in your free time is up to you. Now, I will leave you all to think about everything that’s been revealed today. Perhaps you’ve learned something new that changes things for you. I will be back in two hours when we will all gather in the lounge for the final votes. And of course, we’ll finally reveal who the killer is.”