PIE HAS BEEN SERVED

Chapter 5

Location: Interview Room 1

"So, Principal Blossom, during your last visit here, you forgot to mention something crucial to the case, don't you think?", Detective Smith presses on with his aggressive query.
Kenneth was sent home for the day, even though he protested hard. Detective Jones was informed of the new clue as Mr. Martin Blossom was immediately summoned to the police station that evening.
Mr. Blossom sits there confused at the detective who is clearly toying with him. "I don't understand what you mean.", he picks up his handkerchief and rubs his forehead.
Detective Smith stands up and walks around the table, behind him, "did you know there's a camera overlooking the hallway leading to Miss. Clarke's office?", he asks dubiously.
Principal Blossom turns around and looks at Detective Smith over his shoulder, "what are you getting at?", he asks nervously.
"Since you don't want to play my game, let me just ask you, what were you doing at Miss. Clarke's office a week ago?", Smith came around and took his seat.
Mr. Blossom speaks instantly, "I was there to talk about school matters, nothing else.", a sweat drop drips down his temple.
Smith takes this chance to lean forward to intimidate Blossom further, "come on, Martin, we both know that's not the truth.", he tilts his head.
The heated session is at once interrupted by a knock on the door and an officer peaking through, "sir, you would want to see this.", he gestures.

The principal anxiously awaites the detective's return. He starts tapping his feet. Detective Smith is taking his own sweet time outside. Mr. Blossom gulps down the glass of water in front of him. He looks around the relatively empty room. He knows that the mirror facing him is a one-way see-through glass through which he is being spied on. His anxiety reaches its peak as the door to the interview room opens wide.
Detective Smith comes in with a laptop tucked under his left arm, smug faced. He does not utter a word.
Mr. Blossom shifts in his seat uncomfortably.
Detective Smith places the laptop on the table and plays an audio file on it.
The look of horror on the guilty conscience sitting across him changes Smith's suspicion into confirmation. The audio file ends with a phone disconnection tone. It was the recording of a phone call between Miss. Olivia Clarke and Mr. Martin Blossom. And according to the expression on Principal Blossom's face, it was not meant as a professional phonecall.
"Care to explain that?", Detective Smith raises an eyebrow.
Blossom sighs, "I was angry, okay?", he swallows and continues, "and yes, I visited her office for the same reason."
"You threatened to kill her, Mr. Blossom!", Smith snaps.
"I never meant that! I was drunk that night, and she refused to break up with my son. How old is she? Thirty?", Mr. Blossom shouts loudly, "she's a witch!", he murmurs and breaks down crying. It brings the short interrogation on an end. Detective Smith gets a win.
Unbeknownst to Smith, the young boy, Kenneth Murray watches the entire ordeal through the one-way mirror.

Location: Swerhalt Police Station

Detective Smith meets up with Detective Jones for the investigation of Olivia Clarke. They had acquired the warrant to search her place and are heading there together in Smith's car. Kenneth tries to slip away under their noses but gets caught.
"Kenneth!", Jones spots him hiding under Officer Dickson's desk, "what are you still doing here?"
Kenneth gets up slowly, and replies, "I wanted to hang out with my buddy!", he fake punches the officer who gives him a confused look.
"Is that so?", Jones gives a sarcastic nod.
Officer Dickson nods vigorously looking back and forth between Kenneth and the two detectives.
"Come on, son, we will drop you home.", Detective Smith suggests.
Kenneth agrees, and joins them, "where are you heading?", he asks, excited.
"You are not coming with us.", Jones states bluntly, as they head out.

Day 3
Location: Minestow General Hospital

Detective Smith and Jones hurry to the hospital early next morning on receiving a hopeful call. Miss. Olivia Clarke was out of danger and being shifted to the general ward. They want to interrogate her as soon as possible.
The doctor on duty inform them of Clarke's improving condition. They are allowed to enter her room accompanied by a nurse to look after her.
Detective Jones stays behind to talk some more to the doctor.
"Doctor!", he calls out as Doctor McGregor was leaving.
He stops and turns around, "yes?"
Jones closes the gap between them with a few quick strides, "I was wondering where her family is. Weren't they informed?"
Doctor McGregor was expecting such a question, "we couldn't find any, and as for her emergency contact, it is her neighbour's number who moved away months ago."
Detective Jones thanks the doctor and enters the victim's room.

Location: Miss. Clarke's cabin room

The first thing Detective Smith notices is the bouquet of daisies by her bedside. The nurse follows his eyes, "her students love her." She goes on to change water in the vase.
Olivia was lying down eyes closed, most probably sleeping when the commotion in her room startles her. She is still on oxygen support and lethargic.
Detective Smith takes a stool and sits beside her bed, "Miss. Olivia Clarke, I am Detective Smith, here to talk to you about your case."
Olivia nods weakly.
Detective Jones comes in that instant, so Smith continues, "and this is Detective Jones, my partner, how are you feeling today?"
She faces Jones in order to acknowledge him and back to Smith. She attempts to remove her mask but fails. The nurse comes around and helps her. Jones takes a seat on the opposite side of the bed.
"Better.", Olivia's voice croaks and she coughs violently.
"From now on, just nod yes or no, okay?", Smith advises. Nurse Lola hands her a glass of water.
Olivia nods yes.
"Were you in a romantic relationship with your student, George?", Smith asks, impatiently.
Olivia jumps up, gaining energy like a ghost has taken over her body, looks with terror in her eyes, "George!", she repeats with difficulty, "how is he?", she becomes breathless. The nurse puts the oxygen mask back on her.
Detective Smith shakes his head no.
Olivia gasps and falls back on the bed, semi-conscious.
The detectives are escorted out of the room as the nurse calls for the doctor.

"What do you think?", Smith discusses the case with Jones.
"This is getting more and more complicated.", Jones sighs.
Smith smirks, "I know, right!", he pulls his hands out of the pocket, "we will surely get to the bottom of this."

Location: Swerhalt Police Station, Interview Room 1

Mrs. Blossom is awaiting her turn to be reinterviewed in view of new evidence surfacing. Detective Jones takes the turn this time. He comes in, same style as usual. The slow confident walk with a coffee mug in hand is supposed to be intimidating and not surprisingly it is working on the quiet librarian.
Jones takes his seat, "last time we talked, you forgot to mention your massive call history with Miss. Clarke. Why is that, Mrs. Blossom? I don't understand."
"I didn't think it was related.", timid Mrs. Blossom holds own against the detective.
"That's for me to decide. Don't you think, Donna?", Jones subtly shifts his tone, opens the file to reveal a considerable set of highlighted lines, "count me skeptic, but those are not normal professional phonecalls, are they?", he presents the evidence in front of her.
Mrs. Blossom understands in this exact moment that any lies she throws at the investigating detective will bounce right back at her. She calms herself and speaks, "no.", her stoic demeanour is scarier than the sturdy detective sitting right across her. She is a tough nut to crack.
Detective Jones rolls up his sleeves, getting ready for the long fight, "care to explain the context of your contact with Miss. Clarke? Calls, texts, even visits to her home?"
Mrs. Donna Blossom's aloof expression disappears without a trace.
"That's right. We have her home's intercom records too.", Jones tilts back on his seat and crosses his arms.
This is the ultimate strike on Mrs. Donna Blossom's defensive plans. She opens up like a floodgate during irrigation season.
Detective Jones has no further problem extracting required information from the mother of the poisoning victim.
She breaks down, exclaiming, "it should have been her! That bitch!! Not my boy!!", she starts howling irrelevant curses and lashes at the detective who moves out of the way just in time. Two officers rush in immediately and take her away.