Trust The Traitor

◇22.CHANGED DRINKS◇

Stella
I was in the kitchen to make a drink for Katherine. I filled a glass that was already standing on the kitchen counter.
But then Giselle came and asked me if she can drink that and told me to make another one for Katherine. Giselle started making the popcorn and Nathan came to drink water then entered Zayn and I started making the drink.

"You know what? You would get zero Marks for this answer," said Lockwood making a zero sign with his hand.

Stella was confused about what to say.

But we all had grabbed the point which was the most important one. The drink was for Katherine, not Giselle.

A tear rolled down my cheek realizing Giselle was not meant to be harmed and the truth was completely different.

Zayn's hand went up to his mouth in surprise and Brady gasped at the newly learnt information.

Nathan too had teary eyes.

"I asked you what happened when the lights went off...not what happened before the lights went off. Nevertheless, you've given us a piece of great information." Said the detective happy with a discovery he had made.

"Did you wash the glass before making the drink," he asked.

She just shook her head.

Which clearly states someone had already put the fatal substance in that glass.

That was when the realization hit her too.

"Oh my God!  The drink was not meant for Giselle. Shit. I- I...Giselle is in this state because of me." Stella started crying.

The detective offered a glass of water which she reluctantly drank.

Detective gave some time to Stella to compose herself while he asked some questions to Brady," Why did you take Rose outside? You could've done the chitchat inside."

He asked this question thrice but Brady gave completely off the point answers.

"You know what my theory is about you? You may have not killed anybody, but you were involved with the murderer. You knew what was going to happen inside and you knew Mia and Katherine were to be left alone and the only one coming in the way was Rose. I just wonder Nathan too is involved as he went to the kitchen at the exact time to drink his warm/cold water." Detective Lockwood was frustrated now.

He told us to go. I was sure that he would not leave us until he got the answers which he was looking for.

I stopped at the gate as we were leaving.

"What happened?" asked Ashton.

"I left something inside, wait some time I'll be back," I said and cautiously opened the door to his office.

Stella was still there. I wonder what had she left there.

I prepared to go inside when the detective forced Stella to say something.

"I don't know." Replied Stella tears rolling down her eyes as the detective scared her.

"Calm down Stella, just tell me ...How come you didn't see Giselle going outside when the lights went off?" He asked with a softer tone.

He had a point. Stella was with Giselle all the time, how can she not sense that Giselle had left or someone had taken her.

"It was dark suddenly how can I see if it's so dark? I just got scared." She said

"Okay, what did you do then, when you got scared? Did you scream? did you pick some kind of utensil as a weapon? Did you close your eyes? Did you run? Or did you hug the person in front of you?" Asked Detective still being patient with her.

Why was she not answering properly? What was she hiding?

I burst in when Stella got startled and hugged me.

"What are you doing here?" Asked the detective with a glare. He surely was suspicious of me.

I saw Stella then turned my eyes to Lockwood hinting to him that I wanted to talk to him alone.

"You can go now, Stella." He said.

Why was he so informal with her?

"I wanted to remind you that Ryan has not been interrogated. He ..umm..I think he is missing." I said as I thought Ryan was nowhere to be seen after that night.

"For your information Ms Sinclair, I have taken Riddle's statement today morning itself. Whatever he said matches with other's statements too," he said as he got back to his work.

"I- uhh ...where's Ryan?" I asked.

"You never stop being nosy...do you? He is in his home getting rest. He is not in good health right now. If you wish, have a visit to your friend's. Let me work." He said and dismissed me.

I strode off when Brady asked me," what happened?" I saw concern in his beautiful eyes but at this point, I was not to believe anyone.

It was true. No one else had any access to the house except us.

Mia is the person who's the murderer but she couldn't have the potential to kill three people in one go. Someone was helping her.

Moreover the fact that even after knowing Mia is the culprit, the Police is not able to track her.

Also, there are people in our group who don't open their mouth and say the truth.

Ryan is missing. This is the biggest clue for being a suspect but I haven't listened to his side of the story yet so can't say anything.

Nathan is more than suspicious for me. Saying about drinking warm water and seen as drinking cold water. He is clearly lying. Not only that but whenever you ask anything about what happened in the kitchen, his face goes red. Either he has seen something or he is involved.

Stella, the most unexpected but couldn't be ignored. She even after being in a crying mess, hasn't let out a word about what happened when the lights went off.

Whereas Brady, being able to see most of the details and showing interest in solving the case is not giving on what was he trying to tell me when he took me outside. Maybe Lockwood had sense, that Brady wanted me out of the house so that Mia could kill Katherine.

Also, I was not on the scene at the time of the murder but I have reasons. I mean stupid silly reasons which this Detective is taking into account.

But Ashton of all seems the only innocent person right now.