Kings Gambit

Chapter 33 - Arson

"Could we go over the case from the beginning? I'm starting to lose track." Matt scratched his head.

"It is an overly complicated scheme, so I can't blame you," Jasper replied with yellow eyes.

"Shut up, rat," I scoffed.

"Aren't you the one who said that everyone has the right to say what they want?" Jasper mocked. I decided to ignore his comment.

"As far as we know, Annie and Hank went to see Alex. They encountered Jasper in the cafeteria and told him that Claire wasn't feeling well. This was probably to get him off their backs while they searched the boarded room. Jasper, fully knowing their intentions acted like he had left. But in reality, he was hiding somewhere nearby. Hank was probably interrogating Alex, and Annie was loosening the boards at this time. Little did they know that Jasper would sneak behind them and knock them out." I began recounting the case.

"How was Jasper able to pull off that feat?" Leo asked.

"Well, Jasper is pretty fast and was shown to be a good fighter with his encounter with Alex. Being a member of The Machina must have trained him for this." I speculated.

"That would also explain his ability to pick locks." Matt recounted.

"Anyways, after knocking them out and dragging them into the blood-soaked room. He untied Alex and had him start working on a recording device. Or maybe Alex had already created it before being captured and tied by us. Either way, he started his... Process." I shivered.

"Alex was probably used to keep Hank in check while Jasper was dealing with Annie," Leo added.

"Yeah, that would make sense. I would say it was around twenty or so minutes into the process when Tristan showed up. Jasper, with quick thinking, added Tristan as part of his plan for exchanging the information Annie had given him, plus what he knew from the motive in the library. Tristan couldn't resist. And so the three of them came up with this horrible murder scheme." I continued.

"This is really seeming like Jasper masterminded the whole thing...." Claire looked sick to her stomach.

"It's because he did. Tristan even confirmed that this was his plan." I sighed.

"And so, what next?" Jasper grinned.

"After getting all the information, the three of you cleaned up and locked the room exactly as Jasper had it. Alex set up the device with the recorded scream to play when someone pulls the trigger. Jasper left the premises through the hidden entrance and stood in Claire's room. And Tristan went to the comms room to call the meeting. The rest were clueless because we were all in the library or dining room. So by using the hidden entrance, they could avoid us and create their own alibis." I looked around at the three suspects.

"That's why nothing made sense about this trial... Why everyone but Hank had a damn alibi." Matt grunted.

"Yeah, Jasper had been planning this murder for quite some time, which is why he constantly guarded that damn room." I clenched my fist.

"Moving on, Tristan calls the meeting. Claire and I meet up with Jasper. And everyone goes to the cafeteria except Alex, who was hiding in the electrical section of the shower room. At this time, Tristan or Jasper looks at Annie's card, killing her almost instantly with poison. And while debating, one of them triggered the scream. This causes us to all rush into the boarded room, starting the investigation instantly so that Hank could no longer give his testimony because Tristan stole Willow's role." I deducted.

"Is that why the scream was used?" Leo questioned.

"Of course, without it, you would have all split up. And the investigation might not have started instantly." Tristan replied.