As the clock ticks closer to the pre-arranged time, she rushed to finish her last tasks. Then, she tidied up her hair and brushed hopelessly at her wrinkled clothes. The fingers on the clock point onto the last hour, and she clutched tightly onto her old bag, slid her feet into those worn-out shoes before departing from the mansion.
As she walked briskly towards the direction of the old train station, her mind started to wander. It travelled first to the item in her bag. Should she had kept it in that little room of hers? But Mrs. Peacock had made it so clear that they were to bring 'their little gifts from dear Mister Black. After all, it's not worth anything at all,' she had said in that accursed voice of hers as she turned those beady eyes onto White. Her mouth was pulled down at the edges as she considered the outfit of white. "How dare she look down on me!" White cussed silently. Just thinking about the shit she has to put up with in the family enraged her to the point that murder seemed deliciously probable. "Wait! That is dangerous!" She cautioned herself. "I didn't do anything. I didn't do nothing at all to Mister Black. Nothing!"
She cursed the guts of Peacock to set up such a meeting. Yet, she could not deny her… No, she could not do anything but agree to her arrangements; being played by that vicious woman all this while. She cursed herself for that. The train announcer announced the station, and White pulled herself up from the hard seat in the cabin. She settled her worn bag onto her tensed shoulders again and stepped out of the train into the buzzing station. The place they were meeting in was a place that Mister Black had frequented during his life time. He had, on certain occasions, brought them there to gather. White is sure that Peacock had such a set up on purpose.
"The culprit would certainly feel guilty here, wouldn't he?" White overheard Peacock said as she reached the assigned room in the billiard bar.
"You sound as if you are certain who the one who killed Mister Black is," Mr. Plum replied. "For all I know, you may be the one."
"Oh, that was fast of you, Mr. Plum, and so very suspicious. It's a common thing to push the blame onto others, isn't it so Mr. Plum?"
"Aren't you doing the same thing?" Plum declared angrily.
"If I were the culprit," peacock raised her voice in response to Plum's declaration, "I would not be wasting my time organising this gathering to sound out the real culprit!"
"All part of an act!" Plum yelled, "you are always scheming, you hag! Pointing fingers before everyone else, and pretending you are the victim! You have never cared for Black before!"
"The scene is sure heated," Green suddenly appeared from behind White, who turned around to stare at the man in shock.
"Mrs. White!" Peacock called, peering at the two behind the door, "what are you doing there? Come on in if you have already arrived! You too, Mr. Green!"
The two entered the room, and into the steamy atmosphere that surrounded the first two occupants. "Where is this Scarlett?" Peacock demanded before drowning the whisky she had previously ordered. She slammed the glass back onto the table.
"Drinking so early in the day?" Green asked as he seated himself on her left.
"What I drink and not drink is none of your business," Peacock grumbled.
"Grouchy as usual," Green commented before turning to the waitress that had just entered. "A bottle of your best champagne, if you please."
The waitress bowed in response and turned to White, who did not state her order.
"Go ahead and order, Mrs. White," Peacock smirked, "do not worry about it, you can order whatever you like. I will pay for it."
Plum snorted at that, Green grinned and White glared at the table silently as the waitress waited for her order impatiently.
"Oh, just give her some orange juice or something! Here, refill my whisky before you leave," Peacock demanded of the waitress. She looked at White, who did not respond. Then, the waitress shrugged her shoulders and went to serve Peacock, who watched as the whisky was poured into the glass. "That's enough!" She said when the glass was half-filled. The waitress set the whisky bottle back onto the table and left.
"Is Scarlett not here yet?" Plum grumbled as Peacock took a gulp of whisky.
"I told her to be here at 12 noon on the dot!" Peacock informed him.
"Let's just wait for a while more. Colonel Mustard has yet to arrive too," Green said.
After a while, the waitress returned with a glass of orange juice and a bottle of champagne with an empty glass. Following in her trail was came Scarlett in a revealing maroon dress, escorted by Colonel Mustard. She walked into the room and removed her sunglasses before greeting the others, "good afternoon!"
Colonel Mustard removed his hat and coat and placed them onto the hanger before taking a seat on the opposite end, facing Mrs. Peacock.
"Flashy as usual," Peacock mumbled as Scarlett went took her seat opposite White under the permanent glare of Peacock.
"Red wine, please," Scarlett said confidently to the waitress, who nodded politely at the smiling female.
"Brandy," Colonel added.
"Now, all of us are here," Green said once the waitress had left after serving Scarlett and Colonel Mustard. "May we begin, Mrs. Peacock?"
