This realization shook the room. Libra's words sent shivers up their spines.
"That solves the mystery of the culprit having time to hang him," Kirby whispered.
"A-And Charlie couldn't have called you after it happened…no way he could have spoken through a hole in his throat." Libra chuckled nervously. "Okay, that's my two cents. Back to filming." She returned to her camera, sighing with relief.
"Don't forget, Noah could have faked the call," Teresa said lightly.
Noah shot her a death glare. White-hot rage sparked in his chest. "For Mother Nature's sake, Teresa! I did not kill him! We were forging an escape plan together. Your ceaseless attack on me is beginning to make you look suspicious!"
Teresa ran a hand through her hair. "I'm just doing my job."
Again, Noah found himself gritting his teeth. "I suppose now would be a good time to present our findings," he decided. "Teresa, Grant, and I made a visit to the power plant, where Charlie went to begin the escape and found evidence that supports Libra's theory."
"What evidence?" Reeta asked in a hushed voice.
"I gave Charlie instructions on how to shut off the power. I found them in the grass, soaked with rain…and blood." Noah cringed.
"I checked for fingerprints and found Charlie's on the switch," Grant interjected. "So he managed to accomplish what he set out to do right before he died."
"So what you're saying is…you think he died right after he pulled the plug on the power?" Alistair murmured, one eyebrow raised.
Noah and Grant nodded. "Charlie definitely wouldn't have lingered," Noah said. "It had to have happened there."
"Then that makes this much easier on us," Alistair said, lips forming the beginnings of a smirk. "If he was killed right after the power went off, a fair number of us have alibis. But Gustav…that certainly makes you look suspicious since you showed up in the woods to give us a fright, mere moments after it happened."
Gustav gaped at Alistair, his eyes the widest they had ever been.
"Well?" Alistair pressed. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Gustav blinked once. Twice. Then his eyes swelled with tears. "Why are you and Lumey being so mean to me today?" he asked. "I thought we were friends! I thought we were a big happy family!"
"I don't know who is more suspicious," Grant called lazily from his stand. "Noah, Gustav, or Teresa!"
Noah and Teresa gave Grant dirty looks, but Gustav continued to wail.
"Enough, Gustav!" Libra snarled. "Your sending the audio levels skyrocketing."
"Sorry," Gustav squeaked, instantly shutting his mouth.
"Thank you."
"Focus, everyone!" Reeta said, snapping her fingers. "We're doing good. Where were we?"
"I was going to say that one of the Walking Targets could have committed the crime," Alistair said quite calmly. "They killed Charlie, joined in on the escape, then moved the body and trussed it up after the attempt failed."
"But wasn't everyone together while the body was being hoisted up?" Reeta questioned. "We got back to our rooms right around the time it started raining."
Alistair's lips parted in surprise. "Oh, yes, that is true. Excellent observation, Reeta."
She couldn't help but glow at the esteemed illusionist's praise.
"I feel like most everyone had alibis at one point or another," Robin muttered.
"Teresa doesn't have much of one," Noah pointed out.
"Perhaps, but you were the one who knew about the plan. I believe you set up a trap for Charlie! Which brings us to our next point, doesn't it?"
"Oh yeah. Almost forgot," Grant said. "We found…uh, what did we find, exactly?"
"A wire," Teresa answered, not taking her eyes off Noah. "Our best guess is that someone set up a trap for Charlie. Hitting the switch triggered a spear to fly into the back of his throat. He never even saw it coming."
Kirby held up both of her hands. "W-Wait! This…this changes everything once more. If someone was able to set up such a complicated trap, then that means…"
"Alibis at the time of the murder don't matter," Robin muttered.
"Ooog…I'm dizzy…" Gustav said, beginning to spin. "I can barely follow what any of you are saying!"
The trial continued on, but the students seemed to have hit a dead end. They doubled back and went around in circles, revisiting every piece of evidence, alibi, and possible motive connected to this case. They discussed whether or not Gustav would put the costume on Charlie to make it look like it was obviously him—directing suspicion away with just how obvious it was. They discussed the trap, but Grant had found no fingerprints other than Charlie's on the switch.
Blake thought he had something when he brought up needing your ID to get into the Science Building, thinking it would free the losing team of guilt since Monobear had taken theirs, but Reeta was quick to point out that the electronic locks on the doors opened after the power went out. Anyone could have gotten in.
Someone even brought up the idea of the murderer and the person who strung Charlie up being different people, but the students quickly dismissed that notion. Who would be sick and twisted enough to tamper with a crime scene just for the fun of it?
Eventually, Monobear became impatient. "That's it! I'm getting bored!" he snapped, jumping to his feet and baring his claws. "You've got five more minutes to wrap this up and then it's votin' time!"
Horror descended upon the room. The college students looked to one another, panic flaring in their eyes. Only one pale face among them was calm.
Alistair pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "We have revisited every piece of this mystery, but there is one vital moment we overlooked."
"And what's that?" Libra wondered, zooming in on his handsome face.
His hazel eyes peered into the camera's lens. "You brought it up yourself, my dear Libra."
She lowered the camera ever so slightly. "The…the phone call?" she guessed, sounding hesitant.
"The phone call!" Reeta burst out. "How could we forget?!"
"We do tend to be all over the place," Kirby acknowledged.
Noah slammed the palm of his hand into his forehead. "That's right. We established that Charlie didn't make the call. So why the hell did I hear his voice on the other end of the line? And Teresa, don't say it's because I faked the call. We've established that I was nowhere near the area when the body was being hung."
"I wasn't going to say that," Teresa said testily.
"I see no other explanation for it. What you heard was a recording," Alistair said. For some reason, he was looking at Libra as he spoke.
She returned his gaze, her eyes questioning.
"So…someone had a recording of Charlie's voice on their phone? Who?" Kirby wondered.
Libra suddenly felt sick to her stomach. "Not on their phone," she said in a faint voice. "On a zoom recorder."
"And what is a zoom recorder?" Alistair questioned.
Everyone else in the room seemed to be wondering the same thing.
"It's…for capturing high quality audio," Libra continued, her gaze drifting to the floor. "One went missing from my room recently."
"Well that would have been worth mentioning! When did this happen?" Robin growled.
Libra glanced at Alistair. Then at Gustav. "It was—it was after I had Alistair and Gustav over for video games."
A long silence followed her words.
"And you're sure you didn't just misplace this…zoom recorder?" Kirby asked softly.
"Positive," Libra answered. "I take very good care of my equipment."
"There you have it," Alistair said, spreading his arms wide. "It was Gustav."
"No! It wasn't!" Gustav cried out.
Noah shook his head. "And what evidence do you have that it wasn't you, Alistair?"
Alistair met Noah's eyes solemnly. "I may not have an alibi as solid as your own, but I hope you'll choose to believe in me. I know myself that I did not commit this crime and so I know the truth—it was Gustav who did. If you choose not to believe that, fine. However, it is a very frustrating ordeal from where I am standing."
Kirby looked from Gustav, who had tears rolling down his face, and to Alistair, calm, cool, and collected as always. She felt her heart going out to Gustav, SCL Actor or not. She had a feeling those tears were genuine. She looked to Reeta and could see her own thoughts reflected on her friend's face.
Alistair was just as suspicious as Gustav.
"OKAY, TIME'S UP!" Monobear crowed. "Time to—"
"Wait," Noah said. His voice was quiet, yet filled with conviction. He looked from Alistair to Gustav and even to Teresa. "Whoever killed Charlie obviously knew about our escape plan…I don't know how, but they did…and…knowing what you knew, all I want to ask is: why?"
Alistair would not meet his eyes, feeling that these words were not meant for him. Gustav, however, would not tear his gaze away from Noah's face. The tears kept on flowing, but he said nothing.
"Why?!" Noah demanded to know. "We almost escaped…Charlie could have escaped with his life if not for you…" His shaking fists clenched at his sides. He felt his eyes turning warm as he fought tears.
"Eh, doubt it," Monobear said, scratching his butt with disinterest. "I woulda stopped you either way. Now enough stalling! It's time to vote!"
"If you want to live, vote Gustav," Alistair said flatly, casting his vote with his device.
"Ally!" Gustav wailed. "Why are you turning on me like this?! I thought we were friends!"
"If only you were as good at covering up a crime scene as you were acting," Alistair murmured, refusing to look at Gustav. "You were just too suspicious."
"But it wasn't me!" Gustav shouted, eyes growing desperate. "I swear…on the graves of my parents, I swear it wasn't me!"
"Has everyone cast their vote?" Monobear chuckled darkly. "Then let's bring out everyone's favorite wheel!"
The colorful wheel appeared on screen as it always did. Their cartoon images flashed before their eyes. Then they began to spin. Faster and faster, until they became a blur.
Who is it going to be? Kirby wondered fearfully. A great deal of her fellow students had looked suspicious in this case. She didn't know what to believe. She prayed she had picked the right suspect. If not, they were all dead.
"Round and round she goes…" Monobear sang. "Where she stops…HUH?!"
Suddenly, the wheel jerked to a violent halt. It began to bounce back and forth between two students' faces, its ticker waving wildly as though it couldn't choose whom to land on.
Monobear's crimson eye flashed dangerously. "I don't believe this…WHICH OF YOU BASTARDS DIDN'T VOTE?!"
Libra nearly dropped her camera in fright. "H-H-How do you know one of us didn't vote?!"
"BECAUSE THERE'S A TIE, YOU LITTLE SNOT! Three of you voted for Gustav and three of you voted for Alistair!"
Everyone gasped.
"…And two of you voted Teresa and one of you voted Noah, but that's not important," Monobear added as an afterthought.
"What?!" Alistair said sharply. "Why would you all vote for me?!"
"Who cares why!" Monobear snarled angrily. He punched the device in front of him. The wheel containing everyone's faces split itself down the middle—on the left half was Alistair's face and on the right was Gustav's. "Miss Film Director!" Monobear snapped, making Libra flinch.
"I'm sorry!" she gasped.
Monobear's sharp teeth flashed in the light. "I'm willing to let bygones be bygones. This time. But what say you cast your vote and break this tie for us?"
"Lumey?" Gustav whispered. "You didn't vote?"
"I wouldn't make a habit of it," Monobear warned. "But yes, Libra has the tie-breaking vote. All of your fates depend on her!" He clapped his paws and cackled gleefully.
The students could not have looked more nervous. All except for Alistair, whose usual calm demeanor had returned. He caught Libra's eye and the ghost of a smile graced his lips. She stared back at him, face full of fear.
Slowly, she reached for the device before her. The rest of the room watched with bated breath. Her hand hovered over her choice. She pinched her eyes shut, breath coming in short gasps. "I'm sorry."
Ding!
The final vote was cast. The wheel spun wildly, the ticker waving wildly back and forth, lighting up each boy's face in turn.
And then it stopped.
The room was dead silent. Even Monobear could find nothing to say, gripped by shock.
"You…voted me?"
Everyone looked to Alistair.
He stood rigid on his podium. With one shaking hand, he reached up and adjusted his glasses. His eyes pierced Libra's and his lips struggled to find words. "Why?" was all he could manage.
"B-Because…" Libra forced out, sounding timid. "Because if I was writing this story, it would be you."
The trial room dissolved into an uproar.
"THAT'S your reasoning?!" Robin screamed. "You bet our lives on a hunch?!"
"Monobear, please tell us the truth. Was it Gustav or Alistair?" Kirby begged to know through tears, but Monobear was laughing too loud to respond.
His laughter filled the room, joining with the panicked voices of the students as they shouted at Libra for her decision. The only ones who said nothing were Libra, Alistair, and surprisingly, Gustav.
Gustav's face was unreadable through his thick makeup. He stared straight ahead, seeing nothing. Hearing nothing. Very, very slowly, he roused himself from his stupor and looked to Libra, who stared back, mute.
Finally, Monobear exhausted his laughter. "You…!" he crowed, holding his shaking belly as he gasped for breath. "You…IDIOT! Miss Film Director, you are an IDIOT for using that sort of reasoning in a life or death situation! But…I…love it!" He fell into another fit of giggles.
Tears pricked Libra's eyes. She swayed on her feet, face burning with shame. I got it wrong! Her mind wailed, threatening to become consumed by despair.
"Hahahaha…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!"
An unfamiliar laugh broke through the raucous noise. Alistair had thrown back his head and was laughing away, a very peculiar sight.
The other students shut their mouths and looked to him in shock.
Still chuckling, Alistair reached deep inside his jacket and removed something. He held it straight out in front of him and looked at Libra, grinning. "An idiot…but a brilliant one."
His hand opened. Whatever he was holding fell to the floor, striking the tile with a loud crack!
It was Charlie's phone.