Par, Carol, and Scott didn't have to keep Bridget restrained for long. Once the police got word that there were no bombs, they completely swarmed over Fairway and soon put Bridget under arrest. While they tended to the dead and conducted their own investigation, they also insisted that we all get psyche evaluations. I'd say that's a good call; we did go through quite an ordeal.

I can only speak for my own evaluation, but the counselor I spoke to was actually very impressed with how I handled the situation. I just told her the truth: this wasn't my first investigation, and my nine-year-old sister is literally an undertaker. I actually got out of mine rather quickly, though others took a bit longer. By the time we were all done, it was almost five o'clock in the afternoon.

Coach Niblick and Raj had all of us meet at the St. Andrews Auditorium once we were all cleared by the police. Raj stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"To all golfluencers, I wish to sincerely apologize for… everything," he said. "None of this is what I intended. I tried to be as careful as I could, but it obviously wasn't enough."

"Fairway University also bears some responsibility for this travesty," said Niblick solemnly. "As such, I will look into improving our security measures. We cannot have a repeat of what happened these past few days. We also plan to reimburse any golfluencers for their time here, and any students who require counseling are encouraged to reach out to our faculty."

Wow. So this whole event meant to promote golf to the masses just ended with Fairway University losing a lot of money. We're gonna have to step up our game and win some tours if we wanna make that cash back. I know it's the right thing to do here, but the right thing isn't always easy.

After those announcements, I decided to check in with everyone. Some of these people are my friends, and even those that aren't went through some heavy stuff. I caught up with Bobby and Carlota as we left the auditorium.

"Hey, guys," I said. "Well, I'm sure glad that's over."

"I think we all are, babe," said Bobby, placing an arm around me. "You were amazing out there, Lori. You kept it together and took charge. I love how reliable you are."

Heh heh~. B-bit early for the flattery, Boo-Boo Bear. Seriously, I can feel my face burning.

"I-I couldn't have done this without you, Boo-Boo Bear," I cooed softly. "You came through for us right when we needed you. Y-you're very reliable, too."

Carlota smiled sweetly. "Oh, you two are just adorable," she said. "But yeah, it was a group effort. We all did our part to bring that psycho to justice."

"I wonder if all you Casagrandes are this good as solving mysteries."

We turned to see Misha Polykov standing with Par. Bobby smiled and pulled me closer.

"Hey, the Louds are no slouches, either," he said. "Did you tell your boss about what happened to her…" He trailed off and made a face. "What's the gender-neutral term for a son or daughter?"

"Child," said Misha. "And yeah, she knows. The cops already had her identify the body while we all got our therapy sessions." She sighed. "What a pain in the ass. This is the last thing she needs after Krile trashed the ARF's reputation. The fella might've been a total asshole, but they were still her asshole. I don't even know what to say to her."

"Tell me about it. I'm not sure how I'm gonna break this to Dori," said Par. "She and Blanche weren't super close, but they were still friends."

Bobby smiled. "Hey. If you need my help, I've got your back, Par Dog. That's what besties are for."

Par let out a weak chuckle. "Well, at least she went down doing what she loved most: being a stunt double. I did not expect her to take a bullet for you like that, Lori."

"To be fair, none of us expected her to be put in that situation at all," said Carlota. "I still can't get over it. No one here had to die."

"On that we can agree, lass. Which is what makes the Kelpie Order so dangerous."

We turned to see Scott and Carol joining the conversation. Carol looked absolutely disheartened, her eyes fixed on the ground as she rubbed her arm. Scott seemed to be handling himself better, but he still had a somber look on his face.

"Yeah, I hear you. I hope I literally never hear from those guys again," I said. "Why did Hugo Sweetwater join them to begin with? Do you know?"

Scott shrugged his shoulders. "I never looked into the Kelpie Order that much. Loch Loud had been isolated from the rest of Scotland for a long time. But the appeal of making sure proper justice is served is quite strong. We don't want people to get away with hurting others or breakin' the rules. Folks like Bridget, though… they took it too far."

"You can say that again," said Carlota. "So, I guess it's back to Scotland for you, huh?"

"Actually, no," said Scott. "I was supposed to leave today, but thanks to what happened, I need to reschedule my flight back home."

"Same for me," said Carol, still staring at the ground. "I just hope my professors at Maritime U see this as a proper excuse."

I raised an eyebrow and walked over to Carol. "Hey, are you okay? I-I'm sorry about Greg."

Carol scoffed. "What, him? Nah, there was nothing going on between us. Sure, it sucks that he's dead, and part of me wishes he wasn't so paranoid. But that's not what I'm really sad about."

"Oh?"

Carol sighed and looked up at me. "Lori, the reason I signed up for this thing was because I knew you were going to Fairway. I-I wanted to see you again. We spent so much of our childhood trying to one-up each other, and part of me always regrets that. We could've had so much fun at this tournament. Hell, I wouldn't even care if you won! But that stupid Bridget ruined everything over some vendetta against cancel culture."

She let out another scoff and brushed a tear from her eye. "Wow. That sounded so selfish. I-I'm sorry."

I just sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Carol. I get it," I said. "There are times when I miss my old life in Royal Woods, too. And just because you feel bad that we couldn't have this perfect reunion doesn't mean you don't care about the people the Kelpie killed."

Carol sniffled. "Y-yeah. You're right. It's just one more thing that sucks on top of… everything else." She then gave me a hug. "Thanks, Lori. You were… amazing out there."

"I just did what I had to," I said, returning Carol's hug. "And hey, even when you return to Italy, don't be afraid to call me every now and then. A good chunk of my life right now is literally about maintaining long-distance relationships. I can handle one more."

"I-I'll keep that in mind," said Carol.

"Wow. You've… really got a lot on your plate, Lori. Even without the whole murder game," said Carlota. "I'm not sure I'll be able to handle that when I go to college."

"I think you'll be alright, chica."

I guess it's time for Alisa and Blaze to say their piece. Blaze was still going over something on his clipboard.

"Because of everything that happened, I have decided that Alisa will be taking an… extended leave of absence for the sake of her mental health," said Blaze. "This will mean a lot of rescheduled tours she was supposed to perform, but I feel we both need this."

Carlota smirked. "Wow. You really have changed, Blaze."

"Just doing my job," said Blaze stiffly.

Alisa giggled. "As I was saying, you've done a lot here, chica. You and Lori. After surviving this, I think you can handle college life."

Carlota blushed and twiddled her fingers. "Th-thank you, Alisa. Um, will you be staying in Great Lakes City?"

"I believe we will," said Alisa with a wink. "Though I'm thinking about locking my private blog. I don't want any more cancelling types getting any ideas."

"I'll be sure to look into that," said Blaze, scribbling on his clipboard.

"Might be a good idea, ma cheri. As the sayin' goes, no one likes cancel culture until they have the chance to cancel someone."

We looked over to see Ema and Zeke de Croix walking up to us. Zeke had put away his fiddle and selfie stick, and he obscured his eyes with the brim of his cap.

"So true," said Carlota. She then sighed. "Hey, I'm… sorry about Bridget. After everything you did for her, it couldn't have been easy seeing her end up like… that."

Zeke sighed. "Y'know, I mentioned this to the counselor, but I kinda blame m'self. If I just caught on quicker, I know I would've stopped her before she hurt anyone. But I'm the kinda fella who wants to see the good in people. I couldn't bear to think that Bridget would do all of this. Not until it was staring me right in the face."

"And I keep tellin' ya that no one blames you for that," said Ema, patting Zeke on the shoulder. "No one caught onto her schemes until it was too late. We're not to blame for her actions."

"Your brother's right," said Carlota. "Believe me, I don't think I would've acted any differently if I was in your shoes. The fact that you try to see the good in everyone… you shouldn't lose that over this. You just have to be a bit more careful."

Zeke nodded and smirked. "I think you're right, ma cheri. Y'know actually, you're a real stand-up gal, Carlota. I think I have a cousin who might be interested in someone like you."

I had to raise an eyebrow. "I'm hoping you don't mean Clyde."

Zeke let out a snicker. "Nah. He's over that phase. This guy's actually pretty close by. If ya want, Ema and I can put in a good word for ya before we head back to Louisiana. I mean, he's certainly better than that Diego fella."

Carlota giggled. "I mean, you're not wrong," she said with a shrug. "But honestly, I'm not looking to date anyone right now."

Zeke nodded. "Perfectly understandable, ma ami. I'll still let him know 'bout ya. Even friendships are worth something."

Heh. Yep, he's Clyde's cousin, alright. Always willing to help out.

"We might stick around here for a bit first," said Ema. "Now that Kiki's gone, I asked if I could approach Shanks Bogey and, y'know, apologize for all this."

I smirked. "I'm sure he'll appreciate that, Ema. Hey, maybe you two can find Kiki's spirit, too. Have a nice heart-to-heart and all that. Or, heart-to-soul?"

Ema chuckled. "'Tis a nice thought, Lori. I'll see how Shanks feels. Take care of yourself."

We then all went our separate ways. I was planning to see Bobby and Carlota off, but near Hole 18, I saw something that I couldn't just ignore. There was Ginny, kneeling down by a water hazard and staring at her reflection. Chaz was with her, but it was clear he didn't really know what to say. I went over to her.

"Hey. You okay?" I asked.

Ginny nodded.

"The cops say she doesn't need an ambulance or anything," said Chaz. "But she's been awful quiet ever since that psyche eval."

Oof. Yeah, I don't blame her. Not after everything that went down. I took a seat on the grass next to her, and Bobby and Carlota followed suit. We just sat there, staring into the pond as the sun set over us. Finally, Ginny spoke up.

"I have to wonder if this'll happen again," she said.

Bobby tilted his head. "What? This Cancelling Kelpie thing?"

"No. Well, kinda." Ginny sniffled and fiddled with her ponytail. "As soon as I got out of jail, I made it a point to put as much distance between me and my dad as possible. I'm free to make my own choices, and I choose to deal out justice and geek out over good stories. But no matter how far I run, I-I'm afraid he'll catch up with me again."

Chaz sighed. "Gin, c'mon. This was just a fluke."

"I wish I could believe that," said Ginny, shaking her head. "But my dad had me doing his bidding since I was fifteen. That's three years of my life that I am not proud of. How many times am I going to have to pay for his twisted vision before enough is enough? What other crimes are gonna come back to bite me? I-I just wanna do the right thing, but all anyone will remember me for is… being the cause of their misery."

…

Let me tell you something. I've done a few things that I'm not proud of in my life. Hell, I think everyone who's ever lived can relate to that. Should I be punished for, say, sabotaging Leni's driving exam because I was afraid of losing my status as the only Loud sibling who could drive? Or breaking Lincoln's VR goggles that one time? Or literally any of the many dumb things I've done these past eighteen years? No, of course not. I made mistakes; I made up for them; I moved on. That should be the end of the story. But I'm not sure if it's that easy for Ginny.

"I don't know if I have any good answers for that, Ginny," I said. "But I do know that you're a good person. And your dad should never have forced you into hurting anyone. You literally deserve so much better."

Ginny looked at me with misty eyes. "A-are you sure? I-I don't make any excuses for what I've done. I should've stood up to my dad a long time ago, but because I didn't, I ended up creating a monster in Bridget Goodell. I-I wish I was stronger. Maybe then, she wouldn't have ended up so… broken."

"That wasn't entirely your fault, chica," said Bobby, patting Ginny's shoulder. "She was raised by someone who believed that the wicked would always get what's coming to 'em. She took that to heart, and all you did was reinforce her beliefs. What you did wasn't right, but you shouldn't have to take responsibility for the whole ordeal."

Ginny laughed bitterly as she shed a few tears. "I-I get what you're saying, but I can't just run away from my problems. Not when they're gonna catch up to me one way or another."

"That's the thing, though. You're not running," said Carlota. "But you shouldn't go your whole life worrying about the past. You wanna build yourself into someone better? Keep doing what you're doing." She then smirked. "Honestly, people kept praising me and Lori, but I think you were probably the best detective here. You really helped us out."

"She's right, y'know," said Chaz. "And whatever horrors come back to haunt you, the Gin Rummy Prime I know will take 'em down and deal out some justice."

Ginny let out a small giggle and brushed some tears from her eyes. "Thanks. I don't wanna live my life in fear, but I should still be cautious."

"Fair enough," said Chaz. "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta find that Scott guy. We need to hash out this Leni situation."

Bobby gave Chaz a look. "Seriously?"

"Hey, the danger's over now, right? We can focus on other stuff," said Chaz with a shrug. "Besides, maybe he has a few tips about treating Leni right. If I'm gonna be her boyfriend, I should act the part, yeah? Chaz abides."

…

Huh. Well, I'm glad he's being mature about this. Maybe they will end up going the polyamorous route. Wouldn't surprise me, knowing Leni. Well, however it plays out, it's not my business. At least not right now; if Leni wants me to step in, I will. But I think she's got this.

"Alright. Good luck to you, Chaz," I said, giving him a thumbs-up.

Chaz nodded. "Thanks, Lor'. And killer job out there. You really earned the title of the High Card. Chaz like."

I just nodded back as Chaz went on his way. Honestly, I've heard that so many times today, that there's nothing else I can say to that. Well, if Ginny's feeling better, we should probably…

Just then, Carlota's phone went off. She checked it and rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me a minute," she said, answering it. "Hola, Mama. Yes, I'm okay. Yeah, we're on our way home right now." Suddenly, she perked up. "Actually, I think you should ask Abuela to make a few extra portions. We might have… oh. She's… already doing that? Heh, okay then. See you at home. Love ya." She then hung up.

"Let me guess. You want me to come over, too," I said with a knowing smirk.

Carlota gave me a grin. "Something like that. You'll see when we get there. I'm gonna ask around and see who else is interested. Think we'll be ready to go in, say, five minutes, Bobby?"

Bobby shrugged. "I think so. But are you sure Abuela will have enough food?"

Carlota deadpanned, and Bobby just let out a sheepish chuckle.

"Right, of course. Stupid question," he said. "I'll go get the van ready."

Ginny smiled. "Y'know what? I'll take you up on that invite. I… need something to get my mind off of all of this."

"Of course," said Carlota. "Just let me send a few texts."

With that, she started texting rapidly on her phone. So fast, in fact, that I think it's starting to catch fire. I can't even talk that fast! Well, I guess I'm having dinner at my Boo-Boo Bear's place tonight. I wonder what Carlota meant by that "you'll see when we get there" bit. I'm sure it'll be something great. Lord knows I need a bit of good news after everything that happened these past few days.

We got back to our building just as it was getting dark. Out of all the invites I sent, Ginny, Par, Carol, Alisa, and Blaze were the only ones to accept. Everyone else had their own stuff to deal with, I suppose. Which, y'know, totally fair. Before you ask, I did send an invite to Diego. Hey, he might be my ex, but I never said I hated the guy. But it turns out he and Cindy Tran are being brought in for questioning. Since neither of them seemed to get the memo that the bomb threat was fake, the cops thought they were trying to flee the scene. Considering the only reason Diego joined this tournament was to win back my heart, I can't help but feel a little bad for him. Cindy… not so much. That puta got what was coming to her.

When we walked into the building, I could already smell the tamales wafting down the hall. Oh man, have I missed this. College food is fine, but nothing in this whole world can beat Abuela's cooking. We headed up to Apartment 2A and knocked on the door.

"Surprise~!"

The door flew open straight away, and we were greeted by a genuinely heartwarming sight. It was just like Mom said. Not only was my familia there, but so were the Louds. We barely got into the door before we got absolutely mobbed by both families.

"¡Carlota, mi niña~! Thank goodness you're okay~!" Mom wailed, tears springing from her eyes. Yep, that's my mom, alright. Not that Lori's dad was much better; the guy was practically sobbing.

"W-we saw the whole thing on Carlota's stream," he blubbered. "I-I don't know what we would've done if…"

"Dad, it's okay. We're fine," said Lori with a chuckle.

Abuela chuckled as well. "Forgive us, mijitas. We were just so worried about you," she said. "Come, come! Lynn Sr. and I made plenty for all!"

Well, now we're definitely not gonna run outta food. One Thanksgiving at the Loud House was all I needed to see that Lori's dad was just as much of a cooking machine as my abuela. Speaking of which, that is one sweet spread. It's like a burrito buffet! Chicken, beef, pork, veggie, breakfast burritos with eggs… I-I'm not sure where to start!

"We're all very proud of you, mija," said Dad, adjusting his glasses. "You and Bobby really stepped up to the challenge. And Lori as well, of course."

"It was a group effort, Mr. Casagrande," said Lori. "We all did what we had to."

"And I'd do it all again to keep you safe, babe," said Bobby, giving Lori a kiss on the cheek.

Carol giggled. "Smooth move, Mr. Boo-Boo Bear. I don't remember you being this suave."

"We all gotta grow up sometime, Carol," said Lori, smooching Bobby back. Daw~. I couldn't help but take a picture on my phone. And a quick flash to my right told me I wasn't the only one. Of course my mom had to break out the camera. She always does this.

"Whatever. The point is you all kicked serious butt!" said Carl. "I didn't think you had that in you, Bobby."

Bobby smirked. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Carl," he said, flexing his meager muscles. Ay yi yi. Some things never change.

"I'd take his word for it, brah," said Par, patting Bobby on the back. "This hombre's got more moxie than he lets on."

"You really did come through for us when we needed you," said Lori. "Speaking of which, so did you, Lisa. Looks like your little lie-detector wasn't a total failure after all."

Lisa scoffed and adjusted her glasses. "Context is the important factor here. I'll be sure to add that to my notes." She then smiled. "But I am glad my invention served you well, Lori."

"I heard Lucille also managed to assist you," said Lucy. She smiled at Abuela. "Thank you for sending her spirit over to them, Mrs. Casagrande. I would love to learn how to do that myself."

"Maybe some other time, mija," Abuela said with a laugh. "Right now, I need to make sure all of you get a proper meal. Here, eat~! Eat~!"

With that, she wasted no time thrusting burritos into all of our hands. Ooh, I got a chicken one! My fave!

"Mmm~. These burritos are just as fierce as her tamales!" Alisa said.

"I… can't say I disagree," said Blaze, nibbling on his veggie burrito. Heh, c'mon, Blaze. I know you take your job very seriously, but this is a party! Alisa's not gonna fire you if you lighten up a little.

"Lori, Carlota. You both have such wonderful families," said Ginny with a sigh. "I wish mine was like that."

Lori smiled. "Hey. You've still got your mom, right?"

"Yeah, and she treats me well enough," said Ginny somberly. "I just wonder if I'll ever escape my dad."

"I'm sure you will one day," I said. "That man can't control your life forever. Not while he's in jail and you're here."

"True," said Ginny. "Well, maybe at least now, the spirits of those the Kelpie cancelled can finally rest in peace."

"I can actually confirm this."

Gah~! What the hell, Lucille?! After everything we've been through today, you're just gonna…?

…

Y'know what? Screw it. This is just her thing, apparently. Geez, I hope not all ghosts are like this.

Anyway, I think Ginny has a point. Those spirits are probably at peace now that we solved their murders. I wonder if Audrey Goodell was at peace when she passed. That would probably mean Bridget did all this for nothing. That poor girl really got too wrapped up in the whole cancel culture phenomenon, didn't she? Well, it's not like she's entirely wrong. Cancel culture is an ugly thing, and we shouldn't go after people for every single thing they've ever done. But it's just like Lucille said before. If you use the same tactics as the people you're criticizing, you're no better than they are.

As a long-time vlogger, let me give you all some advice. Call out BS when you see it, but don't go out of your way to ruin people's lives. I don't know how many of you will follow that advice, but I hope enough of you do.