Foul Is Fair

13 - Tattletale

It was days later and I still hadn't found out my results. This made my body heavy, sinking in the depths of anxiety. I was drowning, gasping for air as if someone had ahold of my throat. The worry flowed through my veins and deadened my mind - killing my spirit and clouding my thoughts.

Thankfully, I found out not long after my panic attacks, ending my suffering.

With flying colours, I had passed. I couldn't have been more surprised and filled with euphoria. It was a wonderful feeling and I was incredibly proud of myself for coping astonishingly-well. I couldn't help but find myself so incredibly smart... I had lied about a genuine and serious crime and got away with it. A few little white lies is all it took to defeat a high-tech piece of equipment. A perfect victory.

What about Eleanor, Victor and Byron? You may have been wondering.

Wouldn't you like to know.

Starting off with the nicest of them all, Byron Lewis. Despite his crippling anxiety, he managed to pass the polygraph. His test wasn't perfect and certainly looked suspicious in some areas, but nonetheless, he passed. Officers just put the abnormalities down to anxiety and stress, which makes complete sense. If you had ever met Byron, you'd know his antisocial behaviour was normal - he was just a shy young-man.

Eleanor and Victor. The most admirable couple the community has ever seen. Oh, how much that changed after the breaking news.

Eleanor decided not to take the test in the first place, ultimately leading to a fail. Her choice to avoid the polygraph made officers sceptical - why wouldn't she prove her lack of involvement if she truly was innocent? Once media latched their claws onto this information, it was plastered on every paper, leading Eleanor's image to be destroyed.

'Famous To Infamous - Who Is Eleanor Briggs?'

'Local Hero Murders Her Own Daughter'

'Journalist VS Jury'

'Adelaide's Case Is Cracked! - Secret Insight On Eleanor's Crime'

The media couldn't get enough. They fed from the drama, pulling in readers from their obscene claims. Even if Mrs. Briggs managed to escape from the jaws of the law, her whole career had collapsed at her feet. No doubt, her agency wouldn't allow her back after being involved in matters as serious as a murder investigation. If they did, they'd certainly receive a lot of backlash from outraged viewers. The smart idea would be to get rid of her. And indeed they did. She was fired. Sacked. They didn't want her anymore.

As for Victor? He took the polygraph. However, he decided not to answer a fair majority of questions or he simply messed up due to his stuttering and stumbling. Somehow, he managed to pass; his results still worried officers. It was obvious Victor seemed at least somewhat guilty, making authorities assume the machine wasn't exactly accurate on his turn. Ironic.

Suspicions aside, officers decided to question Victor further, eventually getting him to reveal something nobody was prepared for.

"I have a feeling..." he began, appearing to be nervous about whatever was to come. "I have a strong feeling that El may have something to do with Adelaide's death. I also have a feeling I know why."

Officers were stunned to say the least. Finally, the case seemed to have a top suspect - Eleanor Marie Briggs. All this time, they were waiting for answers, searching high and low and now, at last, they were getting somewhere.

"Why do you think your wife is to blame and why?" Officer Adams enquired, eyes wide open from shock.

"Well, I suppose it's gut. But I have reason to think so. Whether it's relevant or not, I feel it's important to state." the doctor explained, taking a deep breath before he began again. "First of all, she checked in at the Jones Inn after Jacob and I, leading me to believe she had time to commit the deed and arrive once it had been done."

"Carry on..."Adams pleaded, swiftly jotting notes down on his notepad.

"Just me who finds that odd?" Victor questioned rhetorically. "I mean, for all I know, her little side piece could've been involved. Adelaide was stabbed plenty - what if the job was completed by two?"

You and I know that it wasn't a two person quest, but a sole one. However, I took that as a compliment as it clearly reflected my efforts.

"My best advice would be to look into them both. Drop Addy's boyfriend, drop this peculiar assistant, drop me! I'm telling you, Eleanor murdered my daughter!" he exclaimed confidently, stressing his opinion.

"You said you could think of a motive?" Adams asked smoothly, lifting a brow out of curiosity.

"I can think of a few." Victor stated, keeping incredible eye contact with the officer before him. "El has always been jealous of Adelaide. She seemed to draw attention wherever and whenever due to her beauty. This meant Addy picked up many opportunities for fame and fortune - photoshoots, advertisements, sponsorships. You name it, Addy did it."

It was true. Adelaide was adored by many companies, often leading in many collaborations. She was beautiful.

I remember standing behind the scenes of a photoshoot she attended for a well-known fragrance company. Her hair flowed so smoothly, as if guided by the angels above. I was so mesmerised by the image of her emerald eyes under the bright lights - they seemed to glow with innocence and captivated anyone who dared to swim in her gaze. Her body was decorated with a plain white dress with pink and yellow flowers to draw attention to her stunning figure. Not to forget her painted white nails clutching the perfume bottle tightly. She was bold. Beautiful. Looks that anyone would be happy to kill for.

"See, Eleanor is all about the money." Victor stated, rolling his eyes. "Wouldn't surprise me if she killed Adelaide out of spite just to assure her net worth never caught up to her own."

"Anything else other than envy?" Officer Adams questioned eagerly.

"Well, not exactly, no." he confessed. "I know my wife and I know she's a very jealous individual. Now that Adelaide isn't there to run her business? I bet that will be El's new career."

Mr. Briggs was correct.