The Psycho Is Innocent | ꪜ

Chapter 7: Calm Before The Storm

Present

          "HEY, YOU EVER considered Tobias actually being the one who killed Maria and Kayla? You've been looking at every possible way that it isn't him, but what if it is?" Ariel slid her venomous glare towards Evelyn, the heat beneath her eyes could have possibly burnt a hole through Evelyn's face if that was possible. "What?" She seethed.

          "I mean, maybe Larson really is innocent and maybe he has a reasonable explanation why he has a bloody underwear and red hair in his room. I mean Lewis did say he would make her wear red wigs. What if–what if it was just the wig and what if the bloody underwear had a very reasonable explanation." As ridiculous as this sounded out loud, it was true. There's always an explanation for something, not everything was as elaborate as everyone made it out to be.

          However, despite her agreement with Evelyn's statement, it didn't lessen her anger. This theory was based on the expense of Tobias' innocence, and that sparked a fuse within her, "Tobias did not do this." She said through gritted teeth. "Ariel, we have to give Larson the benefit of the doubt. We can't go around accusing anyone of murder."

          "I agree but it's ironic how much of a hypocrite you're being in that same sentence where you're declaring Larson's innocence and accusing Tobias! I will do anything to find that person whether it be Larson, Lewis. . .you. And I don't care who it hurts."

           "That's crazy," Evelyn muttered. "Yeah? Well, we all have a little crazy in us." Ariel clipped coldly, her voice unable to soothe the already crippling tension that hovered between them.

          The room lapsed into silence and Ariel tore her gaze away from Evelyn. The sleepover was a way to reminisce about how normal their lives once were before the murders and Tobias' arrest but even now the topic seemed to loom over their heads. "I just don't think that we should go around accusing people of murder no matter who they are."

          "And that's why we need to go through with this. One moment you're all 'hell no you're not going around Larson' and the next you're freaking Judge Judy declaring his innocence. There's only one way to rule him out whether he's the murderer or not. We get that damn Ziploc bag, no matter the risks."

          Evelyn sighed, she didn't need to say it out loud but Ariel was right. The two lapsed into silence once again but Evelyn's attention never returned back to the flickering lights of the television. She just wondered if not Larson then who?

          And only one name stayed buried in her mind. The name she dared not to mutter again in fear that Ariel's next time snapping wouldn't be with words but instead actions. No matter what plan they had Evelyn believed that it was Tobias Aspen who did it and he deserved to be where he was, rotting away from society.

~~~

She was dressed in a pair of high-waisted black jeans, red knee-high boots and a red spaghetti strap silk top with a white kimono draped over it. She sashayed down the hallway like her personal runway. When someone had a certain goal in mind, confidence was the torchlight brightening up the dark path. And Ariel's torch was of course her sex appeal.

          From down the hallway, Evelyn watched in disapproval. There was only so much she could do and whatever plan Ariel had she couldn't stop it. Before Ariel could catch sight of her looming, she disappeared, leaving the red-haired standing before her locker, ready to be fed to the shark.

           When she pulled the blue locker open and shoved her bag inside, her eyes locked onto the yellow sticky note pressed against the photo of herself and Tobias. With a frown, Ariel ripped it off and turned it around, eyes finding the words scribbled messily across the paper. 'how are you positive that Larson murdered those girls, Ariel. What if it's me? ;)' Her blood ran cold. "What the hell?"