3rd POV:
It was the next day and Noah was doing a broadcast.
Noah: It's been one day since Jake Fitzgerald's body was found, and the grizzly reality of how he died is setting in.
At the police station Y/N was in the bathroom after being questioned about his parents' deaths. He did not mention the phone calls he got from Ghostface.
Noah: That sort of grief is a tricky thing. You don't know what to feel. Should you be furious? Should you be frightened? Should you be sad? It can swallow you up or weigh you down or ignite a fire inside you.
Y/N looks in the mirror and he get angry and punches the mirror breaking it into pieces as he stares at it. Audrey was hitting a punching bag until she grabbed her backpack and threw it.
Noah: When murder hits this close to home... it makes you see the world in a new way. People, too. Even the ones you trust start to look a little different. Because when everyone's a suspect, there is no innocence. Soon after Noah finished the broadcast Emma came to Noah.
Emma: Hey, Noah. It's me. open up.
Noah: Uh, hold on. Just a second.
Noah covers up the murder board and he answers the door.
Noah: Hey! Was that locked? That's weird. Sorry. Uh, what's up? What's going on?
Emma: Um, I have something I need to tell you. The last thing that Piper said to me, and Y/N, was that she had one more surprise. I think that surprise just killed Jake and Y/N's parents and is now terrorizing all of us.
Noah: You mean Piper's accomplice.
Emma: Yes. I know. You've been saying it all along, but, now, I'm ready to know the truth. I need to see your board.
Noah: The board? No, no, no! It's under construction. It's not ready. You're not ready. Nobody's ready.
Emma: Noah, I'm ready.
She takes off the sheet and sees Audrey as the prime suspect.
Emma: Audrey? What? Why do you think that?
Noah: Audrey said some strange things during the lockdown. And then, she went all Frankenstein lynch mob on Stavo, and-and she... she just... You know, her temper's been off the charts lately.
Emma: That's it? That's... That's all that you have?
Noah: It's just a feeling I have.
Emma: A feeling? It's not Audrey! Noah, the killer has gotten in your head, okay? He... He wants you to connect dots that don't even exist! It is part of his game, okay? He is trying to make it so that you cannot trust anything or anyone.
Noah: It could all be a part of his plan. Yeah.
Emma: It has to be.
Emma phone vibrates and she checks it.
Emma: It's Brooke. It's Brooke. She said Y/N came to her. I have to go. It's not Audrey, so unless you have something real to back that up, you need to take down her picture right now.
She leaves as she goes to Brooke's home.
Brooke: He's on the couch. He has not said a word.
They see Y/N sitting there. Emotionless.
Emma: Y/N?
He looked up at her and then looked back down staring at a pencil.
Y/N: ...
Y/N then snaps the pencil in half.
Emma: You, okay?
Y/N: Does it look like I'm okay? My parents are dead, my house is burnt to the ground so to answer your question if I'm okay... I'm not. Plain and simple.
Emma: Y/N, I know you want answers, but don't go down that hole. I don't think it makes sense.
Y/N: You're really trying to make sense out of any of this? Your long-lost psycho half-sister tried to kill us all.
Brooke: I wouldn't really call that logical, but, hey, it totally happened.
Emma: Yeah.
Brooke: It could be anyone this time, Emma.
Y/N: I need to find out who killed my parents. I don't care how ugly it gets.
Emma: Yeah.
Brooke: We'll see you later.
She leaves as Y/N and Brooke hears Sheriff Acosta voice.
Sheriff Acosta: I just had a few more questions.
Quinn: Brooke and Y/N are too fragile for any more interviews right now. Have you followed up on Seth Branson?
Sheriff Acosta: We did. I appreciate the tip, but it looks like he'll come out clean.
Quinn: What about Jake's phone?
Sheriff Acosta: Couldn't open it. Encrypted.
Y/N and Brooke look at each other and they leave the house and call Gustavo over to the coffee shop and they were both sitting down waiting for him and Gustavo came up from behind and scared them.
Brooke: Ugh! Jesus, you scared us. Wear a bell if you're gonna creep like that. You two texted me.
Y/N: Yeah, twenty minutes ago.
Gustavo: I drive a bike, not a Range Rover. What's the emergency?
Brooke: Look, you were a really great guide when I was lost in that Ayahuasca nightmare. So, we were wondering, do you have the same sense of direction around your dad's office?
Gustavo: What am I looking for?
Brooke: Anything that looks weird in Seth Branson's file.
Gustavo: You mean that lurker guy who was at the movies.
Y/N: Yeah, him. Can you help us or not?
Gustavo: Cake walk.
Gustavo goes off as Y/N and Brooke goes back to her house and they waited. Soon after Gustavo came back and sat with them.
Gustavo: You asked for weird, I found weird. They think Jake's time of death was late Sunday night, early Monday morning. Branson has an alibi for the whole night. Kristin Lang.
Y/N: Our psych teacher?
Brooke: Ew. The one who wears all the blazers?
Gustavo: Gets weirder. The file says Lang and Branson are dating.
Brooke: Okay, that makes a hundred percent no sense.
Gustavo: I know. She's, his age.
Brooke: I bet blazer babe is covering for him. We're gonna get to the bottom of it.
Gustavo: Just promise me something.
Brooke: We know, we know. Don't get involved. Whatever.
Gustavo: Screw that! Promise you'll take no prisoners and kick ass as needed.
Y/N: Noted.
Brooke and Y/N get up and walk off. Y/N waited in the car as Brooke put their plan in motion. She frantically places a call to Ms. Lang, asking her teacher to meet with her outside of school to talk about Jake.
Ms. Lang: Brooke...
They hugged.
Ms. Lang: I came as quick as I could.
Brooke: Thank you for meeting me, Ms. Lang.
Ms. Lang: Of course. I'm happy to be there for all of my students, especially after what happened with Jake.
Brooke: Yeah, well, this isn't about Jake. Not entirely, at least. I just... Well, I know you're really good at all of this personal psychology stuff, so I thought maybe you could help me out with this. I... was with another man the night that Jake died. I was with Mr. Branson. And I'm just feeling really guilty about it.
Ms. Lang: Seth Branson?
Brooke: I'm sure you know our history. Except, it's not history. I... I slept with Seth on Sunday night, which... is the night that they think Jake died. I'm just... I'm an awful person, aren't I?
Ms. Lang keeps her composure around Brooke, but makes a call to her beau the moment she gets in her car.
Mr. Brandson: Hey, you reached Seth. Please leave a message.
Ms. Lang: Seth, call me! We need to talk!
With Brooke and Y/N, Brooke calls Seth.
Brooke: I'm falling apart, Seth. I need someone. I need you.
Mr. Brandson: I'm here, baby.
Brooke: I don't want to feel this pain anymore. I need to escape... like we used to.
Mr. Brandson: You mean...
Brooke: Meet me at our old spot?
Mr. Brandson: You sure?
Brooke: Yeah.
She hangs up and Y/N and Brooke smile at each other.
Night came and Brooke got dressed and went to a hotel. She knocks on the door and Mr. Brandson answers. They start to make out when Brooke takes him to the bed and brings out handcuffs.
Mr. Brandson: What are you doing?
She uses the handcuffs to hook him to the bedpost.
Mr. Brandson: Come on, Brooke, baby. Baby, wait.
She blindfolds him and when she pulls off the blindfold he's fully tied up and Brooke's straddling him with a pair of sharp scissors in her hands and Y/N enters the room.
Brooke: Playtime's over, bitch. I know your alibi for Jake's murder is B.S. Where were you on Sunday night?
Mr. Brandson: I didn't kill your meathead friend.
Y/N punches him.
Mr. Brandson: Jesus, Y/N.
Y/N: Answer the question. Where were you Sunday night?
Mr. Brandson: Okay, fine! I wasn't with Kristin on Sunday night, okay? I lied about my alibi. There, you happy?
Brooke: Why would you lie?
Mr. Brandson: If I said where I really was, it would sound even worse.
Y/N: Where were you?
Mr. Brandson: I was here... waiting for Jake.
Brooke: What?
Mr. Brandson: Your friend was paying me to leave Lakewood. He wanted me out of your lives. He was supposed to come. He never showed.
Y/N: How much did he pay you?
Mr. Brandson: Ten grand.
Brooke: And where was Jake gonna get that kind of money, huh? His parents kept tabs on all of his cards.
Mr. Brandson: I don't know, okay? He said he had some sort of deal with your dad.
Brooke: Lie. They couldn't stand each other.
Mr. Brandson: I don't know. Okay, Brooke? Money, no money, you know me. I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a killer.
Brooke: Oh, really? Should we ask your last girlfriend?
Mr. Brandson: I didn't murder Caitlyn, okay?
Brooke: No, you just changed your name and moved to another city to ruin another girl's life.
Mr. Brandson: Caitlyn was disturbed. I didn't take her suicidal threats seriously. I made a mistake.
Brooke: You make a lot of mistakes. And you tell a lot of lies. I think it's time you learned your lesson.
Mr. Brandson: You can't do this, Brooke. You can't do this!
Brooke: Why not? Worst case, me and Y/N get community service and probation. Victimized high school student lured to hotel by a serial predator.
Y/N: I come in and help her.
Mr. Brandson: You've both gone mad!
Y/N: We all go a little mad sometimes.
Brooke: Confess to killing Jake or say good-bye to "little Branson." Three... two... one.
She stops.
Brooke: JK. Now, we believe you, and you get to keep all of your man parts. Win-win.
Brooke leaves Branson gagged and tied to the bed but before they leave Y/N walks to Mr. Brandson.
Y/N: Know this, if you go near Brooke, I won't hesitate to kill you. Enjoy your stay.
Y/N and Brooke leave. Afterwards, Audrey pays Noah a visit.
Noah: Testing, testing. Welcome to The Morgue.
Noah sees Audrey.
Noah: I thought you were going home.
Audrey: I was... but if I don't tell you this tonight, I may never be able to.
Noah: Okay, go.
Audrey: I know why the killer is after me. He knows what I've done and that I would do anything to keep it secret. I brought Piper to Lakewood. I was so alone and-and-and pissed at the world, so... I found Piper. I wrote her letters. I begged her to come to Lakewood and... help me research for a documentary about Brandon James. The thing about Brandon is, he may have looked different, but he wasn't a monster. He was like me. He was alone, rejected, and angry. It was Lakewood that turned him into a monster. When people started dying, Piper swore to me that it wasn't her, and I believed her, and now... now, I'm paying for my mistakes... for all that blood. I deserve this.
Noah: If you believe that, then Piper and this sicko win. You're not a monster, Audrey. You're a victim.
They hugged.
Audrey: Promise me you won't tell Emma or Y/N. I need to be the one to do it.
Unaware to them, Noah's podcast microphone was on, broadcasting their entire conversation to the World Wide Web. With Mr. Brandson, he was still tied up and he heard a door open.
Mr. Brandson: Brooke? Y/N?
His blindfold is lifted, and he sees the seconded Ghostface with a knife. He plugs in an iron before using his knife to saw off Branson's hand. Ghostface then uses the iron to cauterize Branson's wrist as his screams are sounded out by the gag in his mouth.