Chapter 209
Chapter 209
Zoey asked, "Can you walk me through your day?"
Nicolette quickly replied, "Sure. I got up at 7 AM and went to class. After my class ended at 11, I grabbed lunch at the cafeteria. Around noon, I headed back to the dorm for a nap. The three of them can vouch for me because they were in the dorm eating takeout! Since I didn't have any afternoon classes, I decided to sleep. Then I suddenly remembered it was the last day of an art exhibit I wanted to see, so I skipped my gym class to go."
"After the exhibit, I was on my way back when the teacher texted me saying Cecilia was dead. I rushed back and then you guys started questioning me. That's it."
The timeline was indeed simple and verifiable.
Zoey nodded and continued, "Did you ever see Cecilia's water bottle?"
Nicolette scoffed, "Her? Buy water? No way. She never buys her own water; she always mooches off Violette. Didn't you see when you came to our dorm? Violette bought a whole case of water, and Cecilia just took it whenever she wanted without ever paying Violette back. I really don't get people like her. Why is Violette even friends with her? It seems like she's scared of her or something. It's ridiculous."
"Did you notice if they were in the dorm when you left for class? Did anyone leave in between?"
"No, I was the first to leave."
"And when you were napping, did you hear anything?"
Nicolette said, "I usually wear earplugs because I can't stand listening to them talk. But today, it was unusually quiet. I didn't hear a thing. I thought my earplugs were just working really well. Now that I think about it, they were probably up to something behind my back. Haha, Zoey, I'm just guessing, no evidence."
Zoey recalled the interrogations of the three others, feeling like something was missing.
Alexander carefully placed the test report in front of Zoey, quietly noting that Nicolette's name wasn't on it.
Zoey understood and continued, "Did you bring water to gym class today?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Did you leave it on the field?"
"No, I gave it to someone else," Nicolette replied.
"Who?"
"Sable."
Zoey stunned. "What?"
Zoey was pondering how to proceed when Charles couldn't help but interject, "There must be something wrong with that water. Why else would Sable keep running to the restroom?"
"What?" Nicolette, overhearing on the phone, was momentarily stunned. "Are you saying Sable drank my water and got diarrhea? It must be those three jerks!"
Zoey continued, "When did you buy the water?"
"Around noon after lunch. I figured I'd need it for gym class, but then I decided to go to the art exhibit. I overheard Sable calling her roommate, so I gave her the water."
Having gathered enough information, Zoey ended the call.
Just as she was about to call Sable, Alexander asked, "Do you think Nicolette really didn't know her water was tampered with?"
From their interrogation, Nicolette seemed quite cunning.
Zoey followed his logic, "You mean the water being poisoned was premeditated, waiting for someone to take the bait?"
"Can't rule it out."
"But it's potassium cyanide!" Charles shook his head. "I don't think so. Nicolette's target was those three, not Sable. If they didn't take the bait and Sable drank it, what good would that do Nicolette?"
Robert took a deep breath, "You're right, Charles. So our focus now is to find out if Nicolette knew her water was tampered with!" He paused, then reconsidered, "But that doesn't make sense either. If her water was tampered with, she wouldn't have given it to Sable."
Charles said, "So... she probably didn't know."
Dennis chimed in "She must have thought Cecilia wouldn't dare do anything drastic."
"Nicolette is just a college freshman with a bright future ahead. It doesn't add up."
"College students have done worse, like killing their own parents. The law doesn't show mercy!" Robert sternly addressed his team, "Zoey, let's not worry about whether Nicolette knew for now. Call Sable."
Zoey replied, "I might not reach Sable, but I can definitely get in touch with her brother."
Robert said, "Alright, go ahead."
In the line of duty, Zoey messaged Vernon.
He replied quickly: [What's up?]
Zoey: [Can you get in touch with Sable? It's important.]
Vernon: [What's going on?]
Though it wasn't about him, he was cooperative: [Zoey, how did you know Sable came back today? She said someone died at school, the cops were there, and she's been having nightmares for days. She doesn't want to go back to school. My parents are thinking of sending her abroad.]
Zoey: [Can you put Sable on the phone?]
Vernon: [Sure, but can I listen in?]
Zoey: [What do you think?]
Vernon: [Please?]
Zoey couldn't stand Vernon. Knowing she couldn't stop him from eavesdropping, she agreed.
When Sable answered, she looked exhausted and pale.
Finding a comfortable position on the couch, Vernon handed her the phone, "Officer Brown wants to talk to you. Isn't she handling the case at your school?"
"Really? I didn't see Zoey today." Sable greeted Zoey, "Hey, Zoey, it's me."
"Sable," Zoey quickly asked, "I heard you've been sick. How are you feeling?"
Sable weakly replied, "I don't know if I'm better. I've had diarrhea since yesterday afternoon. I'm really struggling and planning to go to the hospital soon."
"I've been running to the restroom so much I feel like throwing up. Hold on, let me drink some water. Go on, I'm listening."
Zoey nodded and asked directly, "The water you had at gym class, Nicolette gave it to you, right?"
"Yeah, she did."
Zoey added, "We suspect it was tampered with. Based on your symptoms, it seems obvious. It was probably a laxative, right?"
Sable stunned. "What?"