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Josh pulled his Mustang into the driveway and honked his horn. Rosa peeked out a few minutes later and jogged to the car looking grim. Since Andrea was already in the front, she climbed into the backseat silently.

“Are you ready?” Josh asked her.

She fiddled with the ends of her long braid. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

A few minutes later, they arrived at Bryan’s house and found the rest of the guests were already there. With the appearance of the final three, whom Bryan grimly pointed out were a few minutes late, they settled in and prepared for the big revelation. It was the weekend, but luckily Bryan’s parents didn’t work the normal nine to five grind, so they were conveniently absent. The mismatched living room was in much the same condition as it had been the last time Josh was there. Lily’s windbreaker was still carelessly tossed on the arm of a chair, as though no one had the heart to move it from that final resting place. The coffee table was still minus one leg, and the whole house was still in need of a good dusting.  

It was the tension and not the dust that made the air in the room thick. There was a killer in that room and everyone knew it. Each person looked accusingly into the eyes of the others, trying to pick out the guilty party. Each person was ready to point the finger of blame at someone else.

The group had spread out as much as possible. Josh and Rosa were sharing the lumpy couch with Elena. Jim and Andrea had pulled a few chairs in from the dining room, while Kevin sunk into the ugly, stained recliner in the corner of the room. Bryan was pacing nervously back and forth with a cigarette in his mouth as he contemplated his plan. Josh wished for the hundredth time that Bryan had shared his strategy with him so he had some idea of what to expect. He was starting to wonder if maybe Andrea was right and Bryan was trying to frame him.

“Everyone here is aware of the reason for this little get together,” Bryan announced, and dropped his smoldering cigarette into an ashtray. “We’re here to find a killer. And we will find them. One way or another, someone is going to confess today. I don’t suppose anyone has a problem with that?”

His tone was deadly serious. His face was grim and shadowed. Still, Josh blanched and very nearly fell off the couch when Bryan reached into the waist of his jeans and pulled out a shiny silver pistol, which until that moment had been well hidden beneath a bulky sweatshirt.  That was something he had never expected. Around them, there were cries of shock and dismay, and he felt Rosa squeeze his knee.

“Whoa, man!” Josh threw up his hands. “I never agreed to this.”

“Sorry, Josh. I knew you wouldn’t, but it had to be done.”

“All right, Bryan,” Jim said, always the voice of reason. “No one is going anywhere, and I know you aren’t going to hurt anyone. Just ask your questions and let’s get this over with.”

“Don’t be so condescending, Jim.” Bryan pointed the gun in his direction. “I can smell a phony a mile away and you’re stinking the whole place up.”

“Bryan, just put the gun down,” Josh told him. “This isn’t going to solve anything. You’re only making things worse!”

Bryan shook his head. “I disagree. I think it’s a lot harder to lie when your life is on the line. So what do you say, guys, should we get started?”  When no one answered, Bryan charged on. “Let’s start by going back to the day this all started. The day Josh broke up with Elena, because that was when things got strange.”

“You already know all this, Bryan,” Josh said, frustrated and a little afraid. “What good is it going to do to rehash it?”

“This time we’re going to get the answers straight from the horse’s mouth. No guessing games. So tell me, Elena, how did you feel when Josh dumped you? Were you angry? Upset?”

“A little of both,” she admitted, her voice calm. “I wasn’t expecting it and I was a hurt that he rejected me.”

“All of the girls were upset when I broke up with them,” Josh interrupted. “Especially when they found out about each other.”

“Yes, but Elena is the only one left,” Andrea pointed out.

“Elena had the best motive,” Jim chimed in. His voice was a little shaky, and everyone knew he was trying to hurry things along. “She was jealous and angry.”  

Elena was starting to lose her ever-present cool. She looked a little distraught when she realized everyone was ganging up on her.

It was Rosa who finally came to her rescue. “Elena could have easily been crowned homecoming queen. We were all pretty certain it would be her. It seems to me that she was the intended target of the last murder. Not Nadine.”

“Plus, Elena had no idea who Lily was,” Josh added. “Or where to find her.”

Bryan shook his head. “As much as I’d like to eliminate Elena, those aren’t good enough reasons. The online votes could have been fixed and I told her about Lily myself. How hard would it be to look up our address online? I don’t think anyone can lie when they’ve got the barrel of a gun in their face.”  Elena didn’t even blink as her new boyfriend turned to her with a pistol in his hand. “Elena, did you kill Lily and Nadine? Did you try to kill Jazz?”

“No.” Elena’s voice was unwavering.

“Josh.” Josh very nearly jumped out of his skin when Bryan turned toward him, even though he lowered the gun, wordlessly announcing to everyone that he still didn’t consider Josh a suspect. “What was the first thing that happened that we know is tied to the killer?”

Josh was thoughtful for a moment, trying to pin down the exact order of the events. “I guess it was the rat poison. I started to feel sick the same day that we got into that fight, and I found the first note in my mailbox when I got home. That was also the day my tires got slashed.”

“We already know it was Kevin who slit your tires,” Jim reminded them.

Up until that point, Kevin had been trying to disappear into the armchair, but the mention of his name, coupled with Bryan turning in his direction, finally got his attention. “Man, I already told you I didn’t have anything to do with those girls getting hurt. Yes, I slit the tires. Yes, I was a total ass when it came to Elena! But I didn’t kill anyone. And if I was going to kill someone, it would have been Josh, and not his stupid lineup of adoring chicks.”

“I think I actually believe you, Kevin,” Bryan said, and Josh saw Elena’s mouth fall open. “I don’t think you’re smart enough to pull this off without getting caught.”

Kevin scowled at him and the room fell into silence as Bryan tapped the tip of the gun against his forehead. The sound of the ticking grandfather clock echoed throughout the room. Every second that ticked away felt like hours as they waited for Bryan to decide who to cross-examine next. Josh was starting to worry that Bryan had just lost it. How could he put a loaded gun so close to his face? What if it went off?  It had to be awkward trying to handle a weapon when he only had one good arm. Josh had no idea what he was thinking or if he was thinking at all and not just following some desperate, grief-inspired fantasy. A fantasy that could wind up getting someone killed.

“Rosa!” He shouted her name so loud that she actually squeaked in response. He crossed the room to stand in front of her. “You’ve been awfully quiet today. Don’t you have an opinion about who the killer might be?”

“No, not really.” She stuttered, but she did look over at Kevin, and everyone noticed it.

“You were pretty upset with Josh when you found out about all his girlfriends, weren’t you?” Bryan asked. “You must have felt like another notch on a very, very long belt.”

Josh couldn’t help but glare at him for that one, even if it was true. At the same time, he tried to shift his weight to block Rosa from the aim of the gun.

“I was mad for a little while,” she admitted softly. “But then he convinced me to give him another chance.”

“And just like that it was all okay? Do you always believe any line a guy tosses at you? Kind of makes you seem a little gullible, doesn’t it?” He narrowed his eyes and lifted the revolver. “Or maybe you’re just a really good actress.”

“And maybe you’re just being a total dickhead,” Josh yelled. “I got sick before Rosa found out about the girls. So it couldn’t have been her. Now would you put that stupid gun away? Someone else is going to get hurt, and this time it will be your fault.”

“I know you want to defend your woman, Josh, but let’s think about this logically. Did you ever get in an argument with Rosa before you got sick?”

Bryan had a lot of nerve to talk about logic when he was behaving like a raving lunatic. If he wasn’t holding that gun, Josh would have given him another bloody lip, dislocated shoulder or not. When he thought about it, he realized Bryan was right. The day Rosa had come over to tutor him, she had gotten angry. Maybe she had known more than he realized. He had left her alone when he went to make the hot chocolate. It wasn’t impossible that she could have gotten into his bag—

What am I thinking? There is no way my Rosa would ever hurt me.

He knew his long silence had already given it away.

“Dammit, Bryan,” he swore. “You’re seriously taking this thing too far. But yes, we did have a minor disagreement before I got sick.” He gave Rosa’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “But that certainly doesn’t mean Rosa’s responsible for any of this.”

“What about you, Grant?” Kevin’s voice was bitter from his lonely corner. “How come you get to point the finger at everyone else? How do we know it wasn’t you who killed them? You’re the only one waving a gun around!”

“That’s ridiculous!” Elena cried. “Why would he want to hurt his own sister?”

“Well, maybe she really did off herself because of Josh,” Kevin suggested. “And all this other crap is just him tryin’ to get even.”

“Maybe I did do it,” Bryan said casually. “It could be anyone in this room. And they could strike again, right here, right in front of everyone. And any one of us could be the next victim.”

“You’re seriously messed up, dude.” Jim shook his head. “You realize that, right?”

Andrea was inclined to agree with her boyfriend. “I thought you said you knew who the killer was? Why don’t you just tell us already and get it over with? Why are you playing these stupid games?”

“I’m playing games because the killer likes to play games, and that’s the only way to lure them out. But you already know all about those kinds of games, don’t you, Andrea?”

Andrea glared at him. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“The killer was someone who knew Josh really well,” Bryan explained, taking a few steps in Andrea’s direction. “Someone who knew about all the girls from the very beginning. Someone who could have easily slipped the notes into his mailbox or rat poison into his medication because they lived right next door and had easy access. Someone could easily sabotage the homecoming dance because she was in charge if it.” 

Andrea started to squirm uncomfortably in her seat. Josh knew it was just her turn and before long, Bryan would move his interrogation to the next suspect. Several long seconds passed and he didn’t move on. He just glared at Andrea, holding the gun firmly.

“What do you expect me to say?” Andrea said, breaking the silence. “Those accusations are just ridiculous.”

Bryan’s face was set in an icy stare as he inched closer to her. “I don’t think it’s ridiculous. In fact, it’s so obvious; I can’t believe I didn’t realize it sooner. It was you, Andrea.  You attacked Jasmine. You killed Lily and Nadine. You are a murderer.”

“I don’t believe it,” Elena whispered, stunned.

There were gasps of shock throughout the room, but Josh didn’t believe it. There was no way that Andrea was the killer. It was ludicrous. As if to prove Josh’s unspoken thoughts, Andrea’s mouth fell open and her big green eyes filled with tears. She stood slowly on shaking legs, clutching her handbag to her chest, as though she could use it as a shield in case Bryan decided to fire the pistol.

“Get that out of her face!” Jim screamed.

Each word was enunciated and laced with uncontrollable fury. Before Bryan had a second to consider what was happening or to mount any type of self-defense, Jim had him in a headlock. With his bad arm, Bryan was no match for Jim’s expert wrestling moves. Once he had Bryan down, he knocked the gun out of his hand. Bryan tried to grab for it, but Jim was too quick. He kicked Bryan in the ribs, grabbed the pistol, and jumped to his feet.

“Doesn’t feel so good when the shoe’s on the other foot, does it, Bryan?” Jim snapped. His red hair fell into his eyes, giving him a crazed, disheveled look. He went back to try to kick Bryan again before he could catch his breath, but Josh stepped between them.

“Let’s just calm down,” Josh told his friend. “I know this is tough on everyone, but let’s give Bryan a chance to explain why he thinks it was Andrea. Then she can defend herself and prove that he’s wrong. I know she has nothing to hide.”

“It’s okay, Jim,” Andrea agreed. “I can handle it.”

Jim seemed unsure, and he wasn’t about to give up the gun. He lowered it so that it was no longer aimed at Bryan or anyone else. It was an improvement, but Josh would have felt better if it was out of the picture all together. It already seemed like Bryan was hurt. He cradled his injured arm and flinched as he tried to drag himself to his feet. Josh helped him to stand.

“Explain yourself, Bryan, and it better be good,” Josh told him. “You need to have proof before you start making these kinds of accusations.”