Blaming Innocence - Chapter 6

  In this chapter of Blaming Innocence, Inspector Shaw and Gemma find out what had been poisoned - but who did it? And why? 

Note: This isn't flashback anymore. 

  Inspector Shaw bit his lip and thought for very long, and obviously very hard. I wondered if he was going through all my story in detail. It wouldn't have surprised me if he did. He seemed to be a very good inspector and I trusted him. I was finished with telling my story and now wanted to know who was responsible for the poisoning.

  "I got it! I know what the source of the poisoning is!" He suddenly exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

  "Yeah?" I asked, excited. "What is it?"

  "Haven't you figured it out yet?" he replied, incredulous.

  "The thing that was poisoned are the waffles you made that second morning. Raymond ate it, and you said that you saw Cinnamon eat them as well," he explained.

  "Well, yeah, but everyone else ate some too," I retorted.

  "Then only certain waffles must've been poisoned," Inspector Shaw replied. "Can you please take me to the waffles?" 

  "Sure..." I muttered, amazed at his logic knowledge of things. It made perfect sense now - someone must've put poison in them whilst I was changing!

  I started walking out of the room and Inspector Shaw followed me. I couldn't wait to see the source of the poisoning - but all the same I was quite frightened!

  We strode into the kitchen and I stood a little way away as Inspector Shaw said to me,

  "Are these them?" Whilst jerking his head towards the plate of waffles.

  "Yeah," I said, nodding. "What're you gonna do with them?"

  He looked at them for a long time without answering my question. 

  "Are these all or are there more?" he asked.

  "I'm afraid that all the others have been eaten," I whispered, feeling stupid.

  "That's okay. I'm just hoping on of these is poisoned," he replied.

  "Sure."

  Inspector Shaw then picked them up and smiled at me over his shoulder.

  "I'll take these to the police laboratory to be investigated," he said.

  "You'll hear from us tomorrow, Gemma," he called as he walked out the room.

  "I'll be waiting..." I muttered. What use was it if in the end they did find poison in the waffles? I'd said I'd made them, so there was actually more evidence against me. 

  "Oh yeah," he said nonchalantly as he strode further away from me. "I believe you, you know. That you didn't do it."

  Before I could answer, he was already gone. All I could do was feel a warmth glowing inside me. There were already two people who trusted me. One of them even had some power in the police force. At that moment, I felt ready to explode with happiness.

  I walked into the living room and warmed my hands with the heat of the fire. Once I was sufficiently warmed, and my thoughts had calmed down a little, I decided it was okay for me to rest. Just for a little bit.

  I fell asleep on the sofa, fully clothed, and my last thought was how I hadn't slept in a normal bed for two nights. How strange.

  I yawned loudly as Inspector Shaw woke me up the next morning.

  "Good morning, sleepy. I've been standing here shouting at you to wake up for about five minutes now," he laughed.

  "Sure, sure," I muttered, embarrassed. 

  "I've got news for you, by the way," he said, sitting down next to me.

  "Good or bad?" I asked cautiously. Was there even a possibility for good news at this point in time? Probably not. 

  "You'll see," he said mysteriously, and turned the TV on.

  "Latest news on the mysterious consecutive deaths of teenagers Raymond Pierce and Cinnamon Table. Now, on Latest News," the commentator said.

  "In the last two days, two teenagers have been poisoned and died horrible deaths," the second continued in an incredibly annoying american accent.

  "It is suspected that the source of the poison came from a special flower called the Neverlyosis which can only be found in Neverglade, the place where the deaths have taken place." The first one continued.

  "There have been various hints that the highest suspect didn't commit the crime. It would seem she has been framed. By who is not yet found out."

  "That was it for latest news on the poisoned teenagers. Right here, on Latest News."

  Inspector Shaw flicked the TV back off.

  "Well that was cleverly timed," I commented.

  "It was. But that's besides the point. You're not the main suspect anymore, but we're trying desperately to find out who is. In fact, right now everybody that works or learns at this school is being questioned at the police station," he explained.

  "Well... What do we do?" I asked.

  "I was thinking to do some research on these computers you have at school. They can usually be great sources of information if you know where to look."

  But where to look?