Climax

The tragic event had taken place at the Florence Cinema. Only a few minutes after the death of seventeen year old William Hussein had occurred. Before the young man was confirmed dead he and his four friends had gone to see a new comedy out in theaters for the second week on release. The four friends are all classmates. One, his girlfriend Kate, his best friend Tom, Tom’s girlfriend Sophia, and last his second best friend Grace.

“So tell me. Who’s idea was it to go and see the movie?” Asked officer Henson as he took down a few notes and memorized the suspects faces. Also in the mix of the four classmates was four others. The four other were employees who were working the popcorn machines at the time. This was necessary do to the fact there was poison was found in the boys system when tested for any chemical residue. Rest of the evidence was still being examined. “It was actually Will who thought it up. He wanted us to all hang out for once, since we’ve all been pretty busy with school work and our jobs.” Answered Grace. “I guess that doesn’t help with anything then. I guess then we just have to take all eight of our suspects downtown.”

Officer Henson was puzzled and couldn’t think of any other solution then to question them all until one cracked. Suddenly a figure rose out of a seat in the front row. A man dressed in black with blonde hair. “How did you get in here and who are you!”
“Me officer? I’m detective Kiel.”
“Detective! What are you doing here?”
“I was here enjoying a nice movie when out of the blue I heard a scream, show a dead body, and quickly dialed 911.”
“Then you’re the one that called?”
“Yes and I know who the culprit of this murder is as well.” Detective Kiel said with a smile.

He truly had found out the culprit, but motive was another question. The most puzzling part of a murder case isn’t who did it, but why. Why kill another human being for some silly logic people come up with. Thinking or tricking themselves into believing is the only way to solve a problem or get justice. Detective Kiel always asked himself that question when ever investigating a murder. He still hasn’t found an answer though. “You’ve found the killer! Who is it?”
“All in good time my friend. I want to have a little fun first.”

He slowly walked to the row just in front of where the main suspects were sitting. He then pointed down to the second seat in the row and said, “This is where I was seating when the crime was committed. I only hid at the bottom of the front row to calm the culprits nerves down.”
“Then just that told you who the killer was?”
“Of course not, but it only helped me with my hunch.”
“Hunch?”
“Yes, a hunch, but I now know the true killer.”
“Who is it man!” Detective Kiel turned to the employees and said, “First let the employees leave the scene. They have nothing to do with this officer.”
“What? But they all could have poisoned the popcorn.”
“That’s impossible, because I’m pretty sure Mr. Hussein bought all the snacks for his friends. After all it was his idea to go, probably on short notice too. Am I right kids?” The students just turned away from Kiel’s view, but soon one decided to answer, “Yes, he did call suddenly and to make up for it he said he would pay for the snacks.” Said Sophia with her hands gripped tightly together. “Then what all did you order?” Tom answered first, and quite quickly, “I got a medium popcorn and two soda’s. The popcorn I shared with Sophia.” Next was Kate’s answer, “Tom ordered a small popcorn, cause he wasn’t feel good at the time and I’m on a diet. I also got a diet soda and Tom got a bottle of water.”

How strange Kiel thought. Why would a sick young man want to go to the movies? The last to answer was Grace, “I got a bag of candy with a bottle of lemonade.”
“Then there you have is officer. If the employees had poisoned the popcorn then when Kate had eaten some of it she too would be died. Now wouldn’t she?”
“I suppose you’re right. Very well then, you guys can go.” The employees dashed down the stairs and around the corner. The seemed glad to have left such an awful sight behind them. “Now we’re down to four and not eight.”
“Should we take these four downtown then?”
“No need, like I said I know the killer.”
“Then who is it man? Enough of your games Kiel!”
“Patients, all shall be revealed in due time. I now need the young mans belongings.” One of the officers behind Henson brought the belongings over and Kiel asked a favor of the man before leaving.

The man hurried down the stairs. “What was that about Kiel?”
“Nothing for you to wonder about my friend. Only a small favor. Now back to the real action.” Kiel searched William’s belongings from head to toe. There was only one thing that caught his curiosity. “Tom was it?”
“Um yes sir?”
“Was William a very tidy person?”
“He was. We used to call him a clean freak when we were younger.” From that statement Kiel knew how the killer had committed the crime. There was only one other piece to verify. “Detective Kiel!” It was the man who had left earlier. “You were right! The popcorn didn’t have any chemicals on it.”
“What?” Officer Henson was shocked. As well as the friends of William, or so called friends. “As I had hoped.”
“What’s the meaning of this Kiel. Why isn’t there any poison on the popcorn?”
“Because Henson the victims popcorn wasn’t poisoned, but his hand was.” A still silence feel on the scene. Everyone was in aw.

“I’m I right?” Kiel turned his view to the man holding the clipboard. “Yes it is.” He said slowly. Still in amazement. “Kiel how did you know that?”
“How? I know because William was a clean freak. When ever anyone of his high standard for cleanliness goes to any public location they use wipes.”
“Wipes?”
“Now that you mention it, Will did us a lot of wipes. He would clean sink handles and doorknobs that way.” Said Grace. “The only problem with that is when I looked through William’s belongings there were no wipes to be found.”
“That can’t be. When William arrived he wiped his arm rests with one before sitting.” Said Grace.

Kiel was sure she was telling the truth. “That wasn’t William’s hand wipe.”
“Then whose was it?”
“The killers!” Kiel raised his hand swiftly and pointed straight at Kate. “Kate. You are the culprit!” All eyes turned to Kate with her dreaded expression covering her face. “But Kate is William’s girlfriend.” Said Tom. “Yes, but love can turn to pain in seconds.”
“Then where’s your proof detective?” Kate said with a grin. She was so sure of herself. Kiel just couldn’t wait to spoil her fun. “Remember when I said I was sitting in front of you all.”
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, near the climax of the movie you and William had been laughing so hard I couldn’t even hear myself think. I turned around to tell you to pipe down so I could hear. You then stuck your tongue at me and kept on laughing. That’s when I moved to a different seat, but as I walked down to the front I heard a scream. That’s when the murder was committed.”
“That doesn’t prove anything!”
“It proves much more than you may think.”
“What?”
“When I turned around you were just about to grab a hand full of popcorn. I also know that you are left handed. By the way you grabbed the popcorn and kept dropping it on the floor. Leaving a mess for the janitors. Am I right?”

Kate didn’t answer, but Sophia did, “Yes Kate is left handed, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“If Kate is left handed then why did she eat with her right. Don’t you find that a little strange?”
“I guess so.” Sophia’s face was starting to look more and more worried. “So what, maybe I hurt my hand.”
“Hurt your hand? Now whose throwing out silly stories?” Kiel started to give out a small chuckle before continuing, “Then how about some more fun.”
“Fine, but it won’t help. After all it seems you have no proof.”
“Seems is the keyword in that sentence, but it seems I do have proof.” Kiel was still laughing. Even more of a loud snicker now. “Don’t you dare laugh at me! You have nothing!”
“I have everything I need you silly girl. All the proof I need it in your pocket. The pocket with the hand wipe you gave to William. The hand wipe that has the poison on it.”

Henson quickly grabbed Kate and snatched the hand wipe away. After a few moments it was found to be true. That was the murder weapon. “How did you know?”
“I suspected that in the car William asked you to get the tickets out for him. You did so, but first disposed of any hand wipes in the bag. Making you the only one with a hand wipe. The only reason you didn’t poison his hand wipes was because he might share with someone and then they would die too. You didn’t want to take the risk. Next was to make sure you had a story for how he forgot his hand wipes. You probably said that because he was sick he couldn’t remember things that well. So you offered him yours instead. Then after use you slipped it into your pocket once more. The only thing left to do was wait for him to eat the popcorn, but because he was sick he didn’t feel like eating. So you had to con him into eating just a little. Then last was to make sure you didn’t eat any with your left hand until you could dispose of the hand wipe and clean your hands with counteractive chemicals.”
“Why didn’t she get rid of the hand wipe afterwards?” Asked Henson. “The reason was simply. If she dropped it somewhere someone may find it and touch it. The other was if she got up to through it away from the bathroom she may accidentally touch the arm rest or Williams hands. She didn’t want to take the chance.”
“I see.”
“Then why? Why did she do it?” Tom asked. “Kate could tell you, but I can too.”
“You can tell them.” Kate said. “Tell us what?” Tom’s face was dripping with tears.

Tears of having lost two good friends. Kiel could only fell sorry for the young man. “Did you ever start to think how someone so tidy could ever get a cold?”
“No. Not really.”
“That was your first mistake. For that was the key clue in the motive for this murder.”
“How is that?”
“Cause the way William got that cold was because he was cheating on Kate. Kate actually had plans to frame someone in this room.”
“Who?”
“It was Grace. Grace and William had been seeing each other after work. They probably had the same job so it made it easy to connect. Is that right so far?”
“Yes.” Kate said as she just stood there hand cuffed.
“I found out a week ago. I was bringing William some cake for the anniversary we missed do to work. I thought we could celebrate together, but everything was crushed in seconds. I saw the window was lit up in his room and that’s when I saw it. William and Grace on the floor making love.” Kate couldn’t take it anymore the tears just started coming out. So Kiel decided to continue for her.

“So after that she came up with this plan. She thought she could blame it on Grace because she was the one who buttered the popcorn. Like killing two birds with one stone. Then with that giving Grace the perfect moment to poison the popcorn, but she knew that the popcorn would soon be tested so after the incident and when the police weren’t looking she was going to wipe the popcorn with the poison. Then make up a story on how do to her diet she didn’t eat any popcorn. The only thing she didn’t expect was my sudden appearance and how I said I was spying of you four from the bottom seats. This made it impossible for her to poison the popcorn before it was tested. Thus ending this little game of tragic love.”
After the truth was exposed Kate was placed in jail for twenty years, but with bail, the students went back to there lives and moved on, and Kiel just moped around his dark office in a run down building downtown for a new and hopefully fun case to pop up.