“Because it’s still on your hands...”
“W-what are you talking about?” the woman stammered.
I looked straight into her eyes.
“You’re the culprit, Marivic.”
Everyone fell silent. Even Leo looked stunned.
“M-me? Have you lost your mind? Why would I kill Betty?”
“Because you had both the opportunity and the method.”
Marivic let out a nervous laugh.
“Do you even have proof?”
“Not yet,” I answered calmly. “But your actions have already exposed you.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
I walked toward the table where Betty had been sitting.
“Let’s review what happened.”
Everyone’s attention shifted to me.
“Betty died from potassium cyanide poisoning. The poison entered her body through the apple pie. The question is: how did the poison get there?”
No one spoke.
“The poison couldn’t have been mixed into the pie beforehand. If it had been, more students would have been affected. That means the poison was added after the pie was served.”
I picked up the plastic fork left on the table.
“And there was only one person who had the chance to do that.”
Marivic’s face gradually paled.
“When Darieshell congratulated Betty, she shook her hand. Julie also shook her hand afterward. But when it was your turn, something different happened.”
Her eyes widened.
“You never actually shook Betty’s hand.”
“What?”
“You reached out toward her, but before you could touch her, Julie interrupted and told everyone to start eating. At that moment, all attention shifted away from you.”
The canteen fell silent.
“You used that brief distraction to tamper with Betty’s apple pie.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Marivic shouted.
“Is it?”
I pointed toward her wrist.
“You’re left-handed.”
She instinctively covered her hand.
“When I first arrived, you were unusually quiet. But when Tristan showed up, you suddenly became more active in the conversation. It was as if you were trying to direct everyone’s attention away from yourself.”
“T-that doesn’t prove anything!”
“You’re right. It doesn’t.”
I paused.
“But there’s something else.”
Everyone stared at me.
“Earlier, you said you needed to leave because you had a Chemistry report.”
“So?”
“In Chemistry, students often have access to laboratory chemicals.”
Marivic’s breathing became uneven.
“Potassium cyanide isn’t something ordinary students can casually obtain. But someone with access to chemicals might have a better chance.”
“Objection!” Julie shouted. “That still doesn’t prove she poisoned Betty!”
I nodded.
“Correct. But there’s one more thing.”
I turned to Leo.
“Sir Leo, did the forensic team check Betty’s fingernails?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
I looked back at Marivic.
“Betty was trying to leave a dying message.”
“A dying message?”
“The broken lattice from the apple pie wasn’t just evidence pointing to L.”
I remembered Betty’s strange hand position.
“Three fingers were folded while the others gripped her neck. Her left hand was deliberately covering them.”
“What does that mean?” Nica asked.
“It means Betty was trying to hide something.”
I took a deep breath.
“She wasn’t forming the letter L.”
Everyone froze.
“She was forming the letter M.”
Marivic’s face turned completely white.
“M...?”
“Yes.”
“Betty already knew who poisoned her.”
The room grew eerily quiet.
“She didn’t have enough strength to write your full name.”
I stared directly at Marivic.
“So she left the only clue she could.”
“An M.”
“No...” Marivic whispered.
“Marivic Autor.”
The silence was broken by the sound of trembling breaths.
Then tears suddenly streamed down Marivic’s face.
“No... no... no...”
“Why?” Tristan asked. “Why would you do that to Betty?”
Marivic collapsed to her knees.
“Because I hated her!”
Everyone froze.
“I hated her so much!”
Tears poured from her eyes.
“She always had everything!”
Her voice cracked.
“Good grades... good friends... a boyfriend who loved her...”
She pointed at Tristan.
“Even you!”
“What?”
“I liked you first!”
Tristan’s eyes widened.
“But you chose Betty.”
Marivic laughed bitterly.
“No matter how hard I tried, I was always second place.”
Nica lowered her gaze.
“So you killed her because of jealousy?”
Marivic cried harder.
“I just wanted her gone...”
The confession echoed throughout the canteen.
Leo immediately signaled the officers.
“Marivic Autor, you are under arrest.”
The officers moved forward and handcuffed her.
As she was being led away, she looked at me with hollow eyes.
“You think you won?”
My brows furrowed.
She smiled.
A terrifying smile.
“You’re still chasing the wrong person.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“What do you mean?”
Her smile widened.
“L wanted this to happen.”
Then she laughed.
“L always gets what he wants.”
The moment she disappeared from sight, my phone vibrated.
A text message.
Unknown Number
Congratulations, Detective.
You found the wrong monster.
—L
My grip tightened around my phone.
For the first time, I felt it clearly.
L wasn't simply playing a game.
He was controlling the board.
And somehow...
I had just moved exactly where he wanted me to.