BONFIRE | ransom drysdale

07. WHODUNNIT?

CHAPTER SEVEN:
WHODUNNIT?

INSIDE OF THE HOUSE, RANSOM WAS BEING LED TO THE LIBRARY. He wouldn't let it show, but he was nervous. He didn't like not knowing what came next. But one thing was clear: he was going to lie and lie until the very bitter end. He was going to do everything so that he remained innocent. He wanted to provide for his wife and child, proving to his family that for once he wasn't useless. He wanted his inheritance money and Ransom always got what he wanted.

When he entered the room, he looked at Marta with a sad and soft gaze. "Marta, I'm sorry. I told them everything, I figured it was all up. I'm sorry."

Marta, choosing to believe in the best of people, nodded. "It's alright Ransom, I'm glad you did."

"Not exactly everything though." Blanc tapped his finders against his cheek.

The young nurse sighed. "Is this about what Greatnana told you?" she asked. "She saw me that night, she mistook me for Ransom."

"We'll get to that." Blanc shook his head then turned to face Ransom. "But first, Mr. Hugh Ransom Drysdale, you might tell us all why you hired me."

Ransom was taken back. "Why I hired you?"

"You're right, let's back up. To the night of the party. Your argument with Harlan. What were the overheard words by the Nazi child masturbating in the bathroom— 'my will' and 'I'm warning you.' You and Harlan were drama mamas, you shared a love of twisting the knife into one another. I don't believe he would have slipped it in halfway—no, I submit that Harlan told you everything. That he was leaving Marta everything."

Ransom moved to sit down on the nearby couch. "That is some heavy duty conjecture."

"Granted," Blanc said, nodding his head. "But it's the only way what comes next makes sense. So you storm out and drive into the night. You told Marta you felt a sense of..."

"Clarity." Marta finished. "That he has to make do for himself here on out."

Blanc nodded again. "So a plan forms. You drive home with your wife. She's heavily pregnant so she's tired and it doesn't take long for her to fall asleep. You wait and she goes to bed thinking you're painting the nursery. You return to the house, careful not to be seen on security."

As he listened, Ransom shook his head. His smirk stayed firmly planted on his face.

"You sneak in," Blanc continued. "You knew the medications Harlan took. You knew what Marta would be injecting him with that night. And you knew if Marta was responsible for his death, even unintentionally, the slayer rule would nullify the changed will, and you would get your share back. You use the syringes in the kit to switch the liquids. And as a final precaution, you take the Naloxone, the life saving antidote."

Marta was stunned. Her mind struggled to wrap itself around the information given to her. "No, that's impossible," she said with the shake of her head. "If he did that...then I gave Harlan the right medication."

Blanc handed her the toxicity report. "I'm sorry, Marta. But yes. Harlan was perfectly fine. But we're not done yet." He continued. "When Greatnana saw Marta, she said 'Ransom, are you back again already?' Again, because she already saw you that night."

Ransom scoffed. "Marta c'mon. This is stupid with two o's." He turned to Blanc. "You don't have a shred of evidence, you're just spinning a fairy tale."

"No, we have no proof. It'd be Marta's word against yours."

"You have her confession!" Ransom's sharp tone caused Marta to look at him.

He was starting to get antsy. His resolve was fading and he was getting closer and closer to a jail cell.

"You're right. But let me continue." Blanc started to unravel the events leading up to Fran's attempted murder. He was connecting the dots to create a picture that made Ransom look guilty as sin.

Marta's phone rang and she turned to answer it. She hung up and confirmed that Fran was okay.

For the first time, Ransom dropped his act. Fran was alive. She was alive and she was ready to talk—she was going to send him to jail.

"Trooper Wagner, if you would keep Mr. Drysdale in custody while Lieutenant Elliott, Ms. Cabrera and myself go to the hospital to take Fran's statement."

Ransom stood and stepped towards Marta. His poker face broke and he gave her a sardonic grin. "I want to say this just to you, not
to a courtroom of cameras, just to you because you know it's the truth: we allowed you into our home. We allowed you to take care of granddad, to be part of our family and now you think you can steal it from us? You think I'm not going to fight for our birthright, our home, our ancestral family home?"

Blanc laughed. "Harlan bought this house in the eighties. From a Pakistani real estate baron."

"Oh shut up Blanc, shut up! Shut up
with that Kentucky fried fog horn rag-horn drawl." Ransom snapped. His temper getting the better of him. "Yeah, I killed Fran, but I guess I didn't, so what do you have on me. Nothing! What? Attempted murder? I get arson for the bombing, maybe a few other charges, with a good lawyer—which I have—I'll be out before you know it."

He took slow and threatening steps until he was face to face with Marta. His face was full of hate while Marta's was strong and set. "And then you'll see just how much hell I can wreak on your life, you vicious little bitch."

There was a beat of silence, then Marta opened her mouth. She vomited—all over Ransom's face. "What the shit!"

Wagner stood in excitement. "That means she's lying!"

Marta nodded. "Fran's dead. And you just confessed to her murder."

Ransom's signature smirk returned and he carelessly shrugged. "In for a penny..."

In what felt like a split second, Ransom grabbed a knife from the nearby prop and tackled Marta. The hilt of the knife rested above Marta's heart. Their breaths were heavy. After a moment, Ransom realized something. He retracted the handle of the knife and it made a pathetic spring noise. It was a stage prop. "Shit."

━━━━━━━━

JULIETTE REJOINED THE FAMILY OUTSIDE, THE WATER DOING NOTHING FOR HER NAUSEA AND ANXIETY. She stood by her car, leaning against it and facing the house. She watched her in-laws as they argued and discussed their plan of action.

The front door opened and the family turned and watched as two officers escorted Ransom down the driveway.

Everyone had different reactions. Richard was yelling at the cops, waving a wad of cash in the air. Walt and his wife were crying as Jacob live-streamed. Joni was staring off into the distance, ruined, while her daughter spoke to Elliot. Linda was back by the house, strangely detached with a letter in her hand.

And Juliette was shocked. Her heart dropped to her stomach. She pushed off of her car, placing a hand on her belly. She couldn't believe it.

As Ransom took his walk of shame, there was only one thing he could think about. His wife. After everything he did, the only regret he had was not telling her he loved her more. He only hoped she could forgive him.

"I did it for us," he said as he passed her.

A tear ran down her face. She turned away from him, unable to meet his eyes. The horrible feeling that plagued her mind overwhelmed her and she rushed over to a bush, emptying the contents of her stomach.

The family stood out on the lawn. Not sure where to go or what to do. Movement above caused them to look up. They all turned and saw Marta standing on the balcony of her new house, observing the mess before her.