MINI EVENT THREE.
it’s all hands on deck after the news story concerning alice’s motive. sat around maria’s kitchen table, papers and notepads and laptops open and waiting, you all pour over things you already know, trying to connect some strings. it’s uneventful and short-lived until rich pushes closed a cupboard door, making it shut with a bang.
maria jumps so violently she spills water into her lap, coughing viciously. only vaguely apologetic, rich mumbles something that could be ‘sorry’ and goes back to his notes. she’s embarrassed, standing up quickly to go and change.
“sorry,” she says, fanning her burning face with both hands, still breathless. “it’s just -- loud noises get to me, after it happened. i’ve been kinda jumpy, like... everything's another gunshot, you know?" a hand has found its way to her hair, fingers weaving through each glossy-black strand meticulously. “can we start this up again in a couple hours? i -- i’ll make lunch.”
however reluctant you are to leave (you still have questions, and you haven’t been there long enough to ask them), everyone begins to leave -- some in groups of two or three, some alone. once almost everyone is gone and maria has jogged up her stairs towards her bedroom, freddie catches emmett by the elbow and prior by his hand, pulling both men quickly to the front door and closing it behind them.
it’s there, on the front porch of maria’s house, that things absolutely start falling into place. eyes flashing with intensity, he lowers his voice in both volume and octave -- this question is meant for emmett and prior’s ears only. “did you catch that?”