100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 107: Clarity III

7 Eastbourne Rd.

Sam remained seated beside Levi on the Sofa, facing their closest friends, continuing with their revelations.

"My plan consisted of 5 Parts.

Act 1--Darkness, was my Blind act. I needed to play the role of the weak broken woman who had lost everything. It was vital people believed I was mentally and emotionally unstable."

Marco raised his hand, as he stood beside his wife Lisa.

"The blind act, how did you? I mean--I’ve seen you, and you didn’t simply act. At least I think you didn’t." He asked, curious as to how she made it so believable, that even him, a medical professional was fooled.

Sam pulled a contact lens case from her pocket and showed it to the group by sliding it on the center table towards them.

Marco stepped forward to pick it up and examined it.

"Customized contact lenses that block my vision. So, in truth, I was blind as a bat" she said, watching Marco open the case and look at a pair of ordinary-looking contact lenses. But based on her explanation, it wasn’t just ordinary. They were probably specially made.

Lisa also looked at the same pair of contacts in her husband’s hand till

Marco passed it over to the others to see for themselves.

"I knew I couldn’t pull off the ’Not seeing act’, but if I didn’t see, it’s real," Sam explained. Marco nodded in understanding...and he wondered for a moment about that time he visited her days before Sam’s so-called suicide.

When he tensed under her gaze, he recalled thinking she was looking back at him then. He wondered to himself, was she wearing the contacts then? or was she acting?

Acknowledging that everyone had seen the special contacts she brought, Sam continued.

"Act 2--Play the Press; this one was the big revelation, the photo of me and my brother that was sent to the Press. It was part of the plan, its role was to leave me naked to the World. To show them who I really was, at least who they ’think’ I was. It was to reveal my most kept secret, that I am a Fredricksen."

Everyone nodded, that news blew up like crazy during those times. Every newspaper had that infamous photo of her so-called "cheating scandal" with the CEO of Fredricksen Co.

Only to reveal the truth soon after, that she was actually an heiress of a multibillion-dollar company. To say the least, they too, were all shocked. She was far from what they’d expected a woman from a rich family was. She had always been easy-going, and she didn’t fuss about minor stuff.

She was definitely not your regular spoiled heiress.

"Act 3--The Suicide; this is self-explanatory. Overwhelmed with depression I break and attempt to end my life."

"But how about the overdose? The laboratory tests--" Jones asked confused. He had pulled some strings just to see how she was doing back then. And the medical reports showed her drug overdose, with the amount on the report she was lucky to be alive then.

Levi smirked on his seat, amused that they were too dumb to figure out how she did it.

Marco furrowed his brows for a moment, he saw her in the ICU. Was that all an act too? It should be, that’s the only explanation. He reckons she wouldn’t really perform suicide just to perfect her act, would she? Then realization dawned on him,

"Test results were faked," Marco said. Sam and Levi both broke into a smile, and they nodded at him in confirmation. Yes, perhaps Marco was the third smartest person in the room.

First, if he doesn’t count the two prodigies.

"Act 4--was Insanity, literally. I admitted myself to a Mental Facility. The hardest part was to wait. To stay still and wait, and all the lies throughout the whole debacle." Sam said, a bit embarrassed.

Sam looked at Elle, a sense of sadness in her green eyes.

"I’m sorry Elle, for sending you away, and for the things I said. It was vital that I had to eliminate everyone around me. Be alone. Be vulnerable. Be weak." Sam told her.

Then she turned to the bearded man, "I’m sorry Marco, I know you and Levi butt heads many times because of this. Do know, he just did what I asked him to do. To stay away."

Marco nodded in understanding, recalling the many times he lashed out at Levi. Regretting the words he said to the slicked blond before.

’She tried to kill herself, and you sit here as if nothing happened. Where is Levi who fixated over her case just to give her justice?! WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU TWO!?’

’Levi, not caring for Sam? That can’t be real.’

’Who. Are. You?’

Sam sighed, turning towards the rest.

"Boys, Janet, Davies, Jones, Mrs. Whitehall, Lisa, --though I do believe you had some idea--I’m sorry to have you all worried." Sam apologized, sincerely.

Marco whiplashed to his wife beside him,

"You knew?" He asked, and everyone’s eyes remained on the blond lawyer.

Lisa swept her eyes at each one,

"Well, not really. I just had a feeling something was going on." She answered.

Davies expelled a sigh of relief where he stood,

"Well, at least you know how to apologize!" He told Sam, hinting at Levi who for all the shit he’d done in the past, had not once apologized sincerely.

Janet smiled in relief at the redhead,

"As long as you’re safe, Dr. Gray," she said and Mrs. Whitehall nodded in agreement.

"The Final Act?" Jones asked, curious.

"Yes, Act 5--The Enlightenment," Sam replied.

"Or the End." Levi quipped, earning a sad look from Sam. They both know how close she got to Death. Too close in his opinion, she was indeed a troublesome woman.

"It was that part where as we anticipated he would show himself. The hardest part was waiting for him to strike, yet, we knew he would. And he did. Then Anna and him." Sam said, looking at Levi beside her. A grin crossed his lips, he was proud of himself.

"Anna and I knew the chances of us losing track of her--with just her watch. So, we --" Levi started, feeling proud of himself.

"They lied to me." Sam interrupted, her tone grim.

"They led me to believe Levi was out of the picture and it was Anna and I alone working together. In truth, they connived behind me, they got my brother involved with their scheme. And implanted a tracker inside me without my consent and knowledge during one of my shock therapy." Sam said straight-faced.

Levi grinned on his spot,

"It was my idea," he admitted, quite pleased with himself.

"Anna betrayed my trust, Levi lied to my face. In short, the two Jacksons stabbed me in the back. In summary, the Jackson siblings played me... " Sam stated with conviction, the room turned heavy. Levi stiffened beside her, now only realizing the weight of what he did.

There was silence for a moment, and they all waited for her to continue.

"And I have them to thank for because without their lies and schemes, I wouldn’t be here today," Sam said, breaking into a smile at Levi who was cautiously looking down at her.

Levi smiled back seconds later, realizing the humor in her statement.

"So, long story short---my plans worked perfectly!" She started confidently.

Marco scowled at her enthusiasm,

"You’ve had a hole in your stomach, a fractured head, multiple injuries-- 1 major surgery--yeah, it worked perfectly." Marco pointed out, sarcasm dripping.

Sam smiled again, "I wasn’t expecting to live, Marco. Saying so--"

"YUP!" Sam and Levi said in unison, popping the P.

Davies huffed at the two, they really were both alike and completely different.

"For geniuses, you two are sure dense," he commented with a frown.

Marco recalled one thing that wasn’t clear till now to him, and he opened his mouth to speak.

"How about the nights you’ve been sneaking out, Levi?" he asked, and everyone turned to look at Levi including Sam who did not know of it.

Levi shrugged,

"Stuff," he replied easily. Letting everyone know he wasn’t going to tell them anything.

Unbeknownst to them, including Sam. All those times he was sneaking out, he was watching security footage of her in the mental facility. Every session she had, the shock therapies, her time at the facility, Sam Gray was never alone. Levi had always been watching. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

After some tea, and lighter chit chat, the group decided to end the gathering. Levi fished Jones’s mobile from his breast pocket. "Hey--" Jones said, watching the psychologist fiddling through his device.

Levi shot him an ’I’m not stupid’ look, he knew from the start that the man was recording, but the information they shared was all classified.

"We’d like to have this discussion undocumented, Anna’s orders," Levi said smugly, aware that Jones was absolutely petrified of Anna. They met once before and she made such an impression on Jones that just the mention of his sister’s name, drained the blood on the man’s face.

"Oh! One more thing--" Marco said halfway out the door. He looked at the redhead, "When we got there at the Hangar-- and you were-- there was a blast that critically injured one of Czar’s men, how did that happen?" He asked because it had been bugging him.

Sam’s lips curved up in amusement, she copied Levi’s previous response with a matching shrug.

"Stuff."

And everybody exited Levi’s flat snickering.

Levi looked down at her, while they both watched everyone through the window. "Fulminated Mercury," Levi concluded, he was a graduate chemist too after all.

"Yep." She said, pulling a crystal-like rock from her pocket and giving it to him, Levi looked at it with a grin on his face, and said, "You have to teach me."

"Patience you must, my young Padawan," Sam said channeling the Force. And Levi snorted at her Star wars reference, she could be such a geek at times.