Careful of what you wish for.

It was David’s 23rd birthday. He had his friends and family surrounding him. He leaned in to blow out his candles and wished for “fame”. Of course, he didn’t tell anyone what he had wished for! Even though he knew it will never come true anyway, he kept up the years long tradition of the belief that the secret wish only comes true if you don’t tell anyone what you have wished for. Along with his friends and family he had a piece of the chocolate cake.

The following morning when he came down for breakfast, David saw the last piece of cake still sitting on the counter. When his mum came into the kitchen he asked her who brought the cake last night. She thought for a minute before answering:

“Alexander, I think. But whoever it was, it was really nice and everyone had some.”

It was Saturday now and David had the whole weekend of fun to look forward to. First, he had arranged to meet a couple of his friends in the pub. He had slept late so as soon as he finished breakfast he went to get changed and said goodbye to his mum before heading into town. At the pub, three of the friends were already there and ordering drinks when he walked through the door. They all looked quite rough to be honest, and he asked them if they had hangovers from the party. They all said they didn’t have that much to drink but all had upset stomachs. David told them he felt fine! As soon as they sat down one of the friends (Olivia) said she had to go to the bathroom as she clutched her stomach. The boys laughed and joked about the “weaker” sex.

It was fifteen minutes later when David said:

“God, I forgot Olivia. She’s been gone a while. I hope she is ok!”

At that moment, Cassandra walked through the doors and headed over to their table. She kissed David on the cheek (they had been dating for two years). She asked if anyone wanted a drink, but David asked if she could pop into the loos first to check on Olivia. Cassandra agreed with a nod and turned towards the bathrooms. It was only a few second later that she came running back out screaming. At first no-one could understand what she was saying but as she got nearer to the table David heard her say “Olivia….Olivia is gone!”

“Gone where?” asked John.

“She’s gone, she’s gone” cried Cassandra. “She’s in there. Dead!”

“What?” asked David as they all got up from the table together.

“What the hell?”

Alexander stood up with the rest and headed towards the bathroom. He didn’t get far before he stopped short and started coughing. He doubled over and reached out for a nearby chair. He didn’t make it. He fell to the ground and David could see he had blood around his mouth.

Cassandra started to scream again!

“Oh my God! That’s what Olivia looks like!”

David just stared at Cassandra and then stared at his friend Alexander. John passed him and headed to the bathroom. Seconds later he came back out with a look of shock on his face.

“Call the police and an ambulance” he said to the barman.

Just as he was about to say something else to David, John gasped for air and his eyes rolled back in his head before he too fell to the floor. David stood up and stared in horror at his friend. He couldn’t move and was frozen to the spot. Eventually he felt a hand on his arm and turned blindly to find a police officer who guided him away from both of his friends and sat him down at the back of the pub. David noticed that by now the pub was empty - apart from his two friends who were being examined by several paramedics and quite a few police officers.

David was asked about the last time he had seen his friends before today and told the police about the birthday party and that they all worked together. During the conversation a paramedic came to speak to the police officer. A few short minutes later the police officer informed David that, to be on the safe side, the paramedics thought that he and Cassandra should go to the hospital to be checked over. David saw Cassandra ahead of him getting into an ambulance before he was ushered into another one.

On arrival at the hospital David again glimpsed Cassandra as she was taken into one cubicle and he was led into another. He was lying on a bed waiting for a doctor when he heard alarm bells ringing and people running. He wondered what was happening but was still too dazed to think about anything else. Quite a long time after that a doctor entered David’s cubicle.

“Hello David, I am Doctor Rose. How are you feeling?”

“I’m ok” answered David. “Is Cassandra ok?”

“No need to worry about her at the moment” answered Doctor Rose. I just need to check you over and get some blood from you if that’s ok?”

“Yeah! But why?” He asked.

“I just need to check for any toxins you may have ingested with your friends” she answered.

“Like poison?” David asked with a confused look on his face.

“Maybe” answered Doctor Rose as she bent to take his blood.

David couldn’t think of an answer to that, so he just lay back and stared at the ceiling. He had been on his own for about an hour when two police officers entered his cubicle.

“How are you feeling?” asked the female officer.

“I’m fine” answered David. “But no-one has told me how Cassandra is”.

Both of the officers looked at each other before turning back to David. This time the male officer spoke:

“I’m afraid we have some bad news for you.” He looked at the female officer. She continued:

“I’m afraid Cassandra didn’t make it. She died shortly after coming into the hospital. Also, I am very sorry to have to tell you this, but when we called round to your house this afternoon to speak to your mum, she was also found dead.”

David was silent as he stared from face to face. It looked as though he was trying to work out what they had just said. All he could manage was:

“What?”

Neither of the police officers spoke. They just stood and looked at David until he spoke again”.

“What the hell? How? Why? What is happening? Have we all been poisoned? The doctor mentioned toxins?”

At that point the doctor returned to the cubicle and informed David that his blood was clear and he had no need to worry. However, David noticed another glance between the officers before the Doctor continued:

“But I think you should stay in hospital overnight so we can monitor you and try to find out what happened to your friends.”

David was in too much shock to argue and the rest of the evening was taken up with more questions from the police and being moved to a side room where he was finally left alone to cry!

The following morning the two police officers from the day before entered David’s room at 7 am. The female office said:

“David Rogers, you are under arrest for the murder of five people…”.

As she continued to read out the charges and his caution David was again unable to speak. But finally he said:

“Is this a joke? Has all of this been some kind of prank? First all my friends and my mum die within hours of each other, and then you accuse me of killing of them? I just can’t take this in!”

The male officer told David he would have a chance to speak at the station and asked him to get ready.

A couple of hours later, David was sat in an interview room with two detectives and his solicitor – who had been appointed as the duty solicitor. The detectives asked all the same questions again and seemed particularly interested in whether David had in fact had some of the birthday cake. He insisted over and over again that he had some of the same cake as everyone else. He was also adamant upon questioning that he had not brought the cake to the party.

Eventually the police started outlining the evidence they had retrieved in the last 24 hours. They had learned that another workmate, who hadn’t been invited to the party, had seen David coming into the office with the chocolate cake at lunch time on the Friday before leaving the office with it at 5pm.

“That is a lie” answered David. “I have told you I don’t remember who brought the cake, but it wasn’t me! Who said they saw me?”

“That doesn’t matter for now.” Answered one of the detectives who went on to explain that blood taken from Cassandra before she died also confirmed that she had poison in her blood and tests on the last piece of cake showed that it contained the same poison. They were now awaiting full autopsy results and more tests on the cake to identify which toxin had been used.

David kept protesting and claiming his innocence, but the evidence was stacked against him – especially as he had no poison in his system and yet insisted that he had eaten the cake with everyone else.

After a short bail hearing, David was remanded in custody until trial. He just couldn’t believe what was happening until one day one of the prison officers notified David that he had a visitor. David was stunned but went with the office to the visiting room. He was shocked when he saw Amelia sitting waiting for him. He had dated Amelia for 18 months when he had started at the same office. However, he had very quickly dumped her when Cassandra had started at the same office. David sat in front of her thinking she had just come to see how he was - but he was in for a massive shock…

“David” she said in a very quiet voice. I just want you to listen carefully. “I have hated you for a long time. For as long as you have been with Cassandra in fact. I planned my revenge for over a year. I knew your birthday was coming up and you always celebrate with a cake and your age on it. I made a cake – everyone’s favourite – and got Alexander to take it after you had left for the evening. I also asked him not to mention I had made it. I had poisoned every piece of that cake except the one I knew you would eat – the one with your age on it! You did that twice when we were together! Of course I knew the cake would kill all of them and not you! All of the friends that used to be mine until you dumped me for Cassandra. All I had to do then was tell the police that you had bought the cake so they would think you had poisoned it. Of course, none of the others would be alive to tell a different story. And now David, go ahead and tell who you like what I have just told you, but it is your word against mine and you have already tried that and look where you are! And by the way David…happy birthday!

David couldn’t say anything as Amelia rose slowly from the table and left. All he could think about was his last wish:

“I wish I was famous”. And now he was…