Bottle 5: Secrets and Lies

The group sat in strained silence after Lori’s revelation about the champagne bottle. The once-cozy retreat now felt suffocating, the warmth of the crackling fire a stark contrast to the icy glares exchanged across the room.

Abby was the first to break the silence. “We need to figure out where this bottle came from.”

Sara crossed her arms and leaned against the mantle. “What’s the point? Even if it wasn’t Jamie who brought it, that doesn’t mean anything. It could have come with the house.”

“Or it could mean everything,” Eve countered. Her voice was sharp, her eyes flickering with suspicion. “If someone switched the cork, that proves that this was murder!”

Traci shook her head, “Listen to yourselves. We’re spinning out of control. This was a tragic accident. That’s it.”

“Then why does it feel like we’re all hiding something?” Lori asked, her voice quiet but cutting.

The words lingered, each of them wrestling with their own guilt and memories of Jamie. Nina exhaled sharply and leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees.

“Fine,” she said. “Let’s get it out in the open. Jamie and I had a fight a few days ago.”

The others turned to her, startled.

“A fight about what?” Abby pressed.

Nina hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her sweater. “He was... accusing me of dumping all the ICU patients on him, while I took all the ones that were pending discharge. He said I was always dumping and that it was affecting the team.”

“Dumping?” Traci asked, frowning.

“Yeah.” Nina’s voice dropped. “He thought I was hiding something and trying to finish early. And maybe I was trying to leave early, but it wasn’t what he thought. It is not what any of you think.”

“What were you hiding?” Eve asked, narrowing her eyes.

Nina bit her lip, then looked away. “That doesn’t matter. The point is, we argued. He stormed off, and I thought... I thought he’d let it go because it was stupid”

Traci shook her head. “This is what I’m talking about. Jamie was under so much pressure lately. He was constantly second-guessing everything, like he couldn’t trust anyone.”

Lori leaned back against the window; arms folded. “And yet, he always seemed so composed.”

“Because he didn’t want us to see it,” Abby said softly.

“Who else is hiding something?” Eve questioned.

“Come on Eve, why are you always questioning someone?” Nina said with a smirk.

“Because I did not do this and quite possibly one of y’alll did” Eve fired back.

“I resent that” Traci stated.

“You meant to say, you resemble that” Eve quickly snapped.

Traci, without response decided to give her the evilest of scowls.

Sara spoke up, her voice tinged with frustration. “But what about his messages? All those points to something bigger than just stress because of your dumping.”

“Hey! I was not dumping” defensively cried Nina.

“Maybe,” Abby replied. “Or maybe it was all part of the pressure he was under. We’re making assumptions without any real evidence.”

Lori walked back to the table and picked up a piece of the champagne bottle again. “Assumptions or not, this bottle still bothers me. If Jamie didn’t bring it, then who did?”

Traci raised her hand hesitantly. “I was the first to arrive and when I walked up on the porch, that crate was sitting there.”

“What?” Abby asked, her brow furrowing.

Traci nodded. “I thought it was odd, too. Jamie usually brings his own stuff, but when I asked him about it, he brushed me off. Said something about keeping it simple this time.”

“That’s not like him,” Eve muttered.

“It’s not,” Lori agreed. “Jamie loved to show off his wine knowledge and collection. He wouldn’t just ‘keep it simple.’ He always goes big.”

Nina groaned and rubbed her temples. “Okay, let’s say someone else brought the champagne. What are you implying? That one of us planned this? Because that’s insane. Like we are responsible? Like one of us killed him?”

“Maybe not planned his death,” Traci said cautiously. “But... what if someone, other than us knew Jamie was coming here? What if they were trying to push him over?”

“Push him over to what?” Sara asked, her voice trembling slightly.

“To a mistake,” Traci said. “Maybe someone wanted him to lose his focus so they could attack when he was weakened and not paying attention?”

Eve’s eyes narrowed. “And who would want that? You?”

Traci’s face flushed. “Excuse me? I have had about enough of you Eve”

Eve snapped. “You’re always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Maybe you finally went too far.”

“Enough!” Abby barked, silencing them. She turned to the group, her voice firm. “We’re not doing this. Jamie was our friend. If there’s even a chance this wasn’t an accident, we owe it to him to figure it out. Together and preferably before the police get here and start asking us questions that we do not have the answers to.”

The room fell silent, but the tension remained thick.

As Abby tried to regain control of the situation, Lori suggested “Right now, we just have a cork and some broken glass with a weird looking, generic label.”

“And a dead body” Sara added.

“Yes, a dead body” Lori confirmed.

The group stared at her in stunned silence, their minds racing with questions they weren’t ready to find answers to.

To be continued June 30th, 2025.