Accident Prone 224 The Fourth of July party 9

McKenzie saw this as an opportunity to approach Liz.

"Is Max on his own?", McKenzie asked as soon as Madeline was out of the earshot.

Liz turned to McKenzie slowly and looked at her questionably. "Why are you asking if my boyfriend is on his own? Do you want to invade his room in my absence? Who knows what you will do while he is sleeping?"

McKenzie swallowed hard. "Sleeping? He should not be sleeping."

Liz narrowed her eyes at McKenzie. "And why is that? He is not feeling well, and as a medical worker I advised him to rest."

McKenzie shook her head vigorously. "Can you check on him? And make sure that he is only sleeping?"

A woman approached them. "Excuse me, I would like to get some of the fruit punch. If you are not helping yourself, do you mind moving to the side?"

Liz saw that the woman is holding an empty glass. "Sure, let me help you." Liz poured punch for the woman; she was holding onto the ladle anyway.

Oliver and Lewis observed from the distance McKenzie talk to Liz and they didn't know what to do. Whatever they are talking about, knowing McKenzie, it can't be pleasant.

Oliver and Lewis agreed that if they go there, they will probably only attract more attention. Should they leave the party? That would be suspicious as well. Ah, the two of them felt like crying!

"What else could Max be doing other than sleeping?", Liz asked McKenzie when the woman stepped away. "I will check on him later."

"No later. Check on him now!", McKenzie hissed.

Liz tilted her head and blinked at McKenzie. "Miss Bolton, are you about to make a scene?" Liz leaned closer and spoke only for McKenzie to hear: "Are you really so concerned about Max? Or is it just a guilty conscience because he drank the drink which you prepared for me?"

McKenzie paled. "You know… You know that the drink was spiked…"

"Lower your voice, Miss Bolton, or someone other than me might hear you.", Liz said with a smug smile while gesturing toward the two kids who were picking soda from the big bucket with ice, a few steps away from them.

McKenzie looked at Liz in disbelief. "You knew… and you allowed him to drink it?"

Liz shrugged. "Why not? I didn't spike the drink. How is that related to me? Do I look like a superhero? Why would I fix a mistake you made?"

"He can die!", McKenzie's voice was louder than intended and she quickly glanced around to make sure no one heard her. Luckily, those two kids made their sodpicks and left.

"As I said, I didn't spike the drink and he is the one who suggested to swap it with his beer. How is any of that my fault?" Liz asked while shifting her purse from one hand to another.

McKenzie could not believe what she heard. Is it possible that Liz is not in love with Max? That is the only explanation of why she does not care. But even if she does not love him, she should show some compassion. Isn't she a doctor? How can she let him die? 

"This… What kind of a woman are you?", McKenzie stuttered.

Liz smiled provocatively. "I can return a similar question to you. The rumor is that you have a crush on Max since you were a toddler, to the point of infatuation. How is it possible that you love him, yet you got him to fall off a cliff?"

"I pushed you. Not him.", McKenzie blurted out and she regretted it a moment later. But she was even more shocked by the fact that Liz does not seem shaken up by this information. Is it possible that Liz knew?

'No, not possible.', McKenzie shook her head. She was right behind Liz, even if she felt the push, there is no way that Liz knows it was McKenzie. McKenzie remembered that Mia was suspicious. What if that was not just suspicion but Mia saw it? Or what if there is a recording? Today there are drones everywhere! McKenzie felt anxiety engulf her as her paranoia leveled up.

Liz bobbed her head. "Max got hurt because of something you did. Who cares if you pushed me or him? What will his parents say if they find out about it? What will your parents say if they get the information that you went to celebrate Hunter's birthday in Hawaii, and ended up attempting a murder?"

McKenzie shook her head frantically, and her hands were shaking. She was losing control over her body. "I never intended to hurt Max. I pushed you, and he is the one who jumped to save you. And even now, I put cocaine in your drink, and he drank it while you knew about it. If he dies, this will be on you."

Liz got her phone out of her purse and mumbled: "My conscience is clear. I wonder about yours…" Liz turned her phone for McKenzie to see and showed a photo of McKenzie who is putting cocaine in a strawberry mojito.

It was not clear if McKenzie's eyes or mouth are more open. "Delete that!"

Liz stifled a laugh and kept her phone back. "Do you really think that is the only copy?"

Liz put the purse under her armpit, turned to the bowl with the punch, and stirred it with the ladle. "You see, Miss Bolton… I have the evidence that you put drugs in my drink. Simple blood analysis will show that Max has cocaine in his system. Now you tell me: Who will be blamed if he dies? The current caring girlfriend or an infatuated wannabe girlfriend? Do you really think that anyone will believe you how I would hurt a guy who adores me? A guy who can make me Mrs. Anderson and give me things that most of the girls only dream about? And on top of all that, I have photo evidence that you are putting a suspicious substance into a drink. I wonder... who will be the prime suspect if guests start acting strangely, and later we find out that there is cocaine in the punch?"

McKenzie looked at Liz who is throwing one bomb at her after another while stirring the punch and a wild thought hit her. "You spiked the punch!"

Liz kept the ladle on the side, took her purse from under her armpit, and held it in her hand before turning to McKenzie. After a second of silence, Liz patted her purse and winked. "Who knows?"

McKenzie was about to jump on Liz, but Liz's words made her freeze: "Careful, Miss Bolton. Didn't you notice that almost everyone is looking at you? Do you want to add an assault to the list of your crimes that are related to the Anderson family? Because you see… I am considered almost like a member of their family. Everyone accepts me as Max's girlfriend, while you are just a guest. Look around. Pay attention. People are talking, suspecting that you will do something. I wonder, why?"

McKenzie stared at Liz who walked away, and she jolted when another woman approached the table and started pouring the punch in her glass.

McKenzie's mind was racing. She was flabbergasted by the knowledge that Liz knew about the cliff incident and about the drugging. And she let it happen. And she has a photo of McKenzie putting drugs in the drink! McKenzie was breathing heavily, and she balled her hands into fists.

Is it possible that people know? Even if Elizabeth lied, Grace said that people are whispering about the incident in Hawaii and even now are watching her. And Liz said something similar. McKenzie looked frantically around, and she could swear that people are turning their heads to avoid meeting her gaze. They are watching her!

"Are you OK, my dear?"

McKenzie stared at the woman who asked her that question and McKenzie's gaze fell on the glass filled with a fruit punch in the woman's hand.

Her mind was spinning. What will Andersons say when they find out? What will her parents say? And on top of everything McKenzie did herself, Liz is setting her up with spiking the punch?

Liz is right, no one will believe McKenzie that she didn't do it, when there is already evidence and rumors that she did other despicable things!

McKenzie grabbed the glass of punch from the woman's hand and threw it on the ground.

"Hey…", the woman was in shock. Who behaves like that? Her shock increased several folds when McKenzie grabbed the bowl with the punch and flipped it, emptying its content on the grass behind the table.

"McKenzie, dear… What are you doing?", the woman called, but McKenzie was not listening. The only thing on her mind was to find others who are drinking punch and to stop them! There was at least one woman who helped herself while she and Liz were talking.

Soon, the attention of the nearby guests was drawn toward McKenzie who frantically moved between people and stared at their drinks manically. Whoever held onto a glass of punch (or any other pinkish liquid), McKenzie would grab the glass and throw it on the ground.

Guests gasped and screamed, and some cursed when McKenzie threw the drink on the ground and it ended up splashing and staining their clothes.

It took a while for Mrs. Bolton to recognize rampaging young woman as her daughter.

"Zi!", Mrs. Bolton called angrily while rushing after McKenzie. "What are you doing?"

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