34.19-Wait for me

Last time,

Felix tried to persuade Janice to focus on what was important right now...

Felix: "As a matter of fact, yes. I want to persuade you to give up the idea of bringing Gladys down."

Janice: "You've got to be kidding me. You have no right to interfere with my plans, especially not since you quit."

***

Felix: "You're so caught up in this. I hope you can move on. I don't want you to neglect this game as a result. That would be a pity."

Janice: "No need to worry about me. I'm still here, aren't I?"

Felix: "I suppose I can't stop you but...just good luck."

But his worry was unneeded, because Janice was safe...

"It's not Janice Ilien. It's either Gladys Delmeer-Gomez or Felix Kuchappe."

Unfortunately for Felix, he was the last victim...

"Unfortunately, Felix Kuchappe, you are the last to be executed. Please pack your bags and leave."

Felix: "What?"

One of the finalists is the winner, one the runner up and one, the Mole. Who is the Mole?

Janice: "Is it you, James?"

James: "Maybe it's you, Janice."

Janice: "Or perhaps it's Gladys. She's been awfully quiet."

Find out all this very soon on

The Smole

***



As the finale approaches, some focus on work...


...some focus on personal matters...



...and some don't really focus on anything.



Gladys: "What are you doing over here?"
James: "I wanted a change of perspective."
Gladys: "Uh-huh...I'll be going down now."

James: "I received news that my guardian passed away...it's hard to entertain that thought but it's the truth. I've braced myself for this outcome, so I'm okay. I'm coming to terms with it. She couldn't wait for me. There are just so many regrets we accumulate in life, but we can't do anything about them but move on and stop more regrets from being made."

Gladys: "I see you're still writing that pointless article. Do you really think you're that powerful?"

Janice: "I'm close to tearing your life apart."

Gladys: "Oh? And how so? Everyone loves me. One article isn't going to change that."

Janice: "Then we'll just wait and see."

Janice: "There must be something I'm missing. Something that I couldn't find from my own research, or from Lewis's and Felix's, when they were still in this. Even if I don't bring her down now, I'll spend the rest of the time after the Smole to do so. I just need something so shocking that her reputation is tarnished for good. But I'm running out of time."

***

"Good morning finalists. This will be your very last mission. You will be playing a game of hangman, except instead of hanging a man, you'll be setting off traps for every letter you guess wrongly, as well as incurring a -5 penalty. You get 10 wrong tries before the mission ends. This mission is worth 100 points. Good luck."

The mission begins.

On the screen:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Janice: "I say we begin with S. That's one of the most common letters in the alphabet."

James: "I have no objections."

Gladys: "Neither do I. Let's try S."

_ _ S _ _ _ S _

Janice: "Excellent! How about a U?"

James: "U? I think I'll go for a more common letter, like E."

Gladys: "I'm inclined to listen to James more than you, Janice."

Janice: "Fine, let's just put E. The reason I suggested U was a gut feeling, based on the arrangement of letters."

Gladys: "E it is."

"There is no E."

Gladys: "Aah! A trap!"

James: "The jet stream is strong."

Janice: "Ick."

Janice: "I'm wet now. Nobody make a joke about that."

Gladys: "There is no E? What a weird word."

Janice: "I'm getting out of there first."

Gladys: "Me too."

Janice: "This narrows down the list of possible words greatly."

Gladys: "It does, but I don't want to set off another trap."

James: "It wasn't all that bad."

Gladys: "Except we lost 5 points now."

Gladys: "Let's get back to it. How about an L?"

James: "I can't think of many words that have an L and that arrangement of S. I disagree with that choice."

Gladys: "Fine. N?"

James: "That is more probable."

Janice: "Then N then."

"There is no N."

Janice: "Not again!"

James: "Ugh."

Gladys: "I think L was a better choice."

Janice: "This is strange. Two common letters aren't in use."

James: "Alright, let's get back in the game."

Janice: "Wait, I think I've got it!"

Janice: "Yes, it has to be it!"

Janice: "I!"

_ I S _ _ _ S _

James: "How about an R?"

Gladys: "I agree too. An R, please."

_ I S _ R _ S _

Gladys: "Hmm...Mis-something..."

Janice: "We are getting somewhere."

Janice: "We're thinking along the same lines, Gladys. An M."

"There is no M."

James: "Bad move, Janice."

Gladys: "There's water in my ears."

James: "Good thing my watch is waterproof."

James: "What the hell, Janice? You should have discussed it with us first."

Janice: "I thought I was right."

Gladys: "We need to think carefully to not cost any more points."

Janice: "If it's not M, the first letter is probably D. Do you agree? See, I'm discussing with you."

Gladys: "I think it makes sense."

James: "We already have a majority."

D I S _ R _ S _

James: "Dis-something..."

Janice: "Disarray? Wait, there's an S there."

James: "I think the word is Distrust. How about we try a U?"

Gladys: "Okay, but I'm preparing myself for another jet steam. U is such a rare letter."

D I S _ R U S _

Gladys: "You're right! I can't believe I didn't think of that. My mind must not be working straight today. Must be the water getting in."

James: "I'm sure there are no objections if we try T."

"Congratulations! You have solved the puzzle. The word is DISTRUST, but you had 3 penalties, so you earn 85/100 points, making the pot 475/1200 points. Too little too late, but late is better than never, right?"

***

Janice: "You're going down, Gladys. Watch your ass, because I'm gonna whoop it so hard you're gonna cry."

Gladys: "Don't you ever get tired of repeating the same false rhetoric over and over again, Ms. Ilien?"

Janice: "Don't you? You're the politician."

Gladys: "I have had it, Ms. Ilien. I have tolerated you throughout this season. I have been nothing but nice to you--"

Janice: "You mean patronising and fake."

Gladys: "You know what? Forget it. I didn't plan on pursuing this but you've left me with no choice. If you're so bent on seeing my career crash and burn, I'll give you a taste of your own medicine."

Gladys: "Mr. Sol, I am officially filing a lawsuit against Ms. Ilien for repeated harassment of a public servant, threatening a public servant, invasion of privacy and obtaining of restricted information..."

James: "I'm afraid that's not possible."

Gladys: "What do you mean?"

James: "Your career in politics will come to a screeching halt very shortly, so you won't be a public servant any more and those charges will cease to hold."

Gladys: "You are supposed to be supporting me, Mr. Sol."

James: "I have bigger, better fish to catch."

James: "I know that you've been playing two opposing sides of the underworld, both of whom are your backers. To top it off, you've been secretly swallowing the money you promised to use for other things like campaigns or fighting for their rights. Instead, you use them for personal stuff like the daily spa treatments you've been telling me to try."

Gladys: "Hold on a minute, you've been using me? Is that the reason you got so close to me?"

Gladys: "I thought I could trust you."

James: "If the laws are created to protect you then I'll look for other methods Ms. Ilien here failed to consider."

Gladys: "I cannot believe this. How long have you two been working together?"

Janice: "All I can say is to never trust anyone. Isn't that the maxim of this game? Looks like someone wasn't paying attention."

Gladys: "You will regret this. Both of you."

James: "On the contrary, I don't think I will. After Ms. Ilien's article gets published, I'm sure your backers will be very interested to look for me, and very willing to pay me whatever I want."

Janice: "The article's been sent to my editor. You lost, Delmeer-Gomez."

Gladys: "I can't believe this. My career has a very probable chance of being ruined if they find out...I can't believe I was so stupid. Or maybe this is just a ploy to distract me from the game, so that James will be able to swallow the money for himself. Such a greedy freak. I will not fall for it. I will concentrate on winning this game. I am not letting them get to me."

***

Janice: "Thank you James for helping me. But why? I thought you were loyal to her."

James: "No particular reason. She's just not a stable source of income."

Janice: "It's Felix, isn't it? He approached you to sue Gladys but you rejected him, then you had a change of heart."

James: "Maybe, maybe not. Keep on sleuthing, Watson."

Janice: "Did you just call me Watson and not Sherlock? Hey, get back here. You're not going away until you give me an answer! I need to know!"

***

Time for the final quiz. This quiz will determine their fate.

Q1: Is the Mole male or female?

A: Male

B: Female

Q2: How old is the Mole?

A: 27

B: 32

C: 46

Q3: What is the Mole's favourite colour?

A: Orange

B: Spiceberry

C: Spice Brown

Q4: What does the Mole work as?

A: Columnist

B: Lawyer

C: Politician

Q5: Does the Mole have dyed hair?

A: Yes

B: No

Q6: How tall is the Mole in imperial units?

A: 5' 5"

B: 5' 11"

Q7: What does the Mole like to eat?

A: Lobster Thermidor

B: Trip-Tip Steak

C: Chilli Con Carne

Gladys: "I am devoting my utmost time and focus to this game, as I always have, but I must be more concentrated than ever. Let me start with that traitor, James Christian Sol. He's been lying to me the whole time about his alliance. Who knows what else he's been lying about? He's proven to me up that he's a very good actor. He's also been very distant and unparticipative in the first few missions, then lately he's working very hard, as if to throw us off.

Then there is Janice Ilien, the woman who's been antagonistic to me the entire time. Her plan is to make me lose focus on the game but it failed. I noticed how many times she failed to earn points. The last few missions prove it and there are many more from the beginning. I see it very clearly. I have been on to this Mole's tracks for the longest time, and now is not the time to waver."

Q8: In Mission 1, which question was asked by the Mole?

A: Rose, is it cold there?

B: Kairel, do you think Lily is the spy?

C: You're the one on the road, aren't you [Lewis]?

Q9: In Mission 2, who went after the Mole?

A: Janice Ilien

B: Gladys Delmeer-Gomez

C: Darren Yap

Q10: In Mission 3, what were the Mole's answers?

A: A, A

B: B, C

C: C, C

Q11: In Mission 4, how was the Mole's item related to the Mole?

A: It was in the Mole's office

B: It was related to the Mole's work

C: It resembled the Mole

Q12: At the very end of Mission 5, how many points are on the Mole?

A: 1

B: 16

C: 92

Q13: In Mission 6, which key evidence did the Mole possess?

A: Flowers

B: The Mole was an investigator

James: "It's down to two ladies who survived despite the ladies having bad luck this season. Janice Ilien is a mysterious, shady character. She's always snooping and meddling in other people's business, and this could be a sort of diversion. She has had some questionable moments like bringing a gothic doll she hates, as if she knew this mission was coming up, or like how she guessed Gabriel's answer wrongly or how she took charge in the last mission and cost a penalty because she didn't discuss. In fact, she's been in charge several times, like when she was an investigator.

As for Gladys Delmeer-Gomez, it is evident she knows how to put up an act. She acts like the best, most innocent politician but we all know how corrupted she is inside. That's a perfect Mole profile. And it makes sense that at the start when she was at risk of execution, she seemed like a team player and didn't do anything really suspicious, but after Maggie's execution she began to sabotage more and more. For instance, she should have known laws was the obvious answer that Janice would pick but she ignored the Janice part completely. I've been observing them both very closely from the start, and I can say for certain I know which woman it is now."

Q14: In Mission 7, what was the Mole's complementary colour?

A: Orange

B: Blue

C: Red

Q15: In Mission 8, what was the Mole's alternative task?

A: Skinny dipping

B: Speed typing

C: History trivia

Q16: In Mission 9, what is the name of the song the Mole sang?

A: 99 Luftballons

B: Uyire Uyire Vanthu Ennodu

C: Ave Maria

Q17: In Mission 10, what car was the Mole in?

A: Blue

B: Yellow

C: Pink

Q18: In Mission 10, from the perspective of the screen, where did the Mole stand?

A: Left

B: Centre

C: Right

Q19: Which of the following matches what the Mole put before the final execution?

A: 145 points on Felix Kuchappe

B: 145 points on Gladys Delmeer-Gomez 

C: 25 points on Janice Ilien

Q20: Who is the Mole?

A: James Christian Sol

B: Gladys Delmeer-Gomez

C: Janice Ilien

Janice: "I'm going to win this and I'm going to tell you why. Let's begin with my arch nemesis Gladys Delmeer-Gomez. She is always around when something goes wrong. She's played the game in a low-profile manner mission-wise. She's doing everything I expect her too. In the final mission she agreed with me when I suggested both wrong and correct answers, as the Mole would to lessen suspicion. And she cost us penalties. She's so cocky because she knows she'll be sailing through, because she's the Mole! Ha!

Better not get carried away. Don't forget about James Christian Sol. It's remarkably easy to forget about him because he's even more low-profile than Gladys. He's also around when things go wrong. Him and Gladys are always together like glue. Gladys failed to weed him out, suggesting he's a very good actor. Perfect requisites for a Mole who outlasted the other. And what was up with him throwing my candle in the middle of nowhere, causing me to fail to get an exemption? If he wanted points, why not bring it to the centre? It was along the way. Such suspicious behaviour. From both. But only one is the Mole. And I know which."

***

The contestants have taken the quiz and are ready for the finale. Are you?