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Deadly Nightshade
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M. Lacrimosa
M. Lacrimosa
Thespian

Feb-1-2021 18:51

He stared directly into her emerald green eyes as he set her plate in front of her. By God, she was beautiful. Her smile was almost everything to him, just seeing her smile would turn a bad day completely around. Her pale skin was as soft as her voice which he compared to summer rains.

A pity, he thought to himself, that she has to die, for in her salad, disguised as lettuce leaves were the leaves of a plant, unknown to her, called the deadly nightshade. It was as nightmarish as it sounds.

Almost cherry-like, but similar instructors to the tomato, he disguised the fruit as blueberries. The dressing on the salad was made from the root of the plant, which he harvested at the end of the vegetation period, when the toxins would be the highest.

He watched with a false, realistic smile as she bit into her salad, closing her eyes to savor the sweet flavor of the toxic fruit. Symptoms wouldn't start immediately, but they wouldn't take long.

Once her symptoms started, she knew she'd been poisoned. First came the sweats and hallucinations, then the shortness of breath and trouble breathing, followed by paralysis and moments later, death.

After she had died, he got up and went outside through the back door into the cool night air. He inhaled deeply, the fresh air filling his lungs, then exhaled. He grabbed his shovel from the tool shed, and stabbed the ground.


Replies

Joseph Zeo
Joseph Zeo
Tale Spinner

Feb-8-2021 09:19

“Tony Valencia also disappeared?” Marc jumped in, quickly hiding his gun. Joseph also walked out from his hiding spot.

“What have we got here?” The leading inspector poked his head in, followed by two younger officers. It was Barnes, whom Joseph had many dealings with in the past. “Lacrimosa? Zeo? and Ms. Maltese! Blimey, we have a full house here!”

Joseph approached Inspector Barnes, “we are commissioned by Mrs. Valente to look into the disappearance of her daughter. That explains our presence here.”

“But why are you arresting Mr. Mauve?” Marc looked flustered, “from what I know, he’s the one who gave you the lead to Tony. Why would he do that if he’s the culprit?”

“Maybe he knows we will eventually find out that Tony Valencia has also became one of his victims, who has been missing for the past 3 days according to his maids and housekeeper. That’s 5 disappearances in the past month Lacrimosa!”

“You boneheads just isn’t thinking with your brains,” Marc retorted, “actually I’m not even sure if you have any!” There was definitely history between those two.

“Lacrimosa,” Barnes bellowed, “I can charge you with insult of a police officer on duty right—“

“Gentlemen!” Joseph interjected, standing between the two men, feeling the cold draft from the open door, “It’s late, and it’s chilly out. Why don’t Barnes do what he must, and we can deal with the rest tomorrow?” Joseph stared down Marc’s protest, knowing well getting muddled in this arrest would do no one any good.

Joseph Zeo
Joseph Zeo
Tale Spinner

Feb-8-2021 09:20

Molly raised from the chaise lounge and addressed Mauve, “Guy, do you have a good lawyer?”

Guy cleared his throat, still feeling surreal by the whole ordeal, “Um, Mr. Charles Bennett at Bennett & Croft represent me for all my opera contracts…”

Molly shook her head, “You’re dealing with abduction or even murder charges here darling, your contract lawyers will do you no good.” She picked up Mauve’s telephone to make the call, “I shall send my men to the station tonight. You can deal with the billings later.”

Joseph knew Molly would need to cash in a few favors to get her hot shots over at this time of the night, but Molly was that kind of dame to pull through when the need arises.

So Tony also disappeared, Joseph thought. 3 female, 2 men. No one would be able to contain that many people without leaking a few traces. This did not bode well for the abductees; they were most likely gone. There must be a connection between all of them, but how, or who? Given Guy knew two of them, he should be able to piece things together with more information on the other victims.

Guy Mauve seemed genuinely bewildered by the ordeal. The likelihood of him being the killer was low, not impossible, for the benefit of a doubt. Barnes quickly hulled Guy away, the air being impossibly icy this time of the year. Joseph exhaled with steam in his breath, but he was not liking it for once.


Guy Mauve
Guy Mauve

Feb-8-2021 11:46


Guy Mauve was in complete and utter shock. This simply could not be happening. He... a kidnapper or a murderer even! Why that’s simply absurd. Tony Valencia was built like an ox with muscles bulging from every which way. For the police to be so ridiculous to imagine that Guy, a man slender and gentle in every way imaginable, could do any harm to such a beast of a man was simply too ludicrous for words.

However, he was not the kind of man to cause a scene or to protest too much. He nodded to Ms. Maltese knowing that he must step back and let the professionals handle this. He was not frightened but rather annoyed. He was confident in his own innocence but knew he would miss his body lotions, silk robes and face creams however long he must stay in police custody.

As the two policemen approached him, he protested. “I suppose inspector you will allow me the decency of a change of clothes and a small bag of clothing and toiletries. Surely you are not planning to throw a young opera singer amidst seasoned criminals wearing nothing but a light silk robe? I’m appetizing prey for these men in prison as it is!”

The policemen chuckled and allowed Guy to change and come back with a bag of essentials. When Guy Mauve reappeared, he walked calmly towards the detective and managed to slip a small key and note in the pocket of Marc Lacrimosa unnoticed, before completely disappearing from sight with the two policemen.

*

As soon as the policemen were off, Marc took out the key and the accompanying note, read it and then announced to Molly and Joseph. “Come along you two, back up to Mauve’s apartment we go. It will give me an opportunity to show off my lockpicking skills.”


Guy Mauve
Guy Mauve

Feb-8-2021 11:48


Once the three were inside the apartment, Marc walked directly into Guy Mauve’s bedroom and came out of producing a locked diary. He used the key to unlock and open it. It opened on a specific page towards the middle where naked pictures of Guy Mauve, along with several other women, fell out of it.

“Goodness!” Joseph was unprepared for this.
“Heavens! These are famous actresses from Opera and Broadway!” Molly confirmed. “Why does Guy have all these naked pictures of them and of him.”

Marc read the diary entry from the page from which the pictures fell out. “Today I managed to break into Tony Valencia’s home and retrieve the pictures he has been using to blackmail me and Isabella. I have also retrieved all the others he had in case he was holding them over his other victims’ heads...”


Joseph Zeo
Joseph Zeo
Tale Spinner

Feb-9-2021 01:34

Mauve was wise.

The way he wanted to speak but always held his tongue, why he eagerly pointed out to the police that Tony was the last known person Isabella met, and why he was in love with this Tony but dreaded him at the same time… it all added up.

Marc flipped through the small stack of photos. “What a collection,” he whistled.

“So this is what we know so far,” Joseph induced, “Tony was blackmailing these exquiste performers with their exotic photos.” He recognised that leather wrapped handcuff, the single piece of attire Isabella was donning in her photo. At the time it was taken, he wondered if Isabella could fathom what Tony would use it for later.

“Blackmailing them for what? Tony’s already loaded!” Marc questioned.

“Perhaps he was coercing them into providing certain… services…” Joseph trailed off as Molly cleared her throat. Joseph realised how inappropriate it was to say such things in front of a lady.
 
“Well, we’ve got many suspects now who want to do Tony in,” Molly changed the subject, “but why the others? Why was Tony the last person and not the first to go missing?”

“First of all, I do hope Tony will be the last, but how do we know it’d stop there? We first thought Isabella was the last.” Joseph mused, “and to answer you question, maybe they were test subjects.”

“Joseph,” Molly tsked, “you are my friend but sometimes your mind frightens me…”

“Tony is a hard man to get to. I’ve seen a photo of him in the paper once. Antonio Valencia is well built and quite powerful, to say the least. It wouldn’t be easy to bring someone like him down so easily.”

“So you’re saying…” Marc inquired.

Joseph Zeo
Joseph Zeo
Tale Spinner

Feb-9-2021 01:35

“I’m just saying we don’t know enough to draw any conclusion yet. There are so many leads. Thank goodness there are three of us.”

At the back of his mind, Joseph sensed that there were more than just the three of them there. Someone was watching them. The lanky detective had no solid proof, could not see, hear or smell anyone else; it was simply a nagging sensation he wasn’t able to shove away.


M. Lacrimosa
M. Lacrimosa
Thespian

Feb-9-2021 18:48

"Assuming any of our missing people are still alive, we don't have much time," Marc said. He crossed Mauve's name off of his suspect list. Mauve might have known more than he was leading on, but after tonight, there was no way he could be the killer.

There was a sense of urgency that Molly and Jose could also feel. "Molly," Joseph said. "Can you follow up on the missing women, see if there's a connection?"

"Good," Joseph said. He turned his head to Marc. "I need you to follow up on Tony Valencia. Just find out if he's alive and where he could be. Find out his connection with Guy Mauve."

"Done." Marc replied with a nod. "What about you?"

"I'm going to follow up on the missing boy. I can't put a finger on it yet, but something tells me he's connected to all this."


It was well past midnight when Marc arrived at the docks owned by Tony. The shipping yard was busy. Importing and exporting, twenty four hours a day.

Marc found a worker and introduced himself. "I'm looking for whoever is in charge here," Marc yelled over the sound of the cranes.

The man pointed Marc in the right direction to the supervisor, who brought him into his office.

"I'm looking for Tony Valencia," Marc said as he sat down in a chair.

The supervisor, identified as Giovanni, smiled. "We don't typically rat out our own, if that's what you're expecting."

"No, no, nothing like that," Marc said leaning back. "Tony's been missing for three days now. Him and four other people. The only connection I have right now is Guy Mauve."

"The opera singer?"

Guy had clearly been making a name for himself.

"Yes," Marc said. "I interviewed him just over an hour ago. He named Tony as a mutual friend."

"I'm sorry," Giovanni said. "I don't know anything about that.

"Does the name Isabella Valente ring a bell?" Marc asked.

"Should it?"

"She was identified as well, having a connection with him. She's missing too.".

Giovanni looked shocked.

"Are you insinuating he's a kidnapper?"

"No, but I do fear that his life is in danger, if he's

M. Lacrimosa
M. Lacrimosa
Thespian

Feb-9-2021 18:49

"What do you mean?" Marc asked.

Giovanni opened his mouth to reply, but made a gurgling sound and he grasped his throat. How body started convulsing as he struggled to breath. Blistered formed around his lips. Marc knew he'd been poisoned. Quickly, he called the police.



M. Lacrimosa
M. Lacrimosa
Thespian

Feb-10-2021 07:08

EDIT: I missed some lines when I was copying and pasting.



"Are you insinuating he's a kidnapper?"

"No, but I do fear that his life is in danger, if he's not already dead." Marc replied.

Giovanni took another sip of his drink.

"He was a good business man. He wasn't the smartest person." Giovanni said looking down. "He must have gotten in too deep."

"With who? What do you mean?" Marc asked.


Giovanni opened his mouth to reply, but made a gurgling sound and he grasped his throat. How body started convulsing as he struggled to breath. Blistered formed around his lips. Marc knew he'd been poisoned. Quickly, he called the police.



Joseph Zeo
Joseph Zeo
Tale Spinner

Feb-10-2021 07:31

Bright and early the next day Joseph drained his black coffee, ready for the day’s investigation. Without a single cloud in the sky, he knew it will be warm in the day followed by a chilly evening, just like yesterday. Joseph wondered how Guy Mauve was doing. A midnight arrest only signified that the police planned to drill him until sunrise. Mauve would not get any sleep. Joseph made a mental note to visit the police station later in the day, but first thing first.

The address brought Joseph to the lower East side. He slithered through crowds of push carts and large baskets to find 97 Orchard Street. Signs from the vendors were written in Polish, Russian and Hebrew, the conversations around him were loud and colorful. The front entrance into the building had turned into a make shift necktie ‘factory’, with young boys and old ladies sewing their life away. Joseph had no choice but to climb the fire escape, dodging damp tunics and bedsheets hung out to be dried on the railings and windows.

Each tenement was subdivided into several family homes. It took Joseph some effort to find the cramped living quarter of the Hernández family at the back, windowless corner. The air was stale and stuffy. The radio next door blazed sharply with swing jazz. A pair of impoverished young girls were trimming yarn ends from a stack of half made winter hats.

“Hello,” Joseph tried to put on his friendly voice, “this is the Hernàndez, right?” The girls looks up at the lanky man, then returned to their trimming without a word. Working in such dim light would probably ruin those beautiful eyes. “I’m looking for the parents of Mateo Hernandez.”

“You know Mateo? Will he be back soon?” The younger of the two piped.

The older girl hushed her, mouthing the word “stranger”. Joseph changed tactic.

“I’m with the police,” Joseph flashed his handy fake badge. “Mateo has been missing for three weeks now, so we’d like to find out more, to see if we can locate him.”

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