The next morning I woke up early and then I got up and went to John's bedroom, didn't know what I was expecting when I opened the door and I was bemused he wasn't there. My eyes started filling with tears once again in his absent and the disbelieve of it. I sat there for some moments looking at his empty room, knowing that he would never came here ever again.


I went to the dinning room for breakfast, where I saw Amelie and Theodore eating. They were sullen, Theodore wasn't playing with his food as usual, instead he was putting it on his moth slowly and weakly.

<<Good morning Betty, did you sleep well?>> Amelie asked me as she show me. How could she say that? ''Good morning'' how the heck was it good? Didn't she show what happened last night? Was she to another house?

<<Well, I don't see how it's good>> I answered her coldly. She was acting like nothing happened , how could she? I knew she never cared but she at least had said something like ''I'm sorry for John'' , ''I can't imagine how hard it must be for you''. Sat down on the table and William came with a plate full of pancakes, they were my favourite but I wasn't hungry. I sat looking at them without touching them.

<<Miss Miller, you should eat at least some bites>> William said to me when he came to bring more orange juice.

<<William is right Betty, eat something>> Amelie said. Who gave her the right to speak? We didn't need her opinion.

<<I'm not hungry>> I answered distantly. I got up to leave the dinning room but Amelie grabbed my wrist but I pulled it aggressively. <<Leave me alone>> I said and went out.


As I was walking up the stairs I heard someone calling my name.

<<Betty>> it was Henry coming to my direction. <<How are you? Learned what happened, I'm so sorry>> he said and gave me a hug, I hugged him back and I felt like a burden was taken away from me.

<<Trying to process it>> I responded, my voice low and weak. <<I have to go>> as much as I wanted to stay with him and talk I wanted to stay alone and figure out what happened to John. I hadn't forgot all the things I said to James and I really thought that they were true. I was sure, my brother wasn't dead by accident someone had done something but what?

<<Why? Can't I come with you?>>he asked. I knew he had good intentions but I wanted to stay alone.

<<Look, I had those thoughts that John was murdered>> I said quickly, he would understand, at least I thought he would but his answered wan't had I was expecting to hear:

<<What? That's ridiculous, the doctors said it was food poisoning. Where did that came from?>> he had a light laugh on his face as he said that like I was a little kid, who was making imaginary scenarios.<<I think you just still in shock from last night>>

<<You think I'm delusional?>> I was furious, I was telling the truth, why he couldn't believe me?

<<I don't say that, you are tired and need to relax a bit>> he said.

<<I'm fine, you are just an idiot to understand>> I said raising my voice. I was mad he was acting like I was saying some kind of bullshit

that was untrue.

<<Look, I'm sorry but makes you thing that?>> his voice was calm as he apologised, which made me feel guilty because of my behavior

<<I'm sorry for overacting>> I said and explained him everything.

<<I'm not sure but I must go see you later?>>he replied when I finished talking. I nodded, he placed a soft kiss on my lips and left.


I went almost running to John's office to find anything useful that might help me figure out what happened. I went inside the room and looked around, the office was tidy as always the only thing that was not was a glass and a bottle of whisky the one that John drunk yesterday night. I took the bottle on my hands opened it and smell it. I smelled the usual smell of whisky but there was also a sweet, subtly floral that was hard to identify. Something was on the drink but what? I took my phone made a call.

<<Hey, it's me you have to come here now!>>


Some minutes later I was in John's office when James opened the door and came in.

<<What's the emergency?>> he asked as soon as he came and stood in frond of me.

<<Smell it>> I said to him giving him the bottle, he looked at me confused like I was asking him to do something crazy. <<Just do it!>> I added <<What do you smell?>>

<<Whisky and some kind of floral but it's hard to tell>> he answered me. <<But why?>>

<<This is the whisky that John drunk last night when we came here to sign the contract with Mr Wilson>> I explained him. <<Did you brought your microscope as I asked you?>>

He nodded and took delicately a microscope out of his back and placed it on the desk.

We took some specimens from the whisky and put it under the microscope. James took a look and stayed there looking without any expression on his face.

<<I cant believe it>> he said some moments later surprised .

<<What is it?>> I asked him, why was he so socked? What was in the whisky?

<<Come on, look at this>> he pulled me closer to him.

I took a look but the only thing I was watching were some pellucid and some black bubbles. I took my eyes from it and looked at James puzzled. I never understood this kind of things, chemistry and physics weren't my cup of tea. Unlike myself James always loved liberal studies, in fact he was studying them. He wanted to become a chemistry professor, he had been dreaming of it since the last grade of middle school.

<<That's not just whisky; that's whisky with dissolved deadly nightshade!>> he said it was clear that had understood something that I didn't.

<<Which is?>> I said waiting for an explanation.

<<Deadly nightshade, well known as belladonna, is an extremely toxic plant, which can be used as very strong poison>> he said. So I was true, John was poisoned by someone. <<It seems that you were correct, John was indeed poisoned. But who did it?>>

<<I don't know the person who did it must have came to the party>> I responded. As I was looking around to find any clues, my eyes were captured by a golden ring that was on the floor. I took it and checked it with scrutiny. In the inside there was written a date and two initials. 9/19/2020 A&M. <<Look at this>> I gave James the ring to see it.

<<Whose is that?>> he asked me.

<<This is Amelie's. Just look at the date it's three months before my parents death and the initials A&M its clearly hers>> I replied, I knew from the beginning that something was wrong with her. <<Think about it! She was disowned from our parents, she hadn't talk to us for years! Why would she come to the party if she wasn't planning something?>>

<<So you are saying that she murdered John to take over your company?>> he questioned as I hadn't totally convinced him.

<<Yes! Everything makes sense!>>

<<I don't know, we don't have enough evidences>> he said, he was right, I couldn't accuse for murder because of a ring.

<<You are right. Look around in case we find anything else>> I said and started looking for something that might be helpful so we can solve the mystery.

We had been looking for almost an hour and nothing! Maybe there was nothing else to find and we should look somewhere else.

<<Betty, I think I found something>> James called me behind the desk as he had knelt down. I went to him he was holding a pen, which he gave to me to take a close look. It was a normal pen the only difference was that it had the letter W with a small crown above it. <<Isn't that the logo of Mr's Wilson company?>>

I nodded, what was it doing there? Then I remembered something.

<<James, when we came to sign the contract he claimed that he had a pen with him. He look in all his pockets but he couldn't find it. What if he had came to the office before to poison the whisky?>>

<<It's possible>> he replied thoughtfully. <<Did he know about the contract?>>

<<Yes, had sent him a letter with the invitation>> I answered him <<What if he wanted John dead to take control over both companies>> I was confused, at the beginning the only suspect was Amelie but now it was Mr Wilson as well.

<<But you inhere the company, he can't take full control of it, unless...>>he stopped abruptly.

<< I'm gone? Yeah, and that goes for Amelie's case too. If she gets rid of me she will get the fortune as the legal heir>> I said. I hadn't thought about that the one who killed John might want to kill me to me as well.

<<Well if they do, Theodore is very young to take responsibility for all this>> he said correctly.

That meant they could go after Theodore too before he would become an adult, so that he could do nothing to stop them. Was my life in danger? What about Theodore? We had to find who they were and stop them before they could do any other harm. Was it Amelie? Or was it Mr Wilson?

<<They both have their reasons but we have to find more clues before we accuse them>> I said and James nodded in agreement. I was mad that John was murdered, Ι wanted to find murderer and make them pay for what they did. <<We have talk with them, ask them questions where were they when John died, what were they doing>>

<<That's how we will be able to find who did it! I will talk to Mr Wilson, can you speak with Amelie?>>

I had nothing to tell to her but I had to learn if she killed John, I knew she wouldn't tell me if she did it but at least I had to try.