Chapter 4 - The Tainted Petals
The digital screen of my encrypted tablet blinked softly in the dim light of the medical annex. The external lab report had arrived, transmitted through Leo's secure courier network. I stared at the atomic breakdown of Dante's blood plasma. The levels of thallium were off the charts—a slow, agonizing poison that accumulated in the tissues, causing hair loss, nerve damage, and eventual organ failure. It was deliberate, calculated, and administered in small, daily increments.
A sharp knock at the door broke my concentration. Leo stepped inside, closing the heavy oak door behind him with a soft click.
"The courier's back," Leo said, setting a heavy cardboard box on the table. "And the morning deliveries just arrived from the downtown florist."
I stood up, pulling off my gloves and tossing them into the waste bin. "Show me."
Leo sliced open the top of the florist box with a pocketknife, revealing a dense arrangement of white lilies and dark green ferns. The sweet, heavy scent of funeral flowers filled the small room instantly.
"Julian sends these every Tuesday," Leo explained, watching my hands as I put on a fresh pair of latex gloves. "He says it brightens the study."
"Lilies absorb moisture through their stems," I murmured, my fingers parting the thick green foliage at the base of the arrangement. I reached down into the plastic water reservoir hidden inside the wicker basket. The water wasn't clear; it had a faint, oily sheen and a pungent chemical odor that had been masked by floral preservatives.
Using a sterile syringe, I drew a sample of the green water from the bottom of the basket and transferred it onto a chemical test strip.
Within three seconds, the strip flared a dark, violent purple.
Leo leaned in, his eyes locking onto the color change. "Thallium."
"They aren't putting it in his food anymore," I said, my voice cold as I looked up at the bodyguard. "They realized the kitchen staff was too careful. So they built the poison right into the centerpiece sitting on his desk. Every time he breathes in the room, every time he touches the stems to adjust them, he's absorbing it through his skin and lungs."
Leo's face hardened into a mask of pure fury. The massive man cracked his knuckles, a low, dangerous growl vibrating in his chest. "Julian."
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"We don't confront him yet," I said, grabbing the basket by its handles. "We take this straight to Dante. He needs to see the physical evidence with his own eyes before we spring the trap."
Leo nodded slowly, his eyes dark with lethal intent. "Let's go."
