What Happened to Margaux Patio during Half-Moon

Chapter 5

Chief Benedict can't help but let out a big sigh as he plopped to his office chair. It was an entire day's worth of interrogation, making sure that everyone present at the party that night, even the employees are all accounted for. He closed his eyes for five minutes until he was forced to open them when his fellow investigators came into his office, carrying a board full of pictures of the Patios, their associates and employees, a thread connecting one photo to another.

"I think we can remove some Patios from the suspect list-"

"No." Chief Benedict cut them off, "No one gets removed from the list. We still need to gather evidence from the crime."

"You know, it can either be one of the family's doctors."

"Impossible. Dr. Ivy left the party earlier than Atty. Lee even and Dr. Eve slept the majority of the party. She came from a fucking patient surgery. Margaux Patio died around 9 pm-12 am, idiot."

"You know what I think?" Chief Benedict remarked, interrupting the two bickering investigators, "I think Margaux has enemies. She didn't know it though until she was poisoned to death. I mean, based on how the family talks about her, some of their words contradict their behavior earlier."

"Mary said she didn't."

"It's either she lied, or she had no idea that her mother-in-law can be hated too." Chief Benedict said as his finger massaged his temples.

"It's odd though." One of the investigators said, "Isn't it weird that instead of naming your children after your parents or grandparents, Amy and John named their children Debby and Deb?"

"Kinda seems like they're named after Deborah-"

"Because Deborah's the ideal Patio." Chief Benedict began, "She's Margaux's favorite grandchild-"

"I thought it was Diana-"

"When they were little kids, Margaux thought that Diana would outshine the rest of her grandchildren. Hence, being Margaux's favorite. Growing up, every grandchild became  successful because Margaux played a part in it; all except one, and unexpectedly, it wasn't Diana."

"It was Deborah." The investigators replied as he nodded.

"Before Deborah became a lawyer, she became a CFO for Everglade Telc. And when she became a lawyer, she became an even bigger person in the company, had a firm, and even included the firm under the Patio Corporation all on her own. The only thing Margaux did was recommend Atty. Peter Lee to her. Deborah never asked for the recommendation. Basically, Deborah managed to outshine not just her cousins but every Patio, a trait that reminded Margaux of someone."

"Who?"

"Her husband Peter Sr." Chief Benedict replied, "Which is why Deborah is a favorite: she embodied her late grandfather, fiercely independent. And that could mean negative or positive."

"What's the negative?"

"Murder of a nagging grandma. And the positive is the last will and testament."

"How?"

Chief Benedict exhaled and looked at the photo of Deborah placed on the board. Leaning back on his chair he pointed at Deborah's photo and said, "We might be looking at the next head of the Patio family."