EXB 03 - Nightshade

Record 4:

It's halfway through afternoon. It took us nearly 3 hours just to rest, then begin collecting evidence and documenting them in the file. We started with brief drawings, illustrating the evidence.

It's good to know that my years spent in the mastery class of portrait painting in the Royale University wasn't wasted.

In the process, Lucien kept on digging around the scene. The man never let a stone unturned. He checked the back of wardrobes, under the food tray, and flipped the carpets found within the room.

Then he quickly turned a bit savage.

He took a long wood log, and started beating the chandelier above our heads to see if anything is up there. The smashed fragments of the falling glass pieces almost got my eyes.

" Please, Lucien. You can't just go around destroying things in the scene and then ask for insurance in the department or my money to pay for the damage. "

The victim, though, was reported to pass away in her room upstairs, not in the party chamber.

We took quick measurements of the length and width of the party hall and between the evidence recorded. After that, I call Lucien to put off the unnecessary vandalism, and come along to the victim's room.

Apparently, " Le Vin " is quite efficient in making people inefficient at work.

Upstairs, we found another three rooms. The decoration here begins to follow an asymmetrical style.

The door ahead of us is the man's room. On its left is the victim's room.

And on the right, the room belonging to the one whom, strangely, the man never mentioned to us throughout the investigation: the son of the family.

The walls on the left shows some sort of frieze running across the flow of the hall, displaying again Catholic cross textures, once more confirming the religious belief of the victim.

The walls on the right, however, wasn't decorated with the same wall paper. In fact, its decoration only consists of varnished dark oak wall. Another noticeable feature is several signs of conflicts on the door. There are scratches on it, but not from human nails, considering the rather large size of the damage.

It was caused by a strong impact from some sort of tool. Maybe a large wood log, or a metal rod. Maybe some builder's tools.

It is all speculation though.

I try to focus on the important information first: the death of the victim.

The room is again, quite a mess.

Some glass panes within the room are smashed. Their fragments are all over the floor, in the mess along with several of the small limestone statues. The room is quite small. In a corner lies a bed, where the body of the victim slumped over. However, she wasn't lying on the bed. She was sitting, on the ground, with her face down on the bed sheet.

Moreover,... the body was never given any proper burial.

The poor woman apparently died 8-10 days ago, noticing the body turning red, with decaying blood on the bed. Some part of her body was bloated, probably by the biological gas emitted when one passed away.

Presumably, the room was far away from other sections of the bungalow, and most parts of the farm. That might explain why it takes so long for them to recognize her death and the odour in the room.

Well, clearly she dies, as the scene suggests. But the fact that not even a single knife or sharp tool was found in both investigated rooms, how did she die ?

Not even the witnesses know.

According to the farmers Lucien interrogated, none of them was present in the victim's room at the party night. Most are stuck to the casual ball of the wealthy (dancing party).

They all answered something like... she just passed out.

Also, she was holding a limestone statue in the right hand at the death time.

" It seems to me more like a suicidal attempt, Lucien."

" I don't think the same, mon ami. ", he opens the door of a nearby balcony.

" We never actually found any murder mechanism. Not even any sharp tool. And assuming that the victim was killed by the glass fragments is a bit unreasonable. Plus, if she did attempt to suicide, but without any tool to kill herself, she could have jumped off the balcony."

" But that way of deduction still doesn't explain how she dies, Lucien. "

" Just use instinct, mon ami. Look at what I found behind the wardrobe here. "

Mon Dieu. He's literally a miracle worker.

A book titled: " Distillation de Poison Européenne "

Suddenly, we heard ringing bell at the door. A few seconds later, we overheard, not an argument, but some disturbing noise of the man lashing out on some other person.

Lucien quickly packed the evidence in the paper bag, both the book and the statue in the woman's hand.

We come downstairs and peak in the living room.

It's Mrs Dubois's son, according to the file, and the words of the man as well.

" Your behaviour is unacceptable, young man. Your mom has just passed away, and you still went to the city for your own private business ? ", the man continues shouting.

The boy, though, seems fairly calm for his age. He encounters the bombardment of the man with an absolute straight face, not smiling ,or sad, or anything.

" I think I will get some fresh air outside now ", officer Lucien quickly grabs the " Le Vin " bottle.

I remain near the living space, eavesdropping on the conversation.

The man continues to give quite a lesson to his son, all about taking care of the farm, work, and some precious human qualities. " That's the nature of our work.", he says to the boy.

Then, a horrific scene emerges.

The father takes a glass cup , shatters it into parts and throws it directly into the young man's face.

The poor garçon had to tidy up the fragments of the glass with his bare hands, while still listening to the man.

Blood was all over the floor.

After 20 minutes of the family scrutiny, the boy goes to the kitchen, probably continuing with the housework.

Then he sees me approaching in his direction.

" Bonsoir, Officer. ", he smiles, " would you like a cup of hot tea ? "

As he hands out the tea cup, the backdoor suddenly opens. Lucien gets in and takes it from my hand.

" Uhh.... (hiccup)... merci, mon ami. "

" Not again, officer Lucien. Don't make me drag you home like all those nights at the pub. "

" Come on. I only have a sip of wine. "

" A sip of half the bottle, you mean. "

As Lucien almost falls, crashing into the table, the young man helps him up.

" It's almost night. I think you can make it back to Amiens before then with the horses. Thank you for caring about my mother so much, officers. Oh and another thing, a gift for your effort. ", he smiles as he pulls out a small basket of black berries from a cargo.

" This can ease your dizziness, and help you become sober faster officer. "

" Merci, petite garçon. (hiccup) ", Lucien falls on my back.

We return to horsecart as dusk approaches.