Chapter 29 #2
They devolved into a discussion of Castles that grew more and more esoteric.
Even Lapointe, James, and Jacques participated, though, used to them by now and the Guardians ever curious about this hobby that wasn't ever going to be one they could pick up.
Miss Halliwell looked at first angry, then confused, and then angry all over again when they continued to ignore her.
Julian talked happily about the new plants pack that had come out last month, and Alex was already up to his elbows in experiments with whatever Julian had grown for him, to see what he could make.
No one even offered Halliwell some of the coffee still gently steaming on the tray in its keep-warm pot, despite the fact that she'd asked.
They had also all abandoned their own cups, half full or otherwise, as no one there was dumb enough to drink anything with a potential poisoner in the room, especially as they were irritating her on purpose to see what she'd do.
Julian hoped it would be something homicidal so he could go home in peace, but he supposed that was a rather selfish attitude.
Eventually she huffed loudly and stood up, going to pour herself a cup of coffee and putter about with the sugar and cream. She sat and looked primly furious as she sipped the drink, all of them watching her without seeming to.
Conversation had moved on to how their various territories were shaping up when she gasped and started foaming at the mouth, falling to the floor limp.
But not, Julian noted, dead.
"I think she took it herself," said James, coming over to administer first aid very mindful of getting any toxins on himself. "I'm not sure what it is but it doesn't seem as immediately fatal as her other choices."
"Get Geoff and forensics down here, I guess," said Alex, already on the phone to the good doctor from what Julian could tell.
Julian wandered over to the tray and sent his magical senses at it, finding all the cups were shimmering with some kind of doleful magic, when they'd been clean as a whistle previously.
"I think we've found our poisoner," he said with a sigh.
"I take it she poisoned all the cups to try to make herself look good?" said Jacques.
Julian nodded. "I don't think she thought it through, though. She was just mad about us ignoring her."
"I wonder what this one is," said Alex, wandering closer and whistling, eyes closing as he sent out his other senses. "Hm, sounds snakey. I thought there weren't other venomous snakes in the collection?"
"We'll ask Chudleigh, maybe there's one that's less deadly?" said James dryly. "We haven't inventoried the whole collection ourselves."
"I have a list," said Lapointe. "Apparently they're all magical somehow, there's a Shadow Python, an Egyptian Bedroom Asp, which were apparently used to guard the bedrooms of Pharaohs?
Anyway, also a Spiral Adder, and something called a Smooth Snake that's apparently endangered, for which he has a permit, in addition to the permit he had to get for the one that is venomous. "
"It's the asp," said James with certainty. "They had non-deadly poison so that anyone they caught could be questioned later."
"Oh, I remember reading about those," said Alex. "They won't bite their owners, and can be trained to recognise other people allowed in the room, which meant the wives could train their asps to let their lovers in as well as their royal husbands."
"Well, now we just have to figure out how she's been milking them," said Julian. "Because that's still weird."
"I'm sure a background check will turn it up," said Lapointe.
Dr. Geoff came bursting into the room and knelt down, medical kit nearby. "What's the poison?" he asked.
"Bedroom Asp venom, we're fairly sure," said Alex. "It's not lethal, and we're pretty sure she self-administered to try to throw us off the scent. The rest of our cups are also poisoned now, where they weren't before her arrival."
"She must be feeling cornered," said Geoff. He didn't short her on the medical care, wiping away the foam around her mouth and making sure she was laying down comfortably. He laid a hand on her forehead and, after a moment presumably to use his magic, he nodded. "Non-fatal, and she'll wake soon."
"Good to know," said Lapointe. She nodded to Thomas, who came over to confiscate her purse and click some handcuffs on her.
"You're that sure?" asked Alex.
"She was already the front runner. A few servants remember a woman skulking around but none of them were sure of who it was, just that it was a proper lady and not one of their own or a stranger.
" Lapointe sighed and rubbed her head. "I can see her logic, given that Winterson was considered no longer a suspect once she was poisoned. "
"Miss Winterson almost died," said Geoff, finally sounding a little angry as he stood and closed up his case, throwing a few things into the trash. "This is uncomfortable but decidedly less permanent."
"Which is why she saved it for herself," said Alex. "She's likely to have done both snakes the same day, before anyone was suspicious of lost ladies traipsing around the house."
"She probably got the baneberry then, too," said Julian. "They're on that hallway, I think?"
Lapointe nodded. "The wreath in question was on a different door on the same hall as His Lordship's snake study."
"Oh, that sounds nice," said Alex. "An office with snakes on the walls, I mean."
Julian gave him a contemplative look and then said dryly, "It's a good thing we'd have to remodel to add snake tanks, I think."
Alex shot him a sheepish look and said, "Yeah, probably."