SquidgeWorld Archive

Leon shook his head as he walked the scene, third murder of the type within a month. Old rich men suddenly were turning up dead with their bank accounts wiped.

"Let me guess, Mr. Walker has no nearby living relatives and his once full bank account is empty, and he emptied it?" He sighed as Jill approached with a file.

"Got it in one..." She agreed, handing the papers over. "Same M.O., any ideas hotshot?" Leon didn't answer, handing back her paperwork. He walked around the room, carefully avoiding marked areas. The blond often appeared brash, but on a case he was neat and prissy as they came.

"Whoever it was either used a delayed poison, or left through another way..." He said absently. The other murders had similar problems, no way out but an open window for example, but this room didn't even have a window. He walked around the room again, finally looking up. A vent presented itself and he dragged a chair over, ignoring a few token protest from his captain, the man rarely interfered when the young detective started working. For all the brash young man's faults he was a good detective. The vent was loose on one side and Leon pulled it the rest of the way off, gloves on of course, yelling for a flashlight. A fine powder lined the surface when the light hit it and a single wilted bloom, Leon backed off, calling in forensics.

"It looks a little like pollen, but until we get the results I can't say for sure...and I don't know what the plant is, we'll get someone in to look at it." The C.S.I said absently, taking a sample of the powder with a swab, "and we'll fingerprint the grill..."

Nodding Leon moved away to follow the body to the morgue.

***

"It seems be poison, again." Dr. Moore said absently, Detective Orcot moved forward reluctantly to examine the body. "The throat has swollen and blocked breathing, much like a severe allergy attack. We found the same powder on his hands as we did the other bodies." Leon nodded, not expecting a difference.

"We'll call if anything else comes from the blood work..." Another nod and the thoughtful blond left. He went to his desk and didn't stir, not even for lunch, and no got too close, the blonde's usually easy manner was suddenly foreboding. He finally wrote something down and walked out. Jill, walking by sometime later, wondered aloud why Leon was looking at pictures of flowers.

***

Leon would have like to lay the blame for his latest brainstorm on D's shoulders, and truthfully a year or two ago his younger self would have turned his nose up at the theory, but the real blame lay with his freshman English teacher, Ms. Owens. He found the old book under a stack of comics under his bed, hidden by Playboys, a group of old short stories bound in a worn paperback. He flipped through it to a Hawthorne story and read it through twice before looking at the name and address he held. Nodding he picked up his cell phone and dialed.

"Beatrice Rappaccini, please," He said politely. "She works from home? No, I'm...interested in a plant."

***

They met in a garden that was so bright it seemed almost unnatural. Flowers, all bright and beautiful, were arranged around a large centerpiece, a large and beautiful purple flowered plant. Leon avoided them all, carefully staying to the garden path. Ms. Rappaccini was waiting for him on the end and he made his way towards her.

"Ms. Rappaccini, I need ask you a few questions..." He started, flashing his badge. She smiled, her purple eyes the very embodiment of friendly.

"Yes, Detective Orcot, my secretary said you were coming," She ushered him inside and insisted on taking the light jacket he wore. He noticed she wore long gloves and long sleeves despite the rather warm weather and her skirt was brushing the floor. "Would you like some tea?"

"No thanks," The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. "I was just dropping by to see if we could get a list of people you've sold to recently. We've had a couple of mysterious deaths and we think someone might be poisoning people."

"Surely, Detective, you're not accusing me..."

The blond reined in his temper, forcing one of his `Gosh, ma'am' smiles out for the auburn haired beauty.

"Of course not, Ms. Rappaccini, but you do stock some of the most poisonous plants known to man and we thought it would be logical one of your clients might have acquired something and used it in more then a collection. And have you had any thefts recently?"

"Well, Mr. Orcot I can willing provide with my client list, but it's rather hard to say if I had any thefts. I host biologist and scientific luncheons all the time you understand..." He nodded and took the list, listening politely as she continued in her explanation. He made his excuses and took his jacket, noticing a pot of the purple flowers near the coat rack.

"Those are the same as the ones from the garden right? What are they called?"

"You are very observant detective, these were made by my family many years ago, the result of cross breeding. We call them `Purple Jewels', only I have them. They're too precious to my heritage to sell. They're also very hard to care for..." She escorted him out and locked the door behind him. Moving to the potted plant she removed her gloves and stroked its blooms lovingly, apologizing softly as she caressed the stem where she had broken a blossom off. A single drop of liquid welled like blood on the stem.

***

"Detective, we missed you at lunch..." D commented, setting out dinner for Chris. The blond nodded and handed D a fruit tart, taking his tea absently. He spoke after D finished cutting him a piece of tart, tone thoughtful.

"D, you know about plants right?" He asked, tossing his jacket over the couch's arm. Count D looked amused, though pleased with the lack of outburst from the detective. If a case could not be easily traced back to him the blond became to engrossed in it to offer accusations.

"Yes, Detective, why do you ask?"

"Ever heard of `Purple Jewels'?" The human took his cup finally and sipped the too sweet mixture he'd grown used to.

"Yes, they are very rare and need certain conditions to survive. They must be in a very warm climate to thrive and require constant care. They are the result of many years of work by a certain Dr. Rappaccini, they are very beautiful, but also very poisonous the blooms must be pollinated by hand because no insects may go near them..." He sipped his tea. "It's said the doctor grew only plants that were poisonous and deadly in the attempt to perfect the most deadly of them all...Perhaps in that he succeeded, the `Jewels' are so deadly that no one may even breath the pollen they produce..."

"Sounds like Hawthorne's story..." The blond said reaching for his cigarettes. Some brushed his hand as he pulled the pack out.

"I admit I'm surprised you know who Hawthorne is Detective..." D said, putting his tea down and shooing Pon-chan away from the younger Orcot's plate, even though Chris explained he didn't mind sharing. "After all, it has very few pictures of..." He stopped as Leon put the pack down without drawing one out. "What is the matter, Detective?"

"Not sure, yet, I only leave my smokes in here usually..." He reached into the pocket again. His fingers closing around a cool, silky something, but as he pulled the purple bloom out the flesh touching it seemed to catch on fire and he dropped it on his lap in a burst of pollen. Tet-chan scooped Chris and the raccoon up in a single motioned and dived through a side curtain to escape the burst of pollen. Leon coughed once and then began wheezing, breath catching. The last thing he saw was D looking on in horror as he fell, blackness eating away his vision.

***

When he woke he was in a garden, the smell of roses from above him relaxed him instantly, and he sat up slowly, finding D on a rock nearby. Plants grew in a wild mixture here, honeysuckle, lavender, and even dandelions, his favorite since childhood.

"D...?" He husked.

D held a firmly sealed, clear jar in his hands and Leon realized that his right hand had been bandaged.

"This plant is not right, Detective. It does not interact with the things near it, it does not kill in defense or for food, it is almost..."

"Like humans?" The Count's head snapped around but the Chinese man slowly nodded. "And it's being used by a woman to further herself, I almost sure of it..." Leon lurched to his feet, blinking stupidly at the silky robe he wore before flushing.

"The poison had to be cleaned off of you, Detective, it clung to your very skin...I brought you here to breath in the scents of true flowers in order to cleanse you."

"Where the hell are we anyway?"

The Count smiled and shook his head, Leon accepted that, sometimes it was easier on his brain if he just didn't know.

"I need to call Jill and have her send me stuff, then we can go pick the lady up..." Instead though he smiled and in a moment of childish fancy plucked a dandelion going to seed and blew across it. Despite his recent lack of air he kept blowing until the stem was empty. "You get your wish if you can do it all in one breath..."

"And what are you wishing for, Detective?" The other man's soft alto asked. The blond paused and his cheeks colored.

"C'mon D, get a move on, how do I get out of here?"

"This way, Detective," The pet shop owner smiled and stood gracefully, leading the man out.

***

"Lucky for us a cold snap killed the biggest plant," Leon was saying as he sipped tea a week later. "The one inside had to be destroyed."

"And Ms. Rappaccini?" The Count asked, smiling into his tea.

"She was...because she'd been exposed to the plant for so long she was actually poison herself, just like the Beatrice in the story `Flower and maiden were different and yet the same, and fraught with some strange peril in either shape.' We couldn't touch her with our bare hands."

"Quoting literature, Detective, I'm quite impressed..."

"I'm not stupid you know," The blond huffed. "I took senior English in my sophomore year, but quoting crap like that to criminals doesn't do shit..."

"Does that mean I'm no longer under suspicion?"

"Of course not, I was just making a point...I'm not stupid, and one day I'll figure you out."

"Perhaps, Detective, you should look within. The key to understanding others is understanding yourself..."

"I know `me' just fine, thanks...It's you I don't get." His cell phone went off and he clicked it on, standing as he did. "Gotta go, D, tell Chris I said bye..."

"I wonder, Detective, just how well any of us know you...and why you're so concerned with me?" The Chinese man sipped his tea calmly and smiled when Q-chan settled on his shoulder.