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By William Van Zyl (Published December 2021).
Listen to the podcast while reading: https://williamvzyl.podbean.com/e/odourless-poison-saves-murderer-from-prison-by-william-van-zyl/
She grabs the black book – nobody is watching. She turns, holding the book in her right hand, behind her back. The doctor is at the large window in the bedroom; he looks over the ocean. She quickly and securely slips the manuscript under her loose blouse behind her back and securely pushes the book into her trousers. She pulls her blouse over the book to cover it – the valuable book is fully concealed – it is sitting neatly tucked away in the back of her pants. She relaxes.
“I have got it! Nobody saw me,” the exhilarating thought flashed through her mind.
“She died during the night. What a loss to all her millions of readers,” said the doctor and long-time friend.
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Jane O’Connor had been a famous novelist, from the UK, for over 30 years. She seems to be at peace with a net worth of 1 billion dollars. Her pale body lies draped in white sheets on the bed of the Queen Victoria the Second, cruise ship – the dead body is on its way to Venice. Jane had planned to complete the sequel to her famous novel, “The Midnight Lark,” on the ship. She was in the habit of getting up at 4 am in the early morning hours to think, make notes, and to write. This was her routine for decades – she was a true midnight lark.
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“The coroner will be here soon,” said Doctor Jonathan Reeves.
Her long-time best friend Joanna Cowley takes a tissue and dab extra-dry tears away below her eyes. The tissue is dry, bone dry.
“Oh, I will miss her. I loved her so much. She was such a caring and loving friend,” sobbed Joanna.
“We will all miss her and her millions of readers.”
“Her diabetes must have caught up with her in the end,” said Joanna.
“She asked me to accompany her on the cruise. I gave her insulin intravenously. Twice a day – morning and evening. I am not sure what happened.”
“It was so sudden. We had a lovely meal together last night. I am so glad Talita and I had the opportunity to spend the last night with her. We are shocked!”
“We are all shocked. I have no idea why she passed. I have run some basic tests. There is no indication. The only thing that I detect is that she suffered a heart attack and kidney failure.”
“Poor thing. She died while she was alone. There was no one to help her.”
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“Kidney failure is the cause of death,” said the coroner as she signed the death certificate.
“Jane O’Connor died of kidney failure,” he confirmed.
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The substantial cheque of 970,000 pounds – made out to Joanna Cowley – had been sitting in Jane’s safe for the last 3 months. The night she died, she must have placed it in her notebook.
When Joanna opened the notebook of Jane, the beautiful handwritten cheque fell out of the book.
“Thank you, Jane! Now I have my share of all your famous stories. Those were my stories you sold all these years,” she whispered secretly.
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In Sussex, a ghostwriter is writing the sequel of Jane’s book ‘The Midnight Lark.’ It is done behind closed doors. He had been studying the writing style of Jane for months now. The work of fiction is almost complete – ‘The Midnight Lark 2’. The black notebook of Jane is lying open on the writer’s desk – it is filled with many of her personal notes, diagrams, characters, and concepts – her authentic handwriting stares at the ghostwriter.
“When should we release the sequel novel?”
“I think we should publish it by the end of the year, in November,” said Joanna.
“We will split the profits, correct?” asked the ghostwriter.
“Yes, that was the agreement. This secret will stay with us and follow us to our graves,” said Joanna.
————————-0———————
“SEQUAL OF JANE O’CONNOR’S – THE MIDNIGHT LARK 2 – RELEASED!”
The exciting news is flashed all over the tabloids and news. The Londoner’s News date is Monday, November 7, 2016.
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By the end of that week, book sales are skyrocketing.
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“ONE MILLION OF JANE’S SEQUEL NOVEL SOLD IN ONE WEEK!”
The glorious news appeared on millions of devices.
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Joanna’s dark secret was safe with the ghostwriter. They have pulled it off.
“Cheers! We are going to be rich, very rich!”
“Cheers, we have bagged it!”
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Two years later.
Doctor Reeves is tossing and turning in his bed. He can’t sleep. The release of the sequel of Jane’s novel is on his mind.
“Something is just not right,” he whispers to himself.
“Nobody knows anything about Jane’s manuscript. Why would she give it to her friend Joanna? There is just so much secrecy.”
“I have to do something.”
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After much deliberation, Jane’s body is exhumed. The tests are conclusive – strychnine poisoning.
“What is strychnine?”
“Strychnine is a white, odourless, bitter crystalline powder that can be taken by mouth, inhaled, or mixed in a solution and given intravenously. Strychnine is a strong poison; only a small amount is needed to produce severe effects in people.”
Doctor Reeves was right all along. But, who committed the murder?
The biggest red flag popped up next to her best friend Joanna’s name. She and Jane’s best friend, Talita, were the last people with Jane on the boat cruise about 2 years ago. The vast sums of money Joanna received from the book’s royalties made her the prime suspect. Well, that is what Doctor Reeves believe.
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At last, Talita plucked up the courage to see Doctor Reeves. She’d been haunted by what she saw that night when they had their last meal with Jane on the cruise ship.
“There was a tiny tube protruding from Joanna’s right arm – only 3 cm was visible. The tube came from inside her sleeve. I ignored it. I was not feeling well on the night, and I forgot to ask her about it. She had some medical issues of her own. It was definitely a tiny translucent tube,” said Talita.
“Could she have dispensed the Strychnine through the tiny tube into the wine of Jane?”
“That is a crazy idea. But you have said it. It bothers me. All the money for Jane’s sequel going to Joanna. Something is not right. Why did she give it all to Joanna?”
“And, Doctor Reeves, you know Joanna talked about the personal information Jane had used over the years in her novels on that fateful night. Much of it resembled the stories of our lives. Joanna was upset. She said that she feels used. Why did Jane use all their personal stories in her books? She never acknowledged it. I remember Joanna saying that she felt betrayed. Jane had become famous and rich using her best friend’s personal stories. We told Jane all – we talked for hours and weeks. Joanna said that it was not fair. Jane covered it up very cleverly and took all the credit for herself. There was a sting in Joanna’s voice. I sensed her disappointment.”
“What about you? How do you feel about Jane using your personal stories in her novels?
“I don’t have a problem with that. Nobody really knows that she had been using the stories of our lives in her books,” said Talita.
“It was all covered up.”
“Do you think she had a motive to poison Jane?”
“Maybe. That night – before Jane died – I detected masked jealousy.”
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After intensive investigations, a search warrant was issued. Several sachets with translucent tubes were discovered in Joanna’s home. However, Joanna was not arrested. The team of investigators did not contain Joanna – there was not enough evidence
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The team of investigators were questioning Joanna in court.
“What do you use these sachets and tubes for?”
“I am diabetic, and I dispense insulin into the liquids I take during the day. I hate injecting myself. I have a phobia of needles. I have been doing this for the past 10 years,” answered Joanna confidently.
“We have run a forensic test on all your computer searches. We have detected over 650 searches for ‘Strychnine’ and ‘how to poison a person.’ Can you explain these searches? We have a full printout of these searches. Here is a copy for you, your worship.”
Joanna’s blood pressure dropped. The blood drained from her face, leaving her deadly pale. Her white face contrasted against the dark brown benches in the court.
The search evidence came so unexpectedly that she was caught off guard.
“I uhh, I uuuhhmm. I am not sure. Let me think for a minute. “
After about sixty seconds of silence, she responded.
“I do have an explanation,” she said. Her confidence was rising.
She remembered that Jane had discussed poisoning for one of the characters in her stories in the past. Joanna was busy bouncing back.
“Yes, now I remember. During one of our discussions, Jane asked for some ideas on poisoning a nasty character in her stories. We did some searches together. It was for her novel, The White Tarantula.”
“We knew you could come up with such an answer. We also have a printout of Jane’s computer searches for that period. There is absolutely no evidence of any searches on poisoning. It seems odd.”
The forensic team is sitting in the courtroom running more searches through Jane’s personal computer – they had all her data in their possession. The keyboards clicked and clacked as the scientists were searching. A large printer stood on a trolley next to the scientists in the courtroom.
Joanna is caught off guard. She did not expect such a vast amount of data available at the fingertips of the investigators.
“Well, Jane used her notebooks when we had discussions. She made lots of notes during our sharing times,” said Joanna.
“We have all those notebooks of Mrs O’Connor here. We have transcribed everything we could find from all her notebooks. We can do extensive computer searches now. We have checked for poisoning and Strychnine. There is none. Well, what is your answer to our claims?”
“Maybe you don’t have all the notebooks of Mrs O’Connor. I certainly have discussed poisoning and Strychnine with Mrs O’Connor. I am absolutely sure.”
“We have an email of you ordering Strychnine from overseas.
Again the blood drained from Joanna’s face.
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The chief investigator then referred to a murder mystery— ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles.’
“Joanna, do you know this book written by Agatha Christie?”
“I don’t know the book. I can’t remember reading the book,” she answered.
“This novel – The Mysterious Affair at Styles – referred to Strychnine by its chemical name in Christie’s first novel. It is one of man’s more potent poisons and originates from the Nux Vomica tree, which produces a small nut packed with poisonous compounds. The effects on the human body are macabre.”
“Joanna, we have found the book on your shelf. Your name is written on the inside. It has been confirmed; it is definitely your handwriting.”
Joanna did not expect the specialists’ incredible high level of investigation into her case. She and her Lawyer were struggling to provide answers.
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Joanna was getting very nervous.
Seated next to her lawyer, she slowly lowered her head into her arms. She turned her face into her arm. Hidden under her sleeve was a tiny translucent tube. While the lawyer, the judge, and the investigators continued to talk, she searched for the tube with her mouth. She found it and placed it in her mouth. She folded her left arm over her right arm as she laid her head on her arms.
She squeezed her forearm. A large quantity of the odourless and tasteless liquid squirted into her mouth – she was free, free at last.
Nobody saw anything.
After a while, she lifted her head.
“I don’t feel well. Can I please have a glass of water?
——————0——————-
The next day the devastating headlines met the readers of Jane O’Connor’s novels:
ODOURLESS POISON SAVES MURDERER FROM PRISON.
The end.
Table of Contents
The inspiration for this story:
I recently watched the movie ‘Let them all talk’ on television. The famous writer said to her best friend: ‘So it is not about love but about money.’ The idea for this story and article was born with those words spoken. The famous writer’s friend in the movie – a woman – has explained how she felt exploited over the years as the writer included their lives in her novels. She thought that she deserved some of the profits. Her life’s stories – and her friend’s life stories – were included in the famous writer’s fiction books. The accounts and details were carefully concealed by the skilful writer. However, the short story I have written has an entirely different storyline.
A short evaluation of the story of fiction:
Dear reader – as always – I look deeper to find the golden nuggets in the story. I mine for those precious lessons deposited deep in the layers of the plot. This short story is no exception. So, what are the hidden messages – or lessons – we can learn from this story?
There is no redemption for the wicked or the evil:
I think the fact that the murderer took her own life in the end – in an unexpected twist – signifies that when the unrighteous is cut off by God, they self-destruct. According to scripture, there is no redemption for the wicked or the evil.
Psalm 37:9-10
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
However, with that said, the wicked and the evil have the opportunity to repent and make things right. From a Christian perspective:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:9.
Joanna didn’t get the opportunity to repent. Or, did she say a prayer during her final moments? She could have prayed while laying on her arms in court? We don’t know.
Live by the sword, die by the sword:
“Live by the sword, die by the sword” is a proverb in the form of a parallel phrase, derived from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 26, verse 52): “Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.”
The wages of sin are death:
There are certain wages – a reward – allocated for sin.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The love of money is the root of all evil:
There is nothing wrong with having lots of money or being ambitious. Money is not evil. It is the love of money that is evil—a big difference. If you have lots of money to dispose of, you have inherited heaps, or you have a constant flow of passive income of money it can harm you. I am referring to an obsession with money. Suppose it is the ultimate driver of your life. That is unhealthy.
The perfect position to be in is to see money just as a tool. It does not possess you. You are outside of its influence. Here is a test to assess your attitude around money. What does your giving look like? If you just want to accumulate wealth and you feel pain when giving away some of your money, money is your master.
On the contrary, if you feel joy when you give away some of your money – for example, to charities, to the church (tithing), or other worthy causes – money is not your master. In fact, you are free.
The murderer Joanna – in this murder mystery – was obsessed with money. It was her downfall. Money was her master.
Here is a great scripture that encapsulates this concept:
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10
Copyright © 2021 by William Van Zyl
Odourless Poison Saves Murderer from Prison.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion
thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
whatsoever without the express written permission of the
publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Published by Five House Publishing (New Zealand)
First Publishing, 2021
More eBooks and articles are available at https://fivehousepublishing.com/
More about the author at http://williamvanzyl.com/
