Richard called her at work. His voice sounded serious.
“Can you come over? We need to talk.”
The jeweler was waiting for her in the workshop with a thick folder full of documents.
“Sit down,” he said, pointing to the chair.
“The news is not good.”
Sophia felt her legs go weak.
“What’s in this?”
“Thallium. A heavy metal. One of the most poisonous to humans. It was once used in rat poison, but was later banned. Too dangerous. In chronic poisoning, it causes nausea, weakness, hair loss, and nervous system damage. In large doses, it is fatal.”
Sophia clung to the edge of the table.
“But how? How did it get into the pendant?”
“That’s the most important question.”
Richard opened the briefcase.
“The capsule was specially made. It wasn’t an accident. Someone knew what they were doing. The capsule walls are made of a special material that becomes permeable at temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius. When you wear the pendant, it heats up in your body, and the thallium is slowly released through your skin.”
“But where could the average person get thallium?”
“It’s not easy to get, but it’s possible. It used to be sold in rat poison. Now, of course, it’s illegal, but it’s available on the black market or if someone still has old supplies.”
Sophia remembered her mother-in-law’s house: an old, grand apartment with a storage unit full of junk.
Eleanor boasted that she never threw anything away.
You never know what might come in handy.
“I need to check something,” Sophia said.
“What exactly?”
“My mother-in-law has a pantry. She keeps all sorts of things there, even old chemicals. Maybe…”
Richard frowned.
“It’s dangerous. If she’s truly behind this—and right now it’s just suspicion—she won’t stop.”
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