A Dash of Poison

**A Dash of Poison** was a virtual representation of one of Arno Dorian's genetic memories, relived by a Helix initiate through the Helix Navigator.

## Clues

### Alley

* **Bloody vomit -** A puddle of vomit and blood. It is as if her innards were all she could retch.
* **Drops of black liquid** - Droplets of a strange black liquid. Smells like a harsh medicinal tonic of some sort.
* **Empty coin purse -** An empty woman's purse. Looks fairly expensive with a gold-leaf embroidery. There is a ledger crumpled up inside with an address to a merchant: 39 Rue St. Dominique.
* **Man's body -** An unidentified dead man who looks to have been homeless. His clothes are ratty and reek of alcohol. The body itself clearly hasn't been dead long enough to smell so putrid. No clear signs of how he died though his eyes are bulging wide.
* **Small glass vial -** A glass bottle with traces of the same black liquid that is next to the male body. It has no label.

### Apothecary Stand

* **Chemistry books and journals -** A variety of chemistry and medical journals. Provides for extensive reading.
* **Medicinal tonics -** All of the bottles look like they were carefully crafted by hand. They give off a strong smell of medicinal herbs and tonics.
* **Pestle and mortar -** A pestle and mortar set to pulverize ingredients. It's giving off the same strong smell of a harsh medicinal tonic. Freshly used.
* **Supplies -** Empty bottles, pots, and pans. Essentially anything a chemist would need to make tonic. The apothecary has been busy.
* **Statement of the apothecary -** Samuel Maran: Seems anxious, frustrated. Says the bottle at the crime scene belongs to Mme. Beaudry's shop. He seems frustrated. His competition is using cheap ingredients to drive down their prices. Worth noting: he mentioned that if someone were to administer too much of Beaudry's tonic, it could kill.

### Merchant Stall

* **Purses -** Numerous purses for sale, though some are rather expensive. Looks like they use the same gold-leaf embroidery technique as the dead woman's purse.
* **Tonic bottle -** An exact match to the bottle found at the crime scene except it's sealed. I cannot tell the color of the contents inside.
* **Tonics and medicine -** A variety of tonics and medicines.
* **Statement of the merchant -** Yoann Alban: Quite indifferent to the fact his boss, Mme Beaudry, has not arrived for work. Alban cannot tell me if the bottle belongs to his shop as it has no label. He wrote down two addresses for me: his chemist, who's workshop is at 24 Rue du Gros Cailou and an apothecary, Samuel Maran, at 5 Quai D'Orsay.

### Workshop

* **Letter from Samuel Maran**

A letter from Samuel Maran to Mme Beaudry:

"Mme Beaudry, I realize our last few conversations have been quite unpleasant for the both of us. But as a good faith gesture, here is a fresh new concoction for you to try. It is included in the package. I am certain you will enjoy it even more than the usual mixture. Best, Samuel Maran"

* **Notebook -** A notebook filled with chemical compositions and tonic recipes. A few of them look to be mixtures that can easily be cut with sugar.
* **Pestle and mortar -** Another pestle and mortar set. It looks to have been used recently. It smells sweet.
* **Supplies -** Many supplies for sale including everything you would need to mix tonics.
* **Statement of the chemist -** Nicolas Rochat (employee of the victim): Slightly aggressive. Shows little care for Mme Beaudry. I can definitely confirm that the body is hers. She did not go to work today and her chemist seems quite pleased about it. Suspicious, as he's looking to join Samuel Maran at his apothecary shop. Could be a connection.

## Dialogue

### Apothecary Stand

* **Samuel Maran (The Doctor):** *That's not my tonic. You see the cork there? I always mark mine when counting stock. No mark means it's Mme. Beaudry's. That wretched merchant dilutes her tonic with all sorts of chemicals to keep her prices down. It's putting me out of business! You take too much of that poison and you'll be a dead man!*

### Merchant Stall

* **Yoann Alban (An employee of Mme Beaudry that sells wares and tonics):** *Hm. The purse belonged to my boss, Mme. Beaudry, and she hasn't come into work yet. But the bottle... we sell plenty of tonic, but without the label I can't tell you. Our chemist Nicolas would know if it's ours or you could talk to Samuel Maran, the apothecary. He sells the same tonic. I'll write you their addresses, just don't tell Mme. Beaudry. Her and Samuel... I'd say hateful would be a mild way to sum up their relationship.*

### Workshop

* **Nicolas Rochat (A chemist and former employee of Mme Beaudry):** *Yeah that bottle is from Madame Beaudry's shop, I'd recognize it anywhere. Thank God that awful wretch isn't here today. She pays me nothing and I've had enough! Citizen Maran's given me a better offer. Just need to procure myself a little tonic. If you'll excuse me...*

## Conclusion

The murderer was Samuel Maran, a local apothecary and business rival of the victim, Mme. Beaudry.

### Case Summary

In an unusual agreement, Mme Beaudry was both the biggest customer and the fiercest rival of Samuel Maran. She was an avid customer of his tonic but was also selling it for cheap at her stall by adding cheaper elements into the mixture. When Maran, who already had a different rapport with Mme. Beaudry, discovered this he realized why he was losing most of his business. He therefore sent Beaudry a new tonic for her to try. Beaudry received the delivery and after unwittingly giving the tonic a taste she dropped dead in an alley. An unlucky vagrant that came upon her body decided to rummage through her purse and try the poisonous mixture himself. An unwise decision.