Chapter 5 - The Poison in the Teacup
Detective Vance stepped to the podium, inserting an encrypted thumb drive into the master conference terminal.
The gigantic eighty-foot digital displays spanning the eastern wall illuminated in blinding, high-definition clarity.
The screens projected the verified toxicological reports from the OHSU Department of Forensic Pathology.
“Over the past six months, Mrs. Valerie Vance was subjected to systematic chemical poisoning within her own residence,” Detective Vance announced to the horrified directors.
A collective gasp surged through the room as the chemical schematics of synthetic digitalis and localized abortifacients appeared on screen.
“These compounds were secretly injected into Mrs. Vance’s daily prenatal teas and herbal supplements by Evelyn Vance,” Marcus continued.
“The dosage was calculated to induce the tragic miscarriage Mrs. Vance suffered four months ago, followed by severe cognitive disorientation.”
Judge Finch dropped his fountain pen onto the table with disgust, glaring at Preston with unadulterated contempt.
“You poisoned your own wife to force her out of the company?” Judge Finch demanded, his voice trembling with outrage.
Preston began hyperventilating, backing away from the table toward the panoramic glass windows.
“That is an absolute lie! My mother would never touch those chemicals! Valerie fabricated those medical charts with her corrupt doctor friends!”
I pressed a button on my wheelchair console, rolling myself directly to the head of the table.
I pulled a clear plastic evidence bag from my jacket, containing a weathered leather notebook recovered from Evelyn’s nightstand during the midnight raid.
“This is Evelyn’s personal daily journal, Preston,” I said, opening the sleeve to reveal her meticulous, handwritten dosage schedules.
“She didn't just catalog the poison she fed to me; she cataloged the digitalis drops she slipped into your father Harrison’s morning coffee for five years.”
The boardroom descended into total chaos as the directors realized the staggering magnitude of the domestic horrors occurring inside the Vance mansion.
Evelyn had kept Harrison in a state of permanent cardiovascular weakness so that Preston could maintain uncontested control over the family’s logistics empire.
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“Every contract, every merger, and every dividend you authorized over the past four years was built on attempted murder and forgery,” I announced.
“And as the sole governing chairperson of Vance Maritime, I hereby terminate your employment, strip your executive credentials, and order your immediate federal detention.”
