The Downfall

Chapter eleven: The whole truth.

Marcus had a lot of hair on his arm but one arm was missing some, or rather some had been shaved off.

"What are we looking at?" Levi asked me while he was leaning closer and closer to understand.
"Actually.. What we don't see." I replied.
"What don't we see then?" He wondered.
"Hair."
"That could be..." Thanos started to say but I interrupted him.
"Stop with your scientific shit! That's from a razor blade and in fact I can prove it to you right here and now."
"How so?" He said with a look of questioning.
"Just a minute I'll get my bag." I said running to my bag and pulling out a razor blade.
"Why do you carry a razor in your bag?" Levi wondered again.
"You never know, something might come up at the last minute and I might need a shave." I replied and carefully placed the razor on the spot.

It fit like a glove.

"It could be a coincidence." Thanos protested and stepped away from the body.
"In only two cases we need shave an area in the body. One when we do some kind of tattoo and two for medical reasons. Assuming something was done with a needle in that spot, would we be able to see it from the inside?" I was pretty sure something else was going on and that things were not as they appeared.
"What do you mean from the inside?" Thanos asked me pointedly.
"Mr. Thanos are you stupid? She means that if a needle was inserted into his skin if it would show from the inside. With that being said just cut this spot and look from the inside." Levi said indignantly, even he had understood.
"If the needle had gone in deep enough I suppose we could see it but not for sure."
"It doesn't matter, let's try." I commanded

{-}

An hour and a half had passed and any minute now Thanos would be coming out of the lab to tell us if anything showed.
Levi and I sat on the floor next to each other.

"Levi, why didn't you leave with the others?" I asked.
"Because I could see it in your face that you had something in mind." He said and then continued to say.
"If it is indeed true, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know." I replied.

I really didn't know what I was supposed to do next.

"Are we going to tell Mr. George?" He wondered.
"I don't know." I answered more forcefully this time.
"Are we going to tell the others?" He kept pushing me.
"I told you I don't know!" I yelled at him and Thanos walked in, scared I would say.

"You were right!" He yelled as he walked in and laid out on a desk some papers and some pictures.
"What happened? What have you been doing all this time?" I asked and approached him to see what these papers were that he was opening one by one furiously.

"You were right all along!"
"You told us you were going to do fifteen minutes the most." Levi said.
"That's what I thought but you were right after all. Indeed from the inside it looked like a needle had been inserted the thing is it hadn't just.." He stopped for a moment and stood.
"And what?" I wondered.

"I found the needle itself inside and other than that the needle inside had a liquid inside and not any kind. Specifically Atropa Belladonna aka deadly nightshade" He opened his computer and started showing us pictures of the plant.

We observed all the details of the plant.
"What does that do?"

"It has a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic and poison. Before the Middle Ages it was used in surgery as an anesthetic, the ancient Romans used it as a poison. All parts of the plant are highly toxic, containing atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine, substances that are valuable from a medicinal point of view but also poisonous. This is why it is used in the form of medicinal preparations, on medical advice." He said as he zoomed in on a photo.

"We don't care why they used it in the past. Today on this body, on this particular body why was it found?" I asked imperiously.
He took his hands off the computer keyboard and said.
"This plant once it enters the body causes blurred vision, a rash, headache, slurred speech, hallucinations, last stage convulsions and eventually death."

Death.

Now it was all clear.

That was all I needed to know to start an investigation.

"Give us a minute." Levi said and took my hand, walking us across the room.
"What's wrong with you?" I whispered to him.
"Do you realize that everything is changing now? Marcus until two hours ago had killed himself now we know there's a chance he may have been murdered." As soon as he said that a wave of realism hit me in the face.

He didn't commit suicide. He was murdered.

"There's nothing we can do but look into it." I replied confidently.
"Look into it? Are you nuts?" He motioned to me with her hand.
"Quit fucking around." He said louder.
I grabbed his face with my hands to stop him from the panic that had taken over him.
"Whatever you think is right or wrong, whatever you want me to do or not do. It doesn't matter because I've made up my mind. I'm going to search and find out if Marcus did indeed commit suicide or if he was murdered. I know the others will agree and help. The question is... Will you?"

I had made up my mind that no matter how things turned out I would get to the solution of the mystery.

"You're crazy, Lyn." He said as I squeezed his cheeks.
I started to leave but he stopped me.
"One more thing."
"What?"
"Shall we tell Mr. George?" He asked me.
I knew he was his father but something told me it wasn't the right move.
"We'll see." I told him and smiled.

{-}

The reaction I got wasn't the one I was expecting. Maybe I really shouldn't have gotten involved.

"You had no right to do that!" Stephanie shouted.
"Let his soul rest in peace! Let him leave here in peace!" She continued to shout.
"I did what you didn't do, Steph! You left like you always do because you couldn't bear it, and I stayed to bear the fact that he will rest in peace if justice is given!" I replied.
"At least say thank you for doing what you couldn't!" Levi joined the argument.
"I loved him! How do you expect me to handle all this!" She said more calm this time.

"Who the fuck are you kidding?" Leo jumped up.
"You stay out of this!" Stephanie yelled at him.
"How long do you think we're going to put up with you? Huh?" He said rhetorically.
"Fuck you!" She raised her hand to hit him but Peter stopped her.
"Touch him and I'll break your arm... Leo tell everyone what you told me. It's time." Peter commanded.

What did they want to tell us?

"You guys thought I was just bullying Scott like that because he gave me the ick. It never occurred to you why I did it only to him though. That's where you'll find out." He said with a devilish grin.
"What are you doing?" She asked in terror.
"Our dear friend and his dear girlfriend Stephie while she was with Marcus she was also with Scott." He continued.
"Leo that's a big claim, are you sure?" Jun asked.

For so many days she had been blaming us all for Marcus' death when she herself was not so innocent.

"Stop it!" She shouted but to no avail.
"I knew from the beginning of Marcus and Stephanie's relationship that they were together because I accidentally caught them without them noticing me and months ago I saw with my own eyes Stephanie being fucked by Scott in his car." He pulled out his phone and showed us a video.

"I showed it to Marcus but he didn't care. He was so in love and she was such a bitch."

We were all speechless.

"Say why you wanted to go to study in New York!" He shouted in her face.
"Leo calm down." Theo said.
"You won't say it yourself? Fine I'll do the honor.. she was going to be with Scott!"
It got worse as it went on.
"Oh and I haven't told you the best part yet.."