a deadly storm, an unsolved disappearance, and a small town brimming with secrecy;
an outcast girl, a boy who only knows how to hide, and the world against them;
what could go wrong?
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Armed with a fully belly and a clear mind, Boo dials up the local news station. The automated answering service runs through a list of options to choose from: "Press one for today's weather report. Press two for information on local upcoming events. Press three for our anonymous tipline. All other calls, please stay on the line and you will be transferred to a representative."
Boo punches the three button and waits anxiously as the line begins to ring. Soon she's met with another pre-recorded message.
"Hello, welcome to the JCTV anonymous tipline. If this is an emergency, or you are in immediate danger, please hang up and dial emergency services."
Boo rolls her eyes as the rest of the message plays. Her heart skips a beat as a loud dial tone sounds, indicating she's reached the voicemail box. She clears her throat and does her best to disguise the normal tone of her voice.
"Uh, hello, I'm calling because . . . I'm suspicious about the woman who died, the sister of that missing guy. I think it's too much of a coincidence. I suggest you guys look more into that story and see if you can get the nine-one-one call released. The public needs to be more informed about what happens in our town."
She cringes internally before hanging up abruptly. Hopefully she sounded paranoid enough to stir the new station's interest enough that they'll hound the police department for the call transcript and save Boo the trouble of doing so. Following her phone call, she plants her butt on the sofa and spends the rest of the evening conducting research.
"how to cover up a murder"
"how to fake a heart attack"
"weird accidental deaths"
"causes of heart attacks"
"signs of murder in autopsy"
What an awkward conversation it'd be if someone saw this.
Everything seems to be pointing to the same general answer: the most effective way to fake a heart attack is poison. Boo's eyes rake over dozens of websites and images, filling her mind with line after line of knowledge on different poisons, their effects, and how traceable they are.
Her own heart nearly stops beating as she stumbles across an image of a familiar purple flower. The description underneath the picture reads "Aconite-Queen of Poisons". Itching with curiosity, she clicks on the hyperlink below the picture and is immediately directed to a series of articles. She scrolls through the first one, her eyes going wide as she reads.
"Also known as Monkshood, the poison is volatile and extremely difficult to detect postmortem unless certain tests are run. The poison can interact with voltage-dependent sodium channels, which are proteins present in the membranes of cardiac and neural cells. This interaction keeps the channels 'open', allowing sodium to flow freely inside the cell. As a result, the cardiac cells cannot repolarize, eventually leading to cardiac arrest."
