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.”
“I know. But I need proof.”
“So be careful. And don’t go alone.”
Sophia nodded.
She already knew who she would take.
Lucy had mixed feelings about the idea.
“Sneaking into your mother-in-law’s house? Sophia, are you crazy?”
“It’s not a trick. It’s an official inspection. Alex gives me the keys and doesn’t ask why. I tell him I need a recipe from an old cookbook. And that’s how he works all day.”
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