Hubby made me a cup of coffee which had a very strange smell.…

We’ll need samples from your home as well. A commotion down the hall caught our attention. James was arguing with the security guards, his voice rising in desperation.

I need to speak with my wife, he shouted. Christina, please, you don’t understand, we were trying to protect you. Detective Mendoza stepped between us.

Mr. Bennett, you’re not helping your case. We’ve already found evidence of premeditated… Premeditated? James laughed, a hollow sound that echoed through the corridor. We were just trying to slow her down.

She was working herself to death, taking all the major accounts. Nina said if we could just make her take some time off. By poisoning her? Detective Mendoza’s voice was sharp.

That’s not protection, Mr. Bennett, that’s attempted murder. The color drained from James’ face. Murder? No, that’s not… we never meant to… Then what exactly did you mean to do? I asked, my voice surprisingly calm.

When you put something in my coffee this morning, what was supposed to happen? James’ silence spoke volumes. Behind him, I could see Nina watching through her hospital room window, her face a mask of fear and calculation. I wondered if she was trying to figure out how to spin this, how to explain away months of systematic poisoning as some sort of misguided attempt at helping me.

We’ll need both of their phones, Detective Mendoza told the security guards, and I want officers posted at both doors. Nobody leaves until we get the toxicology results. Dr. Phillips entered Nina’s room with a tablet in hand, her expression grim as she reviewed the test results.

Detective Mendoza and I followed, while James remained outside with the guards. Nina tried to sit up straighter in her hospital bed, but the tremors hadn’t completely subsided. The toxicology report shows elevated levels of several substances, Dr. Phillips announced, her voice clinical.

Most concerning is the presence of a particular compound that’s typically used in pharmaceutical testing. It’s not something the general public should have access to. Nina’s face paled.

That’s impossible. James said it was just something to cause mild symptoms. Mild symptoms? Detective Mendoza interrupted, taking out her notebook.

Like the ones your sister-in-law experienced over the past six months? The door opened and another detective entered, holding an evidence bag. We found these in Mr. Bennett’s office desk at the Anderson marketing firm, he reported, presenting several small bottles with clinical labels, along with detailed notes about dosages and reactions. I felt my knees weaken as I realized the full scope of their plan.

You were documenting everything? Like some kind of experiment? It wasn’t like that, Nina protested, but her voice wavered. We just needed to track what worked. The first few attempts weren’t effective enough.

You kept showing up to meetings anyway. So you increased the dosages, Detective Mendoza concluded, examining the bottles. Did you know these substances could be lethal in higher concentrations? The room fell silent…