“Cut!” The director shouted.

Amidst the bustling crew, the hero and the side actors got busy studying the next scene. As the hero touched up on his make-up, his assistant read out his lines aloud. Bright studio lights glared down on the busy set. The director checked the scenes on his screen, suggesting changes that needed to be added. The next scene required the heroine’s presence.

“Where’s Tia?” The director glanced up from his glasses and yelled.

“She’s in her vanity van, sir,” the assistant replied. “Mohan sir is with her.”

“Why is he here? This isn’t his set,” the director was visibly upset. “Get her right now!”

The assistant sprinted towards the van. As he neared it, he saw Mohan screaming and exiting the vehicle.

“Sir, what happened?”

“Tia… Tia… she’s dead!” Mohan’s face sweat profusely as he gasped for breath.

The assistant stepped inside the van and stood horrified. Tia was lying on the floor, with her eyes wide open. The carpet was stained with vomit and the juice that she was sipping on.

Soon, the van was surrounded by dozens of people. Some murmured about a possible suicide while others accused Mohan to be the murderer. The police arrived in no time. Pushing the onlookers away, they cordoned off the area. Inspector Briana checked the body and the surroundings.

“Who’s she?” An onlooker asked.

“Don’t you know her? Are you new in this city?” Asked a constable. “She’s Inspector Briana, one of the most efficient officers we have in the police force. Her razor-sharp observation never misses even the faintest details. The best part is her intuition tempered with logic that connect dots into facts.”

“And her knowledge in forensic science and psychological insight makes her an impeccable officer,” added another constable. “Were you here when the actress died?” He raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“N…No, sir. I… I just arrived.” Saying this he disappeared into the crowd.

Briana looked closely at Tia’s body. She had fallen backward from the chair that she was seated in. A glass with juice and a straw lay beside her. The forensic team carefully collected the materials. A photographer clicked Tia’s pictures. Dry vomit was pasted on her lips. Her make-up was smudged with sweat. There were no wounds or marks on her body that suggested any struggle before death.

“What had exactly happened?” Briana asked Mohan, who was still shaking with terror.

“I… I was narrating a story to Tia for our next movie,” he gulped water greedily. “Suddenly she collapsed. And… and she was gone!”

“Was there anyone else with you?”

“No.” He cupped his face into his palms and sobbed.

“I know it’s a difficult time. But could you elaborate on what exactly happened? Like before you arrived and other minute details.”

Mohan inhaled deeply. “Tia was resting in her van between the shooting. Her make-up artist, hairdresser and assistant left as soon as I entered. She was sipping her favorite watermelon juice. We discussed the script. She liked it and agreed to sign the contract papers soon. Suddenly she complained of numbness in her fingertips and a tingling sensation in her face.” He paused. “The next moment she clutched her stomach as in tremendous pain. She vomited and just fell back on the floor. I… I was too shocked to react. Can I go home, please?”

Briana had no reason to deny.

Back in her office, she sat to discuss the details with her teammates- Sub-Inspector Param and Sub-Inspector Sneha.

“We need more details on Mohan,” Param said. "There’s more to him than meets the eye.”

“We also need to interrogate the others who had met her just before she died,” Sneha added. “Like the film director, lead actor, assistants, etc.”

“Did you check with her doctor if she suffered from any major illnesses?” Briana chewed on the tip of her pencil.

“According to her health records, she was perfectly fine, ma’am. The preliminary reports suggest cardiac arrest though postmortem report hasn’t yet come.”

“Let’s wait for it then,” Briana. “However, my instinct senses foul play.”

“Your instincts are not mere instincts, ma’am,” Param smiled. “They are facts.”

“Unfortunately, that doesn't count while solving a crime mystery, right?” Briana said.

Two days later, Param read the postmortem report.

“Death due to cardiac arrhythmia of unknown origin.”

“Tch tch. Such a young woman died of cardiac arrest!” Sneha tutted.

“Didn’t you hear what ma’am said the other day?” Param interjected. “There’s certainly a foul play in this.”

“Do you trust her blindly?” Sneha whispered while looking around.

“You are new here. Once you work with her, you’ll get your answer,” Param replied.

“What’s the update, Briana?” ACP Dixit asked.

“Sir, the postmortem report says cardiac arrest. But…”

“But of course, your theory says otherwise, right?” Dixit shook his head and smiled.

“I’m on it, sir. My team knows how to go about it.”

“I trust you, Briana. Your track record is clean with 100% success rate. Let’s give this case its desired result.”

Briana’s work table was scattered with reports, newspaper cuttings and scribbled notes. She stood by the whiteboard and jotted down the events in the form of points.

“Tia went for the shooting at 10.30 AM. By 12 noon, she was back in her vanity van,” she said. “Right, Param?”

“Yes, ma’am. Then, her assistant, Sudha came with lunch which was salad, watermelon juice and scrambled eggs.”

“Was she allergic to any food?” Sneha asked.

“No. This was her regular lunch. She was very particular about her diet,” Param said. “Then her hairdresser, Lisa got her hair done for the next shot which was a dance sequence. Tia did her own make-up. So, the make-up artist left immediately. As soon as Mohan stepped in, Tia asked both Sudha and Lisa to leave the van.”

“How long was Mohan with Tia?” Briana asked.

“About 30 minutes.” Sneha replied.

“Param, did you get any details about him?” Briana asked.

“Ma’am, Mohan and Tia had a complex relationship. Tia’s debut movie was in Mohan’s directorial debut. The movie turned out to be a blockbuster. Tia got a lot of offers after that. There were rumors about a secret love affair between them, though nobody confessed to it.”

“Yeah, it was all over ‘the Bollywood Times’. I remember reading about it,” quipped Sneha. “But the grapevine was that Tia joyfully kicked him aside and went on to have an affair with Suraj Mehta, her co-star. That must have irked Mohan.”

“Of course, it did. Mohan posted cryptic messages on social media about his broken heart that indirectly pointed towards Tia, who was quiet the whole time. In retaliation, she posted pictures of her and Suraj holidaying in Bali. An infuriated Mohan unfollowed Tia.”

“Despite the bitterness, how did they reconcile?” Briana quizzed. “We need to speak with him.”

“Meanwhile, I want you to dig details about her assistant, Sudha,” she instructed Sneha.

The next day, Briana confronted Mohan. She didn’t have to pressurize him much.

“Yes, we indeed were in love during the shoot of our debut movie,” Mohan confessed. "Tia had big dreams. I couldn’t keep her enclosed in my love. She moved to wherever she was promised a fatter paycheck. Dejected, I cut all my ties with her. But last week, she called me and cried. Her boyfriend, Suraj was cheating on her.”

“So, you didn’t meet her for any story script,” Briana said.

“I went to meet her as a good friend...”

“Or to ridicule her and laugh at her plight?” Param retorted.

“No. I’m not that insensitive.”

“Did you sleep with her?” Briana asked.

“What?” Mohan sat up straight.

“Your fingerprints are all over her glass and her body.”

Mohan hung his head.

“Tia got too emotional. She sat next to me. And… and we kissed,” he whispered. “We shared the juice. That’s all.”

“Your truth is coming out in layers, Mohan. Are you hiding something else too? Better come up with it right now.”

“I swear. There’s nothing more.”

The next day, the Forensic Medicine Specialist called up Briana.

“Briana, as you know, Tia’s autopsy report has come clean. There’s no foul play. However, upon your insistence, I ran a toxicology test on her blood sample.”

“And?”

“I ran screening for common poisons like Cyanide and Arsenic. But it came back negative. Based on the final symptoms, that is numbness in fingertips, breathlessness, and palpitations, I tested for Aconitine. It came positive!”

“Aconitine!” Briana gasped. “I remember the case study I came across during my internship. The infamous Lamson Case in London, where the culprit, Dr. Lamson laced his brother-in-law’s cake with this rare poison.”

“Exactly! This poison is found in the roots of certain plants like Wolfsbane or Monkshood. The killer has definitely found an out-of-the-box way to kill- where there’s no murder weapon and no injury. In fact, it’s so easily digested that its traces aren’t found in the stomach.”

“But when the world is looking inside the box, we check the box itself,” Briana chuckled.

“Your instinct on poisoning led us to this, Briana. Let’s hope to find the culprit soon.”

Later during the day, Sneha met Briana.

“Ma’am, I got to know about Sudha’s involvement in a scam that was related to Tia. So, I met her and threatened her to speak. She broke down and confessed. She had asked Tia for a loan of Rs. 10 Lakhs. However, the latter had denied. In a furious rage, she leaked the details of a leading international brand endorsement before it was officially announced. This led to breach of contract, and a legal dispute ensued. Tia had to spend a huge amount of money as penalty.”

“Tit for tat!”

“Yes, ma’am. However, the secret was exposed and Tia blasted at Sudha in front of the entire crew. But Sudha pleaded and asked for forgiveness.”

“That looks like a motive to kill, right?”

“Definitely, ma’am.”

“What about her Casanova boyfriend, Suraj?”

“He’s a rascal, ma’am,” Param said. “He’s a junkie and reportedly had spiked Tia’s vodka during a party and raped her. A reliable insider has revealed it to me.”

“Get hold of the bastard and bring him here tomorrow," Briana ordered.

“Ma’am, you don’t know me well,” Suraj threatened. “I haven’t even bathed, and your officers brought me here.”

“Let’s meet properly then,” Briana gestured at the chair. “Would you like to have tea or some vodka?”

He looked on puzzled. “What?”

“Let me remind you. Hadn’t you spiked Tia’s drink during a party and raped her?”

“What? No! It’s a lie. It was consensual. I never spiked…”

“Thud!”

The sound of slap reverberated in the room. Suraj held his pink cheek tearfully.

“Tia isn’t here to confirm. That doesn't hide the truth. Her best friend has revealed that Tia was shaken for days after the incident and broke up with you soon after.”

Suraj fell silent.

“Your dad is a scientist, right? It must be easy to retrieve any lethal toxin from the root. Isn’t that how you killed her?” Param hollered.

“No! I’m a junkie, I agree. But I don’t consume roots. Please believe me.”

After an hour or so, Suraj was allowed to go but was instructed not to leave the city premises.

“Ma’am, what do you think?”

“He’s an addict, no doubt, but a fool, Param. He’s not that smart to use the toxin.” Briana pondered looking at her whiteboard. “Who could be so clever? What are we missing?”

“Mohan and Tia had shared the juice. Which means it wasn’t poisoned,” Sneha said. “The remnants of salad and egg were tested too. No poisoning.”

“Then how did it enter her system? Through air?” Param asked confused.

“Aconitine can’t be inhaled. It has to be orally administered,” Briana said. “And it works in less than 2 hours. Which means she was poisoned the same day. But how?”

Briana looked at the list of people who were in touch with Tia that day.

“Suraj- her cheater boyfriend, Mohan- her lovelorn ex-boyfriend, Sudha- her assistant, Lisa- her hairstylist. We have interrogated everyone,” Sneha ticked on each name. “And everyone, except Lisa has a motive to kill Tia.”

They watched the video recording of each of them being interrogated. While everyone seemed flustered, Lisa seemed unusually calm.

“Either she’s genuinely innocent or a very good actress,” Briana remarked. “Let’s dig more. Start with her social media account. Great secrets lie out in the open.”

The whole day and night were spent in checking minute details. Each of them took turns to check while the others rested. Finally, Sneha jumped excitedly.

“Look what I found!” She exclaimed. “Lisa has a friend named Freddy, who’s a natural healer.”

The others peered at the laptop screen.

“Freddy’s facebook page is filled with gratitude post by his patients. Some call him a miracle healer and God’s angel. Look at this particular post,” Sneha read aloud. “Freddy is a magician. With simple roots from a poisonous plant, he made medicines that cured my ulcer that no doctors could heal.”

Param scrolled through the page where pictures of plants were posted. A particular large, purple color flowered plant caught Briana’s attention. She googled the name Monkshood and similar pictures showed up.

“There it is!” Briana exclaimed.

“But why would Freddy kill Tia?” Param scratched his head.

“Freddy was Lisa’s friend, Param. It’s highly probable that she took his help,” Briana said.

“Let’s get her then,” Sneha suggested.

“She won’t admit without any proof. Let’s set a trap,” Briana said. “Get a hacker and hack into Freddy’s account. Chat with Lisa posing to be Freddy.”

“But what if she sniffs the trap? Or if she’s not the one?” Sneha asked.

“Let’s take the risk. If she’s not the one, then she won’t take the bait.”

Everything was set the next day.

Freddy: Hey Lisa, there’s something I need to tell you about the root you took from me.

Lisa’s reply came almost immediately.

Lisa: What about it?

Freddy: If you have any traces of it in your house, then better get rid of it. Because after a certain while, it emits a toxic gas that can kill you in no time.

Lisa: You fool! Why didn’t you tell me before?

Freddy: Slip of mind. Sorry.

Lisa: How do I get rid of it? I still have some left after boiling it in alcohol.

Freddy: Don’t dispose anywhere near your house. If there’s any stream/ lake, just discard it there.

Lisa: Okay!

“Now let’s wait for the spider to fall in its own web,” Briana grinned.

That night, as Lisa stepped out to discard the potion into the lake, bright lights shone that nearly blinded her. Sneha, who had been diligently and discretely following her from her home, twisted her arms from behind and retrieved the evidence.

“You’re under arrest for the murder of Tia,” Briana said as Lisa was handcuffed.

“There’s no point in denying, Lisa,” Briana said. “We have evidence of the chat between you and Freddy.”

Lisa broke down. She knew it was dead-end.

“No crime is perfect. Confess.”

“Tia was a mean person. I was an aspiring actress, who did TV ads, but my dream was to become a heroine. I had requested Tia to recommend my name. Though she agreed on my face, she was different behind my back,” Lisa wiped her tears. “Forget recommending, she never mentioned my name anywhere. But she gave me false hopes. That she had recommended my name to so and so director and they’d be calling me for audition. However, nothing of that sort happened. Finally, a casting director called me for audition. I was on cloud nine and was extremely grateful to Tia. A month passed. I didn’t receive any call. An assistant director took pity on me and confessed the truth. Tia had sabotaged my career, not only once but several times.” Lisa paused to sip water.

“The roles that I would have bagged passed on to her as she badmouthed about my ‘questionable character’ and ‘unprofessionalism’. I confronted her, but she acted nonchalant. Forget remorse, she flicked me away like a fly. I wished to strangle her then and there. But then I thought to end it in a way that wouldn’t leave any evidence. I waited patiently for the right time. That’s when I came across Freddy, who happened to be a distant cousin working in the outskirts of the city. He ran a small Ayurveda shop. I read about him and researched about some plants that he had grown in his yard. I told him that I needed the roots of Monkshood to prepare a pesticide.”

“But how did you use it to kill Tia?” Sneha asked.

“I ground it and boiled with alcohol to extract the toxin fully. Then I dipped Tia’s lipstick into it while I was tying her hair. Each time she touched-up her lips, the poison kept entering her body.”

“Lisa, the lipstick killer!” Param whistled.

“Hats off to Briana ma’am,” Sneha said. “While we all were looking at the obvious path, ma’am’s focus was in the least taken route. I agree with you, Param. She’s a genius.”

“Get ready for more such twisted cases, rookie. It’s going to be a hell of a roller-coaster ride,” Param winked.