Felicia had no idea the scar-removal ointment she'd given away was tampered with. This seemingly innocent act would soon have unforeseen consequences.
Stepping from the gates, her phone buzzed: one million dollars had been transferred to her account. Felicia breathed a sigh of relief; Stephan had kept his word.
Feeling elated, she received a call from Clive, asking if she was finished with her business; he awaited her at the pharmacy. Felicia nodded, hailing a cab to the Walsh residence.
Kayla sat gracefully in the living room, brewing tea. Talia greeted Felicia warmly. "Felicia, would you like some tea?" Talia added, unusually brightly, "Licia, come sit. We're family, let's get closer." Felicia offered a mocking smile. "No, thank you. I'm afraid it might be poisoned."
Kayla's hand paused; tea spilled onto the table. Talia, startled, quickly laughed it off. "What are you saying? We wouldn't harm you. It's fine if you don't want any." Talia downed her cup. Kayla, looking slightly hurt, sipped hers.
Felicia, refusing to play games, went directly to the pharmacy. Clive was organizing his bottles.
"Grandpa," Felicia asked, "did anything go missing?" She'd asked Clive to organize the medicines, reminding him to check and mark them to prevent theft. He'd considered it unnecessary, but at her request, he'd done a count. Something was missing.
"What's gone?" Felicia asked.
Clive hesitated, embarrassed. "It's a… rather potent drug. For severe… sexual deficiencies. It's gone…"
Felicia understood his vagueness. Such remedies were profitable and in demand. She pressed, "Grandpa, are you sure that's all? What about any poisons?"
"They're all here," Clive stated confidently.
Felicia frowned. The shards of glass from Roberta's break-in were evidence something was amiss. Kayla and Talia had been overly eager to cover for Roberta, stalling Clive. Roberta wouldn't have only taken a readily available drug. Something else was missing.
Examining the bottles, a thought struck her. "Grandpa, your 'lethal upon contact with blood' poison? Where is it?"
"Right here." Clive picked up a white porcelain bottle, then froze. "Wait, this bottle… isn't right! Where's my poison?"
The poison was gone, replaced by a near-identical fake. Only close inspection revealed the subtle differences. The real bottle had been switched. The genuine poison was stolen; a fake was left in its place. Clive might never have noticed if he hadn't picked it up.
A chill ran down Felicia's spine. Roberta's voice came from behind the pharmacy door. "Grandpa, Aunt Felicia, why don't you come out for some snacks? The kitchen made lots of desserts."