Third Trial

[stagemanagers]

[Once again, the sound of opening doors echoes through the opera house as the investigation draws to a close.

Time for your third trial.

The courtroom looks the same as ever, save that Darla and Eliza's podiums are now arranged in the same funerary fashion as the other deceased cast members. The lights from the bulbs standing in their places seem to cast the rest of the house even more in shadow, even as the crystal chandeliers still glitter dimly above. The Balladeer is hidden backstage once more, somewhere behind the red curtain drawn shut across the stage. Once everyone's taken their places, he speaks up.]

Alright. Let's do this.

Comments

[allicareabout]

Darla was also a little kid, so it wouldn't have taken that much - Eliza didn't have any of the same signs Darla did, so we don't know that she took any of it.

[...]

...Do you know what year Darla was taken from, Astarte? I remember you going around asking everybody.

[solomonjihad]

Mm, 1939.

[allicareabout]

[All right, that's...fifteen years, give or take - ]

The reason I'm asking is because as far as I'm concerned, arsenic is a tonic - it's used for everything from an antibiotic substitute to something that's supposed to improve your complexion. We know it's poisonous if you take enough of it, sure, but it hasn't been a publicized murder weapon for some time now, and I wouldn't expect a kid to know to take it in small doses.

I don't think she just willingly took a shot of it or anything, but "arsenic" is not always going to be synonymous with "bad" as far as some of the people here are concerned. Warning bells would not necessarily go off.

[solomonjihad]

Well, that's true, though its...not used often in my time. Definitely not as a tonic.

[Oh shit Brinvilliers she is gonna make you proud]

Arsenic occurs naturally in the body, but in tiny amounts, and it builds up over time with overexposure to it. There are several ways to tell if someone was exposed for years - the easiest is to just look at the nails for the lines or smell for the garlic. It helps narrow down if someone was deliberately poisoned - most people aren't going to ingest arsenic on purpose.

A little girl wouldn't know that or how to counteract it in an emergency. Even just drinking a soda or eating a banana, could have prolonged her life a little bit. Though she still would have died from the heavy dose.

But - even so - with what you said, it also means that the killer may not be aware that arsenic is easily detectable when used as a murder weapon, even just from smell.

[sunshineprincess]

Tonic? Isn't arsenic supposed to be used to dye clothes green?

[That doesn't make it any safer.]

[dechagny]

I have heard of women taking mixtures made with arsenic to improve their complexions, but...it would be small amounts mixed with vinegar and chalk, never into sweets. And to give it to a child...well, that's out of the question.

[onthebusagain]

Really? Do you think it works? [Is she considering it? Maybe. Someone's broken out under all this stage makeup. ]

[dechagny]

I think after today I have a better understanding why it might work.

[Said pretty sarcastically. Because you know. Why the fuck would you want to put that in your body after today.]

[onthebusagain]

[YEAH on second thought probably not the time. ]