After returning to Rivertown and visiting Caleb at the hospital, Ralph invited two senior officials from the police department and the lead officer on Caleb’s poisoning case to his home that evening.

Inside the Jacobson residence’s tea room, the three men stood when they saw Ralph enter. They respectfully greeted him, “Mr. Jacobson Senior.”

Despite his powerful status, Ralph never threw his weight around. He nodded slightly and gestured for them to sit. “Have a seat.”

The tea room was spacious, with a long rectangular table made of polished oak in the center, elegantly set with a traditional blue-and-white porcelain tea set.

Ralph sat at the head of the table, facing the three guests. Stephen was seated to his right.

The three guests didn’t sit immediately. Instead, they turned to Stephen and greeted him. “Mr. Stephen.”

Stephen responded with polite nods.

The three men sat down across from Ralph, briefly introducing themselves before jumping into an update on the case.

After arriving back in Rivertown, Ralph had already familiarized himself with the situation regarding Caleb’s poisoning.

The police had uncovered a few promising leads.

The lead investigator, Johnny Jewell, was a stern-looking man in his 40s.

He spoke gravely. “According to Sophia, Jacqueline is currently the prime suspect. From her, we learned that when Jacqueline was still living in the Jacobson residence as an adopted daughter, she would frequently make herbal soup for Mr. Caleb.

“She also told us that Mr. Caleb had a fixed habit of drinking a cup of black coffee every morning. So, we focused our investigation on both of these routines, and we did find some leads.”

Johnny handed two reports to Ralph.

“These are the lab results for Mr. Caleb’s regular coffee mug and the ceramic pot used for cooking the tonic soup.”

Ralph furrowed his brows and began flipping through the reports.

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Johnny, concerned that the medical terms might be difficult to follow, explained in simpler language, “The toxins found in the ceramic pot match the ones in Mr. Caleb’s system. This strongly suggests that the soup was laced with poison.”

He continued, “Because the ceramic material of the pot retains toxins even after cleaning, it’s possible for the substance to seep in and remain even after thorough washing.

“On the other hand, the coffee Mr. Caleb drank was served cold, and it was poured into a glass cup, which doesn’t retain toxins the same way. After Cleaning, there was no significant residue found in the glassware, so the tests came back

clean.”

“In addition, according to the household staff, Jacqueline personally made Mr. Caleb’s coffee every morning.”

Ralph’s frown deepened as he listened. “What does Jacqueline have to say?”

Johnny replied, “The suspect is currently serving her sentence in prison. We’ve questioned her, but she hasn’t said a word.”

After a pause, he added, “Sophia also mentioned that the other suspect, James, may have played a direct role in the poisoning. We’ve also questioned him, but he said nothing either.”

“What about the surveillance footage in the house?” Ralph asked.

“We’ve gone through it all,” Johnny said. “Nothing unusual. The kitchen cameras did catch Jacqueline cooking some soup, but her back was turned to the camera, so we can’t confirm if she tampered with it.

“There’s nothing suspicious near the coffee machine either. If she did put poison

in the coffee, it must’ve been after it was prepared-probably done in a blind spot of the surveillance system.”

“There’s one more thing…” Johnny hesitated, glancing at Ralph.

Ralph raised an eyebrow. “What’s it?”

Johnny hesitated for a moment longer before saying, “When we asked Sophia about possible motives behind the murder plot involving James and Jacqueline, she said that only you could answer that. She didn’t feel it was her place to share.”

Ralph’s eyes darkened.

After a moment of silence, he slowly began to speak, choosing his words carefully

as he revealed the key parts of the long, tangled history between Caleb and the Fullertons-particularly the grudges held by James and Amara.

As police officers, the men were no strangers to the dark and twisted affairs of the wealthy elite.

Still, hearing the family drama come straight from Ralph’s mouth left them momentarily stunned, but it lasted only for a moment. They quickly focused again, taking notes and listening closely.