The Forbidden Love of Aesop Sharp

Chapter 13 - Preparations

Hours had slipped by, but our work had not ceased. We meticulously read, compared, and documented the cases, noting both the shared symptoms and the differences among the patients. Our investigation led us to conclude that the two deceased patients had likely been the first to be exposed to the poison, subsequently infecting other department members.

Regrettably, no autopsies had been performed on the bodies, and we couldn't even ascertain whether they had been exposed to the same poison, as their symptoms were different. However, the timing of their poisonings and the interval between their admission to the isolation ward and their deaths pointed toward a single poison.

Our current challenge was to determine the method of poisoning for these individuals. The initial victim appeared to be Mary Jonas, and we already knew that she had transmitted the poison to her child through her breast milk. Yet, the connection between her and the maintenance worker, Leon Kunis, who had succumbed three days later, remained elusive.

Even though he was not part of the medical team, it was evident that he wouldn't have ingested anything the victim had consumed. An alternative possibility was that the poison was present in a medication or hospital-served food, which could explain the subsequent poisonings of five other hospital staff members.

Sadly, as Sharp had determined earlier in the evening, we would likely have to await additional cases to determine the mode of poison exposure. In the interim, every item we consumed was scrutinized by the Ministry of Magic and doubly checked by Sharp, whose expertise in detecting poisons surpassed that of anyone else.

Unfortunately, his abilities didn't enable us to precisely identify the source of the poison within the afflicted patients, as it would have necessitated scanning the entire hospital. However, the immediate priority wasn't so much halting the poison's spread as it was identifying the specific poison itself to find an antidote that would save as many lives as possible.

After spending the entire day and a significant part of the night working on the cases, I had eventually succumbed to fatigue and collapsed onto the table, my head between my arms. I didn't know exactly how long I had slept when I was awakened by the sound of Sharp's voice speaking with Arlette.

I didn't raise my head and tried to understand what they were saying, pretending to be asleep. For a long while, I thought I was too tired to comprehend anything until I realized that they were conversing in French.

"Katie semble être une jeune femme adorable, Aesop," her tone was composed and gentle, almost a whisper. "Je ne comprends pas pourquoi tu t'entêtes à la repousser."

"Ce serait de la folie de la laisser entrer dans ma vie, Arlette. Elle vaut bien mieux que cela." Hearing him speak in French affected me more deeply than I had anticipated. His voice carried a richer tone, and his English accent lent it a profound, enchanting quality. I could have listened to him speak for hours.

"Balivernes," her voice grew firmer, and she appeared exasperated by Sharp's response, which remained incomprehensible to me. "Tu te caches derrière des excuses stupides qui t'empêchent de trouver le bonheur. Ouvre ton cœur et accepte que cette jeune femme éprouve des sentiments purs et sincères envers toi. Cesse de perdre du temps à te complaire dans la souffrance."

Following Arlette's words, a prolonged silence settled in. My curiosity about the unfolding situation was insatiable, prompting me to subtly lift my head, partially opening my eyes. Sharp was situated nearest to me, delicately plucking petals from a rose that would inevitably find its way into the bubbling cauldron before him.

Beside him, Arlette was deeply engrossed in reading a thick book with aged, yellowed pages, filled with a medley of inscriptions and various drawings.

Sharp glanced up and met my gaze. He tensed immediately, and I gave him a gentle smile, tilting my head to the side as I admired his work. He locked his gaze with mine, as if he was trying to discern what I had understood, but I was entirely ignorant of the French language, except for a few basic polite phrases.