Poisoned Fortune

Weird Little Notebook

The meeting broke into chaos just as quickly as it started. Everyone was mostly against Chris though they sided with no one. They had their interests to look out for. Eric felt the same way. He had a share in the inheritance and he didn’t want to let that go so easily.

But, among five of them, only Chris was close to meeting the first criteria of marrying soon. Eric, too, had to find a wife. It didn’t have to be something special. It could be a contract marriage, he didn’t mind. As long as it guaranteed him a share in his inheritance. Over the past few years, romantic relationships hadn't favoured him that much.

The last girl he went out with had stopped talking to him until she heard of the name Casper used for him and she’d come back. When Eric didn’t want to spoil her with expensive things, it quickly turned sour.

“I’ve always wondered what kind of person a Casper would be,” Lily had said one night while they cuddled to watch a Netflix show. “They’re generous and literally bath in money. So, Eric, either you’re not a real Casper or you’re very stingy.”

That had been the start of the breakdown of the relationship. One day, she texted him and asked for a “break to clear her head.” That text was the last they exchanged.

Eric heaved a sigh. None of that is my primary concern, just the killer out for me. He thought. Inside his pocket, the weight of Diane’s notebook pressed against his skin. ‘I took that along?’ he wondered and pulled it out.

“I can’t believe you all are so selfish!” Chris erupted when the argument got intense. “I’ve worked my ass off for Casper Corp. where were you all gold-digging freaks? You just waltz out from nowhere and think you can have a share? I offer you the easiest way out!”

“Exactly why I can’t take that way out,” Barry said, scoffing. “You look on us with condescension and you expect me to trust you? never!”

“Not to mention that he’s known to be a power freak,” Sally added.

Chris glared at her. “Stay out of this. The fact that I invited you is nothing out of respect for you as the woman who warmed my father’s bed before his death. Aside from that, you’re no more than an outsider.”

Sally hissed and stood up. “I never really wanted to be here anyway.”

“Was she warming dad’s bed or yours, Chris?” Barry asked. Barry was the charmer of the family, easy-going, stylish and blunt in a very deliberate way.

The two turned to him with heated gazes. Chris couldn’t take it anymore. “That’s it. Out of here, now!”

When Barry retorted snarkily, Chris grabbed him by the gruff of the neck. It would’ve escalated but Eric jumped in and held them off. “Stop it, guys! We have something more important on our hands. A killer is likely after all of us.”

Chris ground his teeth. “And tell me, Eric, don’t you already feel it’s one of us? You see why all of you are a bunch of idiots? Dad’s last wish was for us to be united but you will rather bring up things that will push us farther apart. You want to know what I think? Well, what if one of your buddies at the underground illegal boxings you go to is after you?”

He turned to Grey, who’d kept quiet for the most part of the fight and said, “and you, what if one of your tech buddies in whatever thing you do is after you, huh?”

And that ended the meeting. It was 9:35a.m. when Eric stepped outside and met with the detectives. He sighed. “You heard everything?”

Harry nodded. “Everything.”

“Well?”

Tricia shrugged. “Everyone has equal motives for wanting to do this but if there’s no one in particular who will benefit from your death or that of Grey, then I don’t think we have a lead.”

“Although that Sally of a woman…” Harry said.

“What about her?” Eric asked. They got in the car and he pulled out of the parking lot.

“She has nothing to lose. Will she have any gains if there’s no heir within the stated time frame? What if she knows something that’s going on in Casper Corp that’ll work to her advantage?”

That made sense to Eric. A woman who has come close to wealth but can’t grab it could do anything to get it for herself. It wasn’t a strong motive but it was something they could go for totally. “Should I try to get some details from the company?”

Harry nodded. “if you can, yes. For now, we’ll have to keep an eye out on the others. If it’s true all of you are in danger, then there’ll be another attack soon.”

Hearing that made Eric swallow hard. There’ll be another attack soon. It could be on him another time and he was certain a sniper who missed twice was a fool and this motherfucker who was after him was no fool.

….

By 2p.m., Eric was sorting files together so he could go get lunch when his assistant, Danny, came in. He stuck his head through the partially opened door. “You have an uninvited visitor.”

Eric arced an eyebrow. “Who is it? I have a lunch meeting with a client.”

“It’s uh…”

The lady pushed her way in. Diane’s eyes were fixed on Eric and she seemed surprised to see him there. “Wow.”

Eric was amused. He leaned back in his chair. “You know my office and you drop by without calling first.”

“to be honest, I didn’t believe you were one of the Caspers. I thought you said that to avoid fixing my car,” she said.

“That’s alright. You can never be too cautious. Please, have a seat.” He turned to Danny and made a dismissive gesture. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

She shrugged. “Well, you have my car so I had to drop by and check. How’s your arm?”

Eric touched it, realizing that the pain was barely noticeable though the memory was very elaborate. “Have you ever been stung by bees?”

She shook her head. “Warts a few times but never bees.”

Eric grimaced. “Well, it feels like having a thousand of those bee stings.”

Diane smiled and that smile was infectious. Eric caught himself smiling too. “You should be in coma by now, Mr Casper. That sounds like a lot of pain.”

He laughed. “Good point. What can I offer you?”

“Oh, no need,” she said. “I won’t stay long. I left some things in my car and I was hoping you could take me to the garage to get them back.”

“Oh, I got them for you,” Eric said and pulled out the envelope. He handed it to her. “A bunch of IDs and cards.”

She sifted through and then glanced at him. “You took everything from the car?”

“Yes, why?”

“Something’s missing. A notebook.”

Eric facepalmed. “Sorry. It was there but I took it out.”

“You went through my notebook?”

“It was blank, calm down.”

“Doesn’t excuse you. it could’ve been my journal for all you know.”

“Again, it was blank…” Eric said and stopped when he couldn’t find the book in his pocket. Then, he realized that he’d taken it out in the mansion and must have dropped it there when he’d tried to separate Chris and Barry. “s**t. I left it somewhere.”

Diane was alarmed but she kept it in and quietly asked, “can you retrieve it? It’s important.”

He nodded. “I’ll get it back. In the meantime, I could take you to see where your car is so you can pick it up when it’s ready.”

Diane took a deep breath and said, “that’ll be nice.”

Eric looked at her. she was pretty with auburn hair and green eyes. What if…

And idea started forming in Eric’s head.

….

Back at her apartment, Sally threw the tissue paper she’d used to clean her mascara-stained face. She’d gotten home and the tears hadn't spared her. She couldn’t believe that after everything she’d done for Ernest, he’d go ahead to write her off his will with just a compensatory $200,000 worth of stock. The company was worth billions so why couldn’t he put her there?

Why not give her one of his resorts or houses scattered in three countries? Why couldn’t he put her in charge of the casino he built but hadn't listed on his will?

With a hiss, she glanced at the notebook she’d grabbed on her way out of the mansion. Eric had dropped that. The notebook was practically useless anywhere. She flipped to a blank page and tore one out, then swept the used tissue on it.

She pulled out a cigar and lit it. As she did, she struggled to pick the paper and that was when something strange happened.

The piece of paper started burning words on its surface. Sally was shocked for a moment and then she read closer. The words were mangled but a few tied together to form…

Ernest Casper…murder…conspiracy…inheritance…attack…the company…

Sally was shocked. What the f**k was Eric doing?