Unsolved Mystery [FICTOID]

As murders went, it seemed very traditional:  Somebody put green kufikiria snake venom into the victim’s sugar and jam.  The poison went straight to his kidneys, shutting them down.

By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late:  He died 24 hours later.

The question remained, however, who killed him and why?

He wasn’t rich, just a working class carpenter, not a congressman or a billionaire or a rock star.  Until the detectives could figure that out, they realized they could never solve the case.

Family?  No family:  No siblings, no cousins, parents long dead.

Friends? A few drinking buddies at the local bar, a waitress at a coffee shop.  

All of them liked him for the little they knew him.  All were in agreement he was a nice guy, not an enemy in the world.

Detective Brown pushed his fedora back.  He hated mysteries.  He liked good, simple, solid cases with an obvious suspect and lots of clues.

Lots and lots and lots of clues.

His partner, Detective “Steamy” Forsythe, brought in the final toxicology report.  “Confirms what we already knew:  Snake venom.”

“Who did he know who had access to a green kufikiria?” Brown asked.

“Nobody,” said Steamy.  “Green kufikirias are banned from import.”

“So we’ve got a snake smuggler,” said Brown.  “They’re the worst kind of criminal.”

“Maybe he killed himself,” said Steamy.  “You know:  No friends, no family, Lonely.”

“He was afraid of snakes,” said Brown.  “His landlord says so.”

“So basically we’re at a dead end?” said Steamy (the irony escaped her).

”Yeah,” said Brown.  After all, what else could he say?

© Buzz Dixon