�The napkin. From the plate and the place setting, anyone can see that the victim ate with more appetite than care. And yet, despite the ribs and the gravy, Bert Seibert's napkin was clean.�
Jacob nodded, �Continue.�
�After his death, someone must have traded the used napkin for a clean one. So why? Why trade a dirty napkin for a clean one?�
�I�m sure you�re going to tell me.�
�The reason is obvious. The napkin had been infused with poison, nitrobenzene, which made its way into the victim's system each time he wiped his mouth. From the reports of the attendees, there was only one person who stood by Bert's place setting after the murder. Only one person could have planted the napkin, then changed it for a clean one�. the hostess, Dottie Jones.�
�Why am I so stupid?� she said before sinking her head underwater and relaxing amidst the smells of jasmine and honey. In the next room she heard the phone ring. She considered getting up to get it, but instead started humming her favorite tune until it stopped.
Across town, Jacob Brown, hung up his phone.
