In a restaurant in New York. Because she had forced Mitch Jackson to take her out to dinner Janet Wilson thought that she all rights to complain about everything and nothing. She did that then too.
“The food is far too much for me. I gain kilos that way”, Janet said at a certain moment.
“I thought that you were on a diet?”, Mitch asked amazed.
“I am. But you take me along to such an expensive restaurant”, she said.
“Then you only should have taken rabbit food”, her table partner reacted sarcastic.
Janet was so insulted that she got up.
“I go powder my little nose and you keep your claws off my little bonbon!”, she snapped.
Mitch said nothing but looked smiling at his date. Janet walked away quickly. The young man looked with a keen look at the bonbon which almost begged him to eat it. Mitch though, ‘Shall I do it or not? Well, she is dieting anyway. Besides that bonbon makes sure that she gains 13 kilos weight again. And yet at the wrong places too. I have invited her so to my opinion I am entitled to it. She wasn’t so nice either. The food was too cold or too hot. And then it was too much or too less. So she is always complaining. I will never take her out to dinner again. That bitch!’ A moment later Mitch had the little chocolate in his hands. Of course he didn’t do that silently but with a lot of noise. Suddenly Janet came back. She became white-hot when the little bonbon was gone and the wrapping paper was still there.
“Where is my little bonbon?”, she asked fierce.
“I just swallowed it. It tasted like white chocolate”, Mitch replied sober.
“You knew that it was mine! What are you doing?”, she asked.
“Then you should have eaten it yourself. You may have the wrapping paper as a souvenir”, he replied.
Janet looked at the wrapping paper and asked, “What must I do with such a paper?”
“Hang above your bed for example”, was the suggestion.
“You don’t think that I do that, do you?”, she asked.
“I don’t think so. I know for sure”, Mitch said chuckling.
Janet became more angrier than she already was and reacted with, “It was MY little bonbon. Blighter.”
“You were on a diet, weren’t you? Then that bonbon is not good for you too. A pig is slimmer than you are”, Mitch replied dry.
“You must say that. A skeleton is fatter than you are”, she snapped.
“What can you nag. All that commotion about a simple bonbon. I already have paid so we can go. With a bit of luck we come by a chocolate store and then you get a large box of bonbons from me”, Mitch replied sarcastic.
“I don’t want to have nothing with you anymore”, Janet said snappy.
She left angry the restaurant, followed by Mitch. But by the door Mitch fell down where after he got taken along by Grim Reaper.
Detectives Mike Logan and Lennie Briscoe came into the restaurant.
“The victim is called Mitch Jackson, an artist from Manhattan. He was with a woman but she was more complaining than eating”, waiter Peter McAllen said.
“Was the food so bad then?”, Mike asked a bit untactful.
Peter became a very bit angry and replied insulted, “This is a 5 star restaurant! All our food has excellent quality.”
“Excuse my partner. What was the name of his table partner?”, asked Lennie.
“The reservation was on the name of Mr Jackson. The lady was unknown. When Mr Jackson had paid and madam had gone to the ladies and suddenly came back they got a row about a bonbon. It laid with the bill which Mr Jackson paid. She walked away angry and he fell down by the door”, said Peter.
The detectives looked at each other amazed.
“What did they have eaten?”, asked Mike.
“She had baked potatoes and a salad. His meal was chicken, mashed potatoes and a spinach dish. The dessert was for him only and that was a caramel sundae”, said the waiter.
“No appetizer?”, Lennie asked amazed.
“Only Mr Jackson had an appetizer. He took a salmon cocktail”, was the answer.
He clearly became nervous of the questions asked by Lennie and Mike.
“How was the relationship between Mr Jackson and his date?”, asked Lennie.
“They were rowing all the time”, said Peter.
“Just 1 thing. Is it normal to give a bonbon with the bill?”, asked Mike.
“No, this is really just an exception”, said Peter.
“If you happen to remember something, here is my card”, said Lennie.
“Wait a minute. I do know the name of the lady again. It was Janet Wilson”, Peter said hasty.
Lennie gave his card to the waiter and took his partner outside. Meanwhile the body of Mitch got dragged away in a body bag.
Outside Mike said, “I never go eating there. You take a girl there, she leaves earlier and you get killed by a bonbon.”
“I see the headlines in the papers already: guest killed by bonbon in 5 star restaurant. Good advertising”, reacted his partner.
At the precinct Lennie and Mike discussed the new murder case with their chief lieutenant inspector Anita Van Buren.
“The victim is an artist Mitch Jackson and he went to dinner with a lady called Janet Wilson. With the bill he gets a bonbon. That never happens in that restaurant. Besides she left earlier and he dies at the door”, said Lennie.
“What’s the name of that restaurant?”, asked Anita.
“Good food and is situated on Broadway Street”, replied Mike.
“Now they can change the name into Dead By Good Food”, Lennie reacted dry.
Anita looked at him for a moment and said then, “First go look around in the apartment of that Mitch Jackson. Maybe you find an address of that table partner.”
The detectives went away again.
Lennie and Mike went to the studio of Mitch. The artist had made his studio into his apartment. The detectives came in easily and looked around.
Mike saw a light burning on the answering machine and said, “There is a call. Let’s listen.”
They heard a woman’s voice saying, “Mitch, I must see you urgent. Love, your sweet Janet.”
“That must be Janet Wilson. So to hear she isn’t very charming”, replied Lennie.
“If she knows Mitch he might have her address”, Mike remarked.
They searched through every draw and suddenly Mike had found the directory.
“Got it”, he said smiling and he held the book up.
He looked at the W and there stood the address of Janet.
“Lennie, we are going to pay Miss Wilson a visit”, said Mike.
A moment later the detectives knocked on the door of the apartment of Janet Wilson.
“Open the door. Police”, Lennie called.
Janet answered the door.
“What can I do for you?”, she asked amazed.
Lennie asked, “I am detective Briscoe and that is my partner Logan. May w come in for a second?”
Janet nodded and let them in. She went to sit on the settee.
“What does your visit brings you here?”, she asked.
“You know Mitch Jackson?”, asked Mike.
“Yes. He is my steady boyfriend. Why?”, Janet asked amazed.
“Then we have bad news for you. You have been out to dinner with him in Good Food, haven’t you?”, asked Lennie.
“That’s right”, said Janet.
“Mr Jackson died while leaving the restaurant. We’re sorry”, said Lennie.
Janet got tears into her eyes. The detectives looked at each other amazed.
“Mitch and I wanted to get married in December. Now I must have and raise our child alone”, she said slowly.
“Child?”, Mike asked amazed.
“I am 5 months pregnant. I wanted to tell it him after our dinner”, replied Janet.
She looked with tenderness at her belly which hardly was showing. Mike read the menu but the bonbon wasn’t mentioned.
“Mitch died due to that bonbon? That was meant for the table partner so for me. Who would do such a thing?”, Janet asked shocked.
Mike and Lennie pretended as they hadn’t heard that.
“Who knows that you are pregnant?”, asked Lennie.
“Only my house doctor Dr. James Clark and my best friend Lynne Miller”, she said.
“Where can we find them?”, asked Mike.
Janet wrote down the addresses.
“If there is anything else you can call us”, said Lennie.
He left his card behind and went along with Mike.
“That gal is behaving very strange. She is already 5 months pregnant and the father doesn’t know it yet. Besides only 2 people know about the pregnancy”, said Mike.
“How did she know that Mitch was killed by that bonbon?”, asked Lennie.
“Because she must have messed with that bonbon”, replied Mike.
“In her apartment there are boxes chocolate of the brand Wilson Candy. They come from the chocolate factory and the owner is Harold Wilson. He has only 1 daughter and that is our Janet. Plus that there laid a needle next to it. First we go to that Lynne Miller”, said Lennie.
Soon the detectives were at Lynne at home.
“Mitch Jackson is dead and Janet says that the bonbon was actually meant for her? That is ridiculous”, Lynne said indignant.
“Mr Jackson happens to be dead for sure. But Janet said that she and Mitch would get married in December”, said Lennie.
“I know about their wedding plans and also that she is pregnant. Janet wants to get married for a long time but Mitch didn’t want to know about it. But one evening he agreed to a marriage. That was 2 months ago”, said Lynne.
“She proposed to him 2 months ago and now she is already 5 months pregnant. Smart lady”, Lennie remarked.
“Janet 5 months pregnant? Then she has lied to you. The baby is due in 2 months”, reacted Lynne.
The detectives looked at each other amazed.
Lynne said, “It is hardly visible with Janet.”
“What do you do for a living?”, asked Mike.
“I am head waitress at Good Food. Janet works there too but then behind the bar”, said Lynne.
“Thanks”, said Lennie.
A moment later they were with doctor James Clark.
“Gentlemen, what can I do for you?”, asked the doctor.
“Last night Mitch Jackson has died. We came across your name in his directory”, said Lennie.
“That is a pity. Again less income”, said James.
“Miss Janet Wilson is also a patient of yours, isn’t she?”, asked Mike.
“Yes sure but what miss Wilson and I discuss is private”, replied James.
“Even if Mr Jackson was the father of her unborn child?”, asked Lennie.
“That changes the case. Miss Wilson is indeed pregnant but it is not sure if Mr Jackson is the father”, the doctor replied.
He smiled nervous but also satisfied.
“So there are ore candidates for the function of father?”, Lennie wanted to know.
“Only Miss Wilson knows that. I have prescribed her rest until the baby is born. So I demand that you won’t be bothering her anymore with your difficult questions”, said James.
“She is involved in a murder case”, said Mike.
At the precinct Anita got to hear what Lennie and Mike had found out. District attorney assistant Claire Kincaid was there too.
“Jackson has been poisoned by arsenic in that bonbon. On the wrapping paper were 2 finger prints. Those of Miss Wilson and Mr Jackson. It was injected into the bonbon with a needle”, said Anita.
“In the apartment of Miss Wilson stood boxes of chocolate and a needle. And with support of Doc she could construct a bonbon that way”, said Lennie.
“Arrested them both”, said Claire.
The detectives went first to the apartment of Janet.
They knocked at the door and Mike called, “Miss Janet Wilson, answer the door.”
In the apartment James and Janet looked at each other worried.
“I ain’t going to have our baby in prison”, she said.
“That won’t happen too. You are now going to lie in bed and I answer the door”, said James.
So said, so done.
James answered the door and said, “If you come for miss Wilson, I forbid you to take her with you. By your interfering pregnancy has become dangerous.”
“Hello dr. Clark. Are you now also doing private house calls? You may come along as well. I arrest you for the murder of Mitch Jackson. You have the right to remained silent. You have the right to an attorney If you can’t afford one, one will be provided to you. Everything you say can used against you in court”, said Lennie.
Mike went to the bed room and said, “Miss Janet Wilson, hereby you are under arrest for the murder of Mitch Jackson. You have the right to remained silent. You have the right to an attorney If you can’t afford one, one will be provided to you. Everything you say can used against you in court.”
“You can’t arrest me for I am in a happily family way”, Janet snapped.
“Nice for you”, said Mike.
He handcuffed Janet and together with James she got dragged away. The needle and chocolate got taken along as evidence.
District attorney Jack McCoy was reading the newspaper when lawyer Grace Taylor came into his office.
“McCoy, how dare you to arrest an extremely pregnant woman on suspicion of murder. It is clearly that the doctor has done it”, said Grace.
“The finger prints of miss Wilson are on the needle and wrapping paper which was around the bonbon. Without that the police said that Mr Jackson was poisoned by a bonbon Miss Wilson said that the bonbon was meant for her”, replied Jack.
“So she must give birth in prison?”, asked Grace.
“Then she shouldn’t have killed Mr Jackson”, the district attorney reacted.
Grace realized that she drew a blank and went away.
In the conference room of Jack McCoy.
Janet Wilson was there with her lawyer Grace Taylor and James Clark with his wife Sue and their lawyer Frank Parker.
“Jack, I offer you a walk for Mr Clark because he was set up by Miss Wilson”, said Frank.
Jack looked up and reacted with, “This is the first time that I get something offered instead of the other way round.”
“James is just as guilty as I am because he delivered the poison to me”, Janet said fierce.
“You needed to have it to kill Mitch so that he would never found that I am the father of your child”, James replied before he noticed that he made a slip of the tongue.
“So you rather sleep with such a young thing than with your own wife? You two deserve each other”, Sue snapped.
Jack clearly enjoyed the discussion and Claire too found it amusing.
“Jack, both 25 years to life?”, Frank asked to avoid more quarrels.
“Yes, and the child gets placed into a foster home after the birth”, said the district attorney.
“Never! My baby does not go to a foster home. I rather kill it”, Janet reacted angry.
She got up and rushed out of the conference room. Grace went after but it was already too late. Janet had made another lethal bonbon and taken that herself. She too got taken away by the Grim Reaper. Jack came near and saw at the face of Grace what had happened. The wrapping paper of the bonbon laid there as a silent witness.
Just before James got dragged away Sue said to him, “Seeing that you are moving anyway I am going to pluck you totally.”
She went away satisfied.
While they were walking to the elevator Claire said, “Jack, I hope that you never buy me a box of bonbons.”
“I certainly won’t do that because they can be very lethal”, the district attorney replied.