The Taste of Murder (Detective story)

Detective O’Reilly placed the bottle of milkshake down in front of Josh Kirby, a plastic straw sticking out of the end.

“If you don’t mind, Mr Kirby”, he said, courteously, “I’d like you taste that milk shake and tell me what flavour it is”

Kirby looked outraged.

 “Really, detective”, said Kirby, “Must I have to do these ridiculous experiments?”.

“I just want you to help me out with a hunch that’s all”, said the detective, “You see, you and your Fiance drank from the same bottle of milkshake, sharing the same straw and yet your Fiance was poisoned and you weren’t”.

“Because there was no poison in the milkshake”, replied Kirby, exasperatedly,“Because I did not poison my girlfriend”.

“Then my experiment is a harmless one”, said the detective, “In which case you won’t mind humouring me”.

“Very well”, said Kirby, picking up the bottle and quickly sipping, before slamming it back down on the desk and angrily saying, “Strawberry, it tastes like strawberry milkshake”.

The detective picked up the bottle of milk shake and started to manipulate the straw before handing the bottle back to Kirby.

“If you wouldn’t mind sir”, he said, “Please tasting it again and telling me now what flavour it is”.

This time Kirby didn’t object but simply scowled as he snatched up the bottle and sipped from the straw.

But then suddenly his scowl became a look of amazement.

“Chocolate”, he said, stunned, “It tastes like chocolate, but how?”.

The detective smiled.

“I think you know, sir”, said the detective, “The bottle has two layers, separated by a partition of plastic film. The first time you tasted the milkshake from the top half of the bottle, Strawberry Milkshake but the second time I pushed the straw deeper, bursting through the partition and so the second time you sucked through the straw, you sucked milkshake from the bottom half of the bottle, Chocolate Milkshake”.

Kirby laughed, continuing to look stunned.

“Well that’s an amazing trick but what has it to do with me?”, he asked.

The detective now took a sip of milkshake himself.

“I think you killed your fiancé by a similar method to this, Mr Kirby”, he explained, “The bottle that you and your fiancé were drinking out of had two layers, a top layer that was harmless milkshake and a bottom layer that you burst down into with the straw, which contained poisoned milkshake and which your fiancé drank out of just before you suggested that you throw the bottle and straw away only you didn’t throw the bottle and straw away, you threw away an ordinary bottle and straw and kept the poisoned bottle and the straw to dispose of later”.

“Well, have you any proof of this, detective”, asked Kirby leaning back in his chair and smiling confidently, “Have you found this magic bottle that you speak of?”.

“No but what we do have is the ordinary bottle and straw that you threw away”, asked the detective.

Kirby looked confused.

 “Well what do they tell you?”, he asked, “Is there any poison on them”.

“There’s nothing on them”, asked the detective, “Not one shred of evidence”.

Kirby’s confusion grew deeper, becoming visible on his face.

“Not one shred of evidence”, repeated the detective smiling, “Not your DNA nor your Fiance’s DNA as their should have been if the bottle you threw away was the same bottle that you and your fiance  drank out of and why would you throw away a different bottle and straw unless you had something to hide”.

Kirby took another sip out of the straw but now all he tasted was the bitterness of defeat.