"Two questions Emily," Valda said. "One where is this possible artifact and why do you think it is an artifact?"
"It's in the safe." Emily said setting her teacup down. "Do you know how he died?"
"A freak accident I believe?" Valda said. "He fell onto his knife."
"That was the official story. The truth is a bit different." Emily said. "No one in the family wanted to admit that he had committed suicide. And it was a suicide."
"Why would he commit suicide? He had lived through the outbreak and he had been treated for the virus." Valda said. "There was no chance of him turning."
"The older he got the less he believed it. I remember when I was a little girl he would tell us stories about how they had to put down loved ones who turned." Emily said. "In the end I think he really believed he would turn. He did it during one of his lucid moments. He put the hilt of the knife on the table and then drove it up through his jaw into his brain."
"He was instrumental in getting the laws regulating the handling of the deceased passed wasn't he?" Valda said quietly. "I had forgotten that."
"Yes. The first order of business when someone dies is to remove the brain." Emily said. "He told us that there was no way of knowing how quickly someone could turn. It could be as little as three minutes."
"So darling you've told me a story that could possibly lead to the creation of an artifact, but you haven't told me why you think it is one." Valda said.
"Because there have been two similar suicides in the family since his death. The last was two years ago, a cousin of mine who had been diagnosed with Leukemia. The knife came to me after her death." Emily said.
"So why after two years are you concerned about it?" Valda asked.
"My doctor diagnosed me stomach cancer last week. Last night I took the knife out of the safe. If Meredith hadn't come home..." Emily said breaking down in tears.
"I understand darling." Valda said standing up and holding out his hand to her. "Lets go see your knife."
Benedict Valda looked down at the box in his hands. He wasn't sure if it was an artifact or not but Emily had been insistent that he take it. And he had. Walking into the operations center he greeted Claudia and Art.
"Well darlings what is that little item that has you so enraptured?" Valda asked seeing the two of them huddled over a small box.
"Edgar Allen Poe's pen." Claudia answered. "It was one of the items that we thought was lost after Warehouse 14 went up in flames. It was down in the receiving bay."
"Well here's another item for you, a possible artifact but it hasn't been tested." Valda said opening the box an donning non reactive gloves before picking the knife up by the tip of the blade.
Art reached over and picked up a neutralizing bag holding it open for Valda to drop the knife into it. It was a very mild reaction but it did react.
"So where did you find this and what is it?" Claudia asked.
"That my little luvs is Daryl Dixon's hunting knife. It may be a family specific artifact." Valda said. "According to Emily Reynolds it causes family members with potentially terminal illnesses to commit suicide. Daryl Dixon killed himself to avoid turning after his death he did it in a manner that guaranteed he wouldn't turn and two more suicides have been attributed to the knife."
"So," Art said taking the bag and turning to the computer. "Outbreak section or family section?"
"Probably best to put it in the Outbreak section." Valda said. "No one wants those artifacts loose in the world."
"I'll take it down now." Art said.
Claudia and Valda watched as Art left with the dish. "I don't get it Valda. Why kill himself when the Dixon-Grimes Act was in full effect? His brain would have been removed immediately upon the declaration of Death."
"There were isolated cases where bodies were not discovered for some time." Valda said. "Sometimes they did turn. People say Daryl Dixon wasn't afraid of anything, I say he was afraid of one thing, turning."
"So he made sure it wouldn't happen to him." Claudia said.
"Well my dear, It's been lovely to see you again but I have a meeting of the regents tomorrow." Valda said. "So I'm off, until next time."