A/N: Wishing all my American readers a Happy Thanksgiving. Next update will be after the holiday. :)

Chapter 5

Lucien had called to the station only to find that the cadets and all other police personnel had returned to the precinct. He told the constable on the phone that he was heading over with something that Alice had found on the body of Arnold Beaucaire. The constable promised to warn the Chief Superintendent and that was the end of the phone call.

Jean promised to give Phyllis a ride back to their home as her car was still there but first, they'd have to drop Doctor Blake off at the police station. Phyllis was more than happy to do that as her sewing circle wasn't due to start for another hour. Jean pulled up to the station and Lucien gave her a peck on the cheek before promising to be home for dinner. Admittedly, the roast Jean had been planning would take too long now so she was going to have to improvise. She might end up back at the shops after all.

"I'm glad to see him happy," Phyllis said as Jean pulled the car away from the station.

"What do you mean?" Jean asked as she watched the traffic.

"When he first came here, I could feel like he had a weight on him. At first, I chalked it up to dealing with the death of his father and having to deal with everything that comes with it. I saw it shift and change a little at a time but the smile I see now was not a smile that I saw before," Phyllis admitted.

"Oh, yes. His first wife… well things had gotten complicated because of the war," Jean said, not wanting to tell a story that wasn't entirely hers.

"I wish I could say that, which I'm sure sounds awful, especially since you lost your first husband," Phyllis admitted.

"It's been a tough couple of days for you, hasn't it?" Jean wondered as she stayed focused on the road.

"A tough five years," Phyllis heaved a sigh before continuing, "My husband left me for his secretary."

"Oh Phyllis," it upset Jean to hear something like that, especially since Phyllis was sick.

"It was apparent that things were not working for us but… well you know how the church looks on divorce. I wasn't interested in dealing with that but when I confessed to the priest that my husband was cheating on me… well I didn't get the answer I was hoping for," Phyllis admitted.

"The church wouldn't let Lucien and I get married there. He was divorced and well the splash in the papers did not help," Jean said.

"What they printed wasn't true, right?" Phyllis asked, worried about her new friend.

"As I'm sure you know, the courts will only accept certain reasons for a divorce. Mei Lin did not want him to sully his reputation, especially given what had happened, but Lucien could see no way out of it. He sent off those wholesale lies to let Mei Lin have her own life and to let us have ours," Jean admitted.

"So, you went ahead with everything, just so you could be happy," Phyllis nodded in understanding.

"The judge heading up the proceeding refused to believe what had been turned in and even had the paper admonished for publishing it. Our friend, the Chief Superintendent, had sent him a letter explaining the whole story and even providing a copy of the police report. The judge granted the divorce due to extenuating circumstances," Jean gave her the quickest, cleanest version of the story.

"My lawyer was able to prove to the judge that the divorce was through no fault of my own so that part went smoothly but… well getting my alimony has been difficult," Phyllis told her.

"How are you supporting yourself?" Jean was concerned as she pulled into the Blake home driveway.

"I do a little bit of everything. I help out at the library, I sell sewing projects at the farmers market, and I clean offices at my lawyer's office. My parents left me some money when they passed so it could be a lot worse," Phyllis tried to downplay it as Jean shut the car off.

"Well, if you ever need anything, you come to us. Anything at all," Jean said.

"You've all been so helpful already," the other woman said.

"We have to stick together. Have fun at your sewing circle," Jean smiled. Phyllis smiled back and exited the vehicle before climbing into hers. Once she was sure that her new friend was off safely, Jean retreated to the house to figure out her next steps.

Meanwhile, Lucien was busy explaining to Matthew, Charlie, and Danny what Alice had found. The three were also explaining what they had found. All of them were hoping that they were making progress.

"So, Alice showed me the bruising that showed up, but Arnold's blood tests are more interesting," Lucien started.

"Mary said he was unwell," Matthew said.

"Right. We found a tumor in his lungs during the autopsy, but we didn't expect to find was arsenic in his blood," Lucien told them.

"Who tries to kill a guy who is, more than likely, already dying?" Charlie asked.

"They were not sophisticated in the use of the arsenic which is why I'm guessing the large oddly shaped bruise showed up on his chest. Whatever hit him, broke a rib, and drove it into his good lung. It's a terrible way to die – as someone who almost experienced it can attest," the Doctor said.

"Why hit him in the chest? Why not the head?" Danny wanted to know.

"Maybe he was coughing and the person wanted him to be quiet? Lung tumors often leave the patient short of breath and more likely to cough. Coughing is the body's way of clearing the passageways to try and let more air in. The problem is, you can't cough up a tumor," Lucien explained.

"The paperwork that Mary couldn't find," Matthew said.

"Paperwork?" Lucien asked.

"Mary said that Arnold had paperwork drawn up so that the farm would pass to the farmhands and not the state, since he had no family left," Matthew explained.

"I'm guessing it's missing," Lucien gave him a look.

"You are correct. Reginald gave me a card from the lawyer that Arnold used. I think it's time to pay him a visit," the Chief Superintendent suggested.

"Agreed," Lucien nodded.

"I don't think we can let the neighbors off the hook. They are…" Charlie had a frown on his face.

"They don't like the farmhands, do they?" The Doctor wondered.

"How did you know?" Charlie asked.

"Mei Lin dealt with some people being less than civil. I can only imagine that having Asians on the farm was something that some of the neighbors didn't agree with. This country has not done itself any favors by fostering these kinds of attitudes," Lucien frowned.

"They don't like Aboriginal people either," Matthew told him.

"Well rounded horrible people then," Lucien heaved a sigh and shook his head.

"Look into the neighbors better. Also, see if anything we collected contains arsenic in it," Matthew told his officers before heading out with the Doctor.

To Be Continued…