"And the cause of her death?" Professor Candice Wyatt asked Dave Mitchell, the medical examiner she assigned for her dear friend.
"Poison. Poison from an African Giant Swallowtail, to be exact. She was found dead inside her Butterfly Garden surrounded by almost 400 of those things along with nearly 100 Monarch butterflies and 200 Harvester butterflies. Thankfully, her staff have successfully recaptured the creatures. I found nothing more that could even potentially explain her death. She has a healthy body, no blunt force trauma, nothing. There is, however, something peculiar that I found." He led the professor towards the metal table where her friend's body is still laid out.
He lifted up her right hand and there was a small open wound on the palm of her hand near the base of her thumb.
"It seems like she's been deliberately poisoning herself for a long time." Dave said, surprising her.
"How can you say that?" She frowned in confusion.
"Butterflies can't bite nor chew. When a butterfly goes to eat, it extends a long, slender tube that sucks up the flower nectar or other liquid it wants to take in. Think of its proboscis as a straw you you use to enjoy your favorite drink. Her wound is filled with ouabain, a cardiac glycoside from a Strophanthus gratus plant that the larvae of African Giant Swallowtail eats. It can be treated as medicine for hypotension but extreme doses can, well, lead up to someone's death." He explained.
"So what you're saying is... she's letting the butterflies eat from her wound so they could poison her?" Professor Wyatt clarified and Dave only nodded his head.
"Oh my god... Has there ever been a death related to butterflies?" She exclaimed.
"Not that I know of. No butterfly poison should be strong enough to kill a human. This isn't normal by any means but we can't really expect something normal out of Professor Blanche Clare. This is clearly a slow suicide by her own means." Dave sighed.
Professor Wyatt agrees, but she couldn't really say anything due to the absurdity of the situation. She knew how much Blanche obsessed over butterflies ever since they were young but she never would've imagined that they would also be her way out of this world.
Blanche never really fit in in any social situation, thus choosing to be with her beloved butterflies rather than mingle with people. In the 70 years that she dedicated to her butterflies, she's become a world-renowned lepidopterist due to her contributions to butterfly conservations and research. But Professor Wyatt knew that Blanche was never in it for the awards or the recognition.
She stared at her friend's lifeless body. She thought about how Blanche was still filled with life only just a week ago, extremely ecstatic about a new species that she found in India herself.
They walked back to Dave's office, still in silence. She couldn't really do anything anymore but to say her goodbyes to her friend.
"Here. We found this in her office in her Butterfly Garden. It's addressed to you." Dave pulled out a small white envelope from his desk drawer.
She opened it and a small chuckle came out of her when she saw several butterflies doodled all over the paper. It brought back precious memories of their childhood when Blanche would doodle butterflies in everything she gets her hands on.
It was a short letter, but it was more than enough to bring tears to her eyes.
[ I know you'd be surprised by what I did but I want you to know that you were the only real friend and family that I've ever had in my life. If it weren't for you, I have no idea where I'd be or who I'd become. For almost 80 years, you never left me. Not even once. For that, I am extremely grateful and thankful. I love you, my sister, my best friend, and the only person who truly knew me for who I am.
I will leave my Butterfly Garden in your hands because you're the only one I trust them with. I know that they're in highly capable and caring hands.
Love, Blanche ]
Dave gave her some tissues and she thanked him for it.
"What'll you do now?" He asked after a few moments of silence.
She thought for a moment before answering.
"I think I'll visit the Butterfly Garden." She smiled.