Chapter 7

The next morning, the atmosphere in Verity’s office was taut. Sunlight angled through the tall windows, illuminating her desk in a way that made the stack of folders and datapads look almost accusatory. Sophie and Zora both suspected that Verity had deliberately arranged her office in this manner. Verity herself sat rigid behind the desk, her fingers laced, her cool gaze fixed on the two of them.

“Alright,” she said crisply. “You asked for this meeting. Let’s hear it. And it had better be airtight, because I am not in the habit of humoring half-baked theories.”

Zora smirked, sliding into her chair. “Good thing we’re serving the full five-course meal today.”

Sophie cast her a side glance, calm and collected. “We’ll go step by step, Verity. Everything we’ve learned points to Jarl Brantley as Glory Antonova’s killer.”

Verity’s expression didn’t shift. “Prove it.”

Sophie began, her voice even. “We learned through Svetlana Chernova, Igor Kornilov’s former technician, that Igor has been working on targeted pheromones. Not just crude attraction enhancers—these are engineered to create mutual chemical desire between specific individuals, keyed to DNA profiles.”

“Like I said before, bad science fiction,” Verity said flatly.

“Not anymore,” Zora shot back. “We’ve had the lab run samples. Napkin from Jennix, swab from the band’s equipment case. Both positive for Igor’s pheromone compounds. The chemistry matches Svetlana’s description perfectly.”

Verity’s brow arched slightly, but her tone was sharp. “So, Jennix and the band were manipulated. What does that have to do with Glory’s murder?”

“We’ll get there,” Sophie assured her. “But first—we know Igor didn’t act alone. He worked with Jarl.”

Sophie continued. “We spoke with Natalia. She was clear: her attraction to Jarl is unnaturally strong when he’s around. But even when he’s not, she feels it persist—more like a psychological aftereffect. That’s consistent with pheromone conditioning.”

“She admitted as much on record,” Zora added, tapping the datapad. “And she also admitted she knows it’s irrational, even dangerous. That was hard for her to say, but she said it.”

Verity narrowed her eyes. “And you’re sure Natalia wasn’t dosed herself?”

“She wasn’t,” Sophie said firmly. “We believe Jarl doses himself. That way, he exudes pheromones keyed to her DNA, making him irresistible. It explains the intensity of her reaction, and it aligns with Svetlana’s account of how these compounds can be used. There was no need for Jarl to dose Natalia.”

Verity’s lips thinned, but she nodded for them to continue.

Zora leaned forward now, enjoying this part. “Dirk Bagley tried to stonewall us, but he cracked. On record, he admitted that he and Jarl were once lovers. Surprise number one. Surprise number two—Jarl dumped him for Dmitri. You see where this is going, right?”

Verity’s gaze sharpened. “A love triangle.”

“Quadrangle,” Zora corrected. “Dirk, Jarl, Dmitri, Natalia. And Glory, hovering as a ghost at the edge.”

“Dirk also admitted,” Sophie said, steady, “that Jarl is deeply, dangerously jealous. He said he wouldn’t put anything past him when he’s in that state.”

For the first time, Verity’s eyes flickered with interest. “Go on.”

Sophie spoke carefully. “We interviewed Dmitri last night. He told us Jarl broke off their relationship only days ago. But he also admitted he himself had wanted to leave earlier—except he couldn’t. He described the same irresistible pull as Natalia. He was under the influence too. Likely dosed.”

Zora spread her hands. “And the kicker? He gave us this.”

She pulled a sealable bag from her satchel and placed it carefully on Verity’s desk—the one containing the jar of sodium cyanide.

“From Igor’s lab,” Sophie said quietly. “Dmitri found it among Jarl’s belongings after he moved out.”

Verity’s cool composure faltered for just a second. She stared at the jar, then looked back at them. “That’s serious evidence. But it only proves Jarl had poison—not that he used it.”

“True,” Sophie allowed. “But it gives him means.”

Zora leaned in, her voice lower. “Now we come to motive. Jarl hated Glory Antonova, even though he was technically her agent. Dmitri told us directly—Jarl was insanely jealous of her, because she’d starred with Dmitri in numerous films. She represented everything he resented. Every reminder of Dmitri’s past he couldn’t erase. And again, we’ve got it all recorded.”

Sophie picked it up smoothly. “Combine that jealousy with Jarl’s pattern of manipulations—Natalia, Dirk, Dmitri, the pheromone plots—and you have someone with motive, means, and a psychological profile that fits the crime.”