<hr/><div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/f2/Beardycox.jpg)</div><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Avery Burnham<br/><strong>Faction:</strong>Law Dogs (1)<br/><strong>Date:</strong>May 14th, 1876<br/><strong>Time of Day:</strong>Morning<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Burnham Detective Agency<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Letty<br/><hr/><br/>Cyanide.  Symptoms included asphyxiation.  A favorite of the Roman elite.<br/><br/>Strychnine.  Symptoms included contortions and muscle spasms, death in under fifteen minutes.<br/><br/>Arsenic.  Symptoms included severe stomach pain and vomiting, available from any chemist worth his salt as a means of dealing with rat infestations.<br/><br/>Belladonna, or deadly nightshade.  Symptoms included increased heart rate, sweating, delirium, death. Formerly used by women as a cosmetic to dilate their eyes.  Translated roughly to 'beautiful woman' in Italian, the deadliest of them all, naturally.<br/><br/>All substances of choice for poisoners throughout the civilized world, most readily available even in a backwater such as Gomorra.  Not that Avery really believed he was dealing with a poisoner.  He was cataloguing them mainly for his own amusement that morning, a way to focus his thoughts while the rest of the town mumbled their prayers and dozed through the preacher’s sermon.  There were plenty of other poisons available of course, some of which if taken at the right dose, weren’t even lethal at all, possibly even beneficial.  At least if a man possessed a strong enough will to control it.  Holding his right hand he watched it shake for a moment, then clenched it into a tight fist as he heard a quiet voice rising uncertainly from the waiting room.<br/><br/>“One moment,” Avery called out, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair and slipping it on quickly.  He buttoned up the bottom two buttons then ran his fingers through his hair to straighten it.  Which rather reminded him of two days ago, although this morning was absent the loud banging on his front door.  He rather doubted it was Miss Ginny anyways.  He couldn’t quite see her being so demurely quiet or waiting patiently for him to respond.  Not at this point in their professional relationship.<br/><br/>It was, however, still a beautiful woman, just the same, dark-haired instead of fair, yet otherwise well dressed in soft white skirt and colorful red corset.  Perhaps a friend of his erstwhile employer, but, no, he realized that wasn’t the case either.  He knew her face.  It just took a minute to place it without the dusty Stetson or the smell of strong whisky in the air.  She was also standing on her own power which was new as well.  Altogether an entirely different a woman….almost.  This one was still every bit as stunning as the other, perhaps more so, with those same arresting brown eyes and dark flowing hair, which was a bit disconcerting to find oneself facing unexpectedly so early in the morning.<br/><br/>“Ah.  Ms. Sanchez,” he announced with a friendly smile.  “I almost didn’t recognize you!  You look refreshed and in good health, I’m happy to see.  Um…please, do come in, if you like.”  Avery waved her towards his office area, again conscious of what an ill ramshackle sort of place this was to be entertaining women in.  For some reason he’d expected most of his clients would be men.  Not that she was a client.  He had an idea why she was here actually, and hoped to make it as easy on her as he could.  He knew a thing or two about apologizing after an embarrassing lack of judgment himself, after all, and nothing was worse than having that moment unnecessarily prolonged.<br/><br/>“I’d offer you something to drink but I’m haven’t anything at hand.”  Except of course the whiskey in his desk drawer but that seemed in bad taste, and just altogether unwise.  “It’s good to see you, although I hope you realize this wasn’t necessary as far as I’m concerned.  The other night was a celebration for the whole town and these sort of things happen.  It was no trouble, really, and Ms. Henderson did far more than me.  Either way, I wouldn’t let it bother you, Ms. Sanchez.  No harm came of it and I‘m just glad if I was of any help.  I hope someone would do the same if I found myself in a similar situation.”