The Secret Stew Ingredient

The Wiebolds each received an invitation to dinner at Gus Amante’s house. Gus had been a family friend as long as any of them remembered. All accepted the invitation and looked forward to enjoying his special stew. 

Gus Amante, a local chef, was busy cooking for his dinner party. He reached for his special seasoning and knocked over a bottle of Amobarbital into the stew. He grabbed the bottle before all the pills spilled and fished the cap out of the stew. The drug had been prescribed for his insomnia but he hadn’t taken it for months now. He had even forgotten it was on the spice shelf. It is too close to time for the guests to arrive for him to start over. He decided it will be a secret ingredient only he knew about since it will not be a noticeable taste. The hors d'oeuvre cooled in the refrigerator. His special bread had been baked yesterday evening and was resting in the bread box. Ice cream would join the peach cobbler just before dessert was served. Gus looked at the time. He lowered the fire under the stew and went upstairs to change for the dinner party. Right on schedule he heard his assistant come in through the kitchen door as usual. “Gus, I’m here. I see you have everything done as usual. Mmm, the stew tastes extra good tonight.”

Gus came downstairs and entered the kitchen, “Thank you Sergio. Help me set the table now.”

The two men carried plates, bowls, butter dishes, tableware, glasses and cups to the dining room. They had worked together for years and quickly had every place setting positioned perfectly. Gus turned the rest of the preparations over to Sergio. Now he would be a gracious host. And just in time, too as the first knock on the door summoned him to his first guests. He opened the door to Dieter Wiebold and his wife, Frauke Unfried Wiebold. “Welcome Dieter and Frauke! Come on in. Please, have a seat here in the living room as we wait for the others. Your usual drinks? Oops, excuse me, there is the doorbell.. Someone else has arrived. Sergio will take care of your drinks.”

This time the door opened to Wanda Wiebold Stetz and her husband, Arnold. “Wanda, Arnold, please join us in the living room for drinks while we wait for the others. Sergio, please serve our guests whatever drink their pleasure may be,”

“Excuse me, I heard the door bell again.” This time Emil Wiebold stood beside his wife, Hedwig Stengel Wiebold. Just behind them coming up the walk was Erna Wiebold Feasel with her husband, Carl. Gus guided each couple to the living room. Sergio was already waiting to take their drink orders as the bell sounded again. 

Gus greeted Konrad Wiebold and Brigetta Wenke Wiebold before escorting them to the others. “We will wait a few minutes for Kevin and Beth. They are the last invitees. Does anyone want a refill?”

The room was completely silent. Not even husbands and wives spoke to each other until each asked for a refill of their glasses. Sergio and Gus played bartender and kept the glasses full. After the last pair had not arrived thirty minutes later, Gus stood and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, it appears our last two guests either decided not to come or something has detained them. That is no reason we should not enjoy our dinner now. There will be plenty left should they decide to appear. Come, let us adjourn to the dining room.”

Gus stopped each couple at the door and directed them to their chairs around the circular table. His directions were clockwise with Arnold to his left followed by Wanda, Dieter, Brigetta, Konrad, two empty chairs waiting for Beth Leonhardt and Kevin Wiebold, Hedwig, Emil, Frauke, Carl and Erna on his right. Now he hoped dinner would be without disagreements among this dysfunctional family. If he did not have an announcement to make tonight, he would not have invited all of them. His last dinner with all of them ended with arguments all around. 

Sergio came from the kitchen wheeling the stew and bread on a handcart and served each of those around the table. The clank of spoons and knives were the only sounds. Gus let them eat until most bowls were empty then he stood and asked for their attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, I invited you here tonight for a special announcement. I have sold my restaurant and will be officially retiring at the end of the week. I am going to take a long vacation to visit family in Italy. Sergio has retired as well and will be living here to take care of my animals while I am gone.”

Dieter proposed a toast to Gus’s retirement and all raised their wine glasses in response. Some asked for refills of stew among congratulations from all. Then silence returned only to be broken by the sound of the doorbell. Gus excused himself and went to the door. Beth and Kevin had arrived. He guided them to the dining room where they took their seats and Sergio filled their bowls and gave them servings of bread then filled their wine glasses. 

Kevin stood and tapped his glass with a spoon to get everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, the reason we were late is I proposed to Beth and she has agreed to be my wife.” 

There was no response. Kevin looked around the table. Everyone was sitting as if they were statues. Even Gus did not respond and Sergio had dropped to the floor. Kevin put down his glass as he told Beth not to eat or drink anything. Something was terribly wrong! He went from person to person but could not find a pulse in anyone. He went to the phone and called the police then took Beth into the living room to wait for them to come.

The police investigation into the twelve deaths revealed poisoning by a combination of Amobarbital and alcohol consumption. The almost empty bottle of pills on the spice shelf was obviously the source and the stew, bread, and pie tested positive for an extreme overdose of the drug. 

It was classified as an accident until Kevin found a note in Gus’s bedroom. Gus had been diagnosed with incurable cancer and had only weeks to live. He set up the party to rid the world of the Wiebold’s who ruined every dinner party they ever attended. He insured they would not ruin this final dinner party for him or anyone else. For the first and last time in their lives they would not argue among themselves.