When Good Champagne Goes Bad

When Good Champagne Goes Bad

It was Oscar Night in Hollywood in 1960. Famed up-and-coming Movie Director Jack Jones had received his first ever nomination for his action movie "The Boxer", and was waiting patiently in his "Guests of Honor" seat. The audience clapped as a man walked up to the podium with a letter in hand to speak.

"The next Oscar Award Category is "Best Picture of the Year 1960." The nominees in this category are "Herakles Versus the Nemean Lion", "Sapphire of Bombay", "The Boxer", "Clint Buckeye: Texas Lawman", and "The lonely Fisherman". And the Oscar goes to...."The Boxer!!!" declared the announcer.

The audience gave a standing ovation as Jack Jones walked up on to the stage to receive his Golden Statuette.

"I would like to thank the Academy, and I would like to thank my lead actor, Charles Tanner, without whom, none of this would be possible today. Follow your dreams!!!" Jack said at the podium.

The audience clapped.

Later that night, Jack and the cast of "The Boxer" had a dinner party at "The Brown Beanie" in Hollywood to celebrate. Jack Jones and his mistress, Actress Alexa Fair, Actors Charles Tanner and Dean Loren, Singer Roxanne Green, and producer Frank Cardella were the guests of honor in attendance. Roxanne chatted casually with western movie star Wesley Boothe, while Charles Tanner flirted with a waitress. Dean Loren talked to a composer about their work on "The Boxer" and other movies. Waiters rushed back and forth to the kitchen and the dining room, pouring Drinks, bussing tables, and so forth. 

There were exquisitely decorated Flower Bouquets in Vases placed on all the tables. A Band was playing Jazz Music on a stage.

A female voice called out "BASTARD!!"

The crowd turned to see Jack Jones's wife, Melissa, stomped up to the crowded table.

"Jack, who is this??" Melissa said, pointing at Jack Jones' party date.

"Oh, this...this is....um...my wife...Melissa, I'd like you to meet Charlene! She's Singer!" Jack said awkwardly.

"Jack....How could you? When you come home, I'll be long gone!" Melissa said, leaving the restaurant in an indignant huff.

"Melissa, wait!" Jack called out for her, but she was already outside of the restaurant door.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air around the Dining Table until the Wait Staff brought out the Rose Salads and popped the bottles of Champagne.

After a few moments of dining and chatting amongst guests. Jack Jones broke the atmosphere by choking and gagging, and then clumsily slumped over forward onto the dining table.

"Oh my God, Jack!! Is he okay!?!?!?" Charlene yelled.

A Stage Hand ran up to check his pulse. "Oh, dear lord! Jack is DEAD!!"

The whole restaurant gasped and froze. The band stopped playing Jazz Music. Charles, Dean, and Roxanne, no longer hungry, set their forks down on the table next to their appetizers.

A few minutes later, the police arrived. The Police were asking the Dinner Guests and Kitchen Staff questions like "What was the last thing Mr. Jones ate before he died?" and "What was in the Salad that could've caused Mr. Jones' death?"

Dean Loren said "Well, there is ONE person I could think of as a suspect...Jack Jones' Wife, Melissa! Jack brought his Mistress Charlene instead of Melissa, and she was NOT HAPPY about that to say the least!"

"Well, there's also Frank Cardella..." Wesley Boothe started. "Frank and Jack had been butting heads off and on for a little while."

So the police interviewed Frank Cardella.

"So, Frank, I understand that you and Mr. Jones didn't always see eye-to-eye..." started the Police Officer.

"Well, Jack Jones was considering putting Charlene in "The Boxer" as the Round Card Gal, but I was skeptical, I felt it wasn't necessary. He said that Charlene wouldn't be interested in being an extra in the stands. I threatened to quit the film altogether if he wrote her into the Movie, and so Jack Jones agreed to leave her out of the movie, but I swear I didn't kill Jack!" Frank said.

The Sherriff took note of every detail.

"Well, thank you for your Participation. We'll question Mr. Jones' Wife later tonight." said the Sherriff.

The Police examined the Kitchen and found no apparent evidence of Poisoning in the kitchen.

The Homicide detective carefully examined Jack Jones's food, and found a most peculiar flower petal in the Champagne Flute as part of a glass decoration, still full. Carefully, he removed it with a pair of tweezers and headed to the University of California Botanical Gardens.

"Excuse me Professor Delaney, I need you to tell me what kind of plant this flower Petal belongs to..." the Detective said, holding the Petal up for the Botanist. The Botanist gasped in Horror.

"That's a ACONITUM Flower! They contain an extremely potent toxin which can cause Heart Failure!" Professor Delaney explained.

"Up-and-coming Film Director and Oscar Winner Jack Jones was poisoned to death by this flower, do you know how anyone could have gotten a hold of the Aconitum Flower?" asked the Detective.

"Well..." started the Botanist. "We have a small section of the Gardens full of poisonous plants for the sake of Research purposes, so if the flower that killed Jack came from there, someone who has access to the Botanical Gardens, like an employee or a professor must have gotten a hold of it...."

The Detective then talked to the Secretary. "I need you to tell me who visited the Botanical Gardens, today."

"I'm sorry, sir, but that information is confidential." The Secretary retorted.

The Detective bribed her with a bottle of Whiskey and a Pack of Cigarettes.

"Here's the records of everyone from the past 48 hours who signed in."

The Detective saw Charlene on the list. So he called the Police. The Police raided Charlene's Trailer at the Studio, only to find the Trailer Vacant, except for a note.

"By the time you read this, I will be long gone. I killed Jack Jones. Why? Because he promised to cast me in his last movie, and he never did. ~ Love, Charlene <3"

Meanwhile, Charlene had crossed the border into Mexico and landed a job singing at a local Cantina in Acapulco.