"That was 50 milligrams of bee venom. It would take at least 1,000 bees, extracting it from each one individually. Could someone really do that?"
Nick didn't mean it was impossible, of course, but catching 1,000 bees and extracting venom from the glands in their abdomens one by one, just to kill someone-if someone had that much time on their hands, why not get some cyanide instead?
Unless the bee venom itself had some other use. But the bee venom industry hadn't even developed yet, and there was virtually no technology for extracting it on a large scale.
"Please don't question my judgment in my field of expertise. I can guarantee my analysis is correct. But there is something strange. As everyone knows, natural bee venom carries geographical markers, whether the bees come from Cyrus, France, or Africa.
"But I couldn't find the source of this venom in the database. All I can determine is that it came from a nonnative species. This is quite a remarkable discovery. You see, the phospholipase found in common bee venom..."
Nick had to clear his throat to interrupt the "professor's" torrent of words. "Professor Spinella, you're the largest beekeeper in the area, aren't you?
"In your opinion, what sort of person would use such a troublesome method to kill someone?"
"Troublesome? Oh, I suppose it is." The bespectacled middle-aged man's mouth twitched. His expression was odd, as though he were forcibly suppressing some impulse, giving him a somewhat neurotic air.
"I'm sorry, but I have no idea either. As you can see, the bees here are all adorable little things. They spend every day busily serving their queen. They're innocent."
Seeing that they weren't going to get any more information, Nick and Hancock had no choice but to say goodbye and turn to