Murder at the Blackthorne Club

Albright, sommelier of the Blackthorne Club for fifteen years, was taken into custody early this morning following the death of literary critic Reginald Vex. Vex, found unresponsive in the club's private library shortly before midnight, died of acute digitalis poisoning.

Investigators established that the fatal dose had been applied to the stopper of a Château Beaupré decanter served at 11:05 pm. The digitalis was traced to a partially-administered vial pilfered from Dr. Pemberton's medicine case earlier that evening — medicine intended for a current patient under the doctor's care. Pemberton, initially detained, has since been released without charge.

A source close to the investigation confirmed that Albright's motive ran far deeper than professional grievance. Five years ago, his wife — under treatment for a heart condition — was withdrawn from a digitalis regimen after Vex's column publicly ridiculed her physician's methods as "Edwardian quackery." She died within four months. Albright is understood to have kept the column folded inside his cellar ledger. The grievance he filed with the club committee three months ago, sealed at his request, named Vex specifically. He chose the night Vex would not refuse the wine.