Page 336 - The Grotesque Children's Book

Chapter 52.
The paranoia spreads

Zaccario's plan had worked. He would take Bianca's thousand florins, buy some
glassware, and manufacture some sort of mystical-looking red powder, passing it off as “The
Dragon” and Bianca de' Medici's health would either improve or deteriorate, but the thousand
florins was his in either scenario. Chimento Zaccario would be comfortable for the rest of his
life.

However, paranoia breeds paranoia, and Zaccario had begun to dwell on the fact that
Bianca had come to him for an antidote for poisons. She had mentioned casually that something
terrible had happened to Joanna, and yet supposedly she believed along with everyone else that
Joanna had fallen down the stairs at the Grand Ducal Palace. Why had Bianca mentioned
Joanna, of all the royal deaths, accidental or otherwise? Does she know the truth about Joanna?
She does! She knows I poisoned Joanna! Why else would she have been so secretive coming to
me? Now it will be only a matter of time before either Bianca or Francesco will have me killed.
Neither of them can afford the truth about Joanna's death to come out. What I need, what I need,
is to proffer up for them a scapegoat -- someone whom they can blame for Joanna’s death.
Someone whom they would prefer to die in my place, so that I can keep providing antidotes and
dragons for them.

A scapegoat, a scapegoat. He needed someone else who could plausibly look like a
poisoner. He needed...Dr. Ludovico Valerius. Gullible Dr. Valerius, scientific Dr. Valerius,
who, with the best of intentions, inadvertently caused Joanna's death. But how, how? The
answer eluded Zaccario day after fitful night after manic day after feverish night. Until one
afternoon, all the pieces came together at once. Painters started disappearing mysteriously and
most fortuitously, Zaccario became aware of a certain hand-drawn folio of macabre children's
stories which happened into the doctor's possession. The folio was so filled with imagery and
symbolism, Zaccario thought...yes, this will do nicely, very nicely indeed. Farewell,
Dr. Valerius. Thank you for being so...scientific. Death by Phantasmagoria. How delicious a
triumph that will be!

Cue the symbolic lightning and thunder.

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