Poisoned in Paradise: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery

The film opens with Jeff Jackson testing his restored boat, 'The Remedy,' alongside his friend and love interest, Dr. Zee Madieras. Their peaceful afternoon is interrupted when Katie Leonard, a waitress at The Beach House, approaches Jeff claiming she is 'in over her head' but refuses to provide details. Jeff advises her to speak with Chief Madieras, but she flees. Simultaneously, a banking glitch at the Vineyard Island Bank mistakenly deposits $100,000 into Zee's account, an error the bank's CEO, Lauren Cabot, and her brother Noah struggle to explain. Later that night, Jeff and Zee discover Katie's body near her moped; she appears to have suffered a heart attack. Zee's autopsy reveals a more sinister cause: poisoning by water hemlock, a toxic plant native to the island, which was likely slipped into Katie's daily kombucha. The investigation reveals that Katie was living a double life, using the alias 'Evelyn Lesco' to open corporate accounts for a dummy corporation called Chesterfield Logistics. Jeff and the Chief investigate several suspects, including Marty Cline, a retired professor who grows illegal Laotian slipper orchids, and Glen Eads, Katie's ex-boyfriend with a history of forgery. Jeff takes a brief detour to Boston to assist his former partner, Andy Lau, with a lead on the man who shot Jeff years ago, but the suspect is killed in federal custody before he can talk. Returning to the Vineyard, Jeff finds Glen Eads murdered in his home, having been shot after attempting to blackmail the killer with a 'cut-and-paste' ransom note. The breakthrough occurs when Zee finds a hidden thumb drive inside one of Katie's 'cruelty-free' makeup containers. The drive contains a second set of financial books for The Beach House restaurant, proving it was a front for laundering millions in gambling profits. After Noah Cabot is nearly killed in a staged accident, Jeff realizes the local baker, Frankie Walsh, is actually Donny Callahan, a notorious bookie from Providence who went into hiding to legitimize his retirement fund. In a final confrontation at the docks, Jeff and Zee intercept Frankie as he attempts to flee by boat. The film concludes with Jeff and Zee sharing a picnic, where they acknowledge their romantic feelings but agree to take things slow while Jeff continues to seek peace regarding his past.