a constable. Saw Dr. Larson today. He says he’s sure cause of death was pneumonia. Vomiting caused by high fever. Absolutely no cause for autopsy. He was furious at the suggestion and told me he’d been the family physician for thirty years. He went on to say that Mrs. Poindexter had been ministered to most diligently by her mother who had overseen every aspect of her care. I hope this allays your suspicions. Daniel.
So that was that. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed. Maybe Emily did suffer from an overactive imagination. She was obviously extremely fond of Fanny, and devastated by her death. She also suffered from the kind of constitution that laid her low with sick headaches when she got upset. All in all it seemed she was an emotional young woman who could well be prone to hysteria. I decided to see if she had returned to work and, if she had, to risk the wrath of Mr. McPherson by delivering Daniel’s message to her at the shop later that afternoon. There was no answer at her apartment, so I proceeded around the corner to the shop. Emily was behind the counter, busy serving an elderly man. She looked pale but seemed in good spirits as she chatted with him. “These are to be taken twice a day with water,” I heard her say as I opened the door. “And no more port until the gout subsides.”
The old man chuckled and said something that made her smile. Then he raised his hat to me as he passed me.
“Molly.” She glanced around warily.
“Sorry to disturb you at work, but I thought you’d want to know.”
“You have news?” she whispered. “From your policeman friend?”
I nodded.
“And?”
“The doctor is sure the cause of death was pneumonia.”
“But what about the gastric problems?”
“Brought on by extremely high fever.”
“So they’re not going to do any testing?”
“No.”
Emily chewed at her lip. “She’s going to be buried on Thursday, and then it will be too late.”
“I went to Fanny’s place yesterday,” I said. “And I did manage to take a sample of the stomach mixture.”
“Stomach mixture?” She looked aghast. “You don’t suspect us, do you?”
“Of course not. But someone could have added a poison to it. It was the only thing in her bathroom that could easily have been tampered with.”
“Oh, I see.”
“So we can have that tested. And you know what?” Another brilliant idea hit me. “You have some of her hair. I’m sure doctors can test hair for traces of arsenic.”
“What’s this?” Ned appeared at Emily’s side. “Who wants something tested for arsenic?”
“We do,” Emily said. “We have hair that we’d like tested for arsenic. Is that something you could do, Ned?”
Ned frowned. “You suspect someone of arsenic poisoning?”
“Probably not, but we’d just like to make sure. Is that the kind of test that you could conduct for us?”
“I think so,” Ned said. “It’s a simple enough test, I gather. Not that I’ve ever been called upon to run it, but I have to warn you that traces of arsenic often show up in a person for the most innocent of reasons. For example, wallpaper often contains arsenic, especially the new green floral papers that are so popular.”
“But you mean someone would have to soak wallpapers and make a person drink the liquid?” I asked.
Ned shook his head. “No, they give off fumes.”
“Mercy me,” Emily said, looking quite alarmed. “So you’re saying that most people will show some trace of arsenic in their systems?”
“Probably,” Ned said. “And don’t forget that many tonics and medications contain a small amount. It’s used to treat plenty of diseases, too—including syphilis.”
Emily blushed. “Oh, I don’t think there’s any question of . . .”
“Of course not.” Ned grinned. “But all I was suggesting was that a trace of arsenic in hair would not necessarily mean a person was being poisoned.”
“I see,” I said. “But more than a trace?”
He grinned. “Ah, then that’s a different matter altogether. So bring me the hair, Emily, and I’ll see what I can do, all right?”
“Thank you, Ned,” she said, gazing at him adoringly.
I left them and went home, content that I had done everything I could. If arsenic showed up in the hair sample, then we’d have to test the stomach mixture. Again, all we had to do was wait. By now I had received replies in the negative from all of the missionary societies, although the Baptists had shown a couple called Bosman on their books some thirty years ago.