They Do It With Lenses- Chapter III
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They Do It With Lenses- Chapter III
The forensic report...
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“Is she gonna be fine?” I asked.
Harvard nodded as he drove his Lotus Evija away from the hospital. “Someone poisoned her.”
“What?”
“I had a look at her medical report, she is severely allergic to tree nuts.”
“And how do we know she did not eat tree nuts on her own, maybe by mistake?” I asked.
“Because someone that severely allergic would never take nuts ‘by mistake.' The collapse we just saw was an anaphylaxis reaction. ”
“Ana- what?”
“Let me explain. Allergies happen as a result of the body treating a given substance, the allergen, as a pathogen. Anaphylaxis is the binding of Ig-E, Immuno-Globulin Epsilon, with the allergen. Within minutes of this occurring, Histamine is released increasing the leakage of cell fluid. The blood vessels widen up to accommodate the extra fluid. The blood pressure drops. The heart rate increases. The bronchioles, which are responsible for respiration, contract. One feels breathless and their body starts throbbing. Energy expenditure is maximum and heart rate is increasing. The body starts shutting down neurological responses. If not given emergency care, death is certain.” He explained.
“Why do you know all this?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“I have taken a few medical classes over the years.”
“So you’ve also studied medical?”
“Nah!” Harvard laughed as he steered the Evija right, “I have taught a few here and there.”
##
Harvard had just sunken into his hotel bed when the phone rang. He picked up the phone and put it on the loudspeaker. I had made that call, “Harvard you won’t believe the forensic report!”
“Winston, you better have something good to say. I was just about to nap.” He said with a voice which was both calm and irritated.
I sighed, “She was poisoned...”
“As I told you yesterday. Tell me something I don’t know.”
“She was poisoned through her eyes,” I said.
“What!” Harvard exclaimed.
“Strychnine.” I continued.
“Meet me at The Confection Connection.” Harverd said intruppting me and puttung the phone down.
##
“Someone knew what they were doing with this. I tell you someone knew what they were doing.” Harvard said as he munched on a Chocolate Overload Eclairs.
I took a bite of my eclair and pointing to the eclair said, “Someone knew what they were doing with this.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” He said, “Strychnine is one of the only chemicals which can poison through the eyes.”
“What?” I said spilling the eclairs all around.
Harvard paused. He kept his eclairs in the plate, looked me in the eyes and said“Strychnine is a white, odourless alkaloid. It just needs to reach your periphery nervous system and then within half hour, your muscles freeze in a contracted state. Your face gets stuck. Your fingers stop moving. Pain cuts through your body. All while your neurons fire, exploding your head with unbearable agony. You can’t scream for help, your facial muscles are already motionless. Your legs freeze. Your spine is the last to stop. Don’t think about running. You lose the ability to move. Your diaphragm is stuck, not allowing you to breathe. The body starts using its reserves. The spasms intensify. The brain starts turning into a puree, all while you are stuck. You want to cry but cannot, every single muscle fails you...”
“Stop!” I yelled, inviting a glare from the rest of the patrons at the cafe. I coughed apologetically. Then I quietly continued, “You don’t need to explain every single thing I ask in painful detail.”
“So you got the point I was trying to make?”
“Uh?”
“Basically, what I want to say is that Leyla Gardner didn’t commit suicide. That possibility is ruled out. Strychnine is an extremely rare way to commit suicide due to the very painful death it causes.”
I smiled, “So it was definitely murder.”
“Yes. And who should be our first suspect?” Harvard quizzed.
“Is it the doctor?”
Harvard maintained a poker face as he ate the last bit of eclair, “And why do you think so? ”
“Husbands poisoning wives is a common observance. But he wouldn’t have the opportunity nor the knowledge. Elisa has written a few crime shows, she had the knowledge and presumably the opportunity. But then she was way too open when she talked with us. The doctor had similar to Elisa has the knowledge but didn’t have the opportunity. But that was on the night of the crime. There is a chance that Leyla was given the poison beforehand as eye drops. It can be that she administered them yesterday.”
Harvard smiled, “That gives us a clear path for some foreseeable future. Dr Clifford is either guilty, that is he has a motive or is innocent, that is he has an alibi.”
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Text (c) 2022 by Arjun Agarwal.
Header image is art by Ori Toor