The Case of the Horrified Heirs by Erle Stanley Gardner Page B

from food poisoning but that I thought perhaps it might be a combination of things."
    "She didn't give any indication that she thought your requests were unusual?" Mason asked.
    "None whatever. She accepted them just as any good nurse would, without any comment. I told her to get a taxi and send the nail parings and the hair in their sterile phials to my office at once."
    Mason said, "I know a laboratory which specializes in forensic medicine and toxicology that will give us a quick report on these, not a quantitative analysis, but it will show whether any arsenic is present."
    "How soon can you have that?"
    Mason said, "I think I can have it right after dinner, Doctor."
    "I wish you'd telephone me," Dr. Alton said.
    "All right," Mason told him, "but what have you done about furnishing your patient with round-the-clock protection?"
    Dr. Alton's eyes shifted. "All right, Mason," he said, "I'll put it right on the line. You almost convinced me when you talked over the telephone, and then I became more convinced when I thought over the symptoms. But when I took time to think things over, I felt I couldn't justify taking really drastic steps pending a laboratory report; but I have taken precautionary steps which will be ample for the time being."
    "What steps?" Mason asked, his voice coldly disapproving.
    "I've decided that during the next few hours there won't be any element of real danger, particularly in view of the fact that this nurse, Anna Fritch, is on the job. However, I told her to see that Mrs. Trent was on a very bland diet tonight; that I intended to perform some tests and I wanted her to have nothing except soft boiled eggs and toast tonight; that I wanted the nurse to prepare both the eggs and the toast, and see that the eggs were served in the shell so that there would be no chance of too many spices being added."
    "All right," Mason said, "if that's what you've done, that's what you've done. Give me your night number. I'll drop these things at the laboratory and ask for an immediate check… Now, what do you propose to do if the tests are positive and show the presence of arsenic?"
    This time Dr. Alton met Mason's eyes firmly. "I intend to go to the patient and tell her that she has been suffering from arsenic poisoning rather than from allergies or a digestive upset. I intend to tell her that we're going to have to take extraordinary safeguards and that, from the manner in which the symptoms developed, I have very strong suspicions that there was an attempt at homicide."
    Mason said, "And I suppose you have taken into consideration that this will start a three-ring circus among relatives, authorities and people in the household. They'll call you a quack, an alarmist and accuse you of trying to alienate Lauretta Trent's affections."
    "I can't help it. I have my duty as a doctor."
    "All right," Mason said. "We should have that report no later than nine-thirty. The only thing that I don't agree with you on is safeguarding your patient in the meantime."
    "I know, I know," Dr. Alton said. "I've debated the pros and cons with myself and I have cqme to the conclusion that this is the best way to handle it. I'll accept responsibility for the decision. After all, you know, it is my responsibility."
    Mason nodded to Della Street. "All right, Della, we'll go to the laboratory, start them working on these things, and get a preliminary report at the earliest possible moment. You get Dr. Alton's night number and we'll call him just as soon as we have a report."
    "And, of course," Dr. Alton said, "you'll keep things entirely confidential? You know, the police and, of course, the press. These things have a way of leaking out once they get into the hands of the police, and I know that Lauretta Trent would consider publicity-well, she'd simply hit the ceiling. It would mean the end of our professional relationship."
    Mason said, "I'm in somewhat the position of being a public servant in this case, Doctor. Actually, I haven't a