key out.
'I did, ' Jack said. 'Or actually, Dr. Laurie Montgomery did.' Jack explained about the methemoglobin idea as he followed the lab tech into the lab and his tiny windowless office. Peter nodded as he hung up his coat.
'That means I should look for things like amyl nitrite, sodium nitrite, and nitroprusside, ' Peter said as he donned his white coat. 'Did this patient have a history of heart disease? '
'Not that I know of, ' Jack said.
'Then I can't imagine she'd be taking any of those drugs, ' Peter said.
'But there's a handful of other substances that can cause methemoglobinemia. Do you want me to test for all of them, whether or not she'd be likely to be taking them as a medication? '
'Please! ' Jack said. 'I'm desperate.'
'Okay, ' Peter said agreeably. He started out of his office. Jack trailed him like a puppy.
'When can you do it? ' Jack asked.
'I'll set it up right away, ' Peter said. 'It's better for me to get it going before Dr. Devries gets here.
Otherwise he'd start asking questions.'
'I do appreciate your help, Peter, ' Jack said. 'I hope I can reciprocate in some way. Speaking about your chief, do you happen to know about the status of David Jefferson's samples? '
'Is that the prisoner-in-custody case? ' Peter asked.
'It sure is, ' Jack voiced.
'John was complaining about it yesterday, ' Peter said. 'As far as I know it's done. Anyway it was positive for cocaine if that's what you wanted to know.'
'Thank God for small favors, ' Jack said. 'Calvin is going to be jubilant. Now if I can only be so lucky with Connie Davydov.'
'I'll give it my best shot, ' Peter promised.
Jack started out of the lab but stopped when he remembered Laurie's final suggestion. 'There's one other thing that Laurie suggested to test for, ' he called back to Peter. 'Botulinum toxin.' Peter waved to indicate that he'd heard.
Jack climbed the stairs. With the Jefferson case sure to be completed by the Thursday deadline with what Calvin would consider a positive spin, there seemed to be a pinpoint of light at the end of Jack's current tunnel of problems.
Back in the office, Jack ran into Chet, who was brimming with news of his previous evening's experience at aerobics. Not only had the girl with the curvaceous figure shown up, but she'd deigned to have a yogurt fruit drink with him after the class. Jack had to wait until he'd heard all about the woman before he could get a word in edgewise.
'Tell me, Casanova, ' Jack said. 'Would you know how to get ahold of any of those vets who gave that seminar you went to yesterday? '
'I think so, ' Chet said. 'Why? '
'I want to find out if and when they figure out what killed those rats.
Also, whether any more of them had anthrax.'
'I'll try to find out sometime today, ' Chet said.
'I'd appreciate it, ' Jack said, and quickly redirected his attention to his work spread out on his desk.
'Aren't you doing any posts today? ' Chet asked.
'I've taken an unscheduled paper day, ' Jack said without looking up.
'Are you sick? ' Jack laughed. 'That's what George asked. I wish I were. It would be a convenient excuse. I'm just trying to eliminate one of the reasons the front office is always on my case, namely, being perennially behind getting my cases signed out.'
'One of the main reasons you're always behind is because you take on too many cases in the first place, ' Chet said.
'Whatever, ' Jack mumbled as he began scanning a section of David Jefferson's brain under his microscope.
After Chet left for the pit, Jack kicked the door shut to avoid the distraction of the casual visitor. Still, he found that he couldn't truly concentrate. As preoccupied as he was about everything, he was unable to keep himself from glancing up at the clock every so often.
Particularly as the time approached ten, he started to worry about the phone ringing. He fully expected Cheryl to call with the standard message that the chief wanted to see him ASAP. After all, by that time in the morning both Dr. Jim Bennett and Gordon Strickland would have had more than enough opportunity to phone their complaints about Jack.
As if on cue, the phone did ring at ten sharp. Despite Jack's expecting it, its jangle unnerved him. For several rings he considered not answering. But recognizing the futility of putting off the inevitable, he picked it up. To his surprise, it wasn't Cheryl. It was Peter Letterman.
'I've got some surprising news for you, ' Peter said.
'Good or bad? ' Jack questioned.
'I suppose you'll think it's good, ' Peter said. 'Connie Davydov did not have methemoglobinemia, but she does have botulinum toxin in all the samples you gave me, including her stomach contents.'
'Good Lord!
' Jack said. 'This isn't some kind of sick joke, is it? '
'Not at all, ' Peter said. 'I ran several of the assays twice just to be sure.
The results were strongly positive, suggesting the victim had a large dose. I can follow up with some quantitative tests, but that will take a while. I wanted you to know the qualitative results right away.'
'Thanks, ' Jack said. 'I owe you.'
'Glad to be of assistance, ' Peter said before ringing off.
Jack hung up the phone slowly. He felt a mix of emotions. One was a kind of elation at the validation of his suspicions about Connie Davydov having been poisoned. The other was shock. Botulism probably was the last thing he expected.
Thrusting his chair back from his desk, Jack jumped up.
Throwing open his door, he ran down to Laurie's office. He wanted her to be the first to know the news, since botulism had been her suggestion.
Unfortunately, her office was empty. She was undoubtedly down in the autopsy room.
Back at his desk, Jack's mind churned over whom to call first.
With a delicious sense of reprisal, he settled on Randolph Sanders. It took a few moments to get the doctor on the line. He'd been in the middle of an autopsy. Jack had insisted to the operator it was an emergency. When Randolph finally answered, his voice had an understandable urgency.
'Ah, hello, Randolph, ' Jack said buoyantly. 'This is your favorite colleague, Jack Stapleton.'
'I was informed this was an emergency, ' Randolph growled.
'And indeed it is, ' Jack said. 'Just this moment I've been informed that your case, Connie Davydov, which we had reason to discuss yesterday, apparently succumbed to a rather large dose of botulinum toxin.' A pregnant pause ensued.
'How was this determined? ' Randolph demanded.
'By my personal persistence, ' Jack said. 'I went to the funeral home, where the director graciously allowed me to take some appropriate body fluid samples.'
'I'd not heard that had occurred, ' Randolph said with a voice that had lost a good deal of its edge.
'Really? ' Jack questioned. 'I'd assumed you had. Nevertheless, as a favor to you, since we hold each other in such high esteem, I'm calling you rather than rushing down and informing Dr. Harold Bingham.'
'I appreciate that, ' Randolph managed.
'Of course there is a practical aspect, ' Jack said. 'Connie Davydov is a Brooklyn case. I would assume you'd like to get the body back as soon as possible. I'll also leave in your capable hands the chore of alerting the proper authorities.'
'Of course, ' Randolph said.
