Vera's Vanity
Dr. Henry Fiedler made his way to the courthouse in late January. He was a short man with white hair and mustache. He wore a suit although he could not remember the last time he went to the tailor. "Who had time for all that nonsense?" he thought to himself. There were always papers to grade, students to mentor, errors to correct and journals to read. Dressing up like a dandy didn't get any results as far as he was concerned.
When he got to the appointed courtroom, he could see a well-dressed man with a group of women waiting outside for the room to be opened. "Nothing better to do than gawk at a murder trial," he thought to himself. He had seen many gentry come and go at the university. They often thought they could buy their way through his classes. The only way to get through one of his classes was hard work and talent. Otherwise he sent them packing. A court clerk soon approached Henry Fiedler and he was shown into a small waiting room.
"This is it, the last witness," Lord Grantham said as they waited to enter the courtroom.
"You know we're all behind you no matter what," Isobel said to Anna covering her gloved hands with her own.
Anna could only nod.
The proceedings began for the day and the small white haired man with the old fashioned rumpled suit they had seen in the hall was shown to the stand and sworn.
"Dr. Henry Fiedler," said James Lewis. "Did you perform an independent autopsy on the exhumed body of Vera Bates?"
"Yes, I did."
"Were you able to assertion the cause of death, beyond a reasonable shadow of doubt?"
"Yes."
"Could you please tell the court your professional qualifications?"
"I hold a Doctorate of Medicine from Oxford University and a Doctorate of Chemistry from University College London. I am on the board of directors of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons and I am a professor of medicine at Cambridge University where I teach anatomy, pathology and forensics."
"How long have you been teaching Dr.?"
"Twenty years."
"And when you attended university you graduated?"
"First class honors with distinction in both degrees."
"Are you an expert in forensic pathology?"
"I am."
"When the university is asked to perform an independent autopsy, how are the results verified?"
"I perform the initial autopsy, a fellow professor performs an independent autopsy to confirm my results and six of our top students are selected to each perform their own analysis. If there is no difference in opinion between the eight results we consider the autopsy verified."
"Where you able to determine if Vera Bates suffered from any medical complaints?"
"Yes, she had secondary syphilis and melanoma of the lungs."
"How were these conditions missed in the initial coroner's autopsy?"
"Objection, calls for conjecture."
"My Lord, Dr. Fiedler is an expert in the field of forensics. He is more than qualified to make an educated assessment of the situation."
"Overruled, the witness will answer the question."
"The symptoms of secondary syphilis are often mistaken for measles or chicken pox. There were lesions in the back of the throat that were partially healed," said Dr. Fiedler. "As well many coroners do not perform a full autopsy once a probable cause of death is ascertained. The coroner would have performed a Marsh test for arsenic, as did I. If the test were positive it is probable the conducting physician did not look further."
"You and your associates performed a full autopsy?"
"Yes, we did. I teach my students to be as thorough as I am."
"What was the cause of death in this instance?"
"Accidental arsenic poisoning."
The courtroom erupted into a wave of voices and people shifting in their seats. The judge called for silence in the court. Once the room was settled there was still the sound of people shifting and foot shuffling. The judge announced a short recess.
Tears were falling unchecked from Anna's eyes and Isobel Crawley had her arm around her shoulders. Mary had fetched a glass of water for Anna and Lord Grantham looked as though he were going to be ill.
"The testimony isn't finished yet," said Mary. "Do you think you will be able to go back in?"
"I want to be there," Anna said. "For better or for worse. This is about as worse as it gets."
"What is Lewis thinking?" Lord Grantham questioned. "Things were going so well up until now."
"Its always darkest before the calm," said Isobel. "We must have faith."
The end of the recess was announced and everyone filed back into the courtroom to hear the rest of Dr. Fiedler's testimony.
"Dr. Fiedler, why did you find the cause of death to be accidental?"
"Vera Bates body showed the signs of long term arsenic exposure. Arsenic is a persistent substance. Once it enters the body it doesn't leave. Melanoma of the lungs, kidneys and bladder are common side effects. Mrs. Vera Bates did in fact have melanoma of the lungs and the early stages of melanoma of other vital organs as well as some skin discoloration due to interruption of pigmentation," Dr. Fiedler paused to allow his words to sink in. "The only effective treatment for syphilis is the intravenous administration of Salvarsen. In lay terms Salvarsen is an arsenic based drug in a suspension of saline or salt water. I did find traces of Salvarsen in the deceased's circulatory system."
"Did Salvarsen alone kill Vera Bates?"
"No. Salvarsen alone is quite safe and an effective treatment. It was the ingested arsenic that killed her."
Anna gasped and grabbed the rail in front of her. John in the prisoners box had gone as white as a sheet and looked like he would pass out at any second. Everyone in the small Crawley contingent were barely able to breathe in anticipation of what would come next.
"Why do you say this, Dr. Fiedler?"
"When we conducted the autopsy, we were also sent a tea pot found at the scene for analysis. The teapot contained a mixture of arsenic, chalk and vinegar. This concoction has been around for the last forty years or so. Women commonly drank it in the 1880's and 90's to whiten their skin. It is still available in some less than trustworthy apothecary shops. This is the substance found in the teapot. I found traces of the same mixture of chalk, vinegar and arsenic in the deceased's stomach. Vera Bates had a discoloration of the pigment in her skin and most likely drank it to try to correct the issue. In all likelihood she had used the concoction before causing the symptoms of long-term arsenic exposure. With the Salvarsen already in her blood stream the combination of ingesting an arsenic based skin whitener and the cumulative effect of long term arsenic exposure, she suffered an accidental arsenic overdose and died."
"One final question, Dr. Fiedler. Did you find any trace of rat poison in the teapot?"
"No, I can say emphatically that there was no trace of rat poison in the teapot."
The entire household was assembled at Crawley House in the drawing room. Phone calls had been made and Edith, Sir Anthony and Matthew had all come on the first train. The Dowager Countess arrived from Lady Rosamund's. Sybil was still wearing her nursing uniform from college and she and Tom each held one of their children. The entire household staff with no exclusions stood around the edge of the room.
Lord Grantham surveyed the scene in front of him. His mother looking as stern and unbending as ever was seated on a small chair. There were his three sons-in-law. Sir Anthony who was the kindest man he had ever met and whose only real interest in life besides his daughter was farming. Tom Branson who smiled easily, had a quick wit and a temper to match the touch of red in his hair and Matthew Crawley who he loved as much as if he were his own son. There were his wife and daughters who he loved unconditionally. Around the room were the people who worked for them. Their lives touched and intertwined with those of their employers on a daily basis, sometimes changing the course of their lives forever. To his left stood Anna and John Bates. John was thinner than when he was taken away and his cloths now hung on him as he leaned on his walking stick. Every person in this room had somehow touched the drama of the last two years from serving meals after a long day in court, to doing what it took to get John Bates a retrial. Once the glasses were all handed out, Lord Grantham raised his glass in toast.
"To Family," he said. "And those who touch our lives."
"To Family!"
the end
This is it! Thank you all for being my faithful readers and reviewers on this story. I'm very glad so many of you have enjoyed this rollercoaster of intrigue. When I started this story it was a birthday gift for my husband and I had absolutely no idea who the killer was. If Julian Fellows is as diabolical as I think he may be, season 3 should be lots of fun.
Just an aside, University College London had three nobel prize winners before 1920. Research, research, research! Notes page coming soon.