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"Janice, could you please come with me for a moment?" Dr. Hawley accosted the nurse as she walked onto the ICU floor to begin her shift. "There is a matter of some importance which has come up."
"Of course, doctor, but don't you think I should get report from Annette and check on my patients first?"
"Never mind that now. Annette has agreed to stay a little longer this morning in order to allow us to have our meeting. If any of your patients need anything, she will be able to take care of them." Dr. Hawley purposely neglected to mention that Ms. Street, in particular, was also being looked after by two operatives from the Paul Drake Detective Agency, who had brought her flowers and were in her room chatting as if the purpose of their visit was merely a social one. In reality, they had strict orders to make sure that Della ate or drank nothing besides the breakfast that Paul had procured for her.
"Very well, then." The nurse gracefully followed the physician to a small conference room at the end of the hall.
Entering it, her eyes slightly widened with surprise when she realized that Mr. Perry Mason was standing confidently and somberly in the center of the room. For the first time in days, his tie was fastened and he was impeccably dressed, looking as if he were ready for court. Paul Drake, who she recognized from his multiple visits to the ICU floor, was sitting in a nearby chair. And by the windows stood two men whom she had never seen before. Dr. Hawley nodded grimly at Perry before taking a seat in the corner of the room, thus turning over the meeting to him.
"Please have a seat, ma'am," the defense attorney said in a polite but firm voice, nodding at an empty chair by the conference table.
As Janice did so, she asked,
"Is anything the matter, Mr. Mason?"
"Yes, I am afraid there is. Like yourself, I am concerned about Ms. Street's nutrition."
"Oh, Mr. Mason, there is no need to fret any longer! After all, she had a whole carton of milk last night, and if she is a bit more awake today, we'll be sure to make her eat even more!"
"Actually," Perry said, putting his hands on the table and ominously leaning over towards Janice with a glare, "I was referring to the fact that the nutrition you have been providing her has been poisoned."
"Whaa-," Janice cried out, becoming two shades paler. "That is crazy!"
"Is it?" the defense attorney asked, shortly.
"Yes, of course. Why, her heart rate barely dropped after she had that entire carton of milk yesterday!"
"So you do admit that poisoning was the reason for Ms. Street's low heart rate!"
"I -," Janice caught her breath. She knew she was cornered, but she was not ready to surrender just yet. "I said nothing of the sort!"
"Ms. Hoffman," Perry continued in an intimidating tone, "it's over. We have someone analyzing that milk right now. And we know that the milk in Ms. Street's apartment was likewise tainted." He pulled out a chair and seated himself across from Janice, his piercing, ocean-blue eyes almost boring holes into her. "I submit that you knew about the entire plot, and served her that milk with the full knowledge that it would drive down her pulse. I further submit that in order to divert suspicion from yourself, you made a point of calling me 'Mr. Street' that first morning, to make it seem as if you had no idea who I or Ms. Street were."
"That is all ridiculous!" the blond woman cried out.
"Is it? Well, perhaps you will change your story once I tell you that the Los Angeles Police Department raided the Scorpion Nightclub not fifteen minutes ago. Your brother, I understand, was among those arrested, along with his boss. The accused are currently on their way to Police Headquarters, where they will shortly be questioned regarding their involvement in the attempted murder of Ms. Della Street. As you likely know, whoever makes a confession to the police first in such cases is generally offered a lesser sentence. By my count, you probably have about ten minutes to tell the truth before one of your friends cracks under the pressure of police interrogation and snatches up that deal. If you don't believe me, just ask our esteemed District Attorney, Mr. Hamilton Burger, or the head of the Homicide Division of the police force, Lieutenant Tragg." With these words, the attorney waved his hand in the direction of the two men standing by the window. The shorter one, with a sly smile on his lips, produced a badge from his pocket and casually held it up.
"Mr. Mason is right, Ms. Hoffman," Hamilton Burger said, coming over and standing over the young woman threateningly. "You, too, are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, but if you wish to entertain any hope of emerging from prison in this lifetime, albeit as a white-haired, fragile old lady, you had better tell us everything you know right now. Della Street happens to have a lot of friends in the legal system, and unless you start talking right now, Perry and I are going to sit down and together figure out every single charge that we can book you on. Considering Mr. Mason's reputation for thoroughness in legal matters, I think it safe to say that not one outstanding parking ticket will be missed. So, what is it going to be?"
Janice stood up, and paced to one of the windows. She gazed out of it for thirty seconds, and then precipitously wheeled around to face the men in the room. Instantly, they saw that the courteous, gentle nurse had completely vanished. Instead, Janice Hoffman wore a furious sneer and had an evil glint in her eye.
"We were so close!" she shrieked. "So very, very close!"
"Suppose you tell us about the entire plan," Perry Mason said, uncompromisingly pointing to the chair she had recently vacated.
Janice practically stomped to it and sat down.
"It is true. I was part of a plot to kill Ms. Street," she grumbled. "After all, thanks to you, the man I was going to marry was put behind bars for life without the possibility of parole!"
"Were you the one who planned everything?"
"No, the Boss – his real name is Maurice Watkins - was the only one with the brains and connections to pull off such a plot." She glanced down at the table as she began to explain. "He noticed that you seemed fond of Ms. Street, and thought that her death would probably destroy you. And the Boss has connections everywhere, including at the LaCrosse Pharmaceutical Company. He found out that they were working on a new heart medication. When dissolved in a liquid, it is tasteless and odorless. It was meant for people with tachycardic arrhythmias, but the pharmacists and researchers found that it had the side effect of lowering even a healthy person's heart rate dangerously low if slightly higher doses were given. Since it was obviously a problematic property of the drug, they were experimenting on it to see if there was a way to reduce or eliminate that side effect."
"But for your boss, that unfortunate side effect was just what he was looking for," Perry rejoined sarcastically. "Especially when it was due to a new medication that no toxicology panel would test for and which was unknown by physicians. What is the name of this drug?"
"LaCrosse Pharmaceuticals calls it RUX-68. Since they are not planning to market it anytime soon, they don't have a brand name for it yet."
Perry glanced at Paul. The private detective instantly knew what he wanted. With a slight nod, he got up and quickly left the room.
"So your associates saw to it that a quantity of RUX-68 was obtained. Then what happened? How did they get into Ms. Street's apartment and put it into her food? Did they pick the lock? Bribe the apartment manager to let them in?"
"They did not need to get into her apartment," Janice said, a tad impatiently. "That part of the plan was deliciously easy. We knew from observing her that Della Street seemed to drink a good deal of milk, for the milkman would drop off two bottles of the beverage outside her door, without fail, each Monday and Thursday. Each time after the delivery was made in the early morning hours, one of our men would approach, unscrew the tops of the milk bottles, and mix in a dose of RUX-68. The amount was increased each week. We were hoping to make her symptoms come on gradually, so that when she eventually died, it would appear to be from natural causes. Not only would that prevent an investigation into her death from being opened, thereby protecting us from any suspicion, but it would also leave you particularly helpless – there would be no justice for you to pursue on her behalf. There would be nothing for you to do but to sit around, missing her."
Perry did his best to ignore the last statement. Walking to the window and gazing out of it himself, he continued his cross-examination:
"In the meantime, knowing that St. Mary's Hospital had the most advanced Cardiology Department in Los Angeles and that anyone suffering from a mysterious heart condition would eventually be brought to it, you prepared for Ms. Street's anticipated arrival by getting a job on the ICU floor. How much money did the hospital administrator who recommended you owe the mob?"
"A hundred thousand dollars," the woman admitted.
"So you blackmailed him for the recommendation."
"That is correct."
"And how did you ensure that you would be Ms. Street's nurse?"
"My brother called me shortly after she collapsed in that courtroom and let me know that she had been brought to St. Mary's Emergency Room. I immediately made it a point to go to the charge nurse and volunteer to be assigned to the next admission, knowing that it would likely be her, if she did not die before she got to the ICU floor." Janice rolled her eyes in a very unladylike manner. "And before you ask, I smuggled the tainted milk cartons into the hospital in my own lunchbox. When a tray of food arrived for Ms. Street, I would swipe the container of milk from it and replace it with one of the cartons I had brought." She glared at Perry. "The carton of milk I began to feed her last night was supposed to be the fatal dose. The Boss assured me that anyone who drank half of its contents would be as dead as a doornail within a couple of hours. I was thrilled when I saw that you had taken it upon yourself to feed her." A sadistic light came into the woman's eyes as she recalled the memory. "She would have died by your hand!"
Despite his best efforts to appear unperturbed by the last statement, Perry's eyelids suddenly flickered as if he had been painfully stabbed. He was reeling when he realized how close a call it had been! If Della had obeyed him and taken a couple more swallows of milk…if he had not noticed her plunging heart rate on the monitor and continued to prod her to eat…Della would be gone! For a moment he could not bring himself to speak, but thankfully Hamilton Burger interjected indignantly at this juncture:
"No prosecutor in the world would charge Mr. Mason with a crime under these circumstances, nor any judge or jury find him guilty!"
Janice shrugged her shoulders.
"We did not expect that he would be. The mere knowledge that he had inadvertently killed her would have provided enough satisfaction for the Boss, my brother, Timmy and myself!"
Hamilton Burger, Lieutenant Tragg and Perry looked at each other and took a collective breath, mentally reminding themselves of their positions and the need to control their tempers. They had seen enough criminals in their day, but at the moment, the heartless young dame was surpassing them all.
"Perry," the District Attorney said in a terse voice, "is there anything else you want to ask this…woman…before we send her off to jail, where she so clearly belongs?"
"Just one more thing," the defense attorney said, turning upon the prisoner, "when you realized that Ms. Street had not perished despite apparently drinking the milk you presented her with last night, you made a phone call to the Scorpion Nightclub. What was the backup plan that you decided on?"
"We were worried that she might have started to become immune to the effects of RUX-68, but we were going to try one more time today at lunch. The container of milk I was to have given her is still in my lunchbox."
"From where my men will collect it and send it to the lab," Lieutenant Tragg said dryly. Reaching into his pocket, he brought out a pair of handcuffs and clapped them on Janice's wrists. "If I were you, I would enjoy the walk to the police cruiser, Ms. Hoffman. It will probably be one of the last times you will see the outside world for the next fifty years. And that is with time off for good behavior!"
Janice gave Perry one more murderous look before she was led away.
After the door closed behind her and Tragg, Perry sighed with relief and approached the District Attorney with an outstretched hand.
"Thank you, Hamilton," he said, genuine gratitude in his voice.
"Think nothing of it, Perry," his courtroom rival returned, reaching out and shaking his hand warmly. "It is I who should be thanking you. We've long been suspicious about the ongoings at the Scorpion Nightclub, and this is a perfect opportunity to take dozens of unsavory characters out of circulation. Although, I wish that a different circumstance had led to their arrest!" He clapped the defense attorney on the back. "Perry, when Della feels better and is able to speak with me, please let me know. I am going to need a deposition from her to complete my case. It will just be a few simple questions: I will need her to confirm that she indeed did drink the milk that her milkman delivered and testify as to when her symptoms first started."
"I truly hope that she will be up to it soon," Perry said. He looked over at Dr. Hawley, who had just stood up and was coming over to the two lawyers. "What do you think, Bill?"
"If her recovery continues on the same trajectory as it has overnight, by tomorrow morning, Ms. Street should be more than capable of giving a sworn statement," the physician replied.
"That is good to hear," Mr. Burger said. "I appreciate your input, doctor."
"In the meantime," Perry said, "if there is anything I can do to help you prosecute this case, let me know."
"That is one offer I never thought I would hear Perry Mason make!" the District Attorney chuckled.
"Don't get used to it, Hamilton," Perry laughed, as the three men walked out of the conference room.
Justice is starting to be dished out, and the question of 'how did the mob start poisoning Della outside the hospital?' has been answered!
Now we need to fill Della in on all these happenings…the poor girl still thinks that she has a mysterious, incurable illness.
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