Bodie and Doyle were in the middle of lunch when Dr Fairbairn came to the quarantine unit. The food was surprisingly good, roast beef sandwiches with creamy chicken soup on the side and a large pot of tea, but with the specter of dangerous illness hanging over them neither man had much appetite. The doctor's expression, grave to the point of sadness, was not calculated to raise their spirits, and they rose to their feet with a feeling of dread.
Fairbairn waved them back to their seats. "All the bloodwork is in on Mrs Consolus. Bella Consolus. No infectious disease."
Bodie had been holding his breath and now he exhaled, smiling at Doyle. His partner smiled back. "Does that mean we're free to go?"
The doctor shook his head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to look into Mrs Consolus' case. She died an hour ago, and I have every reason to believe it was murder."
"Murder!" Doyle's eyebrows went up. "We saw her crash her car. People die every day from car accidents."
"This was no accident," said Fairbairn grimly. "Mrs Consolus was exposed to a toxic chemical that affected the ability of her blood to clot. She was bleeding to death before the accident. I've checked her medical history, and she wasn't taking any blood thinners. I didn't get much information out of her, but one thing she did tell me was that she'd had a garlic taste in her mouth since yesterday."
"Garlic?" Bodie shook his head in bewilderment. "What does garlic have to do with anything?"
"I believe the toxin was mixed with dimethylsulfoxide, DMSO for short." Fairbairn was speaking with precision now. "DMSO is a chemical that can be used to dissolve many drugs and carry them into the system, much like a hypodermic needle." Fairbairn paused, then switched back to his patient. "It looks to me as if the mixture was used to coat something Mrs Consolus would touch regularly, allowing the toxin to enter her system. Quite diabolical."
"Quite," agreed Bodie, "but it's a police matter. We've already lost too much time today."
"Bodie," said Doyle. The curly-haired man sat back down at the little table they had been eating at, and the look on his face perturbed his partner. Bodie frowned and started to speak, then remained silent as Doyle looked at him with quiet frightened eyes. Finally he said, "Bodie, I've been tasting garlic all morning."