Mister Dingledine by Robert F. Clifton (short novels in english .TXT) 📖

lunch. Supper usually is either beef or lamb stew and very little meat, may I say.”

“Good to know. The next time I come I’ll bring you a sandwich. What would you like?”, asked Henderson.

“Corn-beef would be nice,” Herbert answered.

“On rye, of course.”

“Of course.”

“Now then, I’ve read the state’s case against you. The indictment is that you with Malice a Forethought did willfully and premeditate the death of your wife, by poisoning her with arsenic. At the same time, I read the laboratory reports indicating that the tests conducted on the green, string beans that you prepared and fed to your wife contained traces of arsenic. At trial, the prosecutor will attempt to convince the jury that you deliberately fed your wife contaminated beans knowing full well that arsenic would build up in her body and eventually kill her.”

“How could I possibly know such a thing?’, asked Herbert.

“The State will bring out the fact that you are a biology teacher, knowledgeable in chemistry and chemical results, including poisons,” Henderson explained.

“But, I’m not.”

“I know that the members of the jury don’t. Believe me, they’ll take that information and hold it against you.”

“It’s not right.”

“Neither are the charges against you. Now, I also have a list of witnesses that the State will call to testify on their behalf. I want to know your relationship with each of the witnesses. First is, John Kramer.”

“John? He’s my next door neighbor,” said Herbert.

“Does he like or dislike you?’

“As far as I know, we’re friends. Not bosom buddies, but friendly neighbors.”

“Alright, Next, is The Reverend, Richard Holmes.”

“Father Holmes? He’s my priest. How could he possibly be a witness against me?’, asked Herbert.

“That’s what I’d like to know. Then, there’s Doctor, Francis Pittman.”

“He was the doctor on duty the night that Ethel died.”

Other than treating her what else did he have to do with you?”

“As I recall, he told me that in his opinion Ethel had died of botulism and I seem to recall a brief conversation on green beans and yellow beans.”

“And, this I’m afraid has to be discussed. Alberta Collins.

“Alberta and I started off as colleagues. We both teach at high school. She teaches English. I teach biology. Over a period of time, we soon had a sort of attraction for each other. This grew into, let’s say, a romantic liaison.”

“Were you intimate with her?”

“Sexually? No. As a matter of fact, we did nothing more than her taking my arm when we were out and about.”

“Out and about where?”

“Concerts, museums, art museums mostly.”

“No intimate dinners or meetings?”

“No, Alberta made all the plans for our get together. We never actually dined as I recall.”

“Finally, Detective Sergeant Frank Bernhardt.”

“He is the officer that investigated and arrested me, as far as I know.”

“Alright. Alberta Collins. Let’s go back to her. My question and the question that will be in the mind of the men on the jury is, what was your intentions in dealing with Alberta. For instance, as a man did you plan to seduce her?”

“No, of course not. Alberta is a lady and I a gentleman. I would not and never had any such an idea as seduction.”

“Then, marriage perhaps?”

“Yes. I did propose.”

“Did she accept?”

“Yes and no. She said for us to wait one year. That time would be spent with me mourning the passing of Ethel. At the same time, she would be seen as a dear friend consoling a widower with the two of us falling in love.”

“It appears as though this Alberta is very clever,” said Henderson.

“Really? I’ve always seen her as being intelligent. Not clever.

“Be that as it may. I would like to turn now to the subject of arsenic. Do you? I should say did you have any arsenic in the house?”

“In the house? No.”

“The reason why I ask is that in doing a bit of research I found that such a thing a certain green, flossed wallpaper not only contained the arsenic poison known as Paris green but gives off invisible vapors that are deadly.”

“We do not have flossed wallpaper,” Herbert answered.

“What about sheets of green fly paper?”

“No, none.”

“Alright, now I want you to think and think hard finding a way that traces of arsenic could possible been placed in your canned, green beans.”

“Herbert sat for several minutes deep in thought, then said,

“I’m sorry. I can’t explain how arsenic contaminated the beans.”

“Alright. I want to check the inside of your home and also the garden. I need your keys.”

“My keys, billfold, belt and shoelaces were taken from me. I don’t know where they’re at.”

“I’ll ask for them. If there’s no other way, I’ll force myself in if I have to,” said Henderson.

*******************

Three days later Theodore Henderson walked slowly through Herbert Dingledine’s home. Going room to room he looked carefully for anything or any signs of Paris green. Finding none he then went through the pantry into the laundry room and finding himself at the back door, unlocked it and stepped outside. He looked briefly at the now brown and dry remains of a vegetable garden. Then, stopping at the shed, unlocked the padlock, removed it and stepped inside. There he found tools, cans of paint, and garden tools. On a shelf attached to a wall he saw a small bag of rock salt and after looking closely he found no signs of Paris green. “ Of course not. The police took it as evidence,” he thought.

After securing the shed again he walked through the backyard. Reaching the back door he entered, closed the door behind him and wiped his feet on the small throw rug on the floor. He started for the pantry. Then, he stopped. “The rug? Of course. Anyone walking through the garden in particular or the backyard would come in contact with the Paris green put down by Herbert. Entering the house they would naturally and normally wipe their feet on the rug. Therefore, if I’m right, the rug has to have Paris green residue,” he thought to himself.

With a smile on his face, Henderson made his way to the bedroom. There in the closet were the dresses and skirts worn by Ethel Dingledine. Henderson removed a blanket from the bed then collected the woman’s clothing wrapping them in the blanket. Next, he took a clean sheet went to the back door, picked up the throw rug and like the clothing wrapped the rug in the sheet. With two bundles, one in each hand he left the house, locking the door behind him.

It was two days later when Herbert met with Henderson.

“ How are they treating you?’, asked Henderson.

“As if I’m a convicted murderer. Other than that not too bad.”

“Good. I went through your house and shed. I might have found something that is favorable to your case. Right now I need something from you?”, said, Henderson.”

“ Such as?”

“Such as a lock of your hair.”

“My hair? What on earth for?”

“ To see if you, in fact, have arsenic in your system.”

“I can tell you right now, that I don’t. I feel fine.”

“ Good, feeling fine at the moment means nothing. Hold still,” said Henderson approaching with a pair of scissors.

Back at his office Theodore Henderson looked at his private investigator, Maximilian Taylor. “Max, I want you to take these bundles to Axentic Laboratory, across town. Here is a list of the things I want them to look for. Also in this envelope is a hair sample. With that, I want them to look for traces of arsenic.”

“Is that all?’, asked Taylor.

“No, on the way back stop at the high school and interview people that are friendly towards Dingledine and will make good character witnesses. After that go and see Doctors, Paul Wentworth, David Atkins and Harry Brentwood. Those are the doctors that treated Ethel Dingledine at one time or another. I want to know what they treated her for.”

“You know that they’ll claim doctor-patient privilege,” said Taylor.

“Of course. Threaten them with a subpoena. Don’t tell them that I intend to subpoena them anyway.”

“On the way.”, said Taylor picking up the two bundles.

************

With plenty of time to think Herbert sat on his jail cell cot trying to remember things, incidents or events. “ How could poison get into the green beans? When I used the Paris green I always washed my hands thoroughly using Fels-Naptha soap. At the same time all of the vegetables that I picked I washed. There’s no way Paris green could be on or in the string beans.

Unless, unless I was negligent. Could I have been so at a time when arguing with Ethel, which was most of the time?” Possibly, but even then I’m sure I washed the beans correctly. Wait, negligent? Accidental? The only accident I can recall in relation to green beans is coming in through the back door with a basket full, then tripping and spilling them on the floor and rug. Still, I picked them up and washed them. I must tell Henderson about that, not that it matters. I did wash the beans.”

Then as the hours and days passed by Herbert began to become despondent. One day, alone in his cell he began to reflect back on his life and his problem. “ Me. Why me? What have I ever done to deserve this? I’m being treated like an animal, a caged animal. I am no killer, no murderer. I am innocent. I never planned to kill Ethel. I had nothing to do with her death. Yet, here I sit accused. My life in itself was nothing to brag about. Sure I had a job, no, a profession that I enjoyed, even though the pay was insufficient, Still, for someone who worked only one hundred and sixty days a year it was enough, I suppose. At the same time, I see many others that I know wealthy and secure. They take a vacation to the seashore in summer, send their children to summer camps. They buy season tickets for the opera and orchestra season. I can’t even afford a phonograph. The good book does say, that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a wealthy man to enter heaven. In my opinion, a poor man gets a needle in the eye,” he thought.

Three weeks later Theodore Henderson sat at his desk reading the results of the test performed by Axenic Laboratory. He smiled, then reached for the telephone on his desk. “Operator?” said a female voice.

“Number five nine two,” said Henderson.

“One moment please.”

After a ring, a female voice came on the line. “Hello?”

“Hello, beautiful.”

“Teddy, oh. it’s been a while. How are you?”

“Fine. Listen, Diane. I need a favor.”

“And?”

“I might need you to testify as an expert witness in a case I’ll be defending in court.”

“About what?”

“Women’s fashion.”

“I see. Well, I am a designer, so I suppose I fit the category. Still, I wouldn’t call myself an expert.”

“As I recall, you are expert in several things.”

“Teddy, you are a devil. Tell you what. I’ll be your witness, for a price of course.”

“Name it.’

“Dinner.”

“Before or after you testify?”

“Both.”

“Are you free tomorrow evening?”

“Darling, nothing’s free. However, I’ll see that I have no other engagements.

“Fine any particular place you would like to dine?”

“The Valley Green Inn. This time of the year they might light the fireplace. I want to be near the fire.’

“I’ll see what I can do. Personally, I think you’re hot enough.’

“You rascal you. Call for me at seven.”

“It’s a date.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Seven

The Prosecution

 

At ten AM, Monday morning, January 14, 1901, Herbert Dingeldine sat next to his lawyer, Theodore Henderson. Behind him were two, armed guards. Dressed in a suit, with shirt, collar and tie Herbert had the appearance of exactly what he was, a small frail man who was a school teacher. This was the impression Henderson wanted to make when the men on the jury first saw his client. As a result, it was no surprise that as the twelve men selected to be the jury entered the courtroom each one took a long, serious look at Herbert.

“ I feel as though I’m sitting here naked,”