Page 99
Chapter 53
‘It’spart of a famous quote, Poe,’ Doyle said. ‘A man called Paracelsus is believed to have said it in the sixteenth century. It ends on, “Surely it is the dose that determines that a thing is poison.”’
‘What’s that mean?’
‘Would it surprise you if I said that in the right dosage, fruit can be poisonous?’
Poe glanced at Bradshaw. ‘Told you,’ he said.
‘For example, the potassium in bananas is a naturally occurring radioactive isotope. Eat enough and you get radiation poisoning.’
‘You’re joking?’
‘Tilly?’
‘She’s right, Poe,’ Bradshaw said. ‘In an infinitesimal amount obviously. If you give me a second …’ She shut her eyes and began muttering under her breath. Poe and Doyle stared at each other. Poe shrugged in a no-idea-what-she’s-doing kind of way. In less than a minute Bradshaw’s eyes opened. ‘I estimate you would have to eat one hundred million bananas in a twelve-hour period to get a lethal dose.’
‘I need to go to hospital then,’ Poe said. ‘I had one hundred million bananas for breakfast.’
Doyle laughed, the first time she had since they’d been there. ‘And before you start gloating about your diet,’ she said, ‘even cheese can be poisonous.’
He paused, then said, ‘Even cheddar?’
‘I’m afraid so. It’s called tyrotoxism.’
‘Cheeseis poisonous?’
‘My point is this. You have to think round corners when it comes to intelligent poisoners. Gone are the days when cutting-edgemedicine was using dried eel skins as elasticated bandages. Scientists are doing extraordinary things now. They’re editing the genes of crops to make them drought resistant, the genes of babies so they don’t inherit hereditary diseases. And tomorrow’s science is today’s magic, don’t forget. Orblackmagic, as you put it. What’s to say there isn’t someone out there making single-use, designer poisons? Untraceable at source, only reacts when it’s in the body, designed to mimic a known poison.’
‘You think that’s what’s happening?’
‘I have no idea,’ she said. ‘But, as you’ve run all your tests, followed your murder manuals, you need to start thinking creatively – he certainly is.’
‘Will you help me?’ he said.
‘From in here?’
‘If I can get you copies of the post-mortem reports?’
‘How will you do that? I understand that some poor soul has to read every inmate’s mail. PM documents will be marked as contraband, Poe. You could get in trouble.’
‘You may as well have dared him, Estelle Doyle,’ Bradshaw sighed.
‘Well, if he gets caught, he can always share my cell. Britney won’t be back any time soon and it gets very cold at night. What do you think, Tilly? Is that a good idea?’
Uncharacteristically, Bradshaw giggled and blushed.
Poe shook his head in exasperation. ‘You two will be the death of me,’ he said.
Doyle smiled. ‘Pretty sure you’re going to live forever, Poe.’
He considered that for a moment. ‘What a horrible thought,’ he said.
Thinking creatively was on Poe’s mind as they made their way back to the car park. Specifically, how he could get post-mortem reports to someone in a high-security prison. He was concentrating so much, when someone shouted his name it didn’t immediately register.
Bradshaw nudged him. ‘Poe, I think that man wants to speak to you.’
‘What man?’
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99 (Reading here)
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213
- Page 214
- Page 215
- Page 216
- Page 217
- Page 218
- Page 219
- Page 220
- Page 221
- Page 222
- Page 223
- Page 224
- Page 225
- Page 226
- Page 227
- Page 228
- Page 229
- Page 230
- Page 231