Page 20 of The Botanist's Assistant
“I’ve asked Professor Blackstone to review both and to familiarize himself more deeply with their content. We can’t be sending off a grant request with a dead man’s name on it, now, can we?”
Margaret is surprised at the crudity of the remark.
“The university needs that grant, Margaret, and Dr. Blackstone said he knew about your cancer plant and even talkedwith Dr. Deaver about it. He said he would be happyto put his name as the applicant so Dr. Deaver’s research could continue. A grant like that would be a huge boost to the university. Imagine the publicity we’ll get. We’ll be right up there with Stanford and UCLA.”
The dean’s eyes gleam.
Margaret thinks he’s already imagining himself in a corner office in the administration building.
“Of course, we’ll keep Dr. Deaver as the principal investigator on the paper, but I’d like Dr. Blackstone’s name there, too, which is why I want him to review it. He doesn’t want any data errors sneaking through.”
The blood rushes to Margaret’s head and she warns herself to remain calm and in control.
“Respectfully, sir, Dr. Blackstone has no idea what we’re doing in the lab.”
“You’ve found a new cancer drug. He’s a biochemist. How hard is that to understand?”
“What we’ve found is a possible tumor suppressor, but we have much more work to do, as you will read in the grant application. The leaves are extremely hard to get so we need to find a way to produce the compound in a more easily obtainable plant, like tobacco. We’re on the right track and are looking to collaborate with a medical chemist or bioengineer to help us with that process, but we’re still a long way from a cancer drug.”
The dean waves his hand. “I understand all that. But isn’t that why we need to hurry? Isn’t that why we should put Professor Blackstone in charge so the work can continue? This will put us on the map.”
At one point, Harold McDonald must have been a decentscientist, but his years as an administrator have turned him into the academic version of a carnival barker. His job is to lure money, students and prestige to Roosevelt University, preferably all three.
“Well, yes,” Margaret admits, “but I’m not sure this can be rushed, and I don’t know if Professor Blackstone is the right person.”
The dean frowns. “And why is that?”
How can she tell him that Levi Blackstone could possibly be a murderer?
“Well, sir. There may be complications surrounding Dr. Deaver’s death.”
Careful, Margaret warns herself.
The dean squints at her. “What kind of complications?”
“Sir, I believe there is the possibility that Dr. Deaver’s death was not caused by his heart but by the ingestion ofAtropa belladonna. He may have been poisoned.”
The dean moves faster than Margaret has ever seen him move. He jumps from his chair and slams his office door closed.
“I’m going to give you exactly five minutes to explain.”
Margaret keeps her voice measured as she outlines the characteristics ofAtropa belladonnapoisoning, Dr. Deaver’s dark pupils, the jacket on the floor and the unbuttoned shirt, which could be a consequence of sudden overheating, the overturned photo, which could indicate hallucinations. She outlines the missing cocktail glass and presence of a soda that Dr. Deaver never drank and how that could point to a visitor. She explains the empty scotch bottle and the fact that there is a bottle of atropine in a locked cabinet in the lab. Theimprobableis not the impossible, she says, roughly quoting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. No more going on about Venetian courtesans and witches. She’d learned her lesson with Officer Bianchi.
By the time she finishes, the dean’s face has darkened.
“I’m surprised at you, Miss Finch. I thought of you as one of the more rational women I know, not one to fuss over her hair or how she looks. Steady, a workhorse.”
Was this supposed to be a compliment?
“But this…this is just wild and dangerous speculation. Dr. Deaver had a bad heart. That’s all that happened. I’m surprised you would not only imagine some crazy murder plot but actually bring it up to me.”
Margaret gathers herself. “It’s not wild speculation. It’s a possibility and, in science, possibilities should never be dismissed. Especially in something like this.”
The dean glowers. “What proof do you have beyond your so-called clues?”
Margaret can’t tell him about breaking into Dr. Deaver’s office to look for carbon 14 residue or stalking Zhang or that pumping Purdy for information led to the discovery of Blackstone possibly being the last person to see Dr. Deaver alive. To confess would be to admit she’d overstepped several boundaries.
“There’s no proof yet, but I’ve notified Officer Bianchi of the campus police and requested a toxicology screen, which would show the presence ofAtropa belladonna, atropine, in Dr. Deaver’s body.”
