Page 18 of Murder on Harley Street
I bit back my sarcastic retort and focused on the death instead. “We’re trying to discover how Mrs. Kempsey could have died during her appointment on this device with only Dr. Iverson present. Have you ever seen someone fatally electrocuted before?”
“No, although I have read about it in science journals. It’s used as a humane mode of execution in America.” He closed the lid on the box. “I think I know what you’re going to ask, Miss Fox. How could Dr. Iverson not know his patient was being electrocuted? She should have shouted, or made a noise, and he would have had time to turn it off, saving her life.”
“Yet she died instantly, right before his eyes,” Harry added.
“Interesting,” Mr. Reid murmured, tapping his chin in thought.
Harry and I exchanged grim glances. Mr. Reid’s idea of interesting was rather macabre.
“What you’re describing is instant death, with no opportunity to even turn the machine off,” he said. “To my mind, that means she died in one of two ways.”
He had Harry’s and my full attention now. “Go on,” I said, impatient.
“Either Dr. Iverson is lying, and her deathwasn’tinstantaneous. He ignored her pleas for help and watched her die. Or she had an underlying condition that caused her heart to fail when her body received the dangerous level of volts, killing her instantly. The first scenario means he’s a murderer, which I don’t believe. Dr. Iverson is a good man, and surely there are easier ways for a doctor to kill a patient. The second scenario means the saboteur knew about the heart conditionandknew a high voltage would be instantly fatal.”
There was also a third scenario. “It’s possible the saboteurdidn’tknow about her heart condition butassumedthe machine would kill her instantly. They didn’t know electrocution can take longer than a mere second or two.”
Mr. Reid agreed. “If you rule out Dr. Iverson being the murderer—and I believe you can—then the machine must have been sabotaged by someone else with access. It’s the only conclusion. Not even a weak heart would give out while attached to the Electro Therapy Machine if it was working correctly.” He patted the box’s lid. “The currents it transmits are so minimal they barely register on a galvanometer. That’s a special instrument we use to measure electricity,” he told me.
“If the currents are that low, how can it be effective in curing anything?” Harry asked.
Mr. Reid bristled. “Are you calling me a fraud, Mr. Armitage?”
“I’m merely asking a question about the medical science.”
Mr. Reid snorted. “I don’t expect you to understand. You’re not an electrician or doctor. I have many testimonials stating the excellent health benefits of the device. Just this month thePopewrote to me to tell me it helped his rheumatism.” He pushed past Harry and strode to the door. “If you’re looking for someone with a reason to sabotage my device and my good name along with it, look at my former employee, now rival. Duncan Hamlin of The Hamlin Electrical Company is peddling a device he claims is better than mine, but is in fact essentially the same. I taught him everything. I treated him like a son, even allowing him significant time off when he was going through some difficulties. How does he repay me? He steals my idea and leaves. He’s a greedy thief who’ll stop at nothing to besmirch my name and that of my most celebrated client, Dr. Iverson.”
“Even murder?” I asked.
Mr. Reid opened the door. “I’m afraid Duncan Hamlin has no morals. I was quite taken in by him at first, but his true nature came out in the end. He threatened me when I dismissed him. You’ll find him in a grubby little workshop in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell.” He sniffed. “He can’t afford premises in this part of the city.”
Harry thanked him and we left. As we walked along Oxford Street, he removed his notepad and pencil from his pocket. I peered down at the page as he wrote another question to ask Dr. Iverson—did Isabel Kempsey have a weak heart?
“I’ve thought of another question for the doctor,” I said. “Did any of his staff know how the Electro Therapy Machine worked, and do they have the knowledge to sabotage it?”
Harry wrote the question down then flipped the notebook closed and pocketed it. “The rival manufacturer certainly has the knowledge, but his motive isn’t very strong. Even if Duncan Hamlin wanted to ruin his former employer’s reputation, I can’t believe he’d stoop to murdering an innocent woman and blaming it on an innocent man.”
I agreed. We may not have met Mr. Hamlin yet, but it was a stretch to think someone would go to such dreadful lengths for profit. Unless… “We discussed three scenarios in Mr. Reid’s office, but I’ve just thought of a fourth. What if the saboteur didn’t know Isabel Kempsey had a heart condition? Indeed, what if he didn’t know who Dr. Iverson’s first patient was yesterday morning, or didn’t think it mattered? Maybe he presumed sabotaging the device would badly shock the next patient to use it, not cause her death because he didn’t know that patient had a heart condition.”
“A tragic miscalculation? It’s a good theory, Cleo. It fits if the saboteur is the disgruntled Hamlin. He’d want to make the device look bad to Iverson. Come on. We need to speak to him. That bus will take us to Clerkenwell.”
He ran to catch it and asked the driver to wait for me. I hurried as quickly as I could and was assisted on board by Harry. The driver didn’t wait until we were seated before urging the horses forward, and Harry had to steady me as he paid the conductor for our tickets. There was no room inside, so we headed up the stairs to the open-air seats on top.
Once settled, Harry asked me if I’d managed to avoid Mr. Lombardi the previous evening.
“Fortunately, he was dining elsewhere,” I said. “If he was in the hotel restaurant and dining alone, Aunt Lilian told us to invite him to sit with us. It was practically an order. Uncle Ronald went along with it, but I think that was more because he didn’t want to upset her. I could tell he didn’t like the idea.”
“Yet he’s fine with Lombardi hiring the hotel’s ballroom for his event?”
“They both are. They say company events will be a good future revenue stream for the hotel, and we need this one to be a success to attract more.”
“If it’s your aunt’s decision, then you can’t go against her wishes. As long as she’s not being coerced into it by Sir Ronald, that is.”
“She’s not, I’m quite sure of it.” I sighed. “You’re right. It is her decision. Very well. I will dine with Mr. Lombardi if necessary, and not call him a quack to his face.”
“Very good of you to add that last part, Cleo.”
I leaned against his side. “It will cost me a great deal to be gracious, but I’ll do it for my aunt’s sake.”
