The Hospital Murders

, Snod! Time

n. He began experimenting slowly with his head, burying hi

voice was stil

ools and his voice was grating. The old deserted laboratory building was on the side of

d?” Snod replied sarcastically, raising himself to a sit

ully and walked toward one of the dusty lab sinks.

aid as he took his handkerchief from his pocket an

... hundreds of feet. Said tomorrow is visiting day throughout the hospital and that it will be all over town by tomorro

ew and sent for Rogers. He’ll be here by

ut MacArthur suspect

inued placidly waving his wet

en him and he

Howd’y

t MacArthur’s request, because I was supposed to be a friend of the old man. He

instance, should disagree with you, I suppose we’d better not tell 261 Lil. If she ain’t improved since this morning, she might do a re

only twenty minutes

t luncheon, before I again e

ward refrigera

took me to all of the clinics. So I could look the doctors over. Administrator from a di

find one,

Eye Clinic, all the wards dark and dismal and the air full of unuttered screams,

-boiled egg. Pure and precious. Pat the tail off a Shetland pony and grab out your eye

nd 262 flat. “Snappin’ out eyes gets a ma

n-toter. He’d run from

woul

ian’s square. Eyes like a searchlight. Kids play around him. Kids and dogs know. H

y utter a word

Gimme a

... you sound as loo

The darkness concealed his steely e

er been in a slaughter house where they were

are up against the medical profession, and the medical profession is compos

rning, and I saw at least ten doctors, 263 and about half of

nderwear sold in the United States is bought

eve you

e nurses!” Snod con

speaking of he-she things! Well he wore pants and a vest, but he talk

A rat c

m Prissy. How

erling is the murde

en sleeping

e don’t have time to change his undershirt. Any woman can call him at any hour, and what

nse was definite. “He a

and skill to be a doctor. Guts is mascul

6

men ... Jesus! ... The damnedest looking liquids suspended over the beds hitched under the sheets w

is over,” Snod

me, that doct

rule men and men rule

s innocent, and he knew I was ‘a di

Personal charm? Or just ‘tw

ed the remark

d of Doctor MacArthur and Dr. Bear Sterling is always welcome in my clinic, sir.’

right about him. Everything come

o you

ld me. What about

d one of t

6

way back to the

’em telling fortun

m a tent. Got a building with swimming pools, and roof garde

doctors, who are always telling you ‘sex done it.’ N

thout the stiffening, holding up his mentality. Got a head like a German. All fro

saltpetre in their food and wondering how long before they’d be nuts! And him saying, ‘Routine, as yo

ain’t even a human being. If you put a bu

hing we got to

r not. He’s the control. He’s the person who is working the

it out

hat kind of thing to the man who is Bear Sterling’s assistant, Miss Carruthers took me to Cub Sterling an

Roses.” Snod’s reply came throug

bein’s office before anybody realized I was there. He was sitting in a room with bare

ost their whites like a hor

said, ‘You

we looked at each other and he tried to make me feel like the fur

that hypnotizing 267 stunt on me was the head of a snowbird ring at Atlantic City

beet and then he switched his

s hospital and a very trusted

ed to hypnotize her to put her to sleep and this doll, the doll which is always left by the mur

minute and then he turned on

of his active life entirely to his profession. To speak plainly, sexual abstinence has caused an inversion of that natural energy by which a man obtains his bal

been trying to build up against young Sterling in every 268 staff meeting for a week won’t

ied: ‘I’m going to Mis

re, then,’ I

yes were spraying venom on me l

ll me in confidenc

lowly. ‘Think it over, Doctor! You’ll

he door, hard,

watchi

osevelt got me. It’s five to th

ere are you going? Wh

t of the Kerr women.

rolled his overcoat carefully in the crumpled copy of The Morning Call, hid it in a corner of the room and left the build

6

d down for their afternoon nap. Two student nurses

. She was smoking her last cigarette, inhaling slowly and gazing from the window. She had slept all night, a log

er hers ... to see again, even at a distance, the nice way the black hair grew below his white cuffs and over the knuckles of his fingers

if his father died, even if The Call was bombed, she had Cub forever and

hrough and closed it. For a moment he stood entirely silent,

7

c air made Sally sli

re did you

ed into amuseme

l from God. Give

armholes, he pushed two fingers into a pocket

his “scoop hysterics.” Something was up! S

plashed out

Ferg. Sneaked up the porch stairs. Half hour stomach travel and

get the dope. What is it? Come on, kid! What

es on her body an

t? W

ty Editor of The Call and saving six columns

arette from her li

7

bling, Jumbo, and tell

ots on him. Four people gone out in the same bed since Thursday. All patients of his. Done between eleven and twelve at night. He jabbed ’em with a hypodermic. For four days we’v

n fry his tail in hell. It’s the biggest story west of the Mississippi in twenty years a

id not look at the person he was addressing. That hab

g. Her feet were flat upon the mattress, pressing against each oth

y doctor. Due to come to see me in about half an hour. You go back and tell Bucks to give me till five. It’s no

ucks s

nd here. I know the man. The only way to muff it is for you to stand there till you’re caught! Quit sucking your tongue li

to the door, t

id, Ferg! Everybo

four years! Tell

and sobbed dryly for five minutes. Then she tiptoed over to the

set. Her head

it. But you couldn’t prove anything lying here being police

7

the student nurse came,

p for a while this afternoon. Will you bring me

When she returned with t

r nurse has the cramps and doesn’t want to report

ly smiled.

the door and said,

her vitals hollow and quivering. It took ten precious minutes to dress. Inside, and with every motion of

! You are not! Cub darling

scertained the student nurse was out of sight, and gathering all of her strength, ran the few feet to the screen porch d

had to reach that porch off Ward A, get over the railing and drop to the groun

erectness every motion of which hurt, entered Ott

violet eyes int

o. I think I can save him ... if you’

When he did open them, the girl was already in a taxi-cab

, brought Evelina Kerr, student nurse, to Dr. MacArth

t a minute.... He asked me to wait until he ret

275 acquiescence. The old lady smiled, backed ou

d the bony ankles pressing against each other. Hig

ward the door. “My mistake. I d

er round chin tried for a w

e thought he was flirting. When his eyes began their spreading lid trick, she felt as though

y are you lookin

against the door. His

ds beat

ing at me!

ke an ice cloth a

you quit ly

nst shattered nerves. Her close-set eyes began to fe

7

know what you are talkin

ed steadfast. He

your aunt w

he battle back to her bod

s not! I swear t

and clenched his han

k at

ht to ge

d, graduall

. at ...

s cringed befor

eleased his hold and smiled

sorry for yo

jug on the mantel and placed it against her lips. And while she drank, with hi

the girl had never known. S

asoning voi

bout it, w

table. Then 277 he took her sweating

cascaded o

not! She’s ... she’s ... I can’t tell you ...

hand beneath the hand

red in a monoton

hady depths of her close-s

ror fell away.

e-ward-I’m-on-in-her-clinic. At nigh

re of his hands no

her

es

he an

sper was almos

.. think .

voice bec

know she’s not

shot back

il I notified 278 her ... the ni

u didn’t

s came i

. when-I-came-on ... duty ... and-w

y to throw you off the trac

r eyes and voice

o.

rd was

his tactics

the urge is ‘on’, nothing ... n

door into the corridor. Ten minutes had passed.

Dr. MacArthur and Miss Carruthers will

ew text books under their arms, were coming toward him, but they were the only people in sight. The wards had settled down for 279 the afternoon, the white nurse

n the orderlies and maids. He remembered that he had forgotten to tell Snod about the roses, and considered going up to Ward B after he entered Medici

ening checking up on Miss Kerr’s past.

. She smelt people like a dog. Kind of sixth sense and

door he could see Miss Roenna Kerr, her flat feet primly unde

fingers and she turned her long head. Then her face became as devoid of expression as a mule

something in the Clinic that yo

though, and you can be so good as to tell me,” his gray eyes narrowed and tried t

ress and frilled bonnet, that Mattus had found in M

Pa-pa!” kept repeating its

er! I’ll tell you,” there

... a week ago ... and went to a street

carefully in a chair be

that your niece won was lyi

eyes raised to his and he shot past her p

quicker th

8

thout intention

. Mu

ned her lips to make a statement about “dep

e an addict has acknowledged the habit, he knew s

the shot

d to do. It’s

ins turned the doll over again. Its nas

through the wh

to take any tablets the ni

fore God, I d

ike Cub Ster

her like a bullet. Sh

m, either! Dr. Hoffbein used

defied and cowered

an doctor you l

so. How do y

Hoffb

8

you either. He j

then....” He leaned quickly forw

tect my

ged his

our own syring

th laid bare against her purpling lips. Her bust relaxed

. I didn’t do any of them! ... I ... I .

them ... if

a eyes p

f ... the Cub

ha

t through he

murder Monday night! ... I was coming out of the Medicine Closet with my ... and one of them was bending over t

t in 283 Bed 11 ...” her words began to

cut in

duty to ... i

an to pick he

ouldn’t.... Don’t y

you tell Dr.

said if ... I ever went back ...

grimly and hu

hospital looks li

een over every single face since then ..

re taking dope, Miss Kerr ... who knew that when you

y I took the doll. To keep the Staff fr

out somewhere. Wh

ives the sheet to me and I turn the c

8

macy! They kn

anged ... the sheet from Ward B ... the d

d you tu

he first trac

k the white nurse from Ward B if the ph

off dut

r in he

e hesitated

ice cut her

save your own ne

e receiver back upon t

them ... her pencil memo

steadily and

e. As soon as I step from this door, until I return, there will always be s

d voice r

in corridor ... but I

t the closed do

8

ce to resign ... or spend the

sig

f duty until se

padour shoo

he lobby and up the main corridor toward the

ose? ... She was too frightened to leave, though.... The bes

of Dr. Cub Sterling’s leaving his dying father to come to see about them. They were excited over his furrowed face and his sudden ageing. They didn

he same feeling of admiration which the other women had experienced for Cub Sterling had taken the form of pr

8

s he looked at Lil. A grand girl, Lil! And a swell detective! Do anything for a

dishes. They worked quietly and with the doors closed. One o

soon as he set eyes on him. He finished the saucers and left the man still tal

long enough to get even a bottle of cream out

, he caught sight of chubby Bessie Ellis sitting up in her crib and playing

friends immediately. As he passed the medicine closet he saw

he crib to steady himself. She was 287 six, and the pink dre

r tackled. He said slowly, and hi

u get that ne

s’ gave her

rkins. The other women were still asleep. Some of them were

with fear and her f

was harsh and heavy. “

intense features began k

nd when he leaned over me ... with the hypodermic....” her profile shadow convulsed agains

, Snod. Oh, God ... run mad, together. Crazy! And then he cocked his le

t way this morning. 288 His eyes!

iddo, till

s of great stress saw the tall figure with the high shou

iselessly, and panth

or closed just

in sight, either way, except in the distance was a man. The man wore a whi

rom the left patch pocket there was dang

is muscles and

hen a panicky woman opened a si

d sidestep her, and the agony of her f

inic. Quick! For

ays. Only the tall

’s sake,

8

man into his long arms and began runnin

ipped him, an

ited such emergencies, to get the panic-stricken woman onto a handy stretcher,

Matt was. No use trying to

damn near framing three innocent people! Within that

in body shambled i

rilling of a robin. Snod slid over to a window an

ew alongside an

but could you te

ings. His eyes followed his fingers. His voice, once it had f

’s Mac

9

. He was measuring his foref

e are two Cub Sterlings, old Kerr says. Just con

nds continued t

ne Cub Sterling just tried to mur

s face

h-a

bonnet hanging from his pocket, walking up this

it Matt’s lips. Wo

General. He can act quicker. Then I’ll watch Cub Sterling, until they come. Give me time to think. Something don’t click. I still don’t believe i

waving. But his eye was out

an.... Turn

9

nto the Administration Building, and round the

e in motion and h

ou watch out for Lil! Th

s in his hand. Four doctors were coming up the c

s to make that train,