"Gardner, Erle Stanley - Perry Mason 074 - The Case of the Horrifed Heirs" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gardner Earle Stanley)

THE CASE OF THE HORRIFIED HEIRS
by Erle Stanley Gardner

Copyright 1964 by Erle Stanley Gardner


FOREWORD

A heavy rain in Scotland had swollen the streams. As one of them subsided, a small bundle was left by the receding waters.
This bundle contained human flesh.
A search revealed more bundles. Some of them were found days apart. Apparently, many of them had been thrown from a bridge into the turbulent flood waters.
Nearly a month after the first discoveries, a left foot was found on the roadside some distance from the stream bed. Nearly a week later, a right forearm with hand was discovered.
All of the recoveries were, of course, in a state of advanced decomposition.
When the pieces were assembled, it was found there were two heads which had been mutilated by removal of eyes, ears, nose, lips and skin. All teeth had been extracted.
It was apparent that a skilled hand had deliberately butchered two human beings in an attempt to make identification humanly impossible.
While visiting in Glasgow, I was privileged to discuss this case with the distinguished medicolegal expert whose work contributed so much to a solution of the murders.
This man is John Glaister, D. Sc., M.D., F.R.S.E. He is learned in the law and in medical science, being a barrister as well as a doctor of science and of medicine. His academic honors, the positions he has held in his long and distinguished career, would make this brief note too long for available space, should I attempt to enumerate them.
Suffice it to say he helped make medicological history by his work in this baffling murder case. The distinguishing features of the bodies were "reconstructed" by scientific methods. Brilliant deduction determined the general neighborhood where the victims had lived, and shrewd detective work resulted in apprehending the murderer.
My friend Professor Glaister is the author of _Medical Jurisprudence and Toxicology_ (E. 8c S. Livingstone, Ltd., Edinburgh & London; 11th Edition), one of the most comprehensive and authoritative books in the field. Those who wish to learn more of the puzzling murder case mentioned, and the scientific methods used to identify the bodies and apprehend the murderer, will find an account of the case in that book.
Professor Glaister is a dedicated man. His is an honored name in his profession. He has contributed much to a science which protects the living by making the dead reveal their secrets. He is a dignified, impartial man, devoid of bias, devoted to finding out the truth, regardless of where the chips may fall.
And so, I dedicate this book to my friend

JOHN GLAISTER, D. Sc., M.D., F.R.S.E.

ERLE STANLEY GARDNER




CHAPTER ONE


Murder is not perpetrated in a vacuum. It is a product of greed, avarice, hate, revenge, or perhaps fear. As a splashing stone sends ripples to the farthest edges of the pond, murder affects the lives of many people.


Early morning sunlight percolated through the window of a private room in the Phillips Memorial Hospital.
Traffic noises in the street which had been hushed to a low hum during the night began to swell in volume. The steps of nurses in the corridors increased in tempo, indicating an increase in the work load.
Patients were being washed, temperatures taken, blood samples collected; then the breakfast trays came rolling along, the faint aroma of coffee and oatmeal seeped into the corridors, as if apologetically asking permission to push aside the aura of antiseptic severity, promising that the intrusion would be only temporary.
Nurses holding sterile hypodermic syringes hurried into the rooms of surgery patients, giving the preliminary quieting drug which would allay apprehensions and pave the way for the anesthetic.
Lauretta Trent sat up in bed and smiled wanly at the nurse.
"I feel better," she proclaimed in a weak voice.
"Doctor promised to look in this morning right after surgery," the nurse told her, smiling reassuringly.
"He said I could go home?" the patient asked eagerly.
"You'll have to ask him about that," the nurse said. "But you're going to have to watch your diet for a while. This last upset was very, very bad indeed."
Lauretta sighed. "I wish I knew what was causing them. I've tried to be careful. I must be developing some sort of an allergy."


CHAPTER TWO

Out at the Trent residence, set in its spacious grounds reminiscent of a bygone era, the housekeeper was putting the finishing touches on the master bedroom.