Chapter 19: The Arsenic Eater

Watching the little boy run off happily, Billy opened his mouth, but eventually couldn't help asking, "When did you find someone to investigate this?"

As a detective's assistant who had been by Holmes's side the whole time, he hadn't noticed a thing!

"Just as we were getting off the public carriage. A group of children came over to beg, and since you were all busy asking others about Hughes, you didn't pay attention to this side," Holmes replied calmly, striding forward with his walking stick. "Now, we are heading to this new address—Runnymede. Although the two don't live in the same district, they aren't far apart; after all, they are both near the border. Hmm, though there is a small forest in between. Do you think Hughes might have gotten lost in there?"

The three of them took a hired carriage directly to the address provided by the boy. While passing through the small forest, Billy even spotted a river winding through it.

The river was not narrow—at least several meters wide—and the water was clear enough to show that it was quite deep, certainly over a meter.

Seeing the river, Billy felt an urge to go fishing, but remembering all the junk he had pulled out in the past, he ruthlessly suppressed the thought.

They arrived in Runnymede, near the home of Big Hughes's mistress.

Before they could even reach the house to pay a visit, they saw people coming and going. Among them, Billy spotted the familiar uniforms of the police. Something had definitely happened!

By this time, a crowd had gathered. Holmes slipped into the throng with ease and began asking what had occurred.

Gossip is human nature, and upon hearing the question, those with a desire to vent began to recount the events.

"The widow inside is dead, of course. Everyone suspects her lover killed her. He came by early this morning to find her, and because he discovered she had other lovers, they had a heated argument. The neighbors heard it clearly. Not long after, the lover let out a scream and bolted out the door. By the time the doctor arrived, she was already dead."

"How are you so sure she was murdered?" Holmes asked.

"How else could it be? She was always in perfect health, attending banquets and parties all day long without ever showing a sign of fatigue."

Listening to this, Billy couldn't help but mutter to himself. Some people look healthy on the surface, but who knows what they are really like inside? Only they know, as appearances can easily be faked. Besides, it could have been sudden cardiac death.

Holmes seemed indifferent to the answer, instead walking briskly toward the house and slipping past the policemen with agile movements.

The startled officers: "???"

Billy hurried to follow, but he lacked Holmes's agility and was immediately blocked.

"I am Sherlock Holmes's assistant. I heard there was a murder, so I came to take a look. Mr. Holmes has already gone inside."

"Holmes?" the officer exclaimed, and someone immediately rushed toward the house, evidently to report to their superior.

Not long after, Billy and Merritt were allowed inside. Holmes was already crouching beside the body, examining it carefully, while a sycophantic-looking officer stood nearby.

Merritt had not expected to see a corpse; she had assumed it would have been moved. The victim’s contorted expression startled her, causing her to turn pale and retreat. "I... I think I'll wait outside for you."

Merritt left the scene quickly. Billy didn't mind and walked over to Holmes.

Lying on the floor was a beautiful woman wearing a bustle dress. Even with her face twisted and blood on her lips, her beauty was still evident. However, looking closely at the fine lines around her eyes, Billy realized the widow wasn't young; she was at least thirty.

Billy barely glanced at her face, his gaze falling instead on the blood at the corners of her mouth. Beside her, he could see vomit, also streaked with blood.

Billy became more convinced that this was a case of poisoning, likely with a substance that had scorched her esophagus. But before concluding, he needed more evidence.

He noticed Holmes looking at the woman’s hands. They were slender and fair, with perfectly manicured nails, but Billy immediately spotted something wrong. The nails did not have the healthy pale pink color of a normal person, nor the white half-moons; instead, they were marked with horizontal white lines.

A chill ran through Billy. These were Mees' lines—the strongest indicator of heavy metal poisoning. For these lines to appear, the poisoning must have been chronic, lasting several weeks, with small doses each time; otherwise, she would have been killed instantly.

Potential toxins flashed through Billy's mind: arsenic, thallium, or fluoride poisoning could all cause this.

As he pondered, Holmes took the corpse's hand and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, handing it to Billy. "Wet this."

Billy obeyed instinctively, wetting the cloth with water provided by an officer and handing it back. Holmes began to wipe the victim's hand. After a few swipes, Billy realized what was happening: the victim had applied makeup to her hands. Once the camouflage was wiped away, the truth was revealed.

Billy understood why she had done it—her hands were covered in hyperpigmentation, resembling age spots but larger, yet the skin lacked the withered, wrinkled texture of an elderly person.

Billy now realized what she had been poisoned with. The pigmentation, the Mees' lines, and the bloody vomiting were classic symptoms of arsenic poisoning.

But if she had been poisoned for so long that her hands and nails showed clear symptoms, why had she been trying to hide them with makeup?

Holmes continued to wipe her hands clean. Both showed the same clear lines and pigmentation, but nothing else.

Holmes then checked her mouth, where Billy could clearly see the mucous membranes, which were far redder and more swollen than those of a healthy person.

"Billy, you should be able to tell what kind of poison this is by now, right?" Holmes looked up.

Billy didn't hesitate. "Arsenic poisoning. The signs are clear: pigmentation on the hands, likely the feet as well, congested oral mucosa, and the white horizontal lines on the nails. She must have been poisoned for several weeks. But why would she actively hide the symptoms?"

Finally, Billy couldn't help but ask the question aloud.

Holmes chuckled. "Billy, you still don't understand these people who are obsessed with beauty. Since an article was published in a medical journal in 1851 claiming that people in a certain region of Austria took arsenic regularly not only without ill effects but with improved health and vigor, others have followed suit. They claim that small, consistent doses of arsenic make the skin fairer and smoother. But arsenic is not easily expelled from the body; it accumulates over time, eventually leading to fatal poisoning. It seems this lady was bewitched by the idea that arsenic could act as a beauty treatment."

Billy had never heard of such a thing. He was stunned.

People took poison to look beautiful? How was that any different from seeking death? He figured he had never heard of it because people in the lower districts had neither the money to buy arsenic nor the time to indulge in such nonsense to maintain their looks.

"This could be a death caused by chronic arsenic poisoning, or perhaps a combination of other toxins," Holmes said, standing up and turning to the police. "We need to analyze the victim's vomit and gastric contents to determine the specific poison. Even acute arsenic poisoning takes several hours to kill. Who did she see today, and what did she eat?"

Holmes directed his final question at the maid, who was trembling nearby.

The maid was stunned for a moment before answering, "Today... she only saw Mr. Hatton. For breakfast, she had what I prepared: a cup of black tea, buttered bread, and bacon. It was no different from any other day. I prepared everything myself; no one else entered the kitchen, and I ate the leftovers myself."

"Did the lady take her arsenic as usual today?" Holmes pressed.

"No, I don't think so. She always mixes it with water. After breakfast, she locked herself in the study and didn't ask me to bring any hot water. She only came out when Mr. Hatton called."

Holmes scanned the room and locked his gaze on the closed door. He strode through the crowd and pushed it open.

Billy followed. The study looked ordinary, save for a few potted plants and lace decorations. The bookshelves were filled with a mix of popular science, novels, and history.

"The arsenic powder is always kept in the bedroom," the maid said hurriedly. She wanted to intervene but was held back by the presence of the police, merely looking at the study with a nervous expression.

Billy’s gaze fell instantly onto an unfinished letter on the desk. There were water stains on it—it looked like tears.

Could it be that she was so heartbroken by a cold-hearted letter from Mr. Big Hughes that she had been writing a reply?