Spirits Unearthed

by Alice Duncan

  "No. He charges for his time." Mrs. Benjamin giggled. She was such a sweet woman, and I liked them both so well that I giggled, too.

  "I'll be happy to pay him for his time," I told her.

  "Don't be silly, dear. He's just sitting in his office smoking. You know him."

  "I do indeed." Dr. Benjamin was seldom without a cigarette halo around his head. He smoked almost constantly. I didn't think all those cigarettes were good for him, but I didn't know any more about medicine than I did about cooking, so I never mentioned my fears to him.

  "Go on back. He'll be pleased to see you. How's your delightful detective doing?"

  Sam? Delightful? Yes. He was—when he wasn't in his stoic and grim detectival mode—and it was nice to know other people thought so, too. "He's fine, thank you. We both got an unpleasant surprise when we visited the cemetery yesterday."

  "Oh, good Lord, don't tell me it was you who found that awful man's body!" said Mrs. Benjamin. She knew about my penchant for stumbling over dead bodies, too.

  "I'm afraid it was," I said. "I wanted to ask Doc about the man." Then, figuring why not, I asked, "Do you know what he was doing these days? I understand his professional life hasn't been... robust for the last couple of years."

  Mrs. Benjamin sniffed. "I should hope not. I didn't know him well, but I've heard stories." Her voice dropped to a sepulchral tone on the last couple of words.

  "What kinds of stories?" I asked eagerly.

  "Hmm. You'd best ask the doctor, dear. I'm really not supposed to spread gossip. If it is gossip."

  The way her lips pinched together led me to believe that, if the tales she'd heard were mere gossip, she'd be surprised to learn it.

  Fascinating. I opened the door to the hallway leading to Dr. Benjamin's office and practically tap danced down the hall to his door. I found him standing at the window, looking out onto the gray December day. His office offered a view of Lake Avenue, which was one of the main north-south streets in Altadena and Pasadena. Several businesses shared space on Lake, including the Altadena Public Library, a grocery store, a bakery and several other shops. Some private residences also occupied lots on Lake Avenue, but it seemed to me that businesses were gradually taking over the avenue. I guess that sort of thing constituted progress in our modern age.

  Chapter 9

  When I opened the doctor's office door, he turned and smiled as though he were glad to see me. I returned his smile. Even though he'd cracked his window open a teensy bit at the top, his office reeked of cigarette smoke. He waved some of it around, probably in an effort to reduce the smudgy atmosphere. Didn't work.

  "Good morning, Daisy. You don't look as though you need my medical services."

  "Thank you, Doctor Benjamin. I don't, really. I came to ask you some questions about Doctor Everhard Wagner."

  His smile turned upside down. "The man was murdered," he said in a flat tone.

  "I know. Sam and I found the body yesterday morning when we visited Mountain View Cemetery."

  His smile returned, he plopped into his chair and gestured for me to take a seat opposite his desk. "You certainly have a knack for finding murdered people, don't you, my dear?"

  Instantly, I said, "I don't do it on purpose!" My reputation for falling over dead bodies was getting on my nerves. I couldn't help it, for Pete's sake! If folks left dead bodies strewn all over the place in my vicinity, it wasn't due to any flaw in my character.

  He laughed. "I know it isn't your fault, sweetheart. I just like to tease you."

  "You and everybody else I know," I said upon a deep and heartfelt sigh. "But since Sam and I were together when we found the body, Sam asked me to ask you if you knew what Doctor Wagner had been up to recently. According to lots of people, his medical practice had been seriously damaged after his daughter ran away and he was exposed as a wife-beating brute."

  With a grimace of distaste, Dr. Benjamin said, "That's one way of putting it."

  "Do you know why he and Doctor—Oh, pooh, I can't remember his first name. But a doctor whose last name is Ferdinand was mentioned as a particular enemy of his. Do you know why that was?"

  Doc Benjamin sat and pondered my question for several seconds. Then he said, "I don't like spreading rumors, Daisy."

  "Are they mere rumors? Or was Doctor Wagner up to something sinister? And if he was, is that the reason Doctor Ferdinand was so angry at him?"

  "Hmmm. Are you sure Detective Rotondo wants you probing into the Wagner case? You're not fibbing to me, are you, Daisy?"

  "No!" Indignant at the thought I might be dissembling, I went on, "If you don't believe me, call Sam at the police department!"

  "Don't get mad at me, sweetie. Just checking. Last I heard, he was peeved with you for involving yourself in one of his cases. I do believe that was one of the reasons for his nasty leg wound." He grinned as if he didn't mean it, but I suspected he did.

  "He wouldn't have got shot if he hadn't followed me secretly," I muttered, feeling guilty.

  "I'm sure that's so, but his secretly following you might have saved your life, you know."

  I huffed out another sigh. "I know."

  "And you sure he won't mind you asking me about the two doctors?"

  "Absolutely. This case is different. Sam and I found the body together, went to the Los Angeles County Marshal's Office together, and he really, honestly and truly, asked me to ask you about Doctor Wagner. And Doctor Ferdinand, if you know."

  "All right. I believe you."

  I humphed again, which only made him laugh once more.

  "Well?" I said, still indignant. "Will you tell me what the evil Doctor Wagner was up to, or do you not know?"

  "Oh, I know, all right."

  "Well?"

  "It's not pleasant, Daisy."

  "Nothing about Doctor Wagner was pleasant. Including his death."

  Doc Benjamin leaned over his desk and peered closely at me. "How'd he die?"

  "Got his head bashed in."

  "That doesn't sound very nice."

  I shrugged. "Neither was he."

  With another laugh, Dr. Benjamin said, "All right. My understanding is that not long after Wagner's business declined when he was exposed as whatever it was you called him, he got into the illegal abortion business."

  "Abortions? Oh, my!"

  "Yes. Unpleasant, I know. And I also know that William—that's Doctor Ferdinand's first name—was upset because Wagner did a sloppy job on quite a few of his patients. Also, William is a Roman Catholic, and his church is vehemently opposed to abortion. I believe, however, that it was the sloppiness of Wagner's work that mattered more to William. He... Well, he had to deal with the aftermath a couple of times." He grimaced. "As did I."

  "You mean Doctor Wagner messed up women's abortions?" I'm pretty sure I had a disgusted look on my face, because I felt disgusted. Totally, absolutely, positively disgusted. I mean, I don't approve of abortion, but if a woman is desperate enough to rid herself of a baby, there had to be a really good reason for her to do so. The decision alone would be a painful one to make, and if she then went to a doctor whom she presumed to be honorable only to have the procedure botched, well... I didn't even know what to think about that, except that Dr. Wagner fell even further in my esteem, and he'd been below dirt level for years.

  "That's precisely what I mean," said Dr. Benjamin, not inclined to laugh anymore. "He ruined two young women's chances for ever bearing children, thanks to the sloppiness of his work. Those are the only two I know of. There may well be more."

  "That's terrible," I said, meaning it. In fact, I kind of felt like crying but didn't for once.

  "Terrible is one word for it. To treat an already-desperate young woman like a piece of meat is... Well, despicable is the word that comes to my mind."

  "Despicable works. Those poor girls. I mean, I don't suppose they should have... well, got themselves in trouble, but still...."

  "Still. Yes, I know. And it's not always the woman's fault, you know, Daisy. Yo
u do know that there are men in the world who take vile advantage of women if they can. You're not naïve. I know for a fact you've dealt with some... problems that certain women have endured."

  I heaved yet another deep sigh. "Yes, I have. I've never considered a woman being... well, assaulted and getting with child. That must be horrible."

  "Yes. It must be."

  I got the impression Doc Benjamin had seen more than his share of young women who'd been violated in one way or another, and he didn't like it. Didn't blame him one little bit.

  "I don't suppose you have the names of any poor girls who were... butchered by Doctor Wagner, do you?"

  After a short spell of silence, the good doctor said, "If I do know the names of any young women who were in trouble and who went to Doctor Wagner, I couldn't divulge them, Daisy. That would be a gross violation of a patient's privacy. I'm sorry, but that's a doctor's golden rule. After, of course, 'First, do no harm'."

  "Of course. I didn't mean for you to violate anyone's privacy. And is that 'do no harm' thing really part of a doctor's... whatever you call it?"

  "Primum non nocere. Those words, 'first, do no harm' aren't actually part of the Hippocratic Oath, but the oath means that. There's also a part about absolutely respecting a patient's privacy. And that's another part of the oath I won't violate, even under torture." He grinned.

  "You're kidding me!"

  "Well, actually, I was about the torture part. But I take the privacy part of the oath seriously and I won't violate it, even for you."

  "I understand," said I, humbled. "Doctors carry a heavy burden. I didn't know those things were part of the Hippocratic Oath."

  "I know you didn't." His tone had softened. "And it wouldn't surprise me if some of the young women I've seen would love to talk to you, just for the consolation an understanding soul can provide. And I know you have an understanding soul."

  "Thank you. So do you." I sniffled. "You were so good to Billy and me during those awful years when he suffered so much."

  "Poor Billy," said the doctor.

  "Poor Billy," I agreed.

  "And poor you."

  "I guess so."

  "I know so. You went through hell, Daisy, and you've borne up admirably. That's why I almost wish I could divulge the names of a couple of my patients to you. But I can't, and that's that. But you know, some truly good young women get 'into trouble,' as the time-honored saying has it. Oh, they might have used poor judgment or done something indiscreet, but none of them deserved what that butcher Wagner did to them."

  "I've got to visit the library today. I think I'll read the Hippocratic Oath. You guys are held to strict standards. Well, most of you are."

  "We choose to practice strict standards. That's why a villain like Doctor Wagner is anathema to us."

  "You really do think he was a villain, don't you?"

  "He butchered several young women whom I had to treat after he was through with them. So, yes, I believe he was a villain."

  "He seemed to hate woman," I mused.

  Another moment of silence while Dr. Benjamin looked thoughtful, and then, "I do believe you're correct about that. I'd never thought of his attitude and actions in that way before, but I think you're right."

  "But that doesn't bring us any nearer to who killed him."

  This time the doctor's silence made me look up from my folded hands, which I'd had atop my handbag in my lap. His face revealed a troubled mind.

  "What's the matter, Doctor Benjamin?"

  He shook his head. "As I said, I can't violate my patients' confidences. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't."

  Well, dagnabbit, now I was really curious. Peering closely at the doctor, I saw his lips were pinched and his brows furrowed, as if he were in some distress. What did this mean? Clearly he knew some of Dr. Wagner's victims. Could he know of a young woman who had been violated by Dr. Wagner and then...

  My mind boggled. Good Lord! Dr. Wagner couldn't have violated his own daughter, could he? Marianne? My mind boggled some more.

  But merciful heavens! What an idea. Could that vile man have raped his own daughter, impregnated her, and then ruined her chances of ever having children? If that were the case, the man truly had been a monster! I opened my mouth, knew instantly that Dr. Benjamin wouldn't answer any of my prying questions, and shut it again. Darn it! And I was absolutely certain Marianne wouldn't confess to anything so... gross and disgusting. And so horribly sad. Even though, if what I were thinking had happened, it wasn't her fault any more than stumbling over dead bodies was mine.

  The doctor and I sat in silence for a few more moments, and then I said, "Well, I thank you for your time, Doctor Benjamin. I know Sam will appreciate learning what you told me."

  "You're welcome."

  And then, because I couldn't hold in my rage another single second, I said, "I'm glad that awful man is dead! What a fiend he was!"

  "Can't argue with you there, Daisy. You're fortunate in your family."

  "I sure am. And in my family's choice of doctors. Thanks again, Doc."

  "You're more than welcome, Daisy. Please give my regards to your family for me."

  "I will. We need to have you and Mrs. Benjamin over for one of Vi's special dinners again soon."

  "Your aunt has invited us for Christmas Eve dinner, so we'll see you soon. There's nowhere else either of us like to dine as much as at your place. Your aunt has an angel's touch in the kitchen."

  I rose and smiled at him. "She sure does. Just like you have an angel's touch with your medical arts."

  He laughed, we shook hands, and I left his office. After saying good-bye to Mrs. Benjamin, I tootled off to the Pasadena Public Library, thinking unpleasant thoughts about Dr. Wagner the entire way.

  I also thought about Marianne Grenville. If Dr. Wagner had done what I suspected he might have done to her and then ruined her chances of having a family, it might give both her and George a motive for doing away with the ghastly man. Oh, dear. I wasn't sure if I should tell Sam my private thoughts. After all, I wasn't bound by any oath, Hippocratic or otherwise.

  On the other hand, if I was wrong about Marianne and her old man, blabbing might lead to disastrous consequences, although I couldn't offhand think of what those consequences might be.

  George and Marianne arrested for murder? I couldn't make myself believe that killing Dr. Wagner was an evil act. His entire life was evil. Putting him down was, to my mind, in the nature of putting down a rabid dog.

  Oh, dear, dear, dear, dear. I didn't know what to do, but I hoped I'd come to some sort of resolution before I saw Sam again. Bother. Life could be so troublesome and unsettling.

  Chapter 10

  As luck would have it, my favorite librarian, Regina Minerva Petrie—one of these days to become Regina Minerva Browning—sat behind her desk in the reference section of the library. I was happy to see her because, if anything could keep my mind from dwelling in the sewer of Dr. Wagner's life and death, books could.

  Miss Petrie appeared quite attractive that day. Thanks to my influence—and I'm not bragging. It's the simple truth—she'd learned how to fix her hair more artfully, use a tiny bit of makeup to great advantage, and now wore attire that was both professional and good-looking. None of her old, boring brown or gray ensembles these days. She appeared darned near perky as I approached her desk after dropping off my family's already-read books at the returns table.

  "So nice to see you, Daisy! I've saved some books for your family."

  "You're a peach, Regina. I do so appreciate you. You've been of more help to my family and me than anyone else in the world, except maybe Doctor Benjamin."

  Can you tell I was still in a state? Well, I was.

  Regina blinked at me several times. "Are you all right, Daisy? You look a little worried. I hope nothing's wrong in your world."

  Nothing wrong in my world? Heck, no! I made a valiant attempt to put my emotions back into the mental bag in which I generally held them.

 
"Just a little bit of unpleasantness going on around me," I said, smiling and hoping the expression looked genuine.

  "I'm sorry." Her distress was definitely genuine, and I felt like a rat.

  "No, no. I mean everything's fine. It's just... Well, you probably read about that doctor who was found deceased at Mountain View Cemetery. Sam and I found him. It wasn't any fun."

  Slapping a hand to her cheek, Regina said, "Oh, my Lord, Daisy. I'm so sorry!"

  Happens all the time. I didn't say that out loud. "It was... unsettling."

  "I can imagine."

  "But how's Robert these days?"

  As I'd anticipated, mentioning her beloved Robert Browning—not the poet, but a scientist who worked at the Underhill Chemical Company and sometimes colluded (that doesn't sound very nice, but I don't mean it that way) with scientists and professors at the California Institute of Technology—made everything else in Regina's world disappear. She beamed at me.

  "He's just fine, thank you. I'm so grateful to you for introducing us, Daisy. I've never been happier."

  "That makes me happy." I meant it, too.

  She sighed with joy. "Oh, but look what I saved out for you and your family!" She reached for a shelf under her desk, pulled out three books and quietly placed them on her desk. "The Bandit of the Black Hills, by Frederick Faust—that's a pseudonym used by Max Brand, if you know who he is—was one I thought your father would like."

  "The cover alone makes it something Pa would want to read," said I, picking up the book and gazing at the villainous-looking fellow on the front of the book. "What else do you have? Do I sound greedy?"

  She laughed. "Not at all. I understand completely. If it weren't for books, I'd have gone mad years ago."

  "Me, too." No lie there. "What's that one?" I asked, pointing at the next book in the stack.

  "I think you'll really like this one. It's Craig Kennedy Listens In, by Mr. Arthur B. Reeve. Craig Kennedy is a scientific detective. Very entertaining story."

  "Oh, I've loved Mr. Reeve's other Craig Kennedy books. Thank you!"

  "You're most welcome. Last, but not least, I've saved A Passage to India, by Mr. E.M. Forster. It's not the happiest book in the world, but I did sort of get lost in Mr. Forster's depiction of India and the various Indian and British characters. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did."