A Matter Of Heart

Bernice deserves to die. Yes, thought Sarah Lou as she backed out of her driveway, if anybody deserves to die, she does. A person who would just kill four people-Sarah Lou knew of four for sure, there could be more-did not deserve to live. It should have only been three but the poor little State Farm Insurance man had gotten in the way, been at the wrong place at the wrong time, was just trying to do his job and be of service. He'd left a young widow and two small children but Bernice didn't seem to care. She had to be stopped-stopped before she claimed more victims. Sarah Lou hoped her plan would work and that she'd be able to pull it off. She had to for the sake of her brother Cory, who'd died along with the State Farm man. Just the thought of him gave her more resolve. She turned the car toward the interstate.

Nothing had been the same since she'd come to town. From somewhere in Arkansas, she claimed. She wasn't very clear about her past. She didn't seem to lack for money. Said her husband had died and left her well fixed. She'd bought the old Simpson place and fixed it up sparing no expense. Folks said her late husband had left her very well fixed. Folks also heard the rumors that even the Big River couldn't stop-rumors that she'd had not one but two husbands to die under suspicious circumstances. Now here she was in Rosedale. Folks wondered why. The answer was not long in coming.

It was obvious that she'd set her cap for Cory MacIntyre right from the first. Cory had never been married and Bernice just swept him off his feet. In about six months she had him hooked and landed. And before they celebrated their first anniversary the tragedy occurred.

It was a day about like any other day. The farmers were trying to get their cotton and bean crops in. As a consequence, the hardware store was busy and Cory didn't get home for supper until after seven o'clock. Bernice had prepared a good meal. She was a good cook. In spite of all the bad things the townfolks said about her, they had to give her that. And she had fixed Cory's favorite dessert, blackberry cobbler with a topping of vanilla ice cream. Just a she was getting ready to serve it, Petey Bledsoe, the State Farm agent, stopped by with the new policies on all Cory's vehicles. Cory insisted that he sit down with them and have some dessert. He agreed and Bernice dished up two bowls and put them before the men. "Aren't you having any, honey?" Cory asked.

"No, not tonight," Bernice replied. "You didn't marry a fat woman and I don't want to become one. You boys just eat your desserts and go on in the den and talk business. I'll clean up the kitchen."

While she was engaged in this chore, Bernice heard some unusual noises from the den. There was a loud thump like a piece of furniture being overturned followed by a series of lesser thumps like a person's heels being kicked against the floor. She did not go to investigate before running all the leftovers including the remainder of the cobbler down the garbage disposal and turning on the dishwasher. When she got to the den, both men were on the floor turning blue and barely moving. She grabbed the phone and called 911.

Sarah Lou, Bernice, and Petey's wife were at the hospital. They had just been taken into a separate room and informed by the doctor that both men were dead-both from cardiac arrest as best as he could tell. As the doctor left, Sheriff Billy Dick Spencer came in. "Ladies, I'm sorry for your losses." Then, he stumbled over a few words before continuing apologetically, "Considering the circumstances of the deaths, the law requires autopsies. You won't be able to plan funerals until they're done. I'm sure sorry about this."

Only Bernice spoke. "You don't need to apologize, Sheriff. We know you're just doing your job."
"Thank you kindly ma'am for understanding," replied Billy Dick. "By the way, Miss Bernice, while it's fresh on your mind, did anything unusual happen that might have caused this?"

"No, why no, Sheriff," responded Bernice, in a trembly voice between dabs of her eyes with a tissue. "Cory just came in from work and we had supper. As we were finishing, Mr. Bledsoe came by with Cory's new policies. We all had some blackberry cobbler and then the men went into the den to talk business while I cleaned up. Before I got through, I heard a funny noise and went into the den and found them."

"That's very clear, ma'am," replied Billy Dick as he jotted down her statement.
"Almost too clear," thought Sarah Lou. She'd never liked Bernice. Even in her shock at the death of her brother, something just didn't feel right.
A week or so later the report came back-both men, cardiac arrest.

A few days after the burial reality began to set in for Sarah Lou. Bernice had inherited everything Cory owned-the house, the vehicles, the farm, his stocks-a well as the pay off from his half million dollar life insurance policy. The only thing she didn't get was the hardware store. Sarah Lou and Cory were partners and the partnership agreement provided that in the event one died, the store went to the surviving partner.

Sarah Lou was in the store one afternoon after school talking to Ferguson. He'd assisted Cory for a number of years and Sarah Lou had hired him to manage the store for her. Bernice came walking in.

"What in the world does she want?" thought Sarah Lou. "Probably wants to see if she can't get the store along with everything else." It was also unusual to see Bernice in the store. In fact she hadn't been inside since the wedding. Said she didn't like the smell of it, that it was a man's store.

They exchanged greetings; Sarah Lou's was cool but Bernice didn't seem to notice. She spoke in a smooth syrupy voice. "I just thought I'd come down and get Cory's personal things from the office and save you the trouble of having to go through them."

There was something about Bernice's manner that raised a warning flag in Sarah Lou's mind. She had already concluded that Bernice had killed her only brother. She just hadn't been able to figure out how she did it. When she responded, her voice was firm. "No, that won't be necessary. There's a lot of family stuff in there. I'll go through it when I get a chance and send you anything you ought to have. Anyway, I wouldn't want you to have to do this while you're still grieving." Sarah Lou's tone bordered on sarcasm. There had to be something in the office Bernice wanted and Sarah Lou intended for it to stay there until she figured out what it was.

"Oh, but I insist on doing it," replied Bernice sweetly.
"No, I insist that you not do it. I'll tend to it in due time." Sarah Lou spoke more firmly.
"Well, all right, my dear." Honey still dripped from every word. "But if you change your mind, just call."
"I'll be sure to do that."

As Bernice left, Sarah Lou turned to Ferguson, "Don't let that woman near that office. And if she tries again, call me and let me know."

"I sure will, Miss MacIntyre. You can count on her not bothering anything around here." Obviously, Ferguson had no love for Bernice and Sarah Lou knew he'd keep Cory's things secure until she figured out what Bernice wanted.
The next day at school Sarah Lou found a note in her mailbox to call Ferguson at the store. He reported that Bernice had indeed been in again that morning wanting access to the office. Ferguson had turned her away.
The next day Sarah Lou got another phone call from Ferguson. He said that Bernice had come by while he was on his lunch hour but he'd left specific instructions with Burt who wouldn't let her in either. Ferguson ended with, "If she comes around here again, I'm just likely to throw her butt out in the street."

Sarah Lou had to smile. "Just do what you have to do."
Yes, there was something in Cory's office that Bernice wanted. Sarah Lou had looked around it two or three times and seen nothing obvious. The important thing was to keep whatever it was there until she figured out what it was.

A couple of days later Sarah Lou dropped by the Sheriff's office on her way home from school. She had known Billy Dick Spencer for many years. In fact, he had been one of her senior English students at Rosedale High. He had not been as good an English student as he had been a football player, but he was no dummy. She thought he'd been a good sheriff.

He ushered her into his office, closed the door, offered her a seat, and sat down behind his desk. "Well, Miss Sarah, what brings you down here? Is there something I can do for you?"

Sarah Lou came directly to the point. "I want to know what you're going to do about that woman. You know she killed Cory and Petey both."
"You mean Miss Bernice."

"Why, of course, I mean Bernice. How could two healthy men, one in his forties and the other in his twenties, both suffer cardiac arrest at the same instance in the same house? That goes against all odds not to mention common sense."

"Yes ma'am, you're right, but I can't prove that. . . ."
Sarah Lou cut him off, "You mean you don't think she did it? That goes against all reason. . ."

Billy Dick interrupted, "Wait a minutes, Miss Sarah. I didn't say what I thought. I said I couldn't prove." He sat back in his chair and looked at the ceiling obviously mulling something over in his mind. He leaned forward and fixed her with a penetrating gaze. "Normally, I wouldn't say this to anybody about an investigation but you were one of my best teachers and I always found you to be a straight shooter. And you've got to promise me that you won't breathe a word of this to anyone."
"I promise, Billy Dick."

"Okay, I'm going to tell you exactly what I think. I think she poisoned both of ‘em. I think she used something exotic that leaves no trace and produces cardiac arrest. I think it was in the blackberry cobbler because that was the only common food in both their stomachs. I don't think Bernice ate any of it like she said but the only way to prove that was to have her stomach pumped that night which we didn't know at the time and couldn't have done legally even if we had. And there was no evidence in the kitchen with all the leftovers down the garbage disposal and the dishes run through the dishwasher. Yes ma'am, that's what I think-but I can't prove any of it."

"What about the rumors about her earlier husbands in Arkansas. Maybe you could make a trip over there and find out something that would help." Sarah Lou was grasping at straws.

"I don't need to go to Arkansas. I've been in touch with the folks over there. She's left two dead husbands in two different towns and both died from cardiac arrest. That increases the odds but doesn't prove what we need to prove."

The Sheriff had been more thorough than Sarah Lou figured. He was obviously doing all he could do. "I'm sorry, Billy Dick, I'm just frustrated at knowing what we can't prove. I hear she's putting the farm up for sale next week. I'm afraid she's going to liquidate everything and be gone before we can stop her."

"Yes ma'am, I'm afraid of the same thing. That's why I'm keeping a close watch on her. But my hands are tied unless she does something illegal or I can get some proof about Cory and Petey." Sarah Lou left Billy Dick's office feeling infuriated and defeated. There had to be a way-what was it?

The next week Sarah Lou was going into her doctor's office for her regular check-up when she bumped into Bernice who was just leaving. They spoke but did not stop to talk.
As she was signing in at the desk, she overheard her doctor say to the receptionist, "Make an appointment for Mrs. MacIntyre with Dr. Rogers in Jackson as soon a you can get one and call her and tell her when it is."

Sarah Lou recognized the doctor's name. He was a heart specialist who had treated her mother before she died. So, Bernice had a heart condition. How ironic.

It was seafood buffet night at the Rosedale Country Club and Sarah Lou was there with her sister Christine. She ran into Frank Coldtharp, the Vice President of the Farmer's Home Bank, in the buffet line. After a couple of polite exchanges, Frank remarked, "I always thought your sister-in-law was real nice, but she nearly ate me up a week or so ago."

"Bernice? What in the world for?"
"Well, she came down to the bank wanting last month's statement. Said she hadn't received it. I explained to her that Cory had been in the bank the day before he died and we had all the statements laid out ready to mail, so I just handed his to him. That really upset her. Said she kept track of all the accounts and it was irresponsible of me not to mail it to her. I told her it was a joint account and Cory had just as much right to it as she did. I got her another copy of it but she wanted all the canceled checks. Said Cory never got home with them. I've never seen a woman so upset over a few checks when the account was in good order."

"Thank you for letting me know that, Frank," Sarah Lou replied. Something had clicked in her head.

Sarah Lou left the buffet and went to the hardware store. The bank statement had to be what Bernice wanted. She looked through Cory's desk and through the stuff stacked on top. No bank statement. What could he have done with it? She leaned back in the desk chair and looked around the small room. There would have been no need for him to hide it. Then, her eyes fell on one of his jackets hanging on the coat rack in the corner. Cory had always been bad about sticking things in his pockets and forgetting about them. She jumped up and snatched the jacket off its hook. There in an inside pocket were two letters he was supposed to have mailed-and the bank statement.

It had been opened. Cory had gone through it. With trembling hands Sarah Lou pulled the statement from the envelope. The canceled checks were all loose except one which had a note clipped to it which said, "Ask Bernice about this." It was a check for $783.50 made out Picchu Pharmaceuticals of Peru and signed by Bernice. Maybe this was the smoking gun.

Sarah Lou sped home her heart racing. She ran to her computer and in a few minutes found the company's web site. They promised absolute confidentiality and advertised a complete line of drugs, including exotic poisons. She requested a catalog.

When it came, it only took her a few minutes to find the only poison listed that caused cardiac arrest within thirty minutes and was undetectable in the body after an hour. As a final check, she figured the shipping charges and added them to the listed price. The total came to $783.50. Sarah Lou had, indeed, found the smoking gun.

The next day she took the catalog and check to Billy Dick. He looked them over carefully and then tilted back in his chair and looked at the ceiling in deep thought. Finally, Sarah Lou broke the silence. "Are you going to arrest her?"
Billy Dick's chair came down. "No ma'am, I'm not."

Sarah Lou was outraged, "Why not? You've got the proof right there."

"No, Miss Sarah." Bill Dick's voice was calm and even. "What I've got are a couple more pieces to the puzzle and I'm gonna check with ole Jim Tom down at the post office. He'll remember mail coming through from Peru. But there're still too many holes and a smart lawyer-and believe me Bernice will have a smart one-will find all of ‘em and probably some nobody's even thought about. Just for instance, there're probably some more things in this catalog that would total $783.50 and we can't prove she didn't order one of those. And we can't prove she didn't eat any of the blackberry cobbler. What we've got is some circumstantial evidence, a lot of coincidences, and a very smart woman. The DA is not about to try a case he won't win. If he did and she were acquitted, double jeopardy would come into play and she'd be home free on both Cory and Petey"

"Then you're not going to do anything." There was a note of disgust in Sarah Lou's voice.
"I didn't say that. I'm gonna do everything I can do legally. I'm gonna put these items in the file. I'm gonna check at the post office. I'm gonna watch Bernice like a hawk. But she's not the type to slip up much."
Sarah Lou was silent for a time. "Okay, then, but I want copies of the check and the catalog." Billy Dick got up and made them himself. Sarah Lou put the items away in her purse. "You know what would serve her right?"
"What?"

"For her to suffer the same fate as her four victims."
Billy Dick looked startled. "Don't do anything foolish, Miss Sarah. You know I couldn't cut you any slack."
Sarah Lou rose to leave. "I know. And I wouldn't expect you to. Let's stay in touch on this."
Billy Dick sat looking at the ceiling for a long time thinking about the facet of his former teacher he'd not seen before.

Bernice became an obsession with Sarah Lou. She could not get her out of her mind-and how to stop the woman and make her pay for all the evil she'd done. Sarah Lou conceived and rejected several plans. Frustration was beginning to set in. Then, out of the blue an answer came.
One evening Sarah Lou was reviewing the works of Edgar Allen Poe in preparation for a unit she was doing with her English classes when all the pieces she'd been fumbling with fell into place. There it was-a plan that seemed to spring from that master of the macabre himself. Mr. Poe would be proud of her.

In the next few days, Sarah Lou visited most of the eating places around town. There weren't that many. Her plan had to have the proper setting. She settled on the "County Cafeteria" out at the interstate.
Sarah Lou was glad she'd never accused Bernice to her face of poisoning Cory. That made it easier to persuade her to meet for lunch "just to give some closure about Cory's death." Sarah Lou had picked a time just before the lunch time rush.

Ahead Sarah Lou could see the tall signs that marked the interstate businesses. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for what she was about to do.

Sarah Lou made sure that Bernice went through the line first. She was also careful to pick the same food items Bernice did. When they came to the dessert section, Sarah Lou exclaimed, "Would you believe it, Bernice!? They have blackberry cobbler, Cory's favorite dessert. Let's have some as we remember him." Over Bernice's weak protests, Sarah Lou put a dish of cobbler on both trays saying, "I know you like it, too."

Sarah Lou guided Bernice to a booth in a little alcove that jutted off the main dining area. It was out of the view of the serving line and rather secluded with the ladies room on one side and a beverage serving station on the other. Sarah Lou made sure that Bernice got her tray emptied and seated first. As she finished putting her items on the table, Sarah Lou carelessly sat a glass of water down on the end of the napkin rolled silverware. It turned over and dumped its contents into Bernice's lap. She apologized profusely and tried to dry Bernice's skirt off with her napkin. Bernice jumped up with an angry exclamation and ran around the corner to the ladies room to do a proper job. Mr. Poe could not have done better.

The meal was rather strained to say the least. As Bernice was finishing her cobbler, Sarah Lou took the copy of the drug catalog out of her bag and laid it on the table in front of her. She turned pale, "Wh-what's this?" she stammered, visibly shaken.

"You know very well what it is. I know what you did, what you used, and how much it cost," replied Sarah Lou as she flipped open the pages and pointed to the entry circled in red.

Bernice fought to regain her composure. "You can't prove anything."
"You're right," said Sarah Lou as she sat back in her chair with a gloating look on her face. "But the beautiful thing is I don't have to." She looked at her watch, "I figure you've got a little less than thirty minutes."
"Don't try to con me," responded Bernice with an obvious sneer, "There's nothing could be put in a person's food in a cafeteria line. You're just trying to shake me. . . ." Suddenly a look of horror came on her face as she remembered. . . "The water!" Her voice was barely a whisper. "You were here with my food."

"That's right. You think my dumping my water in your lap was an accident? Surely you of all people can recognize a good plan."
Large beads of sweat popped out on Bernice's forehead. She began to gasp for air. "You couldn't."
"Oh yes I could."

Now Bernice's whole body was drenched with sweat. She struggled to focus her eyes.
"You had the poison in Cory's blackberry cobbler. I thought the same for you would be a nice touch. Rather poetic, don't you think?"

"Help me!" croaked Bernice as her legs and arms began to grow numb.
"You know you're beyond help now. Just like Cory and the State Farm man."
Bernice's face began to turn blue. Her lips moved but no words came out. She pitched forward amongst the dirty dishes and then flopped backward and slid under the table. Sarah Lou jumped up and screamed.
Then the chaos began. People came from all directions to help. Sirens of the approaching emergency vehicles grew louder. Billy Dick was in the room within minutes. He ordered all their dirty dishes held for evidence. She heard him talking to Doc Stone's office on his cell. He was the County Coroner. "I don't care if he's at lunch, on the golf course, or seeing patients, you tell him there's a body on the way. Tell him to get it in the autopsy room immediately. Time is critical. I‘ll be there in ten minutes to tell him what to look for."

Sarah Lou was sitting calmly in a booth across the room. Billy Dick came over. "Miss Sarah, I sure hope you haven't gone and done something foolish." She just shrugged her shoulders. "Please don't plan on leaving town."
"Why, Bill Dick, I'm not going anyplace. Rosedale's my home."
He just looked at her accusingly. "I'll be in touch," he said before turning on his heel and heading for the hospital.

Sarah Lou went about her normal routine as well as she could while waiting for the sheriff's call. She knew what she was going to face and wanted to get it over with. After a week and no call, Sarah Lou thought to herself, "Billy Dick's playing some mind game hoping I'll break or do something stupid. He's gonna have to wait a long time for that to happen." The call finally came at the end of the second week and again she found herself sitting in front of Billy Dick's desk. He clasped and unclasped his hands as he tried to figure out where to begin. After what seemed like an eternity to Sarah Lou, he began.

"Miss Sarah, you know what I'm thinking just as well as I do. You remember the first time you came to me about Bernice and I sort of laid my cards on the table?"
"Yes, I do. Are you going to arrest me?"

"I'll come to that in due time. But first, I'm gonna lay out my cards. I've talked to everybody I know to talk to and checked everything I know to check. I started out with the premise that you poisoned Bernice with the same stuff from the same source she used on Cory and Petey. Jim Tom remembers Bernice sending a letter to Peru, Bernice getting a package from Peru, and you getting the catalog from Peru. But he doesn't recall any other traffic between you and Peru."

"Maybe I used another post office," suggested Sarah Lou almost tauntingly.
"No you didn't because I've checked every post office within a fifty mile radius. None have had any Peru traffic. Besides, you haven't been out of town or even mailed a letter since that day you brought that check and catalog in."

"How do you know . . . .Billy Dick, have you been having me watched?"
"I sure have, you and Bernice both. How do you think I got to the cafeteria so quick? And another thing, I've checked your bank account and credit card transactions. Nothing has gone to Peru."
"Maybe I used cash." Sarah Lou was beginning to enjoy this game.

"If you did, you had it in a sock someplace. You've only withdrawn small amounts of cash. Even then, how did you get it down there? I don't think they have a carrier pigeon service."
"I'll have to give it to you, Billy Dick. You were always a thorough student and you still are. But what about the autopsy?"

"I was coming to that. What do you think it showed?"
Sarah Lou made hard eye contact as she answered, "Cardiac arrest."

"You're right. We beat the catalog's deadline by at least thirty minutes and the poison didn't show up. Nothing either on the dishes. All Doc Stone could come up with was cardiac arrest?"
"Maybe she had some sort of heart condition," suggested Sarah Lou.

"She did," responded Billy Dick, "but the doctor says it wouldn't have killed her by itself unless something triggered it and made it more severe than it was. Did you notice anything unusual.
"No. Nothing that stands out."

Billy Dick was looking at the ceiling again. Suddenly he leaned forward over his desk and pinned Sarah Lou's eyes with his, "Miss Sarah, you were one of the best teachers I ever had. In addition to English you taught us about honor, honesty, integrity, truthfulness, and all sorts of things like that. Now, I'm going to ask you one question." He leaned even closer and Sarah steeled herself for what she knew was coming. "Did you poison Bernice?"

Their eyes were locked together. Sarah Lou struggled not to blink, not to avert her eyes, and to keep her voice steady. "No, Billy Dick, I did not."

She felt as if Billy Dick's gaze went straight through into her brain. After what seemed like an eternity, he broke it off, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the ceiling. "Thank you, Miss Sarah. I'm sorry that you've had to go through all this. I won't bother you with it again." He seemed almost satisfied. But after several seconds he continued, "I've got nothing but dead ends. I've got three heart deaths in a very short time span and all the victims are connected. That's just too much of a coincidence for me to buy. Now, Miss Sarah, I somehow get the feeling that you know a lot more about this than I do. What would you say killed Bernice?"

Sarah Lou paused for several seconds as if she were trying to decide just what to say or whether to say anything at all. Billy Dick watched her closely. Finally, she spoke. "Billy Dick, do you remember when you were in my classes and we studied Edgar Allen Poe?"

"Why, yes, I do, Miss Sarah."

"Well, I'm sure Mr. Poe would say that it was her Tell Tale Heart."

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