“Meanwhile,” Laurie said, “we should move quickly to strengthen the case. Hopefully, we’ll have scientific proof with the urine we sent to the All India Institute of Health Sciences toxicology department, but that’s only with one case. We need to get back to Queen Victoria Hospital and either get a hold of the second body somehow or at a minimum get a urine sample, and we should do the same with the body at the Aesculapian Medical Center. Three cases are much better than one. And we’d better hurry. Jennifer mentioned a noon deadline today.”

“Alright, let’s do that first,” Jack said. “We need proof on more than one body, especially in relation to succinylcholine poisoning. Hell, a body can produce a small amount of succinylcholine just from decomposing.”

“I’ll take a couple of syringes from here so we’ll have them for our samples,” Laurie said.

“Good thinking,” Jack said.

With unmistakable excitement and a strong sense of common purpose, the foursome piled back into the van for the dash back to the Queen Victoria Hospital. Once again Arun was at the wheel.

Neil pulled out his cell phone. “Now that it’s afternoon, I’ll give Jen a call,” he said. “I can’t imagine she could still be sleeping. I know she’s going to be excited about all this.”

“Good idea,” Laurie said. “And let me speak to her as well.”

Neil let the phone ring until voicemail picked up. He left a brief message for Jennifer to call him back. “She’s probably working out or swimming. I’ll try again in a little while.”

“She could be having lunch,” Laurie suggested.

“You’re right,” Neil said, pocketing his phone.

When they pulled into the Queen Victoria, Arun drove immediately around to the rear and backed into same spot.

After eagerly climbing from the van, the group hastily entered the hospital, opening both of the double doors in the process. The elderly man’s chair was vacant.

“Maybe he’s having lunch,” Laurie suggested.

“I hope so,” Jack said. “I’ll feel guilty if he lost his job over our mischievous activities.”

Arun was in the lead. They had to walk single file because the lunchtime cafeteria line snaked all the way out into the hall. They stopped at the cooler where Maria had been stored.

“Should we just ignore everyone and go in?” Arun questioned.

Jack and Laurie exchanged a glance. “You go in, Arun,” Laurie said. “Let’s not make this a scene.”

Laurie, Jack, and Neil moved down the hall a little way. No one paid them any attention.

Arun didn’t even get all the way in before he could tell that Benfatti was gone. The cooler was bereft of corpses. He backed out and shut the door. He told the others the bad news.

“There goes our chances for a trifecta,” Jack said.