Prescription: Murder! Volume 1: Authentic Cases From the Files of Alan Hynd by Noel Hynd, Alan Hynd, George Kaczender Page A
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year after his father had died.
It wasn’t long after Pete’s death that Doctor MacGregor suggested to Mrs. Sparling that she and the boys leave the farm and move someplace else to get away from their sorrow. Everybody, especially Mrs. Sparling, was all for it. So Mrs. Sparling sold the farm and bought a smaller farm out of Sanilac County and up in Huron County, just outside of Ubly, where Doc MacGregor’s office was located. By this time, MacGregor was also acting as the merry widow’s financial advisor, so the move was quickly a done deal. The only dissenting voice was Old John Sparling who was now in the habit of popping off to anyone who would listen about the relationship between the esteemed country doctor and his late son’s wife. Gossip did begin to spread, but it didn’t have much traction.
A few months after the Sparlings moved into Huron County, fate intervened again. Who should become Prosecutor of the Huron County but Xenophon Boomhower? The Sparlings had just gotten themselves settled on their new farm and Xenophon had just gotten his seat warm as Prosecutor when Doctor MacGregor walked into his office one day with a worried look.
“What’s wrong, Doc?” asked the Prosecutor. Dr. MacGregor ran a nervous hand over his forehead.
“I’m worried, Xenophon,” he said. “Worried about Albert Spalding.”
“Good God, Doc!” said Boomhower. “Don’t tell me there’s something wrong with somebody else in that family!”
Well, sadly, yes. There was. Albert, Doc explained to the Prosecutor, had lifted a piece of farm machinery that had been too heavy for him and seriously injured himself internally. MacGregor paced up and down the Prosecutor’s office.
“I’m just scared,” he said. “Scared that we’re going to lose another Sparling. And I’d hate for any suspicion of foul play to fall on Carrie.”
“Heaven forbid, Doc!”
There was, MacGregor pointed out, a bright spot on the horizon. Thanks to his friendship and foresight, Mrs. Sparling was being well taken care of by insurance. The lady had, at his suggestion, taken out a couple of additional policies—one on Albert, the boy who had injured himself, and one on Scyrel, with a company called The Gleaners, which was also represented by the doctor’s father.
Boomhower got out a pencil and paper and began to do some figuring. Mrs. Sparling was now carrying in excess of $5,000 insurance, a lot of money then. When he was through, he looked up at MacGregor and said,
“Doc, it sure is a good thing that family met you. Why, with Old John and Pete dying and with Albert in danger, poor Mrs. Sparling would be in an awful fix if it weren’t for that insurance. You’ve been one real friend to that family, Doc, I must say.”
A week or so after his visit to Boomhower’s office, Doctor MacGregor stopped by the only automobile dealer in Bad Axe and said he wanted to buy an automobile. Doc selected his automobile and said he would want delivery in about a month.
“How do you want to pay for it?” asked the dealer.
“In cash,” said MacGregor. “I’ll have the money in about a month.”
A couple of Sundays later, Albert Sparling complained of increased pains in his stomach. At dinner, Albert had no enthusiasm for eating. Doctor MacGregor took him into his office, which was in the front of the house, and gave him some medicine.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” MacGregor told Albert. “You’ll be behind the plow in a few days.”
However, sadly enough, Albert wasn’t behind a plow at all in a few days. He was six feet under in the family plot, not far from his father and older brother. Doctor MacGregor ascribed the death to the stomach injury that he had mentioned to Prosecutor Boomhower.
Then, less than a fortnight after the burial of the third Sparling, Doctor MacGregor took possession of his horseless carriage, paying cash for it. It was now April, 1911. Uncle John went wild with his accusations. How, he wanted to know,
It wasn’t long after Pete’s death that Doctor MacGregor suggested to Mrs. Sparling that she and the boys leave the farm and move someplace else to get away from their sorrow. Everybody, especially Mrs. Sparling, was all for it. So Mrs. Sparling sold the farm and bought a smaller farm out of Sanilac County and up in Huron County, just outside of Ubly, where Doc MacGregor’s office was located. By this time, MacGregor was also acting as the merry widow’s financial advisor, so the move was quickly a done deal. The only dissenting voice was Old John Sparling who was now in the habit of popping off to anyone who would listen about the relationship between the esteemed country doctor and his late son’s wife. Gossip did begin to spread, but it didn’t have much traction.
A few months after the Sparlings moved into Huron County, fate intervened again. Who should become Prosecutor of the Huron County but Xenophon Boomhower? The Sparlings had just gotten themselves settled on their new farm and Xenophon had just gotten his seat warm as Prosecutor when Doctor MacGregor walked into his office one day with a worried look.
“What’s wrong, Doc?” asked the Prosecutor. Dr. MacGregor ran a nervous hand over his forehead.
“I’m worried, Xenophon,” he said. “Worried about Albert Spalding.”
“Good God, Doc!” said Boomhower. “Don’t tell me there’s something wrong with somebody else in that family!”
Well, sadly, yes. There was. Albert, Doc explained to the Prosecutor, had lifted a piece of farm machinery that had been too heavy for him and seriously injured himself internally. MacGregor paced up and down the Prosecutor’s office.
“I’m just scared,” he said. “Scared that we’re going to lose another Sparling. And I’d hate for any suspicion of foul play to fall on Carrie.”
“Heaven forbid, Doc!”
There was, MacGregor pointed out, a bright spot on the horizon. Thanks to his friendship and foresight, Mrs. Sparling was being well taken care of by insurance. The lady had, at his suggestion, taken out a couple of additional policies—one on Albert, the boy who had injured himself, and one on Scyrel, with a company called The Gleaners, which was also represented by the doctor’s father.
Boomhower got out a pencil and paper and began to do some figuring. Mrs. Sparling was now carrying in excess of $5,000 insurance, a lot of money then. When he was through, he looked up at MacGregor and said,
“Doc, it sure is a good thing that family met you. Why, with Old John and Pete dying and with Albert in danger, poor Mrs. Sparling would be in an awful fix if it weren’t for that insurance. You’ve been one real friend to that family, Doc, I must say.”
A week or so after his visit to Boomhower’s office, Doctor MacGregor stopped by the only automobile dealer in Bad Axe and said he wanted to buy an automobile. Doc selected his automobile and said he would want delivery in about a month.
“How do you want to pay for it?” asked the dealer.
“In cash,” said MacGregor. “I’ll have the money in about a month.”
A couple of Sundays later, Albert Sparling complained of increased pains in his stomach. At dinner, Albert had no enthusiasm for eating. Doctor MacGregor took him into his office, which was in the front of the house, and gave him some medicine.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” MacGregor told Albert. “You’ll be behind the plow in a few days.”
However, sadly enough, Albert wasn’t behind a plow at all in a few days. He was six feet under in the family plot, not far from his father and older brother. Doctor MacGregor ascribed the death to the stomach injury that he had mentioned to Prosecutor Boomhower.
Then, less than a fortnight after the burial of the third Sparling, Doctor MacGregor took possession of his horseless carriage, paying cash for it. It was now April, 1911. Uncle John went wild with his accusations. How, he wanted to know,
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