17 Inside the Lab

CHAPTER 17 Inside the Lab Utterson and Poole tiptoed closer to the body. They turned it over and found the face of Edward Hyde. He was dressed in clothes far too large for him. These clothes clearly belonged to Dr. Jekyll. Hyde was dead. His lifeless hand still clutched an empty vial. Utterson knew that it had once contained poison. This was clearly a case of suicide.

"We have come too late," Utterson said sternly. "Hyde is gone and we'll never have answers." The lawyer looked up at the butler. "Now, it only remains for us to find the body of your master." The two men started their search for Dr. Jekyll. They began with the office, then worked their way down the staircase and through the courtyard. There were many dark closets and a large cellar to search through. All were carefully examined. Most of these hiding spaces had not been visited in years. The dust along the walls and cobwebs told them that no one else had passed that way. They found no trace of Dr. Henry Jekyll, dead or alive. "Perhaps we were wrong," Utterson said. "Maybe he escaped." He went to check the back door. It was locked. They found the key lying on the ground nearby. It was already stained with rust.

"This doesn't look like it's been used in a while," observed the lawyer. "Used?" echoed the butler. "Do you not see, sir? It is broken. It looks like someone has crushed it underfoot." "Yes," continued Utterson. "I think you're right." The two men looked at each other with frightened stares. "This is beyond me," the lawyer said. They walked back up the stairs in silence. Each man was deep in thought. They began to look through the contents in the office more closely. They both tried not to look at Hyde's body on the rug. Hyde must have been mixing chemicals together on one of the tables. They found several measuring glasses of salt and other chemicals. Utterson guessed that they had interrupted Hyde in the middle of an experiment. "That is the same drug that I was always bringing him," said Poole. "Was Mr. Hyde

performing the same experiments as Dr. Jekyll? Maybe the medicine was for Mr. Hyde all along." The two men suddenly noticed that the kettle was boiling and overflowing. They were so absorbed in their work that they noticed little else. Poole removed the kettle from the heat. Utterson approached the easy chair where the dishes for tea were laid out. He noticed a book on the table. It was a copy of a religious text that Jekyll often spoke of. There was writing along the margins. Utterson was shocked by what he read. It appeared to be in Jekyll's handwriting but the words seemed so unlike the doctor's. A full-length mirror stood in the center of the room. It had a large wooden frame with its own stand. There was glass on both sides. Mr. Utterson spun the mirror by holding the top and turning it over. "Why would Jekyll want this mirror in his office?" he asked.

"I've no idea, sir," Poole said. "I've never seen it before." They turned their attention to the desk. Among the neat array of papers, Utterson found an envelope addressed to him. It was in Dr. Jekyll's handwriting. The lawyer unsealed it and several other envelopes fell out. The first was a will. It contained the same strange terms as the one that sat in Utterson's safe. On this one, however, the lawyer was listed as the heir rather than Edward Hyde. Utterson looked at Poole, back at the paper, and then finally at the body on the floor. "I am completely confused, Poole," Utterson said. "He's barely spoken with me in recent times. I'm shocked by this change." Utterson picked up another paper. It was a note, written in the doctor's hand and dated that day. "Oh, Poole," he cried. "He was alive and here this very day. He must

have fled! But why?" "Why don't we read it, sir," Poole said. Utterson took a deep breath and read the note aloud. My dear Utterson, When this note falls into your hands, I will have disappeared. Under what circumstances I cannot say. I am certain, however, that it will happen very soon and it will be some method of evil. Please go and read the letter that Lanyon sent you before his death. If you still wish to hear more, open the third envelope. Your unworthy and unhappy friend, Henry Jekyll Poole handed Utterson the last envelope. It was very thick and sealed in several places.