Arachnophobia Page #4

But some doctors who should know better

just won't accept

that their big-city methods

don't sit well in a small town.

Both Margaret and that poor boy

did seem to be quite healthy.

It's a bit odd, don't you think, Sam?

If I autopsied everyone

who ever died of a heart attack

I'd be run out of Canaima so fast...

Poor Sam. You still think life is

a popularity contest.

You're not jealous of

our new young doctor, are you?

What?

Now you made me lose my timing.

You're yelling, Sam.

Come on to bed.

I need a shower.

I'd love to start taking walks

around the neighbourhood with you.

It's not the same thing, Evelyn.

I need to know exactly how far I've gone

and exactly how long it took me.

Floor's cold, Sam.

You're right. You're always right.

Damn!

- What's wrong?

- Some damn thing bit me.

It's just a spider.

Spider? Felt like a damn cougar.

Damn!

I'm having a seizure.

Sam, what should I do?

Ambulance. Call Jennings.

I'll be right there.

- What's going on?

- Metcalf. He's having a seizure.

Thank God you didn't

examine him this morning.

- What's the coroner doing here?

- I don't know.

Milt! This isn't necessary.

I'll be the judge of that, Lloyd.

Wait out here.

Guard the house or something.

Was he alive when you got here?

He'd been dead maybe five minutes.

Whatever it was, it was abrupt and acute.

What's your guess? Massive coronary?

Cerebral haemorrhage?

His wife says he was bitten by a spider

just before he seized.

Oh, right.

Sam told me about you.

You're the hot shot who won't accept

anyone else's diagnosis.

I'll accept it if I agree with it.

Good.

Let me show you something.

Down here.

I believe that's a spider bite.

I'll buy that.

But I rather doubt that's what killed him

In twenty years,

I've seen only one spider-bite fatality.

And that involved a black widow

and a one-year-old child.

No. My guess is that

Sam overexerted himself.

His wife said he was using the treadmill

just before he keeled over.

You may be right.

I want a full autopsy.

Tissue samples, blood toxicology,

the whole nine yards.

- Wait just one second.

- Shut up, Lloyd.

- You'll get Evelyn's permission, of course.

- Of course.

- You need a ride home?

- No, I'm all right, thanks.

You better take care of yourself now.

You're the town doctor.

Say "Aahh."

Okay, I think we're gonna

treat this inflammation with antibiotics.

Does this mean

I don't get any ice cream?

I'll buy you a double scoop

on the way home.

Who's next?

I'll take that. Thank you very much.

Step right this way.

Just have a seat. I'll be right with you.

Okay, hot shot. Are you sitting down?

According to preliminary data,

Sam Metcalf died as the result of

a minute amount of an as yet unidentified

toxic substance in his bloodstream.

My office isn't ruling out accidental

poisoning, deliberate poisoning

or even killer spiders.

At the moment,

it looks like a heart attack to me.

But I'll support whatever

you'd like to do.

I gotta have those bodies exhumed.

I gotta be sure.

Okay.

Whatever you think is necessary.

Thanks.

Are you out of your mind?

Slowly and once more, Lloyd...

I want Margaret Hollins'

and Todd Miller's bodies exhumed.

Dug up.

You start pulling citizens out of the

ground that should be enjoying eternal rest

and that roomful of patients

will disappear...

I'll just get a court order.

Milt Briggs is on my side.

This is a very bad business,

Mr Yale-graduate-big-city doctor!

A very bad business!

No sh*t!

- Hi, Dad.

- Hi, honey.

What's going on?

I promised Shelley

she could spend the night with Bunny.

We'll take good care of her.

Wait.

There may be some spiders around here

that are very dangerous.

Okay? I just want you girls

to be aware of this.

If you should see one,

don't try to capture it or kill it.

Just run, you understand?

- Run!

- We'll do that, Dr Jennings.

You don't have to worry about anything.

Dr Death!

Are you all right?

No.

All clear.

The spider didn't answer.

She had fallen asleep.

It had been a very, very busy day.

Okay, your turn, Bunny.

The itsy bitsy spider

Crawled up the water spout

Down came the rain

and washed the spider out

Out came the sun

and dried up all the rain

And the itsy bitsy spider

crawled up the spout again

It's my turn now.

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet

Eating her curds and whey

And along came a spider

That sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet...

If you girls don't settle down

then Shelley can't stay over any more.

- We can't sleep.

- We keep scaring each other.

Why don't you two

go sleep in my room for a while?

Okay. Nah, we don't need this.

Son of a b*tch.

Where are all the other crickets?

Where are all your buddies?

Atherton.

Yes, Dr Atherton.

I'm Ross Jennings.

I'm a general practitioner, and I...

I have a problem

that may be spider-related.

You seem to be the foremost authority

on the West Coast.

Or any coast, for that matter.

Dr Jennings, let me tell you that

every so often in a little town somewhere

there is a health scare,

some unexplained outbreak,

and spiders make convenient culprits.

Did you know that on

every suburban acre

there are at least 50 to 60,000 spiders?

And that each spider eats

about 100 insects per year?

That means at least 5 million insects

are consumed per acre annually.

Think about it, doctor.

Perhaps man might find the planet

uninhabitable without spiders.

Dr Atherton,

I have nothing against spiders.

It's just we have had three deaths

in my town

and I'm afraid

there's going to be some more.

If you could lend me your expertise,

forjust an afternoon...

We're really not that far from you.

It's a town called Canaima.

You know it?

It's familiar.

Let me see what I can do.

Where are you exactly?

Collins?

- Sorry.

- Are you equally busy tomorrow?

Dr Atherton?

No, I'm Chris Collins,

one of his assistants.

Hi, I'm Chris.

Atherton's really busy lately.

He's recently discovered a new species

of spider. Down in South America.

To us, it's a big deal.

I hope you'll be able to help us.

We're going to be examining some bodies.

It sounds like a blast.

We're looking for bites.

Like this. That's a spider, isn't it?

I'm not sure.

I think so.

But even at several times

the potency of latrodectus.

- Black widow, right?

- Right.

Even then it would take

more than one bite to kill,

so I figure this guy's death and the spider

bite, if it a spider bite, are coincidental.

Hey, guys, how's it going?

Poor Margaret.

She was a good wife, good teacher,

good neighbour.

Excellent cook.

Anything you want, just shout.

I want some fresh air.

Chris, come here.

Still think it's a coincidence?

That's a spider bite.

The tissue surrounding the bite

is macerated.

Found one.

A mark behind the left ear.

- Atherton.

- Dr Atherton, Chris Collins.

I think we've got a big problem

here in Canaima.

They've got three dead bodies.

The cause of death seems to be a spider

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