Going Organic Can Kill You Read Online Free PDF Page A

the room to the nearby office, where I picked up the telephone receiver with a trembling hand and punched the nine, followed by two ones.
    An operator came on the line at once, asking my emergency.
    “I’m at the O’Connell Organic Farm and Spa. One of the guests has died.”
    “What is your name?” The voice was smooth and unhurried.
    “Dana Lewis. I work here at the spa.”
    “Do you know the identity of the deceased?”
    Barely. We’d hardly met. Yet ... I suddenly felt close to him. “He’s Maxwell Mendelsohn, a guest at the spa.” My thoughts were jumbled together, piling on top of each other.
    “And you’re sure he’s dead?”
    I remembered the glassy stare, the odd smell, the lack of pulse. “I’m sure.”
    “Are there any signs of injury or trauma?”
    “No, none that I could see. I think he had a heart attack.”
    “And where are you in relation to the body?”
    The body. So impersonal. “He’s back in his cabin and I’m at the main house.”
    “All right, paramedics are on the way. They should arrive in a few minutes so you need to be available to meet them.”
    I hung up and sat down in the desk chair. How to break the news to Esther? She appeared so fragile at times. Would she be able to handle the death of a guest? While I didn’t always get along with Gordon, I was suddenly glad he was manager of the farm. He’d be able to handle the day-to-day operations if Esther fell apart.
    Heather walked past the open door, then popped back. “Dana, any trouble with the towels?” Her tongue ring glinted once more.
    I stared at her for a moment, unable to process her question. What towels? Then my mind flashed on an image of a clean white towel on the rack just before I turned around and realized Maxwell was dead. I closed my eyes. When I opened them, Heather was watching me, one finger twirling a tendril of hair.
    “What’s wrong? You okay?”
    I stood up. “Do you know where Esther is? I need to talk to her.” I started for the door.
    Heather untwined the hair and clutched my arm. “Can’t you handle it yourself? You know how crazy she’s been about the grand opening.”
    “No. It’s important that I find Esther. Now.” I brushed past her and walked out into the hall.
    “Please, Dana. There are two sides to every story,” Heather called after me.
    What on earth was she talking about? A man was dead. That was the whole story.
    In the distance, I could hear the wail of sirens. With the farm several miles from town, I hadn’t expected them so soon. I had to find Esther before the emergency crew arrived.
    The lobby was empty so I headed upstairs to Esther’s living area. I’d only been up here on one other occasion, but I knew the basic layout. The first door led to an extra bedroom she’d converted to a sitting room, the next to a bathroom, and the master bedroom was at the end of the hall. I poked my head into the sitting room. A half-knitted green shawl and a basket of matching yarn waited by the wing chair. I continued to the bedroom door and knocked.
    “Yes?” a voice called out.
    “Esther, it’s Dana. Something’s happened.”
    The door flew open. Esther stood with one eyebrow drawn in, the make-up pencil clutched in her hand. Her gray hair was damp from her shower. “Oh, lord, what’s wrong?”
    I took Esther’s free hand and guided her to the sitting room, patting the rose-colored divan and sitting down myself. The coils were stiff, the cushion too firm. She must not bring a lot of people up here.
    I looked at Esther and her one eyebrow, trying to form the words. “I don’t know how to say this ...”
    “Dana! Where are you?” Gordon’s voice roared up the stairs.
    Uh-oh. Based on his tone, the police had arrived.
    Esther bolted off the sofa. “He sounds so angry. I’d better go, too.” She ran for the stairs.
    “Wait.” I sprinted after her, surprised by her sudden speed, and bounded down the steps behind her.
    Gordon stood at the foot of the stairs, flanked