Murder by Mushroom Read Online Free PDF Page A

breath. “The church keeps dozens of those containers in the kitchen so they have something to put leftovers in to send home with people after potlucks. Some people throw them away, but others wash them and return them to the church when they’re finished. So yes, it’s possible this one might have contained some of my casserole.” She leaned forward, looking directly into his eyes. “But there was nothing wrong with it. It couldn’t have given anyone food poisoning.”
    Detective Conner studied her a moment. “The coroner’s report said Mrs. Farmer died of heart failure, brought on as a result of monomethylhydrazine poisoning, not food poisoning.”
    “Monomethyl—what?”
    “Monomethylhydrazine. The coroner called it MMH. It’s an uncommon poison, but not all that hard to come by. It’s found in certain types of mushrooms.”
    “Mushrooms? You mean wild mushrooms?”
    Jackie had heard of mushroom poisonings. Everyone had. That’s why anyone with half a brain stayed away from wild mushrooms.
    “Specifically a mushroom called Gyromitra ambigua . It’s common in wooded areas around here.”
    “Well, the mystery’s solved then, isn’t it?” Jackie sat back in relief. “There are woods behind Mrs. Farmer’s house. She must have decided to go mushroom hunting and got hold of the wrong kind.”
    There was no humor in Detective Conner’s smile. “I wish it was that simple. But we don’t think Mrs. Farmer picked those mushrooms herself.”
    The hairs at the base of Jackie’s neck prickled. “Why not?”
    “Because we took the dishes out of her dishwasher, which, thankfully, you had not turned on when you cleaned the house. We sent them all to the lab, and they found something.”
    “Was it in the tomato sauce?” Please say no! Please say no!
    “Bingo.”
    Jackie’s heart thudded in her chest. How could poisonous mushrooms get into her tomato sauce? It was impossible. Her mushrooms had come from the grocery store. She ate them herself.
    She shook her head. “At least a half-dozen people took leftovers home, and I haven’t heard of anyone else getting sick. Maybe Mrs. Farmer thought the sauce needed some spicing up and she added wild mushrooms at home.”
    “That’s what I thought, too,” the detective said. “I know sometimes my wife adds something to leftovers to dress them up a bit. So we went through her garbage very carefully. There was no trace of mushroom stems or pieces. She almost certainly would have trimmed the stems before cooking them.”
    “Maybe they were chopped up in the garbage disposal,” she suggested.
    “There is no garbage disposal. And we found the remains of the pasta, which she had scraped off her plate before putting it in the dishwasher. It was full of Gyromitra ambigua .”
    “But surely she could have tasted poisonous mushrooms!”
    “Actually, this variety has a very mild taste. When mixed with a spicy sauce, they would be virtually undetectable.”
    Jackie sat back against the hard chair. Mrs. Farmer, poisoned! That poor woman. Who could have disliked her enough to do something so awful?
    And why had they chosen her potluck casserole? This news would spread like wildfire. The church gossips would have a field day.
    Conner cleared his throat. “I know this is most upsetting, Miss Hoffner. But I’m afraid we need to examine your kitchen.”
    “My kitchen? But surely you can’t think—”
    “We don’t think anything at this point. We’re just following procedure. Will you show us the utensils you used to make your casserole?”
    “But…but I’ve washed them!”
    Detective Conner sighed. “I expected that. Still, we need to take them for analysis.”
    “Are you saying you think I killed Mrs. Farmer?” Blood pounded in Jackie’s ears. “Do I need a lawyer?”
    He sat slowly back in his seat, his eyes never leaving hers. “We’re not here to accuse you of anything, Miss Hoffner. We simply want to eliminate the possibility that the mushrooms came from