Ink and Shadows(Secret, Book, & Scone Society #4)(51)

When all was quiet, she went back inside and arranged the paper, her mug of tea, and three ibuprofen tablets on the kitchen table. Next, she reached for her phone.

She had no calls or texts from Jed. He was hours and miles away. He was scared and alone. But he wouldn’t turn to Nora for support anymore.

Nora sat at the table, cradling her mug, and cried.

After a time, the tea and the ibuprofen worked their magic. The sharp stabs in her head became a dull ache. Her queasiness disappeared, so she ate two slices of toast with raspberry jam. The flavor brought back one of her first memories of Jed.

Nora remembered how much she’d wanted to kiss him that summer day. She remembered how the sun had painted gold into his hair and how she’d watched him pull the raspberries off the branches. His fingers had been deft and gentle. She’d imagined them touching her. Moving over the curve of her cheek and down the slope of her neck.

Thinking of this day, and of many others, Nora decided that she wasn’t going to let Jed walk away simply because she hadn’t agreed to his request. She dialed his number and left a message describing that memory of berry picking. She hoped it would inspire him to reach out to her. If not, she would keep calling. She would keep reminding him that they had a good thing going.

Setting the phone aside, Nora pulled the paper out of its plastic sleeve and flattened it.

She scanned the national news, her hand poised to turn the first page, when she saw the headline below the fold. It read ALLERGIC REACTION PROVES FATAL FOR LOCAL WOMAN. Brenna Leopold’s name appeared in the opening line.

“What?” Nora cried.

Her eyes raced over the words. The date of the tragic incident. A quote from the ME regarding evidence of anaphylaxis and a sudden drop of blood pressure. The presence of a rash resembling eczema. The need to consult with colleagues before establishing the “alpha-gal” diagnosis and the ruling of accidental death. How Bren and her mother, Celeste, were newcomers to Miracle Springs. How Celeste could not be reached for comment. Medical records from Washington County indicated that the late Ms. Leopold was diagnosed with the unusual condition two years ago.

“She may have accidentally eaten red meat at the farm-to-table festival,” Deputy Fuentes had told the reporter. “There could have been a mix-up with her order. It’s hard to say exactly what happened. Our thoughts and prayers are with the young lady’s mother during this difficult time.”

The article’s final line stated that Bren would be laid to rest in Woodland Cemetery. The date was not included, nor were details regarding a service or donations.

“Accidental?” Nora spluttered.

She grabbed her phone. She needed McCabe to explain how Bren’s death could possibly be a fatal case of food poisoning in light of the book page and the break-in at her house.

When he didn’t answer, Nora hung up without leaving a message. Pushing the paper away, she ran a search for Alpha-gal on her laptop.

Thanks to a concise description provided by the Center for Disease Control, Nora learned that alpha-gal was a relatively new food allergy caused by a tick bite. She was examining an image of the Lone Star tick when her phone rang.

“Did you see the paper?” June asked in a shrill voice.

“Just now. I’m trying to wrap my head around this alpha-gal thing.”

Following a pause and an unintelligible murmur, June said, “You’re on speaker. I stopped by the Pink Lady for breakfast and ran into Estella. We’re standing in the alley, so tell us what you know, because this accidental death headline doesn’t feel right.”

“I don’t buy it either, but here’s what I do know. Alpha-gal is a sugar molecule found in most mammals. An alpha-gal allergy means that you’re allergic to these sugar molecules. If you eat meat or are exposed to products made from mammals who carry this sugar molecule, you’ll have a bad reaction.”

“So if I have alpha-gal and I eat fried chicken, I could die?” Estella asked.

Nora consulted the chart on her screen. “Fish and birds are safe. They’re not mammals, so they don’t have the sugar molecule. It’s found in red meat like beef, pork, and lamb.”

June said, “I’ve never heard of this thing. Was Bren born with it?”

“Many scientists believe that it starts with a bite from the Lone Star tick,” answered Nora. “I was looking at an image of the nasty bug when you called. Lone Star ticks are found throughout the Southeast. They have white, star-shaped spots on their backs, and their bites are painless. This is really bad because most people don’t even know that they’ve been bitten. The ticks carry alpha-gal in their saliva.”

Estella made a noise to convey her disgust. “I will never understand why God made ticks or mosquitos. Never.”

“The article says that Bren was diagnosed in Washington County. The same county as Still Waters, right?” asked June.

“Yep. Miles and miles of woods. Lots of trees mean lots of white-tailed deer. Lots of tick carriers. And the more a person with this condition is bitten by these ticks, the worse the allergy gets.”

“Bren wasn’t a little kid,” Estella said. “She knew she had this allergy. She would have been insanely careful about everything she put into her mouth.”

Nora thought so too. “That’s why I think this ruling is wrong. Someone must have given her food or a product made with red meat. The same person who ransacked her rental house.”