pocket. He snapped it open.
âWhat motel?â he asked.
âThe...the...â I struggled to remember. We had dropped her off after the barbecue because she wanted some privacy. She didnâtwant to share the motor home the rest of the film crew used. I tried to picture the neon sign against the night sky:
Riverside Motel
.
He punched a few numbers and waited. âYes,â he said. âI need the number for the Riverside Motel.â
After a few more seconds of waiting, he punched in more numbers. And waited briefly again.
âYes,â he said. âI would like to speak to a guest registered at the motel.â
He gave me a questioning look.
âMargaret Lynn,â I said.
âMargaret Lynn,â he repeated into the cell phone.
For the next few seconds, I again felt stuck in mud with an alligator swimming closer. What if she had passed out? This was some kind of poisoning. What if she had...
âHello,â Doctor Ellroy said into the phone. âThis is Doctor John Ellroy. Iâm an internal specialist and Iââ
He closed his eyes. Even I could hear how loud Margaret Lynn was yelling into the telephone.
âNo,â Dr. Ellroy said. âThis is not Al or Brian. This is not a practical joke. I am calling because we were afraid that you might be ill. However, you sound very healthy and strong. I am sorry to have bothered you.â
He snapped the phone shut. He smiled. âIt didnât seem the time for a long conversation.â
He began tapping his teeth again with his pencil. âThis could help,â he said. âIt could help a lot. Was there anything you all ate that she did not?â
âSheâs a vegetarian,â I said. âDoes that help?â
âPerhaps.â
I snapped my fingers. âNo,â I said. âDessert. We all had a fruit dessert with whipped cream. She didnât. But Tim Becker, another guy who sat with us, did.â
Doctor Ellroy made a couple more phone calls and finally reached Tim Becker. Doctor Ellroy spoke seriously with him for a few minutes, then hung up.
âAs you could tell from our conversation,â Dr. Ellroy said, âheâs sick too, though he
doesnât sound as bad off as you are. Iâd say itâs a safe bet youâre all reacting to the dessert.â
Doctor Ellroy frowned. âThe strange thing here is that the symptoms sound like something that commonly happens to children who pick and eat raw elderberries.â
âElderberries?â I echoed.
âYes,â he said. âCooked elderberries are fine. But uncooked, theyâll cause exactly what youâve experienced. The symptoms wonât kill you, but they will slow you down. Raw elderberries contain a poison called cyanogenic glycoside.â
I didnât care much about the name of the poison. I cared much more about a bigger question. One that Dr. Ellroy asked out loud for both of us. Especially after I explained that only Uncle Mikeâs crew had been poisoned.
âBut why,â he said, âwould someone put raw elderberries in selective desserts?â
Before either of us could try to answer, a new kind of rumbling hit my insides. Not the throwing-up kind of rumbling. But thekind of rumbling that had sent Uncle Mike out the door in a big hurry.
âUm, Doctor Ellroy?â I said.
âYes?â
I was already running out the door as I answered.
âGot to go,â I said.
And I meant it in the truest way. I sprinted down the hall, looking for a bathroom.
Stupid elderberries.
chapter fifteen
Those stupid elderberries cost us nearly a full day of production, setting us even further behind Uncle Mikeâs million-dollar deadline.
Since it was the day between Fridayâs qualifying and Sundayâs race, the original plan had been to interview Sandy in the morning and film the pit crew in the afternoon.
Weâd canceled the pit crew film segments because we
Melanie Dickerson
Karin Kallmaker
Missy Johnson
Jackie Collins
Jacintha Topaz
Wendy Saunders
Dori Hillestad Butler, Jeremy Tugeau
Claire Berlinski
Jodi Daynard
Helen Scott Taylor