Page 20 of The Landman: A Jeff Koehler Mystery (The Jeff Koehler Mystery)

“Have either of you ever heard of a plant called Water Hemlock?” Both Carrie and Jeff shook their heads, indicating they had not. “I had to brush up on it myself. I remembered something about it from my days in school. Water Hemlock is the common name for a plant called Cicuta. We found a trace amount of Cicutoxin, which is highly poisonous, in the flask. We then compared this to Eddie’s blood sample and found trace elements of the same substance in his blood and urine. Based upon these tests, the poison from Cicuta definitely caused the violent illness of Mr. Koehler. Jeff, your brother only ingested a tiny amount. Otherwise, he could have died from the toxin.”

Myra explained, “Water Hemlock is a plant that grows in wetland areas and roadsides, marshes, and along the banks of streams. It’s gained the reputation for being the most poisonous plant in the North Temperate Zone. Ingestion or even touching it can cause violent illness or even death. It produces a toxin called cicutoxin that is known to cause nausea, convulsions, seizures, and cardiac dysrhythmias. In short, it’s so toxic it can easily kill a person unable to seek immediate treatment. It’s particularly lethal to anyone with underlying health issues.

Can you think of any way your brother could have accidentally ingested this substance?”

“No. That’s not possible,” Jeff answered definitively.

Myra continued, “Some more background information I discovered about water hemlock is it has been known to affect cattle. It has even been passed to humans in beef, causing violent illness. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) embarked on a program in the 1960s and 1970s to eradicate it. Michigan played a key role in this program. It was successfully eradicated from most, but not all, of Michigan.”

“Was water hemlock ever prevalent in Stoneman County?” Jeff inquired.

“Yes. However, the most successful portion of the eradication program occurred in the northern third of the lower peninsula. No reports of residual water hemlock have emerged from the area in more than twenty years. I spoke with colleagues at Michigan State University, who informed me they eliminated about 93 percent of Michigan’s water hemlock through the program. They told me that the state has been fighting a small outbreak in Southwestern Michigan for several years that sprang up around Muskegon. The bottom line is this plant is very rare but not eliminated in this state.”

“So if that’s the case, how could Eddie have ingested it in the flask?” Carrie asked.

“That’s the million-dollar question,” Myra stated. “That leads us to why we brought our director, Dr. Haskins, into this meeting and requested Jeff join us too. We have certain reporting requirements where we must notify authorities when we encounter a poisonous substance. We hope Jeff can shed further light on what transpired leading up to his brother’s poisoning. Jeff, can you tell us where this flask came from and who came into contact with it?”

“The flask originally belonged to my father. My older brother Grant, who recently passed from a heart attack, had it with him the day he died. Eddie got it from Grant’s belongings after he passed.” As Jeff spoke these words out loud, a realization hit him, and a truly horrible thought crept into his head. It now seemed so obvious that he couldn’t believe it. Before anyone else came to the same realization, Jeff spoke up, his voice cracking in a heart-wrenching tone. “My brother Grant didn’t die of a heart attack! He was poisoned!”

Chapter twenty-two

On the way back from Petoskey, Jeff and Carrie talked extensively about the poison and the realization that Grant had likely been murdered. The lab director indicated he would need to contact law enforcement with this new information. Jeff also wanted to update Deputy Stassin immediately. He gave him a call and shared the details on the ride back to Granite Cove. Who would do such a thing? How did they obtain this rare poison? How did it get into the flask? These were all great questions without answers. There remained some tension between Carrie and Jeff from the drive to Petoskey. They both silently vowed not to disturb the truce and kept their conversation exclusively on Grant.

About halfway back to Granite Cove, Jeff’s stomach growled, and he suddenly felt famished. He hadn’t eaten much of Francine’s casserole the previous night. In fact, he had actually eaten very little since Grant’s death. “Hey Carrie, do you have time to stop in the little diner up ahead and grab lunch?”

“Sure, I have time for a quick bite. However, I need to be back in time for afternoon patients.”

The lunch tasted good. Jeff ordered a hot beef sandwich, and Carrie surprised him by ordering a burger. Somehow he pictured her ordering a salad before he realized that was a sexist thought. When they were done, they quickly left the diner, but only after Carrie insisted on splitting the check. They drove the rest of the way back to Granite Cove, resuming their discussion about Grant, Eddie, and water hemlock. Carrie pulled up to the office, said goodbye to Jeff, and quickly entered the building.

Water Hemlock

***

Jeff returned home and immediately called Eddie. He got no answer and started to worry. He almost drove to Eddie’s house to check on him when Eddie texted that everything was fine and he would call Jeff within the hour. Jeff then called Grant’s wife, Sarah, to give her the new information.

“Sarah, this is Jeff. How are you and Julie doing?”

“We’re hanging in there. I am dealing with a lot of issues regarding Grant’s funeral arrangements and estate. I’m curious why you called. Is there any news?”

“Yes, there is, and it’s startling. We now think someone poisoned Grant with a rare substance derived from the water hemlock plant. We think they put it in his flask.”

“Oh my God, '' Sarah shouted, '' Did you go to the police?”

“Yes, Sarah, Of course, that’s being handled.”

“The medical examiner contacted me as Grant’s wife, and I initially declined an autopsy for religious reasons. My Jewish faith frowns on the desecration of the body. The M.E. confirmed her initial finding of a heart attack. If Eddie hadn’t gotten sick from that flask, we would never have known the truth.”

“That’s right, Sarah. Based on what we learned this morning, I know the medical examiner will now perform an automatic autopsy. I have no doubt they’ll find water hemlock in his system too.”

Jeff asked Sarah if she knew anyone who might want to harm Grant. She indicated she wasn’t thinking clearly at the moment. She promised to consider it later and let Jeff know if anyone came to mind. They agreed to talk the next day.

About two hours later, Eddie finally called and said he’d been trying to sleep and needed some time before they talked. Jeff told him the whole story about the poisonous substance and the strong likelihood that Grant had been murdered. Eddie was shocked, like everyone else. However, he didn’t ask as many questions as Jeff had expected. After they hung up, Jeff wondered about Eddie’s reaction. He decided it probably resulted from the poisoning and the fact Eddie had just woken up.

Later that evening, Jeff was relaxing at his home in Granite Cove when he heard a knock on his door. Deputy Stassin waited on his porch. Jeff greeted Stassin and invited him into the house. “Sorry to bother you like this in the evening, Jeff, but the new information about the poisoning has changed the entire trajectory of my investigation. I hope you don’t mind answering a few more questions.”

“Not at all, deputy. Anything to help get to the bottom of Grant’s death is something I will gladly do. What would you like to know?”

“I’m trying to reconstruct a timeline of Grant’s activities to figure out who had the opportunity to spike the flask. Can you shed any light on Grant’s movements on or around the day he died?”

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