Blood Bath and Beyond by Winters Corrine

Author:Winters, Corrine [Winters, Corrine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-17T00:00:00+00:00

“Oh, gosh, do I ever know about the deadly fungi. Death Caps, Latin name Amanita phalloides. Sadly, they are all over the Wolverine State Park. It’s tricky, as that mushroom is in the same family as Amanita caesarea, which is perfectly fine to eat. People hunt for the latter and end up ingesting the former, and before they know it, it’s too late, and they are dead to the ages.”

“So, you’re saying such deaths can be attributed to a picking mistake?”

“Absolutely. It’s happened before. I instruct people interested in foraging for wild mushrooms to remember the difference in the color of the caps themselves. Once you know their hue and which one is which, any forager can easily tell them apart.”

“Any forager. You mean someone like me or, uh, you?”

“Oh, certainly like me. I’m an expert in these parts.” Sheila chuckled, pointed to her chest, her cheeks growing rosy.

“How about any fey who lived in that park? Would they know the difference?”

“If there were such a thing as fey, of course they would know. But I’m not saying there is such a thing, mind you. I believe those winged creatures live more in story books than in the woods. Regardless, it would be doubtful you could grow up in and around Wolverine and not know. It’s not like IDing Death Caps is difficult. You must be cognizant of the color and pick accordingly. Thankfully, the Amanita caesarea grows as vigorously in the park as its deadly counterpart, so there is much eating to be had by any woodland creature, winged or otherwise.” Sheila smirked at her own wry humor.

“Any woodland creature, like Delino Gibbons,” Tessa whispered to herself.

“What was that, dear? I didn’t hear you right.” Sheila's jolly demeanor melted into confusion.

“Oh, nothing, just memorizing what you just said.”

Sheila laughed. “Instead of memorizing, head over to the flora and fauna section in the library here. There are picture books you can check out that will help you learn the differences seen in edibles and their deadly counterparts.”

“That’s a great idea, Sheila. Thank you. I’ll do that right now.”

Tessa smiled at the librarian like the baker didn’t have a worry in the world, and took her leave, summarily bypassing the fungi section, heading straight out the door.

The baker had in her head mountains of information she knew she had to divulge to Bridget. Some the wolf shifter would appreciate, some not so much. The choux buns would be off the hook, which was grand. But there still was the matter of a killer on the loose who may know the baker girls and one determined Simon Black were hunting for him. That could take the target off the Judge’s corpse and put it right on them.

As Tessa headed home, her thoughts swirled around mushrooms. Many of their pastries used wild mushrooms. It was an ingredient staple at The Bun. Now, instead of seeing the shroom as a good thing, Tessa would see it as a loaded gun, waiting to go off

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