By seven-thirty Mark Stevens and George Harris were both exhausted, but Kim had gotten a second wind. The men had to tell Kim their eyes were blurry before Kim admitted she had to get back to the city. As they walked her out to her car, they thanked her for coming and promised her things would move quickly.
Driving into Cambridge, Kim didn’t even attempt to look for a parking place on the street. Instead she drove directly into the Charles’ parking garage and walked over to the Harvest Bar. It was filled to overflowing with a Friday-night crowd, most of whom had been there through happy hour.
Kim looked for Edward but didn’t immediately see him. She had to worm her way through the crowd standing five deep around the bar. Finally she found him nursing a glass of chardonnay at a table behind the bar. As soon as he saw her, his face lit up and he leaped to his feet to pull out her chair.
As Edward pushed the chair in under her, Kim remarked to herself that Kinnard would not have made the effort.
“You look like you could use a glass of white wine,” Edward said.
Kim nodded. She could tell instantly that Edward was either excited or self-conscious. His stutter was more apparent than usual. She watched while he caught the waitress’s attention and gave the order for two glasses of wine. Then he looked at her.
“Did you have a good day?” he asked.
“It was busy,” Kim said. “What about yours?”
“It was a great day!” Edward said excitedly. “I’ve got some good news. The dirt samples from Elizabeth’s food bins grew out a mold with hallucinogenic effects. I think we have solved the question of what at least kicked off the Salem witch trials. The only thing we don’t know is whether it was ergotism or something entirely new.”
Edward went on to tell Kim everything that had happened at Kevin Scranton’s office.
Kim’s response was concerned disbelief. “You took a drug without knowing what it was?” she asked. “Wasn’t that dangerous?”
“You sound like Kevin.” Edward laughed. “I’m surrounded by ersatz parents. No, it wasn’t dangerous. It was too small a dose to be dangerous. But, being small, it certainly indicated the hallucinogenic power of this new fungus.”
“It sounds foolhardy to me,” Kim persisted.
“It wasn’t,” Edward said. “I even had a urinalysis and a creatinine blood test this afternoon for Kevin’s sake. They were both normal. I’m fine. Believe me. In fact, I’m better than fine. I’m ecstatic. At first I was hoping this new fungus would make the same mix of alkaloids as Claviceps so it would prove ergotism was the culprit. Now I’m hoping it makes its own alkaloids.”
“What are alkaloids?” Kim asked. “It’s a familiar term but I couldn’t define it to save my life.”
“Alkaloids are a large group of nitrogen-containing compounds found in plants,” Edward said. “They’re familiar to you because many of them are common, like caffeine, morphine, and nicotine. As you can guess, most are pharmacologically active.”
“Why are you getting so excited about finding some new ones if they are so common?” Kim asked.
“Because I’ve already proven whatever alkaloid is in this new fungus, it’s psychotropically active,” Edward said. “Finding a new hallucinogenic drug can open up all sorts of doors to the understanding of brain function. Invariably they resemble and mimic the brain’s own neurotransmitters.”
“When will you know if you’ve found new alkaloids?” Kim asked.
“Soon,” Edward said. “Now tell me about your day.”
Kim took a breath. Then she related to Edward everything that had happened to her, in chronological order, starting with her talk with her father and ending with the completion of the design for the new kitchen and baths for the cottage.
“Wow!” Edward said, “you did have a busy day. I’m astounded by the discovery of Elizabeth’s grave. And you said the coffin was in good shape?”
“What I could see of it,” Kim said. “It was buried very deep, probably around eight feet down. Its end was sticking into the trench. It had been damaged by the backhoe.”
“Did finding the grave upset you?” Edward asked.