Food To Die For

By Linda Tremer

Amy is determined to find the cause of death of her 3 year old nephew and 18 other children. All died mysteriously. Is she the only one who believes the deaths are linked? Could genetically engineered breakfast cereal be the cause? Amy finds herself fighting a ruthless biotech company. Her situation turns desperate as she fights for her life and the lives of other young children. Can she stop them before they stop her and more children die?
"Tremer knows how to keep the suspense up and by the end of the book has us questioning our food choices."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Tremer
• Release date: Mar 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301131341

Linda Tremer

Linda Tremer retired after 31 years teaching at Three Rivers Community College. She has been writing for over 20 years. She has 3 books in print and is working on 2 more. She also writes healthy living articles for www.thecenterforweightloss.com. You can see the book trailers at www.lindatremer.com

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Food To Die For

Linda M. Tremer

Copyright 2013 Linda Tremer

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

About The Author

Chapter 1

Sitting at the kitchen table, Amy Talbot pondered her data. Maps, papers and books littered the surface. An unfolded tri-county map covered one-quarter of the table. Nineteen towns circled in bright red magic marker decorated the map. Staring unseeingly off into space, Amy hoped for inspiration as she tapped her pencil on the open book.

Amy, are you still at it? asked her husband Peter. His voice displayed his irritation.

Amy closed the book, Genetic Engineering: Boon or Boondoggle and turned to look at Peter. She took a deep breath. Peter, you know I have to find out what happened to Josh.

Josh, Amy's three year-old nephew, had died just over a year ago. Amy was looking for some connection between Josh's death and the deaths of the other 18 pre-school children in the area. All had died within the last year and a half.

She had contacted The Centers for Disease Control. The deaths weren't statistically significant or related in any way or so they said. She knew differently. There had to be some connection.

Peter, I know it's hard for you. But nineteen children Peter, that's far too many to be a coincidence. Bear with me. I'm going to get to the bottom of this.

Honey, it's been over a year now and you're no closer to the answer than you were before. You've looked at all the factors. You've ruled out the water. They didn't attend the same daycare facilities. There's no common thread linking these deaths, Amy, except you. Don't you think it's time to give up this unproductive quest? You've exhausted every possibility.

Amy looked at Peter. She paused as she weighed her next words. "Not quite. I have one more direction left to explore.

Tomorrow I start my new job at the mill Harvest Ready."

What? he shouted.

I'm going to work at Harvest Ready.

What about your job at the bank?

I quit. Today was my last day.

You quit your job at the bank to go to work for a cereal manufacturer? Are you out of your mind? You loved your job. What could a cereal company possibly have to do with all this?

Peter, I know what I'm doing. And besides, I've been dissatisfied with my job at the bank, so this makes perfect sense. The bank said they would take me back if things don't work out.

Tell me what you plan to do.

I hope to find some connection between the deaths and Harvest Ready. I don't have a plan yet, but I know something will occur to me when I work there. Maybe I'm grasping at straws. But they have started research up there and it could be the missing link.

Oh, Amy, I worry so about you. Sometimes your intensity scares me.

Amy noticed the concern in his voice. Peter, what if I'm right and all the deaths are related? If I do nothing, how could I live with myself? If there are any more deaths and I could have prevented even one of them, I don't know what I'd do.

Do you think they're going to welcome you with open arms and open their records to you?

Of course not. She sighed. I intend to investigate, snoop around, ask questions and listen to gossip.

Peter shook his head. You're naive if you think you can get the answer that way.

Her voice rose. Do you have a better suggestion?

Yes. Stop right now. Even the CDC said there's nothing to investigate. What makes you think you know more than they do?

Peter, whatever killed these children is still out there.

You don't know that one thing killed all those children. You're only surmising.

Peter, something killed them. There's got to be a link. And Harvest Ready could be it.

It's useless. You won't listen to reason.

She could see he was angry now. So she didn't tell him the whole truth. She had a semblance of a plan. She believed that Harvest Ready had somehow caused the deaths of those young children. Harvest Ready was experimenting with pesticides and genetically altered foods. She spoke quietly. Peter, I promise if this doesn't produce results I'll stop.

Promise?

Peter, if I don't find out anything in six months, I'll give it up.

That's too long. Three months.

Her voice softened. All right three months and I'll forget the whole thing.

I'm still not sure why you're going to work there, he replied.

Remember those cattle that died a couple of years ago? It was all hushed up. Rumor was that Harvest Ready paid the farmer an enormous sum of money for the dead cows. The bodies were shipped away. It was all hush, hush.

But nothing was ever proven. It was all unsubstantiated. The papers said it was a hoax.

The papers here know their advertising dollars depend on Harvest Ready.

Amy, you're jumping to conclusions again. Amy knew this was her last chance at finding a connection. After this there was nothing else left for her to investigate. She had tried to find a common factor. She wouldn't feel right until she had exhausted every possibility. The trouble was she was down to her last possibility. There had to be some relationship. There were too many deaths to be coincidence.

If this didn't pan out she'd have no choice but to give up. As Peter had pointed out she had ruled out the water, daycare, and pollution. There had been no obvious connection among the victims. Nothing at all stood out. She was sure she was overlooking something. And yet every avenue was turning out to be a dead end.

Amy knew Peter didn't share her dedication. But Josh was her nephew not his. Josh was a healthy active three year-old one day and the next day he was in the hospital. He spent three days in a coma before dying. This bright, sparkling, and energetic young boy was suddenly dead. How? Why?

The autopsy was inconclusive. The doctors were surprised and baffled at his death. They had no idea why he had died. It would have ended there if, by chance, the young intern had not mentioned that Josh was the second young child to die in that hospital that year. Both had been in a coma before they had died.

She pursued it. The doctor believed it to be a coincidence. In both cases no cause of death could be found. No other deaths had been reported. Investigating on her own, she found 18 other young children who had died in the last year and a half. All died within a 50 mile radius of here.

The Centers for Disease Control seemed to think that fifty miles was too big a radius. They pointed out that in one case two of the children lived 100 miles apart. In another case two of the dead children were 80 miles from each other. She was told they were much too far for any common link. When she asked how close they would have live to be significant, she couldn't get an answer. They didn't consider it a cluster. And that was it. They had dismissed her allegations. There was nothing to connect the deaths. But she knew deep in her heart that there was a connection. And she was going to find it. Why else would a young, healthy boy die so suddenly? There had to be a reason. There were far too many deaths for it to be a coincidence or chance.

Peter's voice brought her back to reality. Amy, what if you do find out something? What do you plan to do with the information?

I haven't given that much thought. If I can find a connection then maybe someone will listen to me. I hope they will take over. Maybe then you'll believe me too.

Peter shook his head. I'm going to bed.

Amy stepped out on the front porch. It was a beautiful early spring night. Indiana was gorgeous this time of year. Just a short distance from town and you were in farm country. Because it was so flat, you could see for miles and miles. During the summer, it was a pleasant sight, field after field of grains, golden and green waving in the breeze. The green corn stalks topped with golden tassels. If she shut her eyes she could see in her mind the fields of corn stretching from horizon to horizon broken only by an occasional tree, windmill, silo or farm building. She loved it.

Shutting her eyes and thinking of the summer fields of corn was almost meditative. Tonight she could smell the freshness in the air. The days were getting longer, and best of all it was still too soon for the bothersome, bloodsucking mosquitoes, which made this, a perfect time of year.

She knew Peter worried about her. She also knew she had become obsessive. She acknowledged to herself that changing jobs without consulting him was unlike her. Peter preferred his life to be dependable, routine and predictable. The last year had been anything but. Amy had been too absorbed by her investigation to consider Peter's feelings. After she solved this mystery, she'd make it up to him.

Amy went back into the house, locked the front door, switched off the living room lights and walked down the hallway. As she entered the bedroom, she could hear Peter in the bathroom brushing his teeth. She looked at herself in the full length mirror. She smiled. Not bad for a thirty-six year old. The clothing manufacturers called her petite but she felt short not petite. Her figure was trim considering she hadn't worked out in over a year. She'd have to be careful or she'd gain weight. She noticed her dark blonde hair needed cutting.

Peter entered the bedroom clad only in his jockey shorts. He stepped behind Amy and put his arms around her. She leaned back into his chest. His reflection in the mirror showed him to be about a foot taller than she was. He was tall, slim and still quite handsome. His dark wavy hair fell over his right eye giving him a sexy look.

Amy looked at him affectionately. He was right, their marriage was suffering. And, so was their social life. She had been too busy to try and fit social activities into her schedule.

She turned in his arms and put her arms around his waist. He pulled her closer to him. She looked up at him and he bent slightly to kiss her. His kiss was strong, deep and inviting. She moved her hands to his buttocks and pulled him closer to her. After a moment they broke apart. Peter got into bed. She removed her clothes and slid into bed with him. They reached for each other, their troubles forgotten for the moment.

Amy parked her car at the mill Harvest Ready. For her first day at her new job, she wore a light gray silk suit with a pink silk blouse. A pair of short gray heels and a pearl necklace with matching earrings completed her outfit. As she grabbed her briefcase from the back seat of the car, she muttered, Josh, I will find out. Excited and a little bit afraid, she entered the office building. This could be the answer she was searching for. Or, it could be another dead end. She reported to the human resources office on the third floor to fill out her paper work.

After she finished the paper work, Chet Martin, the personnel director, said, Would you like to go on a tour of the company?

Yes, definitely.

I get to take all the new employees around. The president thinks it helps make them better employees when they know what the other departments do. They can see how their job fits into the scheme of things.

Chet was about thirty years old, tall and thin. He had on a tan sports coat, a light yellow cotton shirt and tan cotton pants. No tie. He looked as if he had stepped out of a Lands' End catalog. Noticing his casual attire, Amy wondered if she was overdressed.

This is the office building where you'll be working. This building houses the executive offices, HR, accounting and computer services. They walked down a flight of stairs. They entered a suite of offices. Chet pointed to an inside office. Here's your office, drop your papers off and follow me.

Amy placed the retirement and health care information on the desk and quickly glanced around her new office. She didn't have time to take in much. She set her briefcase on the desk and followed Chet.

Let's go over to our production facility.

They took the stairs down to the first floor. They left the office building and walked outside past a parking lot to the plant operations center. Chet said, This is the building where the cereal is made. They entered a short hallway, passed some cubicles and walked to a door that led to the production floor. Chet opened the door and motioned her in. Amy could see people moving about in white coats and hats.

The line is noisy. Chet moved to a box on the wall and took out a package of ear protectors. He handed the package to Amy. She ripped it open. Inside were two yellow foam cylindrical shaped objects about a half inch long. Chet took his ear protectors from his shirt pocket. He showed her how to roll and squeeze the ends between her forefinger and thumbs like modeling clay. This compressed the protectors enough to allow her to stick them into her ears. Once in her ears she could hear the foam as it spread out to fill up her ear canal.

Do you know anything at all about how cereal is made?

Nothing whatsoever. The ear protectors muffled the production line noise. Chet's voice came through distorted and soft but within hearing range. However, anyone with even a slight hearing loss would find it difficult to hear voices with the ear protectors in. They also felt funny. Her ears felt stuffed up like when she had a head cold. It was a weird sensation.

"Let me give you a brief history. We make ready-to-eat cereals here. They're called RTE cereals. RTE cereals are made from corn, wheat, oats, or rice. We make corn and wheat cereal here. The processing involves cooking the grain with flavor materials and sweeteners. Generally, two cooking methods are used, steam injection and continuous extrusion cooking. We use the steam injection method.

There are different categories of RTE cereals; flakes, which we make here, gun-puffed, shredded, and oven-puffed grains, and granola.

You mean they actually use a gun to puff the puffed rice cereals? asked Amy.

They sure do. The grain is puffed by pressure and shot in the air into a container. Operators wear face shields for safety. Because of the extremely loud noise, ear protectors must be worn. We don't puff cereal here. We only make flake cereals here.

Amy laughed. I always thought shot from guns was an advertising gimmick.

No. That's how it's done. Chet continued, Here's an interesting fact I bet you didn't know. In making flaked cereals each flake is made from one kernel.

You mean you don't roll out the dough and cut it into flakes?

He laughed. No. Most people have no idea how flaked cereals are made. Cornflakes and wheat flakes are made from whole-grain kernels or parts of the kernel, although a bit differently. Let me use cornflakes as an example. The first step is to dry mill the corn. This removes the germ and bran and leaves the endosperm, about a half of a kernel. This is just the right size needed for one flake.

I'm amazed, said Amy. I never thought about making cereal before today. What kind of corn is used?

Field corn not the corn on the cob you eat each summer. We use a traditional process known as 'flaking grits.' As I said the corn is dry milled to separate the germ and bran from the endosperm. The endosperm is cooked, dried, tempered, flaked and toasted.

There's so much more involved than I would have ever thought, Amy said.

Let's walk past the line and I'll explain it as we go along. We can walk along the floor. If you look up you'll see a catwalk. When we have groups visit they tour from above. We like to keep visitors out of the way. We don't want anyone getting hurt.

Amy looked up at the walkway that ran the length of the building. It might be fun to see the operation from above.

Chet continued, The raw grits are mixed with sugar, malt, salt and water. Moisture content has to be maintained at about 32 percent. Over here we have the mixers.

Those big tubs that look like an antique washing machine? Amy asked.

That's right. Over there you can see the batch cookers. He pointed to some stainless steel vessels that resembled giant barrels 4 feet in diameter and 8 feet long. "The steam is injected into them. We fill them a little over half