The doctor crossed over to the windowsill to examine the plant more carefully. She had noticed that potted plant every day since Chloe was admitted to the community hospital in Columbus, Ohio, experiencing persistent abdominal pa!n, serious nausea, and an unusual weakness that no early test could explain.
Yet Rosalyn had never actually paused to examine the planter itself.
It was an ordinary spider plant that the nursing staff normally watered twice each week.
The other four planters lining the hallway ledge were green, but this particular flowerpot had turned nearly black.
The leaves appeared badly damaged, the soil had hardened into a thick crust, and tiny pale crystals could be seen around the inside rim.
Rosalyn suddenly felt uneasy. “Chloe, how long have you been pouring those drops into the pot?”
The little girl counted slowly on her small fingers. “Four days, maybe five, ever since I stopped getting sick.”
