Fungi Foul Play


 Table of Contents
 
 
 
 Table of Contents
 
 
 Title Page
 
 
 Copyright
 
 
 CHAPTER ONE
 
 
 CHAPTER TWO
 
 
 CHAPTER THREE
 
 
 CHAPTER FOUR
 
 
 CHAPTER FIVE
 
 
 CHAPTER SIX
 
 
 CHAPTER SEVEN
 
 
 CHAPTER EIGHT
 
 
 CHAPTER NINE
 
 
 CHAPTER TEN
 
 
 CHAPTER ELEVEN
 
 
 CHAPTER TWELVE
 
 
 CHAPTER THIRTEEN
 
 
 CHAPTER FOURTEEN
 
 
 CHAPTER FIFTEEN
 
 
 CHAPTER SIXTEEN
 
 
 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
 
 
 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
 
 
 CHAPTER NINETEEN
 
 
 CHAPTER TWENTY
 
 
 About the Author
 
 
 
 Table of Contents
 
 Title Page
 Copyright
 CHAPTER ONE
 CHAPTER TWO
 CHAPTER THREE
 CHAPTER FOUR
 CHAPTER FIVE
 CHAPTER SIX
 CHAPTER SEVEN
 CHAPTER EIGHT
 CHAPTER NINE
 CHAPTER TEN
 CHAPTER ELEVEN
 CHAPTER TWELVE
 CHAPTER THIRTEEN
 CHAPTER FOURTEEN
 CHAPTER FIFTEEN
 CHAPTER SIXTEEN
 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
 CHAPTER NINETEEN
 CHAPTER TWENTY
 About the Author
 Fungi Foul Play
 VIKKI WALTON
 Morewellson, Ltd.
 Fungi Foul Play
 Copyright ©2023 by Vikki Walton
 All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written consent of the author and publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial use is permitted by copyright law.
 For permission requests, write to the publisher:
 Attention: Permissions Coordinator
 Morewellson, Ltd.
 P.O. Box 49726
 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80949-9726
 ISBNs:(e-pub) 978-1-950452-44-6
 (standard paperback) 978-1-950452-45-3
 (large print) 978-1-950452-46-0
 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. In order to provide a sense of place for the story, business establishment names have included under the aspect of “nominative fair use” of products or services. No establishment noted in this fictional account have provided any incentive or endorsement of said account.
 Cover design by DLR Designs
 Formatting by Wild Seas Formatting; Rik Hall
 CHAPTER ONE
 Anne had a strong focus on her phone, her attention completely taken by whatever was on the screen. The phone call went unanswered, as it had many times before. Frustrated, she ended the call.
 As Kandi made her way to her SUV, Anne gave her a friendly greeting of “Good Morning.” After Kandi had made her way into the vehicle and shut the door, Anne put the vehicle in drive. “Hey, over the past few days, I’ve been attempting to get in contact with Hope yet I’m still waiting to hear back. Have you been in touch with her and heard anything from her?”
 “No, but she’s probably preoccupied with all the things she’s doing. You should have come to the mushroom class she held at the Herbal Shoppe. It was so interesting! I am counting down the days until I can go out into nature to learn the art of distinguishing and recognizing mushrooms. They’re going to hold a foray next month, I think. You should come with me.”
 “Um, maybe.” Anne’s mind was distracted as she drove toward Main Street, her gaze shifting to the left side of the road. “What’s with the holdup? Hey, instead of taking the main road, why don’t we travel along the back road to get to Polly’s place? What has caused the recent surge of traffic in the mornings lately?”
 Kandi replied, “Well, for one thing, you barely ever head out in the mornings. And second, with so many people now being able to work remotely, plenty of individuals have moved away from Denver and the other big cities and have ended up here.”
 Anne let out an exasperated sigh that showed her current state of frustration. “All I can do is hope and pray that they will make their way back soon. We certainly don’t need these newcomers here.”
 Kandi couldn’t help but giggle as she remarked, “Of course, it’s easier said than done—although it doesn’t really apply to you since you yourself are a transplant!”
 “I don’t think I should be included in that count.” Anne gave a knowing wink before engaging her turn signal and then began to turn left down the street towards Polly’s Pet Shop.
 “What are you getting from Polly again?”
 “Some new toys for Mouser and the supplement he needs. I want him to stay around and healthy for a long time now that he’s getting older. He’s seemed a little out of sorts lately. I took him for a check-up at the vets, but his vitals are all good, so he has no health issues to speak of. But I thought some new toys could be nice.”
 “Who knew you’d be so wrapped around his little paw?”
 “Guilty as charged.” Anne let out a heavy sigh. “So much for bypassing the traffic. It looks like everyone else had the same plan of steering away from main street.”
 Kandi leaned her head closer to the right of the front window, as she squinted past the truck stopped in front of them. This morning she had spent some time styling her hair, which was full and wavy, into two braids. The braid in her hair had been done in a rush, leaving a strand of hair that had fallen over her left eye and cheek.
 Anne cracked open the window of the car to let in some of the refreshing air that was typical of Colorado, and while she waited for the line of vehicles in front of her to move, she glanced up at the sky. The sky was filled with fluffy white clouds that drifted on the air. Along with the soft breeze, the remnants of a light rain from earlier in the morning had left dew on the plants and ground, filling the air with the fresh scent of wet grass.
 Anne took a deep breath and sighed