THE CASE OF THE WHITE POWDER
I see a pile of powdered sugar stacked up like a mountain. It is on top of a very clean kitchen table. As I come closer and inspect it more carefully, I see a thin ribbon of black toward the top. It disappears inside the powder, and is not at all visible from the other side. I keep walking around the table because something doesn’t look right to me. It is almost as if there are two different types of white powder mixed together, and I know now this is not powdered sugar.
l pull out a piece of paper from my wallet where I had written down the name and number of a man I met recently on the train. His name was Joel, and he mentioned that he worked ase a technician at a scientific lab nearby. I dial his number, and when he answers, I explain what I am looking at. He suggests a few possibilities but volunteers to analyze it if I bring him a sample.
When Joel calls me back a few days later, I can tell by his voice that he is surprised by what I have discovered. I can also tell he is being careful with his words as if he is being coached by someone. He will also not reveal the results until I explain again exactly where I found the powder, when I found it and who I think it belongs to. I almost interrupt him to ask if our conversation is being taped but decide instead just to cooperate and answer all his questions. I know I have nothing to hide so I go over all the details with him again.
It was last Tuesday night when I was at the Unity Church watching a film that interested me on the afterlife. I had gotten up in the middle of it to use the bathroom but, having never been in the building before, I took a wrong turn and ended up in the church kitchen. That was when I noticed the pile of what looked like powdered sugar at first glance. I would have ignored it completely if it hadn’t been for that thin black ribbon at the top which piqued my curiosity.
By the time I finish my explanation, I am positive there are several listening to our conversation. Someone has put their hand over the phone receiver and is whispering to another. Then I hear Joel speak again, and his voice sounds a bit nervous as if he is worried about something I said. He thanks me for my cooperation and then tells me there is someone else in the room that would like to talk to me. Shortly, another man comes on the line and introduces himself as Detective Parker from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He explains that if I am willing he and two others will need to meet with me personally and take down my testimony. After I agree to do so, he continues the conversation by asking if I have mentioned my discovery to anyone else. When I reply “No”, he sounds relieved and then requests that given the nature of this powder and the location it was found, it would be best for all concerned if I keep this to myself until my testimony has been officially recorded. He also tells me that he will send an officer to me shortly who will drive me to his office.
Just as I am about to hang up, it occurs to me that they never told me the results of the powder analysis. “Do you mind telling me what it was that I discovered?” I ask the detective. He hesitates for a second and then replies: “Heroin laced with strychnine and black tar.”
Copyright © 2015 (Michelle Parsons, Getting Back on Your Path). All Rights Reserved.
