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The fellowship hall at New Promise Chapel was packed after the Thanksgiving service. Folding tables bowed under turkey, stuffing, and a large pot of gravy. Thirty minutes into the meal, people began collapsing.
Lab tests found a concentrated agricultural insecticide mixed into the gravy—now over a hundred congregants are sick, several in critical condition. Prosecutors charged Pastor Elijah Ward, but the timeline and access don’t quite fit.
Your mission: Solve the case by answering three critical questions:
Tip: Compare who had access to the locked shed (where chemicals are stored) with when the gravy was last known safe.
Location: New Promise Chapel – Fellowship Hall & Kitchen.
Timeline (key moments):
Substance: Ethyl parathion (restricted pesticide). Concentrated in the gravy only.
Anne Lopez (Kitchen Volunteer): “I helped season the gravy at about 4:40. It tasted fine then. We put the lid on and carried it to the warmer.”
Eric Pike (Kitchen Volunteer): “I saw the gravy covered on the warmer at 4:45. During the sermon I went upstairs—no one should’ve been serving until after 5:05.”
Choir Member: “The pastor never left the pulpit until nearly 5. Right after, he stood at the foyer doors greeting people.”
Usher: “Treasurer Marla Green popped into the kitchen near the end of the sermon, said she was checking the donation box.”
DeAndre Holt (Custodian/Cook): “I helped make the gravy on the stove, but once it went to the warmer I started cleaning pans. I didn’t touch it again.”
Locked Shed Access: The pesticide is kept in a locked shed behind the church. Only three keys exist: Pastor Ward, Marla Green (treasurer), and DeAndre Holt (custodian).
Contaminated Gloves: Food-service gloves with gravy residue and pesticide traces found in trash near the back door by the shed. The exterior camera is “broken.”
Finances: Church accounts are in crisis. Marla recently took a personal loan after money went “missing” from a building fund—she claims it was to cover accounting errors.
Target Theory Fails: Prosecutors allege the pastor aimed to kill his estranged son Caleb, but Caleb refused gravy and only got mildly ill from cross-contamination.
Last Safe Moment: Multiple witnesses confirm the gravy was safe at 4:40 and covered on the warmer at 4:45. Poison must have been added after 4:40 and before the line opened.