Dr. Baker

Dr. Baker is a veterinarian who treats the animals on Tom Riley's farm. When Tom's horse Rachel collapses with symptoms resembling severe colic, Baker recognizes signs he has previously seen after arsenic poisoning. Tom keeps his insecticide locked away and has never used a crop duster in the orchard, so the diagnosis points toward contamination from an unknown source. Baker advises Tom to watch carefully what his animals eat and drink. That warning becomes an important clue when fish are found dead in the nearby creek and children grow sick after eating Tom's apples. His professional observation helps connect Rachel's illness to a larger danger affecting the farm and community.