Page 42 of Vintage

Nothing seemed particularly surprising. For anyone living on the outskirts of town, venturing out at night was risky, especially for a young child.

"What else do we have?" My voice sounded hollow, devoid of emotion, but the fear had subsided, replaced by the trust I felt from Ro's visit the previous night.

"I'm not sure how much weight this will carry as evidence against Willow, but I explored your theories, and the very reason you encountered her when we trespassed on her property, and—"

"You did what?!" Dimitri cut in, his expression radiating pure anger. His gaze was fixed on my friend, but she merely rolled her eyes and dismissed him.

"—the point is, yes... She was indeed cultivating nutmeg in her backyard."

"So what? Do you really think it matters? What if she reports you? Do you even have a clue how that would play out?" Dimitri shouted again, but Darius pulled him back into his seat.

"Just be quiet, alright? Let the girl finish... And Ace, if he interrupts again, feel free to use the duct tape on him." He grinned, turning his attention back to Reese, who smiled back at him, winking and giving a thumbs up in appreciation.

Dimitri slumped in his seat, muttering to himself before falling silent.

"Anyway, where was I... Oh right... While I was looking for the nutmeg tree, I also discovered salvia flowers. Those are the same flowers she used to give Amir every time she came over. Luckily, he planted them in your backyard, which caught my attention, so I knew exactly what to look for when I was there." She beamed, eagerly awaiting praise.

Dimitri groaned, leaning back and shooting daggers at her.

"What do your findings even mean?" he challenged.

She scoffed and shifted closer to me, returning his glare.

"Honestly, I agree with Dimitri on this one. These aren’t facts you can use to accuse anyone. Nutmeg is a common spice, and salvias grow in the NC area." Reginald, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up, siding with Dimitri.

Dimitri smirked, licking his lips with a smug expression as he continued to glare at Reese.

I couldn’t recall any history between Dimitri and Reese, but perhaps she just hadn’t shared it with me.

However, lifting her chin like a proud cat, Reese laid out her reasoning, silencing the boys.

"Nutmeg is native to Indonesia and was introduced to America during the colonial era. No one cultivates nutmeg here except in a few parts of Central America and southern Florida. It requires a tropical climate, so think about it: why would she plant a tree that can’t survive here? Do you even realize how much money she’s wasting trying to keep it alive in this climate, especially with fall approaching?" Reese stated flatly, raising an eyebrow.

I refuse to believe I was the only one who noticed Dimitri’s smirk, which hinted at something less than innocent towards my friend.

I drifted from the thought, focusing back on the ongoing discussion.

Reginald grumbled, clearly unimpressed. "Alright then, enlighten us, Miss Know-It-All."

"It's myristicin," she replied. "This chemical found in nutmeg can lead to hallucinations, drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, dry mouth, and in some cases, seizures. When consumed in excessive amounts, it results in what we refer to as nutmeg intoxication." Her words made me gasp, drawing everyone's attention.

I was taken aback. I had heard of nutmeg poisoning, but this was new to me.

"She used to bring spice cake to Ro. No one in town sells nutmeg, and Polly is the only one who uses it in her cooking, sourcing it through various means and only in small quantities for her winter menu, aside fromthe roughly 50 grams she keeps for special cakes." I recalled taking baking lessons from her to make Ro's birthday cake last year.

"Buying it would get her caught, but who would notice a tree in the garden? That's clever." Ace's face was blank.

"Wait, what about Salvia?" Darius interjected, his mind racing. I could tell he was just as perplexed.

"You got it. Lyreleaf Sage is the only Salvia native to North Carolina, but what she cultivates in her backyard is Salvia divinorum, which hails from Mexico. This herb is typically used by shamans and is legal in the U.S. The active compound, Salvinorin A, interacts with specific nerve cell receptors, causing shifts in mood, body sensations, visions, feelings of detachment, and altered self-perception. However, the effects are intense but short-lived."

"I'm curious, Amery, how did you know to suggest that Reese look for the same flower you have in your backyard?" Dimitri's gaze was fixed on me, probing for answers.

I shrugged, partly because that's the nature of scientific inquiry. We experiment and question everything around us, breaking it down into hows, whys, whats, and wheres.

"I conducted research on hallucinogens and the plants that typically produce them for a project during high school. That’s when I encountered the plant, but since I only recalled its appearance and what Willow gave Ro resembled something that seemed out of place in our garden, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to let Reese investigate it." I scrunched my nose, feeling a knot in my stomach at the thought of Ro being exposed to her sinister methods.

But why him?

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