Page 54 of One Left Alive
Ettie stared at her for a few moments and Morgan got the feeling she was deciding if she should tell her the truth or not.
‘Herbs, the medicinal kind. I’m a natural healer; people come to me when they’ve tried everything else and it hasn’t worked. I’ve always loved working in the garden and the kitchen. Sometimes I read their tea leaves or tarot cards.’
‘You remind me of my mum, she was the same.’
‘Was she? How lovely, I knew there was something about you I liked. I don’t usually invite strangers into my house you know, I make them wait at the garden gate. People come to see me when they’re looking for answers buried deep inside their souls. All this modern technology, yet people are lonelier than ever.’
‘What do you do to help them?’
‘Not much, give them a bottle of lavender or rosemary oil. Tell them to meditate and sprinkle a few drops over their pillows.’
‘Does it work?’
‘No idea, I bulk buy it off eBay and don’t really care too much.’ She began to laugh, startling Morgan.
‘Then why all this?’ She pointed at the jars.
‘It’s what I was brought up with. My grandmother and mother were the same, it’s the way we are. I only do it if I have to.’
Morgan finished her tea then stood up, realising Ben would be worrying where she was. ‘Thank you, sorry to have bothered you.’
‘Wait.’ Ettie went to the shelves and began rooting through the jars. Pulling a small one out, she handed it to Morgan.
‘Here, mix a teaspoon of this in with your loose tea before bed. It won’t work with tea bags. No more, mind you, it’s quite potent.’
She laughed. ‘An eBay special?’
‘No, it’s to help you sleep and stop those bad dreams you have every night that wake you before morning. You’ve been through some hard times when you were younger and they’re haunting your unconscious memory. You need to put them behind you and focus on your future. This is a special recipe, none of that cheap, chemical crap.’
Morgan took the jar from her, staring at it, wondering what on earth was going on and what the contents inside it were.
‘Oh, and you should get yourself some better crystals than the ones you have now. Amethyst, prehnite, lapis lazuli are an excellent combination. Put them under your pillow and those youcanbuy off eBay, just make sure they’re genuine crystals.’ She winked at Morgan, who was speechless. ‘When you find this killer, I imagine you’ll sleep better without the hocus pocus; until then, what harm can it do to give it a try?’
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome, you might find yourself drawn back here and that’s okay. I don’t usually like visitors, but for some reason I like you, Morgan, so you’re welcome to come back if you need to or want to.’
Ettie held the door open for her, and Morgan smiled and left the cottage.
Turning around, she looked at the small woman, her long, wispy grey hair piled in a bun on the top of her head. She seemed so familiar, yet she knew she had never set eyes on her before. Maybe it was the similarity to her mum’s love of all things herbal.
Her phone began to vibrate, and she answered it.
‘Where the hell are you? Did you decide to walk back to the police station? Was I boring you?’
She pushed the small jar of loose herbs into her pocket. ‘I’m coming, there’s a cottage in the woods. I went to see if they knew anything.’
‘Did they?’
How could she answer that Ettie seemed to know an awful lot about her indeed?
‘No, not much. Knew the family, said Olivia visited. Didn’t know Saul and didn’t see anything the night of the murders.’
‘Worth a try, I suppose. CSI are here.’
‘See you in a couple of mins.’
She walked the path back towards the house. The woods were eerily silent; the birds had stopped singing. When she reached the wall, she remembered it was much higher than she’d thought. Looking for a place where there were a couple of footholds to boost herself up, she finally found a piece with bits of missing and chipped stones. Clambering up, she was careful not to break the jar, not sure if she was brave enough to even try it. She had no idea what was in it, might be poisonous for all she knew. Landing on the other side, she peered over the wall, and she felt as if she’d stumbled into some alternative reality.
