Page 30 of A Curse On Black Lake
She leans forward and tilts her head, inspecting the baggie. “It’s lavender. Looks like it’s been dried.”
I didn’t consider that. I thought maybe it was like that because it had been detached from the plant.
“You see how the leaves curl up? It’s been dried intentionally, I’d assume.”
Her hand releases Tiny, but he stays put. “Can I?” she asks, holding her hand out for the baggie.
I hand it to her, and she holds it up to the light.
“Well, it was harvested at the best time for someone who is trying to distill oil from it. You want to cut it right before it blooms. Obviously, I don’t know this for sure, but it looks like a bloom is missing here because all the other buds are intact.”
She hands the bag back to me. “I thought that lavender had to be intentionally grown here. It wasn’t wild.”
She nods and goes back to petting Tiny. “It does, but anything can grow wild, Killian. Given the things it needs, it doesn’t require permission.”
“You’re the only one who grows lavender, right?”
She shrugs. “I grow it in large quantities, but that doesn’t mean someone doesn’t grow it in their garden or a pot in their backyard.”
I sigh and set the bag down. A dead end. This could have come from anywhere. It could have blown in the wind and got stuck next to that rock. There’s no way this could be traced to the killer.Dammit.
“Where did you find it?” she asks.
“Um, I found it in the same area I found the woman.”
“What was her name?” Eliana asks.
I sigh and drag my hand through my hair. “I don’t know.”
“They won’t tell you?”
I puff out a breath, trying to untwist my chest. “No, it’s possible they don’t know themselves. A body is dumped in thiswayevery year, and I guess my land seemed to be an appealing place this time.”
“I see,” she says.
My eyes drag to hers, and she surprises me, leaning forward, placing her hand on mine resting on the step between us. Another shock runs through me into her. I swear, her hair rises as if lightning struck. Her tongue dips out over her lips, and she holds my eyes with her stormy ones. “I will help you however I can. I know you didn’t do this.”
My head drops, and there’s no reason for me to feel so relieved. I hardly know this woman, butsomeonebelieves me. “I would never, I couldneverdo something like that to someone.”
“I know,” she says, her hand still on mine.
“How?” I ask her. She’s a strange bird.
“I just do. You’re not a predator. You’re a protector, like a sheepdog,” she says, and pats Tiny’s head. I swear the dogsmilesat her.
“You don’t know me, Eliana,” I say as my heart pounds.
She huffs. “I know you better than you might believe.”
“Even though we’ve lived in the same town our whole lives, it doesn’t mean you know anything about me,” I say.
“No, it doesn’t, and if anyone understands that, I do,” she says and gives me a knowing stare.
Her hand twitches on mine, and I fight the urge to clasp it within my own. My skin burns with her touch, and my body wars within itself to drag it away or hold tighter even if it hurts. Sheseesme.
Something deep, and I meandeep, in my body shifts. It’s an odd feeling, one I’ve never felt before. My first thought is attraction. It’s been alongtime since I’ve been with any woman. But it’s not lust, it’s … the spirit. It’s confirmation to a question you’ve been searching the Earth to answer. It’s validation that she’s supposed to be right here in this moment with me.
“How is that possible?” I whisper to myself.
