Page 44 of Sorcia's Heart
Sorcia sprang into action, grabbing the plates and utensils.She scraped the food quickly into the bin for compost and stacked the dishes neatly in the designated plastic container.Marcus waved a hand toward the owner, signaling their thanks, and Sorcia followed suit with a quick smile and a wave as they hurried out of the restaurant.
She practically skipped to keep pace with Marcus’s long strides as he headed toward the SUV.He paused briefly to open her door.
“What did Melanie say?”she asked as she climbed in.
“Let’s get on the road.I’ll explain as we drive,” he replied, his tone clipped but energized.
Sorcia nodded, pulling the door closed as Marcus climbed into the driver’s seat.The SUV roared to life, and they were off, the new leaves blurring past as they sped down the winding country road.
“Melanie found high concentrations of heavy metals in the soil,” Marcus began, gripping the wheel tightly.“She says these metals are primarily linked to two industries.”
Sorcia glanced out the window at the streaking trees, her thoughts racing.“Which ones?”
“Agriculture and steel,” he said.“The metals from agriculture come from fertilizer production.”
She frowned, rubbing her temples.“So, it’s not tied to just one source.That doesn’t exactly get us closer to finding Bethany.”
“Not directly,” Marcus admitted, his voice steady.“But this might.”He glanced at her briefly, a spark of excitement lighting his features.“Melanie has already pulled up historical maps of the area where the sample was taken.”
Sorcia sat up straighter.“This is going to be good,” she said, a grin spreading across her face.
“It is,” Marcus confirmed, turning sharply into a parking lot.“She found records of an old road that used to lead to the general area where we found the soil sample.The EPA fined several companies for illegal dumping there decades ago.”
Sorcia stared at him, still not sure how this could help them find Bethany.She opened her mouth, but he stopped her.
“But it gets better,” he continued, parking quickly and killing the engine.“There are stories from workers who were out there—things they said happened while they were working.”
Sorcia tilted her head, her interest piqued.“What kind of things?”
Marcus turned to her, his grin widening.“Things like tree branches suddenly swiping at them.Or sudden storms of leaves swirling around, even on clear days, whenever they started digging.”
Sorcia’s eyes widened.“That sounds like…”
“Elves,” he finished for her, his expression grim but triumphant.
Chapter 24
Sorcianoddedastheyleaped out of the SUV and hurried into the lab.Melanie was waiting for them in the hallway, the door to her workspace already propped open.Her expression was one of barely-contained excitement as she motioned for them to follow her.
“Here’s the thing,” Melanie began as soon as Sorcia and Marcus pushed through to her lab, her tone eager, “I’ll spare you the technical jargon—though trust me, the lyophilic compounds and tributyltin oxide I found are fascinating in their own right.”She smirked at her own enthusiasm, then moved to a computer and turned the monitor toward them.
The screen displayed a bar chart with a series of ominous-looking spikes.“These,” Melanie said, pointing to the symbols beneath each spike, “are the heavy metals present in the sample.Every single one of them is toxic—lead, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, and mercury.They’re at levels that would make anyone’s hair stand on end.”
She clicked to another screen, which displayed a government report.“This,” Melanie continued, “is an article about how the EPA fined a group of companies for dumping toxic metals in this area.And it doesn’t stop there.”Another click revealed a news article with a bizarre headline.“This one,” she said, her grin widening, “is about the workers who claimed the trees were kicking them, whacking them with branches, and throwing leaves in their faces.”
Melanie shook her head, clearly both amused and exasperated.“Now, while that sounds like a bad horror movie, it’s more likely that the workers were inhaling the metals while they dug, which can cause major hallucinations.Toxic exposure can mess with your brain chemistry in some truly terrifying ways.”
She turned to them, her pride evident.“Pretty fascinating stuff, huh?”
Marcus nodded appreciatively, then glanced at Sorcia.“You think it’s hallucinations?Or something more?”
Sorcia shook her head, her brow furrowing as she tapped a spot on the monitor.“Here,” she said, pointing to a section of the map Melanie had pulled up.It was about a mile from where they’d collected their soil sample.“I remember seeing something strange in this area just before we left.”
Marcus’s lips curled into a determined smile.“Let’s check it out.”
Melanie blinked, confused.“But…that’s not the dump site,” she called after them as they made their way to the door.
Marcus turned briefly, his eyes glinting.“We’re going to fix this,” he assured her before hurrying after Sorcia.
