Page 22 of Not This Way

She sighed, drumming her fingers against the table.

Not rainfall, maybe.

If there was soil fertilizer, and irrigation…

A plant nursery?

She blinked. And then entered the same information, but this time narrowing based on nurseries.

A hit.

She stared, feeling a slow tingle down her spine. She quickly looked up the nursery—Desert Beauty—and found its location near the oil fields where the bodies had been discovered.

She went onto the website and spotted the soil in the potted cactus plants.

She glanced at the packet on the table, then back at the soil. Her eyes widened.

“Shit.”

She slammed the laptop lid and surged to her feet.

As she grabbed her jacket and keys, Ethan stirred. “What happened?”

“I think I’ve found something,” she said breathlessly. “You coming?”

He also rose, moving eagerly.

When they reached the car, Rachel rounded on Ethan. “The red dust we found on the bodies? It’s used at this nursery called Desert Beauty. It’s not too far from here.”

“Interesting,” Ethan mused. “But why would the killer leave such an obvious clue?”

“Maybe it wasn’t intentional,” Rachel suggested. “Or maybe they wanted us to find it. Either way, we need to check it out.”

He hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Okay, let’s do it. But be careful—we don’t know what we’re walking into.”

As they drove to the nursery, Rachel couldn’t help but feel grateful for the help she had received from the Dentons. Their expertise had provided valuable insight into the case, and she made a mental note to thank them properly once the investigation was over. The thought of having dinner with them on the reservation gave her no small amount of unease, but she’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

***

The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting an orange glow over the surrounding landscape as Rachel and Ethan stood outside their car, gazing at the small nursery before them. Desert Beauty, a haven for rare cactuses and other exotic plants, was nestled between rocky outcrops and dusty roads on the outskirts of the small town bordering the oil fields. The red dust they had found on the victims, used by the nursery to nurture its unique flora, could be the link they needed.

Rachel scanned the rows of cactuses beyond the fence.

“So… what are we looking for?” Ethan asked, uncertainty flickering across his face.

“Let’s start with any employees or customers that might have accessed the location in the last couple of weeks. We need to interview them, dig into their backgrounds, see if anyone stands out.”

As they walked toward the entrance, Rachel couldn’t help but feel the weight of the investigation bearing down on her shoulders.

“We can’t rule out the possibility that this is all just a coincidence, right?” Ethan ventured, his concern creasing his brow.

“I’m aware,” she replied, her voice barely more than a whisper.

As they entered the nursery, which was free of customers at the time, Rachel’s eyes were immediately drawn to the red dust scattered around the bases of several cactuses, its vibrant hue standing out in stark contrast to the muted colors of the desert. She knelt down, running her fingers through the gritty substance. It had the same scent and texture as the dust from the victim’s corpse.

With a nod, Rachel rose to her feet, turning slowly.

And then a voice called out. “You got a lot of nerve coming back here. Hands up, or I’ll blow your brains out!”

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