Spirit Formed, page 9
“You’ve lost our best evidence?” Godric’s eyes narrowed.
That was rather unfair. “Since neither Cord nor I were in possession of the deer, a better way to say it would be: The evidence has gone missing.”
Godric’s voice rose. “The evidence—or as you might like to call it, the dead deer, are gone? That’s the point you’re making, correct?”
“Yes.” As much she wanted to say more, she didn’t think it would help.
“So we have nothing. More of my people were injured, and I still can’t tell them that the problem’s being taken care of.” Godric folded his arms across his chest. “Have you spoken to the elves who moved the deer?”
Shasta looked at Cord. She couldn’t answer for him when he was standing right there.
“I helped Meron and Gwen load the deer,” Cord said. “I didn’t go with Meron to the barn. He said he didn’t need any help to drive the tractor over there and park it.”
Godric sighed. “Meron is a good man. He wouldn’t have done anything other than what he said. The two of you look exhausted. Go back to the café, have some dinner. I’ll organize a search party and we’ll give that area a good look. If we can’t find anything, the two of you can resume the hunt in the morning.”
“Thank you,” Shasta said. “I think we’re fairly useless until we’ve gotten a night’s rest.”
“It shows.” Godric escorted them back to the café. He left them at their table and continued back to his wife.
Shasta sat down across from Cord. As soon as her weight was off her feet, they started throbbing. She propped her chin on one hand and hoped her feet recovered by morning. It was looking like another long day in the woods.
Bliss had just reached their table when Godric’s voice carried above the buzz of the café. “Excuse me, but the carcasses of the deer that were killed today have gone missing. Do I have any volunteers to help search the barn and surrounding area?”
“I’ll go.” Wyrran stood up, followed by Nerrin and Ashling.
“Me too.” Ayla got to her feet. “Cicada and Areena are still in the library, but I bet they’d help too.”
“If everyone could gather in the library we’ll make arrangements from there,” Godric said. “I’ll go to the general store and see if anyone there will help.” He nodded sharply. “Thank you.”
Bliss didn’t move until the door swung shut after the last of the group. She let out a breath, some of the tension seeping out of her. “What can I get you?”
“How’s Mack?” Shasta asked.
“He’s good. He’ll be back to himself in a day or so. He said to tell you …” Bliss swallowed hard. “He said he’d always be grateful, and so will I.”
Shasta smiled gently. “You’re very welcome. If he has any trouble recovering, let me know. I’ve got a healer in the family who would be happy to come help.”
“Thank you.” Bliss looked away as she rubbed her eyes. “Now, the two of you look like you need some sustenance. How about a vegetable barley soup in bread bowls?”
“Oh yes.” Shasta licked her lips.
Cord nodded. “In the biggest bread bowl you have, please?”
“Coming right up. Coffee, tea, water?”
“Water,” Cord said.
“Me too,” Shasta added.
Bliss nodded. “I’ll have that right out.”
After Bliss left, Shasta thought about going over the case, but it just seemed like so much effort. Instead, they sat in silence, waiting for their food. By the time Bliss delivered their beverages, Shasta could feel her eyes getting heavy. That didn’t stop her from draining the glass, but hydration somehow made her even sleepier.
As her eyelids slid closed, a chair scraped against the floor. “I do hope you don’t mind if I join you.”
Shasta’s eyes flew open. Delilah was sitting at the table, smiling at them. Shasta couldn’t quite say why, but if she’d been a dog, her hackles would have been up. Across the table, Cord was sitting up straight, eyes narrowed.
“Can I help you?” Shasta hoped she didn’t sound grumpy.
“Why, no. But I do think I can be of help to you.” Delilah leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Have you noticed how one of the tree sisters is always around when one of these incidents occurs? I mean, they were the ones to discover the damaged barricade, and what better way to make yourself appear innocent? Nissa should have known better than to come out to the road, both times. Plus, Gwen helped move those deer. And there’s plenty of room at their farm to hide a few deer.”
Shasta exchanged a look with Cord. By that reasoning, almost anyone in town could be the culprit. They’d been looking for patterns like who was or wasn’t around, and so far everyone had been in very normal places. No one person had been conspicuously absent or present for all of the events.
Then there was the problem with Delilah’s “facts.” Shasta summoned what little energy she had left and put it into what she hoped was a diplomatic tone. “Ayla actually discovered the damage to the barricade. However, you can trust that Cord and I are looking into everyone’s whereabouts and are keeping a sharp eye out for any suspicious activity.”
Cord patted Delilah’s hand and turned on his most charming smile. “We will most certainly take your concerns into consideration, and please feel free to come to us with anything you think might be relevant.”
Delilah glanced between the two of them. “You aren’t going to do anything now?”
“Your husband, the mayor, is expecting to find us here when he’s finished with the search.” Shasta was sure she’d lost the neutrality in her voice. “We’re going to eat some food and wait for him.”
“If you think that’s for the best.” Delilah looked at Cord and batted her eyes.
Cord leaned against the back of his chair. “We do have orders.”
Delilah got up and put the chair back at the table she’d grabbed it from. “Remember what I said.”
“We will.” Shasta bared her teeth in what might have been a smile.
Delilah stalked back to her table.
Cord sighed. “She does have a point.”
“It’s a local? We knew that already.” Shasta’s stomach growled.
“That we did,” Cord acknowledged.
Bliss came out of the kitchen with a big tray in her hands and headed directly to their table. She quickly set down their food. Bliss had taken Cord at his word. They both had massive bread bowls, but considering how long it had been since they’d eaten, and how loudly her stomach had just rumbled, Shasta had a feeling they’d make short work of the food.
Bliss also set a steaming cup of green tea in front of Shasta and coffee for Cord. Bliss refilled their waters. “That’s decaf, so don’t be afraid to drink up.”
“You’re my hero.” Cord grinned.
Bliss smiled and patted his shoulder. “You’d say that to anyone who brought food right now.”
“I’m grateful too,” Shasta added. “But even with the tea, I’m not sure how long I’ll stay awake after this.”
“You can stay with Mack and me if need be.” Bliss pointed up. “There’s plenty of room for you upstairs. Now, dig in.”
The food tasted as good as it smelled, and both of them focused all their efforts on eating as quickly as they could, though it was hot enough that they spent a good deal of time blowing on spoonfuls of the soup.
They were just finishing up when Godric returned. He pulled the chair over and sat down. “Meron joined us for the search. He’s baffled. He said he parked the trailer and closed the door, and the deer were still there when he left. In the past hour, we searched nearly a quarter of a mile radius from the barn. We can’t find a trace of the deer or how they were moved. Go home, get some sleep. You and whoever else you want can resume the search in the morning.”
“Thank you. We’ll regroup in the morning,” Shasta said. She hoped tomorrow would bring more answers than today had.
The jam tarts that should have been a celebratory treat ended up as part of breakfast the next morning. They were good but slightly bitter with the loss of the deer.
Shasta poured herself another cup of tea, leaned back in her chair, and looked across the field stretching in front of her as the morning breeze ruffled the top of the grass. Right now it was cool enough that she was wearing long sleeves, but in another hour she wouldn’t need them. She sipped her tea. If only she could be that sure that another hour would bring forth useful evidence in their case.
“I don’t see the point in searching for the missing carcasses.” Cord refilled his teacup.
“Agreed, though Godric expects us to continue the search.” Shasta broke off a piece of her tart and popped it in her mouth.
Cord tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “What can we do that would make them think we’re still searching for the carcasses while we’re really focusing on a more productive avenue?”
“We could talk to Gwen. I don’t think anyone spoke to her last night, and it would give us a defense next time we see Delilah. When she latches on to an idea, she doesn’t let it go.” Shasta didn’t want to see Delilah again without a rebuttal to her suspicions about Gwen.
“I’m not sure how that helps us find the carcasses or figure out who was behind it,” Cord countered.
Shasta shrugged. “Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. But if we can honestly say we’ve given the farm a once over and the deer aren’t there, that might silence Delilah. Besides, Meron had the best opportunity to do something with the deer, and Godric took him at his word that he didn’t. I’m not saying Meron was responsible, but it seems wrong to take his word and then blame Gwen for something she wasn’t even there for.”
“Then we go to the Tree Sisters Farm, but we do it the right way.” Cord leaned forward. “We bring truth charms, get a statement from each of them, and we look around. If that doesn’t satisfy Delilah, I don’t know what will.”
“Done.” Shasta settled back into her chair and slowly finished her breakfast. The tricky part would be getting the sisters to agree to the truth charms as a preventative measure—to stop the rumors and gossip before they spread.
She kept mulling over the issue as they finished eating and prepared to leave. After adding truth charms and water to their packs, they headed out. If she was a betting woman, she’d put money on Gwen not knowing the deer were gone. She and her sisters hadn’t even been in town when the disappearance was announced.
They took a right out of the driveway, heading away from Quercuston. It was only a few hundred feet later when they came across a tall post with wooden signs for the Tree Sisters Farm, Areena’s Rhododendrons, and Nerrin’s Fine Carvings.
They turned down the driveway, and almost immediately a small trail branched off to Nerrin’s house. Shasta couldn’t help but stare at it as they walked by. The yard was dotted with enormous carvings of bears, elves, and even trees. The bases of the carvings were two to four feet in diameter, and the wood could only have come from fallen forest giants.
Behind his house was a sizable workshop with an awning that covered row upon row of carvings. But none of them compared to the pillars on each side of his entryway. Dragons swirled up them, their tails wound tightly around the base, bodies complete with individual scales and veins lining the wings that swooped along the columns.
After a stretch of grassy field, rows of rhododendrons sprouted on each side of the driveway. Each of the long rows seemed to be a different variety, shorter and more shrub-like, larger and more tree-like, diverse colors of leaves, some in bloom and some not. Of the rhododendrons that were blooming, they ranged from a true red, to lilac, to white.
Areena stood up between the rows and waved at them. Shasta returned the wave but continued walking. Before long, they were past Areena’s farm, and ahead of them, the path dead-ended between a cobb house much like their own and a large greenhouse. Spreading out from there were herb gardens, fruit bushes and vines, and on the outer edges were fruit trees.
Nissa stepped out of the house but didn’t seem to see them as she crossed over toward the greenhouse.
“Nissa!” Cord called out.
She jerked her head up and stared at them for a moment before speaking. “I hope everything is well. We weren’t expecting guests.”
The timid sister wasn’t the one Shasta wanted to break the news to. “Are Gwen and Shiloh around?”
Nissa took a step toward the greenhouse. “In here.” Her eyes moved uncertainly between Shasta and Cord.
Shasta did her best to smile reassuringly. “I’ve been planning to come out and look at the prosthetics Gwen are growing, but I hadn’t gotten to it. Something happened in town you should know about, so we’re here to tell you and then perhaps get a tour of the farm.”
Nissa gave a jerky nod. “This way.” She held the greenhouse door open for them.
Shasta motioned for Cord to go first and followed him inside. A light breeze flowed through the building, generated by open windows near the ground and in the roof. The tables on each side of the room and running down the center were filled with plants. Most of them were mature plants of various types, from herbs to small trees.
Nissa started down the left-hand path. Shasta followed, enjoying the fresh scent from the rosemary taking up the first four feet of the center table.
Gwen’s voice floated through the greenhouse. “Two shoots. Just sprout one more. I direct that one, and you can be whatever shape you want as long as you make nice juicy apples. Deal?”
Leaves rustled in response.
“Okay, two new shoots, you end up with the main stock and one more for you, and you do what I want with the third one. Now, can we have a deal?” Gwen’s voice was firm.
Shasta glanced around, not sure where Gwen was. The plants were small enough that she could see through most of the greenhouse. The only place out of sight was behind a wooden partition.
“Gwen, Shiloh, could you come here?” Nissa called out.
Gwen huffed. “In a minute.”
Shiloh stepped out from behind the divider, smiling broadly as she dusted off her hands. “I think the only thing she’s getting off that tree is crab apples. How are you today?”
“Better. A good night’s sleep goes a long way,” Shasta said. Even her reserves of magic were nearly replenished.
“But you’re an apple tree!” Gwen’s outraged cry silenced any further conversation. “You make apples. You’re never going to be that size.”
After three long seconds of silence, during which Shiloh and Nissa exchanged glances, Gwen said, “Fine. Just be a regular apple tree. When you get old I’ll chop you up into firewood.”
It was all Shasta could do not to grin. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Cord trying not to smile. Nissa had a hand over her mouth, and Shiloh was bent over, laughing silently.
Gwen stomped out from behind the divider. “Stupid tree.” She stopped in her tracks and glared at Nissa. “You didn’t tell me we had guests.”
Nissa shrugged, but she couldn’t quite hide her smile. “I thought you would hear them. I didn’t realize you were that engrossed in your … work.”
Gwen started to say something, then closed her mouth. She exhaled slowly. “Shasta, Cord, you have my apologies. Perhaps we could speak outside?”
“Of course.” Cord bowed his head.
Still giggling, Shiloh looped her arm through Gwen’s and hurried her to the door. Nissa followed, leaving Shasta and Cord to trail behind. As they walked past the divider, Shasta spotted a three-foot-tall apple tree on top of the workbench. Even through her shields, it radiated stubbornness.
Outside, the three sisters led them over to a small seating area in the midst of the herb garden where wooden chairs were scattered around a fire pit. Nissa and Shiloh scooted them around so three chairs were facing each other. Gwen’s shoulders relaxed, but she kept sending irritated glances back toward the greenhouse.
Shasta settled into the wood chair wishing she was here for a purely social call. Instead, she watched the sisters and hoped she would see surprise when she broke the news. “Last night, Cord and I discovered that the deer carcasses had gone missing.”
Chapter Seven
Nissa’s eyes went wide, and Shiloh’s jaw hung open. Gwen’s mouth moved, but no sound came out. Finally, she squawked, “What?”
They looked genuinely surprised. With that in mind, Shasta continued with the rest of the news. “We went over shortly after dark last night to examine them and found the tractor and trailer in the barn, but the deer were gone. Meron said when he left, the deer were still on the trailer. Gwen, did you notice anything suspicious while you were helping him load the trailer?”
Gwen thought for a moment. “No. He mostly talked about the best way to do things to avoid getting bloody. He said he was going to drop the trailer off and come back to town. He said he didn’t need me to ride out and then just walk back with him.”
“Anything you remember could be helpful,” Shasta prompted.
“There’s nothing.” Gwen met her gaze evenly. “Meron is honest and dependable. He wouldn’t do anything to hinder the investigation. It doesn’t make sense.”
Shasta looked at Cord out of the corner of her eye.
He nodded slightly. “That’s how we worked when I was helping them.”
Shasta hoped this wouldn’t cost her the blossoming friendship. “There is also the factor that Gwen helped Meron. Do you know where the deer are now?”
Gwen’s mouth fell open.
“That’s outrageous!” Shiloh surged to her feet. “We do everything we can to help the community. Gwen loads dead deer into a trailer so they can be examined later, and being accused of destroying evidence is her thanks? What is it you think we’re doing? Trying to perpetuate this terrible problem so that Nissa can keep healing our friends and Gwen can keep fighting the deer?”
