Chapter Twenty-One
“He denied knowledge of the plants,” Cassie said.
Emma’s forehead puckered in a frown. “Did you believe him?”
“Yeah, I did. He asked me if I thought the people who planted the crop were the ones who had broken into my house. I hadn’t considered that angle.”
Hone exchanged a skeptical glance with Jack. “If that’s the case, the alarm would have alerted them. They’ll be here soon.”
“It’s possible they’ve been watching and trying to scare you off,” Jack added.
“Ring the cops. You’ve reported getting run off the road and the clown incident. Ring the cops now before someone tries to pin this on you,” Emma said.
“But I knew nothing about the plants.”
“Difficult to prove that,” Jack said.
Cassie plucked the local cop’s card from her handbag. The phone rang for a long time before the man answered. She explained about what they’d found.
“I’ll be straight there.”
When the cop arrived, they walked down to the plot they’d discovered. The cop took photos and rang for a team to clear the plants.
Cassie walked the edge of the plot with Hone. She brushed past a shoulder-height pine and came face-to-face with a clown. A shriek emerged, echoing under the trees before she calmed enough to realize it was merely a mask nailed to a post. She patted her chest, her breathing fast and choppy. “Man, I hate clowns.”
Hone slipped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against his side. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She peered closer at the smirking clown mask. “The mask is brand new. It’s not weathered by the sun or rain.” She walked a few steps farther. “Someone has harvested the plants in a hurry. See. And look. Footprints.” She pointed them out to Hone.
“Hey, I’m the private investigator. Give me a chance.”
Cassie wrinkled her nose. “I can’t believe this was growing here all the time.”
“A sophisticated operation,” the cop commented, taking yet more photos. “You said you’d spoken to your neighbor?”
“Yes, he’s a businessman with a young son. He said the trees on his land don’t need much in the way of care, and they don’t check on them often.”
“Do you have his number?”
“Yes, he said to give it to you.”
“I’ll speak with him and the other neighbors. Ask around and see if anyone has noticed anything.”
“Someone managed to vandalize my house without attracting attention. Most of the properties are down long driveways with plenty of trees to ensure privacy.”
It was nearly two hours before the police left, taking the plants with them for disposal. Cassie watched the last vehicle pull from the driveway with something like relief. “Well, that should be that. If the plants are no longer there, hopefully the owners of the crop will leave me alone. It should be safe here now. Anyone for a drink? I’ll bring out the chips and dip. I’m starving.”
“Fire up the barbecue, Jack,” Emma suggested. “I’m hungry too.”
The scent of steak cooking on the grill had Hone licking his lips. He crunched on a vegetable hunk loaded with dip and sipped his beer straight from the bottle.
“Food always tastes better outdoors.” Emma waved a carrot stick in front of Jack’s nose. “Even the healthy stuff.”
Jack growled and showed his teeth. Cassie didn’t see the hint of taniwha but longing sprang to life in Hone. Did she really intend to leave? And how would she react to learning of the existence of dragons? He liked to think she’d take the truth in her stride and accept him, want to stay with him in New Zealand, but who knew?
Kind of funny. Fate and his previous girlfriends would die laughing.
“What’s the time?” Emma asked.
