"Who could have done such a thing?" murmured another townsman, his eyes darting nervously from side to side.
"Are we safe?" asked a young mother, her arms wrapped protectively around her child. Clive glanced over at the shocked expressions on the faces seated at tables and booths, his own heart heavy with grief. He knew he couldn't stand by while someone had taken the life of the one soul he’d finally connected with. He had to do something, but what? He didn’t know where to begin. This was not his home. He didn’t know where to turn. Clive suddenly felt completely alone and began to sob, a quiet cry that shuttered through his body convulsively. Why had he come to this town? Why had he let himself find her? Why was she gone? Those questions gripped his heart and squeezed.
The Scene of the Crime
Thenextmorning,ahush had fallen over the normally bustling streets of Cauldron Falls. A grim mood permeated the village on what would normally be a lively fall morning on the quad. Honey pulled her scarlet wool coat tighter against the chill as she hurried to meet Roam O’Reilly. Her breath came in frosted puffs as her boots clicked rapidly over the cobblestones. She felt a pang in her chest when she saw the inspector’s tall silhouette waiting by the iron gates of the orchard.
"Morning," Honey said quietly.
Roam nodded, his amber eyes mournful. "Cona okay?”
“As well as expected. At least he has a house full of company. The rest of the lot of familiars are fawning all over him. Martin is taking care of him.” Honey wrapped her arm in Roams.
“Good. Let's have a look, then." He patted her hand.
They walked between the rows of apple trees. The branches seem to sag and their leaves less colorful in the gray light. Near the back of the orchard, Roam stepped toward the dense woods, and sniffed. “You smell that?”
“Smells like wood burning.” Honey rubbed her nose. “And something else. I can’t quite make it out. It smells like burning mold.”
Roam crouched down, his panther senses detecting no trace of magic or hexes close by. He motioned for Honey to join him, examining the surrounding area. “I’m gonna venture into the woods there. You stay here.”
“No way. I’m not staying here. I’m going with you.” Honey stuck like glue to Roam’s side.
The great pine trees loomed overhead, casting deep shadows over the forest floor. Honey shivered as she stepped over tangled roots and fallen branches, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt Roam's hand on her arm, steadying her as they navigated through the dense undergrowth.
As they moved deeper into the woods, the smell of burning wood grew stronger, mixed with the scent of something musty, foul, and rotten. Honey wrinkled her nose in disgust, but Roam's face remained stoic and determined. He led them to a clearing at the base of a rocky outcropping where a small fire burned in a shallow pit. Roam bent to get a closer look.
“What was burning in there?” Honey looked over his shoulder. The circular pit has rocks stacked along the edge, keeping the fire contained.
“Seems whoever was here cared about the woods, at least. The rocks here tell me they knew better than to spark it up this time of year without takin’ some precautions.” Roam rubbed his chin.
“Do you think this is the killer’s fire?” Honey asked.
Roam sighed loudly as he rose from the fire pit. “Maybe. I found similar fires around the dead Shifters. Wasn’t exact, but basically the same kinda thing.”
“So, how was it different?” Honey walked around the fire pit, examining it from all angles.
“I don’t know ‘xactly. It was different. Like the first one looked older and less perfect. The second one was just ‘bout the same, but smaller.” Roam covered the perimeter of the area as he talked, looking down at the ground for clues.
Honey watched him for a moment, until he stopped by an old tree, its bark thick with moss. He circled the tree. “You wanna know what I think?”
“You know I do. No use in asking. Just come on out with it.” Roam turned back to her.
“The two Shifters were practice, maybe.” Honey shivered at the thought that whoever killed Lily had warmed up, practiced their poison out on some innocent Shifters who were trying to protect the town.
“Hmmm.” Roam paused, took out a knife and cut a piece of bark covered in moss from the tree he had circled. “How do you think?”
“You just described the fire pits, each one getting a bit more polished. And if I remember correctly, you said the first Shifter who died was just south of here, about 300 yards that way.” She pointed. “And the second was north, about 200 yards the opposite way. That’s too odd, right? Too close. They were picking out their spot. The orchard covers all of that land both ways. They were staking out Lily’s place. Or maybe it wasn’t practice, but the Shifters came along at the wrong time?”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Roam agreed and walked over to her with the mossy bark in his hand. “I don’t like the sound of it, but I think you’re on to something little missy.”
“We need to talk to the neighbors, Roam. See who has been snooping around here? Besides, these woods give me the creeps. Let’s get out of here.” She tugged on his arm.
“I think I know what they used for kindling. Take this and a flick of a wand. You’ve got fire. I feel like we’re missing something here. I need to come back do a better sweep of each fire. And we’ll have to chat with Grumble, too.” He pocketed the mossy bark, and they walked out of the woods.
The Investigation
HoneyandRoamapproachedthe first neighbor, who lived directly across a wide stretch of lawn that was Lily’s front yard. It was lucky to even have a few neighbors next to the orchard, since the trees took up so much land. But Lily’s farmhouse stood at the front of the property, and closer to civilization than the rest of the farm. There were three small houses close enough that they could have seen something. They knocked on the red front door of an elderly witch named Mabel. She answered.
