As he headed upstairs, he heard the front door open and close. He jogged back down the stairs. He had never felt so relieved to see his aunt in his life.
He wanted to demand to know where she’d been, but her forlorn look stilled his tongue. She shuffled toward him, pressing her cheek against his chest as she leaned her weight into him. Her frail arms circled his waist, and he wrapped his much stronger arms around her.
He held her silently, hesitant to ask what was wrong.
After a few minutes she sighed deeply and took a step back, wiping moisture from her face.
“I’ve turned into a sentimental old fool,” she muttered.
“The sentimental part is unusual, the rest…” He shrugged.
She smacked him on the arm.
“Why so sad, aunty?”
Her eyes filled with tears again.
“She kept her promise and checked out. It doesn’t make sense; it doesn’t make abitof sense that I would miss her this way when she’s barely been gone an hour. She filled this place with so much life, mijo, no matter all that hurt and sadness inside of her.”
“I think you’re misidentifying hurt and sadness for unhinged and angry.”
“Many realities can exist at once. You of all people should know that. Come to the kitchen so I can get something in your stomach before you face the Archers again. I hear he wants you gone in the next election, says he’s gonna put that pendejo, Loyd Peters, on the ballot with his full endorsement.”
“It’s not the worst thing,” Santi said, going to the fridge to retrieve eggs, bacon, cheese, sour cream, green onions… He searched for the avocado and salsa.
“Vamanos! Out of my refrigerator you overgrown horse!”
Santi laughed and sat at the island.
His aunt told him about the work the women’s group had done with Lauren two nights ago. She was sad they’d have to move forward without the hellion now. He brought up the mayor being tased to distract his aunt from her sadness and it worked. It also distracted him from whatever unsettling feelings he had about her actually being gone. He should feel a sense of satisfaction that he’d finally chased her out of town, but his aunt was right, the world felt a little less vibrant in her absence. Maybe that’s why, with every interaction he had, he anticipated her walking up to him or walking into the station to berate him.
It wasn’t until he’d clocked out for the day that Santiago accepted the fact that life had granted him his wish and returned to a more predictable normalcy.
Lauren Green had arrived in Shrouded Lake like a rogue twister that had caused chaos where ever it touched down only to exit quietly while everyone still reeled from the destruction it left behind.
As he turned off his computer and began shutting down his office for the night, his phone rang. If it had been anyone else, he would’ve ignored it.
Returning back to his desk he sat down in his chair and hit the accept button.
“Josiah,” he greeted the coroner.
“Hey there, Sheriff. I know it’s late, but I wanted to give you my findings on Mrs. Willoby’s death before I shut down for the night.”
Santiago closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. He wouldn’t have gotten an afterhours call about someone dying of natural causes.
“Give it to me Josiah.”
“Well at first glance one would believe that Mrs. Willoby died of a heart attack or succumbed to a bout of dizziness while going down the stairs, but the toxicology report says she ingested a toxic dose of monotropa uniflora.”
Ghost plant aka Indian Pipe. It was a relatively rare plant, close to extinction in some places. It could only grow outdoors as far as he knew.
“Well shit,” Santiago muttered.
The almost translucent white flower had been used by his native ancestors and many other cultures who practiced natural medicine. He knew of the tincture being used for pain relief and mood stabilization but also knew it could cause disorientation and dissociation. He only had the most basic information about the plant’s uses though.
What he did know was that Mrs. Willoby was a staunch Christian who strongly opposed alternative medicines, which made the presence of the jar and its contents beneath her bed more suspect.
“Oh, that’s not even the most interesting part,” Josiah said with excitement. Santiago didn’t rush him because it was a rare day that the coroner got to experience excitement on the job.
