Disgusted with myself, I pushed up to standing.
Tanix stepped back into the room after talking with Nova and I was glad he missed my overly detailed analysis of the workstation.
“Nova says they found a work area in the garden, but it’s for pruning. Not for mixing,” Tanix said, standing by the wall. “There’s another little work area outside here, which we’ve seen, and the one by the creek, even smaller. Which we’ve also seen. Nothing else.”
I nodded, crossing to the other desk. “The woman we caught is obviously the backbone of this organization.”
“Is that her desk then?” Tanix jerked his chin toward the desk in the corner.
“Yes. This other desk has another scent entirely. It’s habitually used, as well. We need to find the person responsible.”
“The pack is spreading into the village now. We can place the other scents—the one from this shed and the other in the garden—once we have better access to the villagers.”
“Good.” I bent to the messy surface, pushing a pair of garden sheers out of the way. A note was scratched into the desk, the scribble looking almost like that of a child.
Grow eyes in the back of your head, son. She’s wily. She’ll stick a knife in your back.
Chapter 8
Weston
Ilooked behind me, half expecting someone to be advancing with a weapon. An axe, maybe.
“Check this out.” I tapped it and stepped to the side, shuffling through the other items.
Tanix joined me, leaning over to read it. He looked behind, as well, and I couldn’t help a grin.
“It seems the little axe wielder has her co-contributors nervous.” I found another note and shoved an iron spike out of the way to read it.
They are her spies. Do not trust the glow bugs.
“Or maybe this guy is bananas,” I murmured.
“There’s another written on this side.” Tanix knelt around the desk and then tilted his head to read it. “This one is warning about the moon flash boiling the blood.” He stood, an eyebrow arched. “These are not the scribblings of a rational man.”
“Mr. Gardener might be partaking in his own creations.” I pulled open the door at the back, finding some sort of closet with shelves lining the wall. Broken glass littered the ground, and appliances, some smashed or broken, were scattered about. Onlythe top two shelves were intact, the appliances placed neatly in a line. By the woman.
I’d bet my life on it.
“Did they know we were coming, then?” I reached, taking one down. “Were they trying to quickly get rid of the evidence?”
“The blood is fairly fresh, but not entirely recent. Last night, maybe?”
“Before we invaded.”
“But not before you saw the woman . . .”
I stiffened. He was correct. Not before.
“If my... slip up was the reason,” I said, grabbing another mechanism and pulling them both out, “why not discard the top rows?”
Tanix shook his head, reaching for what I held. I handed those over and pointed back at the closet.
“Pack them all up, even the broken ones. We’ll have the woman tell us what they do. The queen might be interested.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Tanix grabbed a broom from the corner and swept the glass away as he worked into the closet.
I paused near the hearth, finding her scent. I examined the baskets and various items there.
