Rufus cleared his throat. "Corin's got a point. I've known the Faelan girl since she moved here. She's never been anything but helpful."
"Same," Edgar added from the doorway. "Bought herbs from her just last week. Good quality, fair price."
Paul looked between them. For a moment, Corin thought he might push back. Then the mask slid into place again, smooth and pleasant.
"I'm sure you're right," Paul said. "Just worried about the town, that's all."
"We all are." Corin's voice didn't waver. "But worry doesn't excuse pointing fingers without proof."
Paul held his gaze for a beat too long. "Fair enough." He pushed off from the counter, nodding to Rufus. "I'll let you get back to business."
He walked out without looking at Corin again.
Corin stood at the counter, his heart pounding harder than he'd let show. His bear was agitated and ready, still wanting to chase, to confront, to make absolutely certain that Paul understood what would happen if he kept spreading poison.
But he'd made his point. Quietly. Calmly. The way Vane bears handled things.
"You want anything while you're here?" Rufus asked, breaking the tension.
"Just came to set the record straight."
Rufus nodded slowly. "Consider it set."
Corin walked out into the gray afternoon. Chloe was standing on the steps of Freya's shop across the square, her arms wrappedaround herself, watching for him. When she saw him emerge, something in her posture eased.
He crossed the square to meet her.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Just a conversation."
"Corin."
"I told him the truth. That the sickness started before you were involved, and that spreading rumors without proof does more harm than good."
"What did he say?"
"Not much. He backed down."
Chloe's green eyes searched his face, looking for something. "You didn't have to do that."
"Yeah. I did."
She didn't argue. Just stood there, the cold wind catching strands of her pale blonde hair, her cheeks pink from the chill.
"Can I walk you home?"
“Uh, sure. Yes. Let me grab my things.”
They fell into step together, moving away from the square toward the quieter streets where Chloe's rented cottage sat at the end of Maple Lane. Neither of them spoke for a while. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, exactly. Just heavy with things unsaid.
"I found something at the well," Corin said finally. "When I dug down to the seal."
Chloe glanced at him. "You mentioned that. That someone broke it deliberately."
"The mortar was chipped away in a careful line. Someone dug down, cracked it just enough to start a leak, and then covered their tracks." He kept his voice low, mindful of the houses they were passing. "This wasn't an accident, Chloe. Someone did this on purpose."
"Do you know who?"
