But suspicion wasn't evidence.
"What have you seen?" Emmett asked.
"Honestly? Not much out of the ordinary." Paul shrugged, his posture open and cooperative. "I make runs through the northern roads, past Corin's property sometimes. Never noticed anyone lurking around who shouldn't be there."
"You were quick to blame Chloe Faelan at Freya's shop," Corin said. "Now you've got nothing to offer?"
Paul held up his hands. "Look, I said some things I shouldn't have. I was scared. Everyone was scared. But pointing fingers without proof doesn't help anyone."
"Funny how you had plenty of proof when it was Chloe."
"That was different. That was..." Paul trailed off, then shook his head. "I was wrong. I admit it. But I'm not the one doing this, Corin. I've lived in this town my whole life. I've got no reason to poison the land that feeds my neighbors."
Jasper Mince, who'd slipped in quietly behind Paul, cleared his throat from his seat near the wall. "If it helps, I was out at Corin's place yesterday dropping off some hive tools. Saw the damage to that hive myself." He shook his head, his weathered face troubled. "Terrible thing. Whoever did it knew exactly what they were doing."
"You notice anything unusual?" Emmett asked.
"Wish I had." Jasper's voice was steady, regretful. "But no. Just Corin and Miss Faelan examining the damage. I offered to help however I could, put him in touch with some beekeeping contacts over in Asheville."
"Jasper's been running deliveries around here for fifteen years," Emmett said. "If anyone would notice something off, it'd be him."
Jasper nodded soberly. "I'll keep my eyes open. Whatever's happening, it's hurting good people. That's not something I can stand by and watch."
Paul leaned forward. "What about outside threats? Someone from beyond the Veil? The contamination started around everything the Faelan girl worked on. She hasn’t been here very long, but long enough someone looking for her would find her. Maybe whoever's doing this found her here."
Corin's hands curled into fists. "Chloe has nothing to do with this."
"I'm not saying she's responsible. I'm saying she might have brought trouble with her without knowing it. Druids attract attention, don't they? Old bloodlines, old magic. Maybe someone's targeting her, and we're all just collateral damage."
The worst part was that it made a kind of sense. Corin hated that it made sense.
"We'll look into all possibilities," Emmett said, his tone carefully neutral. "For now, I want increased patrols around the affected areas. Elias, coordinate with the night guard. Corin, keep documenting the damage. If anything else happens, I want to know immediately."
"What about the well?" Corin asked. "Can we reseal it?"
"I'll reach out to some contacts. Old magic requires old solutions. It might take time to find someone with the right knowledge." Emmett gathered the photographs into a neat stack. "Until then, we contain what we can and watch for escalation."
The meeting broke up, people filtering out in twos and threes. Paul clapped Corin on the shoulder as he passed, a gesture that might have been friendly if Corin hadn't wanted to break his hand.
"Hope you find whoever's doing this," Paul said. "For all our sakes."
He walked out before Corin could respond.
Elias moved to stand beside him, watching Paul's retreating back. "You think it's him?"
"I don't know." Corin's voice was rough. "He's got explanations for everything. But something feels wrong."
"Trust your instincts. They haven't failed you yet."
The door opened again, and Chloe stepped through.
She looked pale. Smaller somehow, like she was trying to take up less space in the world. Her green eyes found his immediately.
She'd heard.
"Chloe." He moved toward her, but she held up a hand.
"I'm fine." The words came out flat, practiced. "I just... I wanted to see if the meeting was still going."
