Laurel sucked in air and hugged her mom back. “Just a colleague—nobody for you to worry about. I can take care of myself.”
Her mom released her. “Let me look at you.” Her stunning green eyes were tinged with worry. “You look tired.” She brushed a soft hand over Laurel’s forehead. “So tired. You poor thing. Traveling always did take it out of you. Come right in here and have some tea. I’ve created a new blend with dried huckleberries, peppermint, and vanilla that provides balance and immunity.” She slipped her arm through Laurel’s and tugged her through the comfortable great room to the sprawling country-style kitchen. She pushed Laurel onto a thick wooden chair by the round table.
Laurel breathed deep and let her muscles finally relax. “How are you?”
“I’m well. The season has been quiet, and the tea orders are abundant.” Her mom handed over a plate of sugar cookies and then took down two heavy mugs from the cupboard and poured from a kettle already bubbling on the industrial ceramic stove. “I’ve been following my cards and have expanded the offerings this month.”
Laurel sighed. “I sent you the market data, which indicated that you should offer more spiced teas for the holidays.”
“I read the market data and then read my cards for backup.” Deidre let the tea cool. “I also checked other sources.”
Laurel hid a groan. Was her mother paying money to spiritual gurus again? Most were darn con artists. She looked her mother over, feeling like the adult in the room.
Deidre looked fantastic. At five-ten, with short blond hair and a yoga instructor’s body, Deidre Snow had always been a gentle soul who exuded a quiet hint of nature. Even working on her teas, she wore white yoga pants with a pink-colored tank top beneath a bright green sweater. A silver necklace with a round, pink, quartz stone hung to her solar plexus, and matching earrings dangled from her small ears.
“Here you go.” She set the mugs on the table and took the adjoining seat. “I’m calling this blend ‘Winter Health’ since the huckleberries have so many healing properties.”
Laurel breathed in the delicious aroma and then cupped the mug, taking a sip. Warmth and just the right amount of sweetness slid down to her stomach. “I love it. The huckleberries add a richness to the vanilla’s mellowness.”
Her mom blew on her mug. “I know. I’m working on a new blend now with huckleberries and cacao, but I don’t have it right yet. I need some other spice as well.” She took a deep drink. “I can’t thank you enough for creating this business model for me so I can just work on my teas. The winter line is already doing well, and I only need a couple new blends for the spring line. Besides the cacao, I think I want a new citrus combination.”
Laurel took a cookie and bit into it. If love had a taste, it was in her mother’s cookies. “Are you going to add pastries or food to the offerings?” It had been a question for at least a decade.
“I don’t think so. I’ve had my horoscope read by three experts, and it’s probably a bad idea right now,” her mom said. Laurel had helped her start the tea business nearly ten years before, calling it Pure Heart Tea, and the ensuing subscription service had given her much-needed financial independence. “We’re offering a winter-themed design for the apothecary jars, with new ribbon and labels. Sales have increased again.”
“That’s wonderful.” Laurel reached out for her mother’s hand. “I’m so proud of you.”
“The tea was all me and the business all you.” Her mom blushed. “It’s still sweet of you to say. I’m proud of you. My brilliant, hard-working daughter. When was the last time you slept?”
“I caught a couple of hours this morning on Huck Rivers’s sofa.” Laurel took another sip.
Deidre paused with her mug almost to her mouth. “Huck Rivers?”
“Yes. Do you know him?” Laurel asked.
Deidre slowly shook her head. “Nobody knows him. He lives outside of town and is called in when a person goes missing, usually. I hear that he’s not nice to anybody.”
Laurel could see that. “The man is laconic at best and cantankerous at worst.” Although he did have broad shoulders, intriguing eyes, and a charming grin. “I’m fairly certain he doesn’t like me.”
“He doesn’t like anybody.” Her mom huddled over her tea. “Thank you for coming home when I called, Laurel. I’m sorry to ask for your help again, to depend on you.”
“I’m dependable,” Laurel quipped, just to elicit a smile from her mom. She reached into her carry-all bag and drew out her knitting needles, automatically starting to create a tiny hat with the peach-colored yarn. “Now tell me what’s going on with Uncle Carl. I didn’t get any hint that the Fish and Wildlife officers even had a suspect list yet. Why does the local sheriff think he’s a suspect? And where is he right now?” If Carl had been detained, Laurel was going into town.
Deidre’s hands fluttered. “I don’t know. Carl called me from the sheriff ’s office yesterday, just before I called you, and said he’d been asked a bunch of questions about dead bodies. I think the sheriff has it out for Carl. Just because his main job is digging graves at the cemetery, people think he’s bad.” She kept her gaze on her cup. “It’s the scar across his face. That wasn’t his fault,” she whispered.
“I know.” Laurel patted Deidre’s hand. Her uncle had been in a snowmobile accident years ago and had sustained damage to the skin and nerves in his face. “Where is he now?”
Deidre swallowed. “He headed up into the mountains for some peace, he said. The sheriff won’t like that.”
“Agreed,” Laurel said, banishing emotion. She needed to think.
Deidre shook her head. “Do you think we have a serial killer in Genesis Valley?”
“It’s too early to say,” Laurel said, glancing at her mom’s hair. “All I know is that the deceased women were all blond, so that’s something for you to keep in mind. Please be even more careful than normal.” Her experience told her it was a serial killer, or killers working together. She made a mental note to check on local security systems now that she was back in town. “I need to make a phone call.”
“Sure.” Deidre returned to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to bring out a basket of fresh-looking eggs.
Laurel quickly dialed a number.
