Winter explained her job.
Russ frowned. “That’s clear as a bell. Give me an example.”
Winter shifted on her feet, and her booties whispered on the rubble. “I have a perfect one on this investigation. I reviewed the evidence collected from Mr. Gates’s house. The item recovered on his steps is a white prickly poppy seed.”
“And that means something significant?” Russ questioned.
Winter gave a sharp nod. “This plant can be grown here in Oregon under ideal conditions, but it typically grows only in the South and requires dry conditions, which we definitely don’t have here in the winter months. The plant would rot in our wet clay soil.”
“You’re saying someone carried a white poppy seed on their footwear to his house,” Finn clarified. “Does it grow in Alabama?”
“Absolutely.”
Russ flicked his hand in the air. “That’s a long way for a little seed to stick on a shoe.”
Winter nodded. “It could’ve been caught in a tread and dislodged somehow when the shoe flexed or something like that. Or the footwear might not have been worn until arriving here. Could’ve also hitched a ride on socks or pants. Even a jacket. Any article of clothing, really.”
“And that tells us someone from the South, maybe Alabama, was in Gates’s house,” Finn said, but he didn’t get too excited as they already knew from the Roomba that Keenan had been in Eckles’s place.
“Exactly.” Winter’s deep blue eyes lit up. “And a similar seed was recovered from the passenger floor of Mr. Gates’s truck and in the bedroom at Mr. Eckles’s house where Ms. Nye stayed.”
“We think Keenan has been in two of these locations, so he could be our seed carrier,” Russ said. “I need to ask the Eckles if he went into the bedroom where Carla slept.”
Ryleigh looked at Russ. “Or Carla could be the seed carrier.”
Russ nodded. “Could be. Still, I’ll stop by Eckles’s place to ask if Keenan went into that bedroom.”
“Couldn’t you just call them?” Finn asked.
“I could, but each time we talk to the couple, they suddenly remember something they left off before, and an in-person visit might gain us additional information.” Russ looked at Winter. “Great information. Thanks. Have you located anything here?”
“I have.” Winter smiled broadly, and her face came alive. “Near the bomb site, I located a partial footprint most likely from a boot as it had a lug sole pattern. I’ve determined the particulates are comprised of ninety-three percent pure calcium carbonate.”
“And that means what?” Russ asked.
“Some might think it means limestone, but limestone is purer. I suspect this is marble dust.”
Ryleigh’s long eyelashes fluttered. “Where wouldthatcome from?”
“Several places,” Winter said. “It’s commonly used to add texture to oil paints so perhaps an artist who mixed his own paints and got it on his sole from that. Or it can be used in mortar. There are other uses too, but not as common.”
Russ planted his hands on his waist. “Means we could be looking for someone who paints?”
“Yes,” Winter said. “The concentration was small so it could’ve been picked up elsewhere too.”
“Like?” Finn asked.
Winter shifted on her feet. “In this general area, I’d say the Oregon Caves.”
Russ cocked his head. “Oregon Caves.”
Winter nodded. “The caves are made of marble, and a person could potentially pick up dust from touring the caves. Especially if they went on the off-trail caving tour, which I did once. It’s a requirement to wear lug-soled boots on this tour because you crawl over boulders. You have to belly crawl, and squeeze through spaces as small as eleven inches high and only nineteen inches wide.” She shook her head. “The spaces were so tight, I’ll never forget those numbers our guide shared. I didn’t think I’d make it through them, but I did.”
“But why would you?” Ryleigh shuddered. “I’m slightly claustrophobic, and it makes my skin crawl to think about it.”
“I don’t know if my shoulders would even fit,” Finn said. “But I wouldn’t mind going on a tour like that.”
“I’ll leave it to you guys to try.” Russ shook his head. “Crawling around in a hole in the ground isn’t my idea of a good time. I’ll take the wide open outdoors, thank you very much.”
