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“Thank you for the tea, dear,” Katherine adds, setting her cup down with a sharp clink that makes everyone flinch. “And please tell Mother I said thank you for the—” she pauses, rummaging through the basket until she pulls out the enormous lavender candle. “—relaxation things. Very thoughtful.”

She strikes a match with shaky hands and lights it right there on the cluttered table, smiling as the flame flares. “Perfect,” she decides, watching it burn. “Exactly what I needed.”

The air fills with lavender and the faint, smoky trace of sulfur—sharp and sweet, curling through the room as the candle flame steadies.

She inclines her head once, already turning her attention elsewhere.

A clear dismissal.

13

HOOFPRINT

LILA

The second we step off the Langley’s porch, I exhale, feeling like I’ve been holding my breath for an hour—maybe longer. The air outside’s heavy, like it’s thinking about raining again—but that’s nothing compared to the weight sitting on my chest since we stepped through the front door.

Theo falls into step beside me, wordlessly at first. Then he casually reaches over and threads his fingers through mine. The gesture is so seamless, so un-Theo-like. I glance at him, confused, but he’s already looking ahead, face calm, masked as ever.

Maybe he’s trying to taunt me the way I taunt him, but he’s just too grumpy to fully commit.

He gives my hand a small squeeze. Just trust me, it says.

So I do. I guess it makes sense. Anyone could see us.

So I let him hold on. Let myself lean into the steady rhythm of our footsteps. We don’t speak. We just keep walking, hand in hand, like we’ve done this a hundred times before. Like we’re just another couple leaving a perfectly normal visit with a perfectly normal family.

I glance over my shoulder. Katherine’s house is already being half-swallowed by the trees out front, their branches heavy with new blooms, like spring is trying to pretend things aren't falling apart inside. Emily stayed behind to “tidy up,” which, let’s be honest, is code for I don’t trust Aunt Kat not to set something on fire or wander into the koi pond out back while Thomas is off doing god knows what.

Honestly, I can’t believe he left her like that at all. The woman is coming apart at the seams.

Theo rubs his free hand over his scruff, and I can tell he’s been chewing on something. He’s quiet in that intentional way he gets when he’s trying to figure out how to say something without sending me into a spiral.

I wait.

He glances at me sideways, then back at the road ahead. “So. While I was in the kitchen boiling water for tea⁠—”

My stomach dips. “Uh-huh.”

“I opened the drawer next to the stove looking for spoons.” His tone says that’s not remotely what he was doing. “Found… something else instead.”

I stop walking. “Theo. I’m gonna need you to spit it out, my guy.”

He stops too but doesn’t let go of my hand. His thumb rubs against mine, casual, distracting. “It was in the bottom of the drawer, tucked under some old receipts. I almost missed it.”

I glance at him. “Missed what?”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a length of braided leather. The moment I see it, my stomach twists. “Theo, what⁠—”

“It’s a lariat,” he says. “Braided, worn smooth at the ends. Same diameter as⁠—”

“Stop,” I cut in, pulse hammering.

He hesitates.

“Theo,” I hiss, “that could be the murder weapon. For fuck’s sake, why are you touching it?!”

He gives me a look that’s maddeningly unbothered. “It was in a drawer full of takeout menus. I doubt anyone’s going to be dusting for prints.”