“I-I suppose you c-can c-come in and look ar—”
Bon didn’t wait for the man to finish. He shoved the door further open and strode past the botanist, his two officers in tow. Peter glanced at me over his shoulder, his face slightly drawn in concern, then stepped inside with Daisy. I followed last and gave the trembling Martin Shaw a hard look as I moved past him.
He kept his eyes downcast, still wearing that dumb fisherman’s hat and his thick glasses. He turned a small terra-cotta pot in his hands and cooed at the seedling growing out of it.
“There, there. These people aren’t here to hurt you.” His gray mustache twitched as he murmured to his plant.
I lifted a brow. This guy was odd, no doubt, but I still had a hard time picturing him capable of murder.
Bon held the tin of tea we’d found at Zo’s place in one hand and twirled his wand over it with the other. He murmured a few words, which were lost in the bubble of tanks, the hiss of mist that watered the plants along one wall, and the crunching of carnivorous plants munching on their insect prey. I tucked some tendrils of hair behind my ears, the nape of my neck already sticky, in the warm, humid space.
After a few long moments, a plant in the corner glowed a neon, poison green.
“Aha!”
Bon and his officers shoved down a narrow row, crowded on one side by a vine-covered wall and on the other by a tall table littered with potted plants, clippings, whisks, and shovels. The inspector pointed at the glowing plant in the corner.
“Take this as evidence!”
One of the tall officers lifted the pot, despite Martin Shaw’s protests.
“W-what are you doing with my p-plants?” His small eyes grew round behind his glasses. “Evidence of w-what?”
Bon shook the tin at him. “Evidence that you indeed grow the type of plant used to poison your latest victim’s tea.”
The botanist gripped the edge of the closest table and swayed on his feet. “I-I certainly didn’t p-poison anyone!”
Daisy looked up at Peter and wagged her tail. He’s telling the truth.
I frowned, as did Peter.
He cleared his throat. “Mr. Shaw, did you have anything to do with the death of Zozanna or Bim?”
The older man shook his head, the loose skin of his thin throat wobbling slightly. “N-no!”
Daisy whined again. Still telling the truth.
I raised my brows at Peter. Though I was still skeptical of Daisy’s abilities, Peter seemed to trust her completely. Which meant….
Peter stepped forward as Bon leveled his wand at the botanist. “Sir, Daisy says he’s telling the truth.”
Bon sniffed, barely sparing Peter or his dog a glance. “Daisy’s a dog, Flint. I cut you a lot of leeway with that partner of yours, but in this case, there’s just too much evidence stacking up against Mr. Shaw here.”
“E-evidence?” Shaw’s eyes darted between Bon and Peter. “W-what evidence?”
Bon shook the tin again. “This tea was used to poison Zozanna and to frame Turk Molino. The same tea you grow in your shop!”
Shaw shook his head, the pot shaking in his trembling hands. “N-no! I didn’t d-do it. Anyone could have b-bought that k-kind of plant from me.”
Bon scoffed. “Nice try. But there’s also the little matter of your footprints at the crime scene and your strong motive. You’ve been warring with Mr. Molino and his employees for weeks over that neon sign, and you finally couldn’t take it anymore. You sought revenge!”
Bon tipped his head at Shaw. “Take him in, boys.”
The two officers stepped forward and spelled golden, glowing handcuffs around the botanist’s wrists.
He looked down at them, his face pale and slack. “What? No!” He looked up, his thin chest heaving. “Who-who’s going to take care of my plants while I’m gone? They need me!” He still clutched the small seedling in the pot.
The officers marched him past me, out into the street.
“They’ll die without me!”
The door swung shut behind them, leaving us in the now quiet, dimly lit space, surrounded by a forest of plants.
“Sir.” Peter stepped toward Bon, his face pinched. “I know we need to close the case, but I have strong reason to believe we’ve arrested the wrong person and—”
Bon lifted a hand and cut him off. “We need to close the case because we’re under pressure from one of the richest couples on the island—shell! In the whole kingdom! You should’ve thought of that before you interrogated Amelie LeBec and really inked her off!”
He shook a finger at Peter. “And unless your ‘strong reason’ includes more than just your dog telling you he’s being honest, it’s over.” Bon raised his brows. “Case closed.”
He glared at me as he walked past and joined the other officers and Martin Shaw outside.
31
EXTRA CURRICULAR
Peter walked me a couple shops down to my door, which was plastered in posters for bands and covered in graffiti. I crossed my arms and leaned my shoulder against the brick wall beside it.
He shrugged. “Guess this is it.” He gave me a tight-lipped smile as Daisy sniffed the gutter behind him. “I’ve, uh—I’ve really enjoyed working with you, actually.” His eyes flitted down to his shoes, then back up to my face.
I was positive there was no way he could actually be flirting with me. Not when I looked like something that belonged in that gutter. I lifted one shoulder. “Sorry I didn’t help more. Not too many animals to read.” I tapped a finger to my temple.
He scoffed. “You kidding? You’re a natural detective, psychic powers or not.” He grinned, his gaze far off. “The way you talked to Amelie LeBec—man. You’re pretty fearless.”
I pressed my lips tight together and looked to the side. I liked to act tough—well, had to, really. It had gotten me through my time in the orphanage and made me a top lawyer at my firm. But if only he knew how petrified I was of anyone finding out the truth about who
