Chapter Eleven
“Wait. What are you saying?” Lake asked in disbelief, standing in the living room with her arms crossed in a defiant posture. “Brent actually questioned you about being the killer? Unbelievable.”
Linus winced. They hadn’t seen each other since that morning at breakfast. For him, it had been a stress-filled afternoon since the discovery. For her, the meeting at the church with Eastlyn had confirmed a serial killer walked among them. Tension hung over the room like a heavy morning mist.
“I appreciate you coming to my defense, but it wasn’t exactly like that,” Linus replied. “You have to remember cops don’t believe in coincidences. The fact that I found Gabby’s skull about seventy-five yards from the dump site gave him cause to be suspicious. Returning the next day to find the necklace didn’t do me any favors.”
“But—”
“It’s okay. Brent’s suspicion lasted about twenty minutes. He knows there are eight victims spread out from 2014 to 2021. We found eight skulls at the dump site.”
“Behind the thicket of vines.”
“Yeah. But the thing is, there are two victims dumped before you get to the scrub, the wall of vines we chopped down. Brent and several others believe there are two killers. The serial killer who put his victims out of sight behind that dense wall of foliage and the murderer who killed Gabby Moreland and an unknown second victim.”
Lake dropped into one of the room’s comfortable leather chairs. “I don’t know, Linus. That sounds far-fetched to me.”
“It would mean that one serial killer probably left the area while the other might be at the beginning of his activity.”
“Recent activity,” Lake provided.
Linus stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and paced in front of the windows. “A ramp-up is how it was explained to me. The most recent killer is ramping up, trying to find his niche. With tourist season approaching, there will likely be another murder victim near that bridge.”
“But nothing indicates he truly moved on, right?”
Linus shook his head. “I wish. Brent said there’s always a lag time in identifying a serial killer. They hide under the radar for so long, it takes something like Gabby going missing to know it’s for real, happening in our own backyard.”
“What about the victims dumped inside that circle you found?”
“They’ve been out there for at least ten years. That brings us to Joanna Hawkins, who disappeared in 2014 all the way to Keri Davis in 2021. Keep in mind that we don’t have proof it’s them yet. It will likely take forensics weeks or months to sort through DNA from the bones and match them to get even a partial skeleton. It’s weird that all eight women were from Santa Cruz, though.”
“Which means they were heading over that bridge, probably at night. That’s when they disappeared.” Lake made a face. “I don’t understand why someone would want to kill all these women near our little town. It’s terrifying to think we’ve been living among a serial killer all these years.”
“How do you know he isn’t from Santa Cruz?”
Lake sat up straighter. “Think about it for a minute. He’s sitting out by that bridge, picking women who are alone. They’re either heading toward us or going away from us. We’re the epicenter, like an earthquake. I’m pretty sure the FBI calls that geographical profiling.”
“That is unsettling, for sure,” Linus agreed, stopping his pacing to stand in front of Lake. “Brent assured me that they will do everything they can to track down both killers. With any luck, the killer left something at the dump site they can use. And in Gabby’s case, maybe they’ll find DNA on what was left of her clothing.”
“But that could take months.”
“Which is why we’ll be more proactive, more vigilant. For starters, I went by Ferguson’s Hardware to pick up two security systems with cameras. I’ll have them installed by tonight.”
Lake stood up, determination in her eyes. “Maybe we could take it a step further. We should stake out the bridge to make sure no more lives are lost.”
“Brent has that covered, starting tonight. But he mentioned to Beckett and Birk that he might need to ask a few people he could trust to volunteer for night patrol if his team is at this for longer than a month, depending on how long it takes to catch these guys.”
“You’re saying that for now, he wants private citizens to butt out.”
“Yep. That’s what I’m saying. He claims that between his team and the sheriff’s department they have it covered.”
“I hope he’s right. I can only hope there’s not another victim.”
“Me too. Come on. You can help me set up the cameras.”
After installing the extra security cameras, Lake and Linus spent the rest of the afternoon outdoors cleaning up the raised beds. With the dogs running around in the driest patch of the backyard, they pulled every battered plant and laid them out to dry off before getting dumped in the compost bin. The tomato seedlings were a total loss.
“What a waste. What will you do with them?” Linus wanted to know.
“Tomato plants are susceptible to bacteria and blight. But these were healthy plants, so they can be composted if I take the time to break apart the stems and rip off the leaves. They’ll dry out faster that way, then I can toss them into the compost bin with everything else.”
“At least you can use them for fertilizer.”
Despite the disappointment of losing the seedlings, they worked diligently to clear out all the damaged plants, including an entire row of sweet green peppers. Under the heat of the afternoon sun, they slogged across the yard, back and forth, putting serial killers out of their heads, doing their best to focus on the task at hand.
Lake wiped the sweat from her forehead and remarked, “I won’t give up on those tomato and pepper plants. I use both for so much of my summer garden. I guess I’ll need to start from scratch.”
Encouraged by her words, Linus nodded in agreement. “The Plant Habitat is open until six. We could get more seedlings. We could get them in the ground before the sun goes down.”
She reached over and patted his cheeks, leaving smudges of soil on his face. “I like your attitude.”
“I’ve never had a garden before.”
Her eyes bugged out. “What? Never?”
“Nope.”
“We need to fix that,” she said, shoving a few dirt-stained strands of hair from her face before getting to her feet. “I’ll change my shoes and get my bag. Let’s do this.”
Excited by the prospect of replacing the damaged garden, they headed toward The Plant Habitat. The nursery was a short drive away, almost taking up a full block within view of the lighthouse.
They entered the sprawling main building, walking past rows upon rows of vibrant houseplants displayed on tables, waiting to find a new home. Tempted to splurge on one of the larger trees for her entryway, she gravitated to a fiddle leaf fig and a towering Ficus.
“I can’t justify spending a hundred dollars on a tree that will likely die,” Lake finally said after fingering the foliage. “Imagine how many tomato plants I could get for that amount of money.”
Linus smiled. “And buying something that doesn’t bear fruit just won’t do, right? You’d have to wait years to get a fig out of that.”
She shrugged. “Exactly. Let’s move on to the other building. That’s where we find the best seedlings.”
They crossed a gravel parking lot and entered the greenhouse, the air thick with humidity. She drew in the earthy smells of damp soil and budding flowers. This was her zone. After grabbing a utility cart, they wandered through the aisles.
Lake led him to an entire back wall dedicated to vegetable seedlings sold in trays of six. After selecting three varieties of cherry tomatoes for snacking, she zeroed in on the full-size varieties she could use for slicing and topping sandwiches. She was pleased with the selections and turned her attention to the mildly hot green and yellow peppers before adding an array of onions and leeks to her cart.
“You have an amazing eye for this,” Linus noted. “But isn’t your front lawn a little bare in spots—flower-wise?”
She stared at him. “You’re teasing me about my front yard?”
“Hard not to. I drive by there on days when I need cheering up.”
“Really? You never said.”
“I’m telling you now. Your flower garden makes tourists stop and take photos. I’ve seen them do it. I thought you knew.”
That made her smile. “Now I do. Thanks. I was thinking of adding some depth. Come on. I know just what I’m looking for. It won’t take but a minute.” She wheeled her already bulging cart to the seed packet display. She focused on mostly inexpensive flowers like periwinkles, zinnias, petunias, and cosmos to add some color. But she couldn’t resist buying up all the fire twister sunflower packets.
“I didn’t realize sunflowers came in red,” Linus commented, surveying her selections.
“Red orange,” she corrected. “Butterflies and pollinators love them. Come Memorial Day, these babies will be in full bloom. They promise a four-inch flower. No joke. You want to add anything else of your own?”
“Me? Flowers? Um, no. Well. Wait. On second thought, what about a patch of daisies?”
Pleased, Lake smiled. “Be my guest.”
She watched as he added another six packets of seeds to their cart, three blue and three crimson red that promised huge golden centers.
After paying for her haul, they returned to the car, Linus eyeing all the plants. Behind him, the sun had already begun its descent toward the horizon. “If we intend to get these in the ground tonight, we need to get moving.”
“What, no dinner?”
“I’ll spring for pizza after we get all this stuff planted.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a harsh taskmaster, Mr. Canfield?”
“You’ll thank me later.”
“Yeah. I think I will.”
Later, they worked side by side at the Marigold House until dusk, mud up to their elbows and dirty smudges on their clothes. They had moved fast through the raised beds, making sure every plant was firmly in place. They’d spent the afternoon replenishing what Mother Nature had destroyed. It felt like they’d achieved a sliver of success.
After they were done, they washed down the gardening tools and stored them away in the shed, surrounded by the scent of soil and newly planted vegetation.
Overhead, the stars were beginning to twinkle in the sky as Lake stepped back to admire their handiwork. Wiping her brow, she looked out at the newly rejuvenated garden, then lifted her head to the last rays of sunlight stretched out above them in hues of pink and orange.
“You know, after the kind of day we had, I can’t think of any other place I’d rather be than standing here admiring your garden,” Linus confessed.
Lake turned to him, a soft smile curving her lips. “Is it possible to turn you into a full-fledged gardener?”
He draped an arm on her shoulder. “It isn’t just possible, but likely. But right now, all I can think about is food. And since we have to wait weeks for any of this stuff to feed us, I’m offering you a vegetarian pizza as a consolation prize.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Deal. But I’m offering you a hot shower…with me naked, all soapy and slick.”
“I’d be a fool not to take that deal.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
Together they raced into the house like teenagers, the dogs darting after them.
For the first time in a long time, Linus felt happier than he’d felt in a dozen years or more.