Page 44 of Fire Harbor
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?”