“Certainly.” I pushed myself to my feet. The dogs got up with me.

“Thanks for stopping by, Miss Warren,” he said warmly. “I’ll let the boys see you out.”

“I’m sorry to have come by with such upsetting news,” I said, not for a moment believing Rip Jr. was upset.

“Yes, let’s all hope the police do their job.” He disappeared into the house.

I looked down at the dogs on either side of me and whispered, “I could be wrong, but I think he was lying about almost everything.”

The dogs stuck their muzzles into my hands.

I smiled. “Shall we?”

• • •

Most people are born with a gut instinct that gives them a nudge when things aren’t right. It’s the feeling you get when you know someone is being insincere, but you can’t quite articulate how you know. Or the strange prickle that crawls over the back of your neck when you sense someone is watching you, and it turns out, you’re right.

I didn’t need any of those subtle hints or clues to know something was wrong when I arrived back at Ivywood Hollow. All I had to do was look up at the dark storm cloud roiling overhead.

I hurried my step up to the front door and cautiously stepped inside.

“Izzy?”

No answer.

“Nora?”

Nothing.

After a quick search of the house, I spotted Faustus seated by the door leading to the backyard.

“In the greenhouse, are they?” I asked, bending to give him a quick scratch behind the ears. He rubbed his face against my palm, then backed away, giving me a filthy look. “Yes, I met some dogs today. I’m sorry. I washed my hands though.”

He licked the side of his paw, then rubbed it against his face.

Apparently, not well enough.

I stepped out into the turbulent winds swirling up leaves and hurried for the greenhouse, being careful to step over a regiment of ants making their retreat from whatever was going on in there.

“How could you be so irresponsible?”

“I had to do something. I’m not just going to sit back and wait for them to arrest me.”

I twisted the carved door handle and stepped into the sticky warmth of the conservatory. It was a beautiful structure that ran nearly the length of the property. The rectangular framework was all cast iron, and the roof had a bulbous curve that tapered up to a long running peak, ornamented with filigreed cresting. Inside there were three long tables. One at each side, both overloaded with plants, and one running down the middle that served as a workspace. On the walls at the front and back, there were bookshelves and tall cabinets. Nora had purchased the cupboards from the library when its catalog had gone digital. Now the hundreds of small drawers were stuffed with herbs, powders, semiprecious stones, and a few other ingredients that I didn’t really want to know about.

I approached my aunts facing off on either side of the worktable, two large pillar candles flickering between them.