My uncertainty vanished.

“Brynn,” Izzy said, clasping her hands to her chest. “There you are, darling. Look who decided to join us for dinner.”

She directed my gaze over to her sister, who was delicately laying her napkin across her lap.

“Izzy tells me you have something you’d like to say?” Nora prodded, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes, I do.” I strode around the table and dropped the satchel of black quartz flower on her plate. “Exactly how many other secrets are you keeping from us?”

Chapter 23

What on earth?” Nora said, shooting me a look before lifting the satchel. I saw the moment she recognized the scent. “So?”

I folded my arms over my chest. “Would you care to explain why it is I’ve been smelling this all over town?”

“No, I would not,” Nora said, putting the satchel down delicately at the corner of the table before once again adjusting the napkin on her lap. “And frankly it’s none of your business if I’ve made a friend.”

Izzy rushed over, a huge smile on her face. “Norrie! You’ve made a friend? How wonderful! Does this friend have a name? I want to hear everything.”

“Izzy,” I snapped. “You’re missing the point here.”

“What point is that, darling?”

“Well, the friend’s name is Nixie. She works at Charmed Treasures and she makes soap. With black quartz flower apparently.”

Izzy’s face dropped in confusion. “Black quartz flower? Black quartz flower!” Her eyes flashed over to her sister. “Nora, did you give this Nixie black quartz flower to make soap?”

Nora shrugged. “I don’t see what the problem is. The girl’s been pestering me endlessly about, well, everything, and she has an interest in plants and making natural soaps, so I helped her out a little.”

“By giving her one of the rarest flowers on the planet to dabble with?”

“It’s wonderful for the skin,” Nora said dismissively.

“Yes, wonderful for the skin.” Izzy nodded. “And wonderful for dissolving spells. Especially ones used for, say, warding houses?”

“What are you talking about?” Nora asked, then her eyes grew wide with realization, but she caught herself quickly. “You used that spell? Really, Sister, out of all the incantations you could have chosen, we both know that one is rudimentary at best.”

Izzy’s jaw dropped. “I was upset. And in a hurry. And I didn’t see you offering!”

“Aside from the fact you made her feel terrible about it,” I said, “do you see what this means? The person who planted the murder weapon in your greenhouse must have used that soap, and I just so happen to know Rip’s wife is a likely candidate.” I was willing to bet Maureen had purchased the soap from the gift shop before finding me, and she had put it in her purse with the letter. The smell was strong enough for the paper to soak it up. “Which also means Rip himself—”

“Is our murderer,” Nora finished, pushing her chair back. “Right. Let’s go, then. Evenfall can’t have a killer on the loose. I’ve prepared a number of spells for this occasion. Some may consider them to be in the realm of black magic, as they are quite painful, but given he’s a murderer, I don’t see an issue.”