“Nothing left behind,” he mutters. “No prints. No devices. Clean.”
“Too clean,” Trigger adds.
“Professional,” Beast says.
Yeah.
We’re not dealing with amateurs anymore.
Tessa moves back toward the table.
The flowers.
She studies them carefully.
Focused.
Then—
“These aren’t from here,” she says.
I look at her. “What?”
She points to a few stems. “These. They don’t grow around Eagle River. Not naturally.”
Blaze steps in immediately. “You sure?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation.
That matters.
“They’re imported,” she adds. “Or grown in controlled environments.”
A beat.
“They wanted me to notice.”
I study the arrangement again.
Not as decoration.
As a message.
Every piece placed with intent.
“They’re giving us a lead,” I say.
Blaze nods. “Or they want us to think they are.”
Either way—
We take it.
Tessa straightens slightly.
Not overwhelmed anymore.