Flowering Inferno (The Bloomin' Psychic Book 8) by Annabel Chase

Author:Annabel Chase [Chase, Annabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Palm Press LLC
Published: 2024-12-05T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

I felt like a prisoner with a day pass. My mother agreed to cover for me, especially when I promised to return with dry towels again.

I parked my scooter in the driveway and started toward the front door of Red Clover.

“Hey, Mia.” My neighbor Elton waved from outside his security fence. He was a prepper, which basically meant he had an underground storage unit filled with items he’d never actually use.

I strolled toward him. “Hi, Elton. How are you?”

“Can’t complain. Haven’t seen you for a couple days. Want to come in for a drink? The wife made a pitcher of her famous Amy Palmer.”

“Sure.” I followed him into the house. “Don’t you mean Arnold Palmer?”

“No, it’s named after her cousin, Amy. Half iced tea, half blackcurrant juice.” He opened the fridge and produced the pitcher. “She only makes it in the fall, so it’s a limited-edition beverage.”

He poured two glasses and passed one to me. “I heard there was a murder in the woods.”

“Where’d you hear that?”

He pointed to an electronic box on top of his refrigerator. “Police scanner. It’s good to keep updated on criminal activity, or if the feds are closing in on you.”

I gave the most noncommittal answer I could think of. “I guess so.” I took a hesitant sip of the purplish liquid; it was surprisingly good.

“Happened at that new hippie camp a few miles from here.”

“Hippie camp?”

“Yeah, a bunch of women who don’t believe in deodorant are trying to wish upon the stars and make their dreams come true.”

Well, he wasn’t completely wrong. “I’m actually staying there for the week with my mother.”

His face brightened “Oh, that explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“My wife saw you leave with a bag as the passenger in another vehicle. She knew it wasn’t your boyfriend’s car, plus the plates were from Jersey.”

“My mother lives there.”

“My condolences. Just so you know if the shit ever hits the fan, you want to go west, south, or north, but not east.”

“What if I’m trying to reach the Atlantic Ocean?”

“I’d still find another route to it. The roads will be clogged more than my toilet after Thanksgiving.”

I cringed. “Nice visual, Elton.”

“Sugarcoating things doesn’t do anybody any favors.” He scratched behind his ear. “Say, what are you doing at the hippie camp? Doesn’t seem like your vibe.”

“It isn’t my mother’s vibe either, yet here we are. It was her husband’s suggestion. I think if she realized what she was getting herself into, she would’ve declined.”

“And you?”

“Daughterly duty.”

“I see. Are you the one who found the dead body?”

“No, the woman’s sister did.”

Elton exhaled. “Wow. That had to be rough. Any idea what happened?”

“Death cap mushrooms. The police are investigating.”

“And you’re still staying there? You’re a brave one.”

“It’s been fine. We had a raccoon in the tent last night, though. That gave my mother a heart attack.”

Elton chuckled. “Those little critters will do that to you.” He opened the cabinet behind him. “Here’s a water filter to take back with you. It’ll keep your drinking water clean. I wouldn’t trust anything being pumped through that campground.

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