Plant Them Deep by Thurlo Aimee & David

Author:Thurlo, Aimee & David
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-03-17T16:00:00+00:00

FOURTEEN

Rose got up early the following morning. She’d worried about Lena, and how the news of Charlie Dodge’s death would affect her, all night long. Close to dawn Rose finally made the decision not to tell her, at least not right away. The news of Charlie’s death would just make things worse for Lena.

After feeding Two and making sure she let Ben Tso know where “salt thin” and “frog tobacco” could be found, Rose picked some huge yellow sunflowers from the back yard, Lena’s favorites, and placed them in a large blue vase containing her special cut-flowers water mix. That would keep the blossoms fresh for days.

Reaching high up in the cupboard, she took down a small box of cactus pear candy she’d made herself last month. The recipe was one Lena had given her many years ago. As she went into the living room in search of her purse, she heard the sound of someone driving up the gravel driveway.

Two ran to the door and stood there, but didn’t bark. He seldom did unless he sensed trouble.

Rose walked to the window and saw a new pickup with tinted glass stop beneath the shade of the tall elm. A moment later, the driver got out, and she saw it was Curtis Largo.

Rose sighed. He was the last human being she wanted to see today. Without waiting for her to invite him inside, he strode toward her front door.

Annoyed by his lack of manners, she went out to the porch and stood there waiting.

“Good morning, Mrs. Destea,” he said, climbing up the steps.

“I was just on my way out. How can I help you?” she asked coldly.

“I came to see the work you’ve done so far on the plant survey report. As you pointed out the other day, we are supposed to be working together, and I’m going to share responsibility for the report you’ll be turning in.”

“I haven’t formalized my notes yet.”

“Then let me look at what you do have, and we can talk about your plans for the presentation,” he said, undaunted.

“I’ve tried to get your help before—several times, in fact—but you were too busy to even return my calls.”

“But I’m here now.”

Although she’d refused to let Bradford Knight look at her work, Largo was part of the tribe, and the council had specifically asked her to work with him.

She reluctantly invited him inside and showed him her notes. At least she’d stayed up last night typing them up on her daughter’s computer. She’d intended to give Willie the printout along with her black ink sketches. “It’s not finished, of course, but the maps I’ve drawn identify a general area and my sketches detail the condition of the plants, as do some of the photos I took.”

“But you haven’t been specific enough with the locations, and that reduces the credibility of the report. You’re asking them to take your word for it—not reporting your findings in a scientific manner that can be verified by others.”

“I can’t reveal the collection sites.

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