Chapter 20
The thick, deep roots, or rhizome, of stately vetiver grass, native to India, yield rich oil upon distillation. Vetiver has a slightly green, woody, balsamic aroma, reminiscent of moist earth after a rain shower. An excellent, intriguing fixative, vetiver blends well with woods, lavender, and bergamot. –DB
21 October, 1940 - Los Angeles, California
Shivering against the dampness, Danielle turned up her thin collar. As the bus lumbered through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, she watched rivulets of rain sputtering across the window.
The first rainstorm of the season had arrived, pummeling the California coastline and battering the piers that jutted out into the ocean like fingers beckoning to ships at sea. Danielle had witnessed the coastal destruction that morning durin
