I sigh. “I’ll go back to the scene. Something’s not adding up.”
When we part ways, I head back to the area in the forest where the incident occurred. The scene looks different in the daylight, less mysterious but somehow more troubling. My team is still combing through every inch, but they’re finding nothing useful. No scents, no tracks, no evidence that anyone other than Zane was ever here.
I’m crouched near where Selene found him when something catches my eye: a faint, red residue on some leaves, barely visible unless you’re looking for it.
“Genesis!” I call to one of the witches. “Come look at this.”
He jogs over and squats beside me. “What am I looking at?”
“This red powder. Can you identify it?”
He runs his fingers over the leaves before bringing them to his nose. His brow furro
