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“What if one of the Venners notices the missing paperwork?” she asked.
“Why would they bother to look at a file of registered guests? Don’t worry, I’ll replace the folder tomorrow.”
They made their way back down the hall to the rear door and moved outside into the night. Talia took a deep breath, letting the invigorating energy of the gardens envelop her. The leaves of a nearby plant sparkled as if dusted by tiny crystals. The sky was one-o’clock-in-the-morning-with-a-low-hanging-cloud-cover dark, but the greenery looked as if it was bathed in silver moonlight.
“The bioluminescence of these plants is beautiful,” she said. She caught a large, fan-shaped leaf, held it out of her way, rounded the corner... and came up hard against Luke’s unyielding back.
“Oomph.”
Moving fast, he snagged her with one arm, pulled her close to his side, and put his hand across her mouth. It all happened before she realized itwashappening. She froze, aware that he was watching something very intently. She followed his gaze and peered through the jungle of luminous greenery. Glimpses of pale fabric appeared and disappeared in the choked undergrowth. The sleeve of a loose-fitting shirt. A trouser leg. And then she heard the humming.
She and Luke were not the only ones abroad on the garden path tonight.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Luke took acouple of seconds to consider the options. Under other circumstances he would have preferred to gather more information before confronting the individual who was ahead of them on the path, but time was running out. He and Talia needed answers.
Speaking of Talia...
It occurred to him that he was holding her captive, imprisoned under his arm, his hand across her mouth. In the shadows her eyes glittered with impatience. She wasn’t struggling; just waiting for him to release her.
He took his hand off her lips and let her go. She nodded once, letting him know she had seen the person on the path. He started forward, making no effort to silence his footsteps. Talia kept pace with him.
There was a sharp snap as a twig or small branch was nipped off. Someone was using a pair of pruning shears at one o’clock in the morning.
Snap. Crack. Crunch.
He rounded the corner first. Talia followed. They both stopped at the sight of the ethereal figure in white—white trousers, a white shirt, and white sneakers. Her pale blond hair was clipped in a casual twist that left a few tendrils free to bob around her very pale face. She held the pruning shears in one gloved hand.
“Good evening,” she said, turning to meet them. Her voice went with the Tinker Bell persona—light and musical. “What fun to run into other people who enjoy the gardens at this hour. I usually have them all to myself. You must be new on the island.”
“We checked in for the Unplugged Experience today,” Talia said. “I don’t recall seeing you in the lodge earlier.”
“No. I do my work at night.”
“You’re an employee here?” Luke asked.
“You could say that.” The woman smiled a secretive smile. “But I don’t see my work as a job. It’s a calling. Now, you must excuse me. The night is getting on, and I still have plants to prune. They grow so quickly here on the island.”
She started to walk away along the path of blue-lit stones.
“Wait,” Talia said quickly. “Who are you?”
“What?” The woman giggled. “My apologies. I didn’t introduce myself, did I? I’m the Night Gardener.”
She floated away and soon vanished into the depths of the gardens. Without a word, Luke grabbed Talia’s hand and followed. The path led to the entrance of a massive glass-and-steel conservatory. They arrived in time to watch the Night Gardener move inside. The metal door clanged shut behind her.
Evidently aware that she was being watched, she smiled one last secretive smile and raised the shears in an airy wave before she turned and disappeared into the luminous plants that crammed the interior of the conservatory.
Talia watched closely, but the walls of the structure were made of thick, heavy glass, the sort used in banks and other high security settings. The kind of glass that could stop a bullet. The result was a somewhat distorted view of the jungle inside.
Luke went to the steel door and tried to open it. “Locked,” he announced. “I don’t think there’s a YouTube video for this.” He ran his fingers over a steel plate set with small black crystals. “It looks old, but I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Talia peered into the glass hothouse. “What’s your take on the Night Gardener?”
“She is either stoned to her back teeth or living in another reality,” Luke said. “Maybe both.”
“Yep, that was my assessment, too.” Talia abruptly became aware of the energy shivering through Phoebe Hatch’s necklace. She reached up to touch the crystal with her fingertips.“Luke.”
