He moved quickly, eyes sweeping over drawers and shelves until he spotted it: a dry, slightly curled leaf tucked beside the cash counter. Carefully, he laid it flat and took a photo. On Google Images, he uploaded it. The result blinked onto the screen: American Beech Leaf.
Pedro read the description with sharp focus. Smooth-edged. Veined. Slightly serrated. Its fruit was a spiky brown husk. Not a tree you’d find lining sidewalks. It needed open space. A lot of it. And then it came to him—not in a flash, but with a slow certainty. He knew exactly where to look.