The next day, shortly after lunch break, the telephone rang. Rachel was back in her laboratory, already busy again with the analysis of some water plants which had been collected from a waste dump site.

"Rachel Carter, Institute for Biology and Herbology, how can I help?"

"Ms Carter, it's Stevens. I need you to bring the samples of the meat tree and the other trees, we need them for evidence."

"Oh, okay. Where sh--"

"Please come to the warehouse again. Quickly, if that's possible."

"I can be there in about an hour."

"Great, drive carefully. Bye."

He hang up the call.

Rachel packed her equipment in her bag, then shut down the computer. She took the zip bags with the samples out of the fridge and carefully put them in the bag too, then quickly informed one of her assistants that she was about to leave and would possibly come back in the afternoon.

After leaving the institute, she got in her car and drove off, back to the warehouse.

Inspector Stevens was already waiting for her, when she reached the parking lot. Rachel handed him the bags with the plant samples, but he ordered one of the other investigators to get a closable transport box.

"Please put them inhere."

She put the samples inside and the investigator closed the box immediately and brought it to one of the police cars.

"What's that all about?"

Rachel was looking worried at Inspector Stevens.

He took a moment, obviously struggling to think about what to say.

"Ms Carter, this case is like nothing we ever had before. There are things happening that we can't explain yet, so I fear to have to ask for your further help in this case."

"Sure, so... may I ask, what's the matter about it?"

"That's why I wanted to speak to you in person, as the things you will now hear are confidential."

Rachel looked at him, slightly nervous, but then nodded.

"Okay, but if that's something I can usefully help with, then go ahead."

Inspector Stevens walked some steps away from the others and she kept up to walk beside him.

"Good, here is the situation."

Rachel was curious, but also a bit uneasy about what she was to hear now.

"The DNA sequence you extracted last evening from that sample of the meat tree belongs to a man who was reported missing two months ago."

Rachel turned around to look at the building, feeling uneasy and somehow strange.

"That's... really creepy."

Inspector Stevens nodded.

"Yes, so I ask carefully for your help. If you say 'No', that's okay. Then I'll ask someone else. If you decide to help though, I would really appreciate it, but I need to be sure of your descretion.

We need to find out how something like that is possible, but until we are sure about it, this is a confidential matter. Don't speak to anyone about it, especially not to any journalist."

Rachel had to think for a moment, about the meat tree in the basement of that warehouse and about the opportunity to help and maybe also to discover something completely new, way ahead of the things she could imagine yet.

As the leading biologist in the institute she surely shouldn't let go of such a chance to be part of the new discoveries in this case.

"Okay, I'm in."

"Are you sure?"

Inspector Stevens looked at her sceptically.

"Yes, I'm in, I'll help you. So what's the plan?"

"We need to find out more about the trees. Why are they hidden in a dark warehouse with no sunlight? Why is the meat tree in the basement and... how could it be possible that the missing guy was turned into a tree?"

Rachel shivered, the sun was gone behind some clouds and the chilling wind was blowing across the parking lot.

"I'll do my best to answer these questions. I'm expected back at the institute this afternoon but I can just make a call to tell my assistant that it's getting later."

"Oh, that won't be a problem, it won't take too long to take another look at the trees. We'll be done here in about an hour anyway."

"Okay, I guess that's fine then."

They went back to the other investigators and then entered the warehouse through the gate again.