6 A Thyme to Die Page 12

  Once David was gone, Peggy started into the flower show. She was gritting her teeth in frustration as she picked up her clipboard that she’d kept at the welcome center in case she forgot her master copy of vendors and growers in her tablet.

  The pompous little--

  “You don’t have to worry about causing problems between me and Steve, Agent Rankin. We can sort out our own disagreements without your help.”

  Peggy ignored him striding beside her as she began to examine each exhibit, making sure things were as they were supposed to be. Agent Rankin was an irritation—she could feel her temper rising.

  “You’ve never worked this type of case before, have you?” Norris kept talking. “I could tell you were out of your league at the meeting.”

  She stopped and faced him. “Are you purposely trying to make me angry? I realize we don’t know each other. I hope we’re not getting off on the wrong foot.”

  Peggy had no plans to explain herself to him or relate her experience dealing with other cases like this one. She took several deep breaths and started off down the concourse again.

  “I’m sorry you took my remarks the wrong way. I only meant that it’s unusual for a husband and wife to work together this way. I don’t want it to be a problem. I’ve known Steve a long time. He’s a good friend.”

  Could he be any more annoying? Peggy thought about asking him to go away, but knew she had to keep going. They’d sent him in there with her for a reason.

  Nothing seemed to be out of place. The exotic scents of the plants and flowers were pleasant. They were most potent at night, especially so since they were closed in. She focused on that instead of the irritating agent dogging her steps.

  They passed a re-creation of a large field of red poppies, their black and white centers seeming to stare at them. It was a powerful exhibit from a grower from Mississippi who was hoping to influence buyers to purchase his seeds. Not only were the flowers beautiful, they were useful too.

  “I don’t understand why people grow flowers,” Norris said. “I can see trees. They make sense. Flowers don’t do anything.”

  Peggy thought about the red rose Steve had given her last night and smiled. She could ignore this man for a little longer. He had to see that he couldn’t bother her. His relationship with Steve might be important. She didn’t have to like him, only tolerate him.

  “What’s this?” He leaned over and smelled a plant. “This thing smells awful. Why would anyone plant it?”

  “It’s called skunk cabbage. It might smell bad, but it’s very useful.”

  “Can you eat it?”

  Peggy was tempted to tell him he could eat it. She knew it would burn his mouth and that might be a little revenge. She refrained. “No. It’s not edible.”

  They were upstairs, across from Dr. Abutto’s exhibit. The drooping crime scene tape still made it off limits.

  Peggy really wanted to have a look at what was left here. It was hard during the day because she’d look suspicious standing on the wrong side of the tape. This might be a good time, while the convention center was empty, and no one was watching her, except for Agent Rankin.

  She had to think of some way to get rid of him.

  It came to her suddenly. He thought she wasn’t capable of taking care of business. She could use that to gain some free time, even if it was only a few minutes.

  “Oh darn.” She frantically examined the list on her clipboard. “The sheet for the rest of the vendors must still be downstairs at the welcome center. It was silly of me to leave it behind. I know there has to be more than two pages. I guess I’ll go downstairs and get it.”

  “Wait.” He glanced at his watch. “This is already taking more time than I thought it would. I’ll go down and get it. It’ll be faster. Sit down over there and I’ll be right back.”

  Peggy sank down on a bench. “Oh, thank you. Just the idea of walking down and coming back again was giving me palpitations.”

  “Sure.”

  She watched him jog down the stairs. The elevator was switched off for the night and she had no idea how to turn it on. She’d thought it was a bad thing—until now. Norris would have to walk back upstairs too.

  As soon as she couldn’t see the top of his head, she ducked into Dr. Abutto’s exhibit.

  Everything was such a mess. Between the police searching it, and whoever killed him ripping it apart, it was hard to see where anything useful could be.

  Most of the orchids had been tipped over. Some were smashed against the floor. A few were left. She touched one with a careful hand. They were so delicate and felt so fragile. She knew they were really strong and durable plants. It was humans who thought they weren’t hardy, mostly because of their exotic beauty.

  She peered closer, examining the clear rocks in the hormone enriched gel that Aris had used to grow his prize-winning orchids.

  Was it possible?

  She put a finger inside one of the broken glass beakers and brought a rock out with it. It looked like glass. She couldn’t say it wasn’t without testing. It could be glass. The thick gel stuck to it. She wiped it off, but still wasn’t completely sure.

  Surely Aris wouldn’t have hidden the diamonds with the orchids? What about the duffel bag that everyone was looking for?

  All it would’ve taken was someone looking inside the beakers that had been smashed, or the whole beakers that still held the living orchids. Her father had always said the best place to hide things was in plain sight.

  She heard footsteps on the stairs and pocketed the stone before going back to sit down and wait for Norris.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lily of the Valley

  Convallaria majalis is the scientific name for lily of the valley. It is a perennial found across the Northern Hemisphere. The lily blooms in late spring and has bell-shaped white flowers and small orange/red berries. The flowers have a sweet smell, but all parts of the plant are deadly poisonous. There are several legends involving this plant from fairies being found around it, to the flowers being created by a nobleman’s blood, spilled while he battled a dragon.

  “I couldn’t find any kind of list down there.” Agent Rankin was a little out of breath when he reached her. “Are you sure you don’t have it with the rest of the papers?”

  “I don’t think so. I mean, I looked.” She rifled through the papers on her clipboard again and then glanced back at his face. “Oops! I’m sorry. They were right here all the time. I didn’t even see them.”

  He took a deep breath. “That’s okay. Let’s get moving, huh?”

  The rest of the exhibit check was fine. Maybe a bird had managed to get inside and set off the alarm. Peggy doubted that Dabney’s killer had wanted anyone to find him so quickly.

  Peggy walked slower than usual, resting now and again at various exhibits and pointing out things that she knew Norris didn’t care to hear. He didn’t realize it, but she’d found his Achilles’ heel.

  “We’re almost to the door, Dr. Lee.” His tone was impatient by the time they’d reached The Potting Shed exhibit. “Can you make it, or do you need me to get a wheelchair or something?”

  She huffed and puffed. “I think I’ll be fine. I can see the door from here. If you need to go ahead, don’t mind me. I’ll be right out behind you.”

  He looked at the door longingly. “Are you sure? I don’t think anyone else is in here. You should be fine.”

  “I’ll be all right. You go ahead now. These old legs don’t want to move as fast as they did when I was your age.”

  He muttered something under his breath about working with incompetent people. “All right then. I’m going outside. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “I’m sorry. What did you say? My hearing isn’t as good as it used to be either.”

  Norris apologized loudly before he left her there.

  Peggy laughed, but not for long. Steve came in as his second-in-command passed him in the doorway.

  “What’s taking so long? You could’ve wa
lked this in ten minutes. Why does Norris think you need a wheelchair?”

  “I don’t know.” She smiled and kissed him. “But I think I might’ve found something we’ve been looking for.” She took the diamond out of her pocket.

  “Is that what I think it is?”

  “Only one way to find out. That gel Aris had the orchids growing in has left a dense film on it. It will have to be cleaned before it can be appraised.”

  “Where did you find it?” Steve held the stone up to the light.

  “Let’s find Al so I only have to say it once. I’ll meet you upstairs.”

  #

  Peggy volunteered to get all of the diamonds out of the beakers. She wanted to save as many orchids as she could. She knew no one else would care about that aspect as soon as they’d found out that the stones in the beakers were the diamonds they were looking for.

  An armored truck, driven by police officers, delivered all of the diamonds with the orchids to her house. She invited Walter to help her with the task while a security guard stood nearby. It was millions of dollars in cut diamonds. The insurance company for the convention center hadn’t been crazy about taking the stones to her house. She had prevailed, with Al’s help.

  She also had to rely on Adam Morrow to keep the flower show running for most of the day while she and Walter worked on the diamonds.

  Both the FBI and Charlotte PD were anxious to get their hands on the stones that had undoubtedly cost Dr. Abutto his life.

  “What about the other dead one?” Walter asked as he cleaned the thick fluid from the diamonds with a special solution. “The one you found in the parking lot. Why was he killed?”

  “I’m not sure.” Peggy lifted another orchid from a beaker filled with diamonds and moved it to another beaker with a careful hand. “We still don’t know why Aris was killed, not exactly. The police are theorizing that whoever made him smuggle the diamonds here killed him when they couldn’t find them.”

  “What about the missing daughter?”

  “Another mystery. The FBI thinks Aris was trying to make sure Tanya was safe before he gave the killers the diamonds.”

  “That didn’t work out so well, did it? What do you think happened?”

  “I’m not sure. I know my friend is dead and his daughter is still missing. I understand why he would’ve smuggled the diamonds to save her life. I don’t understand why the person who had him do it killed him before he got the diamonds.”

  “Maybe something will come up that will solve the case. In the meantime, I would like to say what an honor it has been assisting you.”

  Peggy didn’t tell him that ordinarily she would’ve had help from Sam and Selena. She was glad he’d enjoyed the experience. It had taken a large part of the day to transfer all the orchids. Now she’d have to keep an eye on them for several days to make sure they were all right. She didn’t know what would happen to them now that Aris was gone. She might have to adopt them herself.

  When she’d finished with the diamonds, Peggy laid them out to dry. She called Al. He who told her to leave them where they were. The security company would keep an eye on them for the police.

  Walter wanted to go back to the flower show with Peggy, but he had other commitments. She locked the sliding glass door in the basement when he was gone, and went upstairs to change.

  After slipping into a peach-colored Chanel suit, Peggy did her hair and makeup. While she got ready, she gazed at the red rose Steve had given her in a vase on the bedside table.

  She realized that everything really was all right between her and Steve. It had taken a little time to get used to the idea that she’d married another man in law enforcement. She knew he was as good a man as John.

  Steve made her happy. Shield or no shield, she loved him and knew that he loved her. They were going to have a wonderful life together.

  With a smile on her face, Peggy checked her email. There was another message from Nightflyer. It was cryptic, as always.

  “Watch your back. I fear there may be some difficult decisions coming your way. Check out Internet news. Charlotte Observer newspaper won’t air the story until tomorrow. Wonder who the leak is?”

  She wasn’t sure what he was talking about until she went to her favorite online news source and there it was. Botanist finds diamonds with orchids.

  Peggy read the details quickly. They were very accurate. It seemed to her that whoever leaked this to news sources had to be with the FBI or Charlotte PD. No one else would know those details.

  Immediately her mind went to Norris Rankin. She shook her head. She couldn’t blame bad things that happened on the man because she didn’t like him.

  She called Al and texted Steve to show them what she’d found. Al agreed that they needed someone to pick up the diamonds right away.

  “How soon is that? I’m on my way to the flower show to hand out some awards.”

  “Let me get back with you. I know they’re gonna want to send more security people to transport those. The State Department might send someone for them. It might take a few hours to set it up.”

  “Al, I love you. You know I do. But I can’t wait around that long. I’ve already put too many of my responsibilities off on Adam. Please try to do better than that.”

  “Look, Peggy, I can’t promise anything at this point. I’ve got two unsolved homicides tied in with these diamonds. The Chief is breathing down my neck. You have one security guard already there. Lock your doors and set your alarm. I’m sure the diamonds will be fine.”

  Steve texted back pretty much the same thing. The State Department is coming for those. In the meantime, I’ll send Norris over to keep an eye on them. Love you.

  Peggy balked at that idea. Norris may have been the one to tip off the media. She didn’t like the idea that her house could become part of the theft and people might look for the diamonds here. They hadn’t listed her address in the press release, but how hard would it be to find her since they’d put her name out there?

  No wonder Nightflyer had alerted her.

  She heard Paul come in the house as she was trying to decide what to do. Norris wasn’t there yet. The security guard was downstairs, but he was only one man. She wasn’t convinced the diamonds would be safe.

  “Mom?” Paul yelled up the stairs, much the same way he did when he was twelve. “I’m here to escort you to the flower show again. Are you ready?”

  Peggy grabbed her handbag and went downstairs. Shakespeare was outside in the backyard. “I’m going down to let Shakespeare in. I’ll be ready as soon as I get back up here.”

  “Take your time.” Paul was eating an apple. “Have you got any peanut butter? Mai showed me how to dunk apples into peanut butter. It’s really good.”

  “Help yourself.” She closed the door to the basement as she went downstairs.

  Before she called Shakespeare in, she looked at the diamonds again. They still weren’t sparkling like cut diamonds should. Someone else might have to do a better job cleaning them. She was sure the gel hadn’t really harmed them.

  That was when the idea hit her.

  Her handbag wasn’t big enough to hold all the diamonds. She found a garden bag with the logo from last year’s International Flower Show in Atlanta on it. She put all the diamonds into the bag and covered them with a flowered scarf. They weren’t that heavy.

  Was it safer for her to take the diamonds with her to the flower show?

  She wasn’t really sure, but it seemed like the last place a thief would look for them. She certainly didn’t want to see them stolen again after Aris had given his life for them. Besides, they might need them to bargain for Tanya’s life.

  Maybe it was a little unconventional, but it felt right. She could leave the garden bag at The Potting Shed exhibit. Sam and Selena would keep an eye on them.

  With everything decided, at least in her mind, Peggy texted Steve.

  I have the diamonds. Send the State Department to the flower show.

  Chapter Nineteen />
  Dahlia

  The dahlia is the national flower of Mexico. They were grown by the Aztecs and brought to the new world by Spanish conquistadors in the early 1600s. Hybridization began in the 1800s. Dahlias are easy plants to grow and will bloom from mid-summer through fall.

  What? Steve texted back. Peggy, what are you doing?

  She ignored the text as she and Paul left the house. The alarm was set. Shakespeare was inside, chewing on his toy.

  Ken had left Matilda the skunk in her cage hours ago to head back to the flower show. Peggy called him and told him he’d have to wait to feed the skunk until that evening when she and Steve were home. Ken knew nothing about the diamonds.

  Paul didn’t know she had the diamonds with her—which put him in a good mood.

  He chuckled as he drove to the convention center. “I can’t believe you’re housing a skunk. All those years, we never had a pet at all. Now you have a dog the size of a pony and a skunk in the upstairs bedroom.”

  “Matilda isn’t a permanent guest. When Ken leaves at the end of the week, she’ll leave with him.” She smiled at him. “Matilda has been a much better guest than some of your college friends.”

  He winced. “It was only a small trashcan fire. Even Dad understood that college kids get a little wild sometimes.”

  “Like I said.”

  There was a big crowd for the flower show again. Peggy knew they’d received extra publicity because of Dabney’s death. It was grotesque, but she acknowledged the truth of it.

  “Want me to help you with that bag?” Paul asked after they’d parked near the gate. He’d learned something from Steve.

  “I’ve got it. Thanks. It’s only a few things Sam needed today.”

  Pete greeted them as they walked by. “Let’s try to keep everyone alive today, huh? I thought flowers were safe and beautiful.”

  “They are,” Peggy agreed. “It’s the people who aren’t so safe. See you later.”

  She went immediately to The Potting Shed exhibit. There was another large group of people talking to Sam about landscaping.