6 A Thyme to Die Read online

  “He did a mini-workshop on setting up a pond.” Selena pointed to the tiny pond in a washtub. “They ate it up. Now there are going to be thousands of washtub ponds around Charlotte. It’s going to become the not-so-cool thing to do.”

  Peggy shrugged. “Whatever brings in business. At least he didn’t plant a garden in a toilet. I hate seeing those alongside the road.”

  She took the garden bag and put it with Sam’s gear under the table where he was standing.

  “Hey, Peggy!” He introduced her to some prospective customers. “Most people know her as the plant lady. She also works as a forensic botanist for the city.”

  Everyone was suitably impressed by that information. They had dozens of questions to ask about Dr. Abutto’s death, as well as Dabney’s murder.

  “I’m sorry. I have to run. We’re handing out some awards for the outstanding exhibits here this week at the conference area, near the stairs. I’d love it if you’d sign a contract for Sam to do your landscaping and then join us. Thank you for stopping by.”

  Peggy shook a few hands and whispered to Sam, “There are diamonds in the garden bag under the table.”

  The expression on his handsome face was comical. “Say again.”

  “You heard me. Don’t make a big deal out of it. I’ll be back in a while.”

  Sam watched her leave with a deep frown settling over his healthy, tan face.

  “You look like somebody stole your last bag of mulch,” Selena remarked.

  “Or something like that. Why does she always do these things to me?”

  Peggy found Adam Morrow in the rapidly filling conference room.

  “Thank goodness you’re here.” He took her hand and smiled. “I’m worried about how these vendors are going to take it when they don’t get a prize from the judges.”

  “They do this every year in Atlanta. I’ve never seen anyone act like less of a lady or gentleman about it. There’s no reason why it should be any different here.”

  “You weren’t out talking to those dahlia growers this morning. I was afraid they weren’t going to let me leave their exhibit without promising that they were going to win something.”

  “I’m so sorry I’ve had to put so much on you, Adam. Believe me, I had no idea all of these terrible events would happen.”

  “That’s okay. I’m happy to help out.” He frowned and leaned a little closer to her. “I read this morning about the diamonds. Wow! What a score.”

  “Hardly worthwhile. Aris and Dabney are both dead. We’re still not sure where Tanya Abutto is. What good are millions of diamonds if even one person dies?”

  “Peggy, you’re one in a million. I might be willing to sacrifice a few people for a couple of million dollars.”

  She didn’t respond and hoped he was joking. She knew he was having financial difficulties and might have to close one or two of his stores. People said rash things they didn’t mean when they were desperate.

  “I think it’s time. Thanks again for your help, Adam.”

  He bowed slightly. “My pleasure, as always.”

  Peggy ran her hand lightly across her hair and adjusted her peach-colored jacket. She went up on stage and addressed the crowd, taking a moment to honor Aris and Dabney.

  She gave out four awards. Adam was right. There were definitely some hostile looks from the losers. It was only a chunk of plastic, she wanted to say to them. How much difference did it make in the long run?

  She’d made the decision not to include The Potting Shed in any of the award categories, even though the rules hadn’t forbidden her from doing so. She didn’t like the idea of there being even a hint of impropriety.

  Peggy thanked the panel of judges and the audience gave them a round of applause. The winners stood on the platform with their awards and had their pictures taken by media people and bloggers for the International Flower Show. She stepped aside and let them have their moment.

  Several disgruntled growers and vendors waited impatiently for her to finish the ceremony before complaining about their loss. She tried to soothe their ruffled feathers and mouthed platitudes until she could get away.

  Already tired after her day had begun with the alarm going off at the convention center, she stopped at the snack area for a cup of hot water. She always brought her own tea bags. She needed a double shot of Earl Grey to get through the rest of the day.

  Her cell phone rang. It was an unknown number. Thinking it might be Nightflyer again, she answered.

  “Peggy Lee?”

  “Yes.” The voice sounded muffled, but not like Nightflyer at all. “Who is this?”

  “The man who told everyone you have the diamonds. I have Tanya Abutto. I think a little horse trading may be what’s needed right now.”

  Peggy sat down on a bench near the stairs. Her heart fluttered uncomfortably. She wasn’t the person that should talk to a kidnapper. She wished she could put him on hold or have him call back so she could locate Steve or Al to handle this.

  “Still there?”

  “Yes.” She swallowed hard on the sudden rush of fear. “I’m here, but I’m not who you need to talk to. Let me find someone who can negotiate with you.”

  “I think you’re exactly who I need to talk to. I didn’t mention negotiation. Here’s the deal. You give me the diamonds and I give you the girl. Sound good?”

  “I can’t make that deal,” she sputtered. “I don’t have the diamonds. I found them, but the FBI has them. Actually, I think it’s the State Department that has them. I’m sorry but I don’t have their phone number.”

  “Listen carefully. No tricks. I want the diamonds. You want your friend’s daughter? Take the diamonds to the main branch of the library on Seventh Street at four today. Come alone. I’ll call you when I see you. Any police or FBI, the girl dies. Got it?”

  Before Peggy could agree, or at least argue that she couldn’t possibly do this, the phone went dead.

  She stared at the rapidly cooling cup of hot water in her hand.

  What was she going to do?

  Chapter Twenty

  Fern

  Ferns have been around for more than 300 million years. The American Fern Society was established in 1893 and has more than 900 members which share their love for the plant. Spring foragers have been eating the new, tightly-curled head of the plant for at least that long. Some are delicious with a little butter. Others are toxic and should be avoided. Be sure you know your fiddleheads before you eat them.

  Peggy sat on the bench for a long time, watching as people walked by. Most of them seemed to be having a good time. They were exclaiming over the giant ferns in the last exhibit they saw or looking at pictures on their camera phones of amazing bulb gardens that they wanted to plant in their yards. The show was always good about giving gardeners new ideas.

  Two women from Charlotte were talking about signing contracts with Sam for landscape service because they wanted to see him with his shirt off. The humor in that finally lifted her out of the terrible black hole the phone call had dropped her into.

  It was wrong for the kidnapper to try and get her to bring him the diamonds, but that was what had happened. She had to deal with it.

  Standing, she gazed across the crowded concourse and saw Steve’s face as he came toward her. She couldn’t help Tanya by herself, no matter what the kidnapper said. Steve would help her decide what to do. Together, they would save Aris’s daughter.

  “You look like you saw a ghost.” He teased her as he put his arm around her. “Are you okay?”

  “Much better now that you’re here.” She turned her head into his neck and whispered, “I got a call from Tanya’s kidnapper. He wants to trade the diamonds for her.”

  Steve’s arms tightened around her. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.”

  The cup of water was too cold to use for tea. Peggy saw a neglected heart-leaf philodendron that looked as though it hadn’t been cared for in ages. Despite all the thriving plants around it, the poor thing appeare
d near death.

  She poured the cup of water on the plant and loosened the soil around the roots a little. She pinched off some of the shriveled brown leaves and took out the trash that people had left in its pot.

  Steve waited patiently as she set the plant to rights. He’d seen her do this a hundred times at doctor’s offices and other professional buildings. Her gentle caring always made him smile.

  “I need more hot water.” She saw him smiling at her. “I was trying to help the poor little thing. The water wasn’t hot anymore.”

  “That’s okay. Let’s get some hot water and call Al. He has to know what’s going on.”

  “If we make a mistake with this, the kidnapper could kill Tanya.”

  “I know. Let us deal with it.”

  “I think the kidnapper knows me, personally, I mean. He sounded like it.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. Or he saw the information about you on the Internet.”

  “He said he was the one who leaked the information about the diamonds to the media.” Peggy got another cup of hot water and they walked quickly back to The Potting Shed exhibit. Steve had called Al as they’d walked through the crowd. He also called Norris, who was still on his way to their house.

  “I figured it was better to let him go there,” Steve explained. “It looks more like the diamonds could be in the house instead of in your bag, or wherever you put them.”

  By that time, they were standing close to Sam who caught their conversation.

  “She put them down here on the floor by my feet,” he told Steve. “I haven’t moved since. I think I’ve lost ten good years of my life waiting for someone to come by and try to steal them. Please take them now.”

  Steve and Peggy walked around and into the back of the exhibit. Sam was standing very still at the front, behind the table filled with information flyers.

  “The garden bag, right?” Steve asked her.

  “Of course.”

  “You can move now, Sam. It’s fine.”

  After Steve’s permission, Sam let out a long sigh then ran out of the exhibit toward the restrooms.

  Selena laughed. “He looks so big and tough, but I swear I could take him.”

  “What do we do now?” Peggy asked.

  “We wait for Al.” Steve put his arm around her shoulders. “We’ll come up with a plan.”

  Al arrived a few minutes later with a host of blue-uniformed officers and Police Chief Rodney Mickleson. Norris came a few minutes later with Millie Sanford and several FBI agents. They created a ring around the exhibit that clearly discouraged foot traffic.

  “This better not take very long,” Selena said. “Sam will surely die when he sees it.”

  Al, Chief Mickelson, and Steve huddled together at the back of the exhibit where the fake house ended behind the garden Sam had created.

  Peggy waited impatiently, tapping her foot on the concrete floor. How long was it going to take for them to decide what to do? What if the kidnapper saw them meeting and decided to blow the whole thing off? She was worried about Tanya. That poor girl. Did she even know about her father’s death?

  Finally, Steve and Al walked toward her. Chief Mickelson was on his cell phone.

  “What’s going on?” Peggy asked.

  “We’ve decided to go ahead with the drop,” Al told her.

  “Against the better judgment of the FBI,” Steve added.

  Peggy glanced uneasily between the two men. “What’s the problem?”

  Al heaved a big sigh. “Chief Mickelson thinks you should do the drop, Peggy. We figure the kidnapper knows you or he wouldn’t have contacted you. Anything else might get the girl killed.”

  “Doing it might get Peggy killed.” Steve stared at Al, anger in his gaze. “Just because this nutcase calls her doesn’t mean she should be out there. We could replace her with Agent Sanford who knows how to handle herself in this type of situation.”

  “The kidnapper is obviously familiar with Peggy—we don’t know how familiar.” Al looked back at the female FBI agent. “Agent Sanford is probably a very good agent, but she doesn’t look like Peggy.”

  “I don’t think she should do it.” Steve stood his ground.

  “I don’t see how I can’t do it.” Peggy put her hand on his arm. “I know it’s dangerous, but Al is right. I don’t want to be responsible if something goes wrong.”

  Steve grabbed her hand and they walked away from the exhibit toward the welcome center. “You aren’t trained for this. Anything can happen in these situations. Doing it this way puts the kidnapper in control. Do you understand that?”

  She nodded. “Certainly. But if I can help, I want to. I’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “I guess I don’t have any choice. Too many people have died already for these diamonds. Let’s make sure you’re not one of them, okay?”

  “Okay.” She kissed him. “Thanks for worrying about me.”

  Al, Steve, and Peggy left the convention center to go somewhere quiet so they could plan the operation. Peggy called Adam and asked for his help again. He gave it, reluctantly. She felt sure he wouldn’t be so quick to volunteer if the flower show came to Charlotte again next year.

  They didn’t have much time to get ready. It was already three-thirty. The library wasn’t far, but traffic could be unreliable.

  Steve had requisitioned a surveillance van. It was big and black, waiting in the parking lot for them. Peggy went in first. Norris was already inside, sitting in front of some equipment.

  She rolled her eyes. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be responsible for her well-being.

  “We’ll have the diamonds in this case.” Al showed her. “It has a tracking device that we can follow from the van. If he takes the case, don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about the girl either. Let us take care of that part.”

  “It would be good for you to wear a vest too.” Steve held one up. It was black and not at all something that could be worn with a peach suit.

  Peggy examined it as Steve helped her take off her jacket. She put on the vest and replaced the jacket over her top. The big black space on her chest was a dead giveaway.

  She reached in her bag and pulled out a spring green scarf that she tied around her neck, letting the flowing ends of it hide the vest.

  “It doesn’t matter how it looks,” Steve told her. “It will protect you. The most important thing—if there is any gunfire—lay down. Don’t get up. Don’t even lift your head. We’ll be right there if it happens, but things can go wrong very quickly.”

  “And we have a listening device in case the kidnapper gets up close and personal.” Al installed the earpiece and let her take care of the rest. “If you see anything, or you’re afraid, say something. We’ll hear you.”

  Norris lounged back in his chair. “Don’t you think that’s a tall order for her? I mean, she’s already terrified. She’s gonna blow it the minute she gets out there. I agree with Steve. We should put Millie in and take our chances.”

  “You’re not taking any chances,” Peggy reminded him. “You’re going to be sitting inside this van where you don’t have to worry about anything happening to you. You handle your part. I can handle mine.”

  They were big, brave words at a time when she wasn’t particularly feeling big and brave. She knew Steve was right and that a hundred things could happen that would mess up the whole thing up.

  What choice did she have? She owed this to her old friend. She couldn’t save him, but maybe she could save his daughter.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Ficus Benjamina

  Commonly grown in offices and apartment buildings because it tolerates low light and poor care. The plant is also known as a weeping fig. It grows wild in the forests of India where it is known as Ben-ja. It is also known for losing its leaves after they turn yellow, creating an unattractive specimen. They are considered throw away plants as most indoor gardeners would rather than replace them than take care of them.

  P
eggy walked serenely into the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library on Seventh Street at exactly four p.m.

  At least she hoped she looked serene. It was all she could do to keep her teeth from chattering. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her legs felt wobbly.

  Pull yourself together, she commanded. You can do this.

  The library wasn’t crowded. It was near the end of the school day. Most people were involved with their children, getting on and off buses and doing their homework, at that hour.

  She was glad to see that the library was almost empty. There was a homeless man with all of his belongings gathered around him as he slept in one of the chairs by a window. Two librarians were chatting at the desk. Another woman was there browsing the Internet. One man was looking at the books on the sale cart.

  Peggy pulled in a deep breath and slowly focused on the people around her. None of them looked familiar. Of course, they were only guessing that the kidnapper was someone she knew. They might find the man was a compete stranger. That could throw a wrench into their plans. They hadn’t said it, but she thought they were counting on her identifying the kidnapper before things could get ugly.

  She took a seat away from the homeless man, next to a dusty ficus, and put the case that held the diamonds on the floor. She carefully dusted the little plant’s leaves.

  Nothing happened.

  Peggy waited with her hands trembling, hoping nothing was wrong. Her cell phone rang, making her jump. Both librarians’ heads swiveled toward her. One of them made a gesture that was probably turn off your cell phone. She was too nervous to be sure.

  “Where are your cop friends?”

  She glanced around. She didn’t see anyone else talking on a cell phone.

  “I didn’t tell them. I got the diamonds together and came over. Where are you?”

  “Never mind that. Come outside and start walking down Seventh Street.”

  Peggy did as he said. She knew the only thing down that way was a parking deck.

  “Don’t let him get you into the parking deck,” Steve said in her ear. “Make up some excuse. Tell him you’re scared of the dark. Anything.”