"Albert, Susan Wittig - An Unthymley Death" - читать интересную книгу автора (Albert Susan Wittig)

AN UNTHYMELY DEATH
by Susan Wittig Albert

Published on the Web by Mystery Parters
www.mysterypartners.com

In An Unthymely Death, a killer uses a powerful plant poison. Who is the killer? What's the poison? Learn about the deadly potential of an important herb as China and Ruby solve an unkindly murder.

Author's Note: This story was originally written in eight episodes for the Country Living Gardener website and posted there over eight consecutive weeks. If I'd been writing the story for a one-sitting reading, it would have been constructed a little bit differently and would probably read more smoothly. In its original presentation, the story also included hyperlinks to other sites, not all of which could be included here. For me, part of the fun of writing for on-line presentation is having the ability to include "extra" resources (plant info, recipes, herb lore, character background) for readers who want to know more. I 'm looking forward to more experimentation with hyperlinks in these on-line stories.


EPISODE ONE

"Hey, China, what's that you're planting?" Ruby Wilcox asked.

"Ginkgo," I replied, pushing my shovel into the ground.

Ruby bent over and peered at it doubtfully. "That dinky little twig? I thought ginkgos were trees."

"Give it time," I said. "Like about fifty years. I started this one from a cutting, and it's got a lot of growing to do." In my opinion, ginkgo -- a tree that's been extinct in North America since the Ice Age -- is among the most fascinating herbs in the world. When I had to cut down the old oak behind my herb shop, Thyme and Seasons, I didn't hesitate. It was a perfect spot for a ginkgo tree.

From the back door of the shop, my helper, Laurel Riley, waved at me. "You're wanted on the phone, China," she called. "It's Hannah Bucher."

"Oh, good," I said. I stuck my shovel in the ground and headed for the shop. Hannah is a 70-something woman who lives in Cedar Crossing, Texas, about 40 miles east of Pecan Springs. In addition to having a beautiful garden, she grows and breeds thyme -- dozens of different species and varieties of this beautiful herb. She had promised to give me some plants of a new cultivar of lemon thyme, so I could try them in my garden. I'd been waiting impatiently for her call.

But Hannah hadn't phoned to talk about herbs. She had called to ask me to come to Cedar Crossing for a visit, and something in her voice prompted me to ask why.

"It's an urgent personal matter," she said. She lowered her voice, as if she were afraid she might be overheard. "I hate to say it, but I'm afraid someone is --" She stopped, and then in a lighter, brighter voice, said, "I do hope you'll be able to come and get those plants soon, China. I've been saving them for you. How about this weekend?"

I glanced at the calendar. For once, there was nothing scheduled. "Would Sunday work for you?" I asked. Ruby and I had been meaning to visit our friends Barbara and Ramona, who live there. Both Thyme and Seasons and Ruby's Crystal Cave are closed on Monday, so we could take a long weekend.

"Sunday would be fine," Hannah said gratefully. Her voice became urgent again. "Unless you can come sooner. I'm very anxious to talk to you."

Frowning, I said goodbye and put down the phone. I turned to Ruby, who had followed me into the shop. "Want to drive over to Cedar Crossing on Sunday?"

"Your plants are ready, then?"

"Yes, but that isn't why Hannah called. She wants to talk to us. She says it's personal -- and urgent."

Ruby gave me a curious look. "What's up?"

"I don't know," I said, feeling troubled. "I guess we'll find out on Sunday."

But Hannah never got a chance to tell us what was bothering her. Two days later, we learned that she had died.

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Notes for Episode One:

RUBY WILCOX, China's best friend and tenant, owns the Crystal Cave, Pecan Springs' only New Age shop. She's wild and wacky -- a six-foot-tall redhead with gingery freckles who wears strange clothes. Divorced, she has two girls in their early twenties. Ruby is impulsive, intuitive, and very, very right-brained. She loves to imagine herself as a private detective -- Nancy Drew and Kinsey Milhone rolled into one.