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

The oldest surviving tree on earth, GINKGO is also a healing herb especially effective for elders. It helps to prevent and treat many ailments associated with aging: stroke, heart disease, age-related erectile disfunction, and memory loss. For medicinal use, use standardized commercial preparations.

THYME AND SEASONS is China Bayles' herb shop. It's located about two blocks from the courthouse square, in a century-old stone building surrounded by China's herb gardens. The shop carries many different herb products (vinegars, jellies, soaps, candles) as well as essential oils, wreaths, plants -- everything herbal.

PECAN SPRINGS is a small town halfway between Austin and San Antonio, on the eastern edge of the Hill Country. The courthouse sits in the middle of an old-fashioned square, with a bank on one corner and the Nueces Street Diner on another. On the north side of town, you'll find Central Texas State University, where Mike McQuaid teaches in the Criminal Justice Department, and China's friend Sheila Dawson is the chief of Campus Security.

THYME is an aromatic perennial herb that's a favorite for both culinary and medicinal uses. Grow it from cuttings or root divisions, in a dry sandy soil in full sun. To harvest, cut stems or the entire plant, and dry. In the kitchen, use it in stews and fish dishes, and with beef, lamb, pork, or poultry. In the medicine cabinet, you'll find thyme oil in many commercial preparations, such as mouthwashes and hemorrhoid salves. The plant has a long association with the afterworld in folklore, and it was said that after death the soul found sanctuary in its blossoms. Thyme was strewn on the coffin to ease the passage into the next world.

LEMON THYME is a variety of thyme with a sharp, lemony taste -- especially good in fish and chicken dishes, and in lemon desserts as well. (Try some chopped leaves in your favorite lemon-bar recipe.)


CRYSTAL CAVE is Ruby Wilcox's New Age shop. When you go in, you'll hear soft music and smell sweet incense. Ruby carries such items as tarot cards, rune stones, crystals, books on astrology and the occult, and meditation cushions.

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EPISODE TWO

"A heart attack?" Ruby asked, shocked.

"That's what the newspaper says." I handed her the obituary that Ramona had faxed to me. "She died on Monday, the day after we talked."

"What a shame," Ruby said sadly. "She was such a lovely, vibrant woman. I had no idea she had heart trouble."

"Neither did I." I frowned, thinking about the tone of Hannah's voice when she had said that she needed to talk to me, urgently. "What would you think about going to Cedar Crossing anyway?" I asked. "Ramona and Barbara are already planning for our visit. And I really would like to have those lemon thyme plants Hannah was saving for me."

"And I want to see Ramona and Barbara," Ruby said in a decided tone. "Let's do it."

Cedar Crossing is a small town about 40 miles east of Pecan Springs, along the Guadalupe River. Its chief claim to fame is a beautiful white-painted church with a delicate steeple, built by the German settlers who established the town 150 years ago. Hannah's house and gardens were just down the road from the church. We drove slowly past, admiring the warm-toned foliage that spilled over the stone wall. A clump of St.-John's-wort tumbled its bright yellow blooms against the feathery purple of a bronze fennel, and golden-leafed feverfew splashed at the foot of a tall gray-blue Russian sage.

When I saw a woman pushing a wheelbarrow down the path, I pulled over and stopped. I studied her for a moment, then turned to Ruby. "I'd like to talk to her," I said. "But let's pretend we don't know anything about Hannah's death."

Ruby gave me a curious look. "Why would we do that?"

"I don't know," I said with a shrug. "Because I have a hunch, I guess."

Ruby grinned. "Go for it," she said. Ruby is the kind of person who always trusts a hunch.

The woman behind the wheelbarrow was tanned and athletic looking, with dark brown hair twisted into a loose, thick braid down her back. She wore a red bandana headband, a sweatshirt and jeans, and heavy garden gloves. Her face was stern and unsmiling.

"Hi," I said cheerfully. "I'm China Bayles, and this is Ruby Wilcox."

The woman frowned. "China Bayles. Aren't you the person who wanted some of Hannah's new lemon thyme?"

I nodded. "That's right. Hannah said we could pick the plants up today." I shaded my eyes with my hands and looked around. "Is she here?"

"Hannah's dead." The woman pressed her lips tightly together. "She died early Wednesday morning."

Ruby's hand went to her mouth and her eyes widened. "Oh, dear!" she exclaimed. "An accident?"