6 A Thyme to Die Read Free Page A

known his handsome face anywhere. It was Steve, no doubt there in his capacity as area director for the FBI.
    She watched him walk toward her, talking on the phone and conversing with another man in a suit and tie, probably an associate. She felt so lucky to have found love twice in her lifetime.
    Steve was ten years younger than her. They’d literally run into each other one morning at a coffee shop. He’d apologized and offered to repair her bike, even though it was her own fault for daydreaming while she was in city traffic.
    She wondered, but hadn’t asked, if he’d facilitated that accident to get to know her. Or was it exactly as it had seemed? Not that it mattered, but—
     “Peggy.” Al smiled and acknowledged her. “I might have known you’d be here. Plants and murder. They always call to you.”
    Al’s heavy-set black face sat low on his thick, muscular neck. He was a large, strong man even so many years after he was the high school and college star quarterback. He and John had grown up together before both going to the police academy, and later, becoming partners.
    “Believe me, I don’t want this to be anything but a poor joke.” Peggy’s green eyes flashed under her white-streaked red hair. “Can we do something to speed this up before the opening?”
    “I understand you’re in charge of this whole shebang.” Dr. Beck stepped forward and shook Peggy’s hand. They’d worked together on a case last year.
    “You could say that.” Peggy’s gaze flickered toward Steve. She couldn’t help it. She forced herself to focus on Dr. Beck’s brown eyes. “I’m the chairman of the committee that brought the flower show to Charlotte.”
    In the meantime, Al had been walking leisurely around the dirt mound on the concrete floor.
    “And you think this might really be a grave?” he asked her.
    “It’s the thyme.” She showed him the flowers and explained about the plant’s meaning as it was used in Egyptian burial practice. “I can’t believe anyone here at the show would have anything to do with it.”
    “Wouldn’t it be out of the ordinary for anyone else to have that information?” Steve asked.
    It felt to Peggy as though the large convention center grew totally silent after he’d spoken. Al glanced away and Dr. Beck put on her glasses.
    “Millions of people know about the language of flowers and about plant meanings. It wouldn’t only be the people here that have that information.” Peggy responded as though she wasn’t talking to her husband. He was just another person working for law enforcement.
    “Anyone else here using this plant for their exhibit?” he asked.
    She consulted her tablet PC that had all of the information about the growers and vendors. “No. No one has it listed.”
    Al took a deep breath and nodded at the technician standing next to Steve. “Watcha got for us, Director Newsome?”
    Steve stepped up to the mound. “I have a portable scanner that should tell us if anything is buried in there. That way we’ll know if we need to dig it up.”
    “Nice toy.” Al grinned, shaking Steve’s hand. “Congratulations on the promotion.”
    “Thanks.” Steve cast a doubtful look in Peggy’s direction. “Let’s see if anything is in there.”
    He and Al stepped back from the grave. The technician set up the scanner. Dr. Beck slid her tall, angular form close enough so that she could see the images relayed back.
    Peggy stayed where she was, beside Paul. She wondered if Al had known about Steve working with the FBI before she did but also wasn’t able to say anything. They hadn’t talked about it.
    “I see something in there,” the technician said. “Not sure what it is.”
    Dr. Beck carefully surveyed the image. “I’m afraid what we’re seeing is a foot. I think Peggy may be right about a dead body in this mound of dirt. I’ll send for a team to excavate it properly.”
    Peggy took a deep, calming breath. “I guess that means the opening will be