A Corpse for Yew Read Online Free PDF Page A

to the wrought iron gate opening into Brevard Court. The shops in the courtyard were arranged carefully around the brick walkway that led into Latta Arcade, a turn-of-the-century cotton marketplace upgraded for shopping. The atmosphere between the arcade and the courtyard was relaxed, almost as though it still lingered in a bygone era. Traffic on College and Tryon streets disputed that claim, but even the hectic pace of the city couldn’t budge the dose of Southern hospitality the area reflected.
    Cheerful red begonias nodded in the warm breezes that swept through the courtyard. Peggy enjoyed seeing them there, survivors of the hot, dry summer. With the drought had come water restrictions, which precluded using any of the precious resource on something as trivial as plant life. She’d circumvented those rules by catching rainwater in barrels located outside her shop and using it to water what she could.
    Summer was always hard on garden shops since it was an in-between season. Too late for spring planting; too early for fall bulbs. The drought had made a miserable season even worse as water restrictions forced Charlotte’s residents to give up taking care of their plants. Fall wasn’t looking much better. They were only a few weeks into autumn, but there was no relief in sight for the area’s thirst. Barely two inches of rain had fallen here in the last few months.
    “I’m going to call your father and have him come get me.” Lilla took out her pink cell phone and pressed speed dial. “I know you’ll want to stay here a while. I don’t want to take you away from anything.”
    “Thanks.” Peggy barely heard what she’d said. She was focused on getting to the Potting Shed. It had been a trying day since she’d joined the expedition to Lake Whitley at six-thirty this morning. It hadn’t improved upon finding Lois’s dead body. She just wanted some peace and quiet in her own world.
    “I’m sorry I dragged you into all that,” Lilla continued as she waited for Peggy’s father to pick up the phone. “Who knew that would happen? I never dreamed I’d actually see a dead body that hadn’t visited the funeral parlor yet.”
    Peggy stepped into the Potting Shed and took a deep breath of the sweet air. It was a mixture of plant life, mulch, and fertilizer. The scent teased her nose and was a balm to her troubled spirit.
    There was no sign of the summer flood that had forced her to close the shop for a month of renovations. A pipe, probably as old as the shop, had burst, ruining the heart pine floors and damaging the walls and shelves. Good insurance and a lot of help had put it all back together even better than before.
    The furniture she’d once carried samples of was gone, no longer part of her stock; she couldn’t compete with the Smith and Hawken garden store that had moved in virtually across the street in the Wachovia Atrium. In its place was a large pond, the antithesis of the drought outside. Minicattails were in full bloom alongside heavenly white lotus flowers. They perfumed the shop with their magic.
    This was all possible, despite the drought, because businesses were allowed an exemption from water restrictions. It was anyone’s guess how long that would last. Everyone was nervous seeing the lake levels drop each day on television.
    “So, how was the bone-gathering trip?” Selena Rogers, Peggy’s head shop assistant asked from behind the counter. Selena was a striking girl with sun-burnished brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. She worked part-time for Peggy and was the backbone of the retail business. Selena was in her second year of college.
    “It was unusual.” Peggy didn’t want to go into it any further.
    “We found a dead body,” Lilla blurted out.
    Selena stared for a moment, then started laughing. “I’m sorry. Really. I couldn’t help it. But it’s getting where it’s not an outing with Peggy if you don’t find a dead body.”
    “What’s so funny?” Sam Ollson came in from