Killing Weeds (23 page)

There seemed to be many empty rooms in the small town hospital. They passed several of them before they came to the first occupied space.

Hunter and her parents had arrived during that time and were arguing loudly with the hospital staff about being allowed to see Sam. Since there was no one with his name on the patient list, the nurses were asking them to leave.

The patient in the first room was an elderly man who’d been injured in a crash. They all backed out of his room, trying not to disturb him.

Peggy took pity on Sam’s family and went back to the nurse’s station to get them.

“They’re with us,” she told them.

“We are
not
with you,” Sam’s mother disagreed.

The nurse at the computer arched her brow. “If you aren’t with the sheriff’s group, I can’t let you go looking through the all the rooms for your son. I’m sorry.”

Sam’s father, taller than Sam and Hunter, but without their muscular build, appealed to his wife. “If we want to see our son, we’d best go with Peggy.”

Mrs. Ollson ground her teeth in frustration but finally admitted that they were all together. “But as soon as we find Sam,” she assured Peggy, “we’re getting him out of here and away from you.”

Peggy didn’t comment on her remark. Hunter whispered a
thank you
as the four of them joined the sheriff and Paul waiting for them to go to the next room.

The nurse led the way again, consulting her patient chart, and stopped in the next room up. “This is our Jane Doe who was injured in the accident yesterday.”

She pushed open the door and Peggy stepped back, her hand at her throat.

“That’s her. That’s Diane Sargent. She’s the woman who tried to kill me and shot Sam.”

Diane was unconscious, with severe bruising to her face. Her nose was swollen, possibly broken. Peggy wondered if the airbag had done that damage. But she was also glad that Diane wasn’t awake. She wasn’t sure if she could face her yet.

The sheriff instructed two of his deputies to stay with Diane.

“Does that mean Sam is actually here somewhere?” his mother demanded. “What kind of hospital is this anyway? How can you not know who your patients are?”

The young nurse’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue. She continued down the long hall to the next room.

Paul had stayed behind at Diane’s room for an extra moment, staring at her. He re-joined them with a shake of his head as Peggy silently queried him with a lift of her cinnamon-colored brow. “I just wanted a good look at her.”

Peggy nodded, understanding, as the nurse opened the next occupied room.

“John Doe,” she said. “Also the victim of an accident yesterday.”

None of them needed the overhead light switched on to recognize Sam’s tousled blond head resting against the white pillow.

“Oh my God!” His mother screamed and ran to his side.

Everyone surged into the room, the deputies taking out cell phones and notebooks to question him.

“You’ll have to wait until you have approval to talk to him, unless you’re family,” the nurse said.

“We’re the only family he has here,” his mother said disdainfully.

All the fuss awakened Sam. He blinked sleepily at the people in his room. His blue eyes landed on Peggy’s bruised face, and he called her name. “You’re alive.”

Peggy ignored his mother and went around her to talk to Sam. “So are you. How are you? What happened? How did you end up in the truck with Diane?”

He reached out and pulled her close. “I’m okay. A little banged up, like you. I was so worried about you. When Diane came back up the hill without you, I managed to knock her down and take the gun. The only thing I could think of was to get the police since we had no cell phones. She wouldn’t tell me where you were.”

“Save your strength,” Sam’s mother advised. “You’ve been through a lot.”

She glared at Peggy.

“She tied me up and put me in a sinking boat.” Peggy ignored his mother as she wiped tears from her eyes. “A fisherman rescued me. I came back for you, but you were gone.”

“I made her get in the truck, and we started toward Norwood. I don’t know what happened after that.” Sam shook his head. “I guess I blacked out. Since I was driving, the truck went into a tree. Did Diane get away?”

“No. She’s in another room.” Peggy kissed the side of his face. “I’m so glad you’re all right. I have to call everyone to let them know. I think your mother needs your attention now anyway. I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be here.”

Peggy started to go but turned again. “I love you, Sam. I haven’t said it before. But it’s true. You’re like a son to me.”

He grinned. “Of course I am. I love you too, Peggy.”

Red Spruce

The red spruce was logged almost to the point of extinction during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Red spruce once dominated the highest elevations of West Virginia, covering more than 500,000 acres. Now only about 30,000 acres of high elevation red spruce remain. Efforts are underway to re-populate the red spruce in West Virginia and other places.

Epilogue

Ten days later, Peggy was at The Potting Shed with Selena putting in new supplies. Emil and Sofia were helping, when they weren’t busy at The Kozy Kettle.

The shop was beginning to look like its old self again. Everything was so new and fresh. The little lizard watched from the pond lip as they moved boxes and crates of supplies around the shop and emptied them.

“When’s the grand reopening day?” Selena asked for the tenth time.

“Thursday,” Peggy said. “I hope you don’t have any tests that day.”

“Even if I did, I’d tell them I was sick and retake it. Without Sam here, we need all the help we can get. He’s annoying, but I miss those broad shoulders and strong arms.”

“Is that even possible?” Sam’s voice filtered from the back of the shop as he came in with Tucker. “Is Selena actually admitting that she can’t handle it without me?”

Selena dropped the box she was holding—thankfully it was only filled with birdseed for the new feeders. “Look! It’s him. He’s back.”

She ran to jump on him, but Tucker held her back. “Maybe not full body contact ready as yet.”

Selena stopped and stared at Sam. “You look good, Viking. Can I at least get a small hug?”

Sam put his arm around her. “Just no punches to the chest yet. I’m still healing.”

The four of them walked around the shop, remarking on all the new supplies that had been put in place.

“I’m going to be kind of useless for a couple of weeks,” Sam said. “But Tucker is going to fill in for me, if that’s okay?”

Peggy smiled. “That’s wonderful. Thank you, Tucker.”

The smaller man with the long, brown hair was still a little uneasy with Sam’s effusive friends. “I’ll be glad to do whatever I can.”

She hugged him, which gave Selena a reason to do the same. Tucker’s face was red by the time they’d both released him.

“Come over for dinner tonight, both of you,” Peggy said. “My dad is cooking, so the food will be good. We’re celebrating everyone being alive and back to normal.”

“Does that mean someone else died, and you’re working at the morgue again?” Sam asked.

“No. Not yet anyway.” She laughed. “But I’m cleared to work again. Mai is already back at work, and so is Paul. Good news all around.”

“What about the woman who did this?” Tucker asked. “What’s going to happen to her?”

“She’s coming here to face charges in this county, and then she’ll be sent to a state facility until her trial in Montgomery County,” Peggy said. “She’s got enough counts against her that she’ll never be out of prison.”

“Yeah,” Selena said. “But can we stop her from having a fan club like her mother did? Otherwise we might have to go through all this again in ten or twenty years.”

Sofia and Emil came in to help again for a while. Sofia made sure everyone knew about how accurate her prophecy had been for Peggy and Sam. Thrilled with her success, which had been documented on local TV news, Emil was talking about creating a private corner in the shop for his wife to read tea leaves for their customers.

Sam sat in Peggy’s new rocking chair by the pond for the remainder of the day. The rest of the group got most of the supplies put away and then headed to Peggy’s house for dinner.

It was a loud and hungry crowd by the time Peggy got back from the shop. Walter was there, helping her father cook. Her mother was drinking wine at the kitchen table with Millie and Hunter.

Sam’s parents had gone back to their home in King’s Mountain just outside Charlotte once their son was on his feet again. Peggy didn’t feel bad about it. They wouldn’t have come to the celebration anyway.

Paul and Mai got there a few minutes after Peggy with Al and Mary coming in right on their heels.

Shakespeare barked at everyone in a friendly way, excited by the crowd. Peggy walked through the dining room but couldn’t find Steve. She went out into the main hall and found him beside a large, black tarp protruding from the spot her blue spruce had once occupied.

She heard the group from the kitchen follow her into the hall, but her eyes were riveted on Steve’s smiling face. When everyone had settled around the bottom of the stairs, Steve asked for quiet as Walter, Sam, and Paul joined him near the large hole in the floor.

“This can never take the place of what was lost,” Steve said. “But sometimes we can find things we love just as much waiting for us.”

Peggy was already crying when Paul and Walter pulled the tarp from the tree hidden beneath it. It was a six-foot red spruce, long lush boughs reaching toward the skylight.

“I chose the red spruce because it’s endangered, and they all need a good home,” Walter explained. “I hope you like it, Peggy.”

There were no words to say how much she liked it as she hugged each man in turn. She brushed her hand lovingly against the branches and smiled up at the top.

A voice called out from the kitchen as she struggled to speak over the lump in her throat.

“Peggy?” A tall man in a leather jacket and black slouch hat walked from the kitchen to the main hall. “Looks like I’m just in time for a party.”

She swallowed hard. It was John’s cousin, Richard, the heir to the house and property.

“Welcome back,” Peggy said. “It’s good to see you. How long will you be staying? I can get a room ready for you.”

Richard spread his arms wide. “This is it. I’m home.”

Peggy Lee’s Garden Journal

Spring!

Is there anything more exciting than the world coming back to life after a long, cold winter? Every heart yearns for the sight of a golden daffodil and a red tulip. Spring is the time when we all come back to life. Just as the trees know when it is time to stretch out their limbs and burst forth with new green leaves, we want to shake off the winter doldrums and do the same.

For gardeners, it is the best time of the year. We till the soil and bring new growth into the warm air, look around ourselves and see the wonder of the seasons.

There’s nothing like it!

Peggy

Celery Soup

Something great to do with leftover celery!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

1 pound of finely chopped celery

2 large, finely chopped onions

3 finely chopped garlic cloves

3 tablespoons flour

6 cups vegetable broth

1 cup heavy cream

Salt If you like) and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large sauce pan, melt butter and then add celery, onions, and garlic

Cook over medium low heat until all ingredients are soft

Add flour and cook 1-2 minutes over low heat until it thickens

Add broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes

Add cream, salt and pepper

Simmer 5 minutes

Feeds six – Enjoy!

Gardening

Create a bee-friendly garden!

Bees are endangered, as I’m sure you know. Butterflies and other insects that are helpful to gardeners are also disappearing. There are things you can do as a gardener to help prevent this.

Make sure that you have plenty of bee-friendly plants. Wait to deadhead as long as possible. Bees come out of their winter hibernation hungry. Plant narcissus, crocus, pussy willow, and herbs to feed the hungry new bees. Rosemary is good too! Look for as many bee-helpful plants as you can to have in your garden.

Purchase plants, bulbs and seeds that are free of neonicotinoid and systemic insecticides. These are known killers of bees and butterflies.  Ask your garden supply center to have these on hand.  

And keep a supply of water in birdbaths and other spaces in the garden. Butterflies and bees get thirsty too!

About the Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene write bestselling mystery together. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications.

Pseudonyms include J.J. Cook, Ellie Grant, Joye Ames and Elyssa Henry