Read Online A Corpse for Yew by Jim Lavene, Joyce - Free Book Online
Authors: Jim Lavene, Joyce
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to use it that day. It was a wonderful invention that allowed her to drive a vehicle without feeling guilty. The only good thing she could see about the price of gas being so high was that the days of the internal combustion engine that had polluted the world were numbered. Being a botanist and a champion of all living things, she worried about conservation and cleaning up the world. Being a scientist, she knew the possibilities existed for better technology than the human race had accepted for too long.
The little red Ford Ranger she and some friends had modified hummed along the crowded city streets. She could remember a time when Queens Road was quiet after six p.m. Not anymore. Even after midnight, there were cars on the road. Traffic had increased along with Charlotte’s population explosion. As with any growing thing, there were too many problems and too few answers for what had become her hometown. She’d been born and raised in Charleston, but she didn’t think of it as home anymore. Charlotte was where her life and her loved ones were now. Morosely, she assumed it was where she would die.
But not just yet.
There were plenty of lights on at the building which housed the morgue and the ME’s office. Plenty of squad cars, she noticed. It must be a busy night. She smiled at the guard and signed in at the door after she’d found a place to park. She hadn’t realized that Paul’s fiancée, Mai Sato, was in position to take over the office when Dr. Harold Ramsey, the county ME, was gone. It would be much easier working with Mai than with Harold.
At least she thought so until she saw Mai’s bloodshot eyes and panicked face. “Peggy! Where have you been? I had someone call you hours ago! I needed you right away. Didn’t it sound important enough for you to come over?”
Peggy took off her jacket and picked up her white lab coat. “I’m sorry. I just got the message. What seems to be the problem?”
Mai ran her hands through her long black hair until most of it was sticking straight out from her head. “I have three dead gang members and a man who was hit by lightning last month whose son didn’t think he had to do anything with the body. And now this Mullis woman—the chief’s aunt, of all things—seems to be a suspicious death. Help!”
5
Passion Flower
Botanical: Passiflora
Passion flower, also known as maypop, is a woody vine with flowers, which reminded early pilgrims of the passion of Christ, which is how the plant received its name. Children play with it, creating a dancer from it with a little purple skirt and raised arms. The plant produces small berrylike fruit called granadilla or water lemon. The herb is approved by German Commission E for the treatment of insomnia and nervousness. Passion flower reduces spasms and depresses the central nervous system.
PEGGY MADE MAI A CUP of lemon balm and chamomile tea from the personal stash she kept in the break room. The kitchen area was a little too close to the refrigerated area where they kept the corpses for her taste, but things like that didn’t seem to bother the other workers.
“It’s been like a madhouse,” Mai said as she sat down at the long plastic table. “I think Dr. Ramsey set this up to test me. He doesn’t feel like I’m ready to be the medical examiner, even though I’m the assistant ME. He’s never going to think I’m good enough or smart enough. Nothing I ever do is enough!”
Peggy looked up as she put a dollop of honey in each cup. “You need to calm down. I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but you can get through this.”
Mai wrapped her slender hands around her cup of tea. “How? Nothing makes any sense. I look at the files and I can’t see anything except Dr. Ramsey’s evil face laughing because I can’t handle the office while he’s gone.”
Peggy sipped her tea. The girl was clearly close to the edge. There had to be some way to bring her back. Mai was a brilliant young woman, not to mention
The little red Ford Ranger she and some friends had modified hummed along the crowded city streets. She could remember a time when Queens Road was quiet after six p.m. Not anymore. Even after midnight, there were cars on the road. Traffic had increased along with Charlotte’s population explosion. As with any growing thing, there were too many problems and too few answers for what had become her hometown. She’d been born and raised in Charleston, but she didn’t think of it as home anymore. Charlotte was where her life and her loved ones were now. Morosely, she assumed it was where she would die.
But not just yet.
There were plenty of lights on at the building which housed the morgue and the ME’s office. Plenty of squad cars, she noticed. It must be a busy night. She smiled at the guard and signed in at the door after she’d found a place to park. She hadn’t realized that Paul’s fiancée, Mai Sato, was in position to take over the office when Dr. Harold Ramsey, the county ME, was gone. It would be much easier working with Mai than with Harold.
At least she thought so until she saw Mai’s bloodshot eyes and panicked face. “Peggy! Where have you been? I had someone call you hours ago! I needed you right away. Didn’t it sound important enough for you to come over?”
Peggy took off her jacket and picked up her white lab coat. “I’m sorry. I just got the message. What seems to be the problem?”
Mai ran her hands through her long black hair until most of it was sticking straight out from her head. “I have three dead gang members and a man who was hit by lightning last month whose son didn’t think he had to do anything with the body. And now this Mullis woman—the chief’s aunt, of all things—seems to be a suspicious death. Help!”
5
Passion Flower
Botanical: Passiflora
Passion flower, also known as maypop, is a woody vine with flowers, which reminded early pilgrims of the passion of Christ, which is how the plant received its name. Children play with it, creating a dancer from it with a little purple skirt and raised arms. The plant produces small berrylike fruit called granadilla or water lemon. The herb is approved by German Commission E for the treatment of insomnia and nervousness. Passion flower reduces spasms and depresses the central nervous system.
PEGGY MADE MAI A CUP of lemon balm and chamomile tea from the personal stash she kept in the break room. The kitchen area was a little too close to the refrigerated area where they kept the corpses for her taste, but things like that didn’t seem to bother the other workers.
“It’s been like a madhouse,” Mai said as she sat down at the long plastic table. “I think Dr. Ramsey set this up to test me. He doesn’t feel like I’m ready to be the medical examiner, even though I’m the assistant ME. He’s never going to think I’m good enough or smart enough. Nothing I ever do is enough!”
Peggy looked up as she put a dollop of honey in each cup. “You need to calm down. I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but you can get through this.”
Mai wrapped her slender hands around her cup of tea. “How? Nothing makes any sense. I look at the files and I can’t see anything except Dr. Ramsey’s evil face laughing because I can’t handle the office while he’s gone.”
Peggy sipped her tea. The girl was clearly close to the edge. There had to be some way to bring her back. Mai was a brilliant young woman, not to mention
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