Pushing Up Daisies

PUSHING UP DAISIES

A DIRTY BUSINESS MYSTERY

ROSEMARY HARRIS

Praise for

PUSHING UP DAISIES

'If you like gardens and like reading mysteries, this is the book for you—a clever mystery full of garden lore, fast-paced and engaging, with a heroine who isn't afraid to get down in the dirt.'

—Seattle Post-Intelligencer

'A charming debut.'

—Library Journal

'Quirky, original, and captivating . . . marks the debut of a sure-to-please series.'

—Carolyn Hart, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity

Award-winning author of the Death on Demand series

'A mix of sophisticated comedy, romance, and murder.'

—Connecticut Post

'[A] funny and entertaining first installment. May there be many more.'

—Kingston Observer

'Think Diane Mott Davidson's caterer extraordinaire Goldy Schulz or Earlene Fowler's quilting aficionado Benni Harper. Harris plots out a good story.'

—Omaha World-Herald

'An appealing main character . . . Recommend[ed] to fans of Veronica Heley's series starring avid gardener Ellie Quicke.'

—Booklist

'Paula Holliday is a sleuth to watch. With an intriguing mix of gardening savvy, sassy wit, and smart plotting, Rosemary Harris has crafted a clever mystery.'

—Susan Wittig Albert,

author of the China Bayles herbal mysteries

'Paula Holliday knows her andromedas and her viburnum. Her creator, Rosemary Harris, knows her pacing and suspense. Fast-paced and full of garden lore, Pushing Up Daisies is a great read. If rosemary is for remembrance, Rosemary Harris is an author to remember.'

—Barbara D'Amato,

author of Death of a Thousand Cuts

'A very enjoyable read and great tips for gardeners as well.'

—M. C. Beaton,

author of the Agatha Raisin series

'Get ready to meet a smart, engaging heroine who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty—literally.'

—Brian Freeman, author of Stalked

'I just love it—intriguing mystery, great characters, and very funny.'

—Alison Gaylin, author of Trashed

Copyright © 2008 by Rosemary Harris

All rights reserved.

For Paula V. Simari

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special thanks to Kathy Schneider, Betty Prashker, and Michele Tempesta for getting me off to a good start. To Deborah Schneider for making it happen. To Marcia Markland, Diana Szu, Martha Schwartz, Maggie Goodman, Jonathan Bennett, and the talented people at St. Martin's for making it better. To Andy Martin for making it fun. And to Bruce Harris for keeping me relatively sane during the process.

In the garden,

beauty is a by-product.

The real business is sex and death.

—Samuel Llewellyn

CHAPTER 1

My first guess was heirloom silver, or maybe the family jewels, buried and forgotten years ago by some light- fingered servant or paranoid ancestor. I was wrong.

The metal crate was heavy, about two feet wide and three feet long with a small handle at one end. Crouching down at the edge of the flower bed, I dragged it out of the hole and used my trowel to pry it open. I was hoping for a reward or at the very least an interesting story to tell. That time I was right.

Inside was another, smaller container, ornately carved and cushioned by paper, padding, and disintegrating excelsior. I opened the smaller box and took out a tattered bundle wrapped in many layers of thin material. Given the weight of the box, the bundle was lighter than I expected—as if the fabric surrounded nothing more than a handful of feathers. That's when the butterflies first entered my stomach.

Picking at the rotting fabric with gloved fingers, I exposed a slim chain with a tiny medal. Above it, leathery and doll-like, was a shrunken head.