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all the extra work the two of you have been putting in.”
    Sam muttered something unintelligible. “I have to get that rig back to the rental place. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
    “I need to study, Peggy.” Selena had one last grimace for Sam. “Some people who dropped out of school don’t realize how important it is to study.”
    “Especially if you’re failing chemistry.” Sam walked out the back after one last barb.
    “Not a problem.” Peggy patted Selena’s shoulder to keep her from following Sam and continuing the disagreement. “You go on and study. I’ll take care of the shop. Good luck with that test tomorrow.”
    Selena looked at the back door where Sam had disappeared. “You know, someday someone is going to kill him. It just might be me.”
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    Daffodil - Narcissus Family - Lovely yellow flowers bulbs, cousins to jonquils. Very popular flower for spring. Contains toxic alkaloids in all parts of plant. Rarely fatal. During World War II, starving cattle were fatally poisoned by daffodil bulbs.

    Peggy’s purple water iris was about to bloom. It was planted in the pond that she’d put in the middle of The Potting Shed after a flood had caused significant damage to the hardwood floor. Since she’d had to take the damaged floor out anyway, it had seemed like the ideal time to put in the small pond and sell water plants and other supplies.
    The shop was empty after the small flurry of customers. She sat in her rocking chair beside the pond and admired the small iris bud straining to open. Maybe she should have a small party for the event and invite all of her customers, past and present. She could have Emil from the Kozy Kettle serve some food and beverages. It might give both shops a little lift in sales.
    She sighed as she looked at the well-stocked shelves and hoped the economy would pick up. She’d been hoping that for the last few years. Outside of the occasional uptick when the seasons changed, business was very slow. It didn’t help that the owners of Brevard Court had raised her rent.
    Feeling a little melancholy, she forced herself to get up and dust all the shelves. She rearranged everything and made sure her fall bulb display was eye catching. Winter and summer were usually slow. She depended on fall and spring sales to get her through.
    The bell on the door jingled. She looked up and saw Mr. Bellows, her neighbor from Queen’s Road. He was normally so reclusive. It was odd to see him more than once in a day. As far as she knew, he’d never visited The Potting Shed before.
    “Mrs. Lee.” He removed his ancient-looking tweed cap. Little tufts of gray hair stood up around his head. “I remembered when I saw you this morning that you had a flower shop. I wanted to see what it looked like.”
    Peggy didn’t correct her name. She hadn’t changed it after marrying Steve. She thought it might be too confusing for everyone. She’d been Peggy Lee for a very long time.
    “Hello, Mr. Bellows. Yes, this is my garden shop. Are you interested in some bulbs for the fall? I have some nice daffodils.”
    He glanced around with a disinterested look on his sallow face. “No. Not really. I was interested in the shop itself. How much do you want for it?”
    Now he wanted The Potting Shed? What was wrong with this man? “I’ve never thought of selling it, Mr. Bellows. I’ve had it for so long that it seems like my home away from home.”
    He waved aside her words with his long, thin hand. “Yes, yes. No haggling, please. I’ll pay fair market value for it. I won’t cheat you and I expect you not to try and cheat me if we’re going to do business.”
    Peggy smiled and held her temper in check. He was completely obnoxious.
    “It’s not for sale. I appreciate your offer. I wouldn’t think of selling.”
    He gazed at her with his cold blue eyes, as though she were a thing to be purchased too. Was he weighing her merit to see if it matched the price he thought was fair