Murder in the Secret Garden by Ellery Adams

this mess is so big,’” he grumbled. “‘And so deep and so tall. We cannot pick it up. There is no way at all!’”
    Despite the gravity of their situation, Jane laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you quote Dr. Seuss before.”
    Sterling, who’d been inside the walk-in closet, reappeared holding Kira’s portfolio case. “Which book is he citing?”
    â€œ
Cat in the Hat
,” Jane said. “The twins never cared forthat story. Even though they knew everything would be okay in the end and that the children’s house would be cleaned up before their parents came home, the boys got so anxious about the increasing mess—especially when Thing One and Thing Two showed up. It’s a stressful book for some kids.”
    Sterling put the portfolio case on the bed and stepped back to allow Jane to open it. “There was no camera in the closet?” she asked.
    He shook his head. “Just her suitcase and two cocktail dresses. She actually hung them on hangers.”
    Butterworth, who was still examining the contents of the chest of drawers, grunted.
    â€œCould you take a peek in the bathroom while I look through this?” Jane reached for the zipper on Kira’s case. For a moment, there was only the sound of the zipper teeth parting, and Jane paused. Somehow, she felt that the contents of Kira’s case were far more intimate than the contents of her drawers, closet, or cosmetic bag. Jane had only met the woman once, but even from that brief encounter, she could tell that Kira had been passionate about her work.
    Butterworth came over to the bed carrying Kira’s handbag—an enormous Vera Bradley tote. “I think I should put a towel down before emptying the contents,” he murmured and proceeded to do so. Jane watched as he upended the bag and a cascade of tissues, lotions, lip balm, pens, film canisters, receipts, and finally, a wallet came tumbling out.
    â€œNothing unusual in here,” Sterling said, standing on the threshold between the bedroom and the bathroom. “She was a fan of plant-based products and sunscreen.” He flicked his gaze at Butterworth. “You might have a stroke if you go in there.”
    Butterworth grunted again and pulled a card out of Kira’s wallet. “Mr. Sterling, would you take an image of Ms. Grace’s Social Security card? It will speed things along later on if we have reason to look into her financial affairs.”
    Sterling fished his cell phone from his pocket while Jane opened the portfolio case.
    At first, she saw prints that were similar to the ones she’d seen yesterday. There were at least a dozen color photos focusing on a particular part of a flower. In each case, the image resembled a human female’s reproductive organ. These photographs were all neatly aligned in plastic folders, as were the next group, which featured plants. Jane almost flipped past them, assuming there was nothing interesting about the detailed shots of foliage or stems, when she spotted an insect on one of the photographs. It looked like a green beetle and had blended in so perfectly with the plant leaf that Jane had initially missed it. All the images in the series contained camouflaged insects.
    â€œDid Ms. Grace use her art to convey her own need to hide?” Jane wondered aloud. “Was she scared? Did she have a secret to keep?”
    When she flipped to the next section of prints, she gasped. This series had nothing whatsoever to do with plants. It showed the most celebrated member of The Medieval Herbalists in a state of partial undress, locked in the embrace of a silver-haired man with a very tanned torso.
    â€œIt’s the Poison Princess,” Jane said. She pointed at a small band of gold on the third finger of the man’s left hand. “It looks like she was captured fooling around with a married man.”
    â€œPerhaps Ms. Grace intended to blackmail one or