Land of the Flowers
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About this ebook
Florida is in danger of being built-up, paved-over, and loved to death, but monsters still lurk in its dank, wet corners. When the body of controversial politician Joseph Swain is found in the jaws of a tremendous alligator, the swamp is full of people who might have wanted him dead. Was he killed by the neighbor who takes a hit in the pocketbook every time the congressman spearheads a new piece of environmental legislation? Was he murdered by the backwoodsman who sees him for the hypocrite that he is? Did his longsuffering wife finally crack? Garrett Levy is just a short balding environmental bureaucrat, but he knows the swamp, and he knows that it's up to him to find Swain's killer before the gators uncover another bloody corpse.
LAND OF THE FLOWERS is a short story by awardwinning mystery author Mary Anna Evans, who has received recognition for her work including the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Mississippi Author Award, and the Florida Literature Award. More of Ms. Evans' short works are available in her collection, JEWEL BOX.
Mary Anna Evans
Mary Anna Evans is the author of the Faye Longchamp archeological mysteries, which have won the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Mississippi Author Award, and three Florida Book Awards bronze medals. The winner of the 2018 Sisters in Crime (SinC) Academic Research Grant, she is an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she teaches fiction and nonfiction writing.
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Land of the Flowers - Mary Anna Evans
Land of the Flowers
By Mary Anna Evans
A composting toilet.
Garrett Levy already knew more than he wanted to know about composting toilets. Environmental engineering had sounded like a glamorous career when he signed up for it, but the reality had been…well, he should have known that cleaning up a planet wouldn’t be a walk in the park. Garrett had spent his years in graduate school learning how to treat various forms of toxic sludge, which meant that he’d spent an entire semester researching the intimate workings of composting toilets.
But he’d never seen one in a private home. Especially not a private home like this one. Congressman Joseph Swain lived in a rustic palace. A sprawling pile of wood and glass, it sat on pilings high above a riverine wetland. With broad eaves overhanging a vast outdoor living space, it was more porch than house. If there was a better place to host a hundred people for the weekend, Garrett couldn’t imagine it.
Congressman Swain’s voice echoed down the hall. We wouldn’t think of installing a septic system out here, even if we could get a permit. This delicate ecosystem could never process the volume of human waste we’re generating here today. And people do seem to like my parties.
The congressman arrived on the heels of his rumbling baritone. He appeared to spend most of those parties taking guests on tours of his environmentally perfect home. Garrett had trailed along after him long enough to hear the first part of his spiel, then drifted away to check out the plumbing. It seemed that his proud tour guide had caught up with him. The bathroom was spacious, but it wasn’t built for five. Garrett sidled toward the door, only to have his escape aborted.
Welcome, Mr. Levy,
the politician said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "It’s so good to have a representative of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection among