Thyme to Depart — Victoria L.K. Williams

An old southern plantation, a family ghost and murder: who said retirement would be dull? Prof. Eliza Higgins's decision to renovate the old family plantation stirs up more than just dust and dry rot...   Lizzie's early retirement has her looking for a new project, but she never expected it to be solving the murder that ended her retirement party. The police are convinced it was mistaken identity, and Lizzie was the intended target, but why? Lizzie is determined to find out why Sonia, her replacement at the college, was murdered in the old garden shed. With the help of her two best friends, Trisha and Kevin, and her cat, Harry, she digs into the murder. Then help comes from unusual places, starting with a note from the victim containing a code to the clues to solve the murder. Now Lizzie is convinced she was not the target and is determined to solve the puzzle left by Sonia and find justice for the woman.   Questions are swirling with the dust, demanding answers… What did Sonia know to get her killed? Is Lizzie the killer's next target? Is it possible the ghost stories she and her friends grew up with true?     Lizzie never expected retirement to be so dangerous!