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“Yes.” Winifred brightened. “But maybe it will go away soon. Lily thinks the neighbors behind us are growing a nice big vegetable garden. I wouldn’t know; I can’t see over the fence!” She laughed, a delicate little old-lady laugh that reminded Ashton of fine china and silver spoons.
“Lily is probably right,” Ashton said. “Lots of people are gardening at this time of the year.”
“Yes, she’s a good neighbor,” Winifred said. “Did you hear that poor Gloria fell off a ladder and went to the hospital with a broken leg?”
“No, I didn’t,” Ashton replied. “What was she doing up a ladder?”
“Lily was outside when she heard the commotion. She’s not sure why Gloria was up the ladder, but it’s lucky she was there and could help. Poor Gloria. She’s likely to be in hospital for a few weeks.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “She can’t talk, either. She broke her jaw as well.”
Ashton’s eyes grew wide and he choked back the laugh that threatened to escape. “Oh no. Poor Gloria. She’ll be bursting with news by the time she can talk again.”
Winifred’s blue eyes twinkled behind her glasses. “Gossip, you mean.”
Ashton burst out laughing. “I wasn’t going to say that,” he chortled. “But it’s true. She loves a good tale.”
“She’s harmless enough,” Winifred said. “But don’t tell her a secret.”
“I won’t, you can be sure of that,” Ashton replied. “There’s probably a reason the owner before Lily put up high fences.”
“Certainly,” Winifred agreed. “He was tired of Gloria peering over his fence into his yard. She was most put out when she realized that the new fence would be too high to see over. And of course, he had to match it on my side, so I can’t see into Lily’s yard now either, but I don’t mind. It gives me privacy.” She glanced across to the parking lot. “Excuse me, dear. I must catch Betty before she leaves.”
She hurried after her friend, and Ashton started to walk towards his car when Lily’s name caught his ear. He whirled around to see who had spoken and saw three of the younger church members standing in a group. He stopped to eavesdrop.
“Lily is the one Bec lives with, isn’t she?” asked Julia.
Damon nodded. “Bec’s living with Lily while she saves up for a place of her own.”
“Bec is with the Animal Freedom group, isn’t she?” asked Robert. “They’re vegan activists.”
“She is. I’m not sure why she got mixed up with them,” Julia replied. “They’re kind of radical.”
“I saw them on TV last week, protesting.” Robert grinned. “I caught a glimpse of Bec there, waving a placard. The news story said some of them invaded a dairy and refused to allow the farmer to milk the cows.”
Damon chuckled. “Bec has always been passionate about various causes. She’ll probably move on to something else in a while. I think she’ll find that being a hard-core activist isn’t really for her.”
“How do you know her?” Robert asked.
“I went to school with her,” Damon answered. “How do you know her?”
“She works with my brother, Mark,” Robert replied.
“We worked together at a summer camp when we were in our teens.” Julia smiled at the memory. “We kind of knew each other before that, but we were at different schools, so we didn’t really become friends until we worked together.”
“Bec is an interesting friend,” Robert said. “I never know what to expect from her next.”
Ashton moved away; it seemed that they weren’t going to mention Lily again. He headed for his truck and started for home, thinking about the conversation with Winifred and smiling as he recalled her observations about Gloria. It was a shame there was a bad smell when she was outside in her garden, he thought. He knew how much she loved it. His thoughts drifted on to the conversation about Bec and her vegan friends. Granville had its fair share of colorful characters.
As he turned into the road to the farm, the worry about Henry resurfaced. Where could a fully-grown boar get to without anyone knowing anything about it?
And then slowly, suspicion started to grow in his mind as fragments of information pieced themselves together. Winifred’s complaints about a bad smell. Bec’s friends talking about her vegan activism. And Lily, who seemed to be nervous and distracted when he was at her house. He’d put it down to her injuries and the fact that they’d been at loggerheads until just recently, but could it be something more?
“Maybe it’s time for a little sleuthing,” he said aloud as he pulled to a stop outside the house. “Who knows what might turn up?”
11
Ashton made his way quietly down the street, pausing in front of Lily’s house. All was quiet and the house was in darkness. He was sure Winifred didn’t have a dog, but he didn’t know about Gloria. After listening for a moment, he quietly made his way to the side gate into the backyard. He lifted the latch and pushed it open, grateful that it didn’t squeak. A half-moon shone overhead, illuminating the backyard, which smelled suspiciously of pig. Staying close to the wall of the house, he edged around the corner, wondering if the smell was just the neighbor’s vegetable garden, after all.
“EEEEKKKK!”
