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“I had a few reasons. I wanted to see if a little prompting would make you do the right thing and send Henry home.”
“I wanted to, but I had no way of getting him there. Bec’s friends were out of town, the trailer wasn’t available, and no matter how much I argued for his return, she was adamant that he couldn’t go back home because he’d be in danger.”
“I can imagine,” Ashton said with a wry grin. “Bec is a law unto herself.”
“Why else didn’t you come and get him?”
“Part of me wanted to be a bit naughty and play a prank on the two of you. A note told you that someone knew where he was and that would probably be something you didn’t want anyone to know.”
“It stressed me greatly,” Lily admitted. “I was sure we’d get caught and go to jail. I thought it was you, but you were so good at deflecting my suspicions that I got confused.”
Ashton chuckled. “That’s what happens when you have a guilty conscience. You think everyone is out to get you, nothing makes sense, and you start reading between the lines when there aren’t any lines.”
“That about sums it up,” Lily agreed. “I thought you’d be so mad that you’d throw us in jail and drop the key in the nearest river.”
“I was tempted, but only for a moment or two,” Ashton grinned. “You’re more entertaining when you’re on the loose.”
“Well, thank you. I think.” Lily looked out across the fairground spread below them as the sun sank towards the horizon. “Gloria came home yesterday,” she said.
“Gloria?”
Lily looked at him. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Sure. As long as it’s not about something illegal.”
“It’s not,” Lily assured him.
“I’m all ears.”
“You know how Gloria fell and had to go to the hospital?”
Ashton nodded. “Yes, I heard about it from Winifred.”
“I haven’t told anyone this, but it was because of Henry.”
“What? Did she trip over him or something? Didn’t she fall off a ladder?”
“She sure did. She’d already said to me earlier that she was certain she’d heard a pig. I convinced her that it was just Winifred’s TV because she has it on so loud sometimes. But it seems she got curious.” Lily took a deep breath. “It was probably my fault. I was meant to feed Henry that morning and I forgot and slept in. By the time I got out there, it was quite late, and he was anxiously awaiting his breakfast. I’d say Gloria heard him and went to get the ladder. I heard this noise on the other side of the fence, and then her head appeared for a moment. She got this shocked look on her face when she saw Henry, and a moment later, there was an almighty crash as she landed on the ground.”
Ashton was trying to look serious. “Poor Gloria,” he murmured. “She got more than she bargained for.”
“Well, she came home yesterday, and she came over and asked if I still had a pig in my yard.” Lily paused, trying not to laugh. “I asked her what on earth she was talking about, and invited her to look around the yard, which she did. She walked all over it with this puzzled look on her face, certain she’d seen a pig on the day she fell off the ladder. I just allowed her to draw her own conclusions because there’s no sign of Henry now. And we did such a good job of fixing the damage in Winifred’s yard that she didn’t notice, either.”
“So, neither neighbor believes Henry really existed?” Ashton asked.
“Gloria is half-convinced that she was seeing things, and that idea hasn’t been helped by Winifred, who told her she was getting a bit batty in her old age. Winifred also told her she shouldn’t be nosy and peer over the fence. Gloria was most offended.”
Ashton burst out laughing. “Bless her,” he chortled. “She’s such a sweet old lady, but she says it like it is.”
“So, the neighborhood mystery remains,” Lily finished.
“I wish I’d been there to see Gloria’s face,” Ashton said.
“Her jaw isn’t quite right yet and she still has to do physical therapy exercises to strengthen it. So she can’t talk as much as she used to because she gets tired, which I’m sure must be frustrating for her. She’s slowed down with the broken leg, too. Old ladies just shouldn’t teeter about on ladders so they can peer over fences.”
“I’m sure she won’t do it again,” Ashton said. “But I’m glad she’s going to be okay. I hate the idea that Henry might’ve caused her permanent harm.”
They fell silent, enjoying the view as the ride began its descent. Ashton slipped his arm around Lily and drew her close, resting his face against her hair.
