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Meredith gives me a double take. ‘Can he really do that?’
‘Yes. So my only hope is that if he is found guilty of killing her, something called the forfeiture rule comes into play, which prevents him from inheriting any part of Gwen’s estate.’
Meredith drifts away again and I wonder where she’s gone and if I’m tiring her. A minute passes before she returns. We chat for a while longer and I find out a little bit more about her. I was right to think she never married or had kids. In fact, she admits she has barely left this area in almost fifty years. I wonder what it must be like to spend more than half your life in just one place? Claustrophobic or comforting?
‘If I had my time again, I’d have travelled more,’ she admits. ‘I’d have spent my life cruising the world’s oceans.’
‘It’s not too late,’ I reply.
She smiles as she shakes her head. ‘Maybe in the next life.’
‘I used to dream of doing that too,’ I admit. ‘Working on the liners as a beauty therapist, seeing the world.’
‘You’re much younger than me. It’s certainly not too late for you.’
‘Like you said, maybe in the next life.’
Night is starting to draw in and I need to make my way back to the train station. Meredith thanks me again for coming to see her and to deliver the news in person. She tells me I’m welcome back at any time. I’m slipping my coat back on when she asks one more question.
‘I don’t suppose you ever saw an ornamental cat in Gwen’s house, did you?’
‘Yes, she collected them, so there were quite a few. Do you mean one in particular?’
‘It was quite an ugly thing, jade green in colour, a long neck and eyes—’
‘—that seem to follow you around the room.’
‘That’s the one.’
‘It’s one of the few things I managed to save from the house before Paul had a chance to get rid of it.’
‘It used to belong to our grandmother and I always wondered what happened to it.’
‘You are welcome to it if you like.’
‘I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble. You’ve already done so much just by coming here.’
‘It’s no bother, honestly. I’ll make sure you get it.’
‘Then thank you. Although we spent much of our lives apart, there will always be a special place inside me for Gwen. If there’s anything I can do to repay your kindness, you only have to ask.’
We embrace, and as the door closes behind me and I make my way back to the station, I actually feel good about myself. I was able to do the right thing for someone else. And it’s something I’d like to experience again.
CHAPTER 55
CONNIE
Trudging up the hill from the bus stop into the village doesn’t get any easier with practice, and I’m absolutely shattered by the time I reach the bungalow. I spent much of the train journey back to Avringstone replaying my conversation with Meredith, but now I’m worried that I might have left an elderly woman on her own and overwhelmed by tragedy. She gave me her telephone number so I make a mental note to call and check in on her tomorrow.
I open the front door and turn the hallway lights on before my ritual begins. First, I stand, fists clenched, body tense, just listening. I stay like this for at least a minute before I am sure I’m alone. Only then do I go inside.
I’ve been staying at Walter’s house for the last couple of nights now the box room is empty. But there are a few items I left here that I’ve got to move before I formally email the letting agency to tell them I’m leaving. One of them is Gwen’s ugly porcelain cat that Meredith mentioned. I’m going to take it back to Walter’s tonight, then tomorrow I’ll parcel it up and post it to her home. I’m glad it’ll have someone to appreciate it again.
With two pairs of jeans and a handful of tops now in a holdall, I make my way to the kitchen and take a half-finished bottle of wine from the fridge. I’m sure Walter will help me polish this off if he’s still awake.
I turn to reach for the porcelain cat. It’s been sitting on the windowsill since I took it from Gwen’s house weeks ago. But something’s different about its positioning, I think. In fact I swear it was facing inside the kitchen when I left this morning. I even told it to stop looking at me, a silly habit I’ve got into saying. Now it’s facing outwards.
Someone has moved it.
