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“Yes?”
“It’s Maggie, Maggie Ingram. I hope you don’t mind me calling. I got your number from Annette, my grief counselor.”
Tension seeped out of Gabriel’s body. “No, of course I don’t mind.” He paused. “How are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you. I just wanted to apologize for the other day, for rushing off as I did. I owe you an explanation.”
“You don’t owe me anything at all,” Gabriel replied.
“You’re very kind. But I’d like to explain anyway. It has a bearing on Charlie, you see.” She paused. “I don’t suppose you’d meet me for a coffee somewhere? I could come to Markham.”
“Of course.”
“Does The Burnt Cherry café still exist?”
“Yes, it does.”
“Shall we meet there, then? Tomorrow, if you’re free.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Three o’clock?”
“I’ll see you there. Bye, Maggie.”
He cut the call and stood for a moment, relieved that Maggie had called. He’d been worried about her since she’d left so suddenly last week and he’d been tempted to ask Maggie’s grief counselor for her phone number. But he hadn’t wanted to answer questions about how their meeting had gone, or why he wanted to contact her.
A mix of excitement and apprehension flowed through his veins, wondering what she was going to tell him. He was sure it had something to do with Joseph; if Maggie had really been ill that day, she wouldn’t have felt obliged to give him an explanation. And she’d said it had a bearing on Charlie. It was just as well that Joseph was leaving. When he and Hugh had met for a drink the other day, Hugh had mentioned that Joseph was going as soon as the christening was over.
“I hope that’s all right for you,” Hugh had said. “Will the garden be finished?”
Gabriel had made a quick calculation. “That’s another seven or eight days’ work. That should be fine.”
He left the garden and went to find Iris, his phone still in his hand. She was on the terrace reading a book, the same book she seemed to have been reading for weeks, as if she kept having to go back over what she’d read because she hadn’t taken it in the first time. He was worried about her, worried that despite her seeming desire to get their lives back on track, she seemed to be making little effort to do so. He understood her apathy, he had experienced it, was still experiencing it, but having the walled garden helped. Iris had nothing. He had tried to talk to her about looking for new contracts, but shehadn’t wanted to engage, mumbling about taking time off now that Beth had decided to defer for a year, a prospect that had delighted him and had helped lift his depression. But it didn’t seem to be working for Iris, and he guessed it was because Beth spent a large part of most days at Esme and Hugh’s, helping with Hamish. It had now become her job, as Esme and Hugh had insisted on paying her. There was still much to do in the house and as they both enjoyed painting and decorating, they were happy that Beth was there to take Hamish off their hands.
“Everything okay?” he asked Iris.
She shaded her eyes against the sun as she looked up at him. “Yes, fine. You?”
He pulled up a chair. “I just had a call from Maggie. She wants to meet for a coffee to explain why she left so suddenly the other day.”
Iris nodded. “Good. At least that will be one mystery cleared up.”
He smiled. “Why, are there other mysteries that need clearing up?”
“Yes. Laure.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think Esme might have given Joseph an alibi the day that Laure went for her run? Just said that he was at the hospital, or that he’d arrived earlier than he actually had, like I did for you?”
Gabriel frowned. “What are you saying, Iris? That Joseph killed Laure?”
“It’s possible.”
“If you’re working on that theory, then it’s also possible that I killed her.”
“I know.”
