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“You’re amazing! I don’t know how you find the time to do all that and take care of three children, too.”
“Three? I only have two children; I told you—they’re at nursery school in the morning. That’s my time to work on my projects.”
“But what about the baby?”
A
Maggie suddenly realized what she must have seen. “Don’t tell me. It’s one of Cordelia’s dolls?”
A
“Is the cradle one of your refinishing projects?”
“Absolutely.” A
“I do, indeed,” Maggie said, finding herself liking A
“And I noticed you collect Fairyland Lustre. I don’t suppose you found that at garage sales.”
A
“You’re right. I came because I’m concerned about Diana Hopkins.”
“She seems like a sweet girl,” agreed A
“I’ve only known her a short time, too,” Maggie admitted. “I’m a friend of Gussie White’s; I came to Winslow for her wedding.”
“Wait.” A
“Yes.”
A
“You’ve heard Cordelia was killed, too.”
“My husband’s the chief of police. Of course I heard. It’s very sad. But that doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“Did he also tell you Diana’s his major suspect in her death?”
A
“That’s why I’m here. I don’t believe Diana’s guilty of killing Cordelia. Or of killing her father, which she’s also suspected of doing.”
“No. I don’t think so either.” A
“Diana told me you came to their house a couple of times to pay your respects after her father died.”
“Yes,” A
“She has. But most who came left flowers or food, and didn’t stay. You did. Diana appreciated that.”
A
Maggie nodded. “That’s what I suspected.” She paused. “Diana also told me she came home once and interrupted you looking for something in her father’s room.”
A
“When Dan disappeared, you were afraid the police would search his room as part of the investigation, weren’t you?”
“You’re not going to tell my husband, are you?”
“I’m not. But Diana might. In a strange bit of—luck?—your husband didn’t search Dan Jeffrey’s room until after his death. You found what you were looking for, didn’t you?”
“Maggie, you have to believe I had nothing to do with Dan’s death. You can’t let Diana say anything to my husband.”
“I can’t promise she hasn’t already talked to him about it. But help me to help you. What were you looking for?”
“Letters. Letters I’d written to Dan.” A
“Did you?”
A
Maggie hesitated. “I don’t think it was Diana. She would have said something. And why would Cordelia have kept them?”
“Maybe to try to blackmail Dan.”
“Blackmail Dan?” Maggie looked at A
“That was the problem. She was tired of him living there and not paying her enough rent. The odd jobs he had around town—mowing lawns, substitute bartending—none of them paid much. I met him through Cordelia, and then he did some landscaping for us, and then, one thing led to another. He told me Cordelia complained he didn’t contribute enough toward his room and board. She was trying to force him to get a better-paying job.”
“I’ve wondered how she supported herself just making those dolls,” Maggie said, glancing toward the cradle in the living room.
“I don’t know,” said A
Maggie looked at her. “Can you think of anyone else who knew Dan well?”
“He bartended at the Lazy Lobster sometimes. Men there knew him.” Her eyes filled up. “It’s all happened so fast. Diana arriving, and then Dan disappearing, and now Cordelia. I hope Ike’s able to figure it out. I miss Dan. But I can’t let Ike know what I was doing. Please, Maggie. Don’t tell anyone.”
“I’ll do my best,” said Maggie. “Thanks for talking with me.” She left A
On Maggie’s way back to Six Gables she kept thinking about the Fairyland Lustre in A
As far as she knew Fairyland Lustre had never been reproduced.
Even if it had, it wouldn’t have the same glow, the same luster, as the original.
Those were original pieces in A
Will was deep into his novel when Maggie got back to Six Gables. “You were right. That didn’t take long,” he said.
“How’s Aunt Nettie?”
“She sends her love,” said Will. “Tom’s taking good care of her, and Rachel stopped in to see her and brought them lobster bisque for tonight’s di
“That’s right. You have a well, but the water pump is electric.”
“When the power goes, so does the water,” Will confirmed. “I’m thinking we should invest in a small generator. Enough power to keep the furnace and the pump going, and a few kitchen appliances. At Aunt Nettie’s age, if we had an ice storm and lost power for a week, I don’t think she’d cope well.”
“No power for a week in January in Maine? I’m not sure how well I’d cope,” Maggie agreed. “Sounds as though you should call for an estimate or two.”
“Next week,” said Will. “How’d your meeting go?”