“But you don’t know which direction?”
“Nope, and I know Rosie was mystified by Marsha’s good luck in her growing the kiwis.”
“In most cases, it’s usually the perfect conditions,” Doreen said. “You know? Great nutrition, water, sunshine, away from the breeze … There could be all kinds of things that made her kiwis outstanding.”
“I know,” she said. “And Rosie had an idea herself.”
“And why did it really matter to her that she beat Marsha?”
“It became more than a competition. It became an ugly competition,” she said. “It’s the only part of Rosie’s personality I didn’t like.”
“Meaning that she got quite ugly about it?”
“Very competitive. So I don’t think she would have met Marsha, unless Marsha was willing to talk to her about the kiwis …”
“Is there any reason why Marsha would want to meet Rosie?”
“I don’t think so,” she said.
“Did either of them have any money issues?”
“If anybody did, it would be Rosie,” she said. “But she never appeared to really need anything. And Marsha has a big house, so I don’t think she’s suffering for money.”
“I’d love to get into these women’s financials,” Doreen said.
“That little address book you took away,” Nan said, “did you ever get those stuck pages apart?”
“I forgot about it,” Doreen said. “I did try to get the pages open when I got home, but something’s stuck in there.”
“Toss it in the freezer,” Nan said. “If it’s gum, it’ll come off.”
“Did she chew gum?”
“All the time,” Nan said.
Doreen nodded, remembering quite a bit of gum had been in Rosie’s night table. “I can try that when I get home.” She sat and visited a little bit longer, trying to get any information she could, but there was really nothing to be had. Finally she got up, took her leave, gathering her animals to head home, coming to where they’d found Rosie’s body. That bothered Doreen too. She stopped at the spot, where somebody had put flowers.
It looked like the gladiolas she’d seen at Marsha’s house. She stopped and looked at the little card that said, “Stay safe, Rosie.”
What an odd thing to say. She took a photo of the card and kept on walking to her house. It was lovely that somebody would put that memorial there, but it did make her question the underlying theme behind it.
She and her animals wandered up the creek. It was a slow walk because it was that much slipperier and would probably be the last time she’d go down this pathway for a while. When she got back home again, she picked up the tiny book that had the pages stuck and realized that it could be gum between the two. She tossed it into the freezer. Then, deciding that she needed to check on Marsha and see if she had left that little card, Doreen headed out for another walk in the opposite direction. Her animals were only too happy to join her, like she had kept them cooped up all day long.
She wished a grocery store was nearby, where she could walk to it and maybe even pick up one of those rotisserie chickens. Sometimes they were on sale really cheap, and that would make a lovely salad and sandwich. Not to mention she could sit at home and just eat chicken.
Chuckling to herself, she walked through the cul-de-sac and headed toward where Heidi and Aretha’s house was. As she walked past Aretha’s house, she saw no sign of anybody, but she lifted a hand, just in case, and waved, then kept on going. When she got around to Marsha’s house, she saw no sign of anybody there. She walked past and called out, “Hello?”
Marsha walked around from the backyard. She frowned at Doreen and said, “Oh, it’s you again.”
This time, there was no sign of the friendly woman she’d met earlier.
Doreen smiled brightly. “Yes, it’s me. Your flowers are still doing so lovely,” she said, motioning at the huge gladiolas in front of her. “Do you ever sell them at the market?”
“I don’t have time to be bothered with that,” Marsha said.
“I just came from the manor, and I thought I saw the same shade that you’ve got here.”
“It’s not all that unusual,” Marsha said.
“No, maybe not,” Doreen said. “Still, it was a lovely gesture on your part.”
The woman shrugged uncomfortably. “How would you know the flowers were from me?”
“I don’t,” Doreen said quietly realizing with this admission Marsha knew what she was talking about. She only said she’d been to the manor before not the spot they found Rosie. “The blooms look very much the same.”
“Like I said, it could be plants from anybody,” she said. “Lots of them have this same shade.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said. “I know Heidi a few doors away has some, but I’m pretty sure Heidi is still in jail.”
“I never would have thought of her being guilty of anything. She has always had the sweetest smile.”
“Same with Rosie,” Doreen said with a half smile. “Her sweet personality and that lovely smile will be missed.” But Doreen’s attempt to draw out Marsha a little bit failed. At least the animals were being good for once, maybe even a little serious as if understanding the solemn conversation. “But then I gathered some bad blood was between the two of you, with the affair and all.”
Marsha slowly straightened, her eyes glazing over. “What are you talking about?”
Doreen frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to step on toes,” she said. “I just heard that your husband had an affair with her.”
At that, Marsha snorted. “You think that would have been the end of it, if it was, wouldn’t it? But it wasn’t. He didn’t have anything to do with that woman,” she sneered. “Why would he?”
“Well, I certainly understand when men step out,” Doreen said softly, “having experienced the same thing myself.”
Marsha’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”
Doreen nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, it wasn’t the same for me,” Marsha said, staring off in the distance. “Bloody men though, they can’t keep their
