“It’s absolutely wonderful to see you again.” Liz gave me a little side-squeeze. “Come in. Make yourself at home.”
The large, beamed sitting room was as lovely as ever. Glossy white woodwork, soft butter-yellow walls, comfortable furniture covered in loose, rose-striped slipcovers. The last time I’d been here, there’d been a Christmas tree in the corner and a fire blazing in the brick hearth. Now the hearth was filled with an arrangement of dry flowers.
“Who’s joining us?” Tom asked. “I don’t recognize the car.”
“All in good time,” Liz said mysteriously. “First drinks. Kate, what would you like? A glass of white wine? A sherry? Tom will get it for you, won’t you, darling?”
Call me suspicious, but she was being way too nice.
Since I was driving home, I opted for a glass of club soda with a splash of white wine.
Liz clasped her hands together. “I have a surprise for you—a wonderful one.” She ran to the foot of the stairs. “You can come down now.”
A woman descended the stairs, a lovely blonde woman who looked strangely familiar. “Hello, Tom. It’s been a long time.”
She burst into tears and flew into his arms.
I sank onto the sofa, unable to take in what I was seeing.
Sarah? Tom’s wife, back from the grave.
Dinner was awkward.
Liz grinning like the Cheshire cat. Me pretending everything was just fine, thank you. Tom shooting me looks I interpreted as something between confusion and apology.
And the lovely Sophie—this wasn’t Sarah, of course, but her younger sister and body double—alternating between tears and laughter. She’d just split up with Chris, her husband of barely four years. She’d come to stay with Liz for a while. She needed healing. So why hadn’t Tom known about it?
I smelled a rat.
Like her sister, Sophie was a delicate blonde with a pink-and-white porcelain complexion, huge blue eyes, and perfect features. I believe she apologized for intruding on their busy lives at least five times. I was still trying to figure out what Liz had up her sleeve.
“Nonsense,” Liz was saying. “We love having you, don’t we, Tom?”
“Of course.”
“And he’s overdue for some time off.” Liz gave a little wiggle of pleasure. “I’m sure there’s nothing he’d rather do than spend time with you, Sophie dear. We are family, after all.”
Sophie dried her big blue eyes.
“I did have some time off,” Tom said, taking a sip of his wine. “Unfortunately I’m in the middle of a murder investigation.”
“Still, you’ll do your best, won’t you, dear?” Liz turned to me. “Never having known Sarah, you can’t imagine how special it is to have Sophie with us.” She reached for Sophie’s hand. “It’s almost like having Sarah back with us.”
“The resemblance is remarkable.” Getting those words out was a triumph of the will over inclination. I took a bite of the boeuf bourguignon Liz had prepared—from scratch, no doubt. And a drink of water to force it down. I put on my best meeting-a-new-client smile. “Sophie, where do you live?”
“I’m homeless at the moment. Chris insisted we sell the house.”
“Such a shame,” Liz added. “They had a smashing house on the Thames near Greenwich.”
“Chris is buying a condo in Camberwell with his new girlfriend. He bought me out.”
“Where will you go?” Tom asked.
Sophie’s smile dawned like the sun. “I thought I might settle near Saxby St. Clare—if you don’t mind, Tom.”
“Mind?” Tom blinked but recovered quickly. “Of course we don’t mind. There are some lovely villages in the area—safe, not too expensive.”
Liz was smiling so hard it must have hurt.
She couldn’t have arranged the divorce, could she?
I made it through dinner and dessert—or the pudding, as Liz called it, a raspberry cheesecake almost too pretty to eat. I love cheesecake. After exactly three bites, I had to put down my fork.
Tom made a valiant effort to draw me into the conversation, talking about my work at Hapthorn Lodge and how helpful I’d been to the investigation.
We moved into the sitting room for coffee. I was exhausted from the effort of acting normal. What I needed was a good reason to leave without appearing upset.
That’s when my cell phone rang.
“It’s The Willows,” I said. “I’ll have to take it.” Bless Ivor.
I jumped up and moved into the entrance hall, expecting to hear Ivor’s voice. Instead, the voice I heard belonged to the nursing officer, an efficient woman I’d met only once. “I’m afraid Mr. Tweedy has taken a nasty fall, Mrs. Hamilton. We’ve taken him to A&E in Ipswich. He’s stable but unconscious. That’s all we know at the moment. I’m sorry.”
My heart jumped to my throat. “I’m on my way.”
“No, please. You won’t be able to see him tonight. You can visit in the morning after nine. I gave the staff your number. They will call you if his condition changes.”
I clicked off, feeling numb.
Tom appeared in the doorway. “What’s happened?”
“Ivor’s fallen. He’s unconscious.”
“Where is he?”
“Ipswich.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“No. They won’t let me see him tonight. Besides, I’ll need my car. Stay with your guest. I’ll be fine.”
“What’s wrong?” Liz asked. She and Sophie were sitting side by side on the sofa.
“It’s my boss. He’s had an accident. They’ve taken him to the hospital. I’m afraid I’ll have to leave.”
“Oh no.” Sophie looked genuinely shocked.
I put on a smile. “Thank you for a lovely dinner, Liz. So nice to meet you, Sophie. Enjoy looking for a new home.”
Liz noticed Tom’s jacket, and her face went pale. “You’re not leaving?”
“Walking Kate to her car.” He put his hand in the small of my back and guided me toward the door. Outside, he pulled me into his arms. “Let me take you home, Kate. I can have Cliffe drive your car over in the morning.”
“No, really. I just want to get home and get a good night’s sleep. Liar.
A bolt of lightning flashed. The rain had started again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“What’s wrong?” Vivian asked as I burst into Rose Cottage. “Don’t tell me you ran over a hedgehog.”
“It’s Ivor.” I shook out my umbrella and hung my wet jacket
