“What’s that look for?” Glynis asked suspiciously.
“I know you hate talking about Maria behind her back,” Lily said. “But I still can’t figure things out. I don’t know if Maria can’t remember, or if she’s purposely keeping things from me…”
“Why would she do that?” Glynis asked.
“I don’t know.” Lily pressed her lips together. “You told me that Maria had an old friend here to visit. Now I know that was my uncle, and I was with him. But I need to know if I was here when there was a fire at the ice cream shop. Do you remember if Maria had visitors at the time?”
“Not that I recall.”
“Surely you’d remember if she had,” Lily mused, more to herself than Glynis.
She blew out a breath. Maybe Maria had been telling the truth. Perhaps her memories of being here at the time weren’t real. Or maybe it was something different. It could well be that it was only burnt toast that had set off the smoke alarm when Lily was a kid.
“What’s going on, Lily?” Glynis asked.
“Nothing. My mind is playing tricks on me. Ignore me.” She forced a smile. “Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Leaving Glynis, she walked with an urgency that had her breathless by the time she marched up the path to the front door of Mirren Treneary’s house.
Surprise must have been clear on her features when it was Denzel who opened the door rather than Mirren. It took her a moment to remember that the local landscape gardener was dating Mirren.
“I assume from that look it’s not me you’re after?” he said.
“No. Hi.”
“Hey.” He turned back to shout into the house that Lily was here, then stepped outside. “I was just leaving. Got to get back to work.”
“Nice to see you,” Lily murmured, then stepped inside and followed Mirren’s voice to the kitchen.
“This is a nice surprise,” Mirren said, crossing the room to hug her.
“Does Denzel live here now?” Lily asked, glancing through the large window to watch him stride to his truck.
“Not officially. He still has his own place, but he’s here most of the time now that we’re not hiding things any more.”
“That’s nice.”
“It is,” Mirren said with a bright smile.
Lily declined a drink and took a seat at the kitchen table. “I wondered if I could ask you some more questions about Maria.”
Mirren scratched the bridge of her nose. “Who?”
Lily gave a small shake of her head. “Gail Greenway. The owner of the ice cream shop.”
“Of course.” Mirren rolled her eyes. “That’s a funny business if you ask me. Glynis was actually filling me in on it at lunch today. But I also bumped into Maria at the supermarket the other day, and she said hello. I wouldn’t have recognised her, but she explained that she goes by her middle name now.” She sighed. “Said she had a mid-life crisis years ago and felt like a change.”
“It is a little odd,” Lily said. “She knew my uncle. I don’t know if Glynis told you that.”
“She didn’t,” Mirren said, her brow furrowed. “Why didn’t Maria mention that to you earlier? What was all the secrecy for?”
“It was a long time ago that she knew him,” Lily said defensively. “I really don’t think she meant any harm.”
Mirren gave a one-shouldered shrug. “What did you want to ask me?”
“I wondered if you remembered much about the fire at the ice cream shop?”
Again,she shrugged. “I remember Gail – sorry, Maria – being shaken up. A few of us pitched in to clean the place up.”
