remodeling since you’ve been here?”
His suspicious expression did not change. “Some.”
“I hope you didn’t do very much. It’s such a lovely old place.”
“Not much.”
“I guess Mrs. Maxwell likes having her own live-in handyman.”
He shrugged. “When she doesn’t have to wait for one of my other jobs to get done. How do you know about my wife?”
“I was just talking with Ian Butler. He said he’d met you before, and that you and your wife live out here.”
His eyes narrowed again. “Why?”
“It was just small talk. We were discussing my friend and this house. It wasn’t really about you and Mrs. Maxwell.”
“I didn’t think the mayor knew that much about us.”
“Oh, Ian knows everybody in and around town. You’d like him if you got to know him. I think you’d like most everybody in Stony Point. Pastor Wallace always says—Have you met Pastor Wallace?”
“A time or two. Nice guy.”
“Anyway, he always says that our neighbors are like—”
“Look, Mrs. Dawson, we pretty much think that a good neighbor is one who stays out of everybody else’s way. Your friend sold this house years before I ever moved here, and I don’t know all that much about the place anyway. It’s a good solid house, and that’s all that matters to me. I just can’t help you with anything else.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and looked pointedly in the direction of her car.
“Do you think your wife—?”
“I think my wife can’t help you either. We’re both pretty busy. I’m sure you can understand that.”
Obviously, the conversation was over. Shoulders sagging, Annie thanked the man and got back into her car. She backed up a little bit so she could turn around in the drive. As she did so, she took one more look at the house.
A woman peered out of the window and then disappeared, perhaps when she realized Annie had seen her. Despite Mr. Maxwell’s flinty expression, Annie waited a moment more, but didn’t see anyone else. Finally, she pulled away from the house and headed for home.
Obviously the woman was Mrs. Maxwell, but why hadn’t she come outside?
And why didn’t she ever come into town?
6
“Hey, it’s Alice. Call me when you get home. I want to ask your opinion about something.”
Annie deleted the message and immediately returned Alice’s call.
“What’s up?”
“Hi. I just got my new Divine Décor catalog, and it has some darling little cornucopia centerpieces that might work great for the harvest banquet. Want to come look?”
“I might in a little while. I have to call LeeAnn back. She wants some ideas about what to get her husband for his birthday. And of course, Boots is demanding her dinner.”
The cat was already rubbing against Annie’s ankles, making assorted purrs and meows to entice her to come into the kitchen.
Alice laughed. “Naturally, the queen must be appeased. You sound tired. Everything OK?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I went out to Susan’s old house, out on Elm, and met Tom Maxwell.”
“Really? Did you find out anything?”
“Only that he doesn’t much care for nosy strangers poking around asking questions.”
“No. He didn’t actually say that, did he?”
“Not in words. But it was the weirdest thing. I’m sure his wife was looking out the window at me, but as soon as I saw her, she disappeared. I wonder why.”
“Maybe she wasn’t dressed for company or something.”
Annie considered that. “I suppose that might be the case. He was all rumpled and everything, as if he’d been asleep. Maybe she had been too. Still, I wish I could have talked to her. Don’t you think it’s weird that nobody in town really knows her? Does anybody ever even see her around?”
There was a shrug in Alice’s voice. “I know I never have. But he doesn’t seem to know anybody outside of his handyman work, either.”
“Ian says he’s met Tom before, and Tom said he knew Pastor Wallace, but what about his wife?”
“Did you ask him
His suspicious expression did not change. “Some.”
“I hope you didn’t do very much. It’s such a lovely old place.”
“Not much.”
“I guess Mrs. Maxwell likes having her own live-in handyman.”
He shrugged. “When she doesn’t have to wait for one of my other jobs to get done. How do you know about my wife?”
“I was just talking with Ian Butler. He said he’d met you before, and that you and your wife live out here.”
His eyes narrowed again. “Why?”
“It was just small talk. We were discussing my friend and this house. It wasn’t really about you and Mrs. Maxwell.”
“I didn’t think the mayor knew that much about us.”
“Oh, Ian knows everybody in and around town. You’d like him if you got to know him. I think you’d like most everybody in Stony Point. Pastor Wallace always says—Have you met Pastor Wallace?”
“A time or two. Nice guy.”
“Anyway, he always says that our neighbors are like—”
“Look, Mrs. Dawson, we pretty much think that a good neighbor is one who stays out of everybody else’s way. Your friend sold this house years before I ever moved here, and I don’t know all that much about the place anyway. It’s a good solid house, and that’s all that matters to me. I just can’t help you with anything else.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and looked pointedly in the direction of her car.
“Do you think your wife—?”
“I think my wife can’t help you either. We’re both pretty busy. I’m sure you can understand that.”
Obviously, the conversation was over. Shoulders sagging, Annie thanked the man and got back into her car. She backed up a little bit so she could turn around in the drive. As she did so, she took one more look at the house.
A woman peered out of the window and then disappeared, perhaps when she realized Annie had seen her. Despite Mr. Maxwell’s flinty expression, Annie waited a moment more, but didn’t see anyone else. Finally, she pulled away from the house and headed for home.
Obviously the woman was Mrs. Maxwell, but why hadn’t she come outside?
And why didn’t she ever come into town?
6
“Hey, it’s Alice. Call me when you get home. I want to ask your opinion about something.”
Annie deleted the message and immediately returned Alice’s call.
“What’s up?”
“Hi. I just got my new Divine Décor catalog, and it has some darling little cornucopia centerpieces that might work great for the harvest banquet. Want to come look?”
“I might in a little while. I have to call LeeAnn back. She wants some ideas about what to get her husband for his birthday. And of course, Boots is demanding her dinner.”
The cat was already rubbing against Annie’s ankles, making assorted purrs and meows to entice her to come into the kitchen.
Alice laughed. “Naturally, the queen must be appeased. You sound tired. Everything OK?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I went out to Susan’s old house, out on Elm, and met Tom Maxwell.”
“Really? Did you find out anything?”
“Only that he doesn’t much care for nosy strangers poking around asking questions.”
“No. He didn’t actually say that, did he?”
“Not in words. But it was the weirdest thing. I’m sure his wife was looking out the window at me, but as soon as I saw her, she disappeared. I wonder why.”
“Maybe she wasn’t dressed for company or something.”
Annie considered that. “I suppose that might be the case. He was all rumpled and everything, as if he’d been asleep. Maybe she had been too. Still, I wish I could have talked to her. Don’t you think it’s weird that nobody in town really knows her? Does anybody ever even see her around?”
There was a shrug in Alice’s voice. “I know I never have. But he doesn’t seem to know anybody outside of his handyman work, either.”
“Ian says he’s met Tom before, and Tom said he knew Pastor Wallace, but what about his wife?”
“Did you ask him
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