Comfrey had been his favoriteknitbone tea, hed called it. To knit them old bones.
Her chest tightened at the memory of his words, and she swiped away an errant tear.
Gus had always said crying was a useless waste of time. If something worried you, you went out and fixed it. And that was exactly what she had to do now. She needed to get to the bottom of these break-ins. And she needed to know why Gus had been looking into the Tolkin Mine murders again.
Collecting herself, she locked the drawer, slipped the key and the pills into her purse, and glanced into the hall mirror. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she scooped up the keys to Guss Dodge truck.
Shed go into town, meet with Rick at the paper, and then head over to the police department.
Because now she really wanted some answers.
The truck wouldnt start.
Muirinn turned the ignition again, and it just clicked. The oil light on the dash glowed red.
Damn.
Muirinn climbed out of the cab, hoisted up her skirt and got onto hands and knees to look underneath the vehicle. Sure enough, there in the gravel was a big, dark pool of glistening liquid.
Stretching to reach under the truck, she tapped her finger lightly into the puddle so she could smell what it was.
Muirinn!
She jumped, banging her head on the undercarriage. Cursing, she backed out from under the vehicle and sat up, heart thumping.
Is that you, Muirinn?
She blinked up into bright sunlight at the silhouetted form of an old woman bent double, peering down at her with a bunch of purple flowers clutched in her hand.
Mrs. Wilkie? she said, rubbing her head. My God, you half startled me to death!
Are you all right, dear? Did you hurt yourself? she said in a warm, gravelly voice that Muirinn remembered so well from her youth.
Im fine. She got to her feet awkwardly, dusting her knees off. I was just checking out the oil leak. The back of her head throbbed where shed banged it, and her baby was kicking. Muirinn placed her hand on her belly, calming her baby and herself.
I heard youd come back, sprite. Mrs. Wilkie angled her head as she spoke, wrinkles fanning out from her intelligent gray eyes. Quicksilver, whod materialized from nowhere at the sound of Mrs. Wilkies voice, was purring and rubbing against the old ladys legs.
I was just coming up to feed the cat, and to put some fresh flowers inside your house. Ive also got some new herbs for tea. Sorry I scared you, dear.
Muirinn noted that Mrs. Wilkies body had bowed even further to age, like a gnarled tree that had spent its life on a windswept shore. But she was still beautiful, her face tanned and creased in a way that spoke of kindness, her eyes still
bright and quick. A thick gray braid hung over her shoulder, and she wore a long gypsy skirt, riotous with color. Muirinn wondered just how old the woman was now. To her mind, Mrs. Wilkie had seemed old forever, like a mythical crone.
She gave the hardy old dear a shaky smile, adrenaline still coursing through her body. Thank you. Its good to see you, Mrs. Wilkie. I heard from the lawyer that youd been taking excellent care of Gus, and I see youve been feeding Quicksilver, but I
Muirinn was about to say she no longer needed daily housekeeping services. Guilt stopped her. This woman had been here for Gusshed been a companion to him. Which was more than Muirinn could say for herself.
Mrs. Wilkie had lived in a small cottage down by the bay on Guss property as long as Muirinn could remember. Even though it was now Muirinns land, there was probably an official lease that still needed to be honored. Plus, the woman likely relied on the minimal income Gus had paid her, whatever it was.
Muirinn needed to go easy, go slow. Give things time.
You were saying, dear? Mrs. Wilkie was watching her intently, waiting.
Its nothing.
Well, its a terrible thing about Gus. I miss him. But its good to see you back, Muirinn, and to see that you are expecting, too, Mrs. Wilkie said softly. Are you going to have the baby here in Safe Harbor?
Muirinn realized that she hadnt really thought that far ahead. I. yes, I am.
Well, if you go running into any trouble, you know where to find me. Ive helped deliver my fair share of children, including my two nephews.
I know. Thank you, Mrs. Wilkie. Muirinn was aware that Lydia Wilkie had once been a nurse whod moved gradually into midwifery and naturopathy. Shed always had a keen interest in herbs and the natural healing practices of aboriginal peoples. When they were kids, Muirinn and Jett used to peer into her cottage window down by the water, pretending they were spying on the Good Witch because she was always boiling some herbal concoction on her blackened wood stove.
Now, you call me Lydia, she said.
Muirinn smiled. I cant. Youve been Mrs. Wilkie to me forever.
Mrs. Wilkies face crumpled into a grin. She took Muirinns hand firmly in her gnarled one. Its so good to have you home, sprite. Gus would be mighty pleased. Especially to have a small one around the house again.
Muirinn nodded, emotion prickling into her eyes again at the sound of her old nickname. Damn these pregnancy hormones and this trip down memory lane. I know he would, she answered quietly.