“Then where in God’s name have you been for the past ten days?”
“I needed a break, a chance to clear my head. I had no idea what had happened to Mum; I only found out yesterday when Phyllis told me.”
At the mention of her name, Richard’s eyes spun to look at her.
“Phyllis, I’m sorry, where are my manners?” He bowed his head. “It’s lovely to see you again. You must be happy your missing book club member has returned.”
“You could say that.” Phyllis caught Michael’s eye as she said this and saw him suppress a smile.
Richard turned back to Michael. “If you didn’t kill your mother then I owe you my deepest condolences. Eve was a magnificent woman and I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. Are those for her?” Michael nodded at the flowers in Richard’s hand.
“I know how much Eve loved gardening, so I thought I’d bring her some tulips to brighten up the grave.”
“That’s very kind of you, Richard. You were a wonderful neighbor to my mum.”
“She was a good neighbor to me, too, and I’ll miss her very much.” Richard paused, his brow furrowing. “So, if it wasn’t you, then who did kill her? The police seemed so certain she’d been pushed down the stairs.”
“I don’t know,” Michael said. “When I talked to the police this morning, they said it’s possible she slipped and fell. She had been getting a bit wobbly on her feet recently.”
“I suppose that is possible,” Richard said. “And if that’s the case then I’m sorry I suspected you, Michael. Please don’t blame me for jumping to that conclusion so quickly.”
“It’s all right. I know it must have looked suspicious, especially when I disappeared.”
“What a terrible business it’s all been,” Richard said, shaking his head. “But it is nice to see you again, Michael. And you, too, Phyllis. You’re looking very elegant, if I may be so bold.”
“Oh, this old thing,” Phyllis said, self-consciously touching herold church hat. She’d not worn it for years, but when Nova had asked her to come to the wedding, Phyllis had felt she ought to make an effort.
At the thought of the wedding, she glanced at her watch. It was eleven forty-five; she needed to get inside. “We should be going, Michael. The service starts in fifteen minutes.”
“Are you here for the wedding?” Richard asked. “I saw guests arriving when I walked over here.”
“Yes, one of our fellow book club members is getting married.”
“How lovely. Well, I’ll be letting you both get along, then. Michael, I suppose I’ll see you back at Mountfort Close.”
“Yes, see you later.”
Richard nodded to Michael and then turned to Phyllis. “It was lovely to see you again. Perhaps we could meet up another time? I know you never got to enjoy the scones last week, so I’d be delighted to take you for afternoon tea one day.”
Phyllis felt her face getting hot. “That would be nice, thank you.”
Richard smiled at her and then turned to leave, and Phyllis bit her lip. Would it be strange if she asked him to join them? Nova had said herself that most of the village were coming to the church, so one more guest wouldn’t make a difference. And it had been a very, very long time since anyone had looked at Phyllis in the way Richard did. She glanced at Michael, who was clearly trying to hide another smile.
“I don’t suppose you fancy joining us, do you?” she called after Richard. “I’m sure the bride and groom won’t mind one more member of the congregation.”
Richard turned round, beaming. “I would love to! Thank you, Phyllis.”
“Well, in that case, we should get inside. I have someone I need to speak to before the service begins.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Nova
Nova sat in front of the mirror, applying her makeup. She’d barely slept last night, what with her late-night meeting with the book club members, followed by a long, emotional phone call with Craig. He and his parents were staying at his aunt and uncle’s for the night, so that Nova and her mum could have the house to themselves this morning. Only her mum was currently five thousand miles away in South America.
Nova smeared concealer under her eyes to try and hide the dark shadows that were threatening to appear.
