The Cold Light of Mourning - By Elizabeth J. Duncan Page 0,72

a rare and welcome sense of well-being.

“Oh, wow,” she said. “And look again now! There’re two of them! See! Over there! To the left!”

Davies slowed the car until he found a spot where he could pull over safely. He reached into the glove box and pulled out a digital camera.

“Let’s get some photos. We might want to remember this.”

“For sure!” called Penny as she jumped out of the car. “Hurry, Gareth, before they disappear.”

She slowed as she reached the top of a small embankment and as Gareth photographed the rainbows for her, she breathed in the freshly cleansed air that smelled so sweetly of recent rain.

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Well, how did it go?”

Penny took her jacket off, hung it carefully on the coatrack, and turned to face her friend.

“Well, if you mean did I have a good time, then yes, very nice, thank you. We went to Betws-y-Coed and saw the most beautiful double rainbow on the way home. It was spectacular. The kind of thing you’re really lucky to see once in a blue moon, if that isn’t mixing up too much freaky nature into one thought.

“But if you mean did I find out anything, then yes, I did, a little. He told me how Meg Wynne died and it was pretty brutal I can tell you. Oh, and he warned us off again. Says whoever it was killed Meg Wynne could easily kill again.

“What happened in the shop while I was gone? Did you get the list made of the things we have to get in Llandudno? Are you ready for the funeral tomorrow? Should we have a chat about what you might look out for?”

Victoria laughed.

“You must have had a good time. You’re positively ranting. How much wine did you have?”

She gave Penny a hug and then stood back to look at her.

“I’m glad you had a good time. Will you be seeing him again, do you think?”

“Later in the week, possibly, depending on how his work goes. Might go out for a drink.” After a moment she added, “I think he’s just interested in me for now, because of what he thinks I know. When all this is wrapped up, we probably won’t see him again.”

She shrugged and raised her hands in a what-can-you-do gesture.

“Anyway, why don’t you fill up the kettle and tell me how you got on in the shop. Did you get a chance to sort out the inventory and make a list of the things we need?”

The next day, Victoria returned from the Gruffydd funeral to find Penny restlessly poking about in the kitchen.

“It was all very tasteful,” she said, in reply to Penny’s raised eyebrows. “Everything had been planned down to the tiniest detail.”

She paused for a few moments and watched as Penny opened the door to the fridge, peered at its contents, then closed the door and moved on to the cupboard where the biscuits were kept. She shook her head in response to Penny’s offer of one.

“No, I couldn’t eat another thing,” she said. “There was so much food in the church hall afterward. Gwennie had done it all, I heard—sandwiches, little cakes, pastries, everything. She did a beautiful job. It was all just perfect.”

She eyed the biscuit box and held up a hand.

“Mm, tempting, but I mustn’t. Anyway, I was all psyched up to suss out the wedding girls, but they were pretty obvious. In those clothes, and looking so smart and Londonish, they really stuck out.”

“Were they wearing their high heels?” Penny asked.

Victoria laughed. “Oh, absolutely. You should have heard Mrs. Lloyd go on about them. In her day, girls knew the difference between town shoes and country shoes. You have to admit she’s got a point, though. So impractical. Not to mention uncomfortable, I shouldn’t wonder. Still, they say you get used to it but why on earth would you want to, I ask myself.

“Anyway, I had a little chat with them and told them you and I were working together now in the shop. They said you gave them the best manicure—better than anything they get in London. Said it lasted for a week, with no chipping and if they can, they’ll ring for an appointment. I gave them a business card.

“Which reminds me, should we think about updating the cards? I thought maybe you could come up with a new design—put a spectacular red fingernail on it, or something. Jazz them up. Splash of colour.”

Penny nodded. “We need to sit down and go over everything. I’m