A Brush with Death: A Penny Brannigan Mystery - By Elizabeth J. Duncan Page 0,30
It’s good to get away every now and then, even for a weekend, don’t you think? Brings a different perspective to things.”
Penny, who was applying the second coat of Mrs. Lloyd’s polish, stopped and, holding the brush in midair, smiled at her.
“Do you know, Mrs. Lloyd, I think you’re right, as usual. By the way, how do you like this colour? You’re getting a little daring in your choice of colours, I must say.”
“Yes, does it seem a little brighter than the usual ones? What’s it called, again?
“Baguette Me Not. It’s from the France collection.”
“Baguette . . . that reminds me . . . must stop in at the bakery on the way home. I do like a baguette with some Brie and a bit of celery. Does anyone eat celery anymore? I can remember my mother used to have a special dish just for celery. No one these days would be able to figure out what it was for. Had a very distinctive shape, though. Well, it would do, wouldn’t it?”
When she had said good-bye to Mrs. Lloyd and tidied up after her, Penny went off in search of Victoria. She found her upstairs, working at the kitchen table, magazines and notepaper spread everywhere.
Victoria looked up and smiled. “Couldn’t resist going over some of these spa magazines. The surveyor is going to go over the building this weekend, and if we like what we hear, we should be in a position to make an offer on Monday.”
Penny nodded. “That would be good. Well, I’ll leave that in your capable hands. By the way,” Penny continued, “Mrs. Lloyd has heard that Eirlys is coming to work here and likes the idea so much, she’s passing it off as something she dreamed up! Honestly, that woman can be so annoying when we both know the idea was really mine!”
Victoria laughed.
“Excuse me? Whose idea was it? Mine, I think. But yes, Mrs. Lloyd can be very trying at times, but underneath it all she’s got a heart of gold and you can’t help but like her. Most of the time, anyway. Still, you want to keep on the good side of her because you never know when her local knowledge is going to come in handy. She knows everything there is to know about this town and has done for years. And her memory is still amazingly sharp. She remembers every detail of just about everything that happened.”
“That’s true.”
Penny looked around the kitchen that had once been hers. “You know, it feels strange being here. It’s not mine anymore, but I don’t feel the cottage is my home yet, either. I feel, well, a little unsettled, really.”
“I think you need to lay an old ghost to rest, and then you can move on.”
“Actually, that’s what I came to talk to you about. I’m going to Liverpool on Sunday. The Central Library is open in the afternoon, and I’m going to search through the archives. They’ll have copies of the Echo dating back decades, and I want to see if there’s any mention of Alys.”
She started and put her hand over her mouth.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! There’s me going on and on and I forgot to ask how you got on when you went to see Bronwyn and Thomas’s dog. How was that?”
Victoria stood up and walked over to the sink to fill the kettle. When she returned to the table, she reached into her handbag for her mobile.
“Look, here he is. I took a photo of him.”
Penny leaned in to look.
“Oh, he looks adorable in his little basket. I’m sure they’re taking really good care of him. What will happen to him, do you think?”
Victoria shot her a wry, knowing look.
Penny grinned.
“Of course they will! They’re probably telling themselves all the reasons why they can’t keep a dog, but they can say what they like. The outcome’s going to be just the same.”
She continued to look at the photo.
“You know, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the idea of looking at photos on a phone. It seems too temporary. I think of them as paper things you hold in your hand. Like the one I found in Emma’s pencil box. Like the ones Alwynne has. They’re easier to share. I think they’re more permanent, too.”
She shrugged.
“I know. I’m turning into a fossil. But I like the old ways better. Lots of things just worked better back in the day.”
She brightened.
“Anyway, are Thomas and Bronwyn coming over on Friday night? I