at Penny.
“Sorry, love, duty calls.”
He stood up and gave the room the once-over.
“I think we did a good job here. There’s just the bedding left to do, I guess. You’ll probably throw out the pillows, but you might want to wash the coverlet and donate it to the women’s shelter, maybe?”
“Good idea,” said Penny, as she pulled the coverlet down.
As she did so, she noticed the small paperweight sitting on the nightstand. She picked it up, liking the way its smooth coolness filled her hand.
“I don’t think it’s very valuable, but what makes it so wonderful is that I think it was a gift from Alys to Emma.” She looked up at him. “Emma probably touched this every day of her life.”
Gareth put his arms around her.
“I’ll ring you later. Is your little group coming over this evening?”
Penny gave him a startled look.
“Oh, it’s Friday! I’ll have to speak to Victoria and see what we’re doing. I guess they are coming over!” An idea flashed through her mind.
“Would you join us? Maybe you could update us on the bones found at the spa.”
“Too early for that. We won’t have the results for a couple of weeks at least, I would think. But I’ll drop in. Say, about eight? Now, I must be off and you, too, I expect. I’ll take the boxes with me so at least they’re out of your way.”
He clattered off down the stairs with one of the boxes, and Penny followed him with another. They loaded them in the car, and Penny waved him off. She watched his car disappear and then walked back into the cottage. She looked at her watch and, although she knew she should be leaving for the salon, picked up the telephone and left a message for Eirlys that she would be late.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the paperweight. She thought about the memories it held and was surprised by the emotion it evoked in her. She felt deep sadness for all that had been lost and longed to know and understand what had happened and why.
She walked over to the table where the paintings were and set the paperweight down in front of them. Inanimate objects, but they had all been connected to something powerful. But what, exactly? Penny was now convinced that Alys had been murdered. Was there a connection to the bones in the spa? She felt impatient with how slowly things seemed to be moving.
Who would be the most likely to have some answers? The answer had to be Andrew Peyton. She knew from the police file that Bethan had left behind on that first night that he had been interviewed at the time of the accident, but he hadn’t been very cooperative. But sometimes people mellow over time, and if he had information then that he was unwilling to reveal, he might be willing to talk about it now.
Resolving to track down Peyton, she made a light lunch and was just about to leave the cottage when the telephone rang. She hesitated before answering it. It was probably Victoria calling to ask about something, and she could ring her when she got to the salon. But something drove her to answer it.
“Hello?”
She spoke to the caller for a few minutes and then, just before the conversation ended, asked if she could ask just one question.
“Did the exhibition at the Walker Gallery go ahead?”
Thanking the caller, she rang off, and after applying a quick streak of lipstick, she let herself out of the cottage and walked quickly down the lane.
Anxious though she was to meet Victoria, she decided she should pop into the salon for a few minutes to see how Eirlys was doing.
She needn’t have worried. As she opened the door, Eirlys and her client looked up and smiled at her. As Penny entered the salon, she recognized immediately that something was different, and when she took a closer look at the client, she realized what it was.
The client was a teenager, and the two young women had brought an atmosphere of lightness, energy, and fun to the salon.
“Penny, could I have a word, please?” asked Eirlys. Penny stepped into the small preparation area and Eirlys followed.
“It’s about the nail varnish colours. We need more bright pinks and different colours, like yellow and silver. It’s what the girls want.” Penny looked into her eager, shining face and smiled. You can’t put a price on enthusiasm, she thought.
“Yes, we certainly do!” she agreed. “Tell