Up from the Grave (19 page)

Berdie walked her index and third finger, with a scurrying motion up her arm. “Possible black market.”

“Oh yes, well spotted.” Hugh nodded. “Hadn’t thought of that.” He continued to fill the flask. “You’ll have to ask Mathew about that.”

“Or John Smith himself.” Berdie closed the cool bag. “When we find the spider-tender, we settle the bones account.”

Hugh fastened the cup atop the flask. “You think the two are connected, and it’s that simple?”

“Did I say simple? But yes, I think the two are connected.”

“How? Just how does an attempt on the life of a beautiful and gracious well-to-do Italian noble relate to an English child’s death in the eighties?”

“Ah, well, that’s the bit I have yet to work out.” Berdie wiped her hands across the yellow gingham kitchen pinny she wore.

“I should say that’s a very large bit.”

She handed him the fastened cold bag. “I will work it out, you know.”

Hugh placed a kiss on Berdie’s cheek. “Presumably.”

“Have fun at the game.” Lillie smiled. “You certainly won’t starve. You’ve enough there to feed three people.”

“Two actually.” Hugh walked to the kitchen door.

“Who’s that?” Lillie was bright.

Hugh looked at Berdie, than Lillie. “I’m meeting Loren,” he clipped and left the kitchen.

Lillie’s visage took a turn. “Oh,” she said somberly. “No Dr. Chase to accompany then? Your husband had better hope Loren left his mobile at home. That’s the only guarantee they’ll see the game out.”

“Are you still putting Loren off?” Berdie’s displeasure showed itself in her slight frown.

“He stopped ringing me up.”

“And who’s to blame for that?”

Lillie took a taste of tea. Berdie could see moisture gathering in the corner of Lillie’s downcast eyes. “I’m not sure I haven’t lost him for good.” Lillie sniffed and took a deep breath. She shook her head appearing to make an attempt to dismiss the world around her. “Can we not talk about this?”

“What would be best, Lillie, is to stop dallying about and ring up Loren to talk exactly about this. You’re practically sending Loren into Roz’s awaiting arms,” Berdie barked.

“Oh, Berdie, you think I don’t know that?” Lillie barked back. “I don’t know where to begin.”

“No I s’pose not.” Berdie suddenly became aware of how peckish she had become, the lack of sound sleep taking a toll. She took a slow drink of tea. “I’m all-in Lillie. What say we meet at the church an hour before evensong tonight? We can sort through all this bother then, together. Yeah?”

Lillie shook her dark curls in an affirmative nod, the corner of her eye still glistening.

Berdie pulled a fresh tissue from her pinny pocket and handed it to Lillie who dabbed at an escaped tear.

“I’ve let him steal my heart you know.”

“Yes, lovey, I know.”

Lillie took Berdie’s hand and squeezed it. “And you get some good kip this afternoon.” She smiled bravely. “And sweet dreams with it.”

Berdie nodded and returned the affectionate squeeze. “An hour before Evensong, then, fresh as an Easter daisy.”

Within a moment, her best friend in the entire world departed for home while she made her way to the ample bed in the master bedroom.

When Berdie arose, she was much more refreshed. After some hot soup, tea, and a fresh plum, she was ready to be among the living once again. In fact, she had promised Hugh to help with some simple data entry on the computer at church and decided to go over a bit early to work on it. She would make quick work of it and be ready to spend undistracted time with Lillie.

When she entered the sacristy, she left the door half open so she could hear Lillie enter. The data entry was a snap, and Berdie was happy she could help Hugh. So much of her time recently was spent investigating.

Just a little over half the work completed, Berdie heard the church door open. She glanced at the time on the computer.

“She’s rather early.”

Berdie closed the file and took a deep inhale. She must be in the appropriate state of mind to let go of an unfinished task to take up another. She exhaled slowly. Yes, ready, indeed.

She arose and entered the lowly lit sanctuary where sunlight from the windows began to cast afternoon shadows across the peaceful edifice.

“Oh.” Berdie could not suppress her surprise. It wasn’t Lillie at all. Of all people, Berdie thought. Ready for Lillie, yes, but ready for this?

“Is your husband in?”

“No, no he’s out at the moment.”

Dr. Roz Chase shifted her weight.

And if I have my way, my husband will be out as long as you are present
. Berdie found herself having to work at courtesy.

The grey business suit the doctor wore paled her some and was a bit too big. Berdie decided the cut of it did not show off the woman’s new features very well. Her dark hair was pulled back in a severe bun at the back of her head making her face contours somewhat harsh. And not a gold necklace in sight.

Roz fumbled an unlit cigarette in her fingers then jammed it in the pocket of her suit coat.

“At the game, then?”

“Yes.”

“Loren didn’t tell me with whom he was going.”

“No. I see.”

She’s checking to see if Loren went with Hugh as opposed to Lillie. Well, thank heavens he did. Berdie’s lips went tight. She just wanted Roz to go far away and quickly, but Dr. Chase didn’t seem eager to depart.

The woman shifted her weight again. “She doesn’t deserve him you know.”

Berdie blinked. “Sorry?”

The woman stepped closer to Berdie. She looked at the stone church floor then reared her face up so that her bronze-colored eyes pierced hard into Berdie’s face. Facial enhancing aside, the hardness of a life that daily mingles with the worst part of humanity’s doings could not be erased from the doctor’s visage.

“I tried it on with him you know,” Roz said coarsely. “And I could sense him beginning to yield. Does that shock you?”

Berdie didn’t flinch. “Loren’s a handsome man, and I dare say you’re a needy woman.”

With those words, Dr. Chase took hold of a pew. It was as if her strength couldn’t hold her, as if the truth of Berdie’s words had just punched her in the stomach and rendered her weak. She sat down, head low.

There was a part of Berdie that wanted to let Roz sink in her apparent weakness. Berdie flashed back to the railway station with Roz running her manicured fingernail down her lovely neck and smiling at Hugh.

Remove the plank from your own eye
. Edsel’s New Testament reading sounded in Berdie’s head. It was then the plank in Berdie’s own eye hit her over the head.
Bonk
. Ah, jealousy was indeed an ugly thing. Perfect proportions and a redesigned face were too easily cast-off because of simple envy.

Now, the better part of Berdie, the redeemed Berdie, could see before her the real woman. Right proportions or not, Roz was very much at a loss. Berdie purposed to turn away from that insipid green that had blinded her so easily.

She seated herself on the pew directly in front of the visitor and turned to look into Dr. Chase’s face.

Roz lifted her head. “But he didn’t.” She paused. “Yield, that is.”

“Oh, he yielded, Roz,” Berdie said smoothly. “It just wasn’t to your charms; it was to a still, small voice inside.”

Roz’s eyes grew moist, but she raised her chin as if impervious to any sense of vulnerability. “He mumbled something about how attractive I was, how cherished I was as his dear friend, and that he loved someone else.”

Berdie nodded. “Roz, if I may, why the romantic pursuit of someone you’ve known as a friend?”

Dr. Chase swallowed and inhaled deeply. “Gerard became tired of eating dinner alone, you know. It comes part and parcel with my career. He left.” She tilted her head. “But now, Loren and I share the same vocation, and along with a little personal redesigning”—she ran a hand across her new waistline—“I thought; now there’s a promise.”

Berdie couched her words with a certain comforting tone. “Roz, as difficult as it is right now, Loren did what he knew to be right and actually spared you a great deal of deep heartache. That proves he’s fond of you.”

Roz crossed her arms. “Really?”

“You’re a bright woman. You know there’s always a certain element of risk when you maneuver yourself into someone’s life, in this case Loren’s.”

Roz took another deep inhale. “Yes.”

Berdie leaned closer. “We can’t make them fall in love with us, no matter how attractive, can we?”

Dr. Chase’s drooping shoulders straightened a bit. A stern jaw was all she offered. Then she lifted her well-shaped brows as if tossing off the entire conversation. “Anyway, I’ve been called in on an active investigation in London.”

“Are you finished here?”

“If you mean is my work done, no, it isn’t. The only reason this case had my services was because I made it a certain priority and now it’s not.” The woman gave a pasted half-grin. “I’ve been told you have excellent investigative skills, you take up the work.” Dr. Chase stood. She turned her body and took rapid steps to the church entrance.

“But I’m not a pathologist,” Berdie called after the departing woman.

Roz opened the door then paused. She turned to run her eyes across the quiet nave. “I can’t remember the last time I was in a church. Something almost reassuring about it.” Dr. Roz Chase disappeared behind the closed door.

“Dr. Chase,” Berdie appealed. All she heard were her own words bouncing across the stone walls.

“Lillie.” Berdie realized there was a good possibility the two women might meet in the going and coming. “Oh my, where’s my whistle and zebra shirt?”

Berdie returned her body to sitting position on the pew. “Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing if they met.”

True, Roz’s visit had caught Berdie by surprise, but overall, something positive came of it. She had discovered the plank in her eye, and Roz, hopefully, was a step closer to finding her way. Yes. She decided if she heard something like spatting cats and saw bits of hair flying by the church window, then she would search it out. Otherwise, let it be.

To continue her data entry work, that was her task at hand. She moved to the sacristy, but when she had only worked five more minutes, the sound of the opening church door reached her ears.

“Lillie. Lord may she be of good humor.” Berdie turned on her heel to see once again it wasn’t her dear friend. It was Hugh. And Loren accompanied him.

“We won,” Hugh announced to Berdie and, it seemed, to anyone within a mile.

“Did we?” Berdie grinned.

“Jeff and Jamie both played brilliantly, didn’t they Loren?”

“Brilliantly indeed,” Loren had a zip in his words. “I must say that Jamie Donovan is a topnotch striker.”

“And Jeff’s quick.” Hugh was animated as he swayed his body side to side. “Jolly good fun.”

Just as the last word escaped Hugh’s lips, Berdie observed the church door opening yet again. This time, indeed, it was Lillie.

She wore a creamy colored washed-silk cardigan, fully buttoned with little pearls. A slim pink skirt hugged her slender waist and fell just below her knee. Her dark short curls fell enchantingly around her face. Lillie, in a careful poise, stepped quietly into the space.

Loren straightened; he pulled a shock of dangling hair into place, but it fell loosely across one brow.

And the exuberant Hugh lost his tongue. The vicar turned a somewhat bewildered gaze at Berdie.

“Am I interrupting something?” Lillie asked with a wistful voice. Her apologetic glance towards Loren said far more than her words.

“No, Lillie, no,” Berdie fumbled. “We were just discussing the football game.” Berdie waved her hand towards the sacristy. “It’s just that I’m working in the sacristy and…”

“Right,” Hugh’s voice broke in. “She wants to hear all the details but…”

“He needs to speak to me while I work, must get on, you see.”

“Really?” Lillie crossed her arms.

Loren looked at the stone floor with a half grin.

“In the sacristy.” Berdie bobbed her thumb toward the room.

“Oh, yes.” Hugh moved towards Berdie. “Yes. Quite the game.”

Berdie scooted into the cozy room, and Hugh was soon next to her.

“Shut the door Berdie.”

Berdie eased it almost shut.

“Poor fellow. I don’t think Loren was prepared for this,” Hugh said. “We were to have a discussion here concerning just what to do about his situation with Lillie.”

“Lillie and I had planned to talk as well.”

Though Hugh stood near his desk, Berdie found it hard to leave the door. The close-by office lamp that now declared itself across the darkening nave was easily extinguished by Berdie. She nearly closed the door, but wide enough to peek through the open space.

She could just see Loren and Lillie, ensconced by the low shadows of the afternoon window light. They both stood rather at loss for words.

“Berdie,” Hugh whispered. “Why did you turn the light off?” He motioned her to the desk.

“Well, what if they have a horrible row? What if some unsuspecting soul should walk in?”

“Oh my. I hadn’t thought of that.” He joined Berdie at the door but didn’t avail himself of the opening through which to observe the unsuspecting couple.

Berdie could see Lillie move closer to Loren. She just barely made out the words that Lillie formed.

“Loren, I’ve been foolish.”

The doctor stared at Lillie as if beholding, for the first time, an exquisite work of art, examining all its fine detail and brilliant color. “What do you know? I was about to say exactly the same to you.”

Lillie took a very deep breath. “I’m afraid I let my own insecurities take the better part of me.” Lillie’s voice had a bit of waver, as if on the very edge of tears.

Loren moved next to Lillie. His broad, masculine hand reached out to lightly touch her slender fingers. “Lillie,” he breathed.

The penitent woman twined her responsive fingers into his, and their touch became a gentle grasp. “I’ve missed you desperately, Loren.”

“What’s going on?” Hugh questioned Berdie.

“Shhh.”

She could see the doctor move his hand to Lillie’s waist. He drew her closely to himself.