Where Old Ghosts Meet - Kate Evans [64]
They had reached the car and she smiled across the black dome of the roof. “I’m glad of the truth. Thank you.” She got in and closed the door.
16
“You wouldn’t know but it was the Queen herself was come to visit us. Father O’Reilly has been on the phone twice lookin’ for you, and Pat came by wantin’ to know if you’d fancy a run over to the island tomorrow. He’ll be goin’ by there to check his traps and he can drop you off on the way. If you like, that is. There’s not too much there now, just the old houses but it’s nice just the same, nice to spend a couple of hours on a good day.”
On the stove, a white enamel lid danced an urgent rat-a-tat-tat, the steam bursting in furious puffs into the kitchen.
“I’d love to go.”The very thought of actually setting foot on the island, seeing the house, the garden, of walking the path up over the hill through the alder bushes to the berry patch was all very exciting. “How long would the trip take?” Second thoughts had made her cautious. “I’ve got a flight to catch on Tuesday morning so I need to be back in St. John’s tomorrow night.”
“Oh, it’s only a couple of hours run, maybe less.”
“Then I’ll go. I’d love to.” Nora paused a moment. “I don’t suppose you would come too?”
“No, girl, I’m done with the island now. It makes me sad to think of the old house all neglected. Too many memories,” Peg said, raising her voice as she reached over to lower the heat beneath the bubbling pot.
“Then I’ll bring back a memento of some kind, something special you can keep.”
“Yes, do that, girl. I’ll let Pat know then.” She was already heading for the phone.
“Thank him for me. It’s very thoughtful of him,” Nora called out. She went to the table and sat down on the corner of Peg’s chair. The child’s bouquet, although still bright and colourful, had begun to droop slightly, but it still held its place of prominence in the middle of the table. The faint smell of honey from the lupin brought her back momentarily to her mother’s garden. She could see exactly the spot where the purple and lavender spikes stood tall and majestic in the perennial border, making a glorious splash of colour in early summer. She reached over and touched the velvety bloom. Everything in this tiny house was treasured: every scrap of clutter, every ornament and souvenir, every picture, every letter and card all had a connection to life. Her eyes fell on the big chair by the fireplace where the cat lay curled up asleep. Even the dust from the island had been saved. It was all important to Peg, keeping her together body and soul in an urgent drive to keep going. Nora could hear her now, busy making plans. There was a click as the phone was returned to its cradle.
“That’s all set then. He’ll come by for you tomorrow about eleven o’clock. I’m glad you’re going to see the island. It was Matt’s home. It was where he belonged and where he is laid to rest.”
“I wondered where he was buried. Will I be able to find his grave?”
“Yes, my dear, that’s easy. It’s well marked, I saw to that.”
Things were moving along very quickly and her time was getting short. She hadn’t quite known what to expect when she decided to come to Newfoundland. Her plan had been to take her time, to contact her friend’s family in St. John’s, to get a feel for the place, look for information on Berry Island, maybe seek out Peg Barry’s whereabouts and find out if Matt Molloy was still living. She wanted, if necessary, to be able to put things on hold for a while and maybe, when the time was right, make personal contact with a letter or a phone call. But encouraged by how simple it had been to track down Peg and buoyed by the great weather and a wonderful few days in St. John’s with her friend’s family, she had no trouble deciding to rent a car and head out into the unknown.
However, it was only when she was outside of St. John’s and well on her way that she began to think that maybe she should have made a phone call first. What if Peg Barry was a crotchety old woman who was bitter and truculent and difficult to deal with? She might even cut her off