Read Online It had to be You by Jill Churchill - Free Book Online Page A

summer building the most magnificent brick wall you’ll ever see. And to this day, I don’t know how or where he got the bricks. He also added a heated greenhouse to the south side of the shed to grow flowers in the winter, and pot up seeds for spring plantings. He must have foraged the glass from the town dump.”
    Howard laughed, then asked, “Do his parents visit him?“
    “They did at first. But it just set him back. I advised them to just write to him if they wanted. And every month I write to them, telling them what projects he’s working on. They never reply to me, nor does he reply to them, as far as I know.“
    “Did he ever come in contact with Mr. Connor?“
    “I know he didn’t,“ Miss Twibell said. “The first day Sean Connor was here, he started shouting orders at everyone. What he didn’t like to eat. How rough the sheets felt. Trying to get me to go out and buy him whiskey. I saw Mark almost come through the door to this room, but when he heard Mr. Connor’s tirade he fled. He hasn’t been back here since that day three months ago.“
    “You’re sure his... well, mental and emotional condition isn’t abnormal?“ Walker asked.
    “Absolutely certain. I’d stake my own life on that. He’s the least dangerous person I’ve ever known.”
    There was such a note of finality to this that Lily backed out the storeroom door, dragging the heavy waste bin. She turned and said, “Oh, I didn’t know anyone was out here. Miss Twibell, where can I empty this? I’ve been sorting things out....“
    “Just take it into the hallway and I’ll have it taken care of. Thanks for tidying up in there. I was planning to do it myself this afternoon. Where are Robert and Betty, do you know?“
    “They went down with the laundry a while ago.”
    Miss Twibell opened the door to the hall and went on her way to fetch them back via the bell system in her room, and Howard relieved Lily of the heavy waste bin, took it to the hall, and then came back into the living room.
    “You heard every word of that conversation, didn’t you?“ he said with dangerous blandness.
    Lily felt her face get hot. I did. But I promise you I’ll never tell.“ She was so embarrassed, she knew she meant it. She’d have loved to tell Robert what she’d heard. She never would though.

    * * *

    When Miss Twibell, now wearing her carpet slippers again, came back from summoning Robert and Betty, she said to Howard that she had to get back to work, but he could come back tomorrow if need be. When he’d left, she took a look at the storeroom.
    “You did a good job of this. It’s amazing how things slip when one of my regular employees is gone and I’m not in top form myself. Thanks for taking this on, Miss Brewster.“
    “Are your feet feeling better?“ Lily asked.
    “Not much. I had almost forgotten about them. It’s only now that I realize they do still hurt.”
    Betty returned and was apologetic. “I’m sorry, Miss Twibell. I was playing with Buddy while Mr. Brewster was chatting with Doreen.“
    “A little bit less of playing and chatting might be a good idea,“ Miss Twibell said mildly. “Now we need to get on with our work.”
    Chapter 9
    Thursday turned out to be the easiest day Lily and Robert had had yet. There was no laundry to haul up and down. And Betty had already washed the shelves of the pharmacy part of the room. Lily insisted on doing the two mop-ups. “You still look tired. You need to rest,“ Lily told her.
    Robert was reading the paper, reclining on the sofa with his shoes off so he wouldn’t get the arm of it dirty. “Looks like the banks are going to be closed longer than we thought,“ he said as Lily mopped.
    When she said “Oh?“ without much interest, he went on, “It seemed to me from the start that five days was too short a time to get all the changes in the laws of banking drawn up and approved.”
    Lily doubted that he’d thought this out on the day the banks closed. It must have been what