A Stranger in My Grave

A Stranger in My Grave Read Free Page B

Book: A Stranger in My Grave Read Free
Author: Margaret Millar
Tags: Crime Fiction
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the room, her step heavy, her shoulders stooped, as if she were carrying the weight of the tomb­stone on her back.

2
    Perhaps, at this hour that is very late for me, I should not step back into your life….
    Â 
    Daisy didn’t watch the car leave, so she had no way of knowing that Jim had stopped off at Mrs. Fielding’s cottage. The first sus­picion occurred to her when her mother, who was constantly and acutely aware of time, appeared at the back door half an hour before she was due. She had Prince, the collie, with her on a leash. When the leash was removed, Prince bounced around the kitchen as if he’d just been released after a year or two in leg-irons.
    Since Mrs. Fielding lived alone, it was considered good policy for her to keep Prince, a zealous and indefatigable barker, at her cottage every night for protection. Because of this talent for bark­ing, he enjoyed the reputation of being an excellent watchdog. The fact was, Prince’s talent was spread pretty thin; he barked with as much enthusiasm at acorns falling on the roof as he would have at intruders bursting in the door. Although Prince had never been put to a proper test so far, the general feeling was that he would come through when the appropriate time arrived, and protect his people and property with ferocious loyalty.
    Daisy greeted the dog affectionately, because she wanted to and because he expected it. The two women saw each other too fre­quently to make any fuss over good-mornings.
    â€œYou’re early,” Daisy said.
    â€œAm I?”
    â€œYou know you are.”
    â€œAh well,” Mrs. Fielding said lightly, “it’s time I stopped living by the clock. And it was such a lovely morning, and I heard on the radio that there’s a storm coming, and I didn’t want to waste the sun while it lasted—”
    â€œMother, stop that.”
    â€œStop what, for goodness’ sake?”
    â€œJim came over to see you, didn’t he?”
    â€œFor a moment, yes.”
    â€œWhat did he tell you?”
    â€œOh, nothing much, actually.”
    â€œThat’s no answer,” Daisy said. “I wish the two of you would stop treating me like an idiot child.”
    â€œWell, Jim made some remark about your needing a tonic, per­haps, for your nerves. Oh, not that I think your nerves are bad or anything, but a tonic certainly wouldn’t do any harm, would it?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œI’ll phone that nice new doctor at the clinic and ask him to prescribe something loaded with vitamins and minerals and what­ever. Or perhaps protein would be better.”
    â€œI don’t want any protein, vitamins, minerals, or anything else.”
    â€œWe’re just a mite irritable this morning, aren’t we?” Mrs. Fielding said with a cool little smile. “Mind if I have some coffee?”
    â€œGo ahead.”
    â€œWould you like some?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œNo, thanks , if you don’t mind. Private problems don’t consti­tute an excuse for bad manners.” She poured some coffee from the electric percolator. “I take it there are private problems?”
    â€œJim told you everything, I suppose?”
    â€œHe mentioned something about a silly little dream you had which upset you. Poor Jim was very upset himself. Perhaps you shouldn’t worry him with trivial things. He’s terribly wrapped up in you, Daisy.”
    â€œWrapped up.” The words didn’t conjure up the picture they were intended to. All Daisy could see was a double mummy, two people long dead, wrapped together in a winding sheet. Death again. No matter which direction her mind turned, death was around the corner or the next bend in the road, like a shadow that always walked in front of her. “It wasn’t,” Daisy said, “a silly little dream. It was very real and very important.”
    â€œIt may seem so to you now while you’re

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