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knitting magazines.’
    â€˜What a fun-sounding job!’ Sarah could read the unspoken question in the revealing eyes. Did it pay well? The answer would have been
very nicely
. ‘But aren’t you rather young not to want to be out in the hustle and bustle?’
    â€˜I’m thirty-four.’
    â€˜You don’t look close to that, and such a pretty girl. My mother would have described you as bonnie.’
    â€˜Thank you.’
    Nellie looked around the room. ‘Would you believe I haven’t been in this house since Nan Fielding moved in? She was a teacher. Taught high school English, did you know that?’
    â€˜Yes, the realtor told me. What was she like?’
    â€˜Kept to her lonesome. Didn’t let the conversation go beyond the weather and an occasional mention of her garden if I saw her outside.’
    Sarah considered this from Nan Fielding’s vantage point. She could reasonably have sized Nellie up as the sort who, once having got a foot in the door, would be constantly showing up when least wanted and increasingly hard to budge.
    The brown eyes met hers with a knowing twinkle. ‘I can guess what you’re thinking, but Nan was just the same with everyone else – kept them all at a distance. I sure will enjoy having you for a neighbor.’ Nellie nodded decisively. ‘A good number of people on this road are summer people, only here from June through September. Oh, sometimes they begin trickling back in May, but not this year. It’s been too cold and wet.’
    â€˜Does it seem a little flat when they go?’
    Nellie gave the question its due deliberation. ‘I miss the children. My great-nephew’s boy Brian always enjoys the excitement they bring. This is a great place for family vacations. The parents like being able to let the older ones go off and enjoy themselves in the good old-fashioned way without constantly worrying something dreadful could happen to them. There’s so little crime here, you see. Most people round here don’t bother locking their doors. The only person I ever knew to have an alarm ringy dingy put in was Nan Fielding.’
    â€˜There’s not one here now. I’d have noticed.’
    â€˜Taken out. I saw the van pull in and spoke to the driver. Said the real estate agency didn’t think it was a good selling feature.’ Nellie preened, then sobered. ‘You have to ask yourself what happened in Nan’s life before coming here to make her feel in need of home protection.’
    Sarah looked doubtful. She had some curiosity about the former tenant but it wasn’t overwhelming. ‘Can we assume something bad happened? The majority of people I know have them.’
    â€˜That’s Chicago.’
    â€˜Gangsterville.’ Sarah laughed. ‘Where did Nan come from?’
    â€˜Boston. Can’t tell you more than that.’ Clearly this was disappointing. Nellie’s interpretation of only staying for a moment was an unusual one, but Sarah couldn’t get annoyed – she was old and very likely lonely. And it did feel good to just sit.
    â€˜So you don’t get many break-ins around here?’
    â€˜They’re a rarity and I never heard of one turning violent. The last I heard of anyone letting himself in where he’d no business going uninvited was Willie Watkins. He’s a sad drunk and you can’t blame his daughter, who’s past her own prime and has a leaky roof and bad knees to worry about, for kicking him out when he gets to singing all night. Not that he has a bad voice,’ Nellie conceded in the manner of giving the devil his due. ‘And it was winter – this past January, so you can’t rightly blame the old cockroach for getting under cover.’
    â€˜No, I suppose not.’ Sarah pictured the red nose, stubbly-gray chin and knitted gloves with most of the fingers gone. ‘Did he wake the householders up?’
    â€˜Two things you