Page 27 of Elemental Love
Chapter nine
All the light and laughter that had surrounded Agatha’s cabin had gone, or so it seemed to Evrain as he and Dominic walked down the path toward the rustic building. Storm clouds loomed, promising rain.
“I still can’t believe she’s not around anymore,” Dominic said. “Have the police told you anything more about how the investigation is going?”
On the drive from Portland, Dominic had barely spoken a word, so Evrain welcomed the question, difficult though it was. He understood that Dominic had cared about Agatha just as much as he had.
“No, I haven’t heard anything new. The investigating detective, O’Shea, gives me a courtesy call every now and again, but I doubt they will catch anyone. The trail’s gone cold by now and they don’t seem to have any leads to go on at all.” Evrain’s tone was sharper than he had intended. “Sorry, talking about it just gets me frustrated and angry.” This was his first visit tothe cabin since his grandmother’s funeral and the memories of discovering her body were still horrifyingly fresh.
“I thought she was just sleeping when I found her.” He paused on the path, kicking at fallen leaves. “I’d brought her shopping as usual. I wandered around, unpacking, talking to her. She didn’t answer and I assumed she’d dozed off. Normally she’d be telling me off about something less than five minutes after I arrived. When she didn’t stir, I went to check on her but she was gone.” He began to walk again. “She was an old lady, she should have died peacefully in her sleep. Instead she had this expression on her face.” He shuddered. “It was just awful.” There was no need to share the gruesome details with Dominic.
“It must have been a terrible shock,” Dominic said.
“It was if the world slowed down for a moment. I suppose it didn’t sink in straight away that she’d been murdered, but I should have realized immediately. She was fit and healthy. Even at her age there was no reason for her to die so suddenly.”
“She kept up with me in the garden just fine,” Dominic agreed. “She was in great shape.”
“After that, seeing her face, everything’s a blur. Calling the police, waiting for them to arrive—which seemed to take forever—and then the endless questions.”
They reached the garden gate. Dominic pushed it open and they approached the cabin door together.
“And of course they suspected me.”
Dominic’s eyes widened. “Why on earth would they do that?”
“I think close relatives are always the first port of call when it comes to suspects. I don’t blame them at all—they were just doing their jobs. Once the medical examiner confirmed the time of death and I was able to provide rock-solid alibis, they left me alone.”
“They spoke to me too,” Dominic said. “But I’d been so busy I hadn’t seen her for a couple of days, and, fortunately, I hadplenty of witnesses to my whereabouts at the time of her death because I’d been redoing the window troughs outside the library. I do wonder, though, if I’d called in that evening, would I have been able to save her?”
“Or ended up dead yourself?” Evrain said. “Believe me, I’ve been through all the ‘what if?’s. Someone wanted her dead and neither you nor I could have been with her twenty-four hours a day. A determined person would have got to her sooner or later.” He pushed open the door.
Inside the cabin, everything was exactly the same as it had been weeks earlier. Evrain could picture his grandmother sitting in her usual chair, scolding him for some minor infraction. He wandered around touching things, letting his fingers absorb what was left of her presence. It provided a measure of comfort.
“I’ll light a fire, shall I?” Dominic asked, moving toward the hearth.
Evrain felt the chill for the first time. “Good idea, it’s cold in here.”
Dominic scooped ash from the grate using a small brass shovel that Agatha kept nearby just for that purpose, depositing the waste in a copper bucket. He scrunched up some newspaper to line the grate, then added some kindling from the wood basket. Everything was very dry and caught well when he touched a match to the paper. He quickly added bigger pieces of wood and finally a couple of chunky logs. Soon a toasty blaze was roaring away.
Evrain took one of the armchairs next to the fire, and, after making sure that the flames were well established, Dominic sat in the other. An awkward silence followed, broken only by the crackle of burning wood.
Evrain took a deep breath. “I suppose we should open our letters and see what Grandmother has to say for herself,” Evrain said, feeling strangely nervous.
Dominic nodded. He turned his envelope over and over in his hands. “Okay. You first.”
Evrain ripped open his envelope, extracted the note from inside, then began to read. He chuckled. “It seems you have to hear this too.”
He cleared his throat and began to read aloud, “Dearest Evrain, that you are reading this note means that I am gone earlier than I hoped and the challenges ahead of you have consequently increased. Mr. Pitt—and, yes, I know what impression he makes, but he is a good man and someone you can trust—should have told you to open this when you and Dominic are together. I hope, for once, you’ve obeyed instructions. You must read your letter aloud in Dominic’s presence. He should then do the same.” Evrain rolled his eyes. “Still telling me what to do, even from beyond the grave.”
Dominic giggled. The sound went straight to Evrain’s heart.
“I hope you will follow my wishes and move to the cabin immediately. You’re a stubborn boy but it’s for your own good. The cabin is warded and will provide a measure of protection for both you and Dominic while you learn to master your craft.”
“Wait, does that mean what I think it does?” Dominic asked. “She wants us to move in together?” The pitch of his voice rose. “And what is she talking about? What wards, what craft?”
“Don’t worry about that for a minute. Looks like she wants us to be housemates,” Evrain replied. He waved his letter. “Let’s see what else she has to say.” He carried on reading. “Be diligent in continuing your training. Self-discipline is vital—I have shown you how to proceed, now it is up to you.
“My dear, you have enormous talent, but it will only truly mature once you can channel through a life partner. I have done what I can to set you on the right path in this but you can only follow your heart. You will never be an easy person to love—recognize that in yourself and it will help because I know you have it in you to love the right man deeply.
