Page 55 of Trick of Light
“So the suspect list would be the entire island. Everyone knows Buzzy.” Her laugh made his mood brighten even further. “I’m going to talk to Andy Highgrove next. Maybe there’s some common thread we can track down. He owes me ever since he trapped me on that yacht.”
“Want me to talk to Safiya? She’s still in Harbortown, right?”
“Yes, but are you sure she’ll be open with you? You were her boss. You probably intimidate her.”
“Me? Nah. I’ll aim for gentle cuddly giant instead of nasty ogre. Besides, I did help her when she got sick.”
“That’s true. Anyway, you could never be a nasty ogre, but I’m not sure you can pull off cuddly giant either.”
“You’ll see.” He lowered his voice to a sexy growl. “Give me one chance to prove it.”
“Maybe I will,” she teased. “I just had a thought. What if I come into town and we interview Safiya together? I know her pretty well and she’s comfortable with me.”
He loved the idea of connecting with Gabby in a different environment, away from the island. “We can grab dinner before we head back.”
“Like a date?”
“Very much like a date.”
“Okay then. I accept.”
“What boat will you take? I’ll pick you up.”
After they’d made all the arrangements, he finally opened his app and called a ride. In that short time, the world had transformed from bleak and despairing over his brother to bright and full of hope.
Magic.
24
Barnaby met her at the Harbortown ferry terminal with a large bouquet of sunflowers. The sight of such a large man clutching those exuberantly sunshiny blooms made everyone around them look twice and smile.
Especially her.
“Nice touch,” she teased as he handed them to her. “But what am I supposed to do with them now?”
“I figured they can do double duty. First they’re for you, because they look even more beautiful when you hold them, and then we can pass them along to Safiya. She’s still in recovery.”
She burst out laughing. “How efficient.” Funny, though, it didn’t even bother her that she wouldn’t be keeping the sunflowers. His plan was perfect, and would mean a lot to Safiya. “But you owe me another bouquet at some point.”
“Absolutely.” He put an arm over her shoulder and guided her through the throngs of passengers toward a lineup of taxis and Ubers and Lyfts. “I have a driver waiting. I already called ahead. Safiya is expecting us. She and her family moved to Portland while they’re working out their Canada move.”
Gabby imagined that Safiya would be surprised to see them together. When she’d been staying at the inn the first time, Barnaby hadn’t been around. He’d been the missing globe-trotting adventurer everyone spoke about wistfully.
But if Safiya was surprised, she didn’t show it. She lived in the ground floor apartment of a red-brick apartment house on a busy street in downtown Portland. It smelled delicious, like roast lamb and spices. A small child with enormous dark eyes stared at them from behind Safiya’s skirt.
Gabby offered her the sunflowers, which drew a gasp from the child and a smile from Safiya. She called to another child, a girl about ten years old, who came and took the flowers away, hopefully to a vase.
“We wanted to ask you about Tamara Brown.”
A frown creased Safiya’s smooth brown skin. Her head scarf was a rich deep red with threads of gold—stunning. “Do I know this person?”
“She’s the white-haired woman you were seeing for some kind of treatment. You don’t have to say what.” Gabby said quickly. “That’s private.”
“White hair, yes.” Recognition dawned. “She give me tea for stomach. I told the policeman already.”
“So she did actually give you something to drink?” Disappointment twisted Gabby’s stomach. She’d been hoping Safiya’s story was the same as Buzzy’s—that Tamara hadn’t given her anything at all.
“Yes, but I give it most to police for the lab.”
