FORGET ME NOT (Mark Kane Mysteries Book One)
without her knowing about it?”
    “Lucy, she volunteered it, you dummy.”
    “Hmm, well that puts a different complexion
on it. Perhaps she’s been falsely maligned.”
    “Nobody’s maligned her. She’s under
suspicion, that’s all. And anyway I don’t think you should read too
much into it. She’s a smart cookie and she’s probably confident
that we don’t have anything to compare it with. She knows that
Gloria was cremated and that she has no living blood relatives.
None that we know about anyway. Any luck with the plane crash?”
    “I don’t think ‘luck’ and ‘plane crash’ can
really be used in the same sentence,” Lucy said.
    “Well, have you?”
    “Not yet, no. They say that if you die in a
plane crash your whole life flashes in front of you. Before you
die, obviously.”
    “The people who say it aren’t dead Lucy; how
would they know?”
    We went to sit out on the porch for a
while.
    “So did you find out anything useful about
Susan’s background today?”
    “She’s gay.”
    “How do you know?”
    “She told me. It’s about the only thing she
did tell me, and I don’t think that information is going to help.
She told me that the reason she contacted Gloria when she did is
because she happened to be working nearby where Gloria lived. I’ve
asked at the restaurant where she worked and it checks out.”
    “Okay, then yard work after lunch tomorrow.
Don’t forget.”
    She set off on her short journey home.
     

Chapter Ten
The Witnesses
    “They’ll be here shortly. They seem to know
me, so I’ll probably recognize them when I see them.”
    I was back at Greg’s house for the meeting
with the two ladies from the club.
    “Well it shouldn’t take long. I’m just
curious about why Gloria wouldn’t have chosen people she knew
better. It all rather tends to suggest that she was purposely
trying to keep the matter confidential; even from you. And from
what you’ve told me about your life together that would tend to
suggest that she wasn’t in her right frame of mind.”
    “It seems to be the only explanation.”
    “Suppose I determine that Susan is who she
says she is, would you want to challenge the will on the basis of
her mental incompetence?”
    “I think that’s something I’d have to discuss
with the boys.”
    “Perhaps with Susan too,” I said, “she might
be prepared to relinquish some of her share, which is seemingly
disproportionate, in the interests of a speedy settlement.”
    “From what you told me yesterday about her
volunteering for a DNA test it appears likely that she is
Susan.”
    “I wouldn’t recommend jumping the gun at this
stage. When I saw her yesterday she was just as evasive as the
first time I met her.”
    The front door bell rang. Pauline and Sandra
arrived together in a dark green Mazda MX5. The roof was down. As
usual at Greg’s the sun was sparkling overhead and only small
fluffy clouds could be seen sweeping westwards on a light breeze.
The ladies came in and introduced themselves to me. They were a
good deal younger than Greg. A good deal younger than Gloria would
have been.
    “I don’t think we’ve met before,” Pauline
said to Greg, “but we often used to see you and Gloria together in
the club, didn’t we Sandra?”
    “We used to call the pair of you the love
birds.” Sandra giggled.
    “Gloria loved birds,” Pauline said. “If she
saw a bird she would always know its name. We didn’t see her much
on her own, but occasionally she’d join us for a drink when we were
in a group. We were terribly sad when we heard she’d passed
away.”
    “Yes, we’re so sorry Greg. It must be hard
for you,” Sandra said.
    “Well, life moves on,” Greg said
stoically.
    Greg thanked them both for coming and showed
them through to the living room. They sat next to each other on the
chesterfield and I sat in Greg’s usual armchair. Greg said he’d
make us some coffee and give me time to talk to them.
    “It’s about Gloria’s will,” I

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