Sowing Poison by Janet Kellough Page B

islands, large and small, and an even greater number of shoals and bars. It wouldn’t require clairvoyance to provide the insight that they might be near an island. He worried over “happy and safe,” for that was the part of her prediction that had seemed so miraculous. He wondered what she would have done if the bodies had washed up on some shore, or if no news had ever been received as to their fate. And then he realized that the prediction had been so vague that almost anything could have been read into it by someone anxious for explanation. If they had simply disappeared, never to be heard of again, the claim could be made that they were happy and safe somewhere and just hadn’t informed anyone else of the fact. Even in the worst of scenarios, if the actual bodies were found, Mrs. Elliott could play to the expectation of an afterlife and claim that their souls had gone to heaven, a place that, after all, promised well-being and happiness. The outcome didn’t matter, he realized; she would be seen as prescient no matter what occurred.
    That still didn’t explain what had happened to Nate Elliott though. Lewis resolved to study the question more closely when he had time, but he would never have time if he couldn’t persuade Martin Carr’s sister to come to work at the inn.
    So he continued down to the planing mill, past the piers and the huge reels that were used to wind up the fishing nets so that they could dry. They gave the harbour an eerie skeletal look, accentuated by the hulls of ships that had been stripped of their masts and booms and hauled up onto cradles for the winter. The mill appeared equally deserted at first, for there was little call for finished lumber in the wintertime.
    Lewis entered the first door he came to and called out. He heard footsteps clattering on a set of stairs and Martin appeared.
    â€œMr. Lewis, good day. What can I do for you, sir?”
    â€œI’m here to ask if your sister would be able to come and work at the hotel,” Lewis said, getting right to the point of his visit. “We need some help, mostly in the kitchen. Can she cook?”
    Martin grinned. “She does all our cooking and it makes my mouth water just to think of it. She’s better at it than my mother is.”
    â€œDo you think she might be interested in a job? We’ve more work than we can handle by ourselves.”
    â€œThat would be grand,” Martin said. “I’m on short hours here because it’s so slow right now, and even when it isn’t, I don’t make nearly enough for us all. I don’t mind telling you it’s been a tough go with Pa gone, but Ma’s been reluctant to let Sophie go just anywhere. If it’s you and your brother-in-law, and the Temperance Hotel at that, I’m sure she’ll say yes, for she’ll know that Sophie will be treated well, and there’s no chance of her running into the rough bunch that go to the taverns.”
    â€œWhen could she start?”
    â€œI’ll ask tonight when I go home, but I expect it could be as soon as tomorrow if that suits you.”
    Lewis nodded his thanks and walked away a relieved man.
    Sophie arrived early the next morning.
    Daniel was in the sink room filling jugs with hot water to take upstairs to the guestrooms and Lewis was in the kitchen struggling with the beginnings of breakfast when a tap was heard at the back door. When Lewis opened the door, Sophie stepped in and introduced herself. His first impression was that Meribeth certainly seemed to have steered him in the right direction; the girl was neatly and demurely dressed, her hair tucked carefully under her cap. She was quite attractive — she looked a lot like her brother, but with the features softened into a pleasant femininity. He didn’t care, really, what she looked like as long as she did the work, but it was nice that she was so presentable.
    Sophie bustled into the kitchen and grabbed