The Widow's Walk by Robert Barclay Page B

normally been heard throughout the entire house. But even now, Jay, Trent, and the other men in the room took absolutely no notice of it.
    With that, Constance believed that for the moment, at least, she had done everything she could do to convince Garrett. Even so, if he needed more proof, there was one last thing that she could do. Although not now, because there were people about. That would come later tonight, when Garrett returned to Seaside, as she was now convinced he would. Then he would at last believe her, she prayed. After nodding at Garrett, Constance carefully wended her way among the men and left the room. She seemed able to move with complete silence and was apparently quite expert at avoiding human contact if needed.
    Stunned, Garrett simply stood there, staring blankly at the open doorway.
    â€œGarrett, are you still with us?” Jay asked.
    As Garrett turned around, he realized that his knees were shaking and that he had broken out in a cold sweat.
    â€œAre you okay, boss?” Trent asked. “You look a little pale.”
    While Garrett did his best to produce a smile, he wiped his forehead with a pocket handkerchief.
    â€œYeah, sure,” he answered. “Too much coffee, probably.”
    â€œWell then, is it okay if I go to the office?” Trent asked. “The troops are probably wondering where we are.”
    â€œYeah,” Garrett answered. “You go on ahead. But I’m not feeling well, and I might take the day off. If you need anything, you can always reach me on my cell, okay? And I know we have a presentation today, but you can handle it, right?’ ”
    â€œSure, boss,” Trent answered. Then the look on his face turned more serious. “And just for the record,” he added, “being here today makes me realize that I was wrong about this place. When you get done with it, it’s going to be beautiful, and I mean that. I know of no one else who could pull this off.”
    Those words meant a lot to Garrett, especially since nearly everyone had been of the opinion that he should never have bought Seaside. Now both Jay and Trent agreed with him, and because they were of the trades, their opinions mattered.
    Trent smiled. “Take care of yourself,” he said. “You do look kind of wiped out.”
    â€œThanks,” Garrett answered.
    With that, Trent sauntered back down the hall and headed for work.
    â€œI’m going to take a quick look around before I go,” Garrett said to Jay. “Then I’ll be out of your hair.”
    Jay smiled. “Okay,” he answered. “See you later.”
    Garrett had no intention of actually inspecting the work. Nor was he feeling unwell, like he had told Trent. After what he had just witnessed he was desperate to find Constance, hopefully somewhere secluded where they might talk. Then he wanted to spend the rest of the day alone, trying to process all that he had just seen. He was taking a risk trying to find Constance now, because there were so many other people around. But something inside him said that he simply had to find her, if for no other reason than to see her again.
    When a quick search of the house proved fruitless, he went outdoors. As if inspecting the ongoing work he walked all around the house but still did not find her, so he set off for the barn. After sliding one of the doors aside, he walked in.
    All barns seemed to smell the same, he was reminded as he walked deeper inside. Regardless of how old or how new, they always reminded one of hay, dirt, dust, and leather. Despite how long this old barn had been empty, it too still smelled of such things.
    After reconnoitering the first floor, he went to the stairs, where he paused, thinking. If Constance had wanted him to follow her, he decided, she would have beckoned him to do so. But she did not. No, he realized. She wanted to wait and talk to him later, when they could be alone.
    When he lifted his face and looked up, he