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Sam proposed to take Maggie back to his house and make a chicken casserole for her. Maggie was slightly disappointed at his proposition as she was expecting something more exciting. But she did like chicken casserole, and despite the cake, she was hungry. Investigating a crime was hungry work.
They didn’t stay much longer at the café because everyone started to leave because they were going to start on the level-seven hunt which was about to begin. Sam politely declined the offer to join them.
As the hunters set off on their quest, Maggie said to Sam, “Perhaps we should join them. Then I can question more people.”
Sam pointed out, “You should find out who had a grudge against Harvey first, and then contact those people. And you still have those codes to work on. There could be a valuable clue in them. If we go to my house, I can help you with them.”
Maggie thought that was a good idea, and she wanted to see Sam’s house too.
They said goodbye to Toby before they left. He gave them a cheerful farewell. Polly was still at Toby’s side. She gave Maggie a sarcastic smile.
As they walked back to Sam’s van, Maggie said, “Do you think Toby and Polly are a couple?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s obvious he likes her. I hope you won’t be disappointed when you see my house. I’m not good at the homely touches. Not like your house. You’ve made your house a home.”
“Thank you. I’ve lived there for over twenty years, and collected many knick-knacks. It’ll be a nightmare if I ever decide to move. It’ll take me weeks to pack.”
When they drove away from the park, Sam asked, “Would you ever move?”
“I don’t know. It’s been home for so long. Harry and I chose it together. And Oscar grew up there. I thought I’d be there forever. But I’m not so sure now.” She cast him a quick smile. “It doesn’t help that I keep coming across murders on my street. If I do sell my home, I won’t list that as a feature. It would put potential buyers off.”
“I don’t know about that. There are some ghouls out there. That reminds me, I should check in with Jake and see how far he’s got with his internet search. I’ll ring him when we get to my house.”
They drove on in silence for a while. The radio was on, and Maggie sang along quietly to it. She felt so relaxed in Sam’s presence.
Sam pulled into the drive of a modern detached house. “Here we are,” he said as he switched the engine off.
“You live here? In this massive house? On your own?”
He laughed. “It’s not that big.”
“You could fit my house into it three times over. Maybe four times.” A thought came to her. “Oh, is this your family home? Where you lived with Ingrid before you divorced?”
“No, I sold that house straight away. Come on. I think I’ve got a bottle of wine somewhere. I’m not certain, though.”
“You’re not certain? How do you not know how much wine you’ve got in your house? I know exactly how much I’ve got.” Maggie stopped talking. That wasn’t a good boast to make. “Roughly. I meant roughly how much I’ve got.”
She quickly got out of the van before she made an even bigger fool of herself.
Sam walked in front of her, and opened the front door. He went in first. “I’ll disarm the alarm. Come in.”
Maggie entered Sam’s house. She walked down the hall a little, looking left and right. “Sam, you’d better phone the police. I think you’ve been burgled.”
“What?” He looked around. “I haven’t been burgled. Why are you saying that?”
“Your furniture has gone,” she pointed out. “And your walls are bare. They’ve even taken your carpet.”
Sam started laughing. “Nothing’s been stolen. I told you I wasn’t good at homely touches.”
“Homely touches? You call a carpet a homely touch? I call it a necessity.”
“I don’t need carpets. These floorboards are treated pine. They cost me a fortune. And I’ve got underfloor heating, so I don’t need a carpet.”
“But what about your walls? Don’t you have any pictures to put up? And photos?”
“I do. But I haven’t got around to hanging them yet.”
“Really? How long have you lived here?”
Sam looked at one of the walls. “Five years. I suppose I should have put some up by now.” He looked back at Maggie. “Are you going to have a go at me over my lack of furniture next? I don’t need lots of things. The bare essentials are enough for me.”
Maggie was instantly contrite. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business how your house looks. I like the colour of the walls. And how high the ceilings are.”
“Thank you. Follow me through to the kitchen.” His eyes twinkled. “I think you’ll like it.”
Maggie did like it. She stood next to the marble-topped island in the middle of the huge room. “Oh! This is amazing. So shiny. So new. So clean. It’s like I’ve walked into a magazine feature.” She slowly twirled around. “All this equipment too. Do you know how to use them all?”
“Yes. If you need a fresh loaf baking, I can switch that machine on over there. Fancy a bit of popcorn? I’ve got a machine which makes that. And, of course, I have an ice-cream maker. Sit on that sofa over there, and I’ll get you a glass of wine. I’ve just remembered that I bought some last week. I’ll put the chicken casserole in the oven.”
“You’ve already made it? Or did you buy it?”
Sam staggered back in mock hurt. “Bought it? I certainly did not buy it. I made it yesterday with the help of my marvellous gadgets.”
Maggie put her hand on her chest. “I sincerely apologise. Can I help you with anything?”
Sam pulled a tiny item from the neckline of his T-shirt. He gave it to Maggie. “This is the recording device. Can you upload it to my computer? It’s just over there.”
Maggie gave him a blank stare. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Come with me. I’ll show you what to do.”
He took her over to the computer which was set on a small table near the window. Maggie watched carefully as he put the recording device into a small contraption, and then plugged the contraption into the side of his computer. An icon flashed on the screen. Sam said, “It’s uploading. When it’s finished, you should email a copy to yourself. I don’t mean to be rude, but do you know how to do that?”
Maggie let out an involuntary snort. “Of course I do. Go and sort your casserole out. Leave me to do the technical stuff.”
Sam left her alone. Maggie was glad he wasn’t looking over her shoulder because it took her three attempts to email the video to herself. Once she’d done that, she started looking at the codes she’d photographed earlier.
Sam came over to her and put a glass of white wine down. He saw what she was doing. “Are you getting anywhere with those codes?”
“I’ve read them many times, and I’ve come to a decision.” She picked the wine up and took a sip. “Oo, this is lovely. Thank you.”
“You are welcome. What’s the decision you’ve come to?”
Maggie took another drink. “I’ve decided these codes don’t make any sense at all.”
Sam looked at the list of random words. “I agree with your decision. They might make more sense when we’ve eaten.” He pulled a chair up next to her. “Maggie, can I say something?”
“Yes.” She was aware of how close he was sitting.
“I wanted to say how impressed I was with you today. You asked Elliott questions I hadn’t even thought of. I was only silent because I couldn’t think of what to say. And you put Elliott at ease. Toby too. Jake was right about you.”
“That I’m nosy?”
He smiled. “I prefer curious. And you put people at ease. I think you’ve got a talent for investigating. I’m going to say again that I don’t need you to do a trial for me. I’d like to offer you a permanent job right now. I like having you around.”
Maggie blushed, and mumbled, “Thank you.”
“And there’s something else I want to say. While I’ve got the courage. I—”
“Dad! Maggie! Here you are.” Jake came into the room and dropped the large bag he was carrying. “I’ve been texting both of you. Why haven’t you replied?” He sniffed the air. “Chicken casserole? Great. I’m starving. Dad, have you got any beer?”
Sam gave Maggie a resigned smile, and stood up. “I’ve always got beer for you.” He walked over to the fridge and opened it.
Jake sat in the chair Sam had vacated. He looked at Maggie’s phone. “What’s that? A word puzzle?”
“It’s definitely a puzzle. Have you got any news for us about Harvey?”
Jake rubbed his hands together gleefully. “I certainly have.”