The Housewife(58)

“Good idea,” she says.

“In case my fingers swelled up.”

She nods. “That was wise. They will.” Then she picks up a piece of gauze and cuts it.

“You look like you know what you’re doing,” I say.

“I used to be a nurse.”

“Really?”

She looks up. “Yes, why?”

“I don’t know, I thought you’d always worked as a housekeeper. I thought you came with the house. ”

Surprisingly, she smiles. Not a big sunny toothy smile, but a smile nonetheless. It’s the first time I’ve seen her smile, other than in the photographs on the mantel in her room.

“Why did you give it up?”

She wraps my hand in gauze. “I was fired,” she says finally.

“Really? Why?”

“I became addicted to fentanyl, among other things.”

“I’m sorry,” I say.

She looks up briefly, as if to check whether I mean it or am making fun of her.

“They should have gotten you help instead of firing you.”

“I was stealing it from the clinic.”

“Ah.”

“Along with other opioids.”

“I understand,” I say.

“With due respect, you probably don’t.”

I never thought I would hear the words “With due respect” out of Marie’s mouth, which goes to show there’s a first time for everything. “No, you’re right. Probably not. So how did you end up working here?”

“One of the conditions of my avoiding a custodial sentence was to get help. Dr. Davies was running a program to treat addiction at the time. That’s where I was sent.”

“I didn’t know that,” I say. And I’m thinking, I wish they’d offered me to go and see a shrink instead of a custodial sentence. I would have taken it in a heartbeat.

“And it worked? He treated your addiction? ”

“He did a lot more than treat my addiction. He allowed me to forgive myself.” She pins the bandage in place. “There. We’ll keep an eye on it, and I’ll change it for you tomorrow. If you experience any pain, I recommend a couple of Tylenol. I can go and get some for you if you like.”

“No, that’s fine. Thank you. It looks great. And thank you for telling me your story.”

She shrugs. “Everybody knows my story. It’s not a secret. When I could no longer be employed as a nurse, Dr. Davies offered me this position on the condition that I be honest about my past to everyone. I’m surprised you didn’t know.”

“Well, I didn’t.” I hold my hand. It feels warm, but in a nice way, like it’s swathed in a cocoon. “I’m lucky you’re an excellent nurse,” I say, holding it up.

We both stand. “By the way, Marie, when did you get home last night?”

“Last night? I was at my brother’s last night. I came home about an hour ago. Why?”

“So you didn’t leave the door open last night?”

“No, was it open?”

“I got up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water, and I found the back door ajar.”

She tilts her head at me. “Dr. Davies didn’t leave it open accidentally?”

I shrug. “He might have.”

“Sometimes Mrs. Deborah would leave the back door open. Accidentally, I mean. ”

I lean forward. “I don’t think it was Mrs. Deborah.”

“No,” she says. And for a moment, I think she’s going to say, “Unfortunately.”

Marie starts cleaning the dishes from last night and this morning. “I’d help,” I say, raising my hand, “but…”

“No, please don’t. I’ve got it.”

“Thank you. And how is your brother?”

She throws me a glance over her shoulder. “He’s not great. He has a condition. Sometimes he needs help.”

“I see. I’m sorry. That must be hard.”

I should be working out how I’ll get my ring back, I should be making plans, but this is the nicest that Marie has ever been to me, and I’m thinking it’s probably going to be the last, so I should make the most of it.

“Can I ask you something?”

Her shoulders stiffen. “What is it?”

I lean back against the counter. “You said Roy gave you leave the week before Deborah died.”

“That’s right.”

“But it wasn’t planned, is that right?”

“That’s right. He asked me to take a week off.”

“Do you know why?”

She wipes the back of her hands on her apron. “Dr. Davies didn’t want me to be in the house while Mrs. Deborah was so fragile. He wanted to give her the space to heal. He still paid me my full wages, but I was not to come into the house at all until he said so. So I went to stay with my brother. ”

I stare at her, trying to digest this information. “But you’re the one who found her.”

Her eyes water. “Dr. Davies had asked me to return. He said it was time, and that Mrs. Deborah was making progress.” She turns on the dishwasher. “Would you like me to make you something for breakfast?”