“Don’t worry about that. I’m sure I can survive by myself for a day.” Margot chuckled, though Kant didn’t join in. “I’ve met the others—Nora and Ray and Andrew—so I can always call in on them if I need help with anything.”
“Witchety came through this morning,” Kant murmured, and Margot wasn’t sure if he intended her to hear. “So that’s out of the way. And I’ll only be gone for a day.”
She turned to put her back against the wall, taking some of the pressure off her feet. “You said you only see your sister twice a year, right? Take a few days off. Spend some time with her.”
“No,” he said. “Just the one day. I’ll leave before dawn, arrive back in the early hours, around three in the morning.”
“Are you sure?” She grimaced. “That sounds like a long drive.”
“That’s how I’ve always done it.”
“Well, if you decide you want to stay longer, you’re welcome to it. Otherwise, I guess I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”
He nodded, a stiff movement, then picked up the stepladder. “Thank you. I’ve missed my family.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll put this back in the shed. Anything else you want help with before I go?”
Margot glanced up, along the length of the stairwell, toward the cloistered rooms around them. Can you dispel some of the bad feelings in this place? Can you make it feel like home? “I think I’m good.”
He gave a soft noise of assent, then turned along the hall. “Take care, Margot.”
“You too.”
She saw him to the front door. He turned around the side of the house to return the ladder to the shed Margot hadn’t yet discovered, and she slowly closed the door behind him. After a second’s hesitation, she turned the lock. Then she pressed her head against the cool wood, eyes closed, as she centered herself.
Well…I overreacted.
She tried to tell herself she’d been rational. That the intrusion the night before made it more than justified to be on edge. But as she crossed to the kitchen and slotted the knife back in beside its brethren, she was only grateful that she hadn’t embarrassed herself further by calling the police or shouting anything menacing along the hallway.
Margot buried her face in her hands as she leaned against the kitchen counter. She was tired, that was all. The headache, though subsiding, wasn’t helping matters. She hadn’t gotten a full night of sleep in days, and it was wearing her down, making every stressful situation feel just a little worse.