Page 236 of The Holy Grail
Chapter 80
Something missing is found
Before opening the front door, Jules looked through the peephole, and to her surprise saw Martin Hodge standing on the front stoop.
Since there had been no mention of him dropping by, she had to assume this was an unplanned visit, and she immediately began to wonder what it was about. If it had something to do with Monroe’s estate, wouldn’t Martin have called first? It also seemed unlikely to be a social visit, because he definitely should have called ahead for that.
Forcing a smile onto her face (and hoping it looked somewhat natural and pleasant, and not like she was remembering the scene in the library), she opened the door.
She could tell he’d been hoping Malcom would be the one to come to the door, but Martin quickly rallied and returned her smile, although it was delivered a little awkwardly.
Maybe he was remembering the scene in the library, too, and everything he’d said?
“Hi, Martin,” she greeted him.
“Hi, Jules,” he greeted her back. “I was wondering if I could talk to Malcom for a few minutes?”
“Of course. Come on in.” She stepped back to let him into the entryway, only to bend and scoop up Dawn Corleone. She’d made the transition to an indoor cat with relative ease, but Jules wasn’t taking any chances on her getting out.
Once inside, she closed the door and relinquished Dawn Corleone, who then ran down the hall and turned into the kitchen.
“I didn’t know you guys had a cat,” Martin said.
“She originally belonged to Mal, actually.”
“Really? What’s her name?”
“Dawn Corleone.”
When he looked at her like that was a strange name, she explained how Malcom had thought she was a male and named her Don Corleone fromThe Godfather, and Jules had talked him into changing it to fit her gender.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seenThe Godfather,”Martin mused, before adding, “That’s a clever name, though.”
With Martin having lost a few points in her estimation, Jules began leading him down the hall. As they passed the formal living room, the formal dining room, and Malcom’s journaling room, Martin glanced into each one, and Jules could tell he was taken aback at the eclectic furnishings.
Or, he was not a fan of the brightly colored walls.
Possibly it was both.
Either way, he lost a few more points, putting him in negative territory.
As Jules came into the kitchen, Evan, who was standing at the island, seasoning steaks while Dawn Corleone looked on with interest, asked, “Who was at the—” only to break off when he saw Martin right behind her. “Oh. Hi, Martin.”
“Hi, Evan,” Martin returned.
“Martin came to see Mal,” Jules said.
Since Malcom was in the middle of his grounding exercise, he didn’t notice Jules and Martin step out onto the porch, so Jules had to get his attention. “Mal, you have company.”
For Malcom, seeing Martin at his house was surreal, given he’d never set foot in it before. Wondering at the reason for the visit, Malcom motioned for Martin to come out into the yard. As he approached, it was obvious by his expression that he was confused to see Malcom’s bare feet, especially with a bit of a chill in the air.
“It’s part of my therapy,” Malcom explained, “to walk barefoot at least once a day and ground myself. It supposedly releases negative energy from your body into the earth.”
“Hmm.” Martin had never heard of that. “Does it work?”
“I think so. I mean, I usually feel better afterward,” Malcom replied, before suggesting, “You should try it.”
To Malcom’s astonishment, Martin took off his Italian leather shoes and dress socks, and when he was done, they walked around the yard together for several moments in silence before Martin brought up the reason for his visit.
