Read 02 _ Maltese Goddess, The for Free Online Page A

replied. “In a way we have Mar— Mr. Galea to thank for that. Anthony was not doing well at school, always in trouble. Joseph and I, we didn’t know what to do. Then Mr. Galea came to build this house. He has convinced Anthony he can be an architect. Now he has settled down, he works hard at school, he has a nice girlfriend.”
    “That’s wonderful,” I said, thinking there might be a side to Martin Galea I hadn’t known. We headed downstairs, where Marissa showed me the dinner she had prepared for me. It looked good—a stew of some kind of meat with onions and tomatoes, and a large very crusty-looking loaf of bread.
    She showed me where the telephone was, and put their phone number beside it. “It sometimes works, it sometimes doesn’t,” Anthony said from behind us. “Can I take Missus Mcleentak out to look around Valletta after Mass tomorrow, Mum?”
    “If she’d like to go?” she said, looking at me.
    “That would be just great, Anthony,” I said. “What time should I expect you? In fact, what time is it now? I’m still on Toronto time, I think.”
    “It’s four-thirty,” Anthony said. “I’ll come and get you about one tomorrow?”
    “Done,” I said.
    Joseph joined us in the kitchen. “Now, missus,” he said, “you lock up the place after we leave. And don’t you go walking around in the fog. There’s a very big drop at the back of the yard here. We wouldn’t want to lose you before my boy here can even show you around.” He gave his son an affectionate pat and smiled at me. They were really nice people.
    I walked them to their car, the three Farrugias and the two workmen, and waved as they left. They disappeared into the fog very quickly, then I heard the engine reverse and they came back up the driveway. Anthony leapt out and handed me the car keys with a grin and a wave. Then they were off a second time. I regarded the keys with unease.
    The house did not seem all that welcoming now that they were gone. With so little furniture and none of the carpets placed, my footsteps made an unpleasant hollow sound as I walked about. There were also not many lights. The kitchen lights worked, but the ceiling lights in the main room were still wires hanging from the ceiling. There was one lamp, a desk lamp that had been plugged in and left on the floor, there being no desk to put it on. I had a feeling it was going to be a long evening.
    It would still be late morning Toronto time, and I’d promised to check in when I arrived. I put through the call, and was glad to hear Sarah’s crisp voice.
    “I’m here,” I said. “It’s quite the place. How are things there?”
    “I’m having a special day,” she replied. “You know how it was freezing rain when you left? Well, this morning it’s even colder. I had my car washed yesterday, and this morning the car doors were frozen shut, not just the locks, the door frames as well. Luckily I caught Alex at home, and he came in early and opened the shop. Please don’t tell me it’s eighty degrees in the shade where you are!”
    “It’s closer to sixty-five degrees, and it’s raining and foggy, and I can’t see twenty feet outside the window. The place is empty and there is hardly any light. Feel better?”
    “Much.” She laughed. “Misery loves company. Will you be okay there by yourself?”
    “Oh, sure. It’s just a little creepy, that’s all. Any word from Dave?”
    “He’s having a tough time figuring out how to get the stuff there. Yesterday there was a strike in Italy. He says that’s pretty normal. Now one of the public service unions in France is calling for a one-day strike that will virtually shut the country down for twenty-four hours. But he says not to worry, not yet anyway.”
    “That’s encouraging. Be sure and tell me when to start worrying then.”
    “Oh, we will.” She laughed. “Alex says to tell you he checked your house this morning because it’s so cold. Everything is fine. No burst pipes or