Chapter 26: Joyce

Joyce records that she invited Bernard to lunch, insisting it was not a date. She cooked lamb and rice, then reflects on Bernard’s habit of talking about his late wife and on her own reluctance to speak about Gerry, whose memory she keeps private because it still overwhelms her.

Bernard tells Joyce about his wife, who was Indian, their forty-seven-year marriage, her stroke soon after they moved to Coopers Chase, and her death before Joyce arrived. He also mentions their daughter, Sudhi, who lives in Vancouver with her partner, prompting Joyce to think uneasily about her own daughter, Joanna.

Joyce and Bernard discuss Tony Curran’s murder, though Joyce realizes Bernard is not someone with whom she can be as openly excited about murder as she is with Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Ron. They also compare past work: Bernard’s chemical engineering remains unclear to Joyce, while Joyce’s nursing stories make Bernard laugh, giving Joyce the sense that his loneliness may be eased.

Joyce then shifts to the murder club’s next move. Elizabeth has invited PC Donna De Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson to Joyce’s flat so the group can share what Joanna and Cornelius discovered and try to extract useful information in return. Elizabeth deliberately chooses Joyce’s small front room, hoping the cramped setting will unsettle Chris and make him reveal something.

Joyce prepares for the meeting by baking lemon drizzle and coffee-and-walnut cakes, using almond flour partly to discourage Ibrahim’s possible interest in gluten intolerance. She considers taking a late nap after several busy days, then adds that coffee and walnut is Bernard’s favourite while cautioning that this should not be overinterpreted.