Page 45 of The Bride Wore White

She began to pace absently around the room. “When you think about it, the killer had every reason to believe I could be used as a pawn.”

“Why do you say that?”

“It makes sense when you think about what the killer assumed would happen if I had been arrested. I have no close family who might have made a fuss or paid for a good lawyer to keep me out of the gas chamber. I was not socially connected to powerful people who could pressure the police or demand an investigation. My job at the library did not make me invaluable to anyone. Just the opposite. My boss wanted to get rid of me. He could not have cared less if I got arrested for murder. I just don’t—”

She stopped because Jack had picked up his pencil and was making more notes. He glanced up when she went silent.

“Go on,” he urged.

“Why?”

“Because you are giving me more information, and I need that.”

“Is that all you do with your life?” she asked. She swept out a hand to indicate the shelves of books that surrounded them. “Acquire information and use it to fill in charts?”

The question evidently caught him by surprise. He shook his head. “No. I’m writing a book, remember?”

“A book about how to acquire information and use it to fill in charts. Forget it. We have more immediate problems—namely me and my case.”

“Exactly,” he said, clearly pleased that she had arrived at that conclusion.

“All right, Clara Dover and members of her household staff are in town,” Prudence said. “What are we going to do now?”

“We give Clara a golden opportunity to make the next move.”

Prudence winced. “Do you think she will try to kill me herself? She’s a very determined woman, but I can’t imagine her pulling out a gun and shooting me dead. From what I know of her, she would be more likely to hire someone to do that.”

“She wants revenge for the death of her son, but she didn’t travel all the way from San Francisco with a doctor, a housekeeper, and a chauffeur to shoot you dead.”

Prudence swallowed hard. “That’s a relief.”

“It’s possible she might resort to using a gun if all else fails.”

“Thanks for that upbeat thought.”

“But I doubt it,” Jack said. “She appears to have a very strong instinct for self-preservation, and she cares about Dover Industries. She won’t want to get arrested for murder.”

She took a breath. “Okay, any thoughts on what she is likely to do?”

“No, but I don’t think we’ll have to wait long. From everything we know about Clara Dover, she is a woman of action.”

“You’re right. Well, as it happens, I’m a woman of action myself. I do not intend to sit around this very big house and wait for Clara to make her move.”

“Got a better idea?”

She smiled. “I believe I do.”

He looked wary again. “What is it?”

She told him.

“Huh,” Jack said. “That just might work.” He reached for the phone. “We’ll have to hurry if we’re going to get your schedule for tomorrow into the morning edition of the local paper.”

“What if Clara Dover doesn’t read the newspaper while she’s in town?”

“She’s looking for you, and you tend to make headlines. Also, she doesn’t have any resources here in Burning Cove. She’s an outsider. Doesn’t know the local power brokers. Trust me, she’ll be reading theBurning Cove Herald.”

“Who are you calling?” she asked.

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