Page 63 of The Bride Wore White

“Did your chauffeur drive you to the fire?”

“No, Henry didn’t drive me.” Again Clara sounded very sure of her answer. “Henry’s gone. Quit. No notice. So typical of workers these days. No sense of loyalty or gratitude for a steady job.”

“Who drove you?” Prudence said.

“I can’t remember,” Clara shrieked in frustration. “Why can’t I remember? Maybe it was Gilbert. Yes. Yes, it must have been Gilbert.”

“Gilbert is on the Other Side,” Prudence said gently. “He can’t come through the veil to drive a car.”

“Or start a fire,” Jack muttered.

“Car,” Clara whispered. “I was in a car.”

Her dream energy surged alarmingly. The storm got worse. Uncertain what was happening, Prudence intuitively countered the churning currents with a quiet, soothing pulse.

“Why can’t I remember?” Clara whispered, her voice breaking.

She collapsed into a deep sleep.

Prudence released her hold on Clara’s hand, turned around, and sat down.

“I’m not going to ask what you just did to her, but please tell me if you learned anything,” Jack said.

Prudence thought about Clara’s stormy energy. “I’m not sure, but something has definitely changed. Clara’s energy is distorted and erratic. When I was doing readings, I occasionally had clients who were on drugs. Their currents had the same weird sense of chaos and distortion.”

“Rollins Dover said Clara’s new doctor was giving her some medication for her nerves.”

“Yes, he did say that, didn’t he? But I think there is more to it. I almost got the feeling she was reading from a script. There would be fire. She was supposed to witness my death. Even if she wanted me dead, where did the details come from? And why the memory problems when it comes to the issue of how she got to your house?”

“Hypnotic suggestion,” Jack said, very grim now. “Maybe whoever drugged her gave her the script and then told her to forget certain elements of it.”

“I don’t know, Jack. It all seems so bizarre. First Gilbert Dover’s murder and now this fire.”

“I’ve decided that when it comes to this case, no theory is too far out of bounds.”

“It’s hard to imagine anyone drugging and manipulating Clara Dover. She is such a strong-willed woman.”

“Everyone has a weak point,” Jack said. “With her, it was her son Gilbert and her dream of establishing a dynasty of psychically gifted descendants. Rollins Dover is looking like the one with the most powerful motive, but if he’s behind this, where does Harley Flood fit into the picture? And then there’s the faithful housekeeper.”

“I understand your suspicion of the doctor. He’s new in the household and we don’t know much about him. But why are you suspicious of Maud Hollister?”

“She appears to be the one employee who has remained on Clara’s staff when everyone else quit or was fired.”

“You’re questioning Maud’s loyalty?”

“No, her loyalty is a fact,” Jack said, turning in to the hospital driveway. “But I would like to know the reason for it.”

Chapter 29

I never did like that house,” Jack said.

“But you got a very good deal on it,” Prudence said.

They were in one of several private villas scattered around the lush grounds of the glamorous Burning Cove Hotel. It was nearly three in the morning. They had checked in a short time ago. Luther Pell had phoned ahead to alert the front desk. If the staff had questions about a disheveled unmarried couple arriving in the early-morning hours with no luggage, they had kept those questions to themselves. The hotel catered to Hollywood royalty and the rich and often infamous. It had a long-standing reputation for discretion.

It also had excellent service, Prudence thought. When she and Jack had pulled up in front of the main entrance, they had been met by a gracious member of the housekeeping department who was holding a spa robe. The robe had been quickly draped around Prudence, and she had been discreetly whisked off to the villa like any self-respecting woman intent on embarking on an illicit liaison.Jack had stayed behind for a few minutes to handle the formalities at the front desk.

Two small overnight kits containing a few emergency essentials had been waiting in the room. She had opened the one labeledHersand discovered to her delight a toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb, a nail file, and a note advising her that suitable clothing would be delivered in the morning.

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