looked well read, and scores of old children's books. Between
Faith felt a little thrill of discovery. She called out to Eleanor, ' May I look at one of your books?”
“Certainly,' she replied, 'help yourself. We're almost ready. I don't know why it should be true that a watched pot won 't boil, but it is. I hope Lapsang Souchong is all right ? '
“Yes, of course,' she answered, shivering slightly, because it wasn 't. She knew she would never be able to drink the tea without thinking of Patricia.
While she was waiting, Faith stood up and took the book from the shelf. She was just opening it when Eleanor appeared carrying a tray with the tea things. By now Faith had mastered the art of managing the tea strainer, hot water pitcher and all the accoutrements that accompanied tea in Aleford. At first she had tended to make a cup that was either hot water or pure tannic acid.
Eleanor put the tray on the table in front of Faith. 'Would you like me to hold Benjamin while you pour yourself a cup ? That way you can make it the way you like it.'
“Thank you.' Faith smiled and started to close the book she had been holding when her gaze was pulled down sharply by the frontispiece. It was a reproduction of the three ship paintings that hung in the hallway at the Moores'. The
She's wondering what I have in my hand, Faith thought in surprise.
“I see you've been looking at Aunt Hattie 's book,' Eleanor said carefully.
“Aunt Hattie's book?' Faith countered.
“Why, yes. Harriet Cox Eliot was my aunt.”
The whole thing is going to be clear in a moment, Faith thought, but I'm not sure that I want it to be. And with the feeling of a person who finds himself alone in an unfamiliar bog at midnight, tentatively squelching along trying to avoid the holes that will engulf him, Faith stood up slowly and tightened the straps of the Snugli around her shoulders.
“Eleanor, if you don 't mind, I'd like to take a rain-check on the tea. I'm suddenly feeling a little tired and I think I'd better go home.'
“I'm terribly sorry, Faith,' Eleanor replied gently, 'but I think you had better sit down again. You see, I'm afraid I can't let you go now.'
“ What on earth do you mean ? ' Faith was genuinely aghast.
“You may not have figured it all out yet, my dear, but you are so clever that I 'm sure you will and I really can 't have that. You never should have taken the bookdown.' She eyed Faith reprovingly much as she would have if Faith had been caught taking pennies from her purse.
“ Well, really, Eleanor, I can't imagine what you are talking about and I only took the book because I am getting interested in local history and heard it mentioned. Now I really must go. Tom will be wondering where I am.' Faith walked toward the door firmly, but was stopped by the sound of a drawer opening followed by a small steely click and the even steelier tone of sweet Eleanor's voice.
“Faith, if you don't sit down, I'll have to shoot you. And Benjamin.”
Faith managed to make her way back to the chair, where her wobbling legs collapsed beneath her. This couldn't really be happening. She was in Aleford, sitting in Eleanor Whipple 's sunny parlor, facing a tiny but menacing-looking gun firmly clutched in the hand of the woman who held the record for top sales of needlework at the church bazaar. It had to be a dream.
“ It's father's gun. He always believed a house should be armed, though he never had occasion to use it himself. “
Eleanor 's poker face was gone, yet the one Faith knew so well, the gentle, slightly bemused pleasant face she was accustomed to see in church, was not in evidence either. Eleanor looked tired, a little sad, and very determined.
Faith realized she had absolutely no idea in the world what to do. Screaming was useless. She couldn 't pretend that Tom was arriving soon as she had so fatally revealed that he didn 't know where she was only a few minutes before. She remembered you were supposed to try to keep an attacker talking until help arrived and, failing anything else, she figured she might as well try it.
“ Eleanor, don 't you think you could put that away or at least hold it lower ? “
At the moment the gun was aimed just where Faith's eyebrows met, or would meet but for assiduous tweezing. Slightly hysterically, Faith wondered if she would ever tweeze her eyebrows again, before forcing herself to concentrate on getting out of the parlor alive. Eleanor lowered the gun, but did not loosen her grip.
Would Eleanor really kill her? Faith wondered. And an innocent little baby ? Was it worth the risk to make a run for the porch? Unfortunately Eleanor's house was set far back from the sidewalk and further obscured by a tall Canadian hemlock hedge. But surely she wouldn't shoot them both ? Maybe the gun wasn 't really loaded.
Of course, Faith reflected, as the numbing realization that Eleanor had already killed two people hit her, two more murders at this stage might not seem to matter much. She decided to stay where she was for the moment and play dumb.
“Perhaps you'd like to tell me what you imagine I know? Eleanor, really, I don't know what is going on and things seem to be getting a little out of hand.'
“ Now Faith, you do know what it is about and I will excuse the minister 's wife from a lie in view of the circumstances, but I do so wish you had not interfered in all this. I will miss you at our Alliance meetings.”
Eleanor sounded a bit peevish and the allusion to missed Alliance meetings had not escaped Faith. And by now Eleanor was right. Faith knew exactly what was going on.
First Eleanor had killed Cindy, then two weeks later Patricia, and now Faith and Benjamin had ingenuously walked into her parlor to be the third and fourth victims. Spilled curds and whey were nothing compared to what Eleanor had in mind.
Eleanor was thinking out loud.
“ It's a shame I never learned to drive. It really makes things awkward.' She paused.
Faith could feel her heart beating against her chest. She was surprised it didn't send Benjamin bouncing up and down. Talk. She must keep Eleanor talking. Murderers always liked to discuss their crimes, she had read. So be it.
“Eleanor, can you really be saying that you killed Cindy and Patricia and that this is what I have figured out ? “
Maybe she would deny it and this whole business would turn out to be some sort of passing dementia. Faith half expected Eleanor to laugh and hand over the gun. But only half.
“Why, yes, Faith. You see, I knew you knew,' Eleanor sounded triumphant.
“But why? What possible reason could you have for killing them ? ' Faith found herself looking forward to Eleanor's explanation in spite of everything, although the circumstances were not what she would have wished. Better to have had Eleanor explaining from a straitjacket.
“Why ? ' Eleanor sounded puzzled, ' For the money, of course. I thought you would realize that. For Grandmother's money.”
Faith realized she had missed an episode.
“ Grandmother's money ? “
Eleanor sighed. Faith had not been as clever as she thought.
“You see, Faith, my grandfather and great-grandfather made rather a lot of money with their ships. My grandmother was a very forward-thinking woman who realized that men make much more money in this world than women do, so she had better take care of her female descendants. Unfortunately Grandfather didn 't want to have his estate divided. He wanted the money to go with the house, so whoever had it would always be able to keep it up. As if there wasn't plenty,' Eleanor gave what could only be described as a snort of disgust.
“Yes, I heard all this,' Faith said, 'But forgive me, what does it have to do with killing Cindy and Patricia'?'' As
