Prisoner's Base

"No, that's not-oh, yes, of course. She's been married."

I nodded. "She has also been killed. She was waylaid on the street and strangled to death Monday night, a couple of hours before Priscilla Eads."

Sarah Jaffee's eyes popped. "Margaret has-too?"

"Yes. Was that all, those five, to be-"

"She was strangled just like Pris?"

"Yes. Apparently the idea was to get a key to Miss Eads's apartment, since there was a key in the maid's bag and the bag was taken. Were they to make up the new board of directors, those five women?"

"Yes."

"But you told her you wouldn't go to the meeting?"

Mrs. Jaffee's hands were fists again, but not as tight as before. "And I told her I wouldn't be a director either. I didn't want to get mixed up in it in any way at all. I didn't want to have anything whatever to do with it. She said I seemed to be perfectly willing to accept the dividend checks, and I said certainly I was and I hoped they would keep coming forever, and they probably wouldn't if I started butting in. I told her I hoped her new arrangement, the board of directors and the president, would work all right, but if it didn't there was nothing I could do about it."

"Had she asked you before about coming to a stockholders' meeting?"

"No, that was the first time. I hadn't seen her for more than a year. She phoned and came to see me when she heard about Dick's-my husband's-death."

"I thought she was your closest friend."

"Oh, that was a long time ago."

"How long?"

She eyed me. "I'm not enjoying this a bit."

"I know you're not."

"It's not doing anyone any good either."

"It might. However. I figure I've got a dollar's worth, so I'll settle for two bucks if you insist."

She turned her head and called, "Olga!" In a moment the Valkyrie came marching in, by no means silently. Mrs. Jaffee asked her if there was any coffee left, and she said there was and was requested to bring some. She went and soon was back with the order, this time on a tray without being told. Mrs. Jaffee wriggled to the edge of the divan, poured, and sipped.

"I can tell you how old I was," she said, "when I first met Pris."

I said I would appreciate it very much.