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Mumbling and grumbling erupted at this revelation. “I wasn’t there,” and “I didn’t have anything to do with it,” echoed around the room.
“Stop!” yelled Fina. She wagged a shaking finger around the room. “You’d better tell the truth now. Or else I’ll – I’ll…”
Pixley put a hand on Fina’s elbow. “Fina is correct,” he said in his best baritone. “Pearls and hatpins and temporary illness are all fun and games. This is serious. This is murder.”
Until this moment, Ruby had held off pacing in front of the fire. At the introduction of the word ‘murder’ she began her habitual perambulation. Looking down at her well-shod feet, she said, “Let’s continue with Mrs Pritchard, shall we?”
Penelope wriggled her toes inside her soft-covered slippers. The rest of her body remained motionless. Her eyeli
