Chapter 4
Bess Cridland stayed with Jed most of the next day, and made the weekend delightful.
But Monday morning at the office, he had to face again the same baffling unsolved problems that had exasperated him last week.
Jed sat back in his swivel chair, comparing inventory statements of the past year against those of previous years. They simply did not make sense. He had made some rough estimated comparisons, and, if his conclusions were borne out, approximately $10,000 worth of goods had vanished in smoke.
Jed cursed in the empty office. The door opened. Bess looked in.
"Did you call, Jed?"
"No," he said. "Or-yes! Come in and shut the door."
She came in, walked over to the desk. To see her standing there so quietly, looking neat and precise as usual in a brown checked dress with
