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Page 101
for "something handsome" in Mrs. Bates's will. Had she
"Stop it!" Linda hissed at herself. "Stop it! Next you'll be thinking of reasons why you would have left the candy."
Gertrude was devoted to Mrs. Bates. She had been with her for years. She was well paid and treated with considerationat least, that was what Gertrude said. Could Gertrude and Peter be in league? What was that late-night conference about?
How can I know? Linda wondered, twisting restlessly in bed. She didn't really know any of these people. If she knew them better, if she could talk to someone who knew them and who couldn't gain anything by Mrs. Bates's deathLinda's mind checked over the people at the dinner party, but they were all related. No, the general wasn't related. He wasn't even originally Mrs. Bates's friend. Linda remembered Mrs. Bates telling her that General Barthemeles had been her husband's friend. Surely he would have nothing to gain by Mrs. Bates's death. Linda thought about his clothing and the finely engraved card he had given her. He had means of his own. The general. Linda sighed with relief. Her eyes closed. At last she slept.
If Linda had ever been in any doubt about Mrs. Bates's shrewdness, the events of Monday would have wiped it out. She had scarcely had time to finish her breakfast coffee when she was summoned to Mrs. Bates's bedroom. The old lady looked even more like a Kewpie doll

 
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