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Page 203
suspicions. "I was only having a casual drink with Donald. What can I do for you?"
"That Rose-Anne." Mrs. Bates sighed. "Oh, well, since you are here . . . Will you run up and tell Gertrude not to wait up for me?" The old lady smiled impishly. "I have finally found some satisfactory partners and, since I don't feel at all tired, I intend to play for a while."
Linda nodded and was about to ask whether she should come back, but the cards had been dealt and Mrs. Bates reached for her hand. To distract a bridge player, Linda knew, was almost as heinous as making noise on a golf course before a crucial putt, so she withdrew softly.
A tap on Mrs. Bates's door got no response. Linda knocked a little louder, but still received no reply. Her first guess was that Gertrude had gone out, but just as she turned away she had second thoughts. It wasn't like Gertrude to leave without letting Mrs. Bates know. Linda thought the maid might be in the bathroom, and she tried the door. It swung open at once. That was a sure sign that Gertrude was somewhere in the suite. She would never leave the door unlocked.
The sitting room was empty. Linda went to the tiny writing desk to sit down and wait a few moments. She knew well enough that nothing was more annoying than being interrupted while in the bathroom, and she had no intention of sitting on the soft chairs and creasing the cushions that Gertrude no doubt had fluffed

 
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