Death Brings a Shadow by Rosemary Simpson

Author:Rosemary Simpson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2019-10-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

“I want to start with Queen Lula,” Prudence began, pouring herself a second cup of coffee.

“I spoke to her yesterday,” Geoffrey said. “Other than to repeat the warnings we already heard about, she didn’t have much to add to what we already know.” He stirred a lump of butter into the bowl of grits he hadn’t been able to persuade Prudence to sample.

“You may have talked to her, but I haven’t,” she insisted. “With time as tight as it is before Philip will force us to leave, we need to split up. Why don’t you go to Wildacre today and I’ll ride to Queen Lula’s?”

“You know that’s not going to happen.”

“I don’t see why not.” Prudence took the derringer out of her skirt pocket and laid it on the table.

“The best you can do with that in the woods is accidentally shoot yourself in the foot,” Geoffrey said. “You need a rifle.”

“I’ll use the one I carried when we searched for Eleanor.”

“I will not let you go alone,” Geoffrey said, “and that’s final. Rifle or no rifle, I come with you. There’s no point arguing, Prudence.” He poured another cup of coffee, then settled back in his chair. “I think you’d better tell me whatever it is you’re hiding,” he said quietly.

“I’m not sure where to begin, Geoffrey,” she said, relieved that he’d brought up what she’d hesitated to talk about. “I didn’t handle the situation very well.” She told him about waking up before dawn, walking out onto the veranda, seeing what she at first thought was the ghost of Eleanor at the chapel door. “That sounds ridiculous now, but for just a moment I was willing to believe she’d come back from the dead.”

“You were probably half asleep.”

“That’s kind of you. I still feel foolish. But I swear to you, Geoffrey, I never expected what I found in the chapel.”

“Which was—?”

“A young woman was there arranging the white roses Teddy sends every morning. I blurted out Eleanor’s name. I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Then what happened?”

“She told me she was called Minda.” Prudence’s face flushed bright red. “Geoffrey, she looks so much like Eleanor she could be her twin, but as soon as she opened her mouth I knew how wrong I was.”

“What do you mean?”

“She speaks the way the Seapoint maids do.”

“I think you met one of the unacknowledged Bennetts Preacher Solomon hinted at,” Geoffrey said. “If she’s not the only one on the island, I suspect they were given the word to stay out of sight of the Yankee wedding party.”

“So embarrassing questions wouldn’t be asked?”

“That would be my guess.”

“I want to find out what Queen Lula knows about her and anything else she can tell us about the Bennetts. Queen Lula is the best link we have to Aunt Jessa, and Aunt Jessa leads directly to Eleanor.”

“I can’t quarrel with your logic,” Geoffrey said. “But we’ll do it together, Prudence.”

“The resemblance must be coincidental, but it’s made me think. My father used to say that witnesses

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