"Just lead me around the room," she said.
"Yes, ma"am," he replied.
He led her to the globe and stopped. "Here?" he asked.
"Go on," she muttered.
"Yes, ma"am."
He led her to the fireplace and then along the fieldstone wall. He gestured toward me fireplace with his left hand.
"Here?" he asked.
She gestured irritably for him to keep on moving.
"Yes, ma"am/" he said.
"I"m not going to wait too long on this," the Sheriff told her.
"Hold on," she said.
Max led her to the desk and gestured toward it.
Ca.s.sandra grimaced and shook her head.
He led her to the suit of armor, stopped.
She shook her head.
He led her to the guillotine.
She shook her head.
With a bored sigh, he led her to the casket, stopped.
He waited, then began to move again.
She released his wrist, a look of sweet revenge on her face.
"I knew his pulse beat wouldn"t change," she told me Sheriff. "He"s too good at controlling it. He forgot his mus- cular reaction, though."
She is clever, I thought uneasily.
158 Richard Matbason
As she finished speaking, a roar of thunder sounded in the distance. Lightning flashed.
The storm was getting closer.
"Mrs. Delacorte/" said Plum.
She pointed at the casket.
"He never keeps it closed," she said.
"But you can see inside," Plum told her.
Ca.s.sandra"s pointing finger shifted toward the lower portion of tile casket.
"Not down there," she said.
Max spluttered with contemptuous amus.e.m.e.nt. His dis- tress at the uncovering of his shrine to Adelaide seemed ended now; he had his equanimity back.
"You can"t be serious," he said.
He looked at Plum.
"I could conceal the body in a dozen different places, Grover," he said. "But in a casket right in front of you?"
He directed a hooded-eyed smile at Ca.s.sandra.
"Norn de Dieu, ma pet.i.te," he said.
His voice grew harsh.
"I"m referring to the size of your brain/ of course," he added-
Ca.s.sandra was trying in vain to open the casket.
"Make him unlock it," she said to Plum- Plum looked at Max as though he really didn"t see the point in this but felt compelled to try it anyway.
"You have the key. Mister Delacorte?" he asked.
"Ah, it"s Mister Delacorte again," said Max. "Things are picking up."
"Will you just unlock it, please," Plum told him.
"Sheriff/" Max explained/ "mat casket is my final resting- place-to-be. It has a deep significance-"
Plum didn"t let him finish.
"If you force me to get a warrant," he said, "I swear to G.o.d I"ll break it open with an axe."
Now YM See It, 159
"You-will-not," said Max/ offended.
Even so/ he hesitated for several moments more before re- moving a key from the right-hand pocket of his smoking jacket and tossing it to Plum, who, startled, was barely able to s.n.a.t.c.h it from the air.
Was this it, then? I wondered. Trepidation held me tight.