and put it into the wall socket.”
“Then everything went dark,” Benita added. She was so pale that I hoped she’d decide to sit down, too, before she fell down. I shivered and tried to squirm more deeply into the puffy upholstery.
Kurt frowned. “I don’t understand what happened. The judge told me what he planned to do. You were all supposed to see the topaz by candlelight. Then he’d tell you to blow out your candles, and in the next instant he’d turn on the lamp.” He turned to Norton. “But you just said that you saw him plug in the lamp. How could you see this?”
I spoke up. “I was afraid of the dark so I waited to blow out my candle.”
“But Benita said it went dark when the judge plugged in the lamp.”
“Somebody shoved me, and I dropped the candle holder, and the candle went out.”
“Who shoved you?”
“I don’t know. Everybody seemed to push forward at the same time.”
Benita shuddered and in a small voice said, “Someone pushed me too.”
The lamp was lying on its side. Aldo stooped to pick it up. His fingers slid along the cord, and he held up the plug end for us to see. The wrapping around the cord had been sliced and peeled back. “Judge Arlington-Hughes was upset that the lamp hadn’t been plugged in,” Aldo said. “Apparently he didn’t see the state of this cord. When he plugged in the lamp his fingers must have connected with the bare wire.” He dropped the cord. “It looks as though he was electrocuted.”
“It’s the fault of that awful lamp! Where did it come from?” Madelyn demanded.
“It belong to me,” Ellison said. “The judge say he wants a spotlight, and that was the only lamp around here could do it. I got it out of the storeroom. Nobody been using it for a long time, but I didn’t see nothing wrong with the cord. Somebody maybe could have done that to the cord. On purpose.”
Kurt frowned as he thought. “I’m sure there was nothing wrong with that cord when I put the lamp there.”
“Did you plug in the lamp?” Aldo asked.
“I thought I had. I was supposed to. But the judge was wanting me to do one thing after another, and I may have forgotten.”
“The assumption that the cord was stripped is ridiculous,” Madelyn said. “That would mean that someone deliberately …” She didn’t finish the sentence.
Norton stared at Kurt, “Someone who knew what the judge’s plan was to be.”
Kurt took a step backward. “I didn’t kill the judge! Sure, I knew about his plan in advance. So did Ellison. But the rest of you could figure it out as soon as you saw the table all draped up with that black velvet and the lamp next to it. It could have been anyone here in this room!”
Every now and then the candles flickered. Each time they did our shadows leapt and jumped as though they were involved in a crazy kind of dance. I wrapped my arms around my shoulders, hugging myself, fighting against the cold that shivered like streaks of lightning up and down my back.
“This makes no sense,” Madelyn said. “Why should someone kill Justin?”
“For the artifact,” Benita said.
“But we were going to bid for it.”
Benita shrugged. “Maybe someone didn’t want to take the chance of losing it.”
“But who would want it enough to murder for it?”
“You ought to know the answer to that,” Benita said slowly. “Getting possession of it for the Sartington meant a great deal to you, didn’t it, Madelyn?”
I gasped, remembering another acquisition Madelyn had mentioned not long ago. But “I would have killed to get it” had to be a figure of speech. Surely Madelyn wouldn’t really murder anyone.
Madelyn could have won a prize in a haughtinesscontest Coolly she said, “You’re being absurd, as usual, Benita. If you attempt to think logically—if that’s possible—you’ll realize that I’m the one person who would not have murdered to get possession of the stone. The Sartington collection is open to the public. Ergo, the
“Then everything went dark,” Benita added. She was so pale that I hoped she’d decide to sit down, too, before she fell down. I shivered and tried to squirm more deeply into the puffy upholstery.
Kurt frowned. “I don’t understand what happened. The judge told me what he planned to do. You were all supposed to see the topaz by candlelight. Then he’d tell you to blow out your candles, and in the next instant he’d turn on the lamp.” He turned to Norton. “But you just said that you saw him plug in the lamp. How could you see this?”
I spoke up. “I was afraid of the dark so I waited to blow out my candle.”
“But Benita said it went dark when the judge plugged in the lamp.”
“Somebody shoved me, and I dropped the candle holder, and the candle went out.”
“Who shoved you?”
“I don’t know. Everybody seemed to push forward at the same time.”
Benita shuddered and in a small voice said, “Someone pushed me too.”
The lamp was lying on its side. Aldo stooped to pick it up. His fingers slid along the cord, and he held up the plug end for us to see. The wrapping around the cord had been sliced and peeled back. “Judge Arlington-Hughes was upset that the lamp hadn’t been plugged in,” Aldo said. “Apparently he didn’t see the state of this cord. When he plugged in the lamp his fingers must have connected with the bare wire.” He dropped the cord. “It looks as though he was electrocuted.”
“It’s the fault of that awful lamp! Where did it come from?” Madelyn demanded.
“It belong to me,” Ellison said. “The judge say he wants a spotlight, and that was the only lamp around here could do it. I got it out of the storeroom. Nobody been using it for a long time, but I didn’t see nothing wrong with the cord. Somebody maybe could have done that to the cord. On purpose.”
Kurt frowned as he thought. “I’m sure there was nothing wrong with that cord when I put the lamp there.”
“Did you plug in the lamp?” Aldo asked.
“I thought I had. I was supposed to. But the judge was wanting me to do one thing after another, and I may have forgotten.”
“The assumption that the cord was stripped is ridiculous,” Madelyn said. “That would mean that someone deliberately …” She didn’t finish the sentence.
Norton stared at Kurt, “Someone who knew what the judge’s plan was to be.”
Kurt took a step backward. “I didn’t kill the judge! Sure, I knew about his plan in advance. So did Ellison. But the rest of you could figure it out as soon as you saw the table all draped up with that black velvet and the lamp next to it. It could have been anyone here in this room!”
Every now and then the candles flickered. Each time they did our shadows leapt and jumped as though they were involved in a crazy kind of dance. I wrapped my arms around my shoulders, hugging myself, fighting against the cold that shivered like streaks of lightning up and down my back.
“This makes no sense,” Madelyn said. “Why should someone kill Justin?”
“For the artifact,” Benita said.
“But we were going to bid for it.”
Benita shrugged. “Maybe someone didn’t want to take the chance of losing it.”
“But who would want it enough to murder for it?”
“You ought to know the answer to that,” Benita said slowly. “Getting possession of it for the Sartington meant a great deal to you, didn’t it, Madelyn?”
I gasped, remembering another acquisition Madelyn had mentioned not long ago. But “I would have killed to get it” had to be a figure of speech. Surely Madelyn wouldn’t really murder anyone.
Madelyn could have won a prize in a haughtinesscontest Coolly she said, “You’re being absurd, as usual, Benita. If you attempt to think logically—if that’s possible—you’ll realize that I’m the one person who would not have murdered to get possession of the stone. The Sartington collection is open to the public. Ergo, the
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