A Will and a Way

her. “I’m counting the days.”
    With a sweep of her skirts, Pandora walked over to Ginger. “I don’t know how I manage to hold my temper with that man.”
    Ginger checked her face in a pretty silver compact. “I’ve always thought he was kind of cute.”
    “You haven’t had to live with him. We were hardly together a week when he broke into my workshop and vandalized it. Then he tried to pass the whole thing off as the work of a vagrant.”
    Ginger frowned and touched a bit of powder to her nose. “It didn’t seem like something he’d do to me. I told—” She caught herself and looked back at Pandora with a vague smile. “Those are pretty earrings.”
    Michael steeled himself to listen to Morgan’s terse opinion on the stock market. The moment he found an opening, he broke in. “Once everything’s settled, I’ll have to come to you for advice. I’ve been thinking about getting more actively involved with one of Jolley’s chemical firms. There’s a lot of money in fertilizer—and pesticides.” He watched Patience flutter her hands and subside at a glare from Morgan.
    “Software,” Morgan said briefly.
    Michael only smiled. “I’ll look into it.”
    Pandora tried unsuccessfully to pump Ginger. The five-minute conversation left her suspicious, confused and with the beginnings of a headache. She decided to try her luck on Biff.
    “You’re looking well.” She smiled at him and nodded at his wife.
    “You’re looking a bit pale, cousin.”
    “The past six months haven’t been a picnic.” She cast a look at Michael. “Of course, you’ve always detested him.”
    “Of course,” Biff said amiably.
    “I’ve yet to discover why Uncle Jolley was fond of him. Besides being a bore, Michael has an affection for odd practical jokes. He got a tremendous kick out of locking me in the cellar.”
    Biff smiled into his glass. “He’s never quite been in our class.”
    Pandora bit her tongue, then agreed. “Do you know, he even called me one night, disguising his voice. He tried to frighten me by saying someone was trying to kill me.”
    Biff’s brows drew together as he stared into Pandora’s eyes. “Odd.”
    “Well, things are almost settled. By the way, did you enjoy the champagne I sent you?”
    Biff’s fingers froze on his glass. “Champagne?”
    “Right after Christmas.”
    “Oh yes.” He lifted his glass again, studying her as he drank. “So it was you.”
    “I got the idea when someone sent Michael a bottle at Christmastime. He promises to finally open it tonight. Excuse me, I want to check on dinner.”
    Her eyes met Michael’s briefly as she slipped from the room.They’d set his scene, she thought. Now she had to move the action along. In the kitchen she found Sweeney finishing up the final preparation for the meal.
    “If they’re hungry,” Sweeney began. “they’ll just have to wait ten minutes.”
    “Sweeney, it’s time to turn off the main power switch.”
    “I know, I know. I was just finishing this ham.”
    Sweeney had been instructed to, at Pandora’s signal, go down to the cellar, turn off the power, then wait exactly one minute and turn it on again. She had been skeptical about the whole of Michael and Pandora’s plan but had finally agreed to participate in it. Wiping her hands on her apron, the cook went to the cellar door. Pandora took a deep breath and walked back to the library.
    Michael had positioned himself near the desk. He gave Pandora the slightest of nods when she entered. “Dinner in ten minutes,” she announced brightly as she swept across the room.
    “That gives us just enough time.” Michael took the stage and couldn’t resist starting with a tried and true line. He didn’t have to see Pandora to know she was taking her position. “You all must be wondering why we brought you here tonight.” He lifted his glass and looked from one face to the next. “One of you is a murderer.”
    On cue, the lights went out and pandemonium struck. Glasses shattered, women screamed, a table was overturned. When the lights blinked on, everyone froze. Lying half under the desk, facedown, was Pandora. Beside her was a letter opener with a curved, ornate hilt and blood on the blade. In an instant Michael was beside her, lifting her into his arms before anyonehad a chance to react. Silently, he carried her from the room. Several minutes passed before he returned, alone. He gazed, hot and hard, at every face in the room.
    “A murderer,” he repeated.