to taking one.’’ For a moment I thought I would burst into tears. The grief hit me suddenly.
Sophie squeezed my arm, and I held on to my self-control. ‘‘Sorry,’’ I said, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.
‘‘Don’t apologize,’’ Marylou said, in a soft voice. ‘‘We understand.’’ She slipped an arm around me and gave me a quick hug.
‘‘Thank you,’’ I said. Then, my voice stronger, I continued. ‘‘What say we go put these things away in our suite, then come back down and play some bridge?’’ I brandished my small bag of books and the jewelry. ‘‘I don’t really want to tote these around with me.’’
‘‘An excellent idea,’’ Sophie said. She led the way to the elevator.
Exiting the elevator on our floor, we walked past the scene of the crime. The closed door to Avery Trowbridge’s suite still bore crime scene tape, and I shuddered slightly as we approached our suite.
Inside we each stowed our purchases, and as I was about to put away the bag of books, I paused. I remembered the book on the history of bridge and its section on playing cards. Perhaps I should sit down right now and study it instead of going downstairs to play bridge with the others. They probably wouldn’t think it too strange if I decided to stay here in the suite because of what had happened yesterday.
I could tell them why I wanted to stay in the suite and read this particular book, but what if I was way off base in what I was thinking? I doubted they would laugh at me for my flight of fancy. They weren’t like that. Still, I felt reluctance over sharing my ideas with them until I had more time to read and ponder. Then I could use them as a sounding board before approaching Deputy Ainsworth.
‘‘Ready?’’ Sophie asked, coming out of the bathroom after touching up her makeup.
‘‘I’ve changed my mind,’’ I said, sitting down on my bed. ‘‘Would you and Marylou mind terribly if I stayed here in the room? I think I’ll relax and read for a while.’’
Sophie’s eyes grew big with concern. ‘‘Are you okay? Do you have a headache? Nausea?’’
I laughed. ‘‘No, nothing like that. I just thought I’d like a little quiet time.’’
‘‘Okay,’’ Sophie said. ‘‘You know best, and the doctor said you shouldn’t overdo it, anyway.’’ She came over to me and gave me a quick hug. ‘‘Are you sure you wouldn’t like one of us to stay here with you, just in case?’’
‘‘No,’’ I said in a firm tone. ‘‘I’ll be fine. You two go on and play, and I’ll join you for lunch. Around one?’’
‘‘See you then,’’ Sophie said, moving toward the door but casting glances over her shoulder at me.
‘‘Go!’’ I pointed to the door. ‘‘And tell Marylou not to fuss.’’
‘‘Yes, ma’am,’’ she said, grinning.
Moments later I heard Marylou exclaiming as Sophie told her I wanted to stay in the room. Despite Sophie’s best efforts, Marylou shrugged her off and came into the bedroom. ‘‘Honey, are you sure everything’s okay?’’
Touched though I was by her concern, I was beginning to feel a bit exasperated. ‘‘I’m fine,’’ I said. ‘‘I just want to relax awhile. Go play bridge.’’ I smiled to take any sting out of my words.
‘‘If you’re sure,’’ Marylou said, still sounding doubtful.
‘‘I’m sure.’’ I made shooing motions with my hands.
‘‘See you at lunch,’’ Marylou said, shaking her head as she left the room.
Seconds later, the outer door closed behind them, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I loved them both dearly, but I also enjoyed time on my own sometimes. This was one of those times.
I picked up the bridge-history book and carried it with me into the living room. Making myself comfortable in one corner of the sofa, I switched on the lamp next to me and began to read.
The first section of the book dealt with the origin of playing cards as we know them today. Some scholars, I read, believed that cards originated in China after the invention of paper there. A few others suggested that they might have come from India, but there appeared to be little research to back that up, at least in this book.
There was dispute over when and how playing cards were introduced to Europe. Some thought it was the Mamelukes of Egypt who had brought them in the late fourteenth century. I paused for a moment, trying to remember who or what the Mamelukes were. Then I noticed a