I thought briefly about dashing the contents of my water glass in her face, but that would be childish.
Instead, I rose from my seat and picked up my bag. ‘‘Will, thank you for a delightful conversation. I enjoyed every minute of it.’’ I let my gaze rest upon Lorraine, and she stared back at me. I molded my face into an expression that I had seen my mother use more times than I could count. I called it her ‘‘I just saw a nasty bug’’ face. I held it for a few seconds. Then I smiled.
Lorraine blinked and the color rose quickly in her face. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
‘‘Have a nice day,’’ I said, turned, and walked away. Behind me I heard what sounded like smothered laughter.
I probably should have been ashamed of myself for behaving like that, but I actually enjoyed it. Lorraine Trowbridge was a nasty woman, and I wasn’t going to waste any remorse over her. I did feel awfully sorry for her son, though.
Lorraine Regina Trowbridge, I remembered. Because of the woman’s shoddy behavior, I had briefly forgotten what Will told me.
Regina. An anagram of ‘‘Argine.’’ The queen of diamonds in the Rouen tradition of naming the face cards.
Maybe Avery was trying to tell us that Lorraine was the killer. He even called her that, according to what Will had said. Other people might be aware of the nickname, too, so Avery could count on someone informing the authorities.
I was so lost in thought that I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. Suddenly, I felt hands on my arms, and someone said, ‘‘Hang on, Emma.’’
I stopped and focused. ‘‘Sophie, Marylou,’’ I said. ‘‘I’m sorry, I forgot all about you.’’
‘‘We know,’’ Sophie said with a laugh.
‘‘We saw you in the dining room with Will Trowbridge, ’’ Marylou said, ‘‘and you seemed so wrapped up in your conversation we decided not to interrupt.’’
‘‘What on earth were you two talking about so intensely? ’’ Sophie asked.
As we talked, Sophie and Marylou led me in the direction of the ballroom.
‘‘History,’’ I said. ‘‘Will told me that he’s a history major, and his favorite period is Elizabethan England. That’s what we were talking about.’’
‘‘I might have known,’’ Sophie said, shaking her head. ‘‘No wonder you didn’t see us.’’
I laughed. ‘‘No, sorry.’’
‘‘What do you think of Will?’’ Marylou asked. We had reached the ballroom, and we stood to one side of the doors, still in the corridor.
‘‘He’s a very nice young man with a nasty shrew for a mother,’’ I said, and I told them how Lorraine had behaved when she joined us at the table.
‘‘What a cow,’’ Sophie said. ‘‘I would call her something worse, but Marylou would have a fit.’’ She grinned.
Marylou laughed. ‘‘I don’t know—in this case I might let you get away with it. How could she treat her own son that way?’’ She shook her head. ‘‘That poor boy.’’
‘‘So you don’t think he’s the killer?’’ Sophie dropped her voice to a whisper as several people walked past us into the ballroom.
‘‘No, I don’t think so,’’ I said. ‘‘Look, I’ve got a lot to tell you. Can we skip playing bridge for a little while? We need to talk, and we ought to do it in private.’’
‘‘Of course,’’ Marylou said. ‘‘Let’s go upstairs.’’
Sophie led the way to the elevator, and we were soon on our way upstairs. ‘‘Can’t you give us a hint?’’ Sophie asked as we stepped out onto our floor.
I looked around, and since there didn’t seem to be anyone about, I said, ‘‘I found what I think might be a really important clue to the killer’s identity.’’
Sophie’s eyes widened, and Marylou inhaled sharply.
‘‘We certainly don’t want to talk about it out here in the hall,’’ Marylou said, putting on speed. ‘‘Come on, I can’t wait to hear this.’’
I had never seen Marylou move quite so fast, and Sophie and I hustled to catch up to her.
We were all a little breathless by the time we reached our suite. Marylou fumbled with the key, and Sophie had to take over so we could get into the room.
‘‘Sorry,’’ Marylou said, laughing a little. ‘‘I guess I’m too excited.’’
Sophie shut the door behind us and then pointed to the sofa. ‘‘Sit down, and start talking.’’
I made myself comfortable on the sofa, while Marylou sat down at the other end. Sophie pulled a chair close and plopped down in it.
‘‘Okay,’’ I said, ‘‘this will take a little while, so just bear with me.’’
Once