In the Still of the Night

of the table. “Mrs. Ethridge has died.“ A gasp went around the table. “Oh, no!“ Raymond said. “Was it her heart?”
    Again, Lily said she didn’t know. “The coroner is on his way. So is the police chief. I suppose he has to see to any unexpected death. There’s nothing to worry about, but I’d suggest we all stay in here for a while and let Robert take care of things. The police chief might want to ask us questions. And perhaps, Cecil, you could delay your search for just a little while. Until...“ She was about to say, “Un- til the body is taken away,“ but altered it to, “Until everything’s taken care of.“
    “She wasn’t old enough to die of heart troubles, was she?“ Rachel said, looking stunned.
    “Anybody can die of a bad heart,“ Raymond said. “A friend of mine’s father died at thirty-five from a bad heart.“ He got up from the table and took Lily’s hand. “I’m so sorry this has happened. You must realize than none of consider it your fault in any way. These things happen. It’s a pity it happened when you had guests.”
    Lily nearly melted at his firm grasp of her hand and his understanding. She had to hold back her tears. “Still, it’s very awkward,“ she sniffled.
    “Not at all,“ Raymond assured her. “Now sit down and relax. We’ll just let the authorities do whatever needs to be done.”
    Lily had found Raymond a virtual stranger until now. The suave, handsome and sophisticated man about-town he’d become had erased her memory of what a nice, considerate young man he’d been when they’d both been at school. Now she remembered. And was grateful.
    The police chief and coroner arrived with a couple of deputies and crashed around in the entry hall. The table of guests fell silent. Lily caught another familiar voice as well. Jack Summer. The editor of the Voorburg-on-Hudson Times. How did he know so quickly? Probably his deputy sheriff second cousin Ralph told him there had been a death at Grace and Favor. He’d done that once before, the busybody!
    They could faintly hear footsteps and muffled conversations in the hall above. It was only a quarter of an hour later when the police chief arrived in the dining room, though it seemed like hours.
    “Good afternoon,“ he said, “I’m Chief Howard Walker. I have a few questions to ask of you. I wonder if Miss Brewster would come along first and find a room for us to use.”
    Mr. Prinney, who had been as silent as the grave and watching Lily carefully, said, “You can use my office on the other side of the entry hall. I’ll show you where it is.”
    He ushered Howard Walker and Lily to the small office and snagged Robert along the way. Robert had been standing at the foot of the stairs, glancing periodically up the stairs.
    Mr. Prinney unlocked his office door, showed them all into the room and took a seat at his desk.
    Chief Walker sat in a chair with his back to the window so he could see everyone in a good light. “Mr. Prinney, I prefer to talk to people in the house individually,“ Walker said.
    “I know you must want to, but I can’t allow it in this case. I’m the Brewsters’ attorney and the executor of the estate. I’m afraid I have to stay and hear what you ask.”
    Walker, a young man who looked vaguely American Indian, had been the town council’s choice of replacement for the former police chief, a slovenly, stupid man. Walker was the opposite in every way. He was well dressed in a blue suit, crisp white shirt and red tie. He knew as well as anyone that his most fervent supporter in the town council’s choice of him as chief of police was Mr. Prinney.
    “I suppose it won’t hurt. But I do need to know about this woman who died here.“ He took out a small black notebook from an inside jacket pocket, rummaged for a pencil and opened the notebook. “We have no secrets,“ Mr. Prinney said.
    “Very good. Was she a friend of the family or relative?“
    “No,“ Lily said. “I had met her once as a child. She heard that we were having Julian West, the writer, as a guest with the others and invited herself.“
    “So you know very little about her?“ Walker asked.
    “Not very much at all. I kept her note somewhere. I can give you her address so you can notify someone at her home. I believe she has a brother in the City. The brother’s driver brought her in a car of his.“
    “When did she retire to her room last night?”
    Lily thought back. “I walked upstairs with her at about