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John DeChancie{7A7127F2-6985-
Does that mean he had her executed?
Well, everyone my other sister, Dorcas, and I, along with the more distant
relatives we all took it to mean that Ferne had been dispatched to her
heavenly reward, to phrase it kindly if not plausibly.
Sheila sighed. Well, that eliminates her as a suspect, I guess. And if it s
not her, then I haven t the foggiest clue who it could be.
On the other hand, you do have a castle full of people Trent nodded toward
Snowclaw, who had taken a seat on the sofa and other gentle beings. No end
of suspects. As far as motives, well, there you have a problem.
Trent suddenly rose and walked to the fireplace, behind the glass doors of
which a cheery fire glowed and crackled.
There is one other possibility, Trent said, looking deep into the flames.
Sheila looked at Snowclaw. They waited.
I know my brother, Trent said finally. He just might not have killed her.
He gave a rueful chuckle.
I have to confess that I would have, without hesitation or remorse. She
nearly destroyed everything, including the castle. He shook his head, still
staring into the fire. Reckless, reckless woman.
Presently Trent returned to his seat. But Incarnadine has a soft spot for
her, always did. I ve always suspected he might be in love with her. He s
never let on, though. If so, I don t blame him. As you know, she s something
to look at.
Oh, she s beautiful, Sheila said. That made her even more scary.
And I ve always suspected that the feeling was mutual, between the two of
them. All very repressed, of course, at least on Incarnadine s side.
So she could be alive. She could even be in the castle somewhere.
It s a possibility, Trent said, but a slim one. Mind you, Incarnadine is an
able ruler, and a wise one.
He wouldn t compromise his security and the security of the crown for the sake
of personal feelings, his own or anyone else s. Trent leaned back in his
chair. At least, I don t think he would.
You should know your own brother & er, Your Royal Highness.
Trent laughed. Forget the honorifics. This is Earth. This is America, after
all.
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Sorry. It s just that I don t get to talk to princes every day.
You should be so lucky every day.
Sheila giggled. I kind of like it.
Trent gave her an engaging smile. Well, it s easy playing Prince Charming to
so charming a lady.
Sheila melted a little inside, then tried to put romantic thoughts out of her
mind.
Of course, Trent went on, there s always me as a suspect.
Sheila reddened. Sir, there s never been any doubt in my mind
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Oh, but there should be! His Royal Highness chuckled. I have the motive,
the means, and no end of opportunity. I should be number one on your suspect
list. In fact, when you called, I assumed you were coming here to play
detective.
Oh, no, that wasn t the reason at all, Sheila protested. I wouldn t
presume. It s just that we need help, and with Lord Incarnadine away
I understand. Sorry, I shouldn t be kidding around. I realize this is a
serious matter, what with your friend involved.
We re worried, sir. And we do need help.
Please, don t call me sir. I got out of the prince business long ago.
Trent will do.
Certainly & Trent.
That s better. Sounds more like you trust me.
How could we suspect you when you helped Incarnadine against the Hosts of
Hell?
I was fighting to save Perilous, not necessarily my brother.
I see.
Trent shrugged. Just being honest. And I was only half joking about my being
a suspect.
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I trust you, Sheila said firmly.
He smiled, showing astonishingly white teeth. Thank you. And I you. He put
down his glass. Won t you stay for lunch?
We d love to, Sheila said, with deep-seated reluctance, but Linda is
working on a spell to locate Gene in the castle, and she needs all the help
she can get.
I thought you were pretty sure that Gene disappeared here.
It s just my magician s intuition again, but there is the slight possibility
Gene might have slipped past the guards at Halfway House. I didn t want to say
anything, but once I found both of them asleep in front of the TV.
You should have reported it, Trent said. They should be disciplined.
Well, I didn t want to get anyone in trouble. It must be boring to be stuck
in that house
That s hardly an excuse.
Gene does have a key to the place. He could have anyway it s a
possibility.
That means he could have disappeared inside the castle. By accident, I
suppose. But as Gene s a castle veteran, more likely by design.
But again the question is Who?
Well, let s go over the disappearance once again. You say Gene did board the
plane in L.A.?
Yes, as far as the airline knows.
Was anyone supposed to meet him at the airport?
Linda s not sure, but she thinks Gene told her that his dad was supposed to
pick him up.
And you can t reach his parents?
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