Free The Christie Caper by Carolyn G. Hart Page B

that Since you were in the car.”
    Annie was impressed. How had the chief already heard about Emma’s car assault?
    “Stopped on a dime, I heard,” Henny said admiringly.
    “Barely,” Annie snapped. She’d been irritated with Emma at the time, but now she was furious. Shoot out her bookstore’s windows! “Listen, Chief, there’s bad blood between Emma and Bledsoe. I don’t know any details, but Emma deliberately tried to scare the hell out of him this afternoon, and I think that’s what happened again tonight”
    “You think Emma shot at Bledsoe?”
    “I sure do. This afternoon Emma stormed into Death on Demand, wanting to know why I’d invited him. I hadn’t, of course. He registered just like everybody else. According to Emma, he’s been vicious to the cozy writers and she couldn’t believe he would come to this conference.”
    “Now, Annie,” the chief chided, “there has to be more to it than that. Emma damn near ran over the man.”
    “But she
didn’t
hit him, Chief,” she emphasized. “Just like the bullets missed him tonight.”
    Saulter looked at her sharply, then scrawled rapidly in the notebook. “Yep, I get you. But why the hell?”
    “I have no idea.” Annie tried to look as limpid as Archie Goodwin defending a pretty girl to his orchid-loving, woman-hating boss. She didn’t want to drag Fleur Calloway into it.
    The chief looked at her sharply. “Buck Hughes, the doorman, swears it was deliberate. He said Emma drove an ambulance in North Africa and she for sure knew how to handle that Jaguar.”
    Max spoke indistinctly as he munched a handful of unsalted peanuts. “I’d say Emma’s always in control—of cars, herself, her world.”
    “Dear Emma. Such a
strong
personality,” Laurel murmured.
    Saulter rubbed his nose thoughtfully. “Spite, huh?” Annie could see the tension easing out of his shoulders. After all, using a gun to scare someone was reprehensible, but it was a lot less worrisome than attempted murder. “It’s sure possible. Emma left the store before Bledsoe.”
    Annie managed not to look as satisfied as she felt. She hoped Saulter went straight to Emma’s mansion and roustedher out of bed for a third degree. This appealing vision didn’t last long. Saulter wasn’t that kind of lawman.
    Annie couldn’t resist adding, “It almost
has
to be Emma. How could anybody else in the store have known Bledsoe was coming to the reception? And why would anybody come to a conference packing a twenty-two?”
    Henny made a judicious
harumph.
    Annie had an instant visual image of Mr. Justice Wargrave, the redoubtable hanging judge in the novel version of
And Then There Were None.
    Henny added a dry little cough. “Necessary to look at all the evidence.”
    Every eye was on her as Henny delved into her purse and brought out a sheaf of papers. Thumbing briskly, she said, “Aha! Important exhibit here.”
    Annie snarled, “Barristers offer exhibits. Not judges.”
    Everybody ignored her. All eyes were on Henny.
    Annie immediately recognized the pale apricot sheet Henny thrust at Saulter. It was the third status report Annie’d mailed to all who had pre-registered for the conference. “Back side,” Henny instructed briskly. “List of authors expected to attend.”
    Saulter looked at her inquiringly.
    “Bledsoe’s listed.”
    Annie started to protest.
    Henny continued decisively, “Nonfiction authors are included. He has a book out on the hero in detective fiction.”
    Annie subsided. To tell the truth, she hadn’t paid any particular attention to names unfamiliar to her when she checked the list that Ingrid had compiled from registrations.
    “Point is,” Henny concluded in that dry, unemotional tone, “everyone coming to the conference got that sheet and could have known Bledsoe would be here—and brought along a twenty-two pistol. And since Bledsoe’s obviously intent on causing trouble, it was a safe bet he’d show up at the reception tonight.”
    “Oh,