King of Murder by Betsy Byars Page B

school, but at the last minute, it was decided that I would attend the private school, too—it was a gift from her parents. My mother wouldn’t let me refuse—she said it would be ungrateful.”
    Herculeah took a step backward, away from the table with the knife. Gilda followed, too intent on her story to notice she was being led away from her weapon.
    â€œAll my life it was like that. The first real happiness I had in life was at Magnolia Downs. I made real friends. I had a nickname for the first time in my life. I was Gilda. People liked me. I had my Tai Chi class.”
    â€œBut if you were so happy—”
    Gilda interrupted. “I wasn’t going to be happy for long.”
    â€œWhy? What happened?”
    â€œOn that day—the day of the murder—Rebecca asked to see me. She said she had a surprise.
    â€œI went and she was in the library at her desk. Spread out before her were papers.
    â€œâ€˜Look,’ she said. I walked around the desk and looked down.
    â€œâ€˜Isn’t it wonderful!’ she said. ‘I’m going to be at Magnolia Downs with you. I’ve bought the Magnolia suite. They’re renovating it for me. It has a lovely living room.’ She pointed to the picture of a beautiful, spacious room. She said, ‘I can have parties there, and—I was saving this for a surprise, but I have to tell you. It’s too good to keep. I’ve been taking Tai Chi classes. I have a private teacher and I’ve caught on so quickly I’ll be able to help you teach your classes.’
    â€œAnd I remember nothing of the next few moments. I only know that I looked down and there was a knife in my hand and Rebecca had been stabbed—I had just stabbed her once—and she was dead.”
    Herculeah took another measured step backward. She held her breath. Yes! Gilda followed.
    â€œI ran out of the house. The knife was still in my hand, and I flung it aside. I got into my car and drove away. On the way home I lost control of the car and struck a tree. I wasn’t wearing a seat belt—I was too upset—and my face struck the steering wheel. When I got back to the Downs I was in shock, trembling, incoherent—and bloody. I got a lot of sympathy for my accident, and the nurse checked me into the infirmary at once.”
    â€œDid the police come?”
    â€œNo, it wasn’t a serious accident.”
    â€œI meant about the murder.”
    â€œRebecca’s body wasn’t discovered until Monday, when the maid arrived. From Friday till Monday I was in and out of consciousness. I kept calling her name—Rebecca, Rebecca. And they tried to reach her—everyone at the Downs knew she was my best friend—but of course they couldn’t. I had such dreams that I actually believed the murder hadn’t happened.”
    â€œUntil the police came.”
    â€œYes, I knew what I’d done then, and I expected I would be arrested. My prints were on the knife, but that was the strange thing. They didn’t find the knife. I had thrown it on the lawn in full view of anyone who came up the walkway, but they didn’t find it.”
    â€œAnd they never found it.”
    â€œNo. If they had, I would have been arrested.”
    â€œBut your clothes! Her blood must have been on your clothes. Didn’t the police ask about that?”
    â€œBy the time the police came to the Downs, the clothes had been washed, and all traces of blood—hers and mine—had disappeared.”
    â€œThat’s quite a story,” Herculeah said. “You got away with murder.”
    â€œNot yet I haven’t. That’s why I’m here.”
    Herculeah’s hair was beginning to frizzle. That meant the danger was real.
    â€œI’m going to take the knife”—she glanced back to the table where it lay—“I’m going to wipe off my prints, and put it where it will be sure to be found.”
    â€œLike