Page 49 of Death at the Deep Dive

“I believe his uncle Barry was a far more likely suspect,” Mrs. Nelson said.

“Barry was his grandfather, dear,” Nora said.

“I mean,Vernon’suncle.”

“Oh!Yes. You’re quite right. Barry was Vernon’s uncle, and therewasbad blood between them.”

Mrs. Ferris said abruptly, “We keep skirting the question of Eudora.”

Ellery felt the weight of six pairs of eyes land on him. He raised his shoulders. “Don’t worry about me. I want the truth too.”

“Eudora didn’t murder anyone.” Nora’s dismissive tone seemed to irk Mrs. Ferris.

“You can’t possibly know that, Nora. Eudora was a grown woman, and you were a child. You can’t pretend to have been friends with her.”

“I’m not pretending anything. But I did know her a little as an adult, and I don’t believe Eudora was a murderess.”

Stanley said, “If she was, it was a one-time deal.”

“That doesn’t excuse murder, Stanley,” Mrs. Ferris protested.

“She was provoked.” Stanley glanced at Ellery and added, “If she did it. Which I doubt.”

“She did get very odd toward the end,” Mrs. Nelson mused.

“Weallget odd toward the end,” Nora retorted.

Kingston cleared his throat.

“Anyway,” Mrs. Nelson said, “they were first cousins, weren’t they? So I really can’t see how there could have been anything between them. It’s not as though this is Arkansas.”

“I think you mean Kentucky,” Mrs. Ferris said. “Or is it Alabama?”

Ellery said, “What are you talking about? Who was first cousins?”

“Vernon and Eudora,” Mrs. Nelson answered.

“Huh?”

Nora said quickly, “No. They certainly were not.”

“They certainly were!”

“They werenot.” Nora slanted Ellery a slightly harassed look. She shook her head. “No. Eudora’sfirstcousins were Oliver, Barry, Violet, Lowell, Sidney, Everett, Virgil, and Daisy. Virgil married Dana Starling, and they had Victor, Vernon, and Vera. So, no. They werenotfirst cousins.”

Mrs. Clarence inquired, “What is a second cousin once removed? Can you be a first cousin once removed? Perhaps they were first cousins once removed?”

“Vernon was certainly removed,” Stanley put in and gave a crazy cackle.

Nora, Mrs. Nelson, Mrs. Clarence, and Mrs. Ferris all glared at him.

“Ididn’t push the feller off a cliff,” Stanley protested.

Ellery put his hands up. “STOP.”

The room fell silent.

“Whois related to what? I meanwhom. AmIclosely related to the Shandys?”

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