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</div><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">Rikkie presented the list of guests and her note about people that had not come through the front door to Miss Widcombe.  The little maid nervously waited as the older woman took it from her and then began to audibly read.  After Miss Widcombe had finished, the woman then asked, <span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(255, 102, 255)">"You?"</span><br/>
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Rikkie didn't understand.  It was the second time today that Miss Widcombe had asked her a question that she couldn't answer straight away.<br/>
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Miss Widcombe elaborated on her question, <span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(255, 102, 255)">"Who's that 'you' might be?"</span><br/>
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<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(247, 218, 100)">"Ah.., ah..,"</span> Rikkie softly stammered a little as she was figuring out what the other woman meant.<br/>
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Just as Rikkie realized what Miss Widcombe wanted to know, Miss Widcombe made a hurtful remark about the 'cat' having caught Rikkie's tongue.  Rikkie apologized for not being clear that she was first addressing Miss Widcombe by name, because the note was for her, and then indicating Miss Widcombe with the pronoun, 'you'.  In her mind, Rikkie knew that Miss Widcombe wasn't being fair but somehow the woman's words still made Rikkie feel inadequate.<br/>
<br/>
The woman seemed somewhat satisfied, for now, and left Rikkie standing there while she walked up the stairs.<br/>
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Upon her return to the parlor, Miss Daniels asked Rikkie if there was a spare uniform that she might use.  Rikkie and her mother had moved out of the mansion a few days after Marcus Widcombe's suicide.  The death had, understandably, rattled her mother.  The apartment to where they had moved did not have the storage space of their quarters in the mansion and they didn't know if they would be using the same uniforms whenever they managed to be hired again, so there were still some of their things here in the mansion that they had not yet put into a public storage.  She nodded to Miss Daniels and hurriedly went to the quarters that she'd previous shared with mother.<br/>
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Rikkie knew that her own size four clothes would be much too small for Miss Daniels to fit into and move about comfortably.  Mother was a half foot taller than Rikki and a little rounder.  Mother's size eight uniform dress would certainly be a closer fit for the taller young woman.  It took a few minutes to get there and back, but Rikkie was soon back in the parlor and handed Miss Daniels the dress that she had requested.<br/>
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She then went over to the sofa, to hold Ms. Ishimoto's hand and attempted to assure the mother-to-be that everything would be alright, even though Rikkie was not so sure that things really would be alright.  Rikkie still felt a little strange from her time in the study.</span><br/><br/>*  *  *  *<br/><br/><div class="bbm_float fright" style="float:right;margin:0 0 5px 10px">
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</div><span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">Karl had opted to continue up to the third floor and check the rooms there, before going back to ckeck the rooms on the second floor.  On the third floor, Karl did actually find an open window, which he closed, but just one.  The mechanics of air-flow suggested to his mind that there could also be another window open and he continued his tour of the mansion.  There were no more open windows on the third floor.<br/>
<br/>
Returning to the second floor, Karl again made a full reconnaissance of every room.  He saw that the door to Grace's room was shut and would save that room for last.  The second floor also had one open window and Karl closed that one as well.  As far as he could tell, no one else was in the mansion.  Now he returned to Grace's room and gently knocked on the door, saying,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)"> "Grace?  It's Karl."</span><br/>
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Karl didn't hear a response.  It might have been that Grace either wasn't there or was taking a powder in the en suite bathroom.  Karl opened the door to find Grace sitting on the edge of the bed.  With guests downstairs, he doubted that this was an opportunity regarding 'the envelope' (<i>Christ, now she had him using that euphimism!</i>) but Grace was often unpredictable.  She looked as if she might be momentarily lost in some thought.<br/>
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<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)">"Grace,"</span> he softly reported,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)"> "I found a couple of open windows.  Nothing else."</span></span>