The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1836

Arabella heard their words and her lips curled into a smile. "I really have no intention to play the hero."

"We don't need his pathetic clues. What if all the important information on that phone has been wiped clean? We could be saving Serena for nothing." Sean was nobody’s fool, and he certainly wasn't about to let his sister exhaust herself helping someone who didn’t deserve it.

Given Martin's character, he wouldn't do anything to betray Serena, but he was acutely aware that only that cellphone could potentially save her life.

Chances were, he'd have taken a good look through Erik's phone, memorized the important stuff, deleted it, and then handed over a practically useless phone to them.

It would be nothing more than acting out a formality.

It was therefore better not to bother at all.

"But what if Erik didn’t die by his own hand, but forced by someone pulling the strings? What does that tell us?"

As soon as Hans finished his question, Kenneth and Louisa said in unison, "It means the puppet master is getting antsy!"

He was rushing to get rid of Erik.

And when people rush, they tend to slip up.

Hans nodded, "That's why Bella had the servants continue to guard Erik, to keep his death under wraps, away from prying eyes. If the puppet master wanted Erik dead, and Erik wasn't dead, they'd surely send someone to see what's up, likely to tie up loose ends."

"Let's go with my sis's plan," Hans looked at Arabella with approval and admiration. No matter what happened, his sister never panicked.

"Just one thing." Louisa suddenly expressed concern, "I called Martin earlier and he knows Erik is dead. What if, in his desperation to save Serena, he spills to the mastermind?"

"He doesn't know who the puppet master is, what we're up to, or that Erik's death is actually useful to us. So, it's highly unlikely he'd play that card." Arabella assured her.

"But what if he does?" Louisa was still worried, ruing her impulsiveness to confront Martin on the spur of the moment, risking their well-laid plans.

"What's the big deal? You called him; I'll just give him a warning," Sean said, his penchant for boldness no secret.