Better to Eat You (15 page)

She thought she must talk to David, to many people. But she asked no more questions of Malvina, who would only lie. They rode in silence, sitting apart.

At the small hospital a nurse said that Dr. Perrott could have no visitors, not just yet.

“Tell him my-name,” purred Malvina, her eyes glistening. “Tell him Malvina is here. Please. And can someone tend to Miss Shepherd's arms?”

“Of course,” the nurse said. “If she'll come with me.”

“Go on.” Malvina gave Sarah a little shove. “We'll wait. We won't go until they let us see Edgar.”

So Sarah found herself in a treatment room. The young doctor was encouraging. He said the arms were already healing nicely. “Had a lot of bad luck up at your place lately,” he remarked cheerfully.

“Yes, it does seem so,” Sarah said steadily.

Edgar was not even badly hurt, a rib or two broken, and the shock. He said without opening his eyes, “Malvina?” His voice was completely tragic.

She slipped into the room and crouched with her face close to his. “Grandfather,” she said. “Edgar, take me away from him.”

“I?” His eyes opened.

“So … dreadful.… He … blundering.… Trying to hurt Sarah.… Hurt you.… Edgar, marry me?”

The man's chest rose and fell rapidly.

“Here. Now,” she whispered. “So I needn't go back. I never want to go back.”

“Has to be time …” His head moved. He looked astonished and a little wild.

“Then let me get the licenses … whatever it is. Blood tests. And stay in the village. I have a little money, Edgar. Enough. We can go away when you are better.”

“Malvina … Malvina …” He thrust her away so that he could see her.

“You were right. I see now. Now that this has happened. He is evil.” Her lips showed her strong beautiful teeth.

“It's horrible, Malvina,” burst Edgar. “Blundering … bumbling around with his hideous plots. Old and cruel and careless. Listening to nobody … He's like an evil baby playing with murder instead of a rattle.”

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, he is.”

“He'll come to his punishment. Oh, leave him, Malvina. Now that you know.”

“I didn't know,” she sobbed on his pillow. “I didn't know about the car. He told me to give Sarah those keys. It was for Sarah.”

“Yes,” he said with satisfaction. “Yes, it must have been for Sarah.”

“Marry me. Save me.” Her face touched his. Malvina could weep real tears. The moisture on his cheek convinced him. “You are not going to die,” she wept. “We can go away together. Money doesn't matter.”

“Mexico,” he said.

“Anywhere …”

“Somehow,” he said and now she knew she had convinced him by the purpose gathering in his body, by the rapidity of his heart.

“Don't say anything to Sarah,” she whispered. “She is here. She's coming to see you. Tell David Wakeley,” said Malvina. “Don't you see?
He
will get Sarah away from there.”

“We … can't … leave Sarah … with the old man.” Edgar looked dazed.

“No, no. But Sarah believes in him. And she will talk to him. And I'm afraid, Edgar. Until we are married. He can stop us, Edgar, if we are not careful. And he will not want me to get away. Oh, let us get away together.…”

“Get a message to Wakeley,” said Edgar with sudden vigor. “Tell him to come here. Don't you go back to the Nest.” His vigor failed and he added weakly, “Nor Sarah either.”

“I'll send her to David. Let them do as they please. I won't go back. I will always be with you. If you had died, Edgar,
I
would have died.”

“Malvina,” he said and took her left hand and put it against his face and closed his eyes.

Therefore, Malvina's right hand was free to do what she had come to do.

“I hear somebody, darling,” she said softly in a moment. “Oh, look at the flowers. How we have crushed them!”

“Malvina …”

“Do I look as if I've been crying?” She was smiling.

A nurse and Sarah came in. The nurse said, “Not much longer, please.”

“How are you feeling, Edgar?” asked Sarah gently. She tried to read in his face whether he had meant to die. He looked excited, Sarah thought. Pleased and excited.

“Well enough …”

“He's fine,” said Malvina with a catch in her voice. “Thank heavens. Nurse, may I use that vase?” She seemed tense and keyed up, too.

Sarah said, drawing closer to the bed, “We are so glad you got out of that. Grandfather sends his love.”

“Does he?” said Edgar. “How are you, Sarah?” He watched Malvina, who took the water pitcher and filled the vase and put the flowers in it.

The nurse, who remained at the door, said, “Only a minute more, I'm afraid. Dr. Perrott needs to be quiet.”

“Oh yes, we'll be going,” Malvina said brightly. “I've so much to do.” Her eyes exchanged secrets with Edgar. “Sarah, move that glass, won't you, so I can put the flowers there.”

Sarah took the water glass, which was two-thirds full, away from the small table beside the bed on which Malvina was setting the vase of flowers. She held it, wondering what to do with it, wondering what to say to Edgar.

“Pretty?” Malvina touched the flowers. “We must go, darling.”

Sarah said, “But what happened, Edgar? The car went over, we know that. Please, was there anything wrong?”

The nurse rattled warningly. Edgar answered, looking only at Malvina, “There was something wrong. Sarah, you should get married.”

“I should … what? Edgar, what do you mean?”

“It would be a good thing,” Edgar said. “And safer.” Now his face was tragic again. “Sometimes it is safer to marry. Isn't it, Malvina?”

“Edgar,” Sarah cried, “you'll have to explain …”

He began to raise himself from the bed. His eyes never left Malvina. His breathing was heavier.

“Darling,” Malvina said, “don't upset yourself. Don't worry. Everything will be all right. I will take care.”

“I'm afraid you mustn't stay,” the nurse said sharply.

“Can we do anything?” Malvina was solicitous. “Are you thirsty? Isn't there something you would like?”

“Where is his glass?” the nurse said.

Sarah had the water glass. She put it on the edge of the table, in the lee of the flower vase.

“I'll get your pitcher filled,” the nurse said. “Now, ladies, please …”

Edgar's eyes were fixed on Malvina. He looked very ill and tired now. He said, “Shall I wait for you, Malvina, a little while longer?” There was in his voice a great sadness and despair.

Sarah helplessly turned. He wasn't aware of her. She looked back. Malvina's hand was on his brow. Malvina said some soft word. Malvina kissed his brow and left his side. Sarah saw Edgar, tense and awkward, a look of hope and struggle on his face, reaching for the glass of water as the nurse bustled them out.

Gust was waiting. They got into the car. “Home, I suppose,” said Malvina. Now, suddenly, she looked exhausted.

Sarah flexed her arms a trifle. The pain was not great. “Edgar says something was
wrong,
” she said crisply. “What did he mean? What was wrong?”

“Of course something was wrong,” Malvina muttered. “We had quarreled.”

You said you hadn't, Sarah thought. But she skipped that and pressed another question. “You said you would
take care,
Malvina. Take care of what?”

“Of myself,” said Malvina savagely.

Sarah remembered Edgar's words.
Safer to marry.
What did that have to do with Malvina taking care of herself?

“What about safety?” Sarah insisted. “
Who
isn't safe?”

Malvina looked at her angrily. “People around
you,
” she snapped. “You and your jinx. You and your Jonah.”

“It's all lies,” said Sarah quietly, and she sat quietly and was borne upward toward the Nest and Grandfather.

Chapter 13

“Consuelo?” David in a phone booth was dirty and unshaven. His clothes had nearly dried upon his body.

“Davey?” Consuelo in her gaudy morning coat snuggled the phone closer. “Good morning.”

“Not so good.” His voice was grim. “Got a packet of horrors for you. Can you take it?”

Consuelo said, “Yep.” She sat down, her fleshy body quaking. “Go on, Davey.”

“Not Sarah. She's O.K. I just called the Nest. But listen, Consuelo. Sarah's car went off the road this morning with Edgar Perrot in it. He's O.K., or will be. I got to him before he drowned. Hospital now. He wasn't conscious.…”

“Wait a minute, Davey l
Sarah's car?
”

“
Exactly,
” he said. “Look, if you have any influence will you talk to this man Maxwell?”

“From the Sheriff's office?”

“Yes. I can't get anywhere. He doesn't know me. He thinks I'm a nervous swain or something. Nothing I say penetrates. We can't raise the car out of the water without heavy machinery. I doubt if there is going to be any evidence, anyhow.”

“Wait a minute, Davey. Wait a minute. Evidence of what?”

“Of murder,” said David. “Because that's what is going on. Call this Maxwell and do something. Vouch for me, at least. Will you, Consuelo? Meantime, I've got to run over to the hospital, see what I can get out of Edgar himself, and then …”

“Murder?” Consuelo said. “You mean murder for Sarah?”

“That's it. That's right.”

“Davey, for heaven's sakes …!”

“I know. I know. Get her out of there. I will. I'm going to get her out of there, Consuelo. I don't care how, either.”

“
Don't
you care,” said Consuelo fiercely. “Hit her and drag her. Anything.”

“I intend to. If I could just get one pennyworth of proof …”

“Oh, Davey, get her out of there first.”

“I
know,
” he said.

“Bring her here.”

David blessed her and hung up, thinking that it didn't cross Consuelo's mind to consider whether trouble went where Sarah came. He gathered himself and reviewed his plans. He did not like the shape of things. On the phone he had said to Gust Monteeth, “Stick as close as you can to Miss Shepherd. I'm afraid something might happen to her.”

The man had taken this bald advice with very little surprise. “I know what you mean, Mr. Wakeley,” he'd said, with a certain relish, a certain pleasure in an exchange of this kind. “Me and the Missus, we've heard Mr. Fox say he's afraid, many's the time. The little lady's had too much to take. Liable to feel pretty low in her mind. Yeah, we know that.”

“Then watch her,” David had snapped and hung up. But the old Fox had laid the ground for Sarah's suicide. Had he? Well, if Sarah had driven off the road and the car showed no incontrovertible evidence of any tampering, wouldn't the accumulation of Sarah's trouble add up to just this suspicion?

He hurried out of the drugstore across from the Sheriff's office and peered around for the taxicab he had ordered. He had no car, having hooked a ride with the Deputy and argued all the way. He'd talk to Edgar. He thought Edgar might tell him something. He thought even Edgar, stupefied and besotted as he was by his infatuation, could not deny that he and Malvina had been in dispute and immediately thereafter Malvina had, at the very least,
watched
him drive away in Sarah's car. If the car was a death trap, Edgar had not known it. But had Malvina known it? That was a good question to put to Dr. Perrott. It should have an interesting result, one way or another.

When the cab came he directed it to the hospital, and he had it wait for him, and that was a good thing because he was there four minutes. Long enough to hear how Edgar had died.

When the cab took him through the gates to the Colony Cove, David knew the Sheriff's car couldn't be far behind. He had in his hand a ring full of keys. Edgar's keys.

A rather stupid little clerk at the hospital had asked if any of Edgar's effects were needed by the family. He'd snatched the keys, signed something. It had been in his mind to search Edgar's possessions. Now he thought better of it.

He thought the confusion at the hospital would soon clear. The Deputy Sheriff would not care for this idea. He shouldn't have been given the keys. He shouldn't have taken them. In the case of a natural death, this may have been normal procedure. The little clerk hadn't realized … Edgar had been poisoned. This was murder.

Open, he thought.
Good.
At least it's open. And someone will listen, now.

He paid the cab off and ran up the nine steps into the garden. He saw Gust puttering about a vine. “Where is she?”

“Miss Sarah? She's O.K.,” Gust said. “She's with her grandpa.”

David gave him a black look, and rushed across the garden. Malvina was standing in the small foyer, face frozen, phone tight to her ear. David strode into the big room. He saw through an open door the old man in his chair in the study, only a silhouette against the light. Before his heart stopped, Sarah came, with short quick steps, out of the study; she closed that door and came toward him.

He wanted to touch her and did not dare, remembering her pain when he had touched her before. As his hands came up she saw the keys he was holding.

“Edgar's?” said Sarah, and took them. “Oh, how is he now? We saw him an hour ago. He was pretty well. You saved him.” Her face was glowing and admiring.

David thought only that he must save
her.
She must leave here alive. He didn't analyze the bare panic that now drove everything else from his mind. He said, “Sarah, will you go with me, now, quickly?”

“Go where?”

He thought of the Sheriff's car that wouldn't be far behind, whose arrival would freeze them all here, possibly. Was there time? How to shake her and shock her and get her away? He wished he dared touch her.