Brentwood (31 page)

“Here, I’ll finish yours and you can get a fresh glass. Waiter, here, double it for us both!”

Ellery was not himself. He must have been drinking before he came for her. His loud, excited voice seemed to rasp through her sensitive nerves.

Then the other two of the party arrived. A small dark girl with no back to her dress. She had vivid coloring, and her black hair was plastered wickedly to her head with points to her cheeks. She looked Betty over and raised what eyebrows she had left, pursing her lips amusedly. Betty felt herself weighed and found wanting. It made her angry. Who was this girl?

The man with her was overweight, with a bulging stomach and heavy bags under his small eyes. But the eyes twinkled when they saw Betty. He kept them on her for a full minute, and she felt as if he had seen into her soul. She barely kept herself from shuddering. She loathed him. He wore an enormous diamond on his little finger. Another in his tie. His lips were thick and full.

More drinks were brought, and some food. But Betty had no wish for food, and she lifted her glass only now and then to keep up a semblance of drinking so they would not call attention to her. The floor show that was presently put on was almost a relief to Betty, though in spite of its glitter, she was soon disgusted with the girls. In her guarded life she had never seen such girls close by before. But the show did not take the eyes of the men from herself, and she was fairly sickened by the gloating in their faces as they watched.

After the show Ellery asked the other girl if she would like to dance, and she rose and floated off with her head on his breast, her cheek to his, till they disappeared in the maze of tables.

Left alone with the other man, Betty was terribly frightened. But she mustn’t let him see it, of course. She must try to think of something to talk about until Ellery came back, and then she would demand that he take her home at once. But she couldn’t think of a thing to say, and the man was looking at her. She hated that. Of course, looks, just
looks
, couldn’t really
hurt
you, but she felt so ashamed to be sitting there! How terrible if her father, or Ted, could see her!

But she must shake this feeling off. Perhaps it only came from hearing Marjorie talk. She had wanted a try at this and now that she was getting it, she must accredit herself well. Somehow she must get out of here, and never, never let her family know what she had gone through.

The man asked her to dance, but she shook her head.

“Thank you, no, I don’t feel like dancing,” she said languidly.

He offered her cigarettes but she shook her head.

He looked puzzled.

“What are you, anyway? Don’t wannta dance, don’t wannta smoke, don’t wannta drink. Guess you’re a kind of a frost, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” said Betty, trying to keep her lips from trembling, “that’s what I am, a frost! That’s what I’m trying to be—a frost!”

He gave her another puzzled look.

“You’re deep! That’s what you are, you’re deep!” he decided.

“Yes,” said Betty quickly, “I’m deep. I’m deep water frozen over!”

“Well,” said the man, lifting his weight and moving his chair nearer to her, “I’ve got to look into this. I’ve got to get to the bottom of this and melt the ice. Let’s have a friendly little drink. Here, try my glass. Make it all the better kick for me to drink after you.” To her horror, his massive arm went around her shoulders and he lifted his own glass to her lips.

She was on the point of screaming, but she cast a quick, wild look about her and realized that she was on her own. This was the sort of thing that was common in this joint. It certainly wasn’t the kind of nightclub she had dreamed about. But whatever it was, she must work her own way out, for it was evident nobody else, not even Ellery, was going to help her out. She must use her wits, and she wouldn’t get herself anywhere by screaming.

She suddenly slid her chair away from the encircling arm and the offered glass, and looked at the man with what she frantically hoped was a bright smile.

“I’ll tell you what you can do,” she said with a shaky little voice that was trying to be cheerful. “You go and find Ellery Aiken for me and tell him I’ve been taken sick. Tell him I want him right away!”

He stared at her a minute and laughed.

“Is thish some joke?” he asked. He wasn’t exceedingly keen or he would have seen that she was frightened. But then, he had been drinking freely, and he was somewhat foggy in his perceptions.

“No!” she said sharply. “It’s true! I’m sick! Get Ellery for me quick!”

He studied her stupidly another minute, and then he said, “All rightie, darling, if you shay its sho it musht be sho! I’ll do my besht!” He got up and tottered off, but then to her horror he turned back again and, leaning over her chair, said, “You wouldn’t razyer I’d take you home, m’shelf?”

“No, thank you!” she said, drawing in a deep breath and feeling suddenly faint. The world seemed to be whirling under her.

But he went off and was lost among the dancers.

He was gone a long time, but she wasn’t alone. The informality of the place amazed her. Other men came and sat at her table, tried to get her to dance, to smoke, to drink, and it seemed hours before she finally saw Ellery steering toward her.

She had done her best with the ring of admirers that had come, laughed and talked with them in a dizzy whirl of nothings, told them all she was too tired to dance and didn’t want to drink or smoke. The truth was she was afraid. Terribly afraid. This wasn’t the kind of thing she had envisioned when she had longed to go about to the nightclubs. This must be a very lowdown resort indeed. Her estimate of Ellery had gone down a good deal, yet she was glad to see his familiar form wending its way toward her, even though unsteadily.

“Wha’s the matter, baby? Didn’ya like the millionaire I got for ya, darling? Poor fish been taking too many drinks. I’ll get ya ’nuther fella!”

“No, no! Ellery, I want to go home! I’m sick!” She shuddered and certainly did look sick.

“Aw, baby! It isn’t time ta go home. Not quite half past one yet! Never go home that soon! Take ’nuther drink, baby, an’ see if ya won’t feel better. Get ya a nice drink!”

“No!” said Betty sharply. “Ellery, if you don’t take me home at once I’ll go by myself, and I’ll tell the people at the office what kind of a place you brought me to!”

“Aw, baby! Don’t get harsh with me! I’m your own dear Ellery! You wouldn’t do that to me! Come on, baby! Have it your own way then. We’ll go home!”

She was glad she had insisted on keeping her coat with her when they came in. Ellery had a terrible time trying to find his overcoat and hat at the checking room, and finally went off with one that didn’t belong to him, but she didn’t realize until she was down in the car and they were starting off, that Ellery was really drunk. She wasn’t used to drunken men. She didn’t know what strange things they could do. But when the she saw the car start off with a leap, she was more frightened than she had ever been in her life. She wished that she had stolen away without Ellery, after the fat man had left her. Shi might have had a terrible time in finding her way out of this strange part of the city, but somewhere she could have found a policeman to direct her. She would have had to walk home, for she had not thought to bring any money with her when she came, but anything would have been better than this!

Oh, if she could only get out and run away from this maniac. He was driving like mad, whirling around corners, into alleys and backing out again. The car lurched and rode over a curbstone, jolting down again and on around another corner. She dared not ask him if he knew where he was going. She had no knowledge herself of the part of town where they were now.

At last he came up with a jerk under a street sign.

“You read that shine fer me, baby!” he cajoled. “Hurts my eyes to read in this light. Is that Ahster Street? We wanta go ta Ahster Street, don’t we?”

At last, in her terror, she begged him to let her out.

“I can easily walk from here,” she said, trying to speak pleasantly, though her heart was beating wildly.

“Na, na, can’t let ya out. Never let a lady down that way!” said the drunken knight. “We’ll jusht drive a little farther. P’raps we’ll find Ahster Street! Never let a lady out on streetsh at this time o’ night. I’m a gentleman, if I am drunk!”

He put his foot on the starter, and they whirled away like a streak again, Betty trying to still the wild beating of her heart and wishing she knew how to pray!

They were going at such a wild pace now that Betty felt that every moment might be her last. Past red lights they dashed on, and the tears rolled down Betty’s cheeks as she gripped the seat and tried to keep her balance.

There were not many cars on the road so late, else they must have come to disaster almost at once. But perhaps some guardian angel was at work protecting Betty.

They had gone a long way. Betty could not tell in the darkness now just where they were, but she steadied her voice and cried out.

“Here! Here! Isn’t this Aster Street? Yes, let’s stop here! This will do nicely.”

“This it? Okay by me! Let’s park awhile an’ get a little sleep, baby!” said the gallant knight, bringing his car up to the curb with such a flourish that he mounted the curb and headed right into the pole that held the street sign.

“Whoa there, Lizzie!” he called out as he swayed in his seat and put on the brakes. “Pardon me, shir! Shorry ta run ya down, but couldn’t be helped. Gotta get a l’il shleep!”

Betty thought the end was coming, and she had a wild thought of her mother, wondering who would tell her. The next second came the impact, and she was thrown to her knees with her head against the dashboard of the car, stunned for the minute. Then her senses returned and she could hear Ellery talking, apologizing over and over to the signpost.

“Didn’t mean ta disturb ya, shir, just hadta get a little rest. Sure, I’m okay. Not hurt. Fresh as a rose an’ twichesh as happy!” And Ellery slumped down in his corner and settled himself for a nap.

But Betty, frightened and bruised and trembling, managed to get the car door open and stumble out to the street.

She looked wildly back at Ellery, but he was unconscious of her presence. Already he was drawing long loud breaths in a drunken sleep. Then she fled up the dark street. She did not know where she was, and her legs under her were very shaky, but she must get away before Ellery came to himself and realized that she had gone. She was more afraid of him now than of any death that could come to her.

Keith Sheridan, coming home that evening from a hard drive that had taken him into the country on a road that had a long, rough detour, turned into the city at last with a sigh of relief. He was tired out and needed a good night’s rest. He had done two operations that day and had a patient who was going to die, and his nerves were on edge.

As he turned a corner, he noticed a car ahead of him being crazily driven, turning a corner on two wheels and tearing madly away. A block farther on, the same car came around another corner straight at him, and he barely avoided a collision. He swerved away from the catastrophe and looked ahead to where the car was dashing up the sidewalk. He heard the crash of the pole and the splintered glass of a windshield, heard a girl’s voice cry out in fear, and then silence!

Quickly, he drove to the spot to see if anyone was hurt. He stopped his car and listened. He heard a man talking, but there seemed to be no girl. He was about to drive on, when suddenly he saw a stealthy form like a shadow slip out the passenger door of the car and topple up the street in the shadow of the houses.

He started his car slowly again and followed, watching. It was a woman! Was there something familiar about the way she walked? No, she was almost staggering. She must be drunk! And yet—maybe it was someone in distress. He drove his car slowly and followed for another block.

And now Betty was aware of a car and tried to hurry faster. Blindly she ran, then caught her toe in a brick of the pavement and fell prostrate.

For a minute the breath was knocked from her body so that she thought she was dying, and then she felt someone lift her, and she froze with horror again. Had Ellery run after her and caught her? Oh, she wished that she had died! Rather anything than to be in his power again.

The doctor lifted her very tenderly and looked into her face, gently lifted one of her eyelids, and in the flare of a street light, Betty suddenly recognized him.

“Oh, Doctor, Doctor, you won’t tell Mother, will you?” she gasped. “It would kill Mother to know I had done this!” And suddenly she burst into a flood of tears and buried her face in the breast of the doctor’s big fur-lined coat.

“Betty! It is you, dear child!” The doctor’s voice was very tender, and he held her close in his arms an instant, looking quickly up and down the street. Not a soul in sight that minute, but a car was coming around the second corner above.

He quickly strode with her in his arms to his car and put her in, shutting the door quickly and hurrying around to get in himself and start the car. He rounded the next corner and drove straight ahead for several blocks. Then he stopped in a quiet street and, reaching out, drew the still sobbing Betty closer to him, putting her head down on his shoulder comfortably.