The Case of the Weird Sisters (23 page)

"Mr. Whitlock"—Duff disposed his long bones in a chair, sorrowfully—"we smell danger. I'm sorry to have to point out that, unintentionally, of course, you have put Alice in a doubtful position."

As Duff talked, Innes began to disintegrate. His terror came back, all the worse for haviag been temporarily forgotten, and crept over him, drained his happy mood away, reduced him to a cowering, sweaty, pale, plump, middleaged man in fear of his life.

"Yes, I see. Yes, I see." He touched his dry lips with his tongue. "Alice, dear, you must get away. If you go and they can't get at you, then Fm safe." Even in his state, he caught the ungallantry. "We're both safe," he amended. "That's so, isn't it, Mr. Duff? Alice, dear, you will have to go."

"And then what?" said Alice.

"What do you mean, dear? Then they won't . . . Mr. Duff, explain it to her."

But Duff said, "What were you going to say, Alice?''

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"I only want to know what happens to our plans if I go away."

"Our plans, such as they are, proceed," said Duff. "At least we can see who is interested in which pillbox. For she will have to unmurder Innes, surely, once youVe gone."

"I don't think much of that," said Alice.

"It's feeble," Duff agreed quickly. "But it may help."

"Here we are," she said, "three of you able-bodied men, and Innes, who's perfectly well able to yell, at least, and me, who am able-bodied and young and more or less bright. Do you mean to say that all of us are so scared of one handicapped old woman that we have to scatter and run?"

"Listen, don't be dumb," said Fred. "You .. ."

"I'm not dumb," said Alice hotly. "But what on earth's the use of fooling around with halfway measures? If you really want to play safe, Innes, why don't you make a big fuss? You can a&ord it. Get people in here, rouse the town, get the police. Or hire an ambulance and go somewhere else. Or hire a special train, for heaven's sake, and let's all run away!"

"Yeah, but we don't want to do that," said Fred. "Then we'd never know."

Alice ignored him. "Why don't you do that, Innes?"

"I I "

"You don't want to, do you?" she purred sweetly. "I know. Suppose we all run away and say we're safe, and she gets to thinking about murder . . . suppose she picksj out one of her sisters . . . suppose she kills your mother,! Innes ... or Josephine? Goodness knows, she must bej partly crazy. You can't just ignore this sort of thing and goj away and say, Tm safe so what's the difference?' You] couldn't do that, Innes, I know."

"No," he said, licking his lips nervously, "no, I .. ."

"Well, then," said Alice, "if we want to stop it and set'] tie the whole thing . . ."

Killeen said, "You're swell, Alice! You're perfecdy swell! But, don't you see, if it were anyone but you. . . . We can't let you be bait for this trap."

"Why not? I make pretty good bait, don't I?"

"Nuts, Brennan," said Fred sofdy.

"No . . . no . . ." said Innes. "The risk, my dear. The risk for you!"

Alice felt a wave of shame. She said, with sudden honesty, "I don't mean . . . Listen, I'm not so awful brave as all that. I only ... I don't want to run away." Tears stung behind her lids.

Fred said, ''We got the idea. Now you can run along. You'd better."

"Darling, it isn't safe . . ."

Alice was furious. "So who wants to be all the time safe!" she cried at them all. "I won't go. No, I won't. Not unless Innes goes, and I mean that"

KiUeen said, "Very Well. I won't go unless you do, and I mean that, too."

Duff said, "Fire, fire, bum stick, stick won't beat dog

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• • •

Innes was all atremble. "But what shall we do? How ... what's the best... 7"

"What can you do?" said Fred in disgust "The lady wants to be a hera"

"I do not," snapped Alice. "I haven't the slightest intention ... I only th-thought . . ." She was shocked to find the tears escaped and rolling down her face.

Duff said calmly, "We must do the best we can."

They all turned. "We are in your hands, after all," said Killeen, " 'Lay on, Mac Duff, and damned be he who fijst cries . . .' "

MacDougal Duff looked pained. 'The cross I bear," he said. "Yes, of course." His lids fell, hiding the eyes. "Let Killeen appear to leave. He can come back secretiy. Let us rearrange ourselves, to be as safe as possible. Alice, my dear, we shall hide you somewhere. Mr. Whitiock must have a substitute, with soimd ribs. Let us then lie low and wait and see." He looked veiy sad and tired. "Our best may not be good enough."

"Thank you," said Alice.

She went out of the room blindly, but Killeen was after her. "You mustn't be alone," he whispered. "Where are you going?"

"To get my handkerchief."

"Darling"—he put his arm lightly around her—"why don't you take the train with me?"

"I don't want to. I don't know."

His arm fell away, a little stiffly. "You're in love with Innes."

"Don't be silly."

Alice wept quietly before her mirror and then tidied her face, wondering what she was crying about. Nerves, she thought. When she came out into the hall, determined to be composed, she found Fred on guard beside her door. She looked at him hostilely.

"I wish you'd change your mind," he said mildly. "No kidding. It's dangerous."

"Why don't you leave," said Alice fiercely, "if you don't like it here?"

"Uh, uh," he said. "I'm going to get into that bed and see if we can't fool them some. We're going to sneak Innes into my room. You and Killen wUl stay with him."

"It's dangerous," she said.

He snatched at her wrist. "I think you're crazy! What do you want to stick around and risk your life for? Listen, for the love of Mike, will you get some sense and scram out of here?"

"No."

"Why not!"

"The same to you."

"It isn't the same to me. For God's sake, stop saying that."

"I suppose if the ceiling falls down on Innes's bed and you're in it, that's not dangerous? What do you want to risk your life for?"

"It's my life, and I happen to have been bom stubborn. This is a rotten house, and the people are rotten, and I don't like them, and I want to see them put away where they belong, and it's no business of yours."

"My hero," said Alice.

"Shut up. What the hell's the matter with you? I can't leave him now."

"All right. I can't leave him either. Fred, it's a reflex. You said so yourself."

"Damn it. Listen, the only reason I give a damn . . . It's my fault you're here. I faked that breakdown with the car. I thought . . ."

"Oh, you did. What did you think?"

"I thought rd help you out."

"Oh, you did?"

"Yeah, sure. Thought if he hadda drag you in to meet his family it'd put you on the right basis. You wanted to marry him, then, remember? I didn't know you'd hooked him already."

"Never mind," she said. "Just the same, how can I run away? This is bad and rotten."

"Go onr he said.

"You said so yourself. You know we have to see it througji. And we have to help Mr. Duff, and we have to take ttie risk! Because we can't help it, either of us. Murder just happens to be against our principles."

"Principles!"

"We didn't think we had any," she said. "Isn't it funny?"

"It's a scream." Fred regarded her with level eyes, remote, speculative. "Why won't you go on that train with KiUeen?" Then, with anger breaking through, "You're in love mth him, aren't you?"

Alice nipped around on her heel and started down the hall. He ran after her and turned her around. "You're bound and determined to risk your life in this madhouse?" He was watching her face. What he said lacked steam.

Alice raised her eyes, round and innocent. "Why, you will protect me, Fred," she said demurely.

"How do you know!" He was furious.

"I don't know how I know, but I do know," said Alice childishly.

"I sure as hell will," he said through his teeth. "Fll protect you, never fear." He put his hand on her shoulder and spun her around. "And if you don't spend the most im-comfortable night you ever spent in your life . . . Go on, get in there."

Alice let him shove her back into Imies's room. Why, she wondered for a fleeting second, does it make me happy when Fred gets angry?

Killeen came swiftly to her. "I've got to go in a minute. Alice, I'm coming back, you know. Don't be too frightened."

"Fm not afraid at all," she said, and saw Fred's scowl and felt delighted.

"I've been thinking, Mr. Duff." Alice looked at him sharply. He was so grave and quietly concerned and the well-bred servant, suddenly. "Miss Brennan will have to be in here with me. You see, I'm supposed to be Mr, Whidock, and they ought to seem to be together. You know, because the whole point is to kill them off in succession, isn't it? She can get in there behind that headboard. She's skinny."

"Thanks," said Alice. "Don't you mean slender?"

"Then I can be sure she's not roaming around some place," Fred went on serenely. "She might get some crazy idea. Of course, it'll be more or less uncomfortable ... But don't you get my point, sir?"

"I do," said Duff, veiling his eyes and pulling his long upper lip down. "I see your point, I think."

Killeen looked about to protest. Innes looked startled. But Duff took charge.

"Mr. Killeen, you must leave this house now. Your train is nearly due. I -shall leave at the same time. These ar- : rangements stand. Be very careful and very quiet about shifting around up here."

"Yes, sir," said Fred.

"Alice, is there a key in your door?"

"Yes, sir," she said.

"Lock it, then. Better if they can't discover too easily that you're not there."

"I see."

"Mr. Killeen will return by this window as soon as this room dims to a night light."

"Yes, sir."

"Mind the pillboxes. If they come in here. Watch. You know, they may decide to give it up and remove that dangerous piU and unmurder him, after all."

"I know. Sure."

"Keep an eye on Alice, always. Stay in here until Mr Whitlock's normal bedtime."

"Yes, sir."

''Then dim these lights."

"What about me?" said Innes. "What about me? How can I get. . .?"

"Oh, we'll carry you, sir. It'll be easy."

"Where will you be, Mr. Duff?" asked Innes. "Don'

leave us. I... I'm very nervous."

"I shall be lying in ambush," said Duff, ''with an eye on the noble red man. Of course, you realize that nothiiig at all may happen." Their faces looked grave and a Utde disappointed. "But if it does," he said, "it'll be something you don't expect, so expect that."

He put his hand on Fred's shoulder for a minute, smiled at Alice, and went away, taking Killeen with him.

After that, for an hour, Innes took out his nervousness in half-whispered chatter, while Alice said "yes," "no," and "of course not."

Nobody came to bid him good night.

The house was quiet. In time it became evident that the Whidock girls had gone to bed.

Fred dimmed the light at eleven o'clock.

Nobody, so far, had bothered to unmurder Innes.

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Alice was sitting on a pillow on the floor. She had to keep her shoulders parallel to the wall and her legs stretched pretty tight, that it would be more than the work of a moment to get out of there. In fact, she was a prisoner. She thought: I might better be in a straight jacket. But she was hidden. That was her advantage. That and Fred.

After Killeen had come silently up a ladder, after Innes had been borne stealthily through the hall while Alice kept guard at the top of the stairs, Fred had herded her into this big silent room with its elephantine furniture and its ridiculous dignity. "Well, let me get into my nightcap," he'd said, and peeled off his coat and shirt and put on the top of Innes's pajamas. Alice helpfully stuffed his own things behind a cushion.

"Get your slender frame in there," he'd commanded, "and let me see how it works."

Obediently, she had tucked herself between the bed and the wall, under the giant curve of the towering headboard.

"Do I show?"

"Nope," he said. "I didn't think you would. Well . . ." he sounded a little contrite.

"Oh, get in," said Alice, wildly exhilarated. She'd

wanted to scream with laughter. The bed springs creaked. "Stick your hand around here." He'd fastened on her wrist. "I hope you get a stiff neck."

"Don't worry. I will," she'd said without rancor. "Better not talk."

He hadn't talked, after that.

She tried to relax and make herself better able to bear the awkward position in which she would have to remain for no one knew how long. She was able to draw her legs up a little, bending them slightly at the knee. Her wrist was going to ache from stretching around the comer of the headboard. But she wouldn't withdraw it. Not yet

She could see along the wall, not much, not a very large portion of the room. One window. Not the door. There was the night light burning on the table at the other side of the bed, so it wasn't dark. Dust rose in her nostrils. Don't sneeze, she thought. What if a mouse ... Well, I must be brave, that's all. .

Fred was lying very quietly. Alice thought: Fm safe, and if Fm safe he's safe. I wonder how Innes is bearing up? Art Killeen had given her a queer, intense look before he'd closed the lumber-room door. "If you call, 111 come running," he'd said. Jealousy, thought AJice, is a very human failing. She began to feel a litde drowsy. Her right arm was getting numb.

The light went out.

Fred exdaimed under his breath and let go her wrist She heard him click the switch and lean over the other side of the bed to examine the cord and the plug that went into the baseboard.

''What the hell?" she heard him whisper.

Their hands groped for each other. She could sec nothing at all, now. The darkness was like a wall in front of her nose. The country darkness. No street light, no electric signs outside, to send a glow or to outline the window frames. It was pitch dark. The darkness was so thick it seemed to have body and press down.

Alice felt her ears growing in the dark. They seemed to strain to stand out from her head. Her hand, in Fred's hand, was getting a little slippery, a httle clammy, when they heard a distant whisper and creak of feet On the stairs?