Читать книгу Mystery Cases of Letitia Carberry, Tish - Mary Roberts Rinehart - Страница 21

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Bates came unwillingly. His shrewd face was pale and twitching, and he insisted on knowing why he was wanted.

"I can not tell you, because I do not know, Mr. Bates," I said. "Miss Carberry wants to speak to you. That is all."

"I haven't time," he said. "I'm helping out in the wards to-day. One of the day orderlies has to take Mr. Briggs' place to-night, and he has gone to bed to get some sleep."

But I got him to go finally, and we went together along the hall, his carpet-slippers flap-ping loosely as he walked, his shirt open at. the throat and showing his lean brown neck. I thought to myself uneasily that the man looked like, at least, a potential criminal him-self. But just as we reached Tish's door Tommy came out

I sent Bates in, for Tommy had put his hand on my arm,

"What has she been up to?" he asked, as the door closed "She's sitting in there in a kimono, with her foot on a stool, and she's got her bonnet on,"

"We've been out," I said tartly. "Or she's been out. I only went along. We went to the Zoo, Tommy, and she left me to sit on snakes with green and red markings—"

"What!"

"Well, it only happened that L didn't And she's got hold of something: I never saw her in such a state,"

"The Zoo!" cried Tommy and whistled. Then he smiled. "I see," he said; "The Murders in the Rue Morgue, eh? Well, what happened?"

"I haven't any idea. She's got some sort of a scent, and she's got her nose to the ground and running like mad. If she's interfered with to-day, shell bite."

"I see," said Tommy again thoughtfully. "Well, good luck to her."

"How is Miss Blake?"

He lowered his voice. "She's conscious, but don't tell Aunt Tish, please. She wants to ask her some questions, and I don't want her disturbed. She's very weak." He looked down at a little case he had in his hand, and then at me. "I'm going to give her a hypodermic," he said, "and the nurse is doing something else. Would you mind coming over with me?"

Well, of course, I'd wanted to hear what Tish asked Bates, but as I've admitted before, I'm a good bit of a fool where there's a love affair on hand, and I'm fond of Tommy.

"All right," I said, and we went. I thought I heard Tish's voice raised angrily as we left the door, but the next moment there was only the quiet hum of Bates speaking.

The little nurse was lying in bed with her eyes closed. She looked white, but her lips had more color than the day before. She opened her eyes as we came in, and put out her hand to me.

"You're very good," she said, "You see I am better." Tommy beamed.

"And just in time!" said I. "One more fainting fit, and Doctor Tommy Andrews would have been tied up in a strait-jacket."

She colored a little and looked at him.

"I've been telling her," said Tommy, catching my eye, "about Miss Lewis and the mouse last night. A girl with a set of lungs like that is lost in a hospital. She ought to be in a garage blowing up auto tires."

"And—everything was quiet last night?"

"Not a sound—except the aforesaid yell. Never knew the house quieter." He reached over and caught her wrist. "Nerves as tight as a string!" he said. "You're going to have a hypodermic and relax a bit."

"Since you will be my medical adviser—" she said, half shyly, and held out her right arm.

Tommy fixed the hypodermic and came over to the bed. "Ready!" he said, but instead of the right arm, he leaned across and drew up the short white sleeve of the left She made a quick movement, but was too late.

"Good heavens!" Tommy said, and we both stared. The arm was covered with bruises from elbow to shoulder!

Tommy walked back with me to Tish's room, but at first he said nothing, and neither did I. The girl had offered no explanation, and he had asked none. The poor little arm had been too pathetic.

Just before we reached Tish's door, however, he stopped.

"The sheer brutality of it!" he said. "She's only a bit of a girl, and she's been through something horrible. But I'm not going to ask her about it, and I won't have her questioned by anybody else. If I'm satisfied, it's nobody else's affair."

"Listen to the egoist!" said I. "And why is it your affair only."

"Because I'm going to many her, if shell have me," he said hotly. "And after I have her, and can protect her, I'm going to kill whoever put those finger-prints on her arm."

"Finger-prints!" I cried.

"Yes, finger-prints," he said, and opened the door.

Bates had gone, and Aggie and Tish were together. Tish still wore her bonnet, and she had a crimson spot on each cheek.

"Tommy," she said, the moment we entered. "I've sent for the linen woman, and I want you to stay by. As soon as I've seen her, we're going to the Blake girl's room."

"Oh, no; you're not," said Tommy calmly. "You'll go there over my dead body."

"That wouldn't be much of an obstacle!"

"She's very ill. I won't have her disturbed," said Tommy, and set his jaw. They both have the Carberry jaw. Tish made an impatient movement. "Oh, well, 'I can manage without her. Is the top of the elevator flat?' " she added.

"The center is, I believe," Tommy was doubtful. "What on earth—"

"Never mind!" said Tish grandly, and the linen woman knocked.

"Mrs. Jenkins?" asked Tish.

"Yes'm," said Mrs. Jenkins. She was a tall woman, in black, with a white apron and a thimble as badges of office.

"I wanted to ask you for the key to the mortuary linen closet, Mrs. Jenkins," said Tish.

Mrs. Jenkins fidgeted, and glanced at Tommy.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I—haven't got it just now."

"Indeed!" Tish raised her eyebrows.

"Aren't you responsible for that closet? I have a particular reason for asking."

Mrs. Jenkins turned to Tommy. "Since you're here, Doctor Andrews," she said, "I suppose it's all right, but we don't give the keys to any of the closets to patients usually."

"Since you haven't got it, that needn't disturb you," Tish said sharply. "If you wish a reason, however, I'm a member of the Ladies' Committee of this hospital, and as I am undertaking a special inquiry into things that have happened here lately, I want that key."

"Mrs. Jenkins looked dazed. She had never seen a female detective, I daresay, and to see one sitting before her in a kimono over a nightgown, with a black bonnet with jet bugles over one ear, and her foot out on a stool, clearly bewildered her.

"I'm sorry," she said respectfully, when she'd recovered, "but the key that usually hangs in the mortuary is lost, and I gave Miss Linda Smith the other one."

"Hah!" cried Tish, "When?"

"Yesterday, I think. I'm not sure."

'Thank you very much, Mrs. Jenkins. I'll not keep you any longer." And as the linen woman went out, Tish got up and reached for her cane.

"Now then. Tommy," she said, "I'll trouble you to take Lizzie and Aggie somewhere and keep them, so I can think. Take them out and get them some soda water."

"Soda water! Perhaps you would like me to go back to the Zoo," I observed with biting sarcasm. But it was lost on Tish.

"I shouldn't advise it," she said. "It's raining again. Just get out—go anywhere, so you go. And come back in an hour."

"I've half a mind—" Aggie began nastily.

"Why, so you have!" said Tish. "Shut the door behind you." And as Aggie, who was the last, slammed out, we heard Tish opening the lower bureau drawer.