The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-12-24
Chapter 50
Heart Attack


n INA awoke from a sleep that
y was almost like a coma, it
was so deep; but the sharp ring
Of the telephone brought her in
slant alertness.
This would be David. This was
the sort of thing he'd do-decide.
suddenly, in the early hours of the
morning, that he had made mis-
take tina, he did still want her
:. and call her, Immediately :. /.
But as she reached for the in
strument, her eye fell on the clock
by the bed and saw that it wasn't
the early hours OF the morning It
all 1t was nearly 10. 1t was gray
and rainy-but it was lat than it
looked.
Somehow, the latChess Of the
hour lowered her hopes.
Hello -"
''Nina? -. Richard speaking -"
And she said: "Oh, my God :. :.
how dare you call me?"
Put, my dear, must speak to
you. There's something
There's absolutely nothing you
can have to say to me that care
10 hear"
nina :"
"Jf you call again, l shall hang
Che hung up, then. And, shak-
ing with anger and nerves, she
hum Up again. three minutes later
-. md Eve minutes after that.
IL waited 10 minutes, then, to
tricl. her, no doubt, into thinking
it WIS someone else. Almost-she
didn't answer, but the awful fear
that she mi9ht ne be answering
David. made her grab it at the last
morent.
Nina, you've got to listen to
ne
She cut him of. for the fourth
time.
Fighteen minutes past 10.
Almost "a hours since she had
come home end found David's
note. She had been-dead. almost
"a hours. She got up and set the
percolator going.
She realized that she bad done,
nothing but drink coffee, and
wander from room to room with
David's shoa-trce, anl cry, and
slecp ever since her return.
She ought to cell Honey she
supposed. and make arrangements
to store the furniture-there were
only eight days left now. But her
frnls and legs felt heavy - as
though she hat. been drugged. It
WIS on effort, a physical effort, to
raise her h1ir-hrush to her hair:
ard il was just IS hard to put her
mind to work NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
lively.
She sat down in her dressing
gown, in the kitchen. and fed But
ton his puppy biscuit, and waited
for the coffee 70 be done. Maybe
that would revive her. Maybe,
when she had dressed herself, and
trlsen Button out. 1t would get her
started doing things, so that she
would know how te 50 on.
But shn inside the mistake of 60
inr for Davids note again; ard
il Were through, Nina. Just let's
accept 1t was like a knife.
twisted in a fresh wound.
Through.
She must accept il then. II he
was wrong in thinking she loved
Richard. was planning to give her.
self TO him. he was only wrong
by q matter Of a few weeks. She
h~d thought she loved him. Ind
pl-nned-just that. It was all the
SEINE and now David wanted
TO be rid If her
But she couldn't go on without
him. She couldn't 60. now. ard
dress hervelf and take Button out;
pick up the broken remne nts Of her
life and remold them into some
sort of Shape--no meter how dis
torted She had no life. Nina was
quite des6.
'Nina-Let ne In
CHE rang the elevator bell. in her
dressing gown. and then pop
ped back behind the door. to hand
Button to the elevator man: but
when it came. a man stepped off
II was Richard. lie saw her, and
Nina couldn't slam the door in h
face. because the elevator Joy was
watching.
did you want something, Mrs.
D~v9"
..Yes. Mac. VIII you take Button
out for q nainute
surely"
And Richard took the dogs
leash and handed it 70 him.
sNina--let me in
But now that Mac had gone.
Nina didn't have 20 think Ct ap-
nenraneeS. She tried 10 shut him
ont. But he prevented her.
s.It's-really important, Nina.
Size said. Yes. Honey is III
again, : supposed and she pushed
md pushed On the door. f@~