The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-10-05
Chapter ~
Visitors

\ afternoon feeling as if my head
were a vast unfinished building
from which a thousand hammer
ing workmen had just taken their
unlamented departure. l stirred a
Little on my pillow The head was
sore, definitely. But that heaven
~ vacancy was reaSsuring.
Mimi and Julia arrived about
four bearing flowers and a basket
OF fruit that should have gone up
the gangplank of the Normandie.
l wondered if it was for ammuni-
ton.
I'm not proud of myself" Julia
said abruptly. She looked as if
she h d not slept, but h T
smudged eyes shone ike the ones
IN her mothers picture. Il never
dreamed you'd go back to the
club. I was so wrapped up in my
self / couldn't spare a thought for
how you must feel And / owe
you everything" A tear over
flowed one eye and she dashed it
tmpatiently away. "Jef's told me
the whole thing. I'm so hap
Ply" Her voice broke, so she
tried again. I'm so happy"
Her face screwed up and a
Niagara of tears cascaded down
her cheeks.
ooh hell" she muttered. "Tn
wait in the car"
hopping her face, she ducked
out Of the room.
/ looked desperately to the four
corners of the room, hoping that
someone-nurse, doctor-anyone,
would save me from this moment
alone with Mimi. 1t wasn't fair.
after last nights shock. ought to
be protected from this sort of
thing
But no one came; and present
~, when she had finished arrang-
ing vase of flowers and brought
it to the bedside table, l had to
face her.
l was going to ask her to for
give me, but what l saw stopped
me. Her eyes looked daZZled, and
she was all warm and light as if
the sun were shining on her. She
set the vase of flowers down and
took my hand. She felt vibrant
so full Of happiness that she was
radioactive with it.
Kay, was wrong about Dan,"
she said in a hushed. marveling
voice. Last night / found l could
tell him everything. 1t must have
been that talking to you had made
it easier. And. Kay, he was won
derful, even when l confessed
how jealous I've Been. He said it
was all his fault, and he told me
something he would never men
ton before. About how he felt
when his first wife died-how he
blamed himself. and swore he
would never marry again. But I
needed him; and he loved mel
believe that now. Only he
couldn't forget that he was re-
sponsible for the death of Julia'S
mother. At least that's the way
he looks at it. And he couldn't
bear the thought Of anything hap
pening to me- Can you under
stand what a difference it makes.
knowing that"
I made some meaningless an
swer which I'm sure she did not
hear. She was as untouchable as
a valuable pearl wrapped around
with cotton wool l was glad for
her. but l envied her a little.
After she had gone | thought
about Colonel Pcnnant with graft
tude and increased respect. II had
never occurred to me that he
would not give me away The
more I pondered the more my ad-
miration grew. That man would
be Chief Of Staff somedav. He
could take il as well as dish il
outl
Oman
a ND then l thought-no ones
n telling ne what happened
last night. They think I'm not
well enough TO know That means
it's bad. Maybe someone else got
hurt; maybe the murderer got
away after all got away with the
manuscript and its costly secret.
Maybe - maybe they caught the
murderer and when I find out it's
going to hurt.
had a vision then of Gerald's
eyes, no longer warm and friend
~, or cold and alert; but beaten,
terror ridden. 4 horrible vision.
My heart rebelled against it.
Whatever he had done / hoped
they had not caught him. If they
had-well. / didn't want to know
il. I wouldn't aSk-I wouldn't lis
ten.
The nurse came in. smirking
little.
"A gentleman to see you." she
said brightly. She wasn't a bad
looking girl, and / noticed that
she spent more time Straighten-
ing her own hair and cap then
she did in making me present.
able. But ! didn't care. It would
only be the colonel or jeff or the
chaplain. Or Adam. And he had
already seen me at my worst.
But it wasn't any of them. I
stared at the vision in the door
way, and my first reaction was
one Of tremendous relief.
Then they didn't catch you'll"
] exclaimed. and stopped, horri-
fed at what I had said. should
have been frightened, too, but
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