hour."
"Great!"
It was great. The brief holiday made Tira feel as if she had a new lease on life.
Charles was wonderful, undemanding company,
198
Beloved
Diana Palmer
199
much more like a beloved brother than a boyfriend. They padded all over Nassau, down West Bay Street to the docks and
out on the pier to look at the ships in port, and
all the way to the shopping district and the
vast straw markets. Nassau was the most exciting, cosmopolitan city in the world to Tira . She
never tired of going there. Just now, it
was a godsend. She hated the memory of Jill's taunting words and Simon's angry accusations. It was good to have a breathing space from them, and the publicity.
They stretched their stay to five days instead of three
and re turned to San Antonio refreshed and rested,
although Charles had confessed that he did miss his car. He
proved it by rushing home as soon as the
limousine he'd hired to meet them at the airport delivered Tira at her house.
"I'll phone you in the morning. We might have a game
of tennis Saturday, if you're up to it," he
said.
"I will be. Thanks, Charles.
Thanks so much!"
He chuckled. "I enjoyed it. So
long."
She watched the limousine pull away and walked slowly up
to her front door. She hated homecomings. She
had nothing here but Mrs. Lester and an
otherwise empty house, and her work. It was cold compensation.
Mrs. Lester greeted her with enthusiasm. "I'm so
glad you're home!" she said. "The phone rang off the hook the day
after you left and didn't stop until three days ago." She shook her head.
"I can't imagine why those newspaper
people wanted to drag the whole subject up
again, but I guess the shooting downtown Tues day afternoon gave them something new to go after."
"What shooting?"
“Well, that man the attorney general had paroled—you
remem ber?—was in court to be arraigned and he went
right over the table toward the judge and almost killed him. They managed
to pull him away and he grabbed the bailiffs
gun. They had to shoot him! It's been
on all the television stations. They had the most awful photographs of
it!"
Tira actually gasped. "For heaven's sake!"
“Mr. Hart was right in the middle of it, too. He had a
case and was waiting for it to be called when
the prisoner got loose."
"Simon? Was he...hurt?" Tira had to ask.
“No.
He was the one who pulled the man off the judge. The man had that bailiffs gun leveled right at him, they said, when a deputy sheriff shot the man. It was a close call
for Mr. Hart. A real close call. But you'd never think it worried him to
hear him talk on television. He was as cold
as ice."
She sat down on the edge of the sofa and thanked God for Simon's life. She wished that they were still friends,
even distant ones, so that she could phone him and tell him so. But
there was a wall between them now.
"Mr. Hart wondered why you hadn't gotten in touch
with him, afterward," Mrs. Lester said, hesitating.
Tira glanced at her breathlessly. "He called?"
She nodded and then grimaced. "He wanted to know if
you heard about the shooting and if you'd been
concerned. I had to tell him that you were away, and
didn't know a thing, and when he asked where, he
got that out of me, too. I hope it was all right that I told him."
Simon would think she went on a lover's holiday with
Charles. Well, why shouldn't he? He believed she was a murderess and a flighty, shallow flirt and suicidal. Let him think
whatever else he liked. She couldn't be any worse in
his eyes than she already was.
"Give a dog a bad name," she
murmured.
"What?" Mrs. Lester asked.
She dragged her mind back to the subject at hand.
"Yes, of course, it's perfectly all right that
you told him, Mrs. Lester," Tira said quietly. "I had a wonderful time in
Nassau."
"Did you good, I expect, and Mr.
Percy is a nice man."
"A very nice man," Tira agreed. She got to her feet. "I'm tired. I think I'll lie down for a while, so don't fix anything to eat for another hour or so, will
"Great!"
It was great. The brief holiday made Tira feel as if she had a new lease on life.
Charles was wonderful, undemanding company,
198
Beloved
Diana Palmer
199
much more like a beloved brother than a boyfriend. They padded all over Nassau, down West Bay Street to the docks and
out on the pier to look at the ships in port, and
all the way to the shopping district and the
vast straw markets. Nassau was the most exciting, cosmopolitan city in the world to Tira . She
never tired of going there. Just now, it
was a godsend. She hated the memory of Jill's taunting words and Simon's angry accusations. It was good to have a breathing space from them, and the publicity.
They stretched their stay to five days instead of three
and re turned to San Antonio refreshed and rested,
although Charles had confessed that he did miss his car. He
proved it by rushing home as soon as the
limousine he'd hired to meet them at the airport delivered Tira at her house.
"I'll phone you in the morning. We might have a game
of tennis Saturday, if you're up to it," he
said.
"I will be. Thanks, Charles.
Thanks so much!"
He chuckled. "I enjoyed it. So
long."
She watched the limousine pull away and walked slowly up
to her front door. She hated homecomings. She
had nothing here but Mrs. Lester and an
otherwise empty house, and her work. It was cold compensation.
Mrs. Lester greeted her with enthusiasm. "I'm so
glad you're home!" she said. "The phone rang off the hook the day
after you left and didn't stop until three days ago." She shook her head.
"I can't imagine why those newspaper
people wanted to drag the whole subject up
again, but I guess the shooting downtown Tues day afternoon gave them something new to go after."
"What shooting?"
“Well, that man the attorney general had paroled—you
remem ber?—was in court to be arraigned and he went
right over the table toward the judge and almost killed him. They managed
to pull him away and he grabbed the bailiffs
gun. They had to shoot him! It's been
on all the television stations. They had the most awful photographs of
it!"
Tira actually gasped. "For heaven's sake!"
“Mr. Hart was right in the middle of it, too. He had a
case and was waiting for it to be called when
the prisoner got loose."
"Simon? Was he...hurt?" Tira had to ask.
“No.
He was the one who pulled the man off the judge. The man had that bailiffs gun leveled right at him, they said, when a deputy sheriff shot the man. It was a close call
for Mr. Hart. A real close call. But you'd never think it worried him to
hear him talk on television. He was as cold
as ice."
She sat down on the edge of the sofa and thanked God for Simon's life. She wished that they were still friends,
even distant ones, so that she could phone him and tell him so. But
there was a wall between them now.
"Mr. Hart wondered why you hadn't gotten in touch
with him, afterward," Mrs. Lester said, hesitating.
Tira glanced at her breathlessly. "He called?"
She nodded and then grimaced. "He wanted to know if
you heard about the shooting and if you'd been
concerned. I had to tell him that you were away, and
didn't know a thing, and when he asked where, he
got that out of me, too. I hope it was all right that I told him."
Simon would think she went on a lover's holiday with
Charles. Well, why shouldn't he? He believed she was a murderess and a flighty, shallow flirt and suicidal. Let him think
whatever else he liked. She couldn't be any worse in
his eyes than she already was.
"Give a dog a bad name," she
murmured.
"What?" Mrs. Lester asked.
She dragged her mind back to the subject at hand.
"Yes, of course, it's perfectly all right that
you told him, Mrs. Lester," Tira said quietly. "I had a wonderful time in
Nassau."
"Did you good, I expect, and Mr.
Percy is a nice man."
"A very nice man," Tira agreed. She got to her feet. "I'm tired. I think I'll lie down for a while, so don't fix anything to eat for another hour or so, will
Similar Books
