Night of Shadows by Marilyn Haddrill, Doris Holmes Page A

actions,
the woman's severe expression never eased.
    "Please. Just a minute — " 
Melinda turned back to Preston. "Haven't you heard anything at all about
Joan? Anything?"
    Mac fixed his full attention on
Preston as the younger McClure hesitated.
    "No," Preston said, as
his eyes shifted to avoid meeting Melinda's. "Nothing."
    "But if she were lost
somewhere, out — in this weather — could she have survived?"
    The McClures glanced at each other
uneasily. Neither offered an answer. At that moment, Harriet again took charge.
She tugged at Melinda's arm.
    "You can talk later," she
said firmly. "Right now, you get yourself to bed."
    When they reached the top of the
stairs, out of sight of the brothers, Mac's muffled voice drifted up from below.
    "I'm warning you, Preston…"
    His voice faded before Melinda
could hear the rest of his threat. Preston's sarcastic retort, however, was
loud and clear.
    "The same old Mac. All you
ever think about is money. Can't you ever change? Can't you just once stop
telling me what to do? Oh, and by the way. Welcome home, brother. Glad you're
okay."
    Harriet hurried Melinda down the
hallway into a bedroom, and shut the door soundly as though to keep out the
raised voices. A sigh escaped her as she led Melinda to the enormous king-sized
bed heavily draped with a bright gold comforter.
    Melinda sat down wearily as Harriet
disappeared into the adjoining dressing room. Moments later, the woman returned
with a nightgown.
    "This was Joan's. She wouldn't
mind, do you think? Not for her sister."
    Melinda resented Harriet's use of
the past tense. Her eyes moistened as she accepted the gown, and put the silky
blue material to her cheek. Did everyone here think Joan was dead?
    "No, she wouldn't mind,"
Melinda whispered.
    Then, she became aware that
Harriet's austere expression had softened into a mixture of compassion and
curiosity.
    "What you need is a nice, warm
bath."  Harriet disappeared into the next room, where Melinda heard the
sound of running water. Soon Harriet reappeared.
    "I'll run down and fetch you a
bite to eat while you freshen up."
    After Harriet left, Melinda stepped
into the hot bath and soaked, letting weary relief soothe her. Then she reached
up and unbraided the pigtails in her gritty hair. She gave her scalp a vigorous
scrub with fragrant shampoo.
    Much later, after she dried her hair
and lavished her body with lotion, she slipped into Joan's gown. Melinda then
dabbed on a little perfume and surveyed herself in the mirror. While the
bruises on her face were not so painful, the ugly black smudges remained.
    She dug into her bedraggled purse,
and pulled out some foundation makeup to disguise the ugly wounds. When at last
she completed the task, she didn't look that much better. But at least she was
beginning to feel like a woman again.
    The tapping at the door announced
Harriet's return with a tray of food. Harriet bustled in, ordered Melinda into
bed, then arranged a tray filled with hot biscuits, gravy, steak, potatoes,
salad and a slice of apple pie before her. Harriet stood, hands on hips, to
examine her patient.
    "You look a darned sight
better. Well, eat. Get some sleep. You must be exhausted. Just holler down the
stairs if you need anything else."
    Melinda sniffed the food with
relish, hardly noticing when Harriet left. After her recent diet of soup and
crackers, the steamy aromas drifting from the tray made her ravenous.
    She attacked the food, positive she
could eat every bite. But her shrunken stomach could hold only a few small
morsels. With trembling hands, she lifted the tray to one side. It had been a
long, grueling day.
    Melinda reached over and turned out
the lamp on the nightstand, then succumbed to the luxury of the soft mattress.
    At last, Michael — Mac, rather — was
rid of his burden of taking care of her. And she told herself she was grateful
to be rid of his presence. But as she wavered on the brink of sleep, Melinda
pictured his face as she had seen it in