of the year. Probably a tax matter, too. At this rate, I won’t be finished for another year. How about it?”
“Why don’t you ask Carr?”
“I wanted to get your reaction first.”
“All right. If he agrees.”
Apparently he had not agreed immediately. It was two days before Henry saw him again, and he seemed to think Bancroft’s illness had been specially designed to thwart him. “If you don’t have confidence in my ability, you can go somewhere else,” Henry had pointed out, annoyed. “There are other concerns.”
Then John Carr had smiled. “I’m sorry. Old Bancroft knew my father, and I don’t know any other lawyers in New York. Let’s get to work, shall we?”
It had been as simple as that. Henry recalled every incident. Nothing at all out of the way. But why should there have been? He wouldn’t have given it another thought if Laura hadn’t been so insistent tonight, plus his own feeling that he had seen the man before.
Henry leaned on his elbow and looked at his sleeping wife.
Laura was dreaming. Her first sensation was of overwhelming fear. She dreamed she was standing on the threshold of the house in the dark winter night. Suddenly she heard Aunt Clara crying, “Run, run! Run as fast as you can, lovey! Hurry!”
The door was open behind her, and she saw someone standing there, someone who wanted to kill her. She couldn’t move. She screamed again and again in horror.
“Laura! Wake up, wake up!” Henry was shaking her, and she could hear his voice. But she could not drag herself immediately out of the dream world. She woke to find her husband standing over her, his hand on her mouth.
“You’ll wake up the whole house, Laura. You’ve had a nightmare! My God, your screams!”
She clung to him, shivering, unable to control herself. “I thought someone was in the house, trying to kill me! I dreamed Aunt Clara was telling me to run away! It was so real!”
“Hush, hush.” Henry held her tightly in his arms. “I’m here, darling. It was just a dream.”
But she had aroused at least part of the household. Alice had opened her door and crept into the hall to listen at the Fraziers’ door. There was silence again after Henry had calmed his wife, but Alice had heard every word. As she turned to go back to her room, she saw the door to John Carr’s room closing slowly.
She frowned, and then quickly ran to her brother as David’s door opened, pushing him forcibly into his room. “No. No light,” she whispered. “I’ve got to tell you something. Laura feels something. You were right, after all. You know, I never believed in that extrasensory perception thing, but I’ve got to admit that if there is such a thing, our little Laura has it. She always had. She used to make me creepy at times.”
“She just feels it,” David said, “she doesn’t know it. I’m sure of that. Have a cigarette.” They smoked for a moment.
Alice broke the silence. “I’m going to ask a few questions.”
“Don’t!” David told her sharply. “This is too ticklish. We don’t want Hank to have any more suspicions than he already has.”
‘There’s another thing,” Alice said. “That horse seller, John Carr. He heard Laura scream too. He saw me. Yet he tried to shut his door so I wouldn’t know he’d been listening too. Why should he have been so stealthy about it?”
“Easy,” David smiled. “He knew you were eavesdropping, and he’s a tactful sort of guy. Never embarrasses a lady when she’s sticking her ears out. So our Laura feels someone is out to kill her.”
Alice went on: “There’s still another thing. You know Carr, don’t you? I saw the way you two looked at each other.”
“Don’t be a fool,” David told her. “I never saw him before tonight, not even at that party.”
“Uh-uh,” his sister said. “I know you too well. That casual air doesn’t fool me.”
Her brother seized her wrist and twisted it painfully. “Don’t ever say that again. I tell you I
“Why don’t you ask Carr?”
“I wanted to get your reaction first.”
“All right. If he agrees.”
Apparently he had not agreed immediately. It was two days before Henry saw him again, and he seemed to think Bancroft’s illness had been specially designed to thwart him. “If you don’t have confidence in my ability, you can go somewhere else,” Henry had pointed out, annoyed. “There are other concerns.”
Then John Carr had smiled. “I’m sorry. Old Bancroft knew my father, and I don’t know any other lawyers in New York. Let’s get to work, shall we?”
It had been as simple as that. Henry recalled every incident. Nothing at all out of the way. But why should there have been? He wouldn’t have given it another thought if Laura hadn’t been so insistent tonight, plus his own feeling that he had seen the man before.
Henry leaned on his elbow and looked at his sleeping wife.
Laura was dreaming. Her first sensation was of overwhelming fear. She dreamed she was standing on the threshold of the house in the dark winter night. Suddenly she heard Aunt Clara crying, “Run, run! Run as fast as you can, lovey! Hurry!”
The door was open behind her, and she saw someone standing there, someone who wanted to kill her. She couldn’t move. She screamed again and again in horror.
“Laura! Wake up, wake up!” Henry was shaking her, and she could hear his voice. But she could not drag herself immediately out of the dream world. She woke to find her husband standing over her, his hand on her mouth.
“You’ll wake up the whole house, Laura. You’ve had a nightmare! My God, your screams!”
She clung to him, shivering, unable to control herself. “I thought someone was in the house, trying to kill me! I dreamed Aunt Clara was telling me to run away! It was so real!”
“Hush, hush.” Henry held her tightly in his arms. “I’m here, darling. It was just a dream.”
But she had aroused at least part of the household. Alice had opened her door and crept into the hall to listen at the Fraziers’ door. There was silence again after Henry had calmed his wife, but Alice had heard every word. As she turned to go back to her room, she saw the door to John Carr’s room closing slowly.
She frowned, and then quickly ran to her brother as David’s door opened, pushing him forcibly into his room. “No. No light,” she whispered. “I’ve got to tell you something. Laura feels something. You were right, after all. You know, I never believed in that extrasensory perception thing, but I’ve got to admit that if there is such a thing, our little Laura has it. She always had. She used to make me creepy at times.”
“She just feels it,” David said, “she doesn’t know it. I’m sure of that. Have a cigarette.” They smoked for a moment.
Alice broke the silence. “I’m going to ask a few questions.”
“Don’t!” David told her sharply. “This is too ticklish. We don’t want Hank to have any more suspicions than he already has.”
‘There’s another thing,” Alice said. “That horse seller, John Carr. He heard Laura scream too. He saw me. Yet he tried to shut his door so I wouldn’t know he’d been listening too. Why should he have been so stealthy about it?”
“Easy,” David smiled. “He knew you were eavesdropping, and he’s a tactful sort of guy. Never embarrasses a lady when she’s sticking her ears out. So our Laura feels someone is out to kill her.”
Alice went on: “There’s still another thing. You know Carr, don’t you? I saw the way you two looked at each other.”
“Don’t be a fool,” David told her. “I never saw him before tonight, not even at that party.”
“Uh-uh,” his sister said. “I know you too well. That casual air doesn’t fool me.”
Her brother seized her wrist and twisted it painfully. “Don’t ever say that again. I tell you I
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