Show M y FREDERIC F VAN UE im WATER SYNOPSIS is in a r eh of newspaper AW I 1 llory iry york is 1 aced to accept A rd operator in a wank swank hwoard A otte managed San managed aged by bousa lot 11 there david meets of 9 a cri crippled led old lady adwa IN gatha char ff rams niece alece r a ICo 1 continued 2 oo 00 lass ml agatha comi 1 hould raould really like to ran across kenneth bow you ea heard tho oe elevator levator bell A miss iss paget she road broad servility in my and the wrinkles r kics about her f s deepened hat 1 she asked are arc you job like this tilso a W the ele present sent im keeping waiting ing excy excuse se me baags was silent when I 1 reached hall aall I 1 I 1 took the car down so hoyt oyt w was as back lie ho frowned 4 from the th a elevator ia he be said when you take supposed to i up youre it back ick I 1 gain again miss walk vp I 1 11 I 1 said ive been rid jenty 11 1 that he asked I 1 told him and listen I 1 b od sweating behemoth in cu ault t inspired your crack he had the rom m me why or a half hour while you 0 said laid eddie what I 1 asked ile he ILI i ho 0 Y you ou called at the aln dave so gj morning once the at the min was a vo no opening bow it jt lust just no opening tv he lymp sympathized why ita ditch it and go home bit your sort of work dave telling me I 1 replied first arst eddie and thai that dot be 0 o so io tar far off either mg bon the prod sl hoyt muttered and as opal buzzed retired to the board d higgins still in his wed plumage came lurching to the e sidewalk dewalk tl the coals ol of wrath ith smoldered in his little aa I 1 felt my own anger re is he paused before me bory he grumbled 1 I want to you ot t of my job and of the od odd d ion on the face of the girl when hen I 1 had talked back to ha and though common muttered unheeded warning hoot ancy stung him t I 1 want to know he said Is i what you meant by that about it odou doubling bling in brass pie 1 11 I 1 told h him A joke bt I 1 at the gilt gilt trappings of ionna mans nf coat sira uk I 1 said superintendent trading as doorman there wat in brass begin to tl iri looked dubious and then d i e trouble with you me lad is jw IOU think mink youre too bloody forvour tor your lob job im ai the switchboards alcove tailed raged higgins Fer line IK 4 on 00 the blink blin k left oft of 0 or r something om ething 11 V d to that presently hig bened amed him what I 1 want 1 roil lot madory a or Is 1 I 1 hoyt iio t said tensely tensely hear I 1 someone screamed and I 1 i red fade from higgins the he sound ceased it broke in louder shriller sh riller as though bid abolished all self seU control M and feu fell and rose again ille wen n gone mad higgins imaney lwin se if hoyt babbled from aboard with the receiver ped to his ear up P in three B R 11 II rush thrust me aside he M the door in my face as I 1 i the e elevator I 1 iran ran for the took them three at a time te 0 screll screeching hl 19 that tore the bace 9 of the moreno morello to tat cached ta ched ed the third floor ahead car closed door doo r of 0 the fer S t allegra seemed to ith was ferriter nearer Te liall all someone in a maids ya hopped about making silly y on the threshold of the ak a 01 older k wom woman n t lands hands an and gaped I 1 heard gasp as she t ried to control body I 1 lehat Is it answer me easm shook lone ferri bur began ean a gain again those long ats of 1 ta screaming g and over shoulder ier I 1 saw a white mouthed Sou thed distorted like a 16 mask 1 ailing u up p the stairs be ak riggins iggins b blundered lun dered from ot r and stood quaking in b bawled all V shriek tore th through rough his ought miss Fer alk I 1 hook gokh her she her again at 00 stop jt iddo do i t the e matter rny hands ds I 1 felt her bulke but the screaming ceased sho she made a feeble gesture toward tho the door in there her whisper hos rasped her body gave way it grew grei v so BO inertly heavy that allegra and and I 1 had trouble hoyt holding it over tho the sagging head I 1 asked ask ed higgins can you get a geyr key lie ho nodded d but still stood gaping and uncertain till a competent voice spoke from tho the paget doorway so allegra bertha edwards edward s it ordered f pick her up tip lay her on my bed allegra keep keep her head down annie tako take some cognac to miss allegro allegra 11 miss paget sat on her threshold in a wheel chair she trundled herself into the hall to make way vay for those who bore the senseless woman wom an and a nd looked from higgins to me the elevator bell shrilled frantically and frightened voices called c in the air shaft just what miss paget asked calmly was all this about fliggins answered in a husky voice Some things wrong in there 11 and nodded to the reticent door there was an instant of silence then the old lady asked politely what are you waiting for timothy or perhaps you two men would rather have me look the superintendent fumbled in his uniform with a sickly grin ile he looked at mo me with less dislike than he had shown all day C m on mallory he ordered and moved toward the door ile he 0 ass is 4 0 1 0 W may blay I 1 ask what you intend to do now too unlocked it but stood aside tor for me to enter the furniture sat in self conscious orderly rectitude there was a trophy of arms above the fireplace replace fl rapiers lapiers ra piers claymores cla ymores sabers and less familiar blades which shone coldly in the wintry light and there was a long couch beside the hearth Every things oke 11 higgins said more to himself than to me maybe ashes gone daffy maybe she got bad news or something she could of been stewed lets look around the rest of the place illoyd hold on I 1 told him what he jerked the phone I 1 said it stood on actable a table between the couch and the wall the receiver hook was empty something else was out of place A fringed lampshade lamp shade lay on the floor beyond the couch I 1 peered over the sofas back into the space beyond and saw the lamps overturned standard and beside it I 1 heard higgins low moan I 1 felt his breath come and go upon my neck I 1 said lifes hes been killed who higgins asked in a whisper A man lay on his back beside the fallen lamp ills his head was tilted so that his black beard pointed upward like a charred stump at the telephone receiver dangling from the table ills his hands were drawn up as though he had tried to clutch the lapels of his coat and the left side of his vest was glistening and sodden I 1 answered slowly tor for my m mouth auth was sticky 1 I never sa saw w him before A low but steady sound came toward us higgins held his breath I 1 tiptoed toward the door as miss paget propelled herself into the room sho she looked at us with a pa rental severity ev erity well she prompted in bellef we babbled our discovery I 1 began but higgins heavy speech beat mine down and took command right over there M miss iss paget he rattled behind the couch where be likely to see him it if roll forward just a little the old ladys calm vote voice e sheared through his babbling no doubt she replied 1 may imay I 1 ask what you intend to do now higgins stared told him she in such cases it is usually customary to notify the police I 1 believe blundered toward superintendent the back the tel telephone shrank the of the concealed from presence th the e couch body and rei reaching ching across back picked up the instrument rattling he wait waited cd impatiently the hook an and d then with a grunts grunt set down the telephone a ap V VA N 0 W A Y e N V tol P r v i r N nobody on tho the switchboard h he stuttered TU ill go down and rushed from the room miss agatha called after him timothy do bo sure guro the tha door Is locked behind you 11 yes m so he replied and wo we lie heard ard it slam tha te old lady looked hard at mo me as I 1 moved toward tho the hall it might be wells well I 1 explained to look through the rest of the apartment she shook her head I 1 have seen few murders even at my age but I 1 understand it is best to do nothing till the police come usually there alter after they follow your example sho she sat quite still in her chair by the door and her eyes searched slowly through all the tha room after a moment she asked nodding toward the concealing couch couche when did he corne come in so 1 I dont know I 1 replied 1 I never saw hirn him sho she leaned back in her chair her hands folded in her angular lop lap her eyes narrow with thought sho she asked at length when did lone ione miss ferriter Ferr lter como come in 1 I think it was she who rang ue the bell while I 1 was in your apartment she had to walk up she appeared to turn this over in her mind the clock ticked loudly miss agatha emerged from what ever inner communion held and looked at me again you heard her screaming what did you think of it I 1 did not answer for so go long that sho she shrugged at last and said that was wa a silly question forget it no it I 1 replied slowly its just that I 1 thought of it before you mean there was wa something mire than fright in tho the sound do I 1 she retorted I 1 went on well I 1 mean it then she was frightened by finding a man dead on an her floor there was something else A deeper terror perhaps 10 her gazo gaze abashed mo me a little I 1 grinned and shrugged probably an all imagination I 1 told her anyway miss ferriter is a gifted screamer she sounded like the on the wing her thin eyebrows arched again I 1 felt that she regarded me as a curiosity and once more it irked me they were surprised I 1 grinned at that patrician puzzled face when I 1 spoke to the waiter in greek she started to reply and turned her head sharply as the outer door opened higgins and a hard breath ing patrolman entered the room over beyond the couch he lays the superintendent informed the policeman with a discoverers pride the tear fear that had been a bond between us was gone now lie he stared at me and growled go downstairs mallory miss paget therell be nobody let in here now till the Hommy clde squad comes hoyt brought the car do down and came to lean against the switch board with a shaky grin he said that girl do it I 1 said no prompted more by a vestige of chivalry than knowledge hoyt glanced over his shoulder at the loiterers loiter ers in the foyer and strove to keep the secret that for a few minutes made him their superior he mumbled he had a black beard th eh when did he come in wed a spotted him we A guy with a beard hey when did he get in tell me that 1 I cant I 1 said I 1 was shaky and I 1 ached for another cigarette maybe he came in september and hid bid till ho he grew it aw said hoyt and stared toward the front door the police man on duty there had admitted a half dozen men in civilian clothes clothe and then had barred the way to oth ers era who strove to follow the intruders tramped down doum the hall toward us satchel laden indifferent and unspectacular as the first half dozen men oil off a suburban train A man with reddish gray hair like embers and a stubborn freckled face paused and said to hoyt homicide squad mae mac take us up eddie obeyed d lingering tenants when I 1 evaded levades their questions wandered back to their apartments higgins emerged from his basement apartment lie he had doffed coffed WU wil sons regalia evidently on the theory that one uniform at the door was all the house required he squinted about the foyer and then arri ambled bled over to the switchboard his breath was heavy with the fumes of a recent drink drin c I 1 envied him alcohol had softened him and something less apparent worried him lie he bent ben t confidentially toward me listen ma mallory llory he ha said with the glibness of rehearsal maybe I 1 w was Is a mite hasty a while ago well let bygones be bygones listen be quest questioning question ionin tn all of us see theres none of us to be leav leavin in the buil din till through you do me a good turn when miss aliss paget now I 1 was upstairs came cam e in sure I 1 was but I 1 was on the roo roof f lookin at al the water tank its been leakin will ys yo TO HE BE |