Show CHILD OF EVIL 0 OCTAVUS SERVICE ROY COHEM by OCTAVUS ROY COHEN SYNOPSIS beautiful yo young ung kay forrest has been employed by christine maynard eli photographer r to pose tor for a series of pictures the background ot of which will be e exquisite cathedral gardens famous southern resort unknown wn to them the one jeff butler mean unscrupulous swamp angel has led a friend to spy p on the two women kay of 0 necessity la is scantily clad while posing tor for the camera studies kay frequency frequently stays with mrs ruth hamilton her son barney of 0 whom kay Is very fon fond and her daughter margaret mrs hamilton a remarkable woman conceived the idea ot of the gardens following the death ot of her husband one night after a local dance kirk reynolds a neer d dowell go gambler bler of 0 beverly a resort town end and kay go tor for a ride kirks kirk car c collides 0 with that of harvey Jr jackson ackson and during the ensuing argument kirk whips Ps out a gun 9 un and kills kill the young popular engineer kay Is completely stunned by the tr tragedy 8 ed Y kirk threatens to drag her into the thing it she tons tells even her father terror stricken she agrees to remain silent however the next time she goes out with barney lie he realizes something Is w wrong rong she tries t to 0 reassure him but tells him nothing mrs emma forrest kays kay mother ther looks upon herself a as being completely righteous she Is firm positive and demanding her fath father r is exactly the opposite kindly and unassuming CHAPTER IV continued 5 mrs forrest borrest found it necessary make her point more impressive R andy gone to work yet kay glanced without particular enthusiasm at the sturdy figure of cl her brother he was clad in the habiliments of a garage mechanic but she merely said 1 I see he sit down my dear we wish to talk to you emmas requests were always unmistakably commands kay seated herself but not comfortably fort ably she was grateful for the presence of her father however unable he was to render assistance si in this domestic crisis do you realize inquired mrs forrest that this is supposed to be your home yes maam then why dont you stay here instead of gallivanting all over the country all the time 1 I gallivanting mother ive been staying with the hamiltons and driving out every night with that worthless barney Har hamilton nilton she said id barneys barneis Bar all right ILA he ies nt work interjected ady n dy vir virtuously t bously just plays li aund round ive got no use for these you keep out of this his andrew forrest fellows that think so elegant mrs forrest was not to be diverted beverly is talking about you katherine Kather lne nothing new and its not new that youre not ashamed of it I 1 why should I 1 be ive never done anything wrong you went to one of those terrible orgies at the hotel you 11 kay was bitt battling ling for self control 1 I dont see anything wrong with that mother just dances biff riffraff riff raff tourists no decent arl would be seen there now mother it was andrew speaking mrs forrest flashed bashed her husband a hostile glance she raid you keep out of this andrew vorrest rest im mother tind god knows I 1 get no help from you in trying to raise her as as a lady 1 I was only going to say kay shrugged wearily keep ou of it dad you seel mrs forresta For rests voice crescendo ed triumphantly theres your own daughter giving you orders telling you not to interfere in lier her upbringing as though you would anaw anyway ay kay leaned forward she said suppose you stick to me mother such impertinence andrew are ou going to let your daughter speak f her own mother in that fashion declare I 1 dont know what ive 4 ver done that god should have givin me such a child she was whipping herself into a fury of virtuous linger anger and you listen to me miss im not going to stand it any longer longcr its time iset Isit my foot down F from rom naw now on youre going to do as I 1 say andy spoke again you stay ofay away from kirk reynolds sis kay was startled and if I 1 dont then ill have to take matters in my own hands she smiled slightly better not AMY I 1 dont think you could scare kirk very easily mrs forrest had risen she was a purposeful and dominant lady overflowing with righteous indignation will you promise me never to talk to kirk reynolds again kay met her mothers eyes squarely no maam why not because I 1 dont make promises that I 1 cant keep cant canal you hear that andrew now mother arent you a trifle hard on kay nol no certainly not im only doing my duty as a mother from outside came the insistent honking of an automobile hom four pairs of eyes quested through the window toward the curb mrs forrest said of 01 all the nervel nerve and andy gasped its kirk reynolds aay kay rose her face w was as white she walked from the room and onto the porch her voice came back to them clearly she called ill be with you in a minute kirk she walked up to her room not hearing or not noticing her mothers statement that she positively was not going riding with that ruffian she did hear faintly her mothers protests that this was more than any good woman should be called upon to stand she heard her mother stating to husband and son that the neighbors would talk that this was an unbearable disgrace her own daughter riding around in bright broad daylight with a professional fess ional gambler she called upon andrew forrest foriest to do something about it and mr mr forrest glad enough to escape plodded up the stairs after kay and andrew ew forrest was a meek person albeit a gentle and kindly one by profession he was a lawyer a keen student who was consulted on intricate matters by his less learned contemporaries his practice was arduous and not very remunerative munera tive ile he was short and slight and on the verie verge of baldness his eyes were gentle and not too strong he was as a student and a philosopher a man of scrupulous integrity both of thought and deed he came now into his daughters room and touched her shoulder affectionately he said must you kay she nodded yes dad im sorry your mother entirely wrong you know kirk is bad medicine and you still feel 7 11 yes dad just this once id rather not but I 1 cant help it his eyes clouded something serious yes 1 I and you cant tell toe me 1 I wish I 1 could he smiled bravely dont torget forget were buddies kay she kissed him hard on the lips you know how much I 1 love you dont you dad 1 I 1 know he patted her shoulder gently watch yourself kay and dont forget youre mighty young she walked downstairs swiftly purposefully mrs forrest made a last desperate stand 1 I order you not to go out with that man kays glance was unyielding im sorry mother she passed through the front door climbed into the little coupe beside kirk reynolds and rolled west on chicora avenue her lips were tight set kay said you sent for me kirk wrong and he answered plenty they rode roda in silence kays eyes cloudy with trouble kirks face inscrutable the sapphire sky was brilliantly clear the april sun bright and warm yet kay shivered vered A car approached them coming from chicora the driver saw kay as they passed and her face flushed it was a brief passing a quick recognition tion yet kay knew without looking around that the driver of the other car had bad been startled and that he had turned to look after her she said somewhat bitterly it would be that way kirk said in a flat voice who was it barney hamilton the lad whose mother owns the gardens yes they reached the intersection of the concrete federal highway and kirk swung to the right his voice olce was toneless almost disinterested the setup there kay where i between you and that hamilton guy what difference does it make none I 1 just asked his eyes did not leave the broad ribbon of 0 road which unwound under their wheel 1 kay said 1 I like him a lot so I 1 imagined what made you think so your expression when we passed him that faint mocking smile passed briefly across kirk kirks blips lips has he gone tor for you 1 I dant know okay but he has kays body felt uncomfortably warm id rather not talk about barney to me you mean yes her own voice had become edged and I 1 might as well tell you something else kirk this Is my last ride with you that so yes people are talking I 1 his voice was sharp who everybody my family and what are they saying that youre not the sort of person a nice girl should be going with he laughed mirthlessly im not then after a brief pause are they saying anything else 1 I dont know 1 I mean about the last time we were out together she shrank away from him please kirk they will he remarked acidly sooner or later she said 1 I know it why im not going out with you any more he answer that his foot depressed the accelerator ever so slightly and the speedometer moved ahead to forty five the road was broad and smooth cars buzzed by farm cars and trucks and several big sedans headed toward beverly and cathedral gardens kirk said dryly your boy friends mother has done quite a job please kirk 11 she has really the town was dead until she came into the picture id rather not why did you send for me reasons nothing wrong is there yes you mean find out she pressed her lips together please take me back not now but its getting late not noon yet where are you taking me Sp ringdale to Sp ringdale but kirk I 1 cant yes you can you can do ex acely what I 1 say she glanced at his face it was like granite hard unconscionably hard and dangerous sh she e asked why are you taking me th there ere there was no emotion in his voice he made a flat statement he said you and I 1 are going to get married kirk reynolds drove on in silence he might have said the weather is pleasant 11 he might have said aid were going to Sp ringdale f for or lunch instead in just so casual a manner he be had 8 stated that the they Y were about to be rn married kays hazel eyes eye s were wide and frightened unconscious conscious un of the gesture she pressed one hand against her lips she even ask whether he was serious kirk was not addicted to making statements which he did not mean but she did say 1 I dont love you and he answered tersely that has nothing to do with it words were a relief its impossible she declared an and d he be smiled again that mirthless mocking smile lie he said bald 1 I dont think so then she asked but why do you think that you care for me no and yet oh cirki kirki youre joking surely not exactly heres the license he tossed it into her lap it had been issued to in Sp ringdale that prosperous agricultural county which adjoined beauregard on the north the names stared up at her kirk reynolds age 28 katherine forrest age 19 well be married by a magistrate or a preacher its your wedding take your choice the thing was too startling too bewildering she said without conviction vic tion 1 I wont do yes you will but why Beca because useI say so 1 I cant she cried desperately it possible I 1 im in love w with ith someone else 0 he shrugged that makes no difference he turned his cold eyes upon her perhaps youve gouvei forgotten that night 11 nol no I 1 forget that then try to remember exactly exact ly what happened perhaps then understand whether im fooling she turned frightened eyes upon him Is it really necessary kirk his explanation was to him sufficient fici ent it was madi made without interest a mere cold statement of fact in Us this state said kirk key hey a wife cannot be compelled to testify against her husband the me preacher a rather gaunt and unkempt individual pronounced kirk reynolds and katherine forrest man and wife then gratuitously gratuitous tous I 1 Y he intoned a long and sonorous prayer during the course of which kay kept her eyes fixed upon the ministers wife a nondescript per person s on in a long coat which had been donned hurriedly in the present emergency to cover an wrapper behind her stood a grinning impressed into service as a second witness kay had ceased to think she had ceased to feel she knew that something terrible was happening something of awful finality she knew the some same cold tear fear which had bad paralyzed her thit that night on the road w when hen a gun had spoken harshly from kirks hand and now she sensed rather than saw kirk produce a wallet and press a bill into the far from unwilling palm of the preacher she wanted to laugh or to cry she was audience and actor it was as though she were preparing to leave the movie theater in beverly after having suffered through a dreadful and unreal tragedy she heard the whispered surprised comment of the portly bollal dont look as if hes even gwine kiss the bride when they were in the car again headed home kirk drove slowly once he even smiled thinly as he said snap out of it kay she nodded waiting tor for him to speak again do you understand why I 1 did it he inquired no had to youre not a bad kid b but ut you happened to be in the wrong snap out of it kay place at the wrong time now im afraid beverly is wising up conversation even this sort of conversation was a relief she said what do you mean you pulled a dumb play that night you dropped your compact near jacksons body my compact 7 she remembered missing it but it marked folks knew it was yours it could have belonged to any tourist it it could but it you get it she said barney hamilton gave it to me 1 I thought so none like it in beverly swank stuff and theres not a woman in town who noticed it I 1 only found out yesterday it had been picked up out there they they prove it was roine mine they could try he stated dryly but I 1 promised you id never tell what 1 I saw sure you did have been too wise to blab but youre a kid smart enough to in some ways but dumb as hell in others the solicitor for this circuit is shrewd hes been asking questions lots of folks remember we were at the dance together and that we went riding that night if you had been picked up suddenly and had a bucketful of questions ques tons thrown at you have given yourself away but cant they still do that sure and where would it get em cm you might even be tricked into telling the truth not meaning to of course but what good would it do what you tell the solicitor aint evidence in this state got to get it out of you on the witness stand and they cant make you take the stand against me now that were married ried 11 you think try you tor for lulling harvey jackson not now they wont no witnesses possibly convict me but if sure never sure and it if they were that aint evidence youre the only person who could convict me and you wont she was silent for a long time then what are you going to do naw now kirk about what 11 Us he shrugged indifferently nothing you mean i living together hell I 1 marry you for that so long as you k keep beep your mouth shut you can do w what hat you want TO HE BK |