Show P 13 N r L E D by peggy shane copyright by peggy shane service 1 l SYNOPSIS A pretty young woman finds herself beri f la in a taxicab in new york with a strange man who addresses her endearingly and a peaks of ima im awful antul shock when he leaves her for or a moment she drives on for she fears him sa stops at the biltmore Bilt mere still wondering who the che la Is her memory to gone F fro her expensive clothing and wedding ring rag the sho concludes sho is married to a wealthy man at the biltmore the nameless girl meets matta a young woman who speaks of her desire desir to so go to reno tor for a divorce if she can let get the money sho she vanishes with tho the nameless girls an elderly woman mrs oscar du val cordially greets the nameless girl addressing her as doris difo ifo of mrs du vals son rocky rocky is abroad and doris be bewildered leered Is taken to the home of mrs du val and her sculptor hus husband barid oscor oscar doris falls in love with R we photograph but cannot remember havi having g married him Disi discovering a trademark in her clothing she sha visits a new york store and is astounded when a saleswoman insists she hido hide from observation CHAPTER ill III continued what could be the meaning of this could it be that slie she was the fantasy of a girl oming toward her almost calling ier e by name miss I 1 mean mrs val she surely had said val then the crazy push into the closet it was very like a dream or possibly the salesgirl was mad or was doris mad she remembered that insane people sometimes thought every one in the world was crazy she felt the blackness of the closet around her throbbing throbbing why was vas she shut away in a closet a poor child hidden from some unknown peril instead of leaving her fright was increasing creason ln As always in her moments of depression the vision of the man in the cab came to torment her h er now his face floated before her very real very menacing her imagination unbidden brought out a dozen suggestions supposing he were out there supposing he wanted to kidnap her supposing lie he were a criminal and she was his helpless tool a criminal herself ner her reason telling her that this was vas all nonsense she still felt wave after wave of terror plunge over her like great billows knocking her common sense over choking down her efforts to be calm and rational TI the e salesgirl had recognized her had called her val outside mrs du dir val was waiting for her in the car everything was all right what was she seared scared of everything was not all right what was the meaning of the sales girls terror and why was she in this closet doris called herself a tool fate had taken her kindly into a safe haven where she could ret rest and be well weil treated until her memory returned but she had riot not been satisfied isfried why she been content with mrs du val in the country she tried to think back to the impulse that had led her to this place where girls looked at her with stricken pitying eyes and pushed her into dark closets she felt that it if she exer eier got back to the country she would never make any effort to leave again after what seemed a very long time she elie turned the handle of tile the door and looked out the small reception room was empty evidently the salesgirl had left it so that she might get away and outside sitting placidly in her limousine was mrs du val doris stood in the center ot of the room hesitating try as she would she could not summon her resolution to go on out in the car lay sanity rest peace if she went in again and looked up that salesgirl she did not know what bould happen but she could fel feel the terror the girl had spread like ilke a contagion doris knew that sho she was being cowardly but she could not help herself then she remembered that the salesgirl had used the word du dil val or at least she had said it so quickly that val something was all doris heard but it must ile he du val what else could it be and after all that was all she had come to find some that she belonged to the du vals and that one word of the salesgirls sales girls should be enough she ducked out of the door and raced breathlessly to the curb got inside quickly and sank down in tile the soft cushions 1 I 1 was beginning to worry said mrs du val 1 I did promise rocky locky not to let you get out of my sight As the car rolled up the avenue doris pondered this did rocky know of tier lier danger whatever it was and had be left these strange injunctions about tier her for tier her own safety ter her mind went over aud and over the incident In ident I miss the girl lad bad start ed to say as if slie she had known doris bet for a long time US as miss somebody thou then she had corrected herself and said mrs mrs eliut hat oh ob it must have been du val but in the excitement of tle tile moment it had been said so q that doris could not be quite as sure she would have liked she was pale and exhausted from the fright mrs du val was quick to notice this doris the trip into town Is a mistake you could not stand the dentist could you today doris looked at her thankfully whatever happens ill always love you find and be grateful to you she said such thoughts P 1 1 I mean it you have been wonderful to me whatever happens she says 1 you must not worry so you are going to be all right doris looked anxiously at mrs du val what did she mean by that she spoke as if she knew of the stran strange me thing that was banging hangin gover over her surely she could not have known k that a salesgirl would push her into a closet and call her a poor child doris found herself falling back on her old hope tomorrow she would remember she had had a shock today that ought to bring memory back oscar met them in front of the house as on the night of doris arrival ue he was delighted at their return his first words were 1 I have good news for you tonight there will be a stadium broadcast it Is very good do you like to listen to beethoven doris 1 doris said she did mrs du val looked pleased doris felt unreasonably happy here she was secure and loved the salesgirl had bad called her by name so slie she could be sure she was all right it must be that coolness sprung from something she had done in her past to alienate his love but she would win it back in the future she would be a model wife these feelings were still in the ascendant when she unsuspectingly sat down in front of the radio after dinner As oscar du val turned on the dial to find the concert there was a preliminary buzzing A mans voice spoke with startling distinctness it boomed its message through the room a frightening monologue that set doris arms clenching the sides of her chair diane merrell the girl wanted for murder in wn new jersey 11 doris was staring into space pace with wide glassy eyes was reported seen in detroit mich at four thirty this afternoon tile the police are mrs du dir val gave a low scream oscar switched the radio off doris had fallen back in her chair in a half daze wave after wave of black emotion was pulling her downward the radio voice had spoken from her past and dragged her back to the no mans land of threatening circles and menacing purple rings mrs du vals fat little arms were around her trying to embrace her at such a tine time you should not be listening to murders murder sl 1 she fell forward in her chair in a dead faint doris came slowly back to her senses she opened her eyes the white canopy met her gaze she was in bed then but what was this frightening trouble clutching her she turned her head mrs du val was sitting at the bedside leaning over with anxious eyes behind her the soft rays from a pink lamp fell on picture sent out gleams from the silver frame now now dow you are going to be all right whispered mrs du val soothingly then doris remembered she bad been sitting at the radio something had been said something horrible what what was it they were saying over the radio now now go to sleep my doris it is all right doris sat up and looked at mrs du val a little wildly but youve got to tell me its very important now now dorli remember at such a time you must not be thinking of murders murder sl 1 murders dorla doris fell back against the linen covered pillows murders Murder sl what bad she to do with murders she knew that her past hul had yawned dawned for one terrible second while the radio announcement was being made and now her mind had turned away from it again she was thinking that the reason she had forgotten her past was because it aas as too agonizing for her mind to dwell on her loss losis of 0 mein memory was a veil which nature in her great kindness had dropped across her life behind that curtain lay something dreadful which bile could feel even it if she could not remember it IL now that she he had had that one backward glimpse she felt that she could never be happy again tell me she said what murder was it that was being talked about nercy mercy mercy and how should I 1 know that you must stop thinking of such things doris it Is bad for the llie baby you know mrs du val va was nas blushing fu piously rlou riou sly there now doris you must forgive me I 1 have not been very delicate have I 1 but I 1 was so worried today has been too much for you now now we wont mention it again I 1 know that young girls are sensitive about such subjects suddenly the meaning of the often repeated phrase at such a time was clear she looked with startled eyes at mrs du val of course she might have known that was it all those little worries about her exercise her diet taking care of herself all those sly little looks she was supposed to be an expectant mother I 1 and of course she was not going to be a mother root lier of that she was certain now the meaning of words unraveled no need to worry about doris did rocky too think she was going to have a child she opened her mouth im not but the french womans comans little ringed hand was already over her lips the small kindly eyes looked at her warningly you must not say another word you are too excited doris eyes big and full of anxiety looted looked at mrs du val what was the use of trying to tell anything now she would only be thought overwrought sooner or later she must straighten the thing out tonight there were other things she wanted to find out but about the murder no no no more talk in silence doris allowed mrs du val to tuck the covers about her chin she was thankful when the light was turned out and she was left alone she tried to think why it was that she had never dever before thought of this explanation of sirs mrs du vals solicitude licit ude but how could she bhe have supposed such is a thing thin about herself if tills were so then she was not wife wife was some other forlorn walf waif in her frenzy she pictured this other woman as a sort of biltmore ghost walking walking through the big lobby looking for a mrs du val that never came the shapes and shadows ir ic the room were assuming grotesque but outlines lines pointing accusing fingers you are not dot mrs rockwell du val you are not wife at all you belong to the man in the cab she tossed all night not quite knowing whether she slept or dreamed waking nightmares at dawn she rose with a painfully contracted heart and knelt down before the picture of rocky R in his fits pictured eyes she tried to read the truth about her relationship to him ile he had grown so familiar to her that she could not believe that she had never seen the real man even though her mind conjured up no do recollection of him that went beyond th that at silver frame she still knew that image so well that she believed him to be her husband you must be you must be she whispered fate could not be so cruel as to give you to me only in make believe she crawled back under the covers and tell fell asleep she awoke to find mrs du val standing beside her bed mrs du val looked anxious and she knew she had something wrong with her her head bead felt hot and unnatural it Is nothing said mrs du val cheerfully you have a little touch of grippe you must stay in bed you will be all right for the next few days doris lacked the energy to bring up tho the subject of her supposedly approaching motherhood mrs du val like many fussy and worry ing women was at her best when there was actual illness to combat she was a miracle now of optimism as she nursed doris doris lay for hours listlessly watching the shadow of the leaves make changing patterns in the sunshine that came in through the long windows once she took a dalsy daisy from the burich bunch of flowers that had been put near her bed and pulling the leaves went through the familiar ritual of he loves roe me he loves me not the message of the flower was he be loies loes me not noll she did not like it superstitiously she felt that it proved that rocky was not her bus husband 1 I suppose 1 really am slightly crazy shy she told herself ondene ly she fingered tile the ring which curled around tier her finger with tender reassurance she had never taken it off since the day in tile the biltmore billmore now it suddenly occurred to tier her to look at the inscription inside again she slipped it off 11 il II L V to D U M may 1932 D M that was doris she did not yet know ghather wh what ather her milden maiden name had been arid and tl ll 4 L V was now panic overwhelmed her initials were R n D V she wits was not married hurried to rocky she must be married to the man mail in the ca cab b she tried to be rational there must be some way that H L V could be initials sometimes peoples initials were quite different from what you yon thought they would be people who went by nicknames her brain whirled she felt determined to prove to herself that she was married to rocky n H L V R D V there seemed no escape from those awful initials wily why she thought of this before she had often gone to sleep with her fingers on the small circle thinking of it always as present to her she had remembered that there was a V and had taken it for granted that they were initials now ene bile accused herself guiltily she had wanted to think herself married to rocky and why why in heavens name why she asked herself excitedly A man she had bad never seen A man she might not even like there were several reasons first if she were married to rocky she be married to the man in the cab second she liked people and third well she must have allowed herself to grow quite sentimental and silly over picture she was half way in love with him and there was no use denying that how many days passed in this way she did not know but one morn ing when she was beginning to feel better physically it if not mentally she became conscious of great ex cit ement seething beyond her huorn there was bustling and banging of 0 doors in the hallway mrs du val came hurrying in her small eyes eye were dancing with joy behind her round glasses you must not dot excite yourself doris she exclaimed you are feeling almost well are you not dear doris oh yes I 1 feel well enough to get up no no not yet do not get e excited dori she crepea ed sirs mrs du val sat herself down in a chair and watched doris dons eat her breakfast evidently she was burst ing with news which she was long ing to tell doris 1 I 1 have tor for you a surprise salu salo mrs du val that ought to make me feel quite well said doris trying to be flail able and to look cheerfully expect ant she elie knew that this true sho could hardly bear to think if f something new happening things were complicated enough yet she felt that she must know what if put but mrs du val was shaking hei bet head she had made up her mini about something she came ahse to doris bent over her affection abely kissed her warm brow some day soon you must prepare to see my boy rocky she said ten derly that was all I 1 meant to tell you I 1 have heard front from him all the color seemed to have been lifted out of doris face something sickening stirred within her speechlessly she looked at mrs du val ali |