Calamity Town

“John Fowler Wright, what on earth??”

“We’re all going up to the mountains for Christmas dinner. We’ll spend the night at the Lodge and roast chestnuts around Bill York’s fire, and we’ll have fun.”

“John, that’s a silly idea! Nora took my Thanksgiving away from me; now you want my Christmas. I won’t hear of it.”

But after looking into her husband’s eyes, Hermy decided his command was not a whim, and she stopped arguing.

So Ed Hotchkiss was hired to drive the Christmas gifts up to Bill York’s Lodge on top of Bald Mountain, with a note to Bill from John F. concerning dinner, and lodgings, and “special preparations”?old John was mighty mysterious about the whole thing, chortling like a boy.

They were to drive up to Bald Mountain in two cars directly after dinner Christmas Eve. Everything was ready?the snow chains were on the rear tires, old Ludie had already left, released for the holiday, and they were stamping about outside the Wright house waiting for Jim and Nora to join them . . . when the door of Nora’s house opened and out came Rosemary Haight, alone.

“Where are Jim and Nora, for goodness’ sake?” called Hermy. ”We’ll never get to the Lodge!”

Rosemary shrugged. ”Nora’s not going.”

“What!”

“She says she doesn’t feel well.”

They found Nora in bed, still and weak and greenish, and Jim prowling aimlessly about the room.

“Nora baby!” cried Hermy.

“Sick again?” exclaimed John F.

“It’s nothing,” said Nora; but it was an effort for her to talk. ”Just my stomach. You all go on ahead to the Lodge.”

“We’ll do no such thing,” said Pat indignantly. ”Jim, haven’t you called Dr. Willoughby?”

“She won’t let me.” Jim said it in a lifeless voice.

“Won’t let you! What are you?a man or a worm? What’s she got to say about it? I’m going downstairs this minute?”

“Pat,” faltered Nora. Pat stopped. ”Don’t.”

“Now Nora?”

Nora opened her eyes. They burned.

“I won’t have it,” said Nora through her teeth. ”I’m saying this for the last time. I won’t have interference. Do you understand? I’m all right.

I’m-all?right.” Nora bit her lip, then with an effort continued: “Now please. Go on. If I feel better in the morning, Jim and I will join you at the Lodge?”

“Nora,” said John F., clearing his throat, “it’s time you and I had an old-fashioned father-and-daughter talk . . . ”

“Let me alone!” Nora screamed.

They did so.

* * *

On Christmas Day, Ellery and Pat drove up to Bald Mountain, retrieved the gifts from Bill York at the Lodge, and drove back to Wrightsville with them. They were distributed in a distinctly unhallowed atmosphere.

Hermy spent the day in her room. Pat fixed a Christmas “dinner” of leftover lamb and a jar of mint jelly, but Hermy would not come down, and John F. swallowed two mouthfuls and dropped his fork, saying he wasn’t hungry. So Pat and Ellery ate alone.

Later, they walked over to see Nora. They found Nora asleep, Jim out, and Rosemary Haight curled up in the living room with a copy of Look and a box of chocolates. She shrugged at Pat’s question about Jim. Had another fight with Nora and ran out. Nora was fine . . . weak, but getting along all right. What does one do for excitement in this one-horse town? Wrightsville! Christmas! And, petulantly, Rosemary went back to her magazine.

Pat ran upstairs to satisfy herself about Nora. When she came back, she winked urgently, and Ellery took her outside again.

“I tried to talk to her?she wasn’t asleep at all. I . . . almost told her I knew about those letters! Ellery, Nora’s got me frightened. She threw something at me!”

Ellery shook his head.

“She won’t talk. She got hysterical again. And she’s sick as a cat! I tell you,” Pat whispered, “the schedule’s working out. Ellery, she was poisoned again yesterday/”

“You’re getting to be as bad as Nora,” said Ellery. ”Go up and take a nap, Pat. Can’t a woman be sick occasionally?”

“I’m going back to Nora. I’m not going to leave her alone!”

When Pat had run back, Ellery took a long walk down the Hill, feeling unhappy. The day before, while the others had been upstairs with Nora, he had quietly gone to the dining room. The table had not yet been cleared of the dinner dishes. He had sampled the remains of Nora’s corned-beef hash.

It had been a minute sample, but the effects were not long in making themselves known. He felt extreme stomachic pain and nausea. Very quickly, then, he had swallowed some of the contents of a bottle he had taken to carrying about with him?ferric hydroxid, with magnesia, the official arsenic antidote.

No possible doubt. Someone had mixed an arsenic compound into Nora’s corned-beef hash. And only Nora’s. He had tasted the hash on the other two plates.

The pattern was working out. First Thanksgiving, then Christmas. So death was scheduled for New Year’s Day.

Ellery recalled his promise to Pat: to save her sister’s life.

He plodded through the drifts. His mind was swirly with thoughts that seemed to take recognizable shapes, but did not.

Chapter 13

New Year’s: The Last Supper

Nora spent four days after Christmas Eve in bed. But on the twenty-ninth of December she appeared fresh, gay . . . too gay, and announced that she was through being sick, like some old lady; that she’d spoiled the family’s Christmas, but she was going to make up for it, so everybody was invited to a New Year’s Eve party!

Even Jim brightened at that and clumsily kissed her. Pat, witnessing the embrace, choked up and turned away. But Nora kissed Jim back, and for the first time in weeks they looked at each other in the old, secret way of lovers.

Hermy and John F. were overjoyed by this sudden return of Nora’s spirits.

“A dandy idea, Nora!” said Hermy. ”Now you plan the whole thing yourself. I shan’t lift a finger. Unless, of course, you’d like me to . . . ”

“No, indeed!” smiled Nora. ”It’s my party, and I’m going to boss it. Oh, darling”?and Nora threw her arms about Pat?”you’ve been such an angel this week, and I was so mean to you . . . throwing things! Can you ever forgive me?”

“You mug,” said Pat grimly, “I’d forgive you anything if you’d only keep acting this way!”

“It’s a good mood for Nora to be in,” Ellery said to Pat when she told him. ”Who’s Nora inviting?”

“The family, and the Judge Martins, and Doc Willoughby, and Nora’s even going to ask Frank Lloyd!”

“Hmm. Get her to invite Carter Bradford, too.”

Pat blanched. ”Cart?”

“Now, now. Bury the hatchet. It’s a new year?”

“But why Cart? The pig didn’t even send me a Christmas card!”

“I want Bradford here New Year’s Eve. And you’ve got to get him here if it takes crawling to do it.”