Calamity Town

lawyer in the state to defend Jim. We’re going to show Wrightsville a united front!”

“And if Jim’s found guilty, Muth?” asked Pat quietly.

“We’ll have done our best, dear. In the long run, such a verdict, hard as it seems, would be the best solution to our problem?”

“What a vile thing to say,” snapped Lola. ”Mother, that’s not right or fair. You say that because you’re convinced Jim’s guilty. You’re as bad as the rest of this town. Best solution?!”

“Lola, do you realize that if it were not for the intervention of Providence,” Hermy cried, “your sister would be a corpse this very minute?”

“Let’s not quarrel,” said Pat wearily.

Lola lit another cigarette, looking angry.

“And if Jim’s acquitted,” said Hermy stiffishly, “I’m going to insist that Nora divorce him.”

“Mother!” Now Pat was shocked. ”Even if a jury finds Jim innocent, you’ll still believe he’s guilty?”

“Now Hermy, that’s not right,” said Judge Martin.

“I mean he’s not the right man for my Nora,” said Hermy. ”He’s brought her nothing but grief. Nora will divorce that man if I’ve got anything to say about it!”

“You won’t,” said Doc Willoughby dryly.

Lola kissed her mother on the cheek. Ellery heard Pat gasp, and guessed that history had just been made.

“You old Trojan,” laughed Lola. ”When you get there, you’ll insist on running Heaven. Imagine?you urging a divorce!” And she added grimly: “Why didn’t you feel that way about my divorce from Claude?”

“This isn’t . . . the same,” said Hermy, embarrassed. And suddenly Mr. Queen saw a bright, bright light. There was an old antagonism between Hermione Wright and her daughter Lola that cut deep into their personalities. Pat was too young to have been a cause of irritation. But Nora-Nora had always been the preferred, Nora had always stood between Hermione and Lola emotionally, an innocent rope in a psychological tug-of- war.

Hermy was saying to Judge Martin: “We’ll need an extra-fine lawyer for Jim, Eli. Whom can you suggest?”

“Will I do?” asked Judge Martin.

John F. was startled. ”Eli! You?”

“But Uncle Eli,” protested Pat, “I thought?it’s your court?I thought you’d have to sit?”

“In the first place,” said the old jurist dryly, “that’s not possible. I’m involved. I was present on the scene of the crime. I am known to have strong ties with the Wright family. Legally and ethically, I can’t sit on this case.” He shook his head. ”Jim will be tried before Judge Newbold. Newbold’s a complete outsider.”

“But you haven’t pleaded a case in fifteen years, Eli,” said John F. suspiciously.

“Of course, if you’re afraid I won’t do?” He smiled at their protestations. ”I forgot to mention that I’m retiring from the Bench, so . . . ”

“You old fraud,” growled Dr. Willoughby. ”John, Eli’s quitting the Bench just to defend this case!”

“Now Eli, we can’t let you do that,” said John F.

“Nonsense,” said the Judge gruffly. ”Don’t go getting any sentimental ideas. Was going to retire anyway. Old Has-been Martin. Itching to get to work again, instead of dozing my life away in a robe. If you want a has-been in your corner, we won’t say any more about it.”

Hermy burst into tears and ran from the room.

Chapter 20

No Time for Pride

The next morning Pat rapped on Ellery’s door, and he opened it to find her dressed for the street.

“Nora wants to see you.” She looked around the room curiously. Ludie had already done the room, but it was briskly littered again, as if Ellery had been hard at work for some time.

“Right with you.” Ellery looked fatigued. He fussed with some pencil-scrawled papers on the desk; the typewriter carriage held a sheet. He slipped the cover over the portable and, putting the papers in a desk drawer, locked it. The key he dropped casually into his pocket, and put on his jacket.

“Working?” asked Pat.

“Well . . . yes. This way out, Miss Wright.” Mr. Queen walked her out of his room and locked the door.

“Your novel?”

“In a way.” They went down to the second floor.

“What does ‘in a way’ mean?”

“Yes and no. I’ve been . . . you might call it reconnoitering.” Ellery looked her over. ”Going out? You look cute.”

“I’ve a special reason for looking cute this morning,” murmured Pat. ”In fact, I’ll have to look irresistible.”

“You do. But where are you going?”

“Can’t a girl have any secrets from you, Mr. Queen?” Pat stopped him outside Nora’s room and looked him in the eye. ”Ellery, you’ve been going over your notes on the case, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Find anything?” she asked eagerly.

“No.”

“Damn!”

“It’s a queer thing,” grumbled Ellery, putting his arm around her. ”Something’s been annoying me for weeks. Flying around in my skull. Can’t catch it . . . I thought it might be a fact?something trivial?that I’d overlooked. You know, I . . . well, I based my novel on you people?the facts, the events, the interrelationships. So everything’s in my notes that’s happened.” He shook his head. ”But I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Maybe,” frowned Pat, “it’s a fact you don’t know.”

Ellery held her off at arm’s length. ”That,” he said slowly, “is very likely. Do you know anything that?”

“You know if I did, I’d tell you, Ellery.”

“I wonder.” Then he shrugged and said: “Well! Let’s go in and see Nora.”

Nora was sitting up in bed, reading the Wrightsville Record. She was thinner, unhealthy-looking. Ellery was shocked to see how transparent the skin of her hands had grown.

“I always say,” grinned Mr. Queen, “that the test of a woman’s attractiveness is?how does she look in bed of a winter’s morning.”

Nora smiled wanly and patted the bed. ”Do I pass?”

“Summa cum laude,” said Ellery, sitting down beside her.

Nora looked pleased. ”Most of it’s powder, lipstick?yes, and a dab of rouge on each cheek?and of course this ribbon in my hair is a help. Charming liar! Patty darling, sit down.”

“I really have to be going, Nor. You two can talk?”

“But Pats, I want you to hear this, too.”

Pat glanced at Ellery; he blinked, and she sat down in the chintz-covered chair on the other side of the bed. She seemed nervous, and Ellery kept watching her as Nora talked.

“First,” said Nora, “I owe you an apology.”

“Who, me?” said Ellery, astonished. ”For what, Nora?”

“For having accused you of telling the police about those three letters and the toxicology book. Last week. When Chief Dakin said he was going to arrest Jim and I lost my head.”

“You see? I’d forgotten it. You do the same.”

Nora took his hand. ”It was a malicious thought. But for the moment I couldn’t imagine who’d told them but