'It's kind of nice being this way, ain't-isn't it? Being able to do just what we please around the house.'
'I'll say.'
'Elizabeth would say it was too early for the furnace.'
'Yeah, she sure would.' It sounded pretty half-hearted, so I had to say something else. 'If you wanted to see someone that was really tight you should have seen her old lady. We cleaned out her room after she died, and she had darned near a whole closet full of dry bread-just scraps, you know.'
Carol snickered. 'She must have been crazy.'
'I guess she was along toward the last. You could hardly blame her, though, with a husband that spent all his life writing a history of the county.'
'What'd he do that for?'
'God knows,' I said.
Carol snuggled closer. The room began to get warm. The wind rose and fell, throwing the rain against the roof in long steady swishes; and she seemed to breathe in time with it.
My knees began to ache from her weight, but I didn't move. I didn't want to talk any more about Elizabeth or her folks or anything. Everything was all right now. I'd told her about a hundred times that I loved her and didn't love Elizabeth. A man can't spend his life hashing over the past.
I dozed for a few minutes, what seemed like a few minutes. When I woke up, the clock had just finished striking.
I jerked out my watch. Eleven-thirty. I shoved Carol off of me, waking her up, and stumbled out to the hall. My legs had gone to sleep and I could hardly walk.
The phone rang just as I was gripping the receiver.
I answered it automatically.
'Joe?'
'Yes.'
'I've got to talk with you, Joe. How soon can you come down?'
'Why,' I said, 'what's wrong?'
'I'm at my office. You'll be right down?'
'Well- It's kind of a bad night.'
No answer.
'Well, sure,' I said. 'I'll be right down.'
I hung up.
Carol was still sitting on the lounge, her face whiter than anything I ever hope or want to see. Her lips moved, but no sound came out of them.
'Web Clay,' I said; and, as if she didn't know: 'Our county attorney.'
27
She swallowed a couple of times and finally found her voice.
'W-What does he want?'
'I don't know.'
'Mr. Chance?'
'Goddamit,' I said. 'I told you I didn't know!'
Hap wasn't supposed to call; he was going right on into the city. But I didn't think it could be about him. Hap was too smooth an operator to be taken in by any of the Stoneville clowns. If there'd been a chance of being caught he wouldn't have taken it.
But even if they had got him, what could he say? What could Jimmie Nedry say, for that matter? Enough to start the ball rolling, sure, but the ball hadn't had time to roll yet. Even Web Clay wasn't dumb enough to tip his hand to me until he had a lot more to go on than he would have.
I went over to the hall tree and took down my hat and coat. And…
And she didn't say anything and I didn't hear her move. But her hand went past mine and grabbed her coat.
I jumped, startled. Before I knew what I was doing, I whirled and slammed her against the wall. It hurt her. It hurt and I was damned glad of it.
She bounced forward, trying to dodge around me; and I caught her by the wrists and we struggled. And then we stopped, posed like a couple of wrestlers in a picture. Ashamed. Scared stiff.
'Sorry if I hurt you, baby,' I said. 'You kind of startled me.'
'It's all right, Joe.' She tried to smile back at me. 'I just want to go with you.'
'You know you can't. How would it look, Carol?'
'I've got to, Joe!'
'You can't!'
'No one knows there's anything between-'
'You're damned right they don't,' I said, 'and they're not going to, either. What would you be doing up at this time of night? Why would you be traipsing along with me?'
'You don't understand, Joe. I-I-'
'I understand all right,' I said. 'You're afraid I'll spill something. You want to get in on the ground floor when the talking starts.'
It was a bad break but I couldn't hold it back. I'd held myself in as long as I could. Anyway, she might as well know that I was onto her. We knew where we stood now.
'Do-do you really think that, Joe?'
'What do you expect me to think? You're certainly not worried about me chasing off after Elizabeth.'
'No. I'm not worried about that.'
'Spit it out, then, if you've got anything to say.'
'You'd better go on, Joe.'
'You'll stay here?'
'Where else would I go? Yes, I'll stay here.'
I shrugged on my coat and pushed past her. She spoke again, just as I was opening the door.
'Joe-'
'Now what?'
'I just wanted to tell you, Joe. Everything's going to be all right. You don't have anything to be afraid of.'
'Not any more than you have,' I said. 'Not as much. Don't forget it.'
I got the car started, and went slipping and skidding down the lane to the highway. At the intersection I jerked the wheel toward the right, toward town. I had to jerk it. Something had almost made me turn the other way.
People in Stoneville go to bed pretty early, even when there isn't a storm to keep them off the streets. I toured around a dozen blocks without passing anyone or without seeing any lights except those in the courthouse. There were a few cars parked out, but none of them was Hap's. I began to breathe easier. He must have done the job and got away.
There was just one way to make sure, of course. That was to drive by Jimmie Nedry's house and see if he was there. But I didn't have any reason for doing that, any excuse I mean, and there wasn't time.
It was almost a half hour, now, since Web had called me. Regardless of what had happened, he'd start wondering if I didn't show up soon.
I drove back to the courthouse, parked, and ran up the walk to the building. I went up the stairs and down the hall, not hurrying but not taking my time, either, just businesslike. I put the right kind of expression on my face-puzzled and a little put out- and then I opened Web's door and went in.
Web was sitting behind his desk, looking about as uncomfortable as I felt. Sheriff Rufe Waters was standing, leaning against the wall. He acted like he didn't want any part of what was going on.
I sat down in front of Web, slapped the rain from my hat, and waited. He made a job of clearing his throat.
'Well, Joe,' he said at last. 'I suppose you're wondering why I asked you to come down here.'
'You can't blame me for that,' I said.
