Nurse Hilary (13 page)

Chapter Fourteen

Apparently the
fear of being poisoned had yielded to hunger by dinner time, and the guests were in their usual places, the waitresses moving about, serving them, when Reid appeared at the entrance, his eyes scanning the well-filled room. He spoke to a waitress, who pointed out the table where Mrs. Barton and Mr. Hodding were cozily dining together.
Reid walked across the room, and paused at the table.

“
Mrs. Barton?
”
he asked unhappily.

Startled, Mrs. Barton looked up at him.

“
Why, yes
I’m
Mrs. Barton,
”
she answered, and smiled.
“
And you
’
re Mrs. Keenan
’
s nephew. This is Mr. Hodding.
”
Mr. Hodding had risen, and now he shook hands with Reid and said pleasantly,
“
Won
’
t you join us?
”

A waitress brought a chair, and Reid dropped into it and looked up at the hovering waitress, shaking his head as she proffered a menu.

“
Just coffee, please,
”
he ordered. And then, as he looked swiftly about him, his color rose.
“
That is,
I’
ll have dinner, of course, but
I’
m afraid
I’
ll be crowding you, sir, and Mrs. Barton?
”

“
Nonsense, my boy. We
’
re happy to have you,
”
said Mr. Hodding.

“
Of course we are.
”
Mrs. Barton smiled.

Reid scowled unhappily.

“
I’m
afraid you won
’
t be when I tell you why
I’m
here,
”
he admitted.

“
Something unpleasant? I do hope your aunt
’
s going to be all right?
”

“
Oh, she
’
s going to be fine,
”
Reid answered.
“
Physically, that is; mentally, she
’
s—well, she
’
s mad as a hornet.
”

“
Well, she was badly frightened—
”
Mr. Hodding offered the attempt at comfort, while still eyeing Reid anxiously.

“
Mrs. Barton, she demands that I apply for a warrant for your arrest!
”
Reid blurted miserably.

Mrs. Barton
’
s eyes opened wide in shock, and Mr. Hodding said belligerently,
“
What the devil are you talking about?
”

“
She wants to charge Mrs. Barton with felonious assault or something,
”
Reid answered, and went on, as though relieved to have gone past the point of explaining his presence,
“
she claims you beat her up.
”

Mrs. Barton gave a little, surprised chuckle, her eyes dancing.

“
Oh, of course, I have only to look at you, and think of Aunt Kate, to realize that
’
s utterly ridiculous,
”
Reid added hastily.
“
You wouldn
’
t weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet.
”

“
One hundred and ten, my boy, quite dry,
”
she said gently.

“
And Aunt Kate stands five feet seven and weighs a hundred and sixty,
”
Reid rushed on.
“
So that beating-up is just plain silly. But
did
you sock her?
”

“
I did,
”
said Mrs. Barton with obvious satisfaction.

“
Your aunt was hysterical, screaming, making a scene, and
Mrs. Barton took the historic, well-known and generally accepted course to check the hysteria; she slapped Mrs. Keenan
,”
Mr. Hodding explained curtly.

Reid eyed Mrs. Barton with warm and lively respect.
“
Cripes, I wish I
’
d been here,
”
he admitted frankly.

“
I wish you had, my boy,
”
Mr. Hodding said simply.
“
It might have given you some idea of how best to deal with a woman like your aunt.
”

Reid
’
s color was dark with shame, and he avoided their eyes.
“
I know, you
’
ve all watched her dress me down and you
’
ve wondered why I
’
ve let her get away with it, why I haven
’
t given her as good as she sent and stormed out in wrath,
”
he admitted unhappily.
“
But Aunt Kate is all the family I
’
ve ever had. She brought me up from the time I was five; she was good and kind. I know it
’
s hard to believe, because she
’
s turned into a—well, I hate to say it, but I can
’
t think of any other word—a sort of Termagant. But I
’
m the only person who can
’
t just walk out on her. I think, in her own peculiar way, she is fond of me. She has one terrible fear that is really a sort of obsession. It
’
s the fear of dying.
”

He looked up at them, a tired-eyed, harassed young man so terribly in earnest about what he was saying that they were caught in the web of his fumbling thoughts.

“
She—well, she wakes up in the night sometimes, and feels she is smothering. She panics in the darkness; she realizes how alone she is, except for me. But in the morning she despises her night-time fears and, somehow, it seems to relieve her pressure if she can rail out at me,
”
he went awkwardly on after a moment.
“
I suppose she realizes in the darkness that she
is
dependent on me, as the only member of her family left; and in the morning she so furiously hates being dependent for human affection on any living creature—
”

He broke off, scarlet and ashamed and, looking from one to the other, managed a completely unconvincing smile.

“
I suppose I sound like a fool, and I
’
m not making any sort of sense,
”
he blurted.

“
On the contrary, my boy, you
’
re making very good sense indeed,
”
said Mr. Hodding gently.
“
You
’
re giving us some faint inkling of your aunt
’
s problems, and we may be able to understand her better.
”

“
And you, too, Reid,
”
said Mrs. Barton quietly.
“
It
’
s much easier to understand now why you put up with her shocking behavior. I admit I felt you were—well, a rather weak somebody. But now that I understand, I can see you
’
re not weak at
all. It takes very real strength of character to—endure and understand and not hate
.”

“
Well, thanks, that
’
s pretty swell of both of you,
”
said Reid, and his handsome young face was alight with relief and appreciation.
“
Only it makes me feel even worse at having to prove you really didn
’
t beat Aunt Kate up.
”

Mrs. Barton laughed softly, bright-eyed.

“
Oh, am I still Public Enemy Number 1 in your book?
”
she teased him.
“
If they put my picture up in the post office I do hope they
’
ll wait until I have some new ones made. I haven
’
t had a photograph made in twenty years!
”

“
I bet it
’
s a beauty, too, if it resembles you at all,
”
said Reid handsomely, and grinned warmly.
“
I only have to get statements from those who witnessed that scene this afternoon, that you merely slapped her for her own good. But I wanted you to know what it was all about before I started prying and asking questions.
”

Mrs. Barton and Mr. Hodding gave him the names of the people who had been in the solarium when the scene occurred and as Reid took down the names he absent-mindedly attacked the food the waitress had placed before him.

“
Hi,
”
he said suddenly, realizing what he was doing, and eyeing his plate with renewed interest,
“
that
’
s good!
”

“
Well, of course, the food here is really superlative,
”
Mr. Hodding said genially, and lowered his voice, a twinkle in his eyes.
“
The others in the room have been watching to see if you ate here; I think now that you have you
’
ve restored their confidence in Raoul!
”

Reid looked swiftly about the room, but the guests who had been anxiously watching him jerked their eyes away quickly and began on their own dinners.

“
Boy, Aunt Kate really stirred up a ruckus, didn
’
t she?
”
said Reid grimly
.
“
But then she usually does, come to think of it.
”

When dinner was over, Mrs. Barton and Mr. Hodding escorted him to the club room where bridge tables were being set up, and introduced him to the witnesses of the afternoon
’
s scene. And Reid, his face dark and ashamed, asked the necessary questions and made notes, then took himself back to the lobby.

As he was shrugging into his topcoat, Mr. Hodding followed him.

“
I believe you
’
re with a well-known firm of lawyers in town?
”
he asked.

Reid nodded.
“
They have been handling Aunt Kate
’
s affairs, and when I finished law school she pressured them into taking me into the firm, as the fourteenth assistant to the fifteenth vice-president,
”
he answered grimly.

“
You didn
’
t want to set up shop for yourself?
”
probed Mr. Hodding.

“
Want to?
”
Reid
’
s handsome face twisted convulsively.
“
Doesn
’
t every young lawyer? But Aunt Kate made it plain she had no intention of financing me and of course I couldn
’
t expect her to.
”

Mr. Hodding nodded in complete understanding.
“
I think I might be able to make you a rather attractive offer, Reid,
”
he said quietly.
“
My attorney was Sanders Ridley. I
’
m sure you
’
ve heard of him?
”

“
Oh, golly, yes. Why, he was one of the best! I sure hated it when he passed away a couple of months ago,
”
Reid answered.

“
So did I. He was not only one of the finest attorneys around, but my good and close friend. He and I just about grew up together; I
’
ve never known a more honest, straightforward man, one whom I trusted more,
”
said Mr. Hodding quietly.
“
I haven
’
t been too well pleased with what
’
s going on in the firm since Sanders
’
death. I
’
ve been thinking I
’
d like to have an upcoming young man in whom I had complete confidence take over my entire affairs, and somehow I have an idea you and I might make a deal. How about meeting me for lunch in town tomorrow?
”

“
Gosh almighty, Mr. Hodding!
”
Reid gasped and colored at the youthfulness of the exclamation.
“
Are you really levelling with me?
”

“
Of course,
”
answered Mr. Hodding with convincing sincerity
.

Reid was startled, still for a moment, his thoughts whirling.

“
We
’
ll discuss the details at lunch tomorrow,
”
said Mr. Hodding smoothly.
“
And the amount of the yearly retainer. I paid Sanders twenty-five thousand a year
...
”

“
Oh, good Lord, Mr. Hodding, I couldn
’
t expect anything like that,
”
Reid gasped.

There was a friendly twinkle in Mr. Hodding
’
s eyes.