Helen McCloy by Minotaur Country

Author:Minotaur Country
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-02-19T16:00:00+00:00

11

“I HAD TO talk to you. I knew you were awake because I saw your light.”

His voice was almost inaudible. Never before had she seen him so subdued.

“Come in,” she said, and shut the door as he stepped inside. “I was just having a drink. Would you like one?”

“Thanks, I need one.”

He must have been playing tennis earlier that evening, for he was wearing sneakers, slacks, and a tennis shirt.

“Has something happened?”

He hesitated over his answer. “A lot of things have happened, including your resignation. Why did you resign?”

“But I told you, the newspaper—”

“Please. Let’s have the truth.”

Had she been telling the truth all along, she would have protested indignantly. But she had been suppressing the true and suggesting the false, which is lying, no matter what the Supreme Court says, so she hesitated.

That moment’s hesitation gave him an advantage. He seized it quickly. “You don’t defend yourself because you know you can’t. Now tell me the real reason you resigned.”

“Is there any rule that says one has to give a reason?”

“No rule, but it is customary.”

“I gave you enough reason to satisfy custom.”

He moved his glass, swirling the drink in a miniature whirlpool. “You gave no reason. Just a transparently false excuse. Mr. Brewer and his newspaper can get along without you perfectly well and you know it.”

“You’ve been making inquiries?”

“Of course. I questioned that reporter of his who covers the State House. You are not needed on the paper now any more than you were when you gave up the job to come here. So what is your real reason?”

“I’m not going to tell you. Let’s just leave it at that.” Tash expected him to finish his drink and walk out of the room, but he didn’t. He sat quietly looking through the open window at the arch of stars above the dark treetops. At last he spoke.

“Is it because of something you found out?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I am asking you if you found out the truth about Vivian.”

Until now it had all seemed a simple matter of an employer irritated because he was losing an employee at an inconvenient moment. Even this unconventional visit to her rooms late at night was just the informal Playfair charm being used to paper over a crack in staff organization.

Now she saw that it must be more than that.

“All I know about Vivian is what you and others have told me.”

He looked at her steadily. “I’m not sure I believe you.”

“There’s only one thing I know about her that you may not know.”

“And that is?”

“The first time I saw her here she asked me to mail a letter for her, and the letter was stolen before I could mail it, but that has nothing to do with my resignation.”

“Tell me all about the letter.”

He listened without any sign of surprise.

“And even then it didn’t occur to you what was wrong?”

“No.”

“Then I think I shall have to tell you.”

“I’d rather you didn’t. I might let it slip to someone else without meaning to.

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