Ten Days’ Wonder by Queen Ellery

Author:Queen, Ellery
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4532-8967-9
Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
Published: 2013-02-05T00:00:00+00:00

Ellery drove the convertible into the Van Horn garage and parked it beside Howard’s roadster with no surprise. Nevertheless, he was relieved. He decided that Howard could wait, and he hurried around the main house to the cottage.

He left his mud-stiffened outer garments on the porch, discarded the rest on the way to the bathroom, and scalded his hide under the shower until the chill seeped out of his bones and his muscles unknotted. He rubbed himself down quickly, got into clean dry clothing, paused in the sitting room only long enough to take a flashlight and a pull from the bottle of Scotch, and then he strode over in the lifting darkness to the other house.

Quietly he went upstairs, past sleeping doors. There were no lights anywhere; he stepped cautiously, feeling his way, not using his flash. On the top floor landing, however, he turned it on. A faint trail of muddy prints on the taupe carpeting led from the stairs to Howard’s bedroom. And the bedroom door was half open.

Ellery paused in the doorway.

The mud marks wandered to the bed. On the bed, fully clothed, lay Howard, asleep.

He had not even bothered to take off his trench coat.

His soaked hat gaped in a puddle on the pillow.

Ellery shut the door and bolted it.

He drew the Venetian blinds.

Then he switched on the lights.

“Howard.”

He prodded the sleeping man.

“Howard.”

Howard groaned something unintelligible and turned over, his head thrown back, snoring. He was in a sort of stupor. Ellery stopped prodding him.

I’d better get him out of these clothes first, Ellery thought, or he’ll come down with pneumonia.

He unbuttoned the sodden coat. The material was rainproofed and the lining was dry. He tugged until he got one sleeve off, and then he managed to lift Howard’s heavy body sufficiently to pull the coat free and strip it off the other arm. He removed Howard’s shoes and socks, and his trousers, which were caked and wet to the knee, and, using the blanket as a towel, he rubbed Howard’s legs and feet dry; the bed was a mess, anyway.

Then he went to work on Howard’s head.

Under the massage, Howard stirred.

“Howard?”

He thrashed about as if he were fighting something off. He moaned. But he did not awaken. And when Ellery had him all dry, he lapsed into the same semicomatose sleep.

Ellery straightened with a frown. Then he saw what he was looking for on the bureau and he went for the whiskey bottle.

Howard opened his eyes.

“Ellery.”

They were bloodshot and stary.

They took in the bed, himself half undressed, the wet muddy clothing on the floor.

“Ellery?”

He was bewildered.

And then, suddenly, frightened.

He clutched at Ellery.

“What happened!” His tongue was thick; he mouthed it.

“You tell me, Howard.”

“It happened, didn’t it? Didn’t it!”

Ellery shrugged. “Well, something happened, Howard. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Coming upstairs from the study. Pottering around a while.”

“Yes, I know. But after that.”

Howard squeezed his eyelids shut. Then he shook his head. “I don’t remember.”

“You came upstairs from the study, you pottered around a while—

“Where?”

“Where?”

“Oh, you’re asking the questions.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.