The Year's 25 Finest Crime & Mystery Stories 7th Annual ed. (1998) by Edward Gorman; Martin H. Greenberg

Author:Edward Gorman; Martin H. Greenberg [Greenberg, Edward Gorman; Martin H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780786705719
Amazon: 078670571X
Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub
Published: 1998-10-01T21:00:00+00:00

I found Judith in the Clarion newsroom, at one of the desks used for general reporting.

She looked up from her computer as I stopped beside her.

“If you have a moment, Judith?”

“Oh yes, Mrs. Collins. What’s happened?”

“Quite a bit.” I led the way to my office and closed the door. I settled behind my desk.

She sat demurely in a chair, facing me.

But she was electric with excitement, her eyes bright, a becoming flush in her cheeks.

“Have you heard that the necklace has been found?”

Pleasure glistened now in her eyes. Pleasure and an almighty cockiness. “Oh, really? Then they owe me an apology, don’t they? I’ll demand it. And if they don’t—if she doesn’t apologize—I’ll write a story for the Clarion.”

“No.”

Suddenly, her face was still, smooth, stiff. “No? Why not? I’ve been accused of theft. And they had no right. It’s just like—” She stopped short.

“Yes, Judith? Like what?”

She stared at me, knowing something was wrong.

“Why don’t you tell me about it—Baby.”

Her face twisted with fury. “She took the necklace. Years ago. She took it. But she blamed my father—and so he ran away. That’s what happens when people are rich and powerful, they can put the blame on someone else. Mother told me all about it, how she went after my dad, turned his head, persuaded him to run away with her. It’s all her fault.”

“Fault.” I sighed. “That’s what you’ve done, isn’t it? You’ve blamed Natalie or your dad’s running away. But think a little further, Judith; he didn’t have to run away. Your mother returned the necklace. Your father left because he wanted to. Maybe he changed his mind about Natalie, maybe your mother faced him down. It doesn’t matter. Yes, Natalie took the necklace, but she took it for him, to have him.”

“No.” It was a child’s cry. “No. If it weren’t for her, I would have had my dad, he wouldn’t have gone away.”

“Oh yes. Someday he would have. Because that’s who and what he was. Your mother blamed Natalie because she didn’t want to blame him. Everyone always made excuses for Terry Parker. Wherever he is now, you can bet he’s left behind people who loved him. And he’s left behind a legacy of bitterness. You spent years thinking about it, and thinking how you could pay back the woman you blame for losing your father. That’s why you came to school here. That’s why you applied for the job as Natalie Pearson’s secretary. Tell me, how main jobs did you turn down, for one reason or another, until you got what you wanted? You became her secretary and you waited for the right opportunity. The night you put the necklace away, you added sleeping pills to Mrs. Pearson’s drink.”

Her eyes widened, her mouth opened.

“How did I know? Because she overslept the next morning, by more than an hour. When she came down to breakfast, she mentioned feeling headachy to Mrs. Fitch. That could have been dangerous, Judith. You don’t know what medicines she takes. But you were focused on your plan.

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.