"You wouldn"t see Winnie or me there."
"No, but a decent man goes to places where he wouldn"t take his women people. Now, let up, Auntie. Trust your good-for-nothing nevvy, and just do all you can to help--by doing nothing."
"I"ll help you, Chessy-Cat. I"ll do exactly as you tell me, if you"ll only let me know about it, and not treat me like a baby," said Winnie, who was wheedlesomely a.s.sisting my breakfast arrangements. She sugared and creamed my cereal, and, as I dispatched it, she b.u.t.tered toast and poured coffee and deftly sliced off the top of a soft-boiled egg.
I managed to eat some of these viands between answers to their rapid-fire volley of questions and at last I made ready to go down town.
"And remember," I said, as I departed, "if a lot of gossippy old hens come around here to-day--or your chicken friends--Winnie, don"t tell them a thing. Let "em get it from the papers, or apply to information, or any old way, but don"t you two give out a line of talk! See?"
I kissed them both, and started off.
Of course, I went over to Vicky Van"s first. I had been on the proverbial pins and needles to get there ever since I woke to consciousness by reason of the sisterly pounding that brought me from the land of dreams.
The house had an inhabited look, and when I went in, I was greeted by the odor of boiling coffee.
"Come right down here," called Mrs. Reeves from the bas.e.m.e.nt.
I went down, pa.s.sing the closed dining-room door with a shudder. Two or three policemen were about, in charge of things generally, but none whom I knew. They had been relieved for the present.
"You"re still here?" I said, a little inanely.
"Yes," returned Mrs. Reeves, who looked tired and wan. "I stayed, you know, but I couldn"t sleep any. I lay down on the music-room couch, but I only dozed a few minutes at a time. I kept hearing strange sounds or imagining I did, and the police were back and forth till nearly daylight. Downstairs, they were. I didn"t bother them, but they knew I was in the house, if--if Vicky should come home."
Her face was wistful and her eyes very sad. I looked my sympathy.
"You liked her, I know," she went on. "But everybody "most, has turned against her. Since they found the man was Randolph Schuyler, all sympathy is for him and his widow. They all condemn Vicky."
"You can scarcely blame them," I began, but she interrupted,
"I do blame them! They"ve no right to accuse that girl unheard."
"The waiter--"
"Oh, yes, I know, the waiter! Well, don"t let"s quarrel about it. I can"t stay here much longer, though. I made coffee and got myself some breakfast--but, honest, Mr. Calhoun, it pretty nearly choked me to eat sandwiches that had been made for last night"s surprise supper!"
"I should think it would! Didn"t any rolls come, or milk, you know?"
"I didn"t see any. Well, I"ll go home this morning, but I shall telephone up here every little while. The police will stay here, I suppose."
"Yes, for a day or two. Do you think Vicky will come back?"
"I don"t know. She"ll have to, sooner or later. I tried to make myself sleep in her room last night, but I just couldn"t. So I stayed in the music room, I thought--I suppose it was foolish--but I thought maybe she might telephone."
"She"d hardly do that."
"I don"t know. It"s impossible to say _what_ she might do. Oh, the whole thing is impossible! Think of it, Mr. Calhoun. Where could that girl have gone? Alone, at midnight, in that gorgeous gown, no hat or wrap--"
"How do you know that?"
"I don"t--not positively. But if she had put on wraps and gone out by either door she would surely have been seen by some one in the house.
I"m just sure she didn"t go out by the front street door, for we in the living-room must have noticed her. And she couldn"t have gone out by the area door, for there were waiters all about, down here."
We were sitting in the front bas.e.m.e.nt room, a pleasant enough place, evidently a servants" sitting room. Before Mrs. Reeves, on the table, were the remnants of her scarce tasted breakfast. As she had said, the tiny sandwiches and rich salad, which she had procured from the unused stores of the caterer"s provision, did seem too closely connected with the tragedy to be appetizing.
"The kitchen is back of this?" I asked.
"Yes, and dumb waiters to the dining-room. I confess I"ve looked about a bit. I"m not a prying woman--but I felt I was justified."
"You certainly are, Mrs. Reeves," I said, warmly, for she was thoroughly good-hearted, and a staunch friend of Vicky Van. "Have you learned anything illuminating?"
"No; but things are queer."
"Queer, how?"
"Well, you wouldn"t understand. A man couldn"t. But it"s this way.
Lots of potted meats and jars of jam and cans of tea and coffee and cocoa in the pantry, but no fresh meat or green vegetables about. No b.u.t.ter in the icebox, and no eggs or bacon."
"Well, what does that imply? I"m no housekeeper, I admit."
"It looks to me as if Vicky was leaving this morning--I mean as if she had expected to go away to-day, and so had no stuff on hand to spoil."
"Perhaps this is her market day."
"No; it"s queer, that"s what it is. You know sometimes Vicky does go away for days at a time."
"Hasn"t she a right to?"
"Of course she has. I"m thinking it out. Where does she go? And wherever it is, that"s where she is now!"
Mrs. Reeves" triumphant air seemed to settle the question.
"But all that isn"t queer, my dear lady," I said. "We all know Vicky Van gads about a lot. I"ve telephoned her myself twice, and she wasn"t here. Once, Julie answered, and once there was no response of any sort."
"Yes, I suppose that"s the case. She was going away on a visit to-day, maybe, and so had little food on hand to be disposed of. A good housekeeper would look after that. Of course, it wouldn"t be Vicky"s doing, but Julie"s. That housekeeper is a treasure. She could run a hotel if she wanted to."
"Then, perhaps," I mused, aloud, "Vicky ran away and went to the place, wherever it is, that she expected to visit to-day."
"Oh, I don"t know. This is all merely conjecture. And, too, how could she, in that dress? No, she has gone to some friend in town. She must have done so. A hotel wouldn"t take her in--why," Mrs. Reeves" voice broke, "you know that waiter said there--there was blood on Vicky"s gown!"
"Do you believe that?"
"If we believe him at all, why shouldn"t we believe the whole tale? I don"t know Vicky Van, you understand, except as a casual friend. I mean, I know nothing of her family, her past, or her personality, except as I"ve seen her in a friendly way. I like her, thoroughly, but I can"t honestly say that I know her."
"Who does?"
"n.o.body. All her friends say the same thing. She is lovely and dear, but never confidential, or communicative regarding herself."
"Wherever she went, Julie must be with her," I suggested.