Part 27 (2/2)
I felt a little sick. As sick as my grandmother looked. Jon bent over her, and Belle came a few steps into the room. Only Hillary didn't move. He sat where he was, on the ha.s.sock beside me, his hands about his knees-a frozen spectator.
Jon said, ”If you were waiting in Denver, Mr. Ingram, why didn't you come to Jasper to investigate when your partner didn't show up. Why did you let it all go until now?”
”I did come-quietly. The place was in an uproar and swarming with reporters and police. But no trace of Noah turned up, though I made a few discreet inquiries. No one even seemed to know that he'd come back. I knew because he'd told me on the phone that he meant to.”
”Why didn't you bring up what you knew with the police?”
”There'd been a murder, and I didn't know any of the details. I didn't want to become involved. So I went off to Kansas alone, knowing Noah could find me when he wanted to. If he stayed away, there must have been a reason. Over the years I've put together a few suspicions. So when Gail told me about the bones in the mine, I had my final clue. I can't be patient forever, Mrs. Morgan. If I can't have what I want because you choose to block me, then perhaps I owe it to Noah to go to the police now.”
Persis managed to rouse herself. ”You can do as you like. The man in the mine wasn't Noah Armand. There's no way for you to prove what isn't so.”
”It may not be necessary to prove it, Mrs. Morgan,” Ingram said smoothly. ”It may only be necessary to stir up the past a bit and let the investigation take its course. Will you enjoy the publicity that follows? It's sure to make headlines, and how will that be for your granddaughter? How will it affect her for the rest of her life?”
”Mark!”. That was Belle's stricken cry. ”Mark, you can't do this!”
”Get out of my house!” Persis' voice cracked as she shouted at him, her proud poise gone.
He went straight to Belle and took both her hands in his. ”I'm sorry. This is what I have to do.”
Then he was gone, out the door, and an odd mutual releasing of breath seemed to sigh around the room. But before we could recover, he was back, smiling at us as outrageously, as though no controversy had ever existed.
”Of course I'll do nothing about this until after my Fortyniners' Ball,” he announced. ”Too much has gone into that It's to be held this coming Sat.u.r.day night, you know.”
I think we all gaped at him, unable to make the switch that Mark Ingram had made so easily. He went right on in the face of our astonishment.
”Gail is helping me by phoning friends in Boulder and Denver and other parts of the country. There's no time for for- mal invitations. But they'll come. I want to hold it right away, in order to celebrate the opening up of Jasper to the world. I'll have the press here, of course, and various people from the media. Maybe a congressman or two. Naturally, I hope you will all come. That dress you're wearing, Mrs. Morgan, will do very well as a costume. I'll hope to see you then.”
He was entirely confident as he made a sweeping gesture with his broad-brimmed hat. Then he was really gone.
”Don't worry,” Belle said cheerfully. ”All that stuff he's been carrying on about-it's just bluff. He always thinks he can pull things off in a big way, even when he's losing. But there's nothing he can do if you just hold on.”
”I don't believe he's losing,” Persis said. In the last few moments all her courage and eagerness for battle had drained away. ”Perhaps there's nothing else to do but give in and let him have his way.”
”Don't do that!” Hillary's words were unexpected as he left his place and came to where we stood around Persis. ”Don't worry, Mrs. Morgan. Belle's right. Ingram was lying. I could tell. You and Laurie can stand against him if you don't let his bluffing beat you down.”
I hoped he was right. I knew, as the others could not, that Hillary had a keen eye for reading character, for discerning the gesture or the look that betrayed.
”What's more,” he went on, ”I think we should all go to that ball of Ingram's. Mrs. Morgan, you can do some bluffcalling of your own if you're there. If you don't go, he'll think you're afraid of him.”
Belle laughed. ”Why not? That's the very way to confound him.” Then she caught my grandmother's look. ”Never mindyou don't have to decide now. Jon, help me get Mrs. Morgan upstairs to her room. There's been enough excitement for one day.”
35.
Persis gave in, her energy drained, and Belle and Jon helped her up the stairs. The return of the missing deringer was still on my mind, but I couldn't add another worry for Persis at this time.
At the front door Hillary gave me a quick hug and then v ent jauntily off toward the Timberline. It was as though his anger with me had never existed. He was still refusing to accept any break between us, and for me he was a problem that still had to be solved.
Jon came down while I was there on the porch, and v,e sat on the front steps together while I related all that had happened last night. I told him of my curious meeting with Gail and Caleb in the empty church, and about what had happened later when someone at the house went into the back parlor.
”Now there are two deringers in the box,” I told him. ”The one that was missing has been returned. What can this possibly ] mean?”
Jon got up at once and went with me down the hall. In the I rear parlor the French door to the side porch stood open, as the I intruder had left it, and the room wasn't as dark as usual. Jon noted the table that had been moved and the chair that was set in its place near the wall.
”To stand on?” Jon puzzled.
He climbed on the straight chair and reached toward the wall above his head. A small patch of wallpaper up near the black walnut molding had been torn, and when he pulled, it hung down to show cracked plaster. But there was nothing to tell him whatever he wanted to know.
”I wonder,” he said as he got down from the chair. ”In fact, I've always wondered.”
”What? What do you wonder?”
”Nothing. Nothing that makes any sense. When your father died, the police picked this room clean. There would be noth- mal invitations. But they'll come. I want to hold it right away, in order to celebrate the opening up of Jasper to the world. I'll have the press here, of course, and various people from the media. Maybe a congressman or two. Naturally, I hope you will all come. That dress you're wearing, Mrs. Morgan, will do very well as a costume. I'll hope to see you then.”
He was entirely confident as he made a sweeping gesture with his broad-brimmed hat. Then he was really gone.
”Don't worry,” Belle said cheerfully. ”All that stuff he's been carrying on about-it's just bluff. He always thinks he can pull things off in a big way, even when he's losing. But there's nothing he can do if you just hold on.”
”I don't believe he's losing,” Persis said. In the last few moments all her courage and eagerness for battle had drained away. ”Perhaps there's nothing else to do but give in and let him have his way.”
”Don't do that!” Hillary's words were unexpected as he left his place and came to where we stood around Persis. ”Don't worry, Mrs. Morgan. Belle's right. Ingram was lying. I could tell. You and Laurie can stand against him if you don't let his bluffing beat you down.”
I hoped he was right. I knew, as the others could not, that Hillary had a keen eye for reading character, for discerning the gesture or the look that betrayed.
”What's more,” he went on, ”I think we should all go to that ball of Ingram's. Mrs. Morgan, you can do some bluffcalling of your own if you're there. If you don't go, he'll think you're afraid of him.”
Belle laughed. ”Why not? That's the very way to confound him.” Then she caught my grandmother's look. ”Never mindyou don't have to decide now. Jon, help me get Mrs. Morgan upstairs to her room. There's been enough excitement for one day.”
35.
Persis gave in, her energy drained, and Belle and Jon helped her up the stairs. The return of the missing deringer was still on my mind, but I couldn't add another worn for Persis at this time.
At the front door Hillary gave me a quick hug and then v ent jauntily off toward the Timberline. It was as though his anger with me had never existed. He was still refusing to accept am break between us, and for me he was a problem that still had to be solved.
Jon came down while I was there on the porch, and w e sat on the front steps together while I related all that had happened last night. I told him of my curious meeting with Gail and Caleb in the empty church, and about what had happened later when someone at the house went into the back parlor.
”Now there are two deringers in the box,” I told him. ”The one that was missing has been returned. What can this possibh mean?”
Jon got up at once and went with me down the hall. In the rear parlor the French door to the side porch stood open, as the intruder had left it, and the room wasn't as dark as usual Jon noted the table that had been moved and the chair that was set in its place near the wall.
”To stand on?” Jon puzzled.
He climbed on the straight chair and reached toward the wall above his head. A small patch of wallpaper up near the black walnut molding had been torn, and when he pulled, it hung down to show cracked plaster. But there was nothing to tell him whatever he wanted to know.
”I wonder,” he said as he got down from the chair. ”In fact, I've always wondered.”
”What? What do you wonder?”
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