Fool Errant by Patricia Wentworth Page B

Don’t—who—who are you? I thought—” The terrified whisper died in her throat.
    â€œWhere’s Loveday? Is she here?”
    â€œWho are you?” She was trembling violently.
    â€œI’m Loveday’s friend. What’s happening?”
    Her hand tightened on his.
    â€œThey’re going to take her away.”
    â€œWho?”—he felt her tremble—“Where?”
    She spoke in a dry whisper.
    â€œThey’re going to take her away. If you’re her friend, why didn’t you come before? They’ll take her away and get her on board the ship, and no one will ever see her again. And she looks like Min!”
    Hugo shook the arm he held.
    â€œWhere is she? I’ve come to take her away.”
    â€œYou can’t—they’re watching the house. They’ll wait till the policeman’s out of the street, and then they’ll come. She knows too much.”
    â€œWhere is she? Quick!”
    He was remembering that the policeman had passed him just as he reached the house.
    â€œIn there.” She pointed across the landing.
    â€œIs she drugged? What have you given her? I heard—”
    She wrenched her arm away sobbing.
    â€œI couldn’t do it. She looked like Min. He said, ‘Put it in her coffee.’ And Cissie went out, and I gave her the coffee—but I threw the stuff away—I thought I’d give her a chance—Min didn’t have any chance.”
    Afterwards he wondered who Min might have been. He had no time to wonder now; whilst she was gasping out her broken sentences he was across the landing trying the other door. It was locked.
    â€œWho’s got the key?”
    â€œI’ve got it—but—”
    â€œGive it to me!” He ran back and took her by the arm again. “Quick! Give it to me! Is there a back way out?”
    â€œYes—but they’ll kill me.”
    â€œCome too!”
    He had the key and was half across the landing, when they both heard the front door open; there was a sound of feet, a sound of voices.
    â€œIt’s too late.” It was the most agonized thread of a whisper.
    Hugo turned the key in the door, and as it turned, he felt the woman snatch at it.
    â€œHe’ll kill me!”
    The steps and the voices were coming up. There was a flashing light below. Hugo wrenched open the door and stumbled into utter darkness; for a moment he lost his balance. And in that moment the door was shut and locked behind him.

CHAPTER XVI
    The jerk with which he recovered his balance and the click of the turning key came together. As he stared into the blackness, he heard a sobbing breath from the other side of the locked door and the soft patter of the woman’s hurrying feet; he heard her door shut, away across the landing.
    He called into the darkness.
    â€œLoveday! Loveday! Loveday!” And then, on the same low urgent note, “Loveday, it’s Hugo Ross. Are you there?”
    Ahead of him a door was pulled open.
    â€œLoveday, are you there? It’s Hugo Ross.”
    The door opened wide. The room was dark, but the windows showed the sky—a black sky, but not so black as the blackness of the house—and through the open window half a gale blew in, not cold, but wet with the breath of rain.
    With the opening of the door and the blowing of the wind there came Loveday’s voice—the voice that he remembered in the lane:
    â€œI’m frightened. Where are you? I’m frightened.”
    He said, “Loveday!” and she ran to him with a quick, light rush as if the wind was blowing her. He felt her touch him, and it was like being caught in a soft flurry of snow; her touch was so light and so cold. He put his arm about her, ran to the inner room, and shut the door upon them both.
    â€œThey’re coming. Is there anything we can jam up against the door?”
    â€œThe chest of drawers.”
    â€œWhere?”
    â€œHere.”
    He