sighed.
“In that case, I will probably have to take action in the courts against you
for repossession of the jar, apart from a whole long list of other contraband
antiquities which are still in the house.”
“You can do
what you like,” repeated Marjorie. “The jar will not be touched.”
There was a
long and awkward silence. Then I said, “Come on, Anna. I think we’d better
leave it where it is for tonight. Do you want a ride?”
Anna nodded.
“I’ll get my hat.”
I turned to
Marjorie and tried to sound warm and conciliatory and nice. “Listen,” I said.
“Supposing I
drop by at lunchtime tomorrow and treat myself to one of your delicious tuna
salads? Then, we can talk this over some more.”
Marjorie turned
away. “It’s late,” she said calmly. “You had better take your young lady and
go”
“Marjorie-”
“Just go,
Harry, before you stir up any more trouble.”
I stayed where
I was. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I said sharply. “What do you mean stir
up trouble?”
“Exactly that,”
Marjorie replied quietly. “By attempting to learn more about the jar, you have
unsettled it. It knows you are here, and it wishes you to leave at once. Every
moment you remain in this house, it becomes more and more uneasy. For all our
sakes, it would be better if you left”
For a moment, I
felt like arguing, but Anna took my arm, and I let out a long exasperated sigh
and gave in. Maybe the whole thing would look better tomorrow. I took my pick
out with me and propped it up against the front porch.
Marjorie and
the homely Miss Johnson stood silently in the doorway watching us leave. They
didn’t even wave or smile.
As we turned
around and started off down the drive, Anna twisted around in her seat to take
a last look at Winter Sails.
“Take a good
long look while you’re at it,” I said bitterly. “I expect she’ll have it burned
down by tomorrow. I haven’t been so goddamned furious in years.”
Anna didn’t
seem to be listening. “Does she have two companions?” she asked urgently.
“What?”
“Your
godmother-does she have two companions? Miss Johnson and
someone else?”
I shrugged. “Not that I know of.”
“Well, who’s
that then? Look in your mirror. “
I quickly
checked my rear-view mirror. I couldn’t look for very long, because the
driveway was dark and winding, but I saw the silhouettes o£ Marjorie and Miss
Johnson andI jammed on the brakes. The Cougar slithered and bucked on the weedy gravel, I stared back at the house, then looked at
Anna with my mouth open. “I don’t know,” I said hoarsely. “I only caught a
glimpse. It looks like that person in the robe.”
“Do you think
we ought to go back?” asked Anna nervously. “I would never forgive myself if
anything happened to those two.”
I thought for a
while drumming my finger on the steering wheel. The front door of Winter Sails
was closed now, and there were no lights showing. In the distance, the surf
gleamed fluorescent white through the darkness.
“Oh, what the
hell,” I said at last. “I’ve had enough of this for one day. They’ve probably
got a guest there they don’t want me to meet. I don’t know why, but I’m too
hungry to go back and find out. Let’s find ourselves some dinner and decide
what to do on a full belly.”
I released the
brakes, and we drove off into the murky night. I felt worried and unsettled
about Marjorie, but there are times when godsonly devotion can be overcome by
irritation, fatigue, and a desire to entertain comely girls.
Over steak and
salad in the candlelit restaurant of the Cape Cod Motel, Anna and I talked some
more about djinns and Arabian magic and Marjorie’s mysterious behavior. We had
stopped to pick up Anna’s suitcase at Hyannis Airport, and she had changed into
something more becoming than her funeral suit. She wore a simple white evening
dress, low-cut and silky, which showed off her sun-tanned shoulders and an
inviting amount of cleavage.
“In that case, I will probably have to take action in the courts against you
for repossession of the jar, apart from a whole long list of other contraband
antiquities which are still in the house.”
“You can do
what you like,” repeated Marjorie. “The jar will not be touched.”
There was a
long and awkward silence. Then I said, “Come on, Anna. I think we’d better
leave it where it is for tonight. Do you want a ride?”
Anna nodded.
“I’ll get my hat.”
I turned to
Marjorie and tried to sound warm and conciliatory and nice. “Listen,” I said.
“Supposing I
drop by at lunchtime tomorrow and treat myself to one of your delicious tuna
salads? Then, we can talk this over some more.”
Marjorie turned
away. “It’s late,” she said calmly. “You had better take your young lady and
go”
“Marjorie-”
“Just go,
Harry, before you stir up any more trouble.”
I stayed where
I was. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I said sharply. “What do you mean stir
up trouble?”
“Exactly that,”
Marjorie replied quietly. “By attempting to learn more about the jar, you have
unsettled it. It knows you are here, and it wishes you to leave at once. Every
moment you remain in this house, it becomes more and more uneasy. For all our
sakes, it would be better if you left”
For a moment, I
felt like arguing, but Anna took my arm, and I let out a long exasperated sigh
and gave in. Maybe the whole thing would look better tomorrow. I took my pick
out with me and propped it up against the front porch.
Marjorie and
the homely Miss Johnson stood silently in the doorway watching us leave. They
didn’t even wave or smile.
As we turned
around and started off down the drive, Anna twisted around in her seat to take
a last look at Winter Sails.
“Take a good
long look while you’re at it,” I said bitterly. “I expect she’ll have it burned
down by tomorrow. I haven’t been so goddamned furious in years.”
Anna didn’t
seem to be listening. “Does she have two companions?” she asked urgently.
“What?”
“Your
godmother-does she have two companions? Miss Johnson and
someone else?”
I shrugged. “Not that I know of.”
“Well, who’s
that then? Look in your mirror. “
I quickly
checked my rear-view mirror. I couldn’t look for very long, because the
driveway was dark and winding, but I saw the silhouettes o£ Marjorie and Miss
Johnson andI jammed on the brakes. The Cougar slithered and bucked on the weedy gravel, I stared back at the house, then looked at
Anna with my mouth open. “I don’t know,” I said hoarsely. “I only caught a
glimpse. It looks like that person in the robe.”
“Do you think
we ought to go back?” asked Anna nervously. “I would never forgive myself if
anything happened to those two.”
I thought for a
while drumming my finger on the steering wheel. The front door of Winter Sails
was closed now, and there were no lights showing. In the distance, the surf
gleamed fluorescent white through the darkness.
“Oh, what the
hell,” I said at last. “I’ve had enough of this for one day. They’ve probably
got a guest there they don’t want me to meet. I don’t know why, but I’m too
hungry to go back and find out. Let’s find ourselves some dinner and decide
what to do on a full belly.”
I released the
brakes, and we drove off into the murky night. I felt worried and unsettled
about Marjorie, but there are times when godsonly devotion can be overcome by
irritation, fatigue, and a desire to entertain comely girls.
Over steak and
salad in the candlelit restaurant of the Cape Cod Motel, Anna and I talked some
more about djinns and Arabian magic and Marjorie’s mysterious behavior. We had
stopped to pick up Anna’s suitcase at Hyannis Airport, and she had changed into
something more becoming than her funeral suit. She wore a simple white evening
dress, low-cut and silky, which showed off her sun-tanned shoulders and an
inviting amount of cleavage.
Similar Books
