Chapter 21: The Will

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Sibyl opened the door and stepped inside the boarding-house.

Her new ink was clasped in a paper bag in her hand. She intended to go to the counter and ask Mrs. Montgomery if there were any messages from Edwin; but the reception hall was quiet, and Mrs. Montgomery's usual place was empty.

She ventured slowly a few steps further into the room, looking about her.

And in the back of her mind, a red light began flashing.

She began counting off the boarding-house's inhabitants; Lady Mary and Louise were in all likelihood still in town, the footman would have gone home for the night, Isabel was incarcerated, as well as Gladys; but Rose and Mrs. Montgomery should still be –

It was at that moment when Daniel's voice came ricocheting into the room.

It was coming from the library, and he was laughing at something; it was the kind of laugh one uses when one is quite alone and amused at something. He seemed to be speaking to himself as well, soft and low, whispering imperceptibly. Sibyl froze.

How had he gotten past Jones? Was he aware he was known to be a murderer – did he know he was hunted? If he knew he would never be so mad as to come here –

Would he never be so mad? Perhaps; for he was mad –

The slow squeal of the library door brought her heart to her mouth. She bolted to the counter and crouched low behind it; heart pounding, fingertips tingling, her head in a whirl…

Footsteps came out of the library and creak – creak – were ascending the stairs. Sibyl moved her head and looked from between the wooden decorations outlining the desk. Daniel was going up, his tall, graceful stature unmistakeable. He was humming quietly a few snatches of a song and fiddling with a paper held in his right hand.

Sibyl looked closely. Was he holding the will? What was he going to do with it?

He disappeared around the corner, into the hall; and Sibyl, thinking only of the will, crept up the stairs after him.

She stepped on the stairs quick as a fox and carefully, placing her feet in the places without creaks; in this way she went up and ventured into the still hallway. She took a place behind a chaise lounge and listened.

He was in his room. She could hear him opening and closing drawers. Presently he emerged; he closed his door (but did not lock it again, Sibyl noticed) and began descending the stairs again.

Sibyl took a moment to breathe again. Daniel was in the house -

She looked about her. Mrs. Montgomery was either out running an errand for some reason – or? An image of the older lady bound and gagged in a closet somewhere inserted itself into Sibyl's mind, and she swallowed. Rose might be in the same predicament. She thought for a moment.

He was downstairs. She could find the paper in only a few minutes – if it wasn't hidden too deeply.

She stopped at Daniel's door, at the end of the passage, and tried the knob. It opened easily.

Feeling terrified and oddly clever, Sibyl pushed the door open, willing it not to squeak. It didn't. She tiptoed in, shut it behind her, and switched on the light.

The room was much the same as hers in setup; but unlike it in that it was kept immaculate. Just like a Prince Charming type to be uptight about neatness, she thought. Sibyl shuddered involuntarily and began opening the drawers.

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Sibyl's fingers shook with excitement as she picked up the mouthpiece and told the operator the number. Any moment, Daniel might go up to his room and find that the paper was gone. She listened with feverish impatience as the telephone rang on the other end once, twice. Thrice.

"Hello, this is Officer Lambreth. Who is speaking?"

"Officer – this is Sibyl White, and I'm calling to speak to Inspector Clair – "

"Inspector Clair is not here, Miss White. He's on the trail of Daniel Lewellyn downtown – "

"Daniel Lewellyn is here, Officer! You must come immediately!"

"Lewellyn is there – "

"At the boarding-house! He might know that he's known as a murderer and he might not but you must come! I don't know what he's intending to do!" Sibyl's voice rose and she forced herself to keep it down. What an idiotic officer –

There were voices on the other end; some sort of banging; and a crackling of static.

Suddenly through the line came the voice of Edwin Clair, deep and reassuring; Sibyl could have kissed the earpiece.

"Si – Miss White? I've been on a wild goose chase that could've led to Mars – Lewellyn's disappeared - "

"Edwin, I found it - in his bottom drawer! And he's here and I think Rose and Mrs. Montgomery are as well but I can't find them - "

"Daniel is at the boarding-house – now?"

"He's here! And he doesn't know I'm here yet but I took the will and I have it and you must come at once before he realizes I'm here – or before he decides to make a run for it and disappears!"

"You're – "

"I don't know but somehow – Edwin, I think he's waiting for me."

"Where's Daniel now?"

"In the library."

"Where are you?"

"In the sitting-room, upstairs."

"Pardon my language, Sibyl, but – you've taken a hell of a risk. You should have stayed in hiding - if he finds out the will's not there, he'll know - "

"If Rose and Mrs. Montgomery are here, he won't try anything."

"And if they're not? I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Yes – yes, hurry."

"Don't let him get away; he might run off into the night and escape to Russia or something…" Edwin was still talking, but Sibyl's ears heard the groan of the staircase outside the sitting-room door.

"Edwin," she interrupted. "He's going back to his room!"

Edwin said, "I'm coming," and rang off.

Sibyl put the receiver down with a quiet click.

She went out and saw Daniel's receding figure at the end of the hall. He disappeared into his bedroom, and Sibyl heard the door shut. Why was he going back in? Had he thought better of the will's hiding place? Would he see it wasn't there?

She ran into her room and patted her face with a cold washcloth; she wanted to stay in hiding here, in her room, but what if Rose and Mrs. Montgomery were downstairs? What if Daniel had done something to both of them?

For a few minutes she stayed in one place, rocking back and forth on the edge of the bed, wishing Edwin were there already; but it would take him twenty minutes to travel from the station – maybe more.

She took off her shoes and went out in her stocking feet, silent. She could hear the hiss and cracking of the fire downstairs, and realized for the first time how cold she was.

Daniel was still in his room, wasn't he? She could slip downstairs and look for Mrs. Montgomery; surely she must be here somewhere…she made her way quietly down the stairs and padded through the empty reception hall, to the servant's quarters, to the kitchen, looking; every room was silent – room after room was dark and uninhabited.

No longer able to contain the fear in her stomach, she returned to the reception hall and –

- and the voice of Daniel Lewellyn came in from the library and cut into her thoughts; calling cheerfully – "Is that you, Sibyl? Wondered where you were. Sit by the fire; it's ever so nice…"

There was no way to escape it – he had seen her; she went. Trembling…

She entered the room and looked about. Daniel was sitting in the brocade wingback chair, staring into the flames. There was no one else in the library.

"Where is everyone?" she said, trying to make her voice calm and unaffected; she could only hope he didn't know she knew...of course he might have gone to take the will from the drawer again and put it somewhere else; he might know she had taken it – he might know everything -

"Mary and Louise went to a play half an hour ago," said Daniel, turning his face to her. "Mrs. M had a call to pay to some old friend and she's left for the evening. I told her I would be quite all right alone."

"Where is Rose?" she said, dread rising in her stomach.

"Went to get Aspirin, or something," said Daniel, rising lazily from the chair. "I told her she might as well do it tonight. She won't be back for a few hours, in fact."

He sounded almost exultant. So there was no one else.

She and Daniel were alone in the house…

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Elfine's Note: THE END.

Just kidding! (cackles)