What sound was that? The noise of ringing. Was it within her own
brain? No, surely not; it was the bell downstairs, a loud, persistent
peal. Not the telephone; no, it must be the front-door bell.
An annoyed exclamation came from the doctor.
"I'll have to answer that; it won't do to leave it."
A little click as the needle was laid down, then the retreating steps
of both men, out of the room. The door closed, the key turned
mechanically. She could hear the doctor's heavy steps lumbering all
the way down to the bottom floor, while she fancied Holliday remained
on the stairs. Was this a providential respite, or only another
tantalising false hope?
Cautiously she opened her eyes and moved her cramped limbs a little.
What difference could it make now if they knew she had been awake? On
the table at her side she saw the hypodermic syringe, fully charged,
lying beside a glass of water. She stared at them fascinated.
Suddenly an idea came to her, the wildest idea conceivable, not one
chance in a million of its succeeding, yet now, in the face of
extinction, anything was worth trying. She had nothing to lose. Quick
as lightning she seized the needle, squirted its contents on the floor
back of the bed, then with the same speed refilled it from the tumbler.
She laid it down again exactly where it had been before, looked to see
that there were no drops spilled. Then once more she lay down, trying
with meticulous care to resume her old posture. Was this right? No,
her head must have been a little lower. Oh, what hope was there of
deceiving those keen little python's eyes? The man would surely detect
the smallest variation in her attitude. No, it was a pathetic ruse,
foredoomed to failure. If he suspected she had moved he would examine
the needle, he would see the difference in colour. Her one hope lay in
the gloom of the alcove. A few minutes more and she would know the
worst.
She lay still and counted to keep from going mad. One, two, three,
four, five--slowly, more slowly still, so as to make sixty counts equal
a minute. One never could do that, one always went too fast. She had
counted three sixties when the front door closed below and returning
footsteps mounted the stairs. One flight, two flights ... the key
rasped, the boards creaked, she heard Sartorius saying:
"You see now, that is the sort of thing one must be prepared for.
Suppose no one had been here? Those asses would have gone back to the
agent's and got a key, or else some fellow from the office would have
come back with them to show them the house. Just the same, I want you
to telephone the estate office that I've changed my mind about
sub-letting."
He was now at her side. Would he notice anything wrong?
"She's about to come to. I thought that dose wouldn't last long."
She heard him pick up the needle. Now ... what was happening? Was he
examining it? ... An agonising pain in her upper arm reassured her.
She was prepared for it to hurt worse than an ordinary injection, plain
water did. She bore the torture without a quiver, holding her breath
until she heard the doctor move away.
Suddenly Holliday burst out again with an edge of nervous apprehension
in his voice.
"See here, Sartorius. What about that chemist? He knows. What if he
goes to the police?"
The doctor gave a disparaging grunt.
"What does he know? Merely that an American nurse brought him a needle
to be analysed and gave the Villa Firenze as her address. Very likely
he would never think of doing anything; it is no business of his. But
if he did, what could he prove? Why, nothing at all. There is no
evidence whatever. If this thing ever got into court, I could suggest
that the woman was mentally unbalanced, suffering from the delusions
which cause intent to injure. I can prove that the nurse had access to
the laboratory; it would be easy to make a jury believe that she put
the toxin in the syringe herself, with the insane idea of making
trouble for me. If she's not to be found, I should not have much
difficulty in getting away with that theory. But it will never come to
that."
"You seem devilish sure, but all the same----"
"Rubbish--if both Clifford and the girl are dead, who remains to bring
a charge? Assuming the worst, I do not know that I'd have much to fear
from a French jury with Thérèse Clifford facing them. No, the girl
here is our one weak spot, and by the day after to-morrow at the latest
I expect to be able to deal with her. No good rushing the business,
though--it's fools who get into trouble because they won't lay their
plans carefully."
The indescribably casual manner in which he referred to his coming
crimes struck a chill to the listener's bones. He had apparently
allowed for everything; any possible effort she might make to escape
from his clutches seemed vain and bootless. She would have lost heart
entirely, only there was the knowledge within her that on one point at
least she had succeeded in foiling him.
"Give me that smallest phial from the rack, will you? I shall want
only the merest trace of this. The rest can go down the drain."
The tap ran again; Esther knew that he was methodically washing out the
bottle that contained the deadly culture. Another hour, perhaps less,
and no power could save Roger from a torturing death, not even the
certainty of what had caused it. Once an invisible touch of the
villainous stuff penetrated the raw tissues of the wound, it would work
its way straight into the blood-stream. Soon, very soon afterwards the
jaw muscles would begin to stiffen.... Oh, if there were any sort of
weapon in reach, knife, pistol, anything! She knew she would have
thrown herself, weak as she was, upon that insensate, deliberate
machine in the furious attempt to wreck it, careless of what might
happen to herself.
"Come, I have no time to lose. Lock the door behind you."
The light was switched off, the door closed, she was alone once more,
this time in almost complete darkness. Again she strained her ears
upon the retreating steps, afraid yet to move her cramped muscles. The
punctured arm throbbed and smarted painfully; every nerve in her body
was stretched like a fiddle-string. Finally, far below, sounded the
door's slam; a moment later, in front of the house, the whir of a
starting engine vibrated upon the still air. The doctor was gone. Now
or never, quick, not an instant to waste, every second lost lessened
her slender chance of reaching the villa in time, even by telephone.
Her plan was laid, she had no need of further deliberation.
First, crossing the floor on tip-toe, she turned on the light. She was
afraid to do this, but it was necessary, and the chances were that
Holliday could not spy the tell-tale crack of light that would show
under the door without coming to the enclosed well of the staircase.
Next she climbed upon her chair again and unpinned the curtains. Her
fingers shook uncontrollably; never in her life had she known such a
devastating weakness--at a time, too, when she needed far more than her
normal strength! Towards the end of her task it was as much as she
could do to keep from sliding off the chair into a heap on the floor.
When the curtains lay in a dusty pile she was forced to rest a moment
on top of them before attempting to continue. Her condition frightened
her. At this rate she would not get far.
Wasn't there a brandy-bottle somewhere? Surely she had heard the
doctor give Holliday something to drink. Rising cautiously, she looked
about and discovered it on the long table, uncorked it, drank from the
bottle. Only two fiery mouthfuls, however. She dared not take more in
her present state of weakness and emptiness. The drink warmed her
slightly, gave her back just enough strength to go on. Her project
began to look less hopeless.
She found a knife and slit the tough fabric into strips, five lengths
each, then tied the ends together, tightening the knots as well as she
could. She had little idea of how far the improvised rope would reach,
but it seemed fairly long when it was done. She began to think it
would mean everything to get outside the house, whether she was injured
or not. She had at least the chance of attracting some passer-by's
attention before Holliday could discover she was gone and drag her back
to her prison. Gathering up her load of rope she listened again. No
sound whatever save the drip-drip of the tap in the corner.
Laboriously she climbed to the top of the table, pulled the nearest
chair up after her, planted it firmly beside her. Then she examined
the skylight once more, deciding that if it were open she could manage
to get her body through the central section, provided she had the
strength to hoist herself up that high.
With infinite caution she undid the hasp and pushed open the casement,
terrified lest the rusty, scrunching sound should penetrate to the
lower floors. She shot out the iron rod to its full extent and
fastened it, then started to search for something to which she could
secure the end of her rope. There was a wooden shelf against the wall
supported by iron brackets. Perhaps one of these brackets would serve,
though she was afraid that her weight pulling suddenly upon it would
tear out the screws from the plaster. There was nothing else close
enough; she must trust to its holding firm. She made fast the rope's
end, then with haste, but noiselessly began removing the row of bottles
from the shelf and setting them down on the table beneath. She must
get them out of the way for it would be necessary for her to step upon
the shelf in order to climb up to the opening, there being nowhere else
to set her foot. Five, six, seven bottles she put down. The eighth, a
small one, had an uneven bottom. Before she knew what had happened it
overbalanced, rolling over and over towards the table's edge. She
tried to stop it, but could not reach it in time. Before her agonised
eyes it fell to the floor with a loud, clear "ping."
Her heart in her mouth, she stood for one petrified moment rooted to
the spot. Would Holliday hear? The answer came immediately. There
was a sudden, loud clatter of footsteps, leaping headlong towards the
laboratory stairs, charging full upon her. Like a flash it came to her
that, discovered or not, she must get out of the skylight now, now, or
it would be too late, she must stop for nothing. She mounted her
chair, hurled the rope from the opening, and had just set foot upon the
shelf ready for the final hoist when the door burst open and Holliday,
wild-eyed, confronted her.
"Stop!"
There was a revolver in his hand, but she took no account of that.
Urged by terror she strained with every ounce of force in her body to
draw herself up to the skylight. The single glimpse she had of the
young man's face showed it to be pale with anger and fright, the eyes
glaring, the mouth parted to show snarling teeth. He raised his arm
full-length, the revolver glittered in the greenish light.
"Drop it, damn you!"
He made a sort of rush at her, grabbing at the chair.
"Keep away!"
With both hands she seized the only available object, a huge jar which
remained upon the shelf, lifted it on high, aimed it at his head.
Simultaneously a revolver shot deafened her and choked her with smoke,
there was a crash and falling glass splintered in a rain. The room was
plunged in darkness. Half dazed, she still realised that amid the
confusion she had completed her intention, had with a terrific effort
launched the big jar as she had meant to do. Smothered curses followed
and a second, duller smash, then, though she could see nothing, she
smelled the strong, acrid fumes of ammonia rising, mingling with the
stench of the powder. Had she hit him? She must not stop to inquire.
During the ensuing instant of silence she tugged at the ledge above
with a fresh, despairing effort, dragged herself up to the brink, felt
the pure night air upon her face. The next second, clutching her rope
in a mad grip, she let herself go, hurtling head first, then feet
first, down the tiled slope of the roof, then into space over the sheer
drop of the house's side.
Bumping, thumping, scraping her knuckles and shins, somehow, anyhow,
down she slid, reached the end of the swaying rope, hung for one
frightful moment kicking in mid-air, then dropped, plunk, like a lead
in water. She landed, shaken and stunned, but not injured, upon the
damp soft earth of a flower-bed. The rope dangled above her, only a
few feet away. For a whirling space she feared she was going to faint,
and with her whole will she fought off the engulfing fog, knowing she
must not stay here a minute. She was out of the house, true, but still
in imminent peril. At any moment Holliday might dash out and seize
her, and as she was now she had no resistance whatever, scarcely power
to scream.
Even as this thought matured in her brain, there came from within the
walls the drunken sound of steps careering down the upper flight of
stairs. Holliday! He might be slightly stunned, but he was recovered
sufficiently to come in pursuit. A second and he would reach the door,
only a few yards away from where she huddled. Quick--where could she
hide?
Struggling to her feet she staggered across the little strip of garden
and out the gate. If only there were someone in sight, anyone she
could appeal to for protection! But no, for once the Route de Grasse
stretched for a hundred yards in both directions empty as a desert.
Turning blindly to the left she ran crazily, swaying from weakness,
past the next two villas. At the gate of the third house she stopped,
afraid to venture farther. Inside the garden a low, square-cut hedge
offered a hope of shelter, if she could reach it in time. Already
behind her she heard the doctor's door flung open, saw a bar of light
stream into the dark street.
Like a shot partridge she dropped to the ground and wormed her way on
her stomach through the gateway into the shadow of the hedge, crept
close, lay still, afraid to breathe. Less than twenty yards away loud
steps resounded on the flagstones. They came in her direction.