"Well, you gave me the keys to your apartment. Wasn't I supposed to use
them?"
"Of course, silly." She came across the room and sat down on the sofa
beside him. She bent down and kissed him.
"Golly," he said, sarcastically enthusiastic, "that was about as
stimulating as a meeting between two dead fish."
"Frank! For heaven's sake! What's got into you lately?"
"I think that question should be reversed. 'What's got into _you_?"
"I think you're being unreasonable."
"Am I? Is it unreasonable to wonder why you did a complete about-face?"
"I don't understand."
"You understand. I've brought it up before. You spent weeks convincing
me I ought to carry through with my internship and establish a practice.
You said the time element didn't make any difference to you. You talked
me out of the silly idea I had about cashing in on the man with two
hearts. I admitted it was a silly idea. I turned away from it
completely. Then you did the world's fastest about-face and began asking
questions. You began pushing me in the direction you'd been arguing
against."
Rhoda refused to match his serious mood. She ran a playful hand through
his hair. "A woman has a right to change her mind, hasn't she?"
"Oh, stop it, Rhoda. You're avoiding the issue."
"All right. I still maintain I have a right to change my mind, but in
making it all seem completely unnatural you neglected to mention _why_
you changed yours. Because a man named Brent Taber slapped your wrist
like a little boy and scared you. It wasn't my influence that turned you
around and started you walking the other way. It was a _big_ man from
Washington who said naughty, naughty and suddenly you were a nice little
intern again, afraid to ask questions."
"It was more dangerous than you know, Rhoda."
"Oh, I'm sure it was. Do you want another drink?"
"No." Frank looked out the window and scowled. "Rhoda, there was
something I didn't tell you about that affair."
"Was there? I'll bet you told Brent Taber, though."
"It was what brought Brent Taber into it. There was a murder in my
room."
"And when Brent Taber came on the scene--" Rhoda stopped and stared down
at him. "What did you say?"
"A man was killed in my room. The man with the broken leg. He didn't
just go on his way, as I told you; he got his throat cut in my room."