Do Evil in Return
Page 17
“Get some rest.”
“No. I don’t want any. I’m not tired.” I haven’t danced all night.
He touched her hand. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you.”
“It’s my own fault. I asked for it.” Split it open with a knife.
“I’m sorry about Ballard, too. I did him an injustice; he’s a better man than I thought he was. He’ll stick by her, and perhaps someday she’ll be cured.”
“Perhaps. Yes, perhaps.”
“This isn’t the time or place to tell you that I love you but I’m telling you, anyway. There are tough days ahead. Perhaps my love might be a comfort to you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Will it be?”
“Yes. A—great comfort.” Tears pressed behind her eyes like cruel thumbs, until her eyeballs seemed ready to burst.
“Cry if you want to,” he said.
“I never—I never cry.”
“Cry now, long and hard. It will make things easier for you.”
“I can’t.”
“You will, though.” He bent down and kissed both of her tearless eyes. “Goodbye, Charlotte.”
“Goodbye.”
The gate closed, softly, like the leaf of a book falling into place.
She went back into her house and sat for a long time in Lewis’ chair by the window, watching the brightening sky. She wasn’t sure at what moment the city lights went out and morning came.
About the Author
Margaret Millar (1915-1994) was the author of 27 books and a masterful pioneer of psychological mysteries and thrillers. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, she spent most of her life in Santa Barbara, California, with her husband Ken Millar, who is better known by the nom de plume of Ross MacDonald. Her 1956 novel Beast in View won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. In 1965 Millar was the recipient of the Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year Award and in 1983 the Mystery Writers of America awarded her the Grand Master Award for Lifetime Achievement. Millar’s cutting wit and superb plotting have left her an enduring legacy as one of the most important crime writers of both her own and subsequent generations.