Beloved Enemy, The (House of Winslow Book #30)

by Gilbert, Morris

  “Could I see him, Chaplain?” Kefira asked.

  “Of course.”

  “The guard said I wouldn’t be able to go,” Josh said.

  “Oh, it’ll be all right. I’ll take you on my authority. Come along both of you.”

  The two followed Chaplain Stokes out of the small room and down the corridor. It was not the same route that Kefira had taken before to the visitors’ room, and the chaplain explained, “He’s not in his cell now. He’s in the infirmary. He’ll be there until he’s fully recovered.”

  Chaplain Stokes led the way until they reached a door labeled INFIRMARY in plain block letters, and a guard greeted the chaplain pleasantly as they entered. “He’s in this ward over here,” Stokes said.

  He led them into another room where there were six beds. Only two of them were occupied, one by a man who lay flat on his back staring up at the ceiling, but Kefira cried out with joy when she saw Chaim sitting up in the other bed with a book.

  “Chaim!” she said and went to his side at once.

  “Kefira, it’s you!”

  Josh stood back, watching as the two embraced. He got a favorable impression of Chaim Reis, who was in better condition than he had expected. He saw the resemblance between the two, for Chaim had the same dark blue eyes and black hair and high cheekbones as his sister. The chaplain stepped outside, murmuring something Josh did not hear, and then Kefira straightened up and said, “This is my friend Joshua Winslow. Josh, this is my brother, Chaim.”

  As the two men shook hands, Josh was aware of Chaim watching him carefully. “I’m glad to meet you, Chaim. Kefira’s told me so much about you.”

  “She’s told me a little bit about you too, in her letters.”

  “If it hadn’t been for Josh’s mother, I couldn’t have gotten here so quick. And she insisted that Josh come along to look after me.”

  Chaim smiled then, and the resemblance to his sister was even clearer. They had the same way of smiling and the same way of holding their heads to one side when they spoke.

  “I appreciate what you’ve done for my sister.”

  “I guess she didn’t tell you all of it. It’s what she’s done for me that’s important.”

  “Oh, don’t go into all that, Josh!” Kefira said quickly.

  “I’ll go into it this much,” Josh said. “Your sister saved my life.”

  Chaim turned instantly to look at Kefira, who flushed and said, “He’s making more of it than there really was.”

  But nothing would do except for her to tell the story. Chaim listened with deep interest, and finally when she had finished, he smiled and said, “And so my sister really saved your life!”

  “Oh, it wasn’t that dramatic. Tell me about yourself, Chaim. How do you feel? Oh,” she said, “we brought you some fruit.”

  Josh had been carrying the basket of fruit and supplies that they had brought with them. Chaim picked up an apple and stared at it. “A real apple,” he said. “I haven’t had one since I’ve been here. Do you mind if I eat it now?”

  “Of course not. Go right ahead,” Kefira said.

  The two watched as Chaim bit into the apple and chewed it slowly, savoring the taste. “One of the things I miss in here is good fresh fruit.”

  Chaim insisted that Kefira tell him what she had been doing, and as he ate the apple with great enjoyment, his dark eyes went often to Josh Winslow. He said nothing until she had finished, then he said to Josh, “I’m thankful to you and your family for taking care of my sister.”

  “Well, it was probably my fault she got sick, so it was nothing we need to be thanked for. My family has pretty well adopted her.”

  Kefira said, “They are a wonderful family, Chaim. I hope you get to meet them when you get out.” She reached out and pushed a lock of black hair from his forehead and said, “I’m so glad you’re better. I was frightened nearly to death.”

  “It was pretty serious. I thought I was going to die.”

  “I guess the doctors must have done a good job on you,” Josh commented. “I understand it was a serious illness that went through the prison.”

  “I don’t think the doctors had much to do with it.”

  “What do you mean, Chaim?” Kefira asked, surprised by his words.

  “I was dying, sis. It was like being sucked into a big black hole, and late one night I knew that death was coming for me. I’d heard of people who knew death was coming, but this was real. I felt myself slipping away, and then—” Chaim suddenly ran his hands through his hair, and a strange look crossed his face. He reached out and took Kefira’s hand and said, “Something happened. I suddenly knew that I wasn’t going to die. It was as if God himself came into the room and put his hand on me.”

  Suddenly Kefira asked, “When was this, Chaim?”

  “It was last Thursday, about two o’clock in the morning.”

  Kefira felt electricity run through her, and she turned to Josh, who was watching her carefully. “That was when Missouri Ann came into my room to pray for Chaim. I remember looking at the clock, and it was exactly two o’clock.”

  “Who is this?” Chaim asked, puzzled.

  “It’s Josh’s stepmother. Her name is Missouri Ann. She came to my room and said she had to pray for you. We knelt down beside the bed, and I didn’t understand it all. But you should have heard her, Chaim. She prayed like her heart was going to be torn out of her. I was actually afraid for her she prayed so hard. And finally she turned to me, and she said, ‘Your brother’s healed.’”

  Chaim stared at her open eyed. “I’ve never heard of such a thing!” he exclaimed.

  “Neither have I, but it was exactly two o’clock in the morning on Thursday.”

  Chaim dropped his head and stared at his hands that he had clasped together. He squeezed them together, and finally he looked up and said, “I knew God was in it, but I’ve never heard of anything like this before. You know what, sis? I’ve doubted God ever since I’ve been here. Everything’s so terrible. But now I don’t think I can do that anymore.”

  Kefira moved forward and put her arms around her brother and held him. “Neither can I, Chaim,” she whispered huskily.

  ****

  “I’ve decided to take your advice, Kefira.”

  Kefira looked up at Josh. The two were on the bus headed back for the train that would take them back to New York City.

  “What do you mean, Josh?”

  “I’m going to see Professor Welles.”

  “The man who’s taking the trip to Egypt?”

  “Yes, I’m going to ask him to take me with him.” He turned to her and laughed ruefully. “He probably doesn’t remember me. He may even have me thrown out.”

  “No he won’t! I think that’s wonderful, Josh! I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we get a place to stay tonight, and then I can see some of my old friends.”

  “All right. Missouri Ann gave us enough money to stay a few days at a hotel, but it’ll have to be a cheap one, I’m afraid.”

  “Anything will do.”

  The two found rooms in a run-down hotel on the Lower East Side. They were on the same floor but not adjoining. When they had deposited their meager belongings in their rooms, Josh said, “It probably won’t take me long to get thrown out of Professor Welles’s offices. I’ll meet you here at six o’clock.”

  “All right, Josh, but remember. If God can heal my brother, He can give you this position.”

  Josh suddenly reached out and took both of Kefira’s hands in his. He smiled down at her and shook his head. “You’d better be careful or you’re going to have as much faith as Missouri Ann.” He squeezed her hands, turned, and left.

  Kefira watched him go, and then she left the hotel herself. Her old neighborhood was not too far, and she decided to walk. As she moved down the streets of New York looking at the familiar buildings and watching the faces of the people, it seemed she had been gone for years.

  Curiosity overcame her, and she deliberately walked by the shop where Ad
olph Kurtz had sent her off on her travels by his unwanted attention. When she reached it she was surprised to see that the building was empty and had a FOR RENT sign on it. She wondered what happened to Kurtz and knew if she could find Millie Johnson, she would get the entire story.

  She went at once to Millie’s house. She knocked on the door and was met by a tall, gaunt woman. Millie’s mother, she supposed.

  The woman asked, “Can I help you?”

  “I’m looking for Millie.”

  “Oh, she doesn’t live with us anymore. She got married.”

  Kefira was disappointed, for she had hoped to see her old friend. “May I ask where she lives now?”

  “She and her new husband moved down to Pittsburgh after the wedding.”

  Kefira thanked the woman and turned to leave. Then she quickly turned back. “I noticed that the shop where she worked is closed.”

  The tall woman laughed abruptly and forcefully. “I’ll say it’s closed! Adolph Kurtz put his hands on one woman too many.”

  Blinking with surprise, Kefira asked, “What do you mean?”

  “He was trying to force himself on one of the women there, and her husband came in and caught him.” A broad smile creased the woman’s lips, and she shook her head in satisfaction. “He fixed Kurtz for good. Put him in the hospital for two months. He lost his lease and went broke.”

  Kefira thanked the woman again. When the door closed and Kefira turned away, she was seized by a savage satisfaction. “He got what he deserved,” she murmured. As she walked away down the street, she found herself reveling in the downfall of Adolph Kurtz. But then she began to have second thoughts. He was an evil man, but I don’t think I should rejoice in anyone’s misfortune. She was surprised at this streak of generosity in her and could not imagine where it had come from.

  ****

  “I’d like to see Dr. Welles please.”

  “He’s back in his office. What’s your name? I’ll see if he’s got time for you.” The speaker was a small woman, rather sprightly, in her midsixties.

  “My name’s Joshua Winslow.”

  The woman stared at Josh suspiciously, her dark eyes almost glinting. “You sit right over there. I’ll see if the doctor’s available.”

  Josh felt chastened by the woman’s attitude, and he did not sit. I may not be here long enough to make it worth my while sitting down, he thought. Anxiety gripped him and his hands were sweating. He had not realized until this moment how much he wanted to go on the expedition with Dr. Welles. It had all begun with Kefira’s urging, and now he steeled himself to failure. It’s been so long ago, and we weren’t really all that close. He hesitated, then said, “God, I ask you to help me get this job.”

  Even as he said the prayer, he heard footsteps and turned to see Phineas Welles bustling down the hall. He was shocked, for the professor looked exactly as he had the last time he had seen him all those years ago. Welles approached with a smile and outstretched hand, saying, “Well, well, well, it’s you, Joshua!” Welles was a small man no more than five-six with graying blond hair, light blue eyes, and fair skin. He had a high forehead and a mild appearance, except that his eyes gleamed when he was excited. They gleamed now.

  “Joshua, my boy, how wonderful to see you again!”

  Josh took the professor’s hand, and relief washed through him. “I wasn’t sure you’d remember me, Professor.”

  “Remember you! Why, I may be getting older, but I’m not senile yet. Come back into my office. I want to hear all about what you’re doing. How in the world did you ever find me?”

  Josh felt his arm seized, and he was practically dragged down the hall to the professor’s office. The professor motioned to a chair, but Josh remained standing as he answered questions that the professor threw at him, trying to be absolutely honest with him. Finally the professor asked, “What are you doing here, my boy?”

  “I came to ask you for a job.” There, the words were out. He saw surprise wash across the professor’s mild features and hastened to say, “I know you must have turned away hundreds of men for this dig, but I’ll work for nothing. Just for food, and I’ll find a place to sleep.” The words began to tumble over Josh’s lips, and he had no idea what an appealing figure he made as he stood there—tall and fine looking and yet somewhat pathetic in his eagerness.

  “I’ll have to tell you this, Professor. I haven’t led a good life. My family spoiled me rotten, and when we lost everything in the crash, I got into illegal activities. Delivering moonshine in Georgia. I went to jail for it.”

  Welles listened quietly. He was sitting across from Josh, and now he said briskly, “Well, I’m glad you told me all this, Joshua. I’m sorry that you’ve had such troubles.”

  “All my own fault, Professor. All of my making.”

  “And so you want to go to Egypt. Well, I remember what a hard worker you were. I’ll tell you what,” he said. “My brother Conrad is funding this expedition. He’s the one with the money in the family.” A sour look came to him for a moment, and he shook his head. “He wants me to find riches over in Egypt. Golden masks and things like that. He’s read about Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon—the men who discovered Tutankhamen’s tomb, you know—and he thinks all we have to do is go over there and turn over a shovelful of sand and find another unrobbed tomb. Why, my boy, I doubt there’s another tomb in Egypt that hasn’t been plundered.”

  “You’d never be interested in that. What are you going for, Professor?”

  “My boy, I have a deep feeling that somewhere in Egypt there’s a record of the Hebrews. Maybe even of Moses himself. Maybe even of Abraham. He was in Egypt, you know.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “Well, I’m going to find it. My brother’s furnishing the money, and I’ve got a chance. I’d like for you to go with me.”

  Josh felt like shouting. He got to his feet and stepped quickly to take the professor’s hand. “I can never thank you enough, Professor!” he exclaimed. “I’ll do anything.”

  “Well, don’t make so much of it, my boy. It’s going to be a lot of hard work. You remember how it was in the digs—you worked for six months for one moment’s triumph. Listen, you’ll have to go to my brother’s office first.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a card, and handed it to him. “He will have to approve you. Go see him at once, then come back. If he says he’ll take you, then we’ll both be happy.”

  Josh left the office and almost broke into a run. He found himself wanting to shout, but then caution came to him. “I’ve got to please Conrad Welles, and from what I hear about him, he’s a hard man to please.”

  ****

  “I’m not going to put up with this, Diana!” Conrad Welles stood before his daughter, a grim look in his hazel eyes. He was a strongly built man, tanned, with iron gray hair and a square face. He was obviously accustomed to having his own way, and now as he stared at Diana, he said roughly, “You’re not going to drive a car anymore! The very idea of getting arrested for driving while intoxicated! I’m ashamed of you!”

  Diana Welles took after her mother. She was tall and willowy with blond hair, green eyes, and rather spectacular coloring. She was not at all upset by her father’s warnings, and now she simply reached up and patted him on the cheek.

  “You can’t keep me from driving, Dad. Unfortunately—from your point of view—I have money that mother left me.”

  This was, indeed, a sore point for Conrad Welles. After his wife had died in an automobile accident, he discovered that in her will she had left her sizable fortune directly to Diana, so from that point onward, Diana had done exactly as she pleased.

  “I’m spoiled, and it’s all your fault,” Diana said. She pulled her father’s head down and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t worry about me, Dad. I’m all right.”

  “Your mother could have raised you better than I have.” This was a stupendous admission for Conrad Welles, who never liked to admit that anyone could do anything better than he. There was affection in
his words as well as regret. He missed his wife, and he did feel that Diana would have been a different woman had her mother lived. At the age of twenty-seven Diana had married a Hollywood movie star, who had proved to be completely worthless, had divorced him, and since then had led a dissolute life. Still, Conrad Welles loved this daughter of his. She was, he understood, much like him—self-willed, strong-minded, and determined to win at whatever she did.

  The buzzer on Welles’s desk sounded, and he turned away from Diana, pushing the button. “What is it, Irene?”

  “A gentleman to see you, sir. He has a note from your brother.”

  “Send him in.”

  Diana walked over to the window and said, “I’ll be going now. I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

  “All right, but please don’t drink and drive.”

  “You worry too much, Dad.”

  Diana turned to go, and the door opened. She took one look at the man who entered and stopped dead still. For one moment she did not speak, and then she said, “Josh, it’s you!”

  Conrad Welles stared at the man who had come in. He was not expensively dressed but was a rather handsome fellow—lean and tall with tawny hair and gray eyes. He saw shock come into the man’s eyes and then heard him say, “Why—Diana!”

  Diana went at once and put her hand out, and Conrad saw the man take it. He seemed speechless, and Diana said, “Why, you’re more handsome than you were back in college!” She turned and said, “Dad, this is Josh Winslow. We went to college together.”

  Conrad moved around and took Winslow’s hand. “Glad to know you, Winslow.” His eyes went to Diana, who was smiling brightly. “So, you were in college with my daughter.”

  “Yes, sir, but I didn’t make it all the way through, as I’m sure she did.”

  Diana laughed. She had a good laugh, wholesome and healthy. “No, you’re wrong. I didn’t make it either. We’re two dropouts, Josh. I’m surprised, though. You were the smartest one in the whole class. Uncle Phineas loved you.”

  “What’s this all about? You knew Phineas in those days, Winslow?”