Chapter 11

The following day, Clara stood at the train station waiting for the 10:06 express. Suddenly a car horn honked, and a female voice called: "Clara, Clara Morrow."

The girl turned and walked in the direction of the horn and the voice. The car was Mrs. Mason's, and Blanca herself was at the wheel. "You're not leaving us so soon, are you?" she asked, a note of regret in her voice. "And without saying goodbye?"

"Oh, no," replied Clara. "I'd never do that. It would be bad manners. No, I'm merely going into town for the day. I would have told you, but I didn't want to bother you. With so many guests coming and going, you can hardly be interested in the whereabouts of one rather colorless young girl."

"Colorless? Oh, my dear, you underestimate yourself. Why I've heard your name mentioned at least a dozen times this weekend. You've made yourself very popular, you know ... Oh, do forgive me. There you are standing outside while I'm sitting here comfortably. If you're going into the city, why don't you come with me? I'd be glad to have some company for the ride. I do so hate to drive alone."

"Thank you ever so much," said Clara, settling down on the seat next to Mrs. Mason. "I have an appointment with a friend that I simply must keep. And I dislike riding on trains-they're so noisy and dirty!"

"A man friend?" asked Blanca. "A very paricular one?"

"Yes, a man. And I hope very particular."

Blanca laughed loudly. "Now I see where your popularity comes from. You're quite clever, aren't you? Well, my pet, whatever kind of friend he is, if you would like to, please feel free to invite him to come back with you-or to join you in a day or so, if he can't get away from work just now."

"You're very land," said Clara, "but I've already imposed so much...."

"Nonsense. We love having new people, that's what makes our parties so successful; new combinations of people. And the more the merrier, so do invite himfor me."

Clara got out of the car a few blocks from Garnett's office, thanked Blanca for the umpteenth time and hurried off. When she arrived in the office, red-cheeked and breathless, the ubiquitous Jackson materialized and immediately escorted her into the inner sanctum.

"Where have you been?" snapped Garnett as soon as the secretary had closed the door behind himself. "I've been worried as hell about you."

"Have you really?"

"Yeah, I have. Why didn't you phone?"

"Because I was afraid of being overheard. There are extensions all over the house. Anyone could have listened in while we were talking-accidentally or on purpose."

"Oh?" Garnett's saturnine brows lifted questioningly.

"Yes!" said Clara. "I know definitely of one person who is very interested in finding out why I'm at the house-which, incidentally, is a very peculiar place. Why, do you know that-"

"Wait a minute," said the attorney. "One thing at a time. Just who is it that's so interested in discovering your reason for being at the party? And why is that person interested?"

"It's John Webster-Blanca's 'brother-in-law'-and he wants to know why I'm there so that he can blackmail me. To tell the truth, he is blackmailing me. He says he doesn't know why I'm there, but if I don't cooperate with him, he'll make up a reason.

Once again the eyebrows went up. "And just how much does his silence cost you?"

Clara blushed violently and lowered her eyes.

"That much, eh?" Garnett grinned. "Well, we'll leave that to later. Now tell me what you found out."

"Well, as I said before, it's a very peculiar place. It's full of weird people, all of whom are there for two purposes: to drink as much free liquor as they can and to have as much free sex as they can. And it sure is free!"

Garnett studied Clara's face thoughtfully. "My my," he said sarcastically, "listen to the little cynic."

"Well, it's true," insisted Clara. "Those are the only reasons people go there. You'll see."

"What do you mean, I'll see?" , "Oh. I almost forgot. Blanca-Mrs. Mason, that is-invited you to come back with us this afternoon. She drove me in just now."

"She invited me? You told her my name?"

"No, of course not, silly." Garnett winced inwardly at this endearing appellation. "I said I had an appointment with a friend, and she said to bring him back with me-if my friend was a him and if I wanted to."

"Do you want to?"

"Oh yes! I'm not a very good detective. I haven't found a trace of my poor sister. But I did find a cat o'nine tails just like the one I found in her drawer. And I discovered a scorpion in an extraordinary place! On a woman's stomach! Branded in!"

The attorney looked sharply at Clara. "Are you sure of that? It couldn't have been a birthmark or a scar?"

"No, it couldn't have been a birthmark or a scar. I examined it very closely."

Garnett snorted. "You did, did you? And the lady just lay still while you examined her belly-with a magnifying glass in your hand, perhaps?"

"Sometimes," said Clara, "you can be positively beastly. If you don't want to help me-if you think I'm wasting your time with my silly problems-then just tell me. You're certainly not obliged to do this, you know."

'Yes," said Garnett quietly, "I know. And when I want out, I'll let you know. Right now, though, I want you to go home and look through your sister's drawer again. Perhaps now that you've been to the house you'll recognize or understand something that held no significance for you before you went there." He smiled. "But, before you go, have you told me everything that happened yesterday?"

"I don't know what you'll think of me," Clara blurted, "but I just couldn't help what happened. Honestly I couldn't. That John Webster made me do the most awful things! I'm so ashamed today, I wish I could just shrivel up somewhere and die."

"Nonsense," said Garnett heartily. "A young, beautiful girl like you shouldn't talk about wanting to die. Now tell me exactly what happened. Confession is good for the soul, you know."

There followed Clara's highly dramatized version of the incidents of the previous day. When she finished speaking, Gamett said: "We'll go into it more deeply at your place when I come to pick you up to meet Mrs. Mason. And before I get there, look over that diary again. The whole key to your sister's disappearance may be in it."