After some trouble with the lock-during which the bell clanged twice, im-patiently, in his ear-he got the door open, swung it wide, and was struck dumb.
His caller was not his maid, but a black-haired twenty-year old Argentine female of extraordinary beauty named Alicia Carzino-Cormano. He had known Alicia socially since the previous December and in the biblical sense for ap-proximately fifteen days.
"Liebchen!" he finally blurted.
"May I come in?"
He stepped back from the door and she walked past him. He closed the door, reached out his hand, and touched her shoulder, whereupon she turned to him, came into his arms, rested her face against his chest, and clung to him des-perately.
"Liebchen, what's wrong?"
"I'm frightened," she said.
"About what?"
"Everything," she said.
Well, that makes two of us.
She pushed away from him and smiled up at him.
"Sorry," she said.
"Don't be silly," he said. "Sorry for what?"
"I'm supposed to be at mass," she said. "Confession and then mass. That's what I told Isabela. Mother really sent me here."
"Why?"
"Humberto called Mother very late last night. Cletus arrives here this after-noon. Mother thought you'd want to know, and she didn't want to use the tele-phone."
I don't suppose it's very likely Cletus has the combination to his father's safe, but I'm grasping for straws.
"Yes, of course."
He leaned down and kissed her, very chastely, on the forehead.
"I'd better put some clothes on," he said. "Dora is an hour late. She's liable to walk in any second."
She nodded.
"You want to make some coffee? I won't be a minute."
She nodded again, and smiled.
He walked back to his bedroom and began to take clothing from his closet. He sensed he was not alone, and turned.
Alicia was standing in the bedroom door.
"Do you think they're going to try to kill Cletus, too?" she asked.
Probably. And this time they may succ
eed. Coming back here was insanity.
"I don't think so, sweetheart," he said. "And Cletus can take care of him-self."
"They will, you know they will," Alicia said, and he heard her voice start-ing to break. And then she ran into his arms again.