Mystery fiction; Trials (Murder) -- Fiction; United States -- Fiction
"Just that, as I recall. She showed me that letter from Doherty, the
thing that was read in court, and then later--well, next morning in
fact, she said: 'I hope it's over. I hope I'm done with the fever and
the blindness.'"
It could be despair, that dullness in him like a bodily ache. The Judge
found he was again studying faces on the jury. Emmet Hoag bored, half
asleep by the look of him. Ancient Emerson Lake neither bored nor
hostile, his gaze rigid, vaguely vulturine, apparently hypnotized by the
swell of Edith Nolan's breast, under the tweed suit hardly more than
hints of fullness and softness, but evidently enough to set an old man
dreaming in his rank and lonely antiquity; would he be hearing what she
said at all? Young LaSalle seemed indecisively friendly, Mr. Fielding
remote behind an unreadable pallid front. The Beales woman studied Edith
Nolan's green handbag, possibly wondering if it was a style that would
suit herself. Mrs. Grant appeared grumpy; likely her bony frame was
uncomfortable in the graceless seat of the jury box. The only faces of
the entire jury that showed any positive liking for Edith Nolan were
those of Helen Butler and Rachel Kleinman. He saw Dora Lagovski
apparently submerged in moist daydream; recalled that when Callista's
drawing had reached her he had seen the damp lips form (in merciful
silence) the word "cute." Emerson Lake's jaw was now moving slightly,
approximately in time with the mild rise and fall of Edith Nolan's
breathing--damn the old buzzard. But what about himself, aged
forty-seven and for the last few minutes intensely aware of Edith Nolan
as a desirable woman? Weren't his own wits wandering?
So far as the Judge could see, Edith Nolan was doing nothing to flaunt
her personal attractiveness. Probably to many eyes she would have none.
Her make-up was not prominent, the tweed suit practically dowdy, her
manner consistently simple and direct. If his wandering middle-aged eye
wanted a tickling, why not choose an obvious pin-up type like the juror
Dolores Acevedo? He forced himself to glance in that direction once
again. The black-haired beauty was showing no more emotion at present
than Mr. Fielding. Very lovely indeed; made more so by her position next
to the sallow weediness of the schoolteacher Stella Wainwright. Lovely
like a conventional painting, Acevedo--and no more disturbing. Her face
blurred; the instant's involuntary motion of his eyes transformed it to
another, also under black hair: but these were close-set curls, the face
altogether different, not beautiful at all by common standards but
rather homely, big-nosed, small-chinned, the eyes sea-blue and, not for
the first time, frightening. "_It wasn't natural how men went crazy for
her--not even pretty--any man, garage man, anything in pants...._"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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