James Chase: Miss Shumway Waves a Wand

“We’ll get it,” Summers said excitedly, and hung up.

“I hope they do,” I said. “Well, let’s get over to the hospital.” I put my arm around her and kissed her. “You’re a nice kid,” I said. “And you won’t have any regrets. Now, come on. Go into your vanishing act. The cops mustn’t see you.”

“Consider it done,” she said, and a wisp of smoke indicated where she had been standing.

When we reached the hospital we found Clancy and a couple of cops still waiting outside Myra’s door. Bogle had been taken away.

I went up to Clancy. “How is she?” I asked anxiously.

Clancy looked mournful. “She’s bad,” he said. “The doc’s in there now.”

“Can I go in?”

“Not yet,” Clancy said, shaking his head. “Maybe when the doc’s through.”

I turned away. I was tempted to burst into her room, but I knew it wouldn’t do, so I wandered over to a chair and sat down.

“Who’s the guy with a face like a tomato?” Arym whispered in my ear.

I told her.

“He looks like a heel,” Arym said. “I think I’ll throw a scare into him.”

“Lay off,” I said hurriedly. “We don’t want any trouble here.”

“It wouldn’t be any trouble to me,” she said wistfully. “It’d be fun.”

“Now for the love of mike behave yourself. Haven’t I enough on my mind without you adding to it?”

Clancy had drawn near and was staring at me with startled Interest. “Do you have to do that?” he asked suspiciously.

“Why not?” I returned. “Can’t I talk to myself without you horning in?”

“I guess so,” he returned, looking at me old fashioned. “But, I don’t like it much. It shows softening of the brain.”

“That’s better than having no brain at all, you cretin,” Arym’s voice snapped.

Clancy stiffened. “What’s that?” he said, glaring at me. “I didn’t say anything,” I returned hurriedly.

“Don’t tell lies,” Clancy said. “One more crack like that and I’ll toss you in the can. And cut out that falsetto voice. I don’t like it.”

Just then a young and pretty nurse came down the corridor.

Clancy, who never passed up a nice-looking girl, swallowed his wrath. He adjusted his necktie and smirked at her. “Evening,” he said, swelling out his chest.

She paused and smiled brightly. “Good evening,” she said. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Before Clancy could reply, Arym’s voice said from behind him, “You can wipe that smile off your insipid face.”

Clancy couldn’t believe his cars. He looked around wildly, his mouth gaping.

The nurse tossed her head. “If it comes to that,” she said, “your face isn’t so much, and from the sound of your voice you should be shuffled and dealt again.”

As she passed Clancy there came the sound of a sharp slap. The nurse gave a convulsive start and stifled a scream. For a moment she stood rigid and then turned, her face scarlet.

“That wasn’t a nice thing to do,” she said. “Do you call yourself a gentleman?”

Clancy blinked at her. “I ain’t done nothing,” he said uneasily.

“It may seem nothing to you,” the nurse returned. “But, I’ll have you know that back in my home-town gentlemen don’t do such things.”

Clancy began to get mad. “You’re not the only one who has a home-town,” he snapped.

“I shouldn’t like to visit yours, if you’re a specimen of what comes out of it,” the nurse returned, putting her hands carelessly behind her and edging away.

This remark hurt Clancy’s pride. “I’ll have you know,” he said, “my home-town’s the oldest in the country.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” the nurse said feelingly. “You have some of its oldest habits,” and tossing her bead, she went off down the corridor.

“What kind of hospital is this?” Clancy demanded, glaring after her. “Even the nurses are nuts!”

While he was speaking, Myra’s door opened and the doctor came out.

I jumped to my feet. “Can I see her?” I asked anxiously.

He looked at me gravely. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But I did all I could for her.”

My heart went cold. “She’s not…?” I began, but the look in his eyes told me.

“She wouldn’t fight,” he said. “I can’t make it out. She just didn’t seem to have the will. I pushed past him and went into the room.

A nurse had pulled the sheet over Myra’s face. She glanced at me sympathetically and left the room.

I stood looking at Myra’s small form under the sheet and I felt pretty bad.

“So she quit,” Arym said, suddenly appearing at my side. “Can you beat that?” she jerked the sheet off Myra’s face.

Myra looked very peaceful. Her hair framed her small white face and there was a faint smile on her lips.

“Of all the smug, two-faced, prissy-mouthed fugitives from a convent,” Aryrn said in disgust. “She’s it.”

“Don’t,” I said, sitting wearily on the bed. “She wanted to live, but we were too late to help her.”

“Phooey!” Arym snapped. “She’s putting on an act. Cut it Out, Myra,” she went on. “Or I’ll grab that body and leave you without one.”

“Try it and I’ll haunt you,” Myra’s voice said close to me.

I looked round with a startled gasp. Standing at the foot of the bed I could make out a filmy shadow.

“Don’t materialize any further,” Arym exclaimed. “You haven’t got any clothes on.”

“As if I didn’t know,” Myra sounded annoyed. “Where have you two been? I was just going to look for you.”

“Wait a minute,” I said. “Aren’t you dead after all?”

“Of course, she isn’t,” Arym said. “I told you not to worry.”

“Has the darling been worrying?” Myra asked eagerly.

“You know how men are,” Arym replied airily. “But never mind him. Get back into your body. We have things to talk about.”

“I’ll be right with you,” Myra said, and the shadowy figure climbed on to the bed and melted out of sight.

A second later what had been Myra’s remains sat up abruptly in bed.

I shied away from her. This, I felt, was a little too much.

“He wants me to come back to you,” Arym said sulkily. “That’s the only way he’ll marry me.”

“Certainly not,” Myra said firmly. “I’ve bad enough of your influence to last me a lifetime. I’d rather be dead.”

I pulled myself together. “Myra,” I said, taking her hand, “you must be sensible. The new moon rises in an hour. If Doc was right, that’s when you’ll lose your supernatural powers and then it’ll be too late to do anything. You have to take her back. Think of me. Think of having her around all the rest of our days. Think of the mischief she could do us if we thwarted her.”

“That’s all very well,” Myra returned. “But what about Doc? She did kill him. I draw the line at sharing a body with a murderess.”

She had something there.

Arym pouted “If I fix Doc, will you do it?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t kill the old fool. I wanted to have a hold on you so that Ross would work for Andasca.”

“Now look here, Arym, it’s no use lying. You did kill him. I saw him die,” I said coldly.

“You thought you saw him die,” Arym said, smiling. “Haven’t you heard of mass hypnotism?”

I ran my fingers through my hair, “What are you getting at?” I said. “Mass hypnotism? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re not being very bright, are you darling?” she said patiently. “All I did was to put Doc in a coma and hypnotize you and Sam into believing he was hurt. The letter and the dress were planted to give the right atmosphere.”