Ring Once for Death, Page 2

And then, although she could not hear the answeringvoice, she felt him stiffen. And she knew. As well as if she couldhear the words she knew, with a mother's instinct for disaster.

  "Yes," Dr. Williams said. "Yes ... I see ... I understand ... I'llcome at once.... Thank you for calling."

  He slid out of bed before she could stop him.

  "An emergency call." He spoke quietly. "I have to go." He began tothrow on his clothes.

  "It's David," she said. "Isn't it?" She sat up. "Don't try to keep mefrom knowing. It's about David."

  "Yes," he said. His voice was very tired. "David is hurt. I have to goto him. An accident."

  "He's dead." She said it steadily. "David's dead, isn't he, Mark?"

  He came over and sat beside her and put his arms around her.

  "Edith," he said. "Edith--Yes, he's dead. Forty minutes ago. Thecar--went over a curve. They have him--at the County morgue. They wantme to--identify him. Identify him. Edith! You see, the car caughtfire!"

  "I'm coming with you," she said. "I'm coming with you!"

  * * * * *

  The taxi waited in a pool of darkness between two street lights. Thelong, low building which was the County morgue, a blue lamp over itsdoor, stood below the street level. A flight of concrete steps wentdown to it from the sidewalk. Ten minutes before, Dr. Mark Williamshad gone down those steps. Now he climbed back up them, stiffly,wearily, like an old man.

  Edith was waiting in the taxi, sitting forward on the edge of theseat, hands clenched. As he reached the last step she opened the doorand stepped out.

  "Mark," she asked shakily, "was it--"

  "Yes, it's David." His voice was a monotone. "Our son. I've completedthe formalities. For now the only thing we can do is go home."

  "I'm going to him!" She tried to pass. He caught her wrist. Discretelythe taxi driver pretended to doze.

  "No, Edith! There's no need. You mustn't--see him!"

  "He's my son!" she cried. "Let me go!"

  "No! What have you got under your coat?"

  "It's the bell, the rose-crystal bell!" she cried. "I'm going to ringit where David can hear!"

  Defiantly she brought forth her hand, clutching the little bell. "Itbrought you back, Mark! Now it's going to bring back David!"

  "Edith!" he said in horror. "You mustn't believe that's possible. Youcan't. Those were coincidences. Now let me have it."

  "No! I'm going to ring it." Violently she tried to break out of hisgrip. "I want David back! I'm going to ring the bell!"

  She got her hand free. The crystal bell rang in the quiet of the earlymorning with an eerie thinness, penetrating the silence like a silverknife.

  "There!" Edith Williams panted. "I've rung it. I know you don'tbelieve, but I do. It'll bring David back." She raised her voice."David!" she called. "David, son! Can you hear me?"

  "Edith," Dr. Williams groaned. "You're just tormenting yourself. Comehome. Please come home."

  "Not until David has come back.... David, David, can you hear me?" Sherang the bell again, rang it until Dr. Williams seized it, then shelet him take it.

  "Edith, Edith," he groaned. "If only you had let me come alone...."

  "Mark, listen!"

  "What?"

  "Listen!" she whispered with fierce urgency.

  He was silent. And then fingers of horror drew themselves down hisspine at the clear, youthful voice that came up to them from thedarkness below.

  "Mother?... Dad?... Where are you?"

  "David!" Edith Williams breathed. "It's David! Let me go! I must goto him."

  "No, Edith!" her husband whispered frantically, as the voice belowcalled again.

  "Dad?... Mother?... Are you up there? Wait for me."

  "Let me go!" she sobbed. "David, we're here! We're up here, son!"

  "Edith!" Mark Williams gasped. "If you've ever loved me, listen to me.You mustn't go down there. David--I had to identify him by his classring and his wallet. He was burned--terribly burned!"

  "I'm going to him!" She wrenched herself free and sped for the steps,up which now was coming a tall form, a shadow shrouded in thedarkness.

  Dr. Williams, horror knotting his stomach, leaped to stop her. But heslipped and fell headlong on the pavement, so that she was able topant down the stairs to meet the upcoming figure.

  "Oh, David," she sobbed, "David!"

  "Hey, Mom!" The boy held her steady. "I'm sorry. I'm terribly sorry.But I didn't know what had happened until I got home and you weren'tthere and then one of the fellows from the fraternity called me. Irealized they must have made a mistake, and you'd come here, and Icalled for a taxi and came out here. My taxi let me off at theentrance around the block, and I've been looking for you downthere.... Poor Pete!"

  "Pete?" she asked.

  "Pete Friedburg. He was driving the old car. I lent him the keys andmy driver's license. I shouldn't have--but he's older and he keptbegging me...."

  "Then--then it's Pete who was killed?" she gasped. "Pete whowas--burned?"

  "Yes, Pete. I feel terrible about lending him the car. But he wassupposed to be a good driver. And then them calling you, you and Dadthinking it was me--"

  "Then Mark was right. Of course he was right." She was laughing andsobbing now. "It's just a bell, a pretty little bell, that's all."

  "Bell? I don't follow you, Mom."

  "Never mind," Edith Williams gasped. "It's just a bell. It hasn't anypowers over life and death. It doesn't bring back and it doesn't takeaway. But let's get back up to your father. He may be thinking thatthe bell--that the bell really worked."

  They climbed the rest of the steps. Dr. Mark Williams still lay wherehe had fallen headlong on the pavement. The cab driver was bendingover him, but there was nothing to be done. The crystal bell had beenbeneath him when he fell, and it had broken. One long, fine splinterof crystal was embedded in his heart.

  * * * * *