Black Orchids

But that was a mistake, not looking at her. For completely without warning she turned into a streak of lightning. It was so sudden and swift that I was still in my chair when she grabbed the sliver of glass from Wolfe's desk, and by the time I got going she had whirled and gone through the air straight at Larry Huddleston, straight at his face with the piece of glass in her fingers. Everyone else moved too, but no one fast enough, not even Larry. Daniel got his arms around her, her left arm pinned against her, and I got her other arm, including the wrist, but there was a red streak across Larry's cheek from beneath his eye nearly to his chin.

Everybody but Janet was making noises, some of which were words.

"Shut up!" Wolfe said gruffly. "Archie, if you've finished your nap-"

"Go to hell," I told him. "I'm not a genius like you." I gave Janet's wrist a little pressure. "Drop it, girlie."

She let the piece of glass fall to the floor and stood rigid, watching. Brady examined Larry's cheek.

"Only skin deep," Brady said, unfolding a handkerchief. "Here, hold this against it."

"By God," Larry blurted, "if it leaves a scar-"

"That was a lie," Janet said. "You lied!"

"What?" Larry glared at her.

"She means," Wolfe put in, "that you lied when you said you neither desired nor intended to marry her. I agree with her that the air was already bad enough in here without that. You fed her passion and her hope. She wanted you, God knows why. When your aunt intervened, she struck. For revenge? Yes. Or saying to your aunt, preparing to say, 'Let me have him or I'll ruin you?' Probably. Or to ruin your aunt and then collect you from the debris? Possibly. Or all three, Miss Nichols?"

Janet, her back to him, still facing Larry, did not speak. I held onto her.

"But," Wolfe said, "your aunt came to see me, and that frightened her. Also, when she herself came that evening and found that picture here, the picture you had carried in your watch, she was not only frightened but enraged. Being a very sentimental young woman-"

"Good God," Brady muttered involuntarily. "Sentimental!"

A shudder ran over Janet from top to bottom. I pulled her around by the arm and steered her to the red leather chair and she dropped into it. Wolfe said brusquely:

"Archie, your notebook. No-first the camera-"

"I can't stand it!" Maryella cried, standing up. She reached for something to hold onto, and as luck would have it, it was Brady's arm. "I can't!"