“I'm Jack Summer, the editor of the Voorburg Times," Jack said, shaking the doctor's hand.
“Your chief of police is eager to see both of you. Go on in. Don't stay for more than twenty minutes. You are his first visitors and he'll tire easily. He's lost a lot of blood and needs a lot of sleep before it builds back up.”
He opened the door for them and went away.
Howard Walker was sitting up in the bed. Parker almost got teary at how much better he looked. Howard was smiling. His face wasn't quite as pale as it was yesterday, and his left arm was in a lightweight sling.
“Am I ever glad to see you two. Pull up some chairs and talk to me. I don't remember anything after walking in the door of the tailor shop in Cold Spring.”
He was looking at Deputy Parker, and went on to say, "They tell me you saved my life."
“I helped. But God and Dr. McCoy did the rest.”
Howard put out his right hand to shake Parker's. "Do sit down, both of you. Where is the tailor we went to arrest?"
“At the Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Matteawan," Parker said. "I had him sent there because I couldn't get back to Voorburg. I'd ridden here in the ambulance with you."
“I'm surprised they let you do that.”
Parker grinned. "They didn't let me. I forced myself in and sat in a corner near your feet.”
Walker was silent for a moment then asked, "What did you do while we came here?”
Parker almost blushed. "I took off your shoes and massaged your feet. It was a dumb thing."
“I thought I'd dreamed that someone was messing around with my feet and I wondered why they were doing it. It really happened?"
“I just wanted to do something—anything for you," Parker admitted.
Walker closed his eyes for a few minutes, then openedthem and asked, "Who's taking care of Voorburg in our place?"
“One of Colling's men who was with us at the tailor shop."
“Who else knows about this?" Walker asked.
Jack said, "I was told by Colling's man that you'd been stabbed and taken away to the hospital in Poughkeepsie. That's all that I knew. I spent a lot of yesterday trying to get Parker on the phone at the hospital. Naturally nobody would tell me anything about any patient. Deputy Parker finally called back and said the surgery was over and you were alive."
“Then what?"
“I went up to Grace and Favor and told them where both of you were and that you'd been stabbed while arresting the man who killed Edwin McBride, and that you were alive but still unconscious after a successful operation. I also told the greengrocer why his upstairs tenant was missing. Then it got around to almost everybody. You'll be inundated by flowers and get-well cards by tomorrow.”
He went on. "1'11 bet Mrs. Prinney is making pots and pots of soup to force down you when you get back. I'm in the way right now. I'll leave you two to talk a little more. Deputy Parker, I'll wait for you in the parking lot to take you back to Voorburg.”
Jack closed the door as he left.
“I want to go home," Walker said quietly with his eyes closed.
“In good time," Parker said. "I'll tell you the rest of it when and if you want to know. Get some more rest.
Parker wanted to touch him again, just out of respect, and he put his hand briefly on Howard's right hand before leaving. He stopped at the front desk to thank Nurse Hawkin again. "And there's something else. I have Chief Walker's uniform jacket and his shoes, but I need his trousers as well. Does anybody know what became of them?"
“I'll find out." She summoned the pretty nurse and said, "Please go find Chief Walker's trousers.”
She was back in ten minutes with them in a big bag. "This will hold his jacket and shoes as well.”
As Jack turned the car toward Voorburg, Parker told Jack almost everything the doctor had told him. All except the mention of bleeding to death.
When he got back to Voorburg, Parker asked the temporary substitute deputy to stay on for a little while. He took his motorcycle to the Hospital for the Criminally Insane where the tailor was locked up and asked permission to see him.
The tailor swore at him and tried, without success, to spit at him, but Parker ignored it and said, "I just have one question I hope you'll answer. The man you stabbeddeserves to know. Why did you put the can of paint back where you found it?" It wouldn't hurt to make this man suppose his victim was dead.
The man, whoever he was, grinned. His teeth were greenish and chipped. As a child Parker had been taught that there is a God and there is a Devil, and he had now seen the Devil.
“You don't get it, do you?" the man said.
“No, I don't. But I'll pray that in heaven He'll know.”
The man finally said, "You stupid kid. I wanted the police to think those dumb boys had painted the swastika.”
Parker turned away and went back to Voorburg thinking, Just wait until I tell Walker.
The first thing Parker did when he again returned to Voorburg was to take Chief Walker's trousers and jacket to Mr. Kurtz to clean and fIx the hole in the sleeve. "I'll do it gladly. No charge. He's a good man.”
Parker then took Walker's shoes to the cobblers'. They were happy to clean up, shine, and resole them at no cost. His third call was on Jack Summer, telling him about the tailor and the cobbler and suggesting that if Jack wanted to, he could find a good white shirt for Walker. Jack agreed. "I'll pay Mr. Kurtz to make one. Since he has Walker's jacket, he'll make it the right size.”
Ron was pleased. He knew that his boss would be humiliated to arrive at Grace and Favor in a hospital robe and slippers. He deserved to return to Voorburg with all the dignity that was due him.
Both Jack and Ron wanted to go back to Poughkeepsie the next day, just to check on how Walker was doing. Jack drove.
“Remind me to stop at a really good candy shop before we go to the hospital. I want to take a big box of chocolates to Nurse Hawkin.”
As they drove, Jack asked Parker if he knew why the man who'd stabbed Walker had gone so far to scare, or possibly burn up his shop.
“I've given that a lot of thought," Parker said. "I've been in both of those tailor shops and Kurtz's is full of good German equipment. Scissors, shears, needles, a good sewing machine, and lots of nice European-made fabrics.”
He went on, "I was only in the Cold Spring tailor's shop for a short time and it was dirty and grim. The tools on the counter were rusty. The only thing sharp he owned was the scissors he used to stab Chief Walker. I think he also hated Germans. Plain old jealousy and fear that he'd lose all his customers to Kurtz. I should have asked him when I spoke to him, but I was so revolted I just wanted to get away from him as soon as I could.”
Jack nodded. "That sounds very likely.”
As they were almost in Poughkeepsie, Parker said, "Keep your eye out for a candy store.”
Who's Sorry Now? Page 15
