“Why?” The electricity in Elise’s dark eyes crackled. “Why don’t you just get rid of it?”
“I promised...”
“You what?”
“Well, I sort of made a secret promise after my wife died. It was the least I could do. After all, I owed her something. Try to understand, angel. Don’t be cruel. We have gained quite a bit, you know. There’ll be no more interference. I’m free. Just the two of us...”
“Three,” she corrected him. “You and me and the dog.”
“But we’re better off than before, aren’t we? We’ve made progress. Please let me in, angel.”
She hesitated for another long moment, scorning him with her eyes. Then, abruptly, she turned and walked away, leaving the passage free for him to enter. He slipped in, bringing Momo on her leash, and closed the door behind him.
Gaining admittance didn’t make Momo happy. She lay down just inside the door, watching Claude reproachfully, and making small glum sounds. But Claude ignored the dog, and followed Elise to the sofa, where he sat down close but without touching her.
“You took your sweet time coming to see me,” Elise said viciously.
“Angel, I had to be discreet. I’m a widower. I’m supposed to be in mourning. I explained that to you.”
“Three whole months. Did it have to be that long?”
“Maybe I was trying to be too cautious.”
“You certainly were.”
“Forgive me, angel.” He put his arms out for her, but she squirmed away. “Won’t you forgive me? I was tom between caution and passion, believe me, angel.”
“And the caution won.”
“All right. But it’s over now. Let’s make up for lost time.”
“I’m afraid I’m not in the mood, Claude.”
“Elise, I went through an awful lot for you. I took big chances. Seems you ought to forgive me a little caution in a case like this.”
“I’ll forgive you nothing. You’ll have to learn you can’t toy with my affections this way, Claude Crispin. You can’t leave me dangling for three whole months...”
Elise’s bitter speech was interrupted suddenly by a sharp bark from Momo. Distracted, Claude looked at the dog. He found her sitting up, eyes bright, tail wagging. And Alvina was sitting in the chair opposite them.
“So this is the woman you murdered me for, Claude,” she said.
“Alvina!” he breathed.
“Did you call me Alvina?” Elise demanded.
“Darling,” Alvina explained, “she can’t see me. So don’t make her think you’ve gone crazy by talking to someone she doesn’t know is here. I’ll be very quiet. You just go ahead with what you were doing.”
“Claude, what’s the matter with you?” Elise wanted to know.
“Nothing. I’m just a little upset, I guess.”
“She’s very pretty, Claude,” Alvina commented. “Much prettier than I was. Different type, too. More exciting and romantic.”
“Look, Elise,” Claude said, hastily rising from the sofa, “I think I’d better go home. I don’t feel well.”
“Go home? You just got here, and I haven’t seen you for three months.”
Alvina sighed audibly. “She’s the demanding sort, isn’t she, Claude? I guess that makes women more desirable. I wish I could have been more that way.”
“Elise.” Claude was confusedly fumbling now. “Maybe some other time...”
“Claude, you stay here, or it’s all over with us.”
“But you don’t want me, Elise. You’re angry with me.”
“You’re so right. And I’m going to keep on being angry with you till you apologize.”
“All right, I apologize.”
“That’s better.”
“Am I forgiven then?”
“That will take some time. You’ll have to make it up to me. I’ve sat around here waiting for you for three long months, and you’ll have to make that up to me.”
“She’s very demanding, isn’t she?” Alvina said. “Is that what makes her so interesting, Claude?”
“That doesn’t make her interesting!” Claude shouted.
“Claude,” Elise screamed, “don’t shout at met And besides, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Then she stood up, too, facing Claude angrily. “You don’t show up for three months. Then you come here without a decent explanation and you talk gibberish.”
“Angel...”
“Don’t angel me!”
“Is it presents you want, Elise? What can I do? Just tell me. I want to take up where we left off. I went through so much. You know what I did.”
“I know nothing of the sort, Claude. Don’t try to implicate me.”
“But you’re in it as much as I am.”
“Oh, no, I’m not. It was your idea, and you went through with it all alone.”
“But you approved, angel. You wanted me to do it.”
“Claude, if that’s what you came here for, to tell me I’m just as guilty as you are, then you can leave.”
Without waiting for him to accept her invitation, she turned from him and walked away, through the bedroom door, which she slammed behind her. Claude stood open-mouthed in the center of the living room, and Momo barked joyously.
“Poor girl,” Alvina said, “she feels guilty. That’s what’s upsetting her so. I’m sure she’s not like this normally. Claude, I want you to tell her that I’ve not only forgiven you, but I’ve forgiven her, too.”
Claude sat down on the sofa again, heavily, wearily. “Thanks, Alvina. That’s mighty decent of you.”
“I’m sure the impression I just got of her is inaccurate.”
“I’m afraid it isn’t,” Claude admitted with a frown. “She’s headstrong. She’s quarrelsome. She’s tremendously selfish.”
“But, darling, those are the very things that were wrong with me. Oh, I wish there was something I could do. The trouble is, you see, that ghosts can haunt only their murderers, and strictly speaking, Elise isn’t even an accomplice. But I wish I could talk to her, and tell her everything I’ve learned. Because basically I think she must be a very nice girl. When are you going to get married, Claude?”
“Married?” The word startled him somehow.
“You did intend to marry her, didn’t you?”
“Oh, yes, she’s always insisted on it. On her own terms, of course. The trouble is that now I don’t know what her terms are.”
“That makes her mysterious, darling. And mystery is so attractive.”
“Look here, Alvina.” He rose from the sofa again, greatly disturbed. “Are you trying to encourage me?”
“Darling,” she remonstrated, “you went to an awful lot of trouble murdering me. I think you should get your reward. And if Elise is what you want, then I want her for you. You see, Claude, I still have your interests at heart. And, well, I must confess...”
“What, Alvina?”
“A little soft spot, I guess you’d call it.”
“Really? That’s very generous of you.”
“Oh, no, it’s still selfish, I’m afraid,” she answered softly. “Sometimes, Claude, I have the very selfish yearning for another chance. If I could just get another body or something and come back to you, I’m sure I could do a much better job of making you happy than I did before.”
He felt terribly embarrassed, felt he ought to do something or say something, but he didn’t know what. Poor Alvina... but he didn’t want to say that.
She was gazing tenderly up at him. “Oh, dam,” she said, “I’m afraid I’m going to cry. Good-by, darling. Good luck, too.”
Then once again, and as suddenly as before, she was gone. Momo began to whine pitifully and lonesomely. And Claude Crispin felt pretty much the same.
Alvina was home waiting for him, when he returned from one of his many unsatisfactory visits to Elise’s apartment. He’d left Elise in a rage, but here was Alvina placidly curled up in her favorite old chair and giving him a smile of welcome. He felt almost glad to see her. It had been over two weeks.