“What’s going on?” Robert sat up on the bed. I handed him the phone. “It’s Klane Marengo. There’s somebody dead.”

“Klane, it’s Robert Haverty. Tell me what happened.” She told him and he listened, then he said, “I’ll be right there. Don’t touch anything. Tell everyone not to touch anything. Call the police, Klane. I’ll be there by the time they are.” He was out of bed, pulling on his clothes. I got up and turned on the overhead light. The mosquitoes I had killed were all over the wall above the headboard of the bed. The bedclothes were half off the bed, the candles were burned down into their saucers. I found a robe, put it on as Robert dressed. “What should I do?” I asked. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No. Yes, call Hilton and tell her I passed out on the sofa. Tell her I’ve gone down to the project to help Klane. What did she say to you? I couldn’t understand the story.”

“She said someone fell on a knife she was holding. It was a whist game.”

“Who was it?” He was buttoning his shirt, tucking it in.

“Her cousin Delmonica. She’s been flirting with Klane’s husband.” I stood by the door. He finished his shirt and put on his socks and shoes. Then he walked out into the hall. I followed him to the door. “Call me,” I said. “Call me as soon as you find out what’s going on.”

When he was gone I turned on the lights in the living room and picked up the records and glasses and ashtrays. Then I went out on the porch and began to collect Coke bottles. I went in and out from the porch to the living room to the kitchen, cleaning up. When I was finished with those rooms, I went into the bedroom and gathered up the candles and took the sheets off the bed. I made the bed up with pink-and-white-striped sheets and pillowcases. I swept the floor with a broom. I hung up all my clothes. Then I went into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. While it was brewing, I took a shower and washed my hair and began to get dressed.

When I finished dressing, I walked out into the yard to see if the newspaper had come. Malcolm’s car pulled up to the curb and he got out and walked past me into the house.

“Where’d you go last night?” he said. “I called at twelve-thirty and the baby-sitter said you were at a party. Who’d you go with?”

“How did you get home? I thought you had to stay till Monday.”

“I drove home last night. They need me back here. Where’d you go? Who’d you go out with?”