Friday Evening
Ginny stretched her legs out carefully in front of the sofa, aware she was still ‘on parade’ and any breech in etiquette would be noticed and criticized.
“Miss Forbes?”
She looked up to see a quiet-looking young man in a regular business suit addressing her. “Yes?”
“It is you, isn’t it? You took care of Uncle Don when he was in the hospital?”
Ginny blinked then realized where she had seen this man before. “You’re Professor Craig’s nephew, aren’t you?”
“Yes I am.”
She rose and offered him her hand. “I’m so sorry for your loss. We’re going to miss your uncle.”
“You’re very kind to say so. I hope you don’t mind, I saw you over here and I just wanted to tell you how much we, my wife and I, appreciated how nice you were to us, at the hospital. It was kind of hard, coming in from out of town and everything.”
“I imagine so. What are your plans now? Is there anything I can do to help?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. We’ll be staying at Uncle Don’s house for a while. Until after the funeral, at least, then we’ll have to see. We have to go through his things and talk to the lawyer and there’s this business with the infection.”
Ginny’s brow furrowed. “What business?”
“The CDC man suggested we shouldn’t go home just yet. He seemed to think we might have been exposed to something. I’d hate for us to take it home to the kids. They’re staying with their grandmother this week.”
Ginny nodded. She’d heard similar comments throughout the night. “Yes. We’ve all been interviewed, but we hope there’s nothing to it.” She called up a reassuring smile. “I wouldn’t worry about it just yet. Is your wife with you?”
“No. She’s at home, his house, I mean. I only came because of the award.”
Ginny blinked. “Award?”
“Some woman called the house and said they planned to give Uncle Don some kind of award at this party tonight and asked if I would come and collect it in his name and I said I would. Now I’m here, I wish I hadn’t come. Everyone’s so dressed up and all I had was this.” He indicated the suit.
Ginny frowned in sudden concern. She slipped her arm through Mr. Craig’s and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t you think a thing about it! Of course you didn’t bring party clothes. Why should you? No one is going to expect it. I’m very glad you’re here. Professor Craig deserves to have his award accepted properly and we shall see that it is. What you need is a drink. Come on.”
“That’s really nice of you, Miss Forbes.”
“Please call me Ginny.”
“Mark.”
Ginny smiled up into a pair of dark eyes, noticing the sharp bones and aquiline nose that indicated at least one exotic ancestor. “Come on. They’re about to start the speeches and I can’t face them without a little liquid fortitude.”
She steered her guest over to the sideboard and made sure he had his choice of drinks, then mixed a very light one for herself. She was beginning to wilt and wanted the whole thing over with, but she couldn’t let this nice young man feel like a fifth wheel. Not here. For Professor Craig’s sake, she exerted herself to support and entertain his nephew. She found both of them seats along the edge of the room and spent the time whispering bits of local gossip into his ear as each of the speakers and awardees took the floor.
There was no printed program, so Ginny had to guess how long the presentations would last. There were many thankyous directed at the staff and faculty of the conference, with particular emphasis on the out-of-towners and mutual admiration flowed freely, but the Dragon seemed to be winding down the evening when their host stepped forward and took center stage.
Hal spoke movingly and with great dignity of the life just taken from them. Professor Craig had been a legitimate star in his own world. He would be missed both personally and professionally. It was therefore fitting he should have been slated to receive this little token of affection and esteem. Would Mr. Mark Craig please come forward and accept this award on behalf of his uncle and in loving memory of a great man?
Ginny escorted her guest to the front of the crowd and was pleased to see he got through the ordeal well. His unassuming personality made his brief thanks seem eloquent. When Hal stepped forward again the room fell silent. The assembled guests rose and bowed their heads in a moment of mute tribute, then stirred and began to drift off. Ginny took Mark by the elbow and guided him through the gauntlet of well-wishers and out onto the front steps. He handed the valet his stub and the two of them waited for the car to appear.
“Thank you for coming, Mark. It was really brave of you.”
He smiled at her. “Thank you for your help.”
“Please say hello to your wife for me and let me know if you think of anything I can do to help.”
“I will. Goodnight.”
Ginny watched until his car disappeared into the main road, then returned to the house to find the party breaking up and the guests preparing to leave. She was not sorry. It had been a long day.
* * *
With the guests gone and the caterers clearing away, Ginny collapsed onto the sofa, kicked off her shoes, and propped her feet up on the coffee table. “Thank Heaven that’s over,” she said. “I can hardly keep my eyes open.” Whereupon she closed them and let her head fall back onto the cushions.
Hal came up behind her, leaned over, and planted an upside down kiss on her lips. “You were wonderful.”
Ginny smiled. “So were you.”
He moved around in front of her and held out his hands. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“I know. I’d just feel better if I saw you to your door.”
Ginny yawned. “I brought my own car.”
“Pick it up tomorrow.”
“I can’t. I’m going to need it in the morning.”
“Then we’ll take your car. Come on, give me your hands.”
“How will you get home?”
“Will you stop fussing? Jim can follow us and bring me back.”
“Is he still here?”
“Just going,” Jim walked into the room. “I only waited to say goodnight.”
Hal put his proposition to the other man.
Jim nodded. “Sure. I’d be glad to help out.”
Ginny shrugged. “All right, if that’s what you want, but we’d better go before I fall asleep right here.” She held out her hands.
Hal laughed and pulled her up into his arms. “You’re welcome to stay in one of the bedrooms,” he breathed into her ear. “Any one of them.”
She tipped her head back so she could see his face and smiled at him. “It’s a tempting offer, but I think I’d better not.”
Their eyes met and Ginny felt her heart flutter.
“Another time, then,” he said quietly.
The three of them walked down the steps to where the last two cars were waiting, brought around by the parking valet before he left.
Hal settled into the driver’s side of her car, releasing the catch on the seat and pushing it back to make room for his long legs. They talked about the conference and the party all the way home satisfied that, in spite of everything, the week had gone off very well.
“Except, of course, for Professor Craig’s death and the investigation,” Ginny said.
Hal looked over at her in surprise. “Investigation? What investigation?”
“Hadn’t you heard? That CDC investigator has been asking people to stay in town and no one is very happy about it.”
Hal pulled up in front of Ginny’s house, turned the ignition off and twisted around to face her.
“What’s going on?”
She told him all she knew, about the surprising nature of Professor Craig’s death, the hospital staff’s suspicions, and the CDC’s tight-lipped non-disclosure. At the end of the recital, Hal sat grimly quiet.
“You took care of him?” he asked at last.
“Yes. There were a lot of other people involved, of course, but I had him more than anyone else.”
“Do you think the death was suspicious?”
Ginny sighed. “I don’t know. The neurologist must have thought so. He called in the CDC.”
“They think it’s a virus?”
“Best guess, so far.”
“And everyone at the conference has probably been exposed?”
“Anyone who came into contact with him.”
“Jesus!”
Ginny nodded. “That’s about the size of it.”
Hal was silent for a moment, frowning heavily. “Could it be dangerous, to us, I mean?”
“I don’t know. If it’s contagious, we may all be in serious trouble, but it may not be. Viruses are funny things. We’re just going to have to wait and see.”
Hal nodded, then climbed out of the car and came around to let her out. He escorted her to her front door and opened it for her, then handed her the keys. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He stood hovering over her, his face troubled. Ginny slipped her arms around him.
“Don’t worry, Hal. Not yet.” She gave him a hug and he held her close for a moment before letting her go.
“You let me know, the moment you hear anything.”
“I will.”
Ginny watched him walk down the path and climb into the BMW that had pulled up behind her car. She found herself wishing she hadn’t told him about the investigation. Not that she could have withheld the information, but it had changed things between them. That lovely moment back at his house was gone. He was no longer smiling — and he hadn’t kissed her goodnight.
* * *