Free Calamity Town by Ellery Queen

much like two young people luxuriating in the blessedness of early marriage that it was a temptation to dismiss the incidents of the previous evening as fantasy.
    Pat arrived, with Alberta and eggs, in a rush. ‘Nora! How nice,’ she said, as if nothing at all had happened. ‘Can you spare a starving gal an egg or two? Morning, Jim! Ellery! Not that Ludie didn’t have breakfast for me. She did . But I just felt that nosy impulse to look in on the lovebirds…’
    â€˜Alberta, another setting,’ said Nora, and she smiled at Pat. ‘You do talk in the morning! Ellery, sit down. The honeymoon being over, my husband doesn’t rise for my family any more.’
    Jim stared. ‘Who—Patso?’ He grinned. ‘Say, you are grownup! Let me look. Yep. A real glamour girl. Smith, I envy you. If I were a bachelor—’
    Ellery saw the swift cloud darken Nora’s face. She pressed more coffee on her husband. Pat kept chattering. She wasn’t a very good actress—couldn’t look Jim in the eye. Heroic, though. Remembering instructions in the midst of her own troubles…But Nora was superb. Yes, Pat had been right. Nora had decided not to think about the letters or their horrible implication. And she was using the minor crisis of Pat and Cart to help her not to think.
    â€˜I’ll fix your eggs myself, darling,’ said Nora to Pat. ‘Alberta’s a jewel, but how could she know you like four-minute coddling, to the second? Excuse me.’ Nora left the dining room to join Alberta in the kitchen.
    â€˜That Nora,’ chuckled Jim. ‘She’s a real hen. Say! What time is it? I’ll be late at the bank. Patty, you been crying? You’re talking sort of funny, too. Nora!’ he shouted. ‘Didn’t the mail come yet?’
    â€˜Not yet!’ Nora called from the kitchen.
    â€˜Who, me?’ said Pat feebly. ‘Don’t—don’t be a goop, Jim.’
    â€˜ All right, all right,’ said Jim, laughing. ‘So it’s none of my damn business. Ah! There’s Bailey now. ‘Scuse!’ Jim hurried out to the foyer to answer the postman’s ring. They heard him open the front door; they heard old Mr Bailey’s cracked ‘Mornin’, Mr Haight,’ Jim’s joshing response, the little slam of the door, and Jim’s slow returning footsteps, as if he were shuffling through the mail as he came back. Then he walked into the field of their vision and stopped, and they saw him staring at one of the several envelopes the postman had just delivered. His face was liverish. And then he vaulted upstairs. They heard his feet pound on the carpeting and a moment later a door bang.
    Pat was gaping at the spot Jim had just vacated. ‘Eat your cereal,’ said Ellery.
    Pat flushed and bent quickly over her plate. Ellery got up and walked without noise to the foot of the staircase. After a moment he returned to the breakfast table. ‘He’s in his study, I think. Heard him lock the door …No! Not now. Here’s Nora.’
    Pat choked over her Crackle-Crunch. ‘Where’s Jim?’ asked Nora as she set the eggs before her sister.
    â€˜Upstairs,’ said Ellery, reaching for the toast.
    â€˜Jim?’
    â€˜Yes, Nora.’ Jim reappeared on the stairs; he was still pale, but rigidly controlled. He had his coat on, and carried several unopened letters of assorted sizes.
    â€˜Jim! Is anything wrong?’
    â€˜Wrong?’ Jim laughed. ‘I never saw such a suspicious woman! What the devil should be wrong?’
    â€˜I don’t know. But you look so pale—’
    Jim kissed her. ‘You ought to’ve been a nurse! Well, got to be going. Oh, by the way. Here’s the mail. The usual junk. Bye, Patty! Smith! See you soon.’ Jim raced out.
    After breakfast, Ellery said something about ‘strolling in the woods’ behind the house and excused himself. A half