TwentyFull of misgivings Alex climbed the stair to Charles Durant’s room. When he reached it and knocked, he got no reply. Perhaps he was sleeping. He tried the handle to let himself in. The door wouldn’t budge.
He was turning to leave when the door of the room next door flung open and Mrs Whitney, the nurse who’d been attending Charles, emerged carrying a washbasin and towel. Her mouth flew open. “Oh! It’s you.” She regarded him with sad, flat eyes that had seen too much suffering. “Your friend didn’t make it. He died this morning.” She set the full basin down on the floor with meticulous precision. “He was in a very bad way. I don’t think he wanted to live the way he was, barely able to see, so maybe it’s all for the best.”
Alex realized that he was gaping at the nurse and blocking her
