Chapter 8
No one spoke for a minute. Tree frogs chirped. Dim lights began to show from houses on the neighboring slopes, given halos by the mist, and there was a burst of illumination from the hall.
Jane Hammond was the first to move. Her voice was flat. "Let's go hi."
Vivien Alcott walked beside Clive, so near that his hand brushed her coat.
She said, "You were really as close to it as that, and you didn't see anything?"
"No."
"Did it hurt much, getting hit like that?"
Clive laughed. "I hardly notice those things any more. You get hardened to it."
She studied his face intently. "I guess a detective has to be tough. Are you tough, Mr. Clive?"
"How do I look?"
"Tough. Awfully tough."
Jane said, "Vivien, for heaven's sake!"
Vivien went in through the door and turned around, her h
