was feeling all right again. She said she was going upstairs to her room to take a little rest.”
“And you’re quite sure, Miss Vickers, that you can’t recall any of the words that Roberts was saying when you found her leaning over the bed?”
“I would if I could, Lieutenant. It was just a jumble. Ice—something about ‘ice and human hearts.’ Then she switched to ‘searing flames’ and I don’t know what all else.”
“Would it bother you very much to go up to her room and see whether she’s in condition to come down here for a few minutes?”
“Why, not at all. I’d be glad to.”
“Thank you, Miss Vickers. You’ve helped me tremendously. Oh, there’s just one thing, Miss Vickers.”
Miss Vickers paused at the doorway.
“Yes, Lieutenant?”
“When you came back upstairs from the kitchen, did you notice anything about the atmosphere of Mrs. Endicott’s room?”
“Why—I don’t know—you mean a sense of tension or something?”
“No, I don’t. I mean was it as warm as when you left it, or cooler, or what?”
“Yes, I do, too—it was cooler— much . Because I remember after I quieted Roberts I went over to one of the radiators to see if the heat was still turned on. I thought Roberts must have turned it off, although I couldn’t for the life of me see why. But the radiator was quite hot, so I