The woman nodded, pulled out films and prints, packed them in a box which had been used for photographic paper, wrapped up the box, went to the back of the store and addressed a gummed paper sticker. Mason said abruptly, “Oh, well, I’ll take a chance. After all, there’s only a difference of a dollar and seventy-five cents, and I’m quite certain it’ll be all right. They’d be delayed quite a bit in the mail.”
“Just as you say,” the woman said, as Mason again offered her the ten-dollar bill. “When will Mrs. Eves be back?”
“It’ll be a week or so.”
“How’s her patient getting along?”
“The man with the broken neck?” Mason asked.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him.”
“It certainly is a shame,” she said. “Think of having to wear something like that strapped around your head and shoulders. She said he’d been wearing it for weeks. She brought him over on the ship from Honolulu. I’ve been wondering how he was getting along.”
“Brought him out in an ambulance, didn’t they?” Mason asked.
“Yes. They carried him up on a stretcher. I’ve been wondering who’s taking care of him. There doesn’t seem to be anyone coming or going from upstairs.”