Siesta

This novel, published in 1935, is set in the fictional town of Georgetown, Alabama. The central character, Dr Abercorn, while his assistant is travelling in Europe, takes on Laney Shields as a temporary nurse for his surgery. When she dies as a result of a back-street abortion, James Mc Farlane, the ambitious editor of the local newspaper, looks to discover who the father of the child was. Meanwhile someone feels they have information about the crime that can be used for blackmail.

The author, Berry Fleming (born 19 March 1899), grew up in Augusta, Georgia. He studied at Harvard University and after graduating in 1922, he returned home to work as a reporter for the local newspaper. In 1924, he moved to New York City to begin a career in literature. His first novel was published in 1927. He moved back to Augusta in 1940. His 1943 satirical novel, Colonel Effingham's Raid, proved popular and led to a film adaptation in 1946. For much of the fifties and sixties, he devoted his time to art. A final novel was published in 1973 and several further works of fiction were published posthumously. An annual book festival in his honour is hosted by Augusta University.

When Dr Abercorn's son reads about the death, even before the body is identified, he fears it is that of Laney Shields:
“He felt his face all of a sudden begin slowly fading into a sick grey, then becoming damp. Then the conviction broke over him like a wave that it was the coloured nurse who was dead! It lifted him to his feet and he stood there for a minute straddling the chair and staring at the musty wall. He felt nauseated. He pushed back his chair and went out. When he came back he was still pale.”