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Authors: Ross MacDonald
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about the move, or where she’s gone?”
“I don’t keep track of Catherine’s comings and goings. By her own choice, she’s no longer a member of the family.” Good riddance, was the unspoken implication. “As Homer may have told you, she divorced him last May. In Reno.”
“Is that when she moved to Atherton?”
She nodded her thin grey angry head. “Why she chose to come here and become our virtual neighbor!—Of course I know why she did it. She hoped to trade on our standing in the community. But my husband and I were not about to fall in with her plans. Catherine made her bed and she can lie in it.” Her mouth was thin and cruel. “I’m not surprised she gave up on Atherton and moved out.”
“Do you have any idea where she moved to?”
“I told you I do not. I’m sure in any case that you’re on the wrong track. Phoebe couldn’t conceivably be with her. They don’t get along.”
“That may be so. I still have to talk to her.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that.” She cocked her head,as if a moral hearing-aid had switched on and let her hear the harshness in her voice. “You mustn’t think me unchristian, Mr. Archer. Where my former sister-in-law is concerned, we have
had
it, as the young people say. I really did my best for her over the years. I took her into my own house before she married my brother, and tried to teach her the things a lady should know. I’m afraid the indoctrination didn’t take. As a matter of fact, the last time I saw her—” She compressed her lips in a way that reminded me of her brother.
“When did you last see her?”
“That same day. The famous day when Homer embarked on his voyage of discovery. Or escape. Catherine must have read about it in the paper, and saw a chance to get her talons into him one more time. I’m surprised they let her aboard. I’ve seen her drunk before, but never as loud and violent as she was that afternoon.”
“What was she after?”
“Money, or so she said. There Homer was with his millions, sailing off to the South Seas, and there was poor Catherine destitute and starving on the meager pittance that he doled out to her. I felt like telling her that a starvation regime would be good for her figure. But of course her version of the facts was grossly exaggerated, as usual. I happen to know that Homer gave her a hundred-thousand-dollar settlement and pays her three thousand dollars a month alimony in addition. And she spends every penny of it.”
“How?”
“Don’t ask me how. She’s always had expensive tastes, which is doubtless why she married my brother in the first place. I heard she paid seventy-five-thousand dollars cash for the Mandeville house—a ridiculous outlay for a woman in her position.”
“The Mandeville house?”
“The one in Atherton—the one you tell me she’s selling. She bought it from a Captain Mandeville.”
“I see. Getting back to that shipboard scene, did you notice your niece’s reaction?”
“Not specifically. She was appalled, I’m sure. We all were. My husband and I left before it was over. Mr. Trevor has heart trouble, and the doctor wants him to avoid that sort of tension. If Catherine aimed to spoil our leave-taking, she succeeded very well.”
“You didn’t see her leave the ship with Phoebe?”
“No, we’d already left ourselves. Are you sure that information is correct? It doesn’t seem likely.”
“I got it from one of the ship’s officers. They left the dock together in a taxi. I don’t know what happened after that.”
She clasped her hands at her breast. “It’s a horribly upsetting situation. My husband is almost prostrated by it. I should have waited to tell him until he’d had his rest—he comes home from the city so exhausted. But I had to go and blurt it out as soon as he stepped off the train.”
“He’s fond of Phoebe, your brother tells me.”
“Deeply fond. She’s been like a daughter to us, especially to Carl. I do hope you
“I don’t keep track of Catherine’s comings and goings. By her own choice, she’s no longer a member of the family.” Good riddance, was the unspoken implication. “As Homer may have told you, she divorced him last May. In Reno.”
“Is that when she moved to Atherton?”
She nodded her thin grey angry head. “Why she chose to come here and become our virtual neighbor!—Of course I know why she did it. She hoped to trade on our standing in the community. But my husband and I were not about to fall in with her plans. Catherine made her bed and she can lie in it.” Her mouth was thin and cruel. “I’m not surprised she gave up on Atherton and moved out.”
“Do you have any idea where she moved to?”
“I told you I do not. I’m sure in any case that you’re on the wrong track. Phoebe couldn’t conceivably be with her. They don’t get along.”
“That may be so. I still have to talk to her.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that.” She cocked her head,as if a moral hearing-aid had switched on and let her hear the harshness in her voice. “You mustn’t think me unchristian, Mr. Archer. Where my former sister-in-law is concerned, we have
had
it, as the young people say. I really did my best for her over the years. I took her into my own house before she married my brother, and tried to teach her the things a lady should know. I’m afraid the indoctrination didn’t take. As a matter of fact, the last time I saw her—” She compressed her lips in a way that reminded me of her brother.
“When did you last see her?”
“That same day. The famous day when Homer embarked on his voyage of discovery. Or escape. Catherine must have read about it in the paper, and saw a chance to get her talons into him one more time. I’m surprised they let her aboard. I’ve seen her drunk before, but never as loud and violent as she was that afternoon.”
“What was she after?”
“Money, or so she said. There Homer was with his millions, sailing off to the South Seas, and there was poor Catherine destitute and starving on the meager pittance that he doled out to her. I felt like telling her that a starvation regime would be good for her figure. But of course her version of the facts was grossly exaggerated, as usual. I happen to know that Homer gave her a hundred-thousand-dollar settlement and pays her three thousand dollars a month alimony in addition. And she spends every penny of it.”
“How?”
“Don’t ask me how. She’s always had expensive tastes, which is doubtless why she married my brother in the first place. I heard she paid seventy-five-thousand dollars cash for the Mandeville house—a ridiculous outlay for a woman in her position.”
“The Mandeville house?”
“The one in Atherton—the one you tell me she’s selling. She bought it from a Captain Mandeville.”
“I see. Getting back to that shipboard scene, did you notice your niece’s reaction?”
“Not specifically. She was appalled, I’m sure. We all were. My husband and I left before it was over. Mr. Trevor has heart trouble, and the doctor wants him to avoid that sort of tension. If Catherine aimed to spoil our leave-taking, she succeeded very well.”
“You didn’t see her leave the ship with Phoebe?”
“No, we’d already left ourselves. Are you sure that information is correct? It doesn’t seem likely.”
“I got it from one of the ship’s officers. They left the dock together in a taxi. I don’t know what happened after that.”
She clasped her hands at her breast. “It’s a horribly upsetting situation. My husband is almost prostrated by it. I should have waited to tell him until he’d had his rest—he comes home from the city so exhausted. But I had to go and blurt it out as soon as he stepped off the train.”
“He’s fond of Phoebe, your brother tells me.”
“Deeply fond. She’s been like a daughter to us, especially to Carl. I do hope you
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