“I don’t like that young man. Or his wife.”
“It shows a little. It doesn’t hurt anything. They’re not anxious to be liked.”
The young man came back. Not as young as he looked, or perhaps tried to look. Nancy’s brother. Alex. Meaty, dark, bland. The kind who have a smell of pine and a perfect manicure. He gave us a smile of measured sadness and sat facing us. “Sorry about the constant interruptions. You know how it is.” He shrugged. “One or the other of us should be with him. It seems to help him a little. Elaine is being so good about it. You have no idea.”
“I guess he wouldn’t want to see Nancy,” Dana said innocently.
“God, no!” Alex said. “I believe, I really believe that he might have lived years longer if it wasn’t… for all the shame and heartbreak she’s given him. She’s my only sister. But I can’t be the least bit sentimental. Some people are just born rotten.” He made a helpless gesture. “Nothing we’ve tried to do for her has done any good. She’s made life difficult… for all of us.”
“You understand our viewpoint in this, Mr. Abbott,” I said.
“Of course. Of course. I appreciate the fact you want to handle this on a completely informal basis. I think I understand her present condition, as well as Mr. Burley’s concern. And I am perfectly willing to write to him personally guaranteeing the thousand dollars a month for as long as… as she can remain there. Frankly, I was responsible for the selection of the retreat. I wanted her just as far from San Francisco as possible. Dad is leaving her nothing, of course. But I can tell you in confidence that the estate is… sizable. And I would consider it a moral obligation. I’m very glad you and Miss Holtzer had to come here on another matter. It’s good to talk this over.”
I sensed that he was trying to brush us off. Thanks and goodby. He was an elusive fellow.
“We haven’t settled it yet, Mr. Abbott,” I told him. “Mr. Burley has certain moral obligations too, and he is aware of them. He is not set up to give her the mental care she needs. Under the present arrangement, he can’t afford to bring someone there at regular intervals to treat her there. We are functioning here merely as… friends of Hope Island, Mr. Abbott.”
“I understand, but…”
“If the monthly fee could be doubled… ”
“That’s out of the question,” he said with a regretful air. “I guess it would be better if Mr. Burley did arrange commitment to a mental institution, if that’s what he thinks she needs.”
“There’s just one small problem,” I said. “At times she seems perfectly healthy and rational. And she has built up a whole structure of conspiracy. We understand that it isn’t true, of course, but it does sound very plausible, and if she went to some other place, they might think it necessary to make a complete investigation.”
“I don’t believe I understand,” he said.
I glanced at Dana and nodded and she took over. “Nancy insists that a year and a half ago, you put her in the custody of some people in Carmel named M’Gruder.”
“In the custody!” he said indignantly. “It wasn’t like that at all. They were just helping me out. They knew Nancy, of course. They knew she could be a problem. It was just a case of getting her away from a very unsavory group she was running with, and…”
“I am just telling you Nancy’s story. We all know she isn’t well, Mr. Abbott. She claims that the M’Gruders, as a favor to you, got her drunk and got her into a situation where certain pictures were taken of her under compromising circumstances. These pictures were then sent to your father so you could be certain you would be the sole heir. She claims you and your father then tried to put her away, but she fled and remained at large for quite a while until you caught up to her and sent her to Hope Island.”
Dana did beautifully with it. I watched his face. He had a big choice of reactions. He tried for amused indignation, and almost made it. But not quite. You have to watch for the not quites.
“Do you mean to tell me she could make anyone believe such nonsense?”
“Not necessarily” I said. “They might want to check it out.”
“But why?”
I nodded to Dana. She took the picture from her big purse. I slipped it out of the envelope and leaned and handed it to Alex Abbott. He held it in two trembling hands and stared at it. He swallowed convulsively. In a small voice he said, “This one wasn’t…” He caught himself. “She had this? My sister had this?”
“This is one of several. Mr. Burley has them in his safe.”
“But where would she get them? She didn’t have them when she was taken down there?”
“They came to her in the mail,” I said. “Mr. Abbott, what was it you started to say? This one wasn’t… This one wasn’t what?”
He opened his eyes very wide. He smiled sadiy. “I guess I should be frank with you people.”
“We would be most grateful,” Dana said.
“I will admit that I made a mistake when I… arranged her visit with the M’Gruders. I knew them as a lively couple. I thought they would keep her amused and out of trouble. I had no idea they went in for this sort of thing.” He handed it back to me.
“I would think you would act a little more angry” I said.
“To tell you the truth, there were other pictures of Nancy. They were mailed to my father, with a note demanding money. He had a very nasty scene with Nancy. She left. He showed me the pictures. He was wretched. Heartbroken. He asked me to destroy the pictures and I did so, very gladly. Several days later, after Nancy was gone, someone phoned my father about the money. He told them to go to hell, that they could do any damn thing with the pictures they pleased.”
“He didn’t contact the police?”
“No.”
“Did the man on the phone threaten him with anything?”
“No. Dad said the man was quite polite. He seemed to have some sort of lower-class English accent. He said he might phone back later on, but as far as I know he never did. In one of the pictures it was… well, it was Vance M’Gruder and my sister. I can tell you that I was furious with him. I went down to see him. He was alone at the house. Patty had left him. I learned later their marriage was being annulled. He didn’t seem guilty or ashamed or anything like that. Just terribly indifferent. I couldn’t make a dent on him. He said he was not and had never been in the nursemaid business, no matter what impression I may have had. He did not know or care where Nancy was. I actually thought I might find her there with them. I wanted to know who had taken the pictures at that… circus.”
“Did he know?”
“He said that nobody at the party had taken them. He said it had to be someone with a long lens.”
“Did he seem surprised to know pictures had been taken?”
“No. I wondered if he’d been approached for money also.”
“Did you ask him?”
“No. He seemed cross and impatient and anxious for me to go.”
“Did you know any of the other people in the pictures you saw?”
“Aside from the M’Gruders, just one fellow, an artist I…” He stopped suddenly, frowning at us. “Why are you so curious about the pictures, Mr. McGee?”
I shrugged. “I guess it’s only natural. Mr. Burley was curious too. They do have some bearing on the girl’s evaluation of herself. I suppose if she feels it was a conspiracy, a trick, she feels better about it.”
“Mr. McGee, if Nancy ever had any hopes of inheriting half the estate, she spoiled her chances long before those pictures were taken, believe me. Naturally I’ll support her as long as she lives. But what you ask seems…”
“Oh, I don’t think she could cause you much trouble, Mr. Abbott.”
“I don’t see how she could cause any.”
I smiled and shrugged. “An institution might call in somebody to give her legal advice. You know how it is. Contingency basis. And you say the estate is sizable. She does sound plausible. AlI it could do, I guess, would be delay the probate.”