The D.A. Breaks an Egg

“Reading between the lines of that letter do you suppose that she could have learned the true state of affairs?”

“Not from the letter.”

“How did she learn them then?”

“I’m not certain she did.”

“But you think she did?”

“She may have.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because she came here.”

“Can you amplify that statement a little?”

“Well, Daphne was peculiar. She was deep, and as I say, I could never be certain about her. I wrote her the letter telling her about my marriage more so she would not come to California and look me up. It wasn’t an invitation to visit. It was a warning to stay away.”

“Why?”

“I felt certain that... well, after all, Mr. Selby, put yourself in my position. I hardly felt I should start inviting my friends to this house. I’m a legal wife. I’m certainly not an intellectual companion.

“I’ll tell you something about my husband. They call him old A. B. C. and he’s a criminal attorney; but he’s a very remarkable man, Mr. Selby. A very, very remarkable man. He’s always thinking, studying life. He’s strong and sinewed and he likes to manipulate things so events happen the way he wants. Don’t ever make any mistake about that man, Mr. Selby. He never does anything without a reason.

“I don’t think he cares much about money, but he loves to feel that he’s manipulating people. Life is like a chess game with him and he loves to plan his moves way ahead, trying to figure what the other man will do and then being all prepared with some smart move which will lead to checkmate.

“I expected, of course, that our married life would be something of a cat-and-dog existence, but that’s where I was wrong. I have never encountered anyone more considerate, more courteous, more... oh, I’m not kidding myself. I don’t think the man’s falling in love with me, and I know that when the three years are up he’ll find some way to frame me so that I’ll be kicked out without the faintest chance to nick him for a dime of alimony.

“And I know that what he’s doing now is purely selfish, but you have to admit it’s smart. He’s facing a three-year sentence of matrimony. He wants to make it as easy on himself as possible. And so we play a great game here, Mr. Selby. We are so beautifully, courteously considerate of each other that, well, I don’t think any marriage founded on a great romantic love could have the harmony that this one does.”

“I see,” Selby said, and then added after a moment, “of course, Carr is smart enough to realize that’s the only way he could endure... No, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

She threw back her head and laughed. “Of course you did, Mr. Selby. You meant it exactly that way. You have to mean it that way. It’s exactly the way I looked at it, but... well, what I’m trying to tell you is that I’m hardly in a position to invite any of my friends to this home.

“On the other hand, in breaking with my former contacts I didn’t want to offend them. I didn’t know but what at the end of three years I might need them again. So I wrote Daphne a letter, telling her about the marriage, giving her something of a background of my husband, and... well, I intimated to her that I was being accepted... well, not exactly as a social equal; but that while I was living in a big house... well, you can see the idea I tried to put across.”

“And how long ago did you write that letter?”

“Five or six weeks.”

“And Daphne promptly proceeded to come to Madison City?”

“Yes. Not promptly, but she came.”

“And telephoned you?”

“Yes.”

“And what did she say when she telephoned?”

“She called when I was out and left a message with the butler.” And Eleanor Carr smiled as she referred to the butler.

“Lefty?”

“Yes.”

“What was the message?”

“She asked Lefty to tell me she was just passing through Madison City and wanted to say hello, but that she wouldn’t be able to get out here to see me... I felt she was being tactful and was properly appreciative. Now I’m not so certain.”

“But you asked your husband to go to see her at the hotel?”

“Well, no. I told him... you see Lefty delivered the message when my husband was here. Alfonse was very nice. He told me to invite her out here.

“I didn’t think any more about it, but A. B. C, bless his heart, felt that I was being self-conscious and reluctant to invite my friends here — and apparently he went to the hotel to invite her out to the house.

“I guess it was too late — then.”

Selby and Brandon exchanged glances.

The door from the serving pantry opened and the butler with the cauliflower ears entered, carrying cups and saucers on a lacquered tray. The tingling aroma of hot spiced rum reached their nostrils.

Carr, who had held the door open for the butler, said, “Sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen, but this is something in the nature of a special ritual. I made yours rather small, Sheriff, but there’s a dividend in case you...”

“No, thanks,” Brandon said. “I’ll be quite happy with this.”

The butler served them and they raised cups.

“Here’s to crime,” A. B. Carr said.