The Crime is Murder by Helen Nielsen

Author:Helen Nielsen [Nielsen, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4405-4131-5
Publisher: Prologue Books
Published: 1984-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

“I don’t believe it,” Johnny declared. “I don’t think Marta’s music has anything to do with your invitation to enter the holy of holies. I think Nydia wants to lure you into that hilltop citadel so she can tell you the story of her husband’s life and grab a little glory.”

Johnny’s candor could be arresting. Lisa sat at the study desk. Pencil in hand, she was making notations on a pad of paper. She’d gotten as far as:

Alistair Hubbard: Bequeathed house to Cornish Memorial—plus?

But Johnny was making more sense than she knew.

“It’s possible,” Lisa admitted, “although Joel suggested the same thing. Nydia Cornish seems to approve of Joel.”

“And Gleason and Duval. But Carrie tells me there hasn’t been any social entertaining at that house since the studio fire.”

“Carrie,” Lisa mused, “talks too much.”

“I’m not so sure. I’m beginning to think she’s the only one around here who really is sane. I wonder how those roots taste, anyway?”

Lisa continued writing on her pad. Johnny’s questioning of the motive behind her invitation was interesting; but not quite so interesting as another thing that bothered Lisa about the bank-office meeting. Somebody was lying about the fund—Nydia or Stanley Watts. Somebody was lying about a lot of things.

Pierre Duval: Reportedly insured for $5,000 with double indemnity. Marta Cornish beneficiary.

“How can the professor say that Marta got an insurance payoff and Marta deny it?” Johnny persisted. “Anyway, I’m not taking sides. I’m only reporting what Carrie told me. She’s still furious about that paperweight attack. It’s going to take more than an apology to shut her up.”

More than an apology. Lisa’s eyes strayed from her pad again. That was the other troublesome matter. But she didn’t attempt a comment. Johnny was still retelling tales.

“Of course, Carrie doesn’t have first-hand information,” she added, “but she certainly remembers the talk when Mrs. Cornish had to have the gardener sent to Granite.”

“Granite?” Lisa echoed.

“It’s a town somewhere or other in these parts. The sanitarium is there. You remember—Claude Humphrey.”

“I remember. What’s the story on that? Is baby Marta supposed to have driven him insane?”

“She used to tease him, Carrie says. You can’t tease anyone like that. It makes them furious.”

You can’t tease anyone like Lisa Bancroft. It makes her furious, too. Lisa scratched her last entry on the pad in a heavy hand:

Howard Gleason: Reportedly insured for $??. Marta Cornish beneficiary. Also $5,000 award unaccounted for.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to agree with Dr. Hazlitt,” she said tersely. “I can’t understand how an intelligent person can be taken in by Carrie’s wild tales! I’m as anxious to get to the truth of this matter as anyone, but let’s try to stick to the facts.”

“And what are the facts?”

With her head cocked at an inquisitive angle, Johnny waited for an answer. There were times when she could be very irritating.

Not all the architecture of Bellville dated back to the heyday of the Bell empire. There were colorful new motor courts on the highway, an impressive yacht club and restaurant

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