Killing Cousins

Sixteen

After lunch that day, Thursday, Gwen Festerwauld called and said it was such a nice day she was wondering if Willie would like to play nine holes of golf, or maybe eighteen if they felt like going ahead with it, and Willie said she would. It wasn’t exactly true that she really wanted to play golf with Gwen, but it was something better to do than nothing and Gwen was someone better to do it with than no one, and so they went out in Gwen’s car about two o’clock. Willie was a bad golfer, but Gwen was worse, and usually, when they played together, they didn’t even bother to keep score unless they had an agreement that the loser would pay for the drinks or something after they were finished. Today, Willie was bored with the game after two holes and with Gwen after three, but it was pleasant out on the course with its clipped green grass and big splashes of shade under trees here and there to rest in. It was much hotter in the sun than they had anticipated, however, and so they decided to quit after nine holes and go into the Club bar for the drinks that Gwen had to pay for, being the loser, or rather to sign for, Marv actually being the loser when you came to think of it.

As it turned out, neither Gwen nor Marv had to pay for the drinks, because Evan Spooner was in the bar and picked up the tab. Evan hadn’t had much to do with Willie since the day Howard had kicked his butt right out of the house, but it was pretty apparent now, since Howard was reported to have run away and left an open field, that he was prepared to give Willie her fair share of his attention again. But Willie wasn’t interested. Although she was polite and permitted him to buy her drinks, it was impossible to look at Evan now without seeing him being kicked by Howard, and you’d have thought that Evan himself would be too ashamed to come near her, let alone expect serious consideration, but Evan was nearly impervious to shame and wasn’t even embarrassed. Anyhow, all this aside, Willie wasn’t interested because she had been spoiled by Quincy.

It was cool and pleasant in the bar, and Willie and Gwen sat in there with Evan for quite a long time, but after a while the situation became somewhat strained because Evan kept talking with Willie and practically ignored Gwen, and Gwen kept getting more and more annoyed and finally began making remarks about being bored and wanting to go home. After so much of this, Evan asked her why the hell she didn’t go and quit talking about it, and Gwen said she was damn well going and told Willie to come on, and Evan said he would be glad to take Willie home later if she wanted to stay, but Willie didn’t. She went out with Gwen and started back home in Gwen’s car.

“That Evan Spooner is a God-damn bore,” Gwen said.

“Yes, he is,” Willie said. “He really is.”

“Marv hates his guts.”

“So did Howard.”

“Where does he get off, being so conceited? The bastard thinks if he died all the girls would wear their pants at half-mast.”

Willie thought this was funny, and began to laugh. Having started laughing, she had trouble stopping, and Gwen was so pleased by the success of her remark that she began at once to regain her good humor. By the time she pulled into her drive across the hedge from Willie’s, she was her usual congenial self.

“Hadn’t you ever heard that before?” she said. “About the girls wearing their pants at half-mast?”

“No, I hadn’t heard it.”

“Oh, it’s an old one. I didn’t make it up.”

“It certainly fits Evan, anyhow. That’s just what he’d think.”

“He’s unsure of himself, that’s his trouble. Men who are unsure of themselves are forever trying to lay every woman they meet in an effort to prove their competence. I happen to know someone who got tight and let him lay her, and this person says he’s absolutely no good at all.”

Willie could have contributed something on this point, but she did, of course, nothing of the sort.

“Well,” she said, “I think I’d better get on home. Thanks for the game.”

“Won’t you come in and have another drink?”

“I don’t think I’d better. I’ll see you later, Gwen.”

She got her clubs out of the back of Gwen’s car and went around the hedge and into the house. It was, she noticed, even later than she’d thought. It was, in fact, about five-thirty, and she had forgotten to give Mrs. Tweedy any instructions about dinner — whether there should be any and what time, if any, it should be — and Mrs. Tweedy, whose sympathy could be imposed on only so far, had gone away early in a huff instead of waiting to find out. She had, however, left a note propped against the telephone in the hall, and the note, after stating Mrs. Tweedy’s rather bitter assumption that Willie must not have planned to eat in, since she hadn’t bothered to say, said further that there had been a telephone call from a Lieutenant Elgin Necessary at police headquarters, and Lieutenant Necessary would appreciate it if Willie would call him back just as soon as she got home, and it gave the number to dial.

It was perfectly apparent what had happened. Gertrude Haversack, the bitch, had gone to the police after all, in spite of Quincy’s feeling that she might not, and now it would be necessary to answer more questions and explain things that Willie had hoped would not need explaining. What she could not quite understand was why Necessary had waited so long to contact her after talking with Gertrude Haversack. But perhaps he hadn’t; perhaps Gertrude had not gone to him as soon as she’d threatened, perhaps only today, and anyhow, now that she had obviously gone, the essential thing was to keep calm and decide deliberately what attitude to take regarding what Gertrude had surely told. On the whole, Willie thought, it would be best to take the attitude that Gertrude was probably a liar, although possibly not, and that she, Willie, in the latter event, could hardly be expected to grieve because Howard had deceived his mistress, as well as his wife, in a miserable little affair that was a complete surprise to almost everyone. Having decided this, she dialed the number and got a Sergeant Muller, who put Necessary on.

“Good evening, Mrs. Hogan,” Necessary said. “I’ve been waiting for your call.”

“I’ve just gotten home. I was out at the Country Club playing golf this afternoon.”

“So I was told, but I thought there was no need to interrupt your game.”

“That’s very considerate of you, I’m sure. Is there something I can do for you?”

“I wonder if you’ll do me the favor of coming down here for a little talk.”

“This evening?”

“I’d appreciate it very much.”

“Isn’t it rather late?”

“It is, rather, but something important has come up that we should discuss as soon as possible.”

“What has come up?”

“I’d prefer not to discuss it on the telephone, if you’ll excuse me. If you wish, I’ll have you picked up in a police car.”

Necessary spoke softly and courteously, signifying by inflection his regret of being compelled by duty to intrude, but Willie did not misunderstand, nevertheless, the true meaning of his offer to have her picked up and delivered. He meant that he would do so if she declined to come voluntarily by her own means. He had in kindness permitted her to finish her golf game, but that, apparently, was the limit of his concession.

‘That won’t be necessary,” Willie said. “I’ll drive myself down.”

“I hope you’ll be able to come right away,” he said.

Meaning, she thought, that she damn well better. She said she would, and hung up. After hanging up, she immediately lifted the phone again and dialed Quincy’s number, to tell him where she was going and to ask his advice, but Quincy wasn’t home, or didn’t answer if he was, and she decided not to try the numbers of any of the other places he might be. She was not, anyhow, especially apprehensive. Nothing had happened except what she had been expecting to happen, and it was actually a relief that it finally had. As Quincy had said with his remarkable facility for going directly to the heart of a matter, nothing could be proven or done without Howard, and Howard was not available. Besides, Necessary had not seemed at all threatening. On the contrary, he had been, although determined, courteous and kind and apparently friendly.