“As you know, Janet and a guy named Douglas Sherrill were engaged to be married. What you probably don’t know is Sherrill is a dark horse; possibly a con man, certainly a crook. According to Maureen, she stole Sherrill from Janet.”
Willet didn’t say anything. He waited.
“The two girls had a showdown which developed into a fight,” I went on. “Janet grabbed a shot-gun. Old man Crosby appeared and tried to take the gun away from her. He got shot and killed.”
I thought for a moment Willet was going to jump right across his desk. But he controlled himself, and said in a voice that seemed to come from under the floor, “Did Maureen tell you this?”
“Oh. yes. She wanted to get it off her chest. Now here’s another bit you’ll like. The shooting had to be hushed up. I was wrong about Dr. Salzer signing Crosby’s certificate. He didn’t sign it. Mrs. Salzer signed it. According to her she is a qualified doctor, and a friend of the family. One of the girls called her and she came around and fixed things. Lessways, who isn’t the type to make things awkward for the wealthy, accepted the yarn that Crosby was cleaning his gun and shot himself accidentally. He took their word for it. So did Brandon.”
Willet lit a cigarette. He looked like a hungry man who’s been given a pie and finds nothing inside it.
“Go on,” he said, and sat back.
“For some reason or other, a nurse named Anona Freedlander was in the house at the time of the shooting, and she saw the accident. Mrs. Salzer wasn’t taking any chances. She locked the nurse up to make sure she wouldn’t talk. She’s been in a padded cell at Salzer’s sanatorium ever since.”
“You mean—against her will?”
“Not only against her will, but for two years they have been pumping drugs into her.”