“I think not, thank you.” Her voice gave me the creeps and made me want to pull the veil off myself. It was pitched high, with a strain in it that gave me the impression it wasn’t coming from a mouth. She turned the veil on June:
“So you think my coming was unnecessary? That’s very funny. Didn’t you leave Andrew and Sara and April’s secretary to guard me so I wouldn’t interfere with you?”
“No,” June declared, “we didn’t. For God’s sake, Daisy, be reasonable. We only wanted—”
“I have no desire to be reasonable. I’m not an imbecile, June. It was my face Noel ruined, not my mind.” She whirled, suddenly, and unexpectedly, to the younger sister. “By the way, April, speaking of faces, your secretary is much better-looking than you are. Of course she’s only half your age. How brave of you.”
April kept her eyes down and said nothing.
“You can never bear to look at me, can you?” From behind the veil came a terrible little laugh, and then it turned again to June. “I didn’t come here to interfere. I came because I’m suspicious and I have cause to be. You are Hawthornes — the notorious Hawthornes. Your brother was a Hawthorne. He assured me many times that I would be generously cared for. His word, generous. I knew he had that woman, he told me so — he was candid too, like you. He gave me, monthly, more money than I needed, more than I could use, to deceive me, to stop my suspicions. And now even my house is not mine!”
“My Lord, don’t I know it?” June raised a hand and let it fall. “My dear Daisy, don’t I know it? Can’t you believe that our one desire, our one purpose—”
“No, I can’t. I don’t believe a word a Hawthorne says.” The breath of the bitter words was fluttering the veil, but the silk harness held it in place. “Nor you, Glen Prescott. I don’t trust you. Not one of you. I didn’t even believe you were coming to see this Nero Wolfe, but I find you did.”
She turned to confront Wolfe. “I know about you. I know a man you did something for — I used to know him. I telephoned him today to ask about you. He said you may be relied upon completely in trust, but that as an opponent you are ruthless and dangerous. He said if I asked you point-blank whether you are on my side or not, you wouldn’t lie. I came here to ask you.”
“Sit down, Mrs. Hawthorne.”