Where There's a Will

whether we like it or not?' i/- 'Of course we like it,' April asserted. 'We love it.' 'Speak for yourself. Ape.' June kept her eyes on Wolfe. 'You can imagine what the papers will do. Even so, I think your advice is good. I think the best plan would be to do and say nothing, let it run its course and ignore it. But it isn't going to be allowed to run its course. Something utterly WHERE THERE'S A WILL 17 horrible is going to happen. Daisy is going to contest the will.' Wolfe's frown deepened. 'Daisy?' 'Oh, excuse me. As my sister said, our nerves are in shreds. Our brother's death was a staggering shock. Then its aftermath--yesterday the funeral --and then this. Daisy is my brother's wife. His widow. She is well established as a tragic figure.' Wolfe nodded. 'The lady who wears a veil.' 'So you know the legend.' 'Not a legend,' May declared. 'Much more than a legend. A fact.' 'I merely share the public knowledge,' said Wolfe. 'Of the story that--some six years ago, I believe--Noel Hawthorne was doing archery and an arrow, which he let fly inadvertently, tore a path through his wife's face, from her brow to her chin. She had been beautiful. Since then she has never been seen without a veil.' April said, with a little shudder, 'It was dreadful. I saw her in the hospital, and I still dream about it. She was the most beautiful woman I ever saw except a girl selling cigarettes in a cafe in War saw.' ^ 'She was emotionally barren,' May asserted. 'Like me, but without alternatives. She should never have married our brother or anyone else.' June shook her head. 'You're both wrong. Daisy FR1;18 WHERE THERE'S A WILL was too cold to be truly beautiful. The seeds of emotion were in her, waiting to germinate. The Lord knows they're bearing fruit now. We all heard the vindictiveness in her voice last night, and that's an emotion, isn't it?' June's eyes were at Wolfe again. 'She's implacable. She's going to make it as ugly as she can. The income from half a million dollars would be ample for her, but she's going to fight. You know what that will be like. Utterly horrible. So your advice to let the scandal run its course is inadequate. She hates the Hawthornes. My husband would be called as a witness. All of us would.' May put in, with all the sweetness gone both from her tone and her eyes, 'We are going to prevent it.' 'We want,' said April, letting fire with her ripple, 'we want you to prevent it, Mr. Wolfe.' 'My husband spoke very highly of you,' June stated, as if that settled everything, including the weather. 'Thank you.' Wolfe sent a glance around at them, from one to the other, including the two men. 'What am I supposed to do, obliterate Mrs. Hawthorne?' ( 'No.' June spoke with finality. 'You can't do anything with her. You'll have to attack it from the other end. The woman, Naomi Karn. Get her FR1;WHERE THERE^S A WILL 19 to give up most of it--at least half of it. If you do that, we'll do the rest. For some unknown reason Daisy really wants the money, though the Lord knows what she thinks she's going to do with it. You may find it difficult, but surely not impossible. You can tell Miss Karn that if she doesn't relinquish at least half of it she'll have a fight on her hands, and she may lose considerably more than half.' 'Anyone can tell her that, madam.' 'wolfe turned to the lawyer. 'How does it stand legally? Would Mrs. Hawthorne have a case?' 'Well.' Prescott screwed up his lips. 'She would have a case, of course. To begin with, under the common law--' 'No, please. Don't brief it. In a word, could Mrs. Hawthorne break the will?' 'I don't know. I think she might. In view of the way the will is worded, the law leaves it open to the facts.' Prescott was looking uncomfortable again. 'You must appreciate that I am in an anomalous position. Dangerously close to an unethical position. I myself drew the will for Mr. Hawthorne, having been instructed by him to make it as contest-proof as possible. I cannot be expected to suggest ways and means of attack on my own document; rather is it my duty to defend it. On the other hand, as a friend of all the members of the 20 WHERE THERE'S A WILL Hawthorne family--not as an attorney--and I may say, also of Mr. Dunn, who holds a position of national eminence--I realize the incalculable harm that would result from a public trial of the issue. It is extremely desirable to avoid it if possible, and in view of the attitude Mrs. Hawthorne has unfortunately adopted--' Prescott stopped, and screwed up his lips again. He went on, 'I'll tell you. Frankly and confidentially--and it is highly unethical for me to say this ^--I regard that will as an outrage. I told Noel Hawthorne so at the time it was drawn, but when he insisted, all I could do was obey his instructions. Entirely aside from its unfairness to Mrs. Hawthorne, I was aware that he had told his sister he would leave a million dollars to the Varney College Science Fund, and he was making it only ten per cent of that amount. That was worse than unfair, it came close to improbity, and I told him so. Without effect. My opinion was, and still is, that under the influence of Miss Karn he had lost his balance.' 'I still don't believe it.' It was May again, and she was continuing to do without sweetness. 'I still believe that if Noel had decided not to do what he had said he would do, he would have told me so.' **My dear Miss Hawthorne.' Prescott turned to FR1;WHERE THERE'S A WILL 21 her with his lips compressed in exasperation. 'Last evening I was willing to overlook your remarks because I knew you were under the stress of a great and unexpected disappointment.' There was a tremble of indignation in his voice. 'But that you should dare to insinuate, here in the presence of others, that the terms of Noel's will are not in accordance with his precise instructions--my God, the man could read, couldn't he--' 'Nonsense,' May interrupted cuttingly. 'I was merely expressing incredulity. I would as soon attack the laws of thermodynamics as your integrity. Maybe you were both hypnotized.' Suddenly and flashingly she smiled at him, and swore plaintively. 'Damn it. All of this is intolerably painful. I would be for letting it go, without a word, if it weren't that Daisy's ghoulish stubbornness makes it imperative to do something. As it is, I insist that in the settlement with Miss Karn there shall be an arrangement to increase the legacy to the science fund to the figure my brother intended at the time he discussed it with me.' 'Ah,' Wolfe murmured. Prescott, his lips still in a tight line, nodded at him as if to say, 'Just so. Ah.' June snapped at her sister, 'You're only making ^ more difficult, May, and perhaps impossible. Any22 WHERE THERE'S A WILL how, you're bluffing. I know you. You wouldn't dream of stirring up this nasty mess. If Mr. Wolfe can talk that woman into it, all right; I'm perfectly willing your fund should get the million, but the main point is Daisy and you know it. We agreed on that--'* She stopped because the door from the hall opened. Fritz, entering, approached Wolfe's desk and extended his hand with the card tray. Wolfe took the card, glanced at it, and placed it neatly under a paperweight. Then he looked at Mrs. Dunn and addressed her: 'This card says Mrs. Noel Hawthorne.' They all stared. 'Oh, my God!' April blurted. May said quietly, 'We should have tied her up.' June arose fror her chair and demanded, 'Where is she? I'll sc her.' 'Please.' Wolfe pushed air down with his pain 'She is calling on me. I'll see her myself--' 'But this is ridiculous.' June stayed on her feet 'She gave us until Monday. She promised to do nothing until then. I left my son and daughter with her to make sure--' 'You left them with her where?' 'At my brother's home. Her home. We all spent the night there--not her home either, that's one reason she's acting the way she is, as a part of the WHERE THERE*S A WILL 23 residuary estate it will go to that woman and not to her?but she promised to do nothing?' 'Please sit down, Mrs. Dunn. I'd have to see her anyway, before I could accept this job. Bring Mrs. Hawthorne in, Fritz.' 'There are two ladies and a gentleman with her, sir.' 'Bring them all in.' CHAPTER TWO four people, not counting Fritz, acting as usher, entered the office. Fritz had to bring a couple of chairs from the front room. I like to look at faces. In a good many cases, I admit, a glance will do me, but usually they have points, of one kind or another, that will stand more of an eye. Andrew Dunn looked like a nice husky kid, with a strong resemblance to pictures I had seen of his father. His sister Sara had her mother's dark eyes of a fighting bird and the Hawthorne forehead, but her mouth and chin was something new. The other girl was a blonde in the bud who would have convinced any impartial Jury that all of this great country's anatomical scenery had not been monopolized by Hollywood. Later information disclosed that her name was Celia Fleet and that she was April Hawthorne's secretary. But though I like to look at faces, and those three were worthy of attention, the one that drew my gaze was the one I couldn't see. The story had it that Noel Hawthorne's arrow which had accidentally struck his beautiful wife had plowed diagonally across from the brow to the chin, and what was left was there behind that veil--with, it was 24 WHERE THERE^S A WILL 25 said, one eye working--and that was what I looked at. You couldn't help it. The gray veil was fastened to her hat and extended below her chin, and was harnessed with a strip of ribbon. No skin was in sight except her ears. She was medium-sized, with what would ordinarily be called a nice youthful figure, only with the veil and knowing why it was there, you didn't have the feeling of anything being nice. I sat and stared at it, trying to ignore an inclination to offer somebody a ten-spot to pull the veil up, knowing that if it was done I'd probably offer another ten-spot to get it pulled down again. She didn't take the chair I placed for her. She stood there stiff. I had the feeling she couldn't see, but she obviously could. After the greetings, and when I was back in my chair again, I noticed that April's fingers were unsteady as she fumbled for a cigarette. May was looking sweet again, but she was tense. So was June's voice; 'My dear Daisy, this was unnecessary! We were completely candid with you! 'We told you we were going to consult Mr. Nero 'Wolfe. You gave us till Monday. There was no reason whatever why you should have any suspicion--Sara, you little devil, what on earth are you doing? Put that away!' 'In a second. Mom.'* Sara's tone was urgent. 'Everybody sit tight.' A dazzling flash blinded us. There were ejacu- FR1;26 WHERE THERE'S A WILL lations, the loudest and least gentle from Prescott. I, having bounded up from my chair, stood feeling foolish. Sara said composedly, 'I wanted one of Nero 'wolfe sitting at his desk. Excuse it please. Hand me that dingus, Andy.' 'Go chase a snail. You darned little fool.' 'Sara! Sit down!' 'Okay, Mom. That's all.' 'We stopped blinking. I was back in my chair. Wolfe inquired dryly, 'Is your daughter a professional photographer, Mrs. Dunn?' j 'No. She's a professional fiend. It's this damnable saga of the illustrious Hawthorne girls. She wants to carry it on. She thinks