``---husband, immaterial. She's a beautiful, complacent woman who is perfectly happy to indulge herself and to navigate from husband to husband, provided her own station and comfort are assured...'' Joanna.
``I think that is unfair to Gertrude. ...she is, like most upper class public women in those days, trapped,..'' Justin.
First you let Natasha off the hook of mediocrity, now your defending Gertrude the indifferent, pretty soon you'll be making apologies for Lady Macbeth. Tighten up, man or you'll be defending Mrs Wonderly next.
...
Cut to 1940s seedy San Francisco lawyer's office on Brannan a block south of the Hall of Justice. Effie Perine the legal secretary knocks on the inner office door, opens it, and leans in behind the pebbled glass window. ``Oh Justin, there's some one here to see you. She's a knock out.''
``Oh? By all means, send her in.''
``Mrs Ruth Wonderly, this is Justin Schwartz, our new criminal defence attorney at Spade and Archer.''
``Hello, Mr. Schwartz. I hope you can help me. I am in a bit of a jam.''
``That, so, uh, Mrs Wonderly? Here, please have a seat and tell me all about it. So what are they trying to railroad you with?''
``Well, it seems they think I did something horrible, Mr. Schwartz. But honestly, I didn't do it. I could never do something like that. It's all been a terrible mistake. You have no idea what I've been through.
``Yes? Go on.''
``Well as silly as it sounds they think I've committed murder. Really this is just too terrible to explain. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is so serious. Give me a moment... Please.''
Mrs Wonderly, over dressed in a tight skirt with a fur draped over her shoulders, crosses her nice long legs, and points one toe of her high heels towards the desk. She fains a slight sob, dabbing at her well powered nose with a bare finger. Justin takes the hint, leans forward from his chair, and half standing, hands the drop dead gorgeous Mrs. Wonderly a tissue from a dispenser on the desk. He sits back down leaning slighty forward, folding his hands in front of him..
``Thank you. I am so sorry, Mr. Schwartz. Well, it seems they think I murdered my husband Frank with a hammer of all things. I wouldn't know a hammer from a screwdriver. Honestly I wouldn't. Then they they say I went into the children's room and suffocated my dear little boy with a pillow. Randal was such a sweet thing. He had muscular dystrophy you know and could barely breath on his own. I've sat up night after night with him. Why would I want to do a thing like that now? So then they say, I struggled with my older girl Chelsey when she tried to stop me from killing Randal. They say we must have fought, but I don't see how. My husband used to say I couldn't fight my way out of paper bag. How could someone like me pick up a big healthy girl like Chelsey and throw her out of the tenth story window of our apartment on Geary. Really!
Then that mean police detective in homicide, oh, what's his name?... The big fat one with the short hair..''
``You probably mean Tom Polhaus. Big guy, kind of ugly, but with a friendly looking face, and a gruff voice?''
``Yes, he must be the one. He was wearing one of those horrible plaid sports coats with baggy pockets. Well, anyway, he said he thinks I went downstairs to the garage, got in my car and drove over to my sister Corinne apartment on Pacific. I haven't seen Corinne in more than a month. Not since our dear mother died mysteriously in a nursing home, last fall, I think it was.''
``Never mind that for now. What did Tom think you did at your sister's place?''
``Oh, I just don't know. I don't understand why he thinks I did all these things. He says Corinne and I probably argued over mommy's money this afternoon and I hit her with one of those heavy cut glass ash trays. Well, this just infuriates me. I gave up smoking more than a year ago. Why would I even think of an ash tray? But it is true mommy was very rich. That part is true. And Corinne did have power of attorney, so I can see why he thought that. But honestly, I would never do what they say I did. Not like that anyway. Not all of them like that.''
``Not all of whom, Mrs Wonderly?''
``Well, you see, they, I mean detective Poulhas thinks I killed them all.''
``All of whom?''
``Why my sister and her husband and their three children of course. Oh yes and the next door neighbor. That's the craziest thing of all. The next door neighbor was shot in the face with a gun. Anybody could see that. I mean. How would I know how to use a gun? Where would I get one? It makes no sense you see. No sense at all.''
``Is that all?''
``All? You mean isn't that enough? Oh, I don't mean to be this way. I am so sorry. I seem to be losing...''
``Now try not to get upset Mrs Wonderly. Try to calm down. Let's figure out what your actually charged with here.''
``Well, technically they haven't charged me yet, anyway. But I know they will. Detective Poulhaus said they would as soon as he got back from down stairs''
``Down stairs?''
``Yes. Down stairs. Oh, they took me up to the third floor homicide for the interview, they called it. But after detective Poulhaus stopped badgering me so and wrote it all down, he told me to wait there and left the little room. Well, I was scared and upset and couldn't just sit there waiting like that, could I? So I went out to the hall to walk around a bit and nobody said anything. Nobody tried to stop me. So I just left. I wasn't going to wait. Why should I? I haven't done anything wrong. And then I walked straight here and saw your office.''
``You escaped?''
``Escaped? No I wouldn't say I escaped, like some criminal or something. Is that what you think I am? No, I left...''
``Oh, jesus. Let's wait on that part too for the moment. Let's get back to the names.
Now they say you killed your husband, your son, your daughter, your sister, your brother-in-law... What were their children's names?''
``Janet, Rachel, and Billie.''
``Okay, and the neighbor?''
``Floyd Thursby, I think it was. Really Mr Schwartz, can I call you Justin? Justin do we have to go through all of this right now?''
``Well, yes Ruth we do. But I've lost track. Now Frank, Randal, Chelsey, then Corinne, and what's his name, and yes, Thrusby, and the kids Janet, Rachel, and Billie. What's that, eight or nine?''
``Yes, I think so. It was Miles. My brother-in-law's name was Miles. You forgot him. Honestly I lost track myself when that mean detective was badgering me so about them all.
Oh, Justin, I feel so trapped and helpless. I need somebody to hang on to right now, don't you see? I am so afraid...''
``I know, I know. I can see that. Here take my hand and try to compose yourself'' he said, as he got up from the desk and stood beside her.
``Oh, thank you, thank you. You don't know what this means to me. I need this so much.
Oh, silly me. There I am calmer now. I almost forgot. I brought the little notebook with me. Here you should have it. It's the one detective Poulhaus was using in that wretched little room he had me in...''
....