A Room to Die In by Jack Vance, Ellery Queen Page B

arrived at 32
Melbourne Drive in a rather unsettled state of mind. It would be terrible to lose a hundred thousand dollars now that she’d
become accustomed to the idea of inheriting leisure and independence.
    She drove up the
steep driveway to the parking area. As before, Jehane came out on the terrace;
seeing Tarr, she swiftly became gracious.
    Ann steeled
herself for what could only be a difficult interview. At Jehane’s invitation
she entered the house, with Tarr, apparently oblivious to atmospheres, coming
behind.
    Jehane took them
up the stairs to the middle level and arranged chairs. She asked, rather
uncertainly, if they’d like a glass of sherry.
    Feeling a pang
of sympathy, Ann said, “Yes, please.” Tarr echoed her. Jehane poured, then
seated herself on a sofa, legs tucked beneath her.
    There was an
awkward pause. Ann could think of nothing to say.
    “You asked about
the mortgage,” began Jehane with a shaky laugh. “I’ve tried to work out some
simple way of telling you, without going into all the complications. But it’s
impossible. So I’ll tell you everything. The exact truth.”

CHAPTER 6
    When Pearl
Maudley Orr sold her house to the Cyprianos, she took a down payment of eight
thousand dollars and a first mortgage on the balance—that was true enough. The
mortgage, however, was at Jehane’s insistence, she said. Pearl had been quite
willing to sell for the eight thousand. “We’re by no means wealthy people,” said
Jehane. “I have a small income, and Alexander a bit more, and he also does
fairly well on the stock market. That’s where he is today.”
    After the
Cyprianos moved into their new house, Roland Nelson became a frequent visitor.
He played an occasional game of chess with Alexander, but more often they would
dispute the tactics of long-dead chess masters in the classic games. They would
argue with great dash and vehemence; out would come the board, the pieces would
be arranged, each would seek to demonstrate the accuracy of his judgment.
Alexander generally got the better of these arguments. He had the more
meticulous mind, and he played the careful positional game of the modern
Russian masters. Roland’s style being swash-buckling and adventurous, Alexander
predictably won most of the games they played. On other occasions Alexander
might be off on business, whereupon Jehane and Roland would discuss their own
affairs. Here a pinkness came into Jehane’s cheeks.
    Pearl, returning
from a trip to Mexico, had met Roland at the Cypriano house. She was at first
repelled, then by successive stages curious, interested, fascinated,
infatuated. Jehane did nothing either to advance or discourage the situation.
Roland’s attitude was equivocal. No one could avoid liking Pearl: she was
generous, modest, and not unattractive; though, beside Jehane, she looked like
an English schoolgirl.
    Jehane could not
be certain which of the two put forward the idea of marriage; she speculated
that it might well have been Pearl. In any event, the marriage took place.
Pearl was quite aware that her money was the main attraction, Roland making no
pretense, but she was naïvely sure that she could make it a successful
marriage. And the marriage was far from unsuccessful. The Nelsons rented an
apartment in Sausalito; Pearl did her best to avoid smothering Roland, who on
his part could hardly have failed to recognize her virtues.
    Edgar Maudley,
Pearl’s cousin and confidant, wholeheartedly disapproved of the marriage. He
and Roland held contrary opinions about everything, and each detested the sight
of the other. Whenever Edgar found the opportunity, he would hint to Pearl that
Roland would do well to secure employment— “to make something of himself,” as
Edgar put it. Edgar himself was a quasi-professional bookdealer who bought and
sold when the price was right. His resentment of Roland was enhanced by the
fact that valuable books and art objects, originally the property of his
grandfather, and