Black Widow Page #5

- Miss Colletti?

- Lucia.

- Oh, of course.

- You're on friendly terms, aren't you?

Quite. We're very fond of her.

There's no reason to assume

a grudge or anything like that?

- No, not that I know of.

- Come in, Mrs. Colletti.

- I'm sorry, Mrs. Denver.

- That's all right. We understand, Lucia.

You're Mrs. Lucia Colletti. You work as

a part-time maid for Mr. And Mrs. Denver...

and also for Mr. And Mrs. Brian Mullen...

in an apartment upstairs

in the same building.

Mrs. Mullen being better known

as Miss Carlotta Marin.

- Is that correct?

- Yes, sir.

Did you tell us last night

that Mr. Denver once gave you $10...

not to mention Miss Ordway's presence

in Mr. Denver's apartment?

I'll answer that. I did.

But it was only not to mention

it to Miss Marin...

who is a foolish gossip

and a mischief maker.

I didn't care to have Miss Marin

make a scandalous story...

out of an innocent,

if possibly stupid, arrangement.

I thought you and Miss Marin

were very good friends.

Not really.

She likes Mrs. Denver, I believe, after

her fashion, but I'm sure she loathes me.

For any particular reason?

I'm her employer.

How often did you see Miss Ordway

in Mr. Denver's apartment?

- Every day, sir.

- And what was she doing there?

Writing on the typewriter.

And how was she dressed?

Always, sir.

Uh, except that once.

Do you mind telling us again

about that once?

Once she was asleep in the bed.

Whose bed?

One of the beds in the bedroom.

What was she wearing that morning?

- Pajamas, sir.

- Whose?

- Mrs. Denver's, sir.

- Was she alone?

Oh, yes, sir.

That's all, Mrs. Colletti.

Thank you very much.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Denver.

I had to tell them.

That's all right. I understand.

So all right, she took a nap one morning.

What does that prove?

Send Miss Amberly in.

You know who Miss Amberly is,

don't you?

- No.

- She's the young lady that lived with Miss Ordway.

Mr. And Mrs. Denver,

Miss Amberly.

- Sit down, won't you?

- No, thanks.

You don't mind going over some of the same

ground of your story...

as you did last night, do you?

Not at all. Anything you want.

Well, from what

Miss Ordway told you...

what was your impression of the

relationship between her and Mr. Denver?

It was not simply an impression.

Nanny told me what it was

in so many words.

She was in love with him,

and he was in love with her.

- Now, just a-

- Don't interrupt, Mr. Denver.

I want you to hear

what she's got to say first.

Then you can talk if you want to.

Did Miss Ordway know

that Mr. Denver was a married man?

Of course.

That was the tragedy of it.

But you understood from her he promised

at last to divorce his wife?

That's what he told her,

but I warned her then he'd never do it.

This woman must be

out of her mind.

I don't know whether these are

Nancy Ordway's lies or her own...

but every word she's uttered is a lie.

And from your talks with her,

were you able to decide for yourself...

whether this relationship

was platonic or not?

It wasn't necessary

for me to decide for myself.

Nanny told me the whole sordid story.

It was not.

That's all, Miss Amberly.

Thank you very much.

No. No, that is not all.

Just one minute, Miss-

But you're not gonna

let her get away with that.

Get away with what?

You just let that woman

accuse me of seducing a girl...

make a false promise of marriage,

and then drive her to suicide...

without giving me the slightest

opportunity to come back at her.

Now, is that what

you call a fair shake?

But you deny it all, don't you?

Of course I deny it all, because it isn't true

- not one word of it.

Then can you offer a suggestion

why either she or Miss Ordway...

should make up such a story

if it weren't true?

Well, obviously,

the woman is a neurotic.

I can't even understand

your listening to such a lunatic.

We have to listen to everything that has a

bearing on an unnatural death, Mr. Denver.

- That's our job.

- Is it a crime to have known a girl that killed herself?

- No.

- Then what's the reason for all this gumshoe work...

dragging in all these people

to blacken me in this case?

- Oh, that was your idea.

- What do you mean?

Suicides are almost invariably

neurotics of one kind or another...

but you insist that this girl

was quite normal.

And there was no reason for her to kill

herself because of you or in your apartment...

so obviously we gotta look

further for the explanation.

- Is there anything else?

- Not now.

I'll call you if there is.

The time of her death,

in case you're interested...

was between 2:
30 and 4:00

in the afternoon.

Thanks.

- Do you want to go home?

- I suppose so.

Sixty-seventh and Fifth.

- And where are you going?

- The office first.

I'll be home around 6:00 or so.

I don't want to be

troublesome, Miss Amberly...

but I've got to know

something more...

about that story

you told the police.

I have nothing whatever

to say to you, so will you please get out?

- Mr. Denver?

- Will you make him leave, John?

- Who are you?

- I'm her brother, John Amberly. What do you want?

- I want to know why your sister lied about me this morning.

- I did not lie.

Then Miss Ordway lied to you, Miss Amberly,

if that's where you got your story...

because there's not one word

of truth in it.

Now, why do you think

she did that?

- You're Peter Denver, aren't you?

- Of course.

- Husband of the celebrated Iris Denver?

- I am.

Then she didn't lie about it.

Well, then will you at least tell me where

you met her, or who introduced her to you?

She was a waitress at Sylvia's

over on 17 th near Eighth Avenue.

- What's that got to do with it?

- Where was she living then?

With some other girl.

I don't know who.

Why do you answer him?

He has no right to ask us questions.

Are you going to get out,

or do you want me to call the police?

I wish you'd try to understand

my position, Miss Amberly.

No matter what she told you,

I was nothing whatever to Nancy Ordway.

Nothing whatever.

My life's being chewed up here without

my having the slightest idea how or why.

That's really wonderful.

Your life's being chewed up.

And what about his?

I suppose that's nothing.

I don't know what she's talking about.

I loved her.

I wanted her to marry me.

And she would have too,

if it hadn't been for you.

Did she tell you that?

No, that's what she told my sister.

- Is that true, Miss Amberly?

- It is.

Now I've asked you

for the last time.

Are you going to get out,

or shall I call the police?

Well, if you don't

mind my saying so...

I'm very sorry for you too,

Mr. Amberly.

Oh, I'm sure there's a perfectly innocent

explanation for this.

After all, the girl was

alone in the apartment...

and she may very well have decided...

to simply sleep

instead of work that morning.

Not an altogether

unnatural choice, if you ask me.

But what about

that other woman?

I have a confession

to make to you, Iris.

I lied to that detective last night.

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