“Frances is quite capable of being stubborn. She used to have a husband, and the man she married wrote me a letter, saying Frances was morally corrupt, saying she wouldn’t divorce him, saying she was occupying the toilet without using it.”
“What did you do?”
“I found him and beat him up.”
Peggy, looking at this pained face, quickly pondered. There must be some distortion of the facts—definitely!
“Do you know Stella is pregnant?”
“Yes, that’s our child; she just found out herself, and she told me on Saturday.”
Peggy looked into his eyes and said, “Peter, she is your real wife. Your marriage to Frances is illegal; Frances never got divorced.”
“She told me she had divorced.”
“Did you verify it?”
“No, I believed her.”
“You and Stella got married in Mexico; that marriage is legal. Stella is your lawful wife. Now, tell me about Bill Everett.”
“That scoundrel! He ran off with a gang. They were all caught in a robbery in Coffeyville.”
“Has he been in contact with Stella recently?”
“I haven’t heard of any since he got out of prison.”
“You haven’t seen him?”
Peter shook his head.
“Do you know Stella arranged to meet Don Kimberley at the Royal Pheasant nightclub?”
“No, I had no idea; she didn’t give any hint.”
“Do you know where Bill Everett is?”
“No idea.”
“Do you know how I might find out where he is?”
“No idea.”
“How long has he been mixed up with that gang, Peter? Was it just a slip or—”
“Just a slip? No way,” Peter said. “This guy was never any good; he’s been lying to us from the start. That’s his way of making a living—he’s a member of a robbery gang. He thinks he’s smart, can get away with anything.”
“Do you know the other members of the gang?”
He shook his head, “I guess you could check the court records for their identities. They all got caught in a gas station robbery.”
“They’ve been causing trouble together for a while?”
“Clearly,” Peter said. “I don’t know much about it. In short, I’m heartbroken, almost out of my mind.”
Peggy said, “Try to think, tell me everything you know about Bill.”
