I will now tell you the story of my wife’s death. The true story.
He had typed the document himself. It was sloppy, marred by erasures and misspellings—and thus seemingly more authentic.
I have attached the names and addresses of my servants at the time, who will testify to the truth of my story.
My daughter Rosemarie was a difficult, spoiled child. My poor wife indulged her and then, when our child became a hot-tempered little monster, feared her. With good reason.
In her rages she frequently assaulted my wife physically. I felt that the child needed psychiatric attention, but Clarice objected that such attention would suggest to others that we had ‘bad blood.’
I lived in terror for many years that in one of these assaults she would do serious harm to my wife. I never suspected how much harm she might do.
On the day of her death my wife had been ill with a serious headache. She forbade Rosemarie to go out with Margaret O’Malley, whom we both felt was a bad influence on our daughter. Her parents tended to be lax with children and we were convinced that Margaret encouraged my daughter to resist her mother’s wishes.
Rosemarie disobeyed my wife’s orders, in the hearing of our housekeeper. Later, she returned to the house, with the O’Malley girl. My wife reproached Rosemarie for her disobedience. Rosemarie attacked her and in the ensuing struggle pushed her mother down the steps to the basement. Then she and the O’Malley child fled back to the O’Malley residence. They either persuaded or deceived Mrs. O’Malley to tell the police that neither of them had left.
I was aware of what happened, but instructed my servants not to speak to the police about the actual events of that day. I had lost my wife. I did not want to lose my daughter. Moreover, I believed that the tragedy was an unfortunate accident and that no useful purpose would be served by inflicting punishment on my daughter.
Since I made that decision, however, I have often wondered whether I misinterpreted the facts. Was my wife’s death—with so many years of life still hers by right—a tragic accident or the result of a deliberate and cold-blooded murder?
I am now prepared to say that the latter is the truth. And that I am the next target.
Thanks,
James Patrick Clancy.