Read Online An Inconvenient Woman by Dominick Dunne - Free Book Online

rear door open, was parked in the driveway, and the driver leaned against the fender smoking a cigarette. Across the street, neighbors, still in nightclothes, were huddled together, watching the scene.
    “No one admitted here,” said a policeman, holding up his hands, as Camilla Ebury and Philip Quennell walked up to the entrance of the house.
    “I am Mr. Paradiso’s niece,” said Camilla.
    “I’m sorry, ma’am, I can’t let you in. Those are my orders,” said the policeman.
    “This is Camilla Ebury, officer,” said Philip Quennell. “Mrs. Ebury is Hector Paradiso’s only living relative.”
    “I’ll go inside and ask, Mrs. Berry, but not at the moment,” said the officer. “I’m really sorry for your trouble, but I’m just doing what I was told. The coroner’s in there now.”
    “If you could just tell them inside that I’m here,” said Camilla. “It’s Ebury, not Berry. E-B-U-R-Y. My mother was Mr. Paradiso’s sister. Mr. Jules Mendelson called me with the news.”
    Always, whenever it was mentioned, in any circumstance, the name of Jules Mendelson seemed to bring about a change in attitude. As the officer headed toward the front door, it opened, and two policemen came out with a young man between them, his hands in handcuffs behind his back. The television van had parked and unloaded, and the cameraman ran forward to get a picture of the trio. The handcuffed person in the middle shouted out, “Hey, man, don’t photograph me,” and bent his head down and turned it away fromthe camera. As he looked up from his bent-over position, his eyes locked with Camilla’s.
    “I didn’t do this, Miss Camilla! I swear to God! I was asleep in my room in the pool house. Your uncle buzzed me on the intercom and said there was trouble, and by the time I got dressed he was dead, and whoever did it was gone. I swear to God, Miss Camilla.”
    “Oh, Raymundo,” said Camilla, staring at him.
    The policemen moved him on toward the police car. One opened the door, and the other pushed Raymundo into the car.
    “Who’s Raymundo?” asked Philip.
    “He’s my uncle’s houseboy, has been for a couple of years,” said Camilla.
    From the front door, the policeman called out, “You can come in now, Mrs. Ebury, and your friend.”
    Walking toward the door, aware that they were being photographed by the cameraman, Camilla reached into her pocketbook and took out a pair of dark glasses and put them on.
    “There was a blond man, looked like an off-duty marine, who ran out of the house,” yelled a voice from behind some trees.
    “Who’s that?” asked Philip.
    “The crazy lady next door,” said Camilla. “She made Hector’s life hell, spying on him all the time, imagining all these insane things.”
    They walked inside the house. There was a small central hallway. To the left was the dining room. To the right was the living room, and beyond that the library. The house was filled with police and medical people.
    “This is the niece, Captain,” said the police officer.
    Philip took hold of Camilla’s arm and walked her forward.
    “Captain Mariano, Mrs. Ebury,” said the captain, introducing himself.
    Camilla nodded. “Mr. Quennell,” she said, introducing Philip and looking around at the same time. The living room was in shambles. A shot had been fired into the mirror over the fireplace, and the glass top of the coffee table had also been shattered by a shot. There was blood on the blue upholstery of a sofa, and a trail of blood leading into the library. Camillagasped when she saw the bare legs of her uncle’s bare body in the room beyond.
    “Will you be able to identify the body, Mrs. Ebury?” asked Captain Mariano.
    She had turned pale. She looked as if she was going to faint. She looked at Philip.
    “Didn’t Mr. Mendelson identify him?” asked Philip.
    “Mr. Mendelson didn’t go in that room,” answered Mariano.
    “May I identify the body, Captain?” asked Philip.
    “How well did you know the