The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-03-23
Carol Really Didn't
Plan Murder at First

Just TWO apparently unlmportant
things. But ! didn't forget them.
I'd heard, and Harriet confirmed it,
that this same nurse had been Mrs.
Thorndyke's special nurse in the
hospital the year before. l began
to wonder if there really was some
thing between those two. OF course,
it was common knowledge that he
was engaged to the beauteous Fay.
But that engagement had been 60
ing on for years and-what was it
he said to you about furnished ro-
nance, Clever"
Cleve grinned without answering
and Poole went on. Anyway, I
went to Los Angeles, I talked to
some Of the nurses who had been
at the hospital at the time old Mrs.
Thorndyke had been there. 1t didn't
take long to find out that there had
been love affair of no mean pro-
portions between our Edward and
Carol. A hospital is like a small
town. Everyone knows everyone
else's business Apparently the only
one in the place at the time who
had no inkling of what was happen
ing was the old lady herself. And
she was too sick to pay much atten-
ton to anything.
II examined the marriage license
records in Los Angeles and found
what l was looking for. didn't think
they could have gone far-Carol
was pretty closely tied to her pa
tent. Going to Arizona or Mexico
would have presented difficulties
and the three-day interval between
application and marriage in Cali
fornia would have necessitated two
trips if they'd chosen some other
place in the state. They didn't
want the fact that they were mar
ried generally known but there
wasn't the need for extreme Sc
crecy that there was afterward.
Carol wasn't planning murder
yet In fact, she didn't know then
that Edward wasn't a rich man in
his own right or that he wouldn't
inherit his mothers fortune as
matter of course. She was simply
Selling an opportunity to make what
she considered wealthy marriage.
Il have learned since that it was
Mr.. Thorndyke who insisted upon
secrecy in the beginning and he
had no intention of maintaining
that secrecy for more than few
weeks. He simply wanted to wait
for favorable opportunity to break
the news to his mother. He knew
she didn't want him to marry Fay;
he knew she was very fond of Carol.
Carol had given him glamorous ac-
counts of her past and her family
which bore little semblance to the
truth, and he was confident that he
could win his mothers approval.
He even believed it would be an adj
ditional argument in persuading
Mrs. Thorndyke to leave him por-
ton of the money destined for her
granddaughter.
but when Carol learned that
her husbands future was dependent
upon his mothers good win, it was
she who persuaded him it would be
unwise to allow the marriage to
become known. She knew Mrs.
Thorndyke well enough to
be aware of her regard for family
and background; she knew, too.
that her own past and beginnings
wouldn't stand any kind of investi-
cation.
Naturally. / didn't know all this
at the time. but had found the rec
ords Of the marriage, and it seemed
to me / had a motive all wrapped
up. All that remained was to IN
terview Miss Hastings, Carols
friend. she held out for q while
but finally, when she found out what
already knew and that she might
Be held as an accessory after the
fact in murder case, she cracked.
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