Contents
Chapter 13
Overview
Police visit Elsie, question her fraught history with Ishaan, and raise an alleged threat she denies. They seize a shoe with trace blood as evidence. Before leaving, they imply they know Elsie’s notorious past as “Mad Mabel,” rattling her and signaling the investigation and her identity are converging.
Summary
On a quiet morning with Daphne and the ill-tempered dog Nugget underfoot, two policemen arrive. Elsie invites them in for tea. The officers ask about Ishaan, offering condolences; Elsie bluntly describes long-standing animosity fueled by Nugget’s behavior, even admitting to tossing bagged feces over the fence during disputes.
The police probe why Elsie went looking for Ishaan and raise a claim that she threatened him, which Elsie vehemently denies. She attributes Ishaan’s death to age, deflecting their insinuations. Despite her protest, the officers collect her right shoe because of a small blood stain she says came from a leg scratch.
As they prepare to leave, the policemen remark that many expected Elsie to have started a new life elsewhere, then allude to her changing her name and the moniker “Mad Mabel.” Elsie coolly states she never called herself that. The officers make a hasty exit—without taking Nugget—leaving Elsie unsettled by their awareness of her past.
Who Appears
- Elsie Mabel FitzpatrickNarrator; questioned about Ishaan, denies threatening him; loses a shoe to evidence; rattled by “Mad Mabel” insinuation.
- DaphneHousemate; hosts the officers with tea, chides Elsie, and reacts defensively about the seized shoe.
- HairyPoliceman; leads questioning about threats, collects Elsie’s right shoe as evidence, hints at her past.
- BaldyPoliceman; facilitates the interview, adopts a soothing tone, and remarks on Elsie’s unchanged life in Melbourne.
- NuggetIshaan’s dog now with Elsie; growls, sits on Daphne’s lap; remains despite police visit.