- Case
- A Family Affair
- Year Published
- 1975
- Case Introduction
- 29 October - 7 November, 1974. Pierre Ducos, a waiter from Rusterman's, appears at the brownstone at 2 am; Archie puts him in the South Room to wait until morning, since he won't tell Archie what's wrong. A few minutes later, Ducos is killed by a bomb disguised as a cigar tube. Wolfe, of course, takes any murder on the premises as a personal insult...
- Notes
- Resolution
-
Ducos wouldn't confide in Archie because Orrie Cather was involved. Orrie committed the murders, then killed himself with a bomb at Wolfe's front door after a confrontation with Archie, Saul, and Fred at Saul's place.
Characters in the case:
Lily Rowan's name for Archie Goodwin.
Character descriptionEscamillo is the name of the toreador in the opera "Carmen" by Georges Bizet. aka Archie Goodwin
name given to him in Some Buried Caesar by Lily Rowan. At that time, Escamillo was a famous bull fighter. When Lily first saw Archie, he was distracting Caesar (the bull) from Nero so Nero could leave the pasture, hence the nickname.
Reserved notes for this case
Lucile Ducos said "I am not doing a Medea."
Character descriptionClassic Greek character.
Reserved notes for this case
Fired by Marko Vukcic for stealing a goose and then lying about it.
Character descriptionWaiter
Reserved notes for this case
Attended Harvey Bassett's dinner at Rustermans Restaurant on October 18, 1974.
Character descriptionLawyer
Reserved notes for this case
Covered the Pierre Ducos murder.
Character descriptionReporter
Reserved notes for this case
Mentioned.
Character descriptionPalestine Liberation Organization leader.
Reserved notes for this case
Wolfe's competition.
Character descriptionOperator of Detective Agency in New York City.
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Regular customer at Rusterman's. Murdered, Friday October 25, 1974.
Character descriptionPresident, National Electronics Industries.
Reserved notes for this caseWas obsessed with his wife, Dora, and hired a detective who found out that Dora was having an affair with Orrie Cather. He threatened to destroy Orrie, so Orrie killed him.
Archie found some of her books at the Ducos residence.
Character descriptionFrench essayist, novelist, and noted feminist. Full name, Simone Lucie-Ernestine-Marie-Bertrand de Beauvoir (1908 - 1986). Known primarily for her treatise "The Second Sex."
Reserved notes for this case
Fritz prepared Marrow Dumplings and Sweetbreads poached in White Wine, dipped in crumbs and eggs and doused with almonds in Brown Butter and also Spare Ribs with a Red Wine sauce with eight herbs and spices during this case.
Character descriptionMaster chef in Wolfe's kitchen, has a small apartment in the basement. (In "Fer-De-Lance," his apartment is across from the plant room, not in the basement.) Swiss; native French speaker, served in WWI. Uninterested in murder, except whether a client is in the offing; gets anxious about household finance when Wolfe isn't working. Doesn't like to talk while cooking. Changes to his old slippers at 9 pm because of "things left on his feet by the war to remember it by". Implied he was a member of the Swiss Alpine Patrol during WWI.
Reserved notes for this case
Investigated death of Pierre Ducos.
Character descriptionNew York Police Department.
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Saul thought Orrie Cather was like Casanova.
Character descriptionItalian adventurer.
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Airline stewardess and wife of Orrie Cather.
Character descriptionStewardess with Pan Am. Maiden name, Jill Hardy; married to Orrie Cather after _Death of a Doxy_.
Reserved notes for this case
Hired by Wolfe to investigate murder of Pierre Ducos.
Character descriptionSecond in line behind Saul Panzer when Nero and Archie need extra manpower.
Reserved notes for this caseMurdered all 3 victims (Harvey Bassett, Pierre Ducos, & Lucile Ducos).
Lily Rowan played his Etudes.
Character descriptionPolish pianist and composer.
Reserved notes for this case
Ran for public office-probably governor. Archie did not vote for him.
Character descriptionCandidate
Reserved notes for this case
Threatened Wolfe with licence revocation and arrest. Told Archie he smelled.
Character descriptionAssistant District Attorney
Reserved notes for this case
Archie phoned him his 'scoop' at the end of this case.
Character descriptionReporter at the Gazette. Dark skin, dark brown eyes. Neat little face, slick black hair. Neatest (card) shuffler Archie knows.
Reserved notes for this case
Watergate figure, mentioned.
Character descriptionNixon White House Special Counsel.
Reserved notes for this case
Watergate figure, mentioned.
Character descriptionNixon White House Counsel.
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Lily Rowan's housekeeper.
Character descriptionLily Rowan's cook and housekeeper, who travels with her, e.g. to the Bar JR in Montana.
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Doesn't get out much.
Character descriptionFather to Pierre Ducos.
Reserved notes for this case
Lived with her father and grandfather at 318 54th St.
Character descriptionDaughter to Pierre Ducos; feminist.
Reserved notes for this caseHid the only concrete evidence linking the murderer to the crime - a note with the murderer's name - in _The Feminine Mystique_, by Betty Friedan. Was murdered by Orrie when she tried to black mail him.
Murdered (via a bomb disguised as a cigar tube) in the South Room of the brownstone.
Character descriptionWaiter at Rusterman's.
Reserved notes for this caseHe found a piece of paper with Orrie Cather's name on it on the dinner table after Harvey Bassett's dinner party. Orrie paid him $100 for the paper, but Pierre asked for $1,000 more after reading about Harvey Bassett's murder. Orrie put the bomb in his coat pocket.
Hired by Wolfe to investigate murder of Pierre Ducos.
Character descriptionHired hand used by Wolfe and Archie when extra manpower is needed. Not the best, but can tail better than anybody but Saul. The favorite "irregular" after Saul - Fritz: "I'm glad it's Orrie instead of Saul or Fred"; Archie: "Such a chore for Saul or Fred of course, but I didn't like doing it for Orrie."; Mr Wolfe: "He doesn't have the dignity of a man who has found his place and occupies it, as you have, Fred."
Bald, burly, 5'10, 190 lbs; moves like a bear. Married with four children. Archie: "You can trust him to hell and back."
Reserved notes for this caseRealized that Orrie did it before anyone, as soon as Orrie offered to work for free, but felt he must be wrong because Wolfe didn't know.
Watergate figure, mentioned.
Character descriptionAide to President Nixon.
Reserved notes for this case
Wolfe was rereading FitzGerald's translation of the 'Iliad' during this case.
Character descriptionTranslator
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Covered the Pierre Ducos murder.
Character descriptionReporter
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Mentioned (Lucile Ducos is a feminist and collects books of the type written by Ms. Friedan.)
Character descriptionFeminist writer, author of The Feminine Mystique.
Reserved notes for this case
Maid to the Ducos family. Her headcheese is better than Fritz's.
Character descriptionMaid
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Co-writer of the book 'The Palace Guard'.
Character descriptionWriter
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Took in Pierre Ducos when he came to see Wolfe.
Character descriptionNero Wolfe's tough and witty assistant.
Reserved notes for this case
Attended Harvey Bassett's dinner at Rustermans Restaurant on October 18, 1974.
Character descriptionBanker
Reserved notes for this case
Wrote Wolfe a letter about a new orchid.
Character descriptionOrchid grower.
Reserved notes for this case
Showed up at the brownstone with a TV crew - he was not admitted.
Character descriptionCBS Newsman
Reserved notes for this case
Came to work, learned of the murder, went back home.
Character descriptionOlder man. Wolfe's orchid nurse. Lives in small cubbyhole on the roof with the plants. First mentioned in ch. 3 of "Fer-de-lance" - Archie sometimes hears him shouting at Wolfe in the mornings.
Reserved notes for this case
Watergate figure, mentioned.
Character description'Consultant' to Charles Colson.
Reserved notes for this case
Attended Harvey Bassett's dinner at Rustermans Restaurant on October 18, 1974.
Character descriptionElectronics Engineer
Reserved notes for this case
Watergate figure, mentioned.
Character descriptionNixon Special Prosecutor.
Reserved notes for this case
Attended Harvey Bassett's dinner at Rustermans on October 18, 1974.
Character descriptionLawyer
Reserved notes for this case
Set bail for Wolfe and Archie at $30,000 each.
Character descriptionNew York jurist.
Reserved notes for this case
Repaired South Room and Front Door of the brownstone after damage by explosions.
Character descriptionTown House Services Inc.
Reserved notes for this case
Mentioned. See 'Death Of A Doxy' case.
Character descriptionFormer actress; quit at 25 to become a doxy of some note.
Reserved notes for this caseArchie, while confronting Orrie, brings her up as an example of why they should have dumped Orrie years ago.
Lily Rowan owns one of his paintings.
Character descriptionArtist
Reserved notes for this case
Was assigned to cover the Pierre Ducos murder.
Character descriptionReporter on the Gazette.
Reserved notes for this case
Watergate figure, mentioned.
Character descriptionNixon Deputy Campaign Director.
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Charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Character descriptionAssistant Attorney General of the United States during the Nixon administration, later Political Coordinator for the Committee for the Re-election of the President (CRP).
Reserved notes for this case
Ran Rustermans under Wolfe's guidance after the death of Marko Vukcic.
Character descriptionRusterman Maitre d'hotel.
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aka Doremi aka Doraymee. Singing Kansan. Wife to Harvey Bassett. Friend of Lily Rowan.
Character descriptionSinger
Reserved notes for this caseWas having an affair with Orrie and her husband found out.
Watergate figure, mentioned.
Character descriptionNixon Attorney General
Reserved notes for this case
Wolfe said More 'smeared Richard III'.
Character descriptionEnglish politician
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Wolfe read his book 'The Southern Voyages'.
Character descriptionWriter
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Head of the Homicide Bureau.
Character descriptionHomicide Bureau
Reserved notes for this case
Mentioned
Character descriptionAmerican President. Asshole
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Ralph Kerner's boss at Town Services Inc.
Character descriptionTown House Services Inc.
Reserved notes for this case
Hired by Wolfe to investigate murder of Pierre Ducos.
Character descriptionTop hired hand Nero and Archie look to for manpower. Hosts regular Thursday night poker game at eight pm at his apartment in Brooklyn. Rust-colored hair, 5'7, 145 lbs, big nose and flat ears.
In the "Rubber Band" (ch. 6) Archie tells us that Panzer has a photographic memory when it comes to faces.
Reserved notes for this caseThe final confrontation is staged in his apartment.
Bailed out Wolfe and Archie at $30,000 each.
Character descriptionWolfe's lawyer -- the only lawyer Wolfe ever sent orchids to. A bachelor who plays bridge on winter Sundays. (Appears as "Henry" Parker in The Squirt & the Monkey and The Golden Spiders.)
Reserved notes for this case
Charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice. The only defendant in the 2nd Watergate trial not to be found guilty by April of 1974.
Character descriptionFormer lawyer for the Committee to Re-elect the President (Nixon).
Reserved notes for this case
Wolfe said he was smeared by Thomas More.
Character descriptionEnglish king
Reserved notes for this case
Archie mentions that Rago was 'tagged for murder' in Saul Panzer's living room.
Character descriptionSauce chef at the Churchill, member of the United Restaurant Workers of America (URWA).
Reserved notes for this case
Co-writer of the book 'The Palace Guard', read by Wolfe.
Character descriptionTV Newsman
Reserved notes for this case
She invited Archie up to her place in the city and to 'The Glade' in Westchester.
Character descriptionAttractive blonde. Daughter of millionaire sewer man James Rowan, owns the Bar JR ranch in Montana.
Reserved notes for this case
Assisted investigation into the murder of Pierre Ducos.
Character descriptionLieutenant in NYPD. Has antagonistic relationship with Archie and Wolfe.
Reserved notes for this case
Watergate figure, mentioned.
Character descriptionNixon campaign's 'dirty tricks' director.
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He said 'All geniuses have a touch of madness'.
Character descriptionRoman philospher.
Reserved notes for this case
Watergate figure, mentioned.
Character descriptionAmerican Jurist.
Reserved notes for this case
Assisted in the investigation of the murder of Pierre Ducos.
Character descriptionInitially an employee in N.Y. D.A.'s office. Later Cramer's man.
Detective (sergeant). Unfriendly.
Reserved notes for this case
Attended Harvey Bassett's dinner at Rustermans Restaurant on October 18, 1974.
Character descriptionLobbyist
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Attended Harvey Bassett's dinner at Rustermans Restaurant on October 18, 1974.
Character descriptionVilar Associates-Industrial Security.
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Deceased. Former owner and operator of Rustermans Restaurant.
Character description"He was one of only two men whom Wolfe will call by their first names, apart from employees," Archie relates as he introduces Marko in "Too Many Cooks." A boyhood friend from Montenegro, Marko is welcome to address Wolfe by his first name, and he dines monthly at Wolfe's house. One of the Fifteen Masters, Marko is the great chef of Rusterman's restaurant in New York -- one of the few places Wolfe will dine away from home.
Reserved notes for this case
Covered the Pierre Ducos murder.
Character descriptionreporter
Reserved notes for this case
Mentioned-by Saul Panzer.
Character descriptionIrish author and poet. Wrote "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", "The Importance of Being Earnest", and "The Picture of Dorian Gray."
Reserved notes for this case
Once he had identified the murderer he stood mute and refused to name the murderer or continue the case.
Character descriptionMaster detective. Genius. Estimated weight: 1/7 ton. Carries a large platinum watch in his vest pocket. Sends a check every month to his mother in Budapest ("Fer-de-lance, ch. 13)..
Reserved notes for this caseWouldn't confide in Archie because he believed Archie would kill Orrie if he knew the truth. Really.
Meals in the case:
(no meals are currently in the NWD for this story)
Orchids in the case:
(no orchids are currently in the NWD for this story)
Quotations in the case:
(no quotations are currently in the NWD for this story)