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 A
woman approaching her fifties, Catherine Thoreau presents two different
physical appearances, in her clothes, which reflect a more complex
personality than it seems.
At
first, Catherine is a woman of simple appearance, who lives in a house
all made of wood, in a remote place far from Santa Barbara. Her clothes
are simple and appropriate for the job she holds : a nanny. But
Catherine is not a nanny like the others, because it is to her that Zack
Kelton entrusted little Adriana Castillo, kidnapped to her parents. The
days are simple for Catherine, whose daily routine is to take care of
the baby and give news to an unknown caller on the phone. One day, she
draws a portrait of Adriana to send to this unknown person.
Her
daily life changes the day she gives Adriana to another woman, calling
her «Madam».
Beyond
her daily life, it is Catherine herself who changes, since she decides
to settle for a time in Santa Barbara. She rents a hotel room under a
false name (Mrs.Wilson), dresses in sophisticated suits, wears
jewellery, and especially carries a large quantity of bank notes in her
purse. She hangs out at the Lair to make phone calls, and is noticed by
T.J. - who also notices her money. During her exchanges with her, T.J.
may notice that Catherine is not familiar with American money, which
suggests that she is a foreigner (Catherine
could be of French origin).
Catherine
is not without leaving T.J. indifferent, because he tries to charm her.
He even ventures to follow her when one evening she leaves his club.
Rather curious initiative, since T.J. finds her dead, stabbed in the
back. Nothing in the investigation that will then be conducted will
identify her murderer: T.J., Zack, Kirk, Hollis... Police officer Ramon
Foncesca's confession will only reveal that he paid Catherine on behalf
of another man.
A
key character in a plot with high emotional potential, Catherine's
character remains a little or poorly defined character. If Catherine
should simply remain the nanny (as Zack's accomplice) who gives Adriana
to Hollis, why make her come back to Santa Barbara ? If, on the
contrary, she was to play a more important role, why make her die so
quickly, before she could divulge the secrets surrounding Adriana's
kidnapping ? Questions without answers, around a character who could
have been an ally of Zack or Kirk...
Portrait
written for this site by Lilian
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