“Georgie was invited in because I vouched for her. I could have been banned too. She didn’t even consider that. A lot of those films will come to the archive one day. It’s vital that I remain on good terms with these people. I tried to tell her, but once she got a bug in her bonnet, there was no getting it out. And then, after they kicked her out, she was wounded. I asked her, What the hell did you think would happen? Then she started making threats!”
“Who did she threaten? You?”
“Me? No! Just…everyone. In general. As if that would help reconcile anyone to anything. As if she hadn’t already done her worst.”
Had she done her worst, though? According to Hick, Georgie’s original complaint had started out vague and quickly became downright murky. She had backpedaled. Yes. She had burned bridges, but she hadn’t taken down the entire edifice.
Someone surely knew that.
Jason said thoughtfully, “Would you say Professor Ono was a good judge of character?”
Bardolf actually laughed. “She was a terrible judge of character. She had no grasp of human nature. She didn’t understand how people work, which is why she thought she could turn someone in to the police and still be welcome at his home.” Bardolf shook his head. “The truth is, Georgie didn’t like people all that much. She preferred the characters in her life to be fictional.”