To his surprise, in the wake of Tony's death, Melinda begins to act more courteously, even loving, toward him, suggesting that she wishes for them to start over again. There, Vic murders him by throwing him off a cliff, then weighs his body and hides it in the water.Īn investigation is opened into Tony's sudden disappearance, though many of the neighbours refuse to co-operate due to Vic's good standing and the police's implication that Tony and Melinda were planning to run away together. Vic runs into Tony in town and offers him a lift he drives to the local quarry. Vic privately offers Melinda a divorce and she finally accepts, saying that Tony has offered to take her to his next assignment in Mexico. Melinda eventually finds a new lover, a surveyor from New York named Tony Cameron. Carpenter leaves town, unable to nail down anything solid against Vic. Vic deduces that he is really a private detective hired by Don and Melinda. A new neighbour, Harold Carpenter, appears in town, claiming to be researching psychiatry at a local asylum. Melinda demands Vic admit his guilt and accuses him in front of their friends, though Vic is undaunted, finding superiority in his successful crime. Vic and many of his neighbours begin to move on from the event, though some – particularly Don Wilson, a local pulp writer – begin to idly suspect him of foul play. His death is attributed to a cramp, though Melinda is immediately suspicious of her husband. Impulsively, Vic drowns Charley, exits the pool, and feigns surprise when his body is discovered. One night, at a party given at the home of one of their neighbours, the Cowans, Vic and Charley find themselves alone in the Cowans' backyard swimming pool. Melinda begins a new relationship with a local pianist, Charley De Lisle. When the real murderer is apprehended, Vic's claims are interpreted by the community as dark jokes. Vic becomes fascinated with the unsolved murder of one of Melinda's former lovers, Malcolm McRae, and, in order to successfully drive away her current fling, takes credit for the killing. Their loveless marriage is held together only by a precarious arrangement whereby, in order to avoid the messiness of divorce, Melinda is allowed to take any number of lovers as long as she does not desert her family. Vic and Melinda Van Allen are a couple in the small town of Little Wesley. It was brought back into print in the United States in 2003 by W. It is Highsmith's fifth published novel, the working title originally being The Dog in the Manger. Deep Water is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith, first published in 1957 by Harper & Brothers.
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