The Redhead is a mystery short story by Isaac Asimov.
Part of the Black Widowers series, it was first published in the October 1984 issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. It was later collected in Banquets of the Black Widowers.
Summary[]
At the Black Widowers banquet, the guest is John Anderssen, whose wife, Helen, has spectacular red hair. During the grilling, a deep unhappiness is revealed beneath his otherwise successful and articulate exterior. He explains that a month earlier, he and Helen had a violent argument in the lobby of a hotel just outside a small restaurant called The Living Room. In a fit of anger, Helen declared she was going home and dashed into the restaurant. Anderssen followed within twenty seconds but found the restaurant devoid of her. Her flaming red hair was unmistakable, and a thorough search of the small restaurant, including the kitchen, revealed no hiding places or alternative exits.
After a frantic half-hour, Anderssen returned home to find Helen waiting for him. She calmly claimed she had magically transported herself home, reinforcing her long-standing playful claim to be a witch. Anderssen knows this is impossible, but her refusal to explain how she accomplished the disappearance has given her a psychological upper hand in their relationship, poisoning his life with the mystery.
The Black Widowers suggest rational explanations, such as Helen using a wig to disguise her hair or hiding under a table, but Anderssen refutes these based on his knowledge of her vanity and the restaurant's layout. The waiter, Henry, provides the solution. He deduces that Helen, acting on impulse, entered the restaurant and immediately lay down on the couch, placing her head in the lap of the man already sitting there. The man, obliging a lady in distress, then used his raised magazine to conceal her and supported her story by denying he had seen a redhead when Anderssen asked. Henry advises Anderssen to keep this deduction to himself to preserve domestic harmony, as Helen's good behavior since the incident suggests she regrets the action.
Characters[]
Black Widowers[]
- Mario Gonzalo (host)
- Geoffrey Avalon
- Thomas Trumbull
- Emmanuel Rubin
- James Drake
- Roger Halsted
- Henry (the waiter)
Others[]
- John Anderssen (the guest)
- Helen Anderssen
- The Restaurant client
- · The waitress
- The chef
- The kitchen assistants
- The cashier
- The room clerk
Historical Figures Mentioned[]
- President Ronald Reagan
- James Bond (fictional character)
See Also[]
List of short stories by Isaac Asimov