The Talented Mr. Ripley

The next day in the newspaper, Tom reads that the police are asking Dickie to present himself and will otherwise consider him to be evading them. They also bring up the forgery question, about which more experts have given opinions. The tabloid papers have not yet caught on to the missing Dickie Greenleaf story, but he expects they will soon. That morning, he decides to present himself to the police as Tom Ripley. When he does so, the Venetian police call the Roman police, and they arrange to come to Venice and meet with Tom. He changes things about his appearance, anticipating that the same police detective from Rome will interview him.

When the Roman police arrive, it is the same detective, and the same officer accompanies him as well. They ask when he, Tom, last saw Dickie, and he tells them that he saw Dickie in Rome, just before he went to Palermo. They ask if Dickie told him that the police wanted to speak to him, and he says no. The police believe that Dickie is just being uncooperative. Tom tells them his story: that he bought a car and has been driving through Italy and had no idea that they were looking for him or that he was considered missing. With his appearance, they consider the matter of the San Remo boat closed and move on to Freddie’s murder. They ask him if he knows where Dickie is and whether he and Freddie had a fight, and he says no but mentions that Dickie did not go to Cortina with Freddie, which surprised him.

As they talk, he realizes that the police do not suspect him of anything. Tom implies that Dickie and Freddie fought over Marge. They then ask him about the forgeries, and Tom says that he saw Dickie sign a check, but not one of the disputed ones. They ask him a few more questions and then leave. He realizes that the only thing the police have discovered is that Dickie Greenleaf was involved with Freddie’s murder—but it doesn’t matter, because he is not Dickie Greenleaf anymore. He decides to forge a will for Dickie that leaves his possessions to Tom. He will seal it and keep it in his possession, marking it not to be opened until months later.

This chapter opens with letters from Tom to Herbert and from Marge to Tom. Tom’s letter to Herbert tells him that he suspects Dickie died by suicide. He contends that he personally believes Dickie was not involved in Freddie’s death but that the stressful situation may have gotten the better of him. Marge writes to Tom that she does not believe Dickie died by suicide; she believes that he is hiding from his obligations. She also believes that Dickie’s check signature is not a forgery; instead, he has changed so much recently that his handwriting has changed as well. Marge declines an invitation from Tom to stay with him in Venice, stating that, instead, she will be meeting Herbert Greenleaf in Rome.

Meanwhile, Dickie’s disappearance is being covered extensively in the Italian media, but the police still have no clues about either the disappearance or Freddie’s murder. Tom has been represented positively by the media, but he has been more focused on decorating his new house in Venice, which has an entrance directly off the canals. He writes to his aunt Dottie that he will be staying in Europe, and then he writes Dickie’s will, on Dickie’s typewriter, throwing the typewriter in the canal afterward. Tom keeps up with the investigations into both Dickie and Freddie through the newspapers. The forgeries are still contested, as well as the letter he wrote, as Dickie, stating that there were no forgeries. Tom is shaken by this revelation.

Because of his connection to Dickie, Tom is a bit of a celebrity and is invited to cocktail parties throughout Venice. He has not heard from either Marge or Herbert and is nervous that they are somehow manipulating him. One day, however, he receives a call from Marge, who is at the Venice train station. She tells Tom that they have made no progress in finding Dickie, but he can tell that she is still hopeful. Marge wonders how he can afford his home in Venice, and he tells her that he has decided to live in Europe until he runs out of money and then go home. During lunch, they interrogate each other about their last interactions with Dickie. She gives him Herbert’s hotel name so that he can visit him in Rome. Tom invites Marge to stay at his home and plans to take her to visit his friend Peter Smith-Kingsley that evening before dinner.

While at Peter’s house, Tom calls Herbert, who says he believes that Dickie might be dead. Tom invites him to Venice, but Herbert declines. At the party, they all speculate about where Dickie might be or what has happened to him. Marge accepts a party invitation for the following evening, although Tom thought she would be leaving. At the end of the night, they take a gondola home but find that they are locked out of Tom’s house. Marge waits on the canal steps until Tom finds his way to the other entrance and lets her in. He is frightened by the experience, but Marge is unfazed.

The next morning, Tom gets a telegram from Herbert, stating that he will be arriving in Venice after all. He falls back asleep, and when he wakes up, Marge is awake and has made coffee. He tells her that Herbert will be arriving soon. They pick him up at the train station and take him to lunch. Herbert tells them that he has hired an American private detective to try to find Dickie. At first, Tom is nervous, but then he realizes how difficult it will be for the detective, a foreigner, and thinks that nothing will come of it.

Later, they return to Tom’s house, and Marge excuses herself. Tom and Herbert discuss what may have happened to Dickie, and they talk further about Tom’s notion that he has died by suicide. Herbert talks about trying to find Di Massimo, the painter Dickie claimed to be studying under; he doubts his actual existence. Tom tells Herbert about the boat in San Remo and how Dickie had been under suspicion of murdering him for a time. Herbert says that he does not think Dickie killed himself, and Tom replies that he thinks Dickie is in hiding.