Cathy Ames / Kate's Rise and Fall

Traces the life of Cathy Ames from her monstrous childhood to her reign as a Salinas madam and her eventual suicide.

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Childhood of a Monster

The Birth of Evil A Face of Innocence Cathy Ames is born with a perfect angelic face, but she lacks a conscience. From a young age, she manipulates those around her. She learns to use sexuality as a weapon. The First Crime At age ten, Cathy frames two boys for attempted rape, leading to their imprisonment. She later causes her Latin teacher, James Grew, to commit suicide after he falls in love with her. The Fire and the Escape Cathy murders her parents by setting fire to their house and stealing money. She fakes her own death and escapes to Boston, beginning her life as a criminal.

Life with Mr. Edwards

The Whoremaster's Love Entering the Trade Cathy, now calling herself Catherine Amesbury, applies to work for Mr. Edwards, a whoremaster. He falls in love with her and sets her up in a house. The Abuse and the Escape Cathy systematically steals from him and torments him. When he discovers her true nature, he beats her nearly to death and leaves her for dead. She survives and crawls to the Trask farm. The Origin of the Scar Mr. Edwards's attack leaves Cathy with a permanent scar on her forehead, a mark of her violent past. This scar becomes a symbol of her hidden evil.

The Trask Marriage and Escape

The Trap of Domesticity The Rescue and Marriage Adam Trask finds Cathy on his doorstep, badly injured. He nurses her back to health and marries her. She sees this as a temporary refuge. The Birth of the Twins Cathy gives birth to twin sons, Caleb and Aron, but feels no attachment. She attempts to abort them and fails. She endures the pregnancy as a necessary evil. The Shooting and Departure As soon as she is strong enough, Cathy shoots Adam and abandons her family. She escapes to Salinas, where she reinvents herself as Kate, a madam.

Kate's Takeover of Faye's House

The New Madam Faye's Kindness Kate arrives in Salinas and seeks work at Faye's whorehouse. Faye, a motherly woman, takes her in and treats her like a daughter. Kate ingratiates herself with everyone. The Will and the Poison Kate slowly poisons Faye, using croton oil to make her sick. Faye, weakened, makes a will leaving everything to Kate. Kate then kills Faye and inherits the house. The Transformation Kate changes the nature of the house, introducing sadomasochistic practices and blackmail. She becomes a feared and powerful figure in Salinas's underworld.

Kate's Later Years and Suicide

The Lonely Monster The Arthritis and the Gray Room Kate develops painful arthritis in her hands. She builds a windowless gray room where she retreats from the world. She is haunted by the fear of discovery for Faye's murder. The Visits of Her Sons Cal Trask discovers her identity and visits her. He brings Aron, who is horrified by the truth. This encounter shatters Aron and leads to his death. Kate is left with a hollow victory. The Final Act Kate writes a will leaving everything to Aron, then takes a poison capsule. She dies in her gray room, imagining herself as Alice shrinking away. Her death is a lonely and bitter end.

The Aftermath of Kate's Death

The Cleanup Joe Valery's Looting Joe Valery, Kate's enforcer, loots her safe-deposit keys and photographs. He is killed by a deputy while trying to escape. The photographs of prominent citizens are confiscated. Sheriff Quinn's Decision Sheriff Quinn, an old friend of Adam Trask, burns the blackmail photographs to prevent scandal. He decides to keep the truth about Kate's past as quiet as possible. The Will's Legacy Kate's will leaves her fortune to Aron Trask, who is already dead. The money eventually passes to Adam, but its origins stain the family. The story of Kate's life and death becomes a dark secret in the Trask family history.

Cathy's childhood in Massachusetts, 1870s-1880s

Cathy's relationship with Mr. Edwards in Boston, 1880s

Cathy's time with Adam, birth of twins, and her escape, 1894-1900

Kate's arrival in Salinas and her takeover, 1900-1901

Kate's life as a madam, visits from her sons, and suicide, 1917-1918

Immediately after Kate's suicide, Sheriff Quinn's investigation, 1918