Francis March's Visions: an MG&M Detective Agency Short Story by Rick Adelmann

Author:Rick Adelmann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: short stories, mystery short story, historical mysteries, private investigator series, murder mystery series, private detective series, jazz age mystery, 1920s mystery fiction, roaring 20s mystery fiction
Publisher: Columbine Publishing Group, LLC

* * *

I had time on my hands, now that I had passed the envelope to Anneka. Doctor Vasquez, if not too busy, should have the results within a few hours. Anneka promised to get those results back to me promptly. I needed to use the time for hunting out the ‘who’ of the equation. The three siblings were away from the house; it was a perfect time to snoop around.

My first target was Arthur’s room. The room sat between his father’s and stepmother’s rooms, a location I found odd. Wealthy folks usually have separate bedrooms, but they are typically adjoined. In this case, Arthur was separating the two.

I left my room and looked down the hall. No one stood about, not even the maid. I bet the maid has some stories to tell about this family, I thought, as I walked down the hall. I tried Arthur’s door, finding it surprisingly unlocked. I closed the door quietly and looked around. The dwelling of the oldest brother appeared to be twice the size of my own room. Although richly decorated, the room looked, to me, dreary with wallpaper, bedspread, carpeting, and artwork framed all in forest green. I went to the dresser first, moving silently since Paula’s room stood just on the other side of an adjoining door.

Several items attracted my attention. A note from Arthur’s stepmother thanking him for a wonderful night. He also, foolishly, had a few photographs of Paula hidden away under his garments. They weren’t sleazy photos—however, having them at all seemed odd. So, it seemed as though the doctor shared the favors of Paula Clinton with Arthur. As in my previous evening’s search, I found no special photo apparatus, no hollow walls, and the grains I had found in the kitchen were nowhere in Arthur’s room.

It pointed the finger of guilt more toward Doctor Ross. After dinner last night had he gone into Paula’s room again, or his own? I went to the adjoining door and cautiously knelt. No key blocked my view, so I peered in. There sat Paula at her vanity, brushing her hair. She wore an elegant silk negligee that flowed loosely over her captivating figure. I could hear no voices at first, then the unmistakable deep voice of the doctor.

“I don’t understand how he’s resisting all the hallucinations, Paula. He has excellent self-control. But, I’m glad he has them. It’ll make his committal all the easier. Then, we can remove unwanted guests from your house and be together.”

“What’s taking you so long?” she hissed. “I’ve been patient with you, doctor. I want Francis gone.”

“I want to be sure he’ll stay gone, my love,” he pleaded. “Now, come back to bed, show me how kind you can be.”

I could see her expression in the vanity’s mirror when he suggested more kindness. She gritted her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut. Then she looked back into the mirror and smiled to herself. “I’ll be right there, sweetheart.” Paula stood and walked across the room.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.