Kathleen Catches a Killer by M. Louisa Locke

Author:M. Louisa Locke [Locke, M. Louisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: M. Louisa Locke

Chapter 9

Thursday morning, December 30, 1880

“Miss Laura, are you sure this is a good idea?” Kathleen trotted to keep up with Laura’s long stride.

“Yes I do. I think your idea of stopping by Mrs. Ashburton’s house with some soup and soft rolls was excellent. At the very least, if your suspicions turn out to be unfounded, the poor woman will get a decent meal.”

“But I think we should wait until the mistress comes back tomorrow morning.”

“Oh fiddlesticks! Why should Annie always have all the fun investigating things. Furthermore, if it turns out that this Rafe Ashburton is some sort of hoodlum who’s mistreating his aged mother, better that we find out as quickly as possible.”

Kathleen wished that Mrs. O’Rourke hadn’t taken Mary Margaret with her this morning on her grocery shopping trip, leaving little Tilly to finish up the breakfast dishes. She felt sure the housekeeper would have squashed this plan in a hurry if she heard about it. At the very least, Mary Margaret would have insisted she be the one to accompany Laura…which right now sounded like a good idea to Kathleen.

“But what if he doesn’t let us in?” Kathleen asked as they waited to cross at the corner of Ellis, being careful not to spill the crock of soup in her basket when they stepped down into the street. There was always beef soup stock simmering on the stove top in the winter and soft rolls left-over from breakfast, so it hadn’t taken but a moment to put together the basket. Laura needed to be at work in an hour, so she wouldn’t hear of waiting until Mrs. O’Rourke returned.

“Well, even if all he does is take the basket from us to get us to leave, we would now have an excuse to come back for it, and maybe we will have better luck the next time.”

Kathleen felt a wave of relief. Perhaps that would be what happened. And she did want to get a chance to at least look at this Rafe Ashburton. Mrs. Kantor, Officer Stanley, and the grocery and butcher delivery boys, all described him as rather a dandy. Clean-shaven, except for a small mustache, hair cut very short, well-dressed, at least according to the delivery boys, who said he was wearing a silk vest and cravat, with a diamond stick pin. Not someone who looked like some down-on-his-luck prodigal son, and certainly not the scruffy ruffian Mary Margaret had described him being the first night when he threw her out. However, even Mary Margaret admitted he cleaned up well after she saw him when she tried to deliver Mrs. Ashburton’s medicine yesterday. But her friend said that a man could change his appearance with a good barbering, but could not change his character. “Handsome is as handsome does,” she’d said, not for the first time.

After a heavily laden wagon crossed Ellis in front of them, Laura led the way across the street, saying, “So did Patrick give you your birthday present last night?”

“Oh miss, he did.

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