Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson

Author:Victoria Thompson
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-04-19T16:00:00+00:00

9

One glance at Adderly’s face told Frank how horrified he was to see Ella in his parlor. Poor Judith Burgun was probably going to need a new position very soon, and she wouldn’t be getting a reference from Virgil Adderly.

Before Adderly could take any action to usher Ella out, Frank was on his feet and striding forward to greet her. “Miss Adderly, it’s so good to see you again.”

“I know you,” she said, smiling with obvious delight. She wore a slightly faded housedress, and her hair had been carelessly braided and hung down her back. “You were going to take me to see Charles.”

Behind him, Adderly made a strangled sound.

“That’s right, I was, but I was told you were indisposed and couldn’t go.”

Miss Adderly frowned like a thwarted child. “I wasn’t indisposed. They just say that so they don’t have to take me anyplace. They make me stay home all the time. Sometimes I want to go back to the hospital. At least there we got to walk outside sometimes.”

A woman appeared in the doorway behind Ella. She appeared to be in her forties and had the harried look of someone frustrated beyond bearing. Her hair was coming out of its pins and falling into her eyes. She made a futile effort to tuck some of it back into place as her gaze took in the scene. “Miss Ella, you know you aren’t supposed to go anyplace without me,” she said gently. She smiled uncertainly at Frank. Then she saw Adderly glaring at her and her smile vanished. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Adderly. She pushed me down and by the time I got back on my feet, I didn’t know which way she’d gone.”

“That’s all right, Mrs. Burgun, is it?” Frank asked.

The woman nodded, surprised Frank knew her name.

“I was hoping I’d get to see Miss Adderly while I was here.”

“Virgil,” Ella said, “did you offer our guests some refreshment?”

“Ella, you need to go back to your room now,” he said. “You know how upset you get when we have company.”

“I’m not upset. I’m just sad because Charles died and nobody will let me see him. He was my very dear friend,” she told Frank, who nodded.

“When was the last time you saw him?” Frank asked.

Adderly groaned, but Ella didn’t appear to notice. “Yesterday, I think, or maybe the day before.”

She sounded very certain, although Charles Oakes had been safely in his grave well before that. “And where did you see him?”

“Here, of course. He came to call. He was very concerned about me, you know. He knew I didn’t belong at the hospital. He told me that. He said he was going to let me go home. All I had to do was talk to the doctor.”

“And did you?” Frank asked.

“Yes. He asked me all kinds of silly questions, and he didn’t like any of my answers. I could tell by the way he kept wrinkling his forehead. I told him if he didn’t like my answers, he should ask different questions, but he said he didn’t have any different questions.

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