Murder On Lexington Avenue (2010) by Thompson Victoria - Gaslight Mystery

Author:Thompson, Victoria - Gaslight Mystery [Thompson, Victoria - Gaslight Mystery]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: PENGUIN group
Published: 2011-01-13T22:00:00+00:00

THIS TIME FRANK USED THE TRADESMAN’S ENTRANCE. He didn’t want anybody in the Wooten family to know he had returned, and even if they found out, they’d know he hadn’t bothered any of them this time.

He’d been sent to the servants’ dining room to wait, and a maid soon ushered Sarah Brandt in.

“Malloy,” she said with the smile she always gave him.

“Mrs. Brandt,” he replied with a smile of his own. He was ridiculously glad to see her.

He pulled out a chair for her at the table, and when she was seated, he pulled out the one next to it, turning it at an angle so they could speak more easily.

“How is your patient doing?” he asked.

“She’s doing very well, although I’m going to stay at least another day to make sure. Lots of things can still go wrong, especially when the mother is as old as Mrs. Wooten. And the funeral is tomorrow, so someone will need to stay with Mrs. Wooten while the family goes to the service.”

“I hadn’t heard that. Thanks for telling me. I’ll need to go to the service.”

“Why?” she asked in surprise.

“To pay my respects,” he said with a grin, “and to see if anybody acts strangely.”

“All these people act strangely,” she said, not grinning at all.

“Could you manage to mingle with the guests that come back here after the funeral and eavesdrop to see if anybody says anything interesting?”

“I certainly cannot! I’ve got a patient to take care of.”

“Just for a little while,” he said. “You could tell Mrs. Wooten you were keeping an eye on Electra or something.”

She glared at him, or pretended to. He didn’t think she really meant it, but he decided to change the subject just in case.

“Have you found out anything about where that baby came from yet?” he asked.

“I found out where Leander Wooten thinks it came from. He thinks Terry Young is the father.”

“So I gathered. Has Mrs. Wooten given you any reason to think so, too?”

“Yes, she has,” she said. “She was quite apprehensive about the baby at first. She actually asked me to . . .”

“To what?” Frank prodded when she hesitated.

“To kill it,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Good God.”

“Exactly. I was horrified, and so was her poor maid, but I managed to convince the girl that women often say crazy things during labor.”

“Did she believe you?”

“I don’t know. She pretended to, at least. And when Mrs. Wooten realized I wasn’t going to do the baby any harm, she asked me to take it away to an orphanage or something.”

“What kind of a woman would ask a thing like that?” Frank asked, horrified himself.

“A desperate woman,” she said. “I’m not excusing her, but you have no idea how terrifying it is to be carrying an unwanted child.”

Frank frowned. He didn’t want to feel sorry for Mrs. Wooten. “She’s not some shirt factory girl who’s going to lose her job and be thrown out by her family to starve in the streets,” he reminded her.

“No, but if

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