Strong Suspicions by Renshaw Amy

Author:Renshaw, Amy [Renshaw, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781737353317
Google: dcCXzgEACAAJ
Publisher: Lilac Bower Media LLC
Published: 2021-09-08T22:00:00+00:00

18

Sophie strolled down Grand Avenue after attending a fashion show at Gimbels, the warm spring air deepening her reluctance to return to the office. She had a story to write, but her mind kept returning to the puzzle of Hilda Rock. It was clear that Mr. Pitman knew Mrs. Rock, and he appeared to have worked for her. What had he been doing at her home, rifling through her papers? Surely if he had a legitimate reason to be there, he wouldn’t have been so uneasy. What were he and Agnes and Millie looking for?

Then there was the soldier’s coat, which still hung on a hook in her room at the boarding house. Was it related to the murder in some way? Sam had said that a wealthy man was burning it—could he have been a guest from the Spring Gala? People did odd things under the influence of liquor.

The commanding form of Detective Jacob Zimmer swam into her mind. Despite his kindness at Wolff Park, she recalled the persistent way he’d interrogated Clara Elliot. What was to stop him from arresting Mrs. Elliot or Aunt Lucy, and blaming them for the crime? She’d read about the underhanded machinations of officers in New York and Chicago. If enough money was offered, some policemen could be enticed to turn a blind eye to injustice.

She quickened her step, passing two more blocks of shops. The cross street was Broadway, and with a decisive nod to herself, she made her way north to police headquarters. As a citizen of this city and a member of the press, she had every right to know about the investigation into Mrs. Rock’s murder. Maybe Detective Zimmer would be more amenable to discussion, now that they knew each other a little better. This time she wouldn’t let him brush her aside.

The tall, brick building loomed into view. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to the main entrance. The entryway was a jumble of bodies. Two officers she didn’t recognize held both arms of a rough-looking man in handcuffs. An angry young woman with vivid makeup and brassy red hair pleaded with one of the grim-faced officers behind the elevated front desk, her voice rising to a dramatic wail as she gestured toward another man. Sophie surmised she was a lady of the night, though it was still afternoon.

No one had noticed Sophie yet. She was tempted to lurk in the background and watch events unfold, in case it was something interesting she could write about for the paper. Instead, she inched her way along, then peered into the large office space beyond the desk. Near the back of the room, she caught sight of a familiar bent head of light-brown hair. A younger officer approached him and the man looked up, confirming her guess that it was Detective Zimmer.

She heard the peal of a telephone, and one of the officers at the front desk turned to pick up the instrument. Sophie took her chance while his back was turned and slipped past him.

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.