Death Between the Pages

by Beth Byers

  Robert wanted to ask about the Lenzes. Dean Lenz had seemed to know Evelyn well. He even called Evelyn by that nickname which Robert had immediately hated.

  Robert wound their way through the village until they reached the main street where the doctor’s office and apartment were housed. He stopped the auto outside of it and noticed that Lucy was inside the office, and she was dealing with Mrs. Hobbs.

  Robert glanced at Evelyn, gaze lingering on her neck, and then drove the auto around the back of the office. He took Evelyn to the back door and carried her inside, calling, “Lucy!”

  The young woman that Charles and Georgette had unofficially adopted appeared with a frown on her face.

  “Robert, you shouldn’t come in the back.”

  “Mrs. Hobbs is the one who did this,” Robert told Lucy, nodding towards the marks on Evelyn’s throat.

  “Oh.” Lucy bit her lip and then said, “Dr. West is in surgery with Mr. Hobbs still.”

  “Do you think you could help her wash and change?” Robert asked. “Miss Hobbs needs something to wear.”

  “Dr. West keeps nightgowns and things,” Lucy said. “I can help her bathe if you’re all right with that, Miss Hobbs?”

  Evelyn nodded and her tears overflowed again.

  “Please,” she croaked. “Please, please.”

  Lucy nodded, her kind eyes turning to Robert as she said, “Perhaps you can take her to the bath for me and then make a new kettle of tea? I would guess that fluids will help her throat until Dr. West can examine her.”

  Robert nodded, carrying Evelyn to the bath and then hating to leave her. The tears had dried up, but she’d returned to wooden. He forced himself to set her down. Lucy shut the bathroom door, started the water, and then reappeared a few minutes later.

  “Why did her aunt attack her?” Lucy asked. She looked a little sick as she stared around the doctor’s office.

  “Her aunt believes that Miss Hobbs is responsible for Mr. Hobbs.”

  Lucy stared at Robert and then laughed.

  “That’s funny?” Robert snapped.

  “Robert, we were just telling Janey that if she attacked Mr. Hobbs that he would take the weapon away and hurt her. Miss Hobbs is a small woman.”

  “I know, but if she got him unaware.”

  Lucy shook her head. Her brown eyes weren’t amused, but her tone was a sarcastic amusement as she said, “No. He’s easily six and a half feet tall. Miss Hobbs is smaller than me.”

  “If she struck him with a branch?”

  Lucy rolled her eyes, looking very much like her little sister, and then crossed to the doctor’s office where she found a meter stick. She took it, squatted down a few inches shorter, and then swung at Robert. He didn’t move since he knew that she wouldn’t hurt him. She struggled to reach above his head with any real force.

  “She’s too small to have a good, strong blow. If he was standing at least. And if they were arguing, it isn’t like he would have knelt for her, and we aren’t talking about someone who seems like she would have ambushed him. On the way to a tea at our house? That dress she took off was a dress for a tea or church. The idea that it was Evelyn Hobbs is laughable, especially since she’s favoring her shoulder.”

  “She is?”

  “It’s covered in large, finger-shaped bruises. She’s got limited use of her shoulder, Robert. She’s smaller than that giant, and if she were going to plan a murder of that man, she’d have poisoned him. No one that small would plan a physical attack unless they have the reasoning power of Janey.”

  “Even Janey would find another way if she were plotting murder,” Robert said, feeling sick. “She has bruises?”

  “On her shoulder, her back, her arm.” Lucy grabbed her arm between the elbow and shoulder. “I would guess that Mr. Hobbs is rough with her often.”

  “That is going to stop.”

  “She needs to leave,” Lucy told Robert. “Or be rescued by a knight in shining armor.”

  He shot her a quelling look, but she was slipping back into the bath to help the poor, injured, abused Evelyn Hobbs.

  12

  GEORGETTE AARON

  Marian and Eunice returned without Lucy, who had stayed to help Dr. West manage his patient and Mrs. Hobbs.

  “That doctor needs a nurse,” Eunice groused. “He’s trying to keep his patient alive on his own. Even battlefield doctors have nurses.”

  “We’re in Harper’s Hollow, not on a battlefield. That doctor spends most of his time treating children with broken bones,” Marian reminded her. “Who would expect a stabbing like this? It’s terrible, but it might be a little unfair to expect Dr. West to staff for a possible murder.”

  “Either way,” Georgette sighed, “Lucy is falling in love and the doctor seems to be entirely unaware. If he’s not going to pay her and he’s not going to advance a relationship with her, then he’s taking advantage of her goodness.”

  “We’ll send Charles for her later,” Marian suggested. “It’s not like we can refuse to let her help when Dr. West is trying to keep that huge man alive.”

  “I’m not sure how to help her, though,” Georgette admitted. “Trying to take care of Janey, Eddie, and Lucy makes me fear this baby even more. I suppose a part of me feels like with Janey, since she’s older, Charles and I are only half-responsible. We might well ruin the baby.”

  Marian’s shocked stare had Georgette giggling and then her friend joined in.

  “I must be such a disappointment to my mother,” Marian said. “Maybe she blames Aunt Parker because I’ve spent so much time with her.”

  “Maybe she blames herself for causing a division between you two,” Georgette said, “but I suspect she’s mourning you.”

  “Mourning me?” Marian gasped. “I am right here.”

  “But you’re marrying and moving away from London, and you’re doing it with a fight.”

  “So you think I should give in?” Marian turned away from Georgette, who reached out and touched her friend’s arm.

  “No,” Georgette said, “but perhaps you could tell her that you love her and will always love her. That you’re only a train ride away and that loving Joseph will never change that.”

  “Why are you saying this?” Marian demanded and Georgette blushed.

  “I suppose I sympathize with your mother. I feel like I still have a chance with Janey, but Eddie is studying for university and gone. Lucy would marry Dr. West tomorrow if she could, and I’d miss her. I feel like I’ve lost them already and barely had time with either of them.”

  “Oh, Georgette.”

  Georgette grinned even though tears were shining in her eyes. “I can’t imagine how it feels to be your mother. To have you marrying against her advice and her being so worried about your future. I don’t think she’s right, but maybe she simply needs to be comforted that you aren’t leaving her forever.”

  Charles walked in a moment later and he paused, noting the shining tears in Georgette’s eyes, and then glanced at Marian.

  “Lucy,” Marian said and Charles’s face smoothed into understanding.

  “Where is she?” Charles asked and Georgette explained, to which Charles said, “She’s helping with surgery?”

  Marian shook her head. “They brought in Hobbs and called in a former army medic to help Dr. West.”

  Charles nodded and then crossed to his wife. Georgette didn’t resist when he tugged her into the library alone. He looked haunted as he pulled her onto his lap, lifting her hand and gently kissing each of her fingers. “Lucy will love you forever for saving their family.”

  Georgette leaned into his side. “I think so too. I’m just so weepy. I feel as though a part of my mind is watching me weep and snap at people and that rational piece of me is wondering what in the world is going on.”

  Charles laughed and then kissed the center of her palm before he sobered. “They don’t think Hobbs will live, and the object of Robert’s affections is the main suspect.”

  Georgette stiffened
and then wanted to roll her eyes at herself when she realized she was weeping for both Miss Hobbs and Robert, and that Charles was entirely unsurprised.

  She sniffed and willed her tears to stop. “What will happen?”

  “It’s not good, darling. The aunt found Miss Hobbs over the man’s body and later attacked. I don’t know the details, but I left Robert seeing to Miss Hobbs, Joseph looking for a weapon, and the idea that Robert might have written what would happen to this poor girl.”

  Georgette stared too long at Charles. “It feels like we’ve been…I don’t know…made a mockery of by fate or something. How is it possible that Robert wrote a book about this poor girl being framed for the murder of her over-sized companion and then he’s murdered?”

  Charles hesitated for a moment and Georgette tugged on his tie, demanding whatever he was holding back. She appreciated how he didn’t point out that her first book caused so much trouble amongst her neighbors, and here she and Robert were repeating the same mistake.

  “I think that we don’t know if he was murdered and all Robert did was borrow her likeness for his book. I have met Evelyn Hobbs and I have read about Lottie Franklin. Robert is observant and there are uncanny similarities, but she is also very different.”

  “I suppose that’s true. It’s not like she’s married to Warren Hobbs.”

  Georgette wound their fingers together and then brought his hand to her stomach to feel their baby kicking hard. Before Charles could comment on the baby, there was a knock on the door and Lucy stuck her head in.

  “Oh hello,” Lucy said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “How are you? Did you help with the surgery?” Georgette asked.

  At the same time, Charles asked, “Did Hobbs survive?”

  Lucy glanced between the two of them and then crossed to sit across from them. “He’s alive. It doesn’t look good, though.”

  “Did Robert bring Miss Hobbs in?” Charles asked.

  Lucy paled and then nodded.

  “What’s wrong?” Georgette asked. “Is she terribly hurt?”

  Lucy’s eyes filled with tears and she bit down on her bottom lip to fight them before answering. “Miss Hobbs was left in the care of her aunt and uncle. They were very unkind.”

  “Is that why she murdered her cousin?” Charles asked, wondering if what he’d just said could possibly be true of the quiet little blonde.

  “I don’t think she did,” Lucy told them. The tears filled her eyes again and she whispered low, “She was injured.”

  “But that happened after the fact,” Charles said.

  “No,” Lucy told them. “No. She has all kinds of old bruises. I’m almost positive she doesn’t have full use of her shoulder right now, but Dr. West hadn’t seen her when Robert sent me home. The aunt was being horrible and Robert offered to take her home. She demanded to be taken to the pub, so she could drink to her son.”

  “Oh my heavens,” Georgette said, “that poor woman.”

  “With an injured shoulder and also being so much smaller—” Lucy shook her head. “If I were going to kill Mr. Hobbs, I’d have poisoned him or shot him. She admitted those bruises were from him.” Lucy sighed sadly. “Dr. West says Miss Hobbs can leave, but her aunt says she can’t go home.”

  Georgette glanced at Charles, her heart in her eyes.

  “She could be a killer,” Charles reminded her.

  “You didn’t think she was, not really, even before you found out about her injuries.”

  Charles looked at Lucy. “Would you feel safe if she were here?”

  “I’d sleep better,” Lucy admitted. “I have no doubts that she wasn’t the person who injured Mr. Hobbs. Even if she did—” Lucy paused long enough to look guilty at the insinuation, “—she’d had good reason, and I’d still want her with us than having to beg for shelter.”

  “Where is Robert?” Georgette asked.

  “He said he’d return to Dr. West after he left Mrs. Hobbs elsewhere.” Lucy rubbed her back. “I feel as though I just looked into my own personal circle of hell.” Her tears rolled over her lashes this time as she said, “You saved me from that. Janey, Eddie, and me. I haven’t thanked you enough.”

  Georgette moved from Charles’s lap to sit next to Lucy and whisper nonsense until the girl got control of herself.

  “I love you both,” Lucy finally said, dabbing her tears away with Charles’s handkerchief. “May we please invite Miss Hobbs here?”

  Charles nodded. “We need to find out if they’re going to charge her with a crime. If they aren’t, we can give her a place if she’ll accept it.”

  “Robert said he would send Joseph here if possible. Perhaps he’s on his way?”

  “It is almost dinnertime.” Georgette sighed. “Hopefully Eunice has anticipated that we’ll need to feed people at all hours as Joseph and Robert come in.”

  “And I go out,” Charles said.

  “You should wait to see if Joseph appears in time, and we’ll gather food for Dr. West, Robert, and Miss Hobbs for the doctor’s office.”

  Charles considered and then nodded in agreement.

  “I would like to go with you,” Georgette told him. “I think our invitation should come from both of us.”

  She could see that Charles did not want her to go, and she could appreciate that he wanted to protect her, but there was no danger. It was possible that someone intended to frame Evelyn Hobbs for the attempted murder of her cousin rather like Robert had framed his Lottie in the detective story.

  It would be easy enough, however, to protect against such a creature. None of the Aaron family had been the ones to try to kill that man. They could close ranks with Evelyn inside, and they should be fairly safe.

  Charles still hesitated and Georgette suddenly realized his concern wasn’t Evelyn. If Warren Hobbs lived, he may well be able to say who had stabbed him.

  “I’ll be with you,” Georgette reminded him. “Robert will be there. Dr. West will be there, and there is no reason for you to be worried over me.”

  “Georgette,” Charles told her with a laugh and a sideways glance at Lucy. “You draw trouble to you like sailors follow the North Star.”

  Georgette gasped as Lucy laughed.

  “That is unfair,” she said, knowing it wasn’t at all. It was fair as much as she didn’t want it to be. She’d written a book and a murder has resulted. It had been followed by a series of mishaps, blackmail, poisonings. She’d fled her hometown and found another murderer. They’d gotten married, buying her dream house only to find a body in the attic. She was out and out a magnet for trouble, and they both knew it. The best that could be said of her was she also seemed to be a magnet for the lonely and they’d crafted those people into family.

  “All right,” Georgette said. “Fine. I find trouble wherever I go. I’ll stay with you, but Miss Hobbs—if she’s been as abused as we are guessing—needs me, and I’m going.”

  “Fine,” Charles told her. “But no investigating on your own. No finding that woman who choked Evelyn and asking her why. No walking the paths that the attacker might have walked or trying to hunt them down.”

  He was about one breath from putting his hands on his hips or tutting at her, and she grinned at him.

  “Darling,” he said evenly, “you’re a yo-yo of emotions, and I’m dizzy.”

  That made her laugh out loud and then she announced, “Speaking of the way the baby seems to be driving me mad, I need to eat or faint.”

  Charles’s mocking laughter chased her out of the library and down the hall to the kitchens where Eunice was already packing food for transport as Janey ate.

  13

  JOSEPH AARON

  Joseph looked up from the constable’s desk when Robert walked in.

  “Is Miss Hobbs still being treated?”

  Robert nodded and then flopped onto the chair opposite his brother. “West says she could leave, but her aunt told her to never return.”

  “Lovely,” Joseph said. “Found gui
lty of a crime we’re still investigating, then?”

  Robert nodded and their eyes met. Joseph knew too well that Robert was fighting his feelings for Miss Hobbs against what had happened. He wasn’t thinking rationally and Joseph had the unfortunate job of having to be the voice of doubt.

  “Is Hobbs alive?”

  “West doesn’t expect him to survive the night. The only reason he’s lived so far is he’s just a beast of a man.”

  “And Miss Hobbs?”

  “She’ll recover,” Robert said in relief. “She has trouble communicating and Dr. West said she shouldn’t speak for at least a few days, drink lots of fluids, and rest.”

  “Robert—” Joseph started. He was by no means convinced that Miss Hobbs had been the person who was responsible for Warren Hobbs’s almost certain demise, but his brother had to be prepared for the worst.

  “I know, Joseph. I know that I don’t know her. I know that the woman I created in my story is a fantasy. I know that my feelings, such as they are, aren’t based upon fact. I understand all of that, but what you don’t know—”

  Joseph held up a hand and asked as carefully as possible, “Is what I don’t know based upon fact?”

  “Bloody hell, Joseph,” Robert snapped with a dark look. “I’m not a child. What you don’t know is that Miss Hobbs is rather excessively bruised.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Lucy,” Robert said. “She got Dr. West to look at Miss Hobbs as soon as he finished with the cousin.”

  “And?” Joseph asked, hoping for his brother’s sake that it was good news. What Joseph was hearing, however, was another motive.

  “She’s pretty injured. She doesn’t have full range of motion on her arm.”

  “Are you saying that she wouldn’t have been able to strike him, even fearing for her life?”