Murder of the Mysterious Maid

by Megan Mollson

  Rubbing my forehead, I turned my thoughts to the burglaries. All the finest houses had been hit. The thieves had an intimate knowledge of each household’s habits and attacked when the houses were empty. They stole paintings, jewelry, and valuable knickknacks. It would take a refined eye to know what things were worth stealing and which wouldn’t fetch a good price.

  How strange to come home and find that your home had been burglarized and that someone nefarious had been watching and learning the patterns of the household. It would have to be someone who could blend in or hide well or….

  I sat up, heart pounding suddenly. “No, it can’t be…” I bit my lip, knowing full well that my horrifying brainstorm could absolutely be true.

  I let out a shaky breath and groaned. The thief had to be someone who knew the family’s habits well. It might be someone who had lived in Brinkman all his life and knew every hiding place and every unlocked door. It might be someone whose family had lost their fortune and was angry at society’s rules.

  What if Will was the thief? What if he was a part of the gang of thieves? I groaned again, dropping my head into my hands. It felt disloyal to even imagine such a thing, but I would be a fool to ignore it completely. As much as I hated to think it, I had to consider Will a suspect.

  But what should I do about it? I loathed the idea of telling Father or Cal. If he was half the detective Father thought he was, Cal would discover this information on his own. Wouldn’t he? Surely it would be better for me to pretend that I hadn’t suspected Will and act shocked if he was arrested. Was I a good enough actress to pull that off?

  Of course, Will’s family had been burglarized. “He might have done it to throw the police off his scent,” I whispered, agonized. If Will was clever enough to have devised the burglaries, he was certainly capable of planning this heist.

  I couldn’t decide what to do and I chafed. In the end, I put off making a decision, though my stomach ached and my head pounded with the effort of not thinking about it.

  When Cal didn’t appear for supper, my spirits sank even lower. Father praised my good thinking about the letter and I forced a weak smile, though we both agreed that we were no closer to finding the killer than when we first began. I went to bed early and tried to get lost in a novel, before finally giving up, and tossing and turning for the rest of the night.

  ***

  I’m not sure what I’d expected to find at the Dennis’ house the next day, but an uproar was not it. Their butler let me in to the front room with more agitation than I’d ever seen from him. He was clearly ruffled and displeased about it.

  “Er, I’ll let Miss Dennis know you’ve arrived,” he said and glanced up sharply when a shout from upstairs shook the chandelier.

  “What do you mean, you’re going to marry her?!” a man’s voice hollered.

  The butler gave me an apologetic look which I answered with an understanding smile. I perched on the seat of a chair and folded my hands neatly in my lap. So, Karl had decided to stand by Miss Reid. Apparently, his parents were as unhappy with the choice as the young couple had feared.

  “But her father is a cobbler!” Mrs. Dennis cried. “We can’t be associated with such low people!”

  I couldn’t quite hear Karl’s response, but his voice sounded agitated. Well, good for him. I hoped he had the courage to stand firm against his parents.

  Paula entered the room looking flustered. “I’m so sorry for all this,” she waved her hand upwards. “We’ve been in chaos all morning.”

  “What?!” Mr. Dennis bellowed, his voice making us jump.

  Paula cringed. “Why don’t we go outside and walk in the gardens?”

  I agreed readily and we escaped the house with great relief.

  “Karl arrived home last night. He didn’t say much about why he’d been let out. I don’t know that Mother or Father thought much about it. Then, this morning, Karl announced that he loved Miss Reid and that they’ve been corresponding for months.” Paula waved a fly away and we turned onto a pleasant, shrub-lined path.

  “I’m impressed,” I admitted, trying to feel out my friend’s opinion of the situation. “I like Miss Reid. She came to the house when she learned that Karl had been arrested. That took a lot of courage.”

  “I know,” Paula agreed. “We had a chance to talk while you were gone. I like her, too. And she seems to truly like Karl, not just his money like Father keeps saying.” She sighed. “It’s like something out of a romance novel.”

  I couldn’t help giggling. “It is romantic, isn’t it?”

  Paula grinned. “It’s hard to imagine my own brother doing anything that might even be close to romantic. Still, I have to admit that exchanging secret love letters with a poor girl is very romantic.”

  “Do you think that he’ll marry her if your parents don’t relent? Might they cut him off from inheriting?” I worried.

  “Karl’s work for Father at the bank is too good for that sort of threat to mean much. He could get a job anywhere. By the time something happens to Father, Karl will have surpassed him in wealth. I’m sure he’d like their approval, but there’s not much they can do to stop him. He and Miss Reid can elope and move to Chicago or New York City anytime they like.”

  “And you think they will?”

  “If there’s no other way, it wouldn’t surprise me at all. Karl has never been one for writing letters. He must think Miss Reid hung the moon if he’s been writing to her for the better part of a year.” Paula laughed, before sobering. “I’m only afraid that this will mean that I’ll have to marry well to make up for it.”

  I patted her arm sympathetically.

  She grimaced. “Mother’s always cared about those sorts of things. I doubt even marrying someone like Will Edwards would please her and their family has been around since before Brinkman was founded.”

  I tucked the mention of Will’s name away, my stomach clenching.

  We turned a corner and were facing the house. Karl’s back was to us, framed in an upstairs window. His hands were on his hips and he moved as though he was on the defensive. It seemed that, for now at least, he was standing strong against his parents’ wishes.

  A flash of sunlight from near the ground caught my eye. I blinked, trying to understand what was reflecting the sun. My hand came up to block the next flash and I noticed that, whatever this was, was directly below the broken laundry room window. I forgot to pay attention to what Paula was saying and strode over to the house.

  When I drew closer, I had to look carefully through the flowers under the window to find the offending object. As I moved my head, I saw that it was a shard of glass throwing off the light and I reached for it slowly.

  “What is it, Rose?” Paula called from behind me.

  I got to my feet slowly and held the piece of glass out to her. “Why is there broken glass outside this window?”

  Paula looked at it and then up at the window, considering. Her forehead unwrinkled suddenly and she said, “Don’t you remember? The window in the laundry room broke and Mother made Annie clean it up.”

  “Yes, of course, but why is it outside?” I couldn’t think of a way that someone entering the house would have knocked the glass back outside.

  Paula seemed confused. “Well, the glass was all outside.”

  My head jerked up. “What? The glass was outside?”

  “Of course,” she nodded vigorously. “The window was broken and there was glass all over the flowers. Mother’s especially proud of the begonias here and she was worried that the glass would harm them, so she sent Annie out to pick it up. I suppose she missed that piece. Why do you look so shocked?”

  “I assumed that window was broken into the house. That someone broke it in order to enter.” My mind was reeling and my heart pounding. Was this an important clue? I couldn’t decide if it was or not.

  “Does it make a difference?” Paula wondered.

  I bit my lip. That was the very question I was mulling over.

  ***


  Cal didn’t eat supper with us, much to my disappointment. Never before had I been more anxious to speak with him. Did the police know that the window had been broken from the inside? I didn’t want to say anything in front of Father in case this wasn’t news. Cal would tell me the truth without making me feel foolish. Although, his absence allowed me to push aside my worries about Will.

  I sagged with relief when Harrison announced his arrival after supper was over. He was coming from an investigation and thought he’d drop by and catch up Father on his cases. When Father heard that Cal hadn’t eaten yet, he went off in search of a plate himself, forgetting completely that we had people to do this very thing for us.

  Still, I was glad for the time alone with Cal and quickly filled him in on what I’d learned at the Dennises.

  “Did you know that the window was broken from the inside?” I asked urgently, keeping my voice low. “I’d assumed all along that the window was broken from the outside.”

  “I’d assumed that as well,” he reached in his coat and pulled out his notebook. For a long moment, he flipped through it until he came to the pages filled with the facts of Flora’s murder. “No, there’s no mention of where the glass fell.”

  “I suppose it was the fact that the maid cleaned it up rather than the gardener,” I mused. “It made me think that she did the work inside the house.”

  Cal returned his notebook to his pocket. “That means that the killer either broke the window in the struggle with Flora or when he left. It opens up some interesting possibilities.”

  “What are you thinking?” I pressed.

  “I’m not sure just yet,” Cal grinned ruefully.

  I sagged in disappointment. “It’s strange that the window was used for escape when the laundry room door was unlocked and not far away. It just doesn’t make sense.”

  “It’s possible the killer heard someone coming and decided to make a hasty exit.”

  “That’s the only reason I can think of,” I agreed. Feeling daring, I said, “I’ve been wondering about the father of Flora’s baby. He seems like a likely suspect, especially because he hasn’t come forward yet. If she was married, wouldn’t her husband have come to the police by now?”

  Cal nodded. “The fact that we know so little about her is very strange. No one knows her or worked with her before. She has no family that we can find. She didn’t rent a room in town. No witnesses have said she arrived on a train. It’s as though she was intentionally trying not to leave a trace of herself.”

  “Perhaps she was escaping a cruel husband,” I suggested. I didn’t mention the problem of Flora’s repeated trips to the laundry room at the same time. I didn’t want Cal finding my theory as problematic as I did.

  “It’s an idea,” Cal shrugged. “Don’t worry, Miss Lunceford, we’re not out of ideas yet. We’re going to find who did this.”

  “And you’ll let me know if you learn anything?” I practically begged.

  He smiled indulgently. “Only if you promise to do the same.”

  The smile I tried to return was wobbly at best. Was I hiding something important by not confessing my fears about Will? Would Cal consider this some sort of terrible betrayal of trust if ever found out?

  Father returned, leading Harrison who carried a full tray. I let the two policemen discuss the various cases, not really listening. I was busy not dwelling on Will and instead forcing myself to appreciate how kind Cal was to include me and how good looking he was in his navy blue suit.

  Chapter Twelve

  You can imagine my surprise when Father announced a few days later that he’d hired a maid to help me dress. I was immediately touched by his thoughtfulness and grateful that I no longer had to suffer Nellie’s untrained fingers helping to fix my hair. The new girl began the following day and I had high hopes for her.

  I was especially excited because that night was the annual police charity ball. Wealthy families paid to eat supper, drink wine, and dance until very late. As the daughter of the chief of police, I had obligations to help act as hostess. It was, therefore, even more important that my appearance be just right. I insisted to myself repeatedly that Cal’s presence had nothing to do with my concerns about my appearance. After the fiftieth time, I almost believed myself.

  “My name is June, miss,” the new girl said as she bobbed a wobbly curtsy.

  We sized each other up. She was plain with a broad face, small eyes, and pale lips, her light hair pulled back severely. I couldn’t decide if she looked competent or not and then realized just how ridiculous that idea was. A maid I’d known years ago had told me that the best maids were plain since ladies assumed their husbands would leave such girls alone. Perhaps that bode well for this June.

  “Tonight is a very important event,” I told her, deciding we might as well jump right in. “My dress is ready, but I’d like to style my hair differently. Do you have much experience with the pompadour style?”

  It didn’t take long for my hopes to come crashing down and my annoyance with my father to grow to new heights. June had absolutely no experience as a lady’s maid. She was worse than Nellie had been. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the poor girl had a habit of giggling nervously and apologizing every time she fumbled a pin or bumped my arm or dropped the hair brush.

  My petticoats flummoxed her and she struggled with the stays of my corset. She could braid my hair, but had no idea how to pin it attractively. I had to bite my tongue not to criticize her incompetence. I could see a cloud settling over her countenance as she worked. Only when tears filled her eyes did my annoyance make way for compassion.

  “Here, June, sit down,” I urged as gently as I could manage through my frustration.

  She dropped onto a chair and burst into tears.

  “There, there,” I murmured, rubbing her arm gently, slightly exasperated. “It’s not so bad as all that.”

  “I’m terrible, miss, aren’t I?” she hiccupped.

  “Have you ever been a lady’s maid before?”

  She shook her head reluctantly. “I’ve been a chamber maid lots of times. I always hoped I could be a lady’s maid, but no one would give me a chance.”

  Of course. Of course Father would hire a girl with no experience. Knowing the difference between a chamber maid and a lady’s maid would be something that never occurred to him to learn. He would think that a girl who wanted to be a lady’s maid should be given the opportunity. It was almost endearing, but I was far too irritated to notice that.

  “Dry your eyes,” I sighed. “There’s nothing to be done for it now. If you’re a good student, I should be able to teach you all you need to know to be a lady’s maid.”

  “Oh, yes, miss! I’ll do my best.” She looked so hopeful that I regretted my lack of confidence in her ability to learn.

  We muddled through. I told her everything I could think of and, admittedly, she didn’t do too badly. Granted, it took all my self-control to keep from letting my annoyance creep into my voice. It was hard to believe that a young woman would have no idea how to handle silk stockings or fasten a garter properly or select gloves.

  Fixing my hair was the hardest task for poor June. Her own thin locks were twisted into the simplest of knots at the back of her neck. She had no experience with how to place or secure a head frame, how to deal with a hairpiece and make it look natural. It wasn’t the sort of thing I could do for myself and I feared that I would have to give it up and wear my usual style. Thankfully, though, Nellie arrived on the scene and between the two girls, they managed to arrange my hair according to my specifications.

  Father, though, was almost apoplectic at the length of time it had taken me to dress. He insisted that we were very late and practically stormed out to the carriage before I had time to arrange my fox fur stole about my shoulders. Naturally, I was too upset with him to apologize. As far as I was concerned, it was his fault that I was so late. If he’d hired a girl who knew what she was doing, I’d have been dressed much sooner. No, if he’d hi
red a maid for me before I came to live with him, we wouldn’t be in this situation.

  I was out of sorts by the time we arrived at the house where the ball was being held. It would never do for me to air my grievances, so I had to push them aside and act as though the air in the carriage hadn’t been thick with tension. Mrs. Daniels greeted me cordially into her home and I thanked her effusively for hosting this wonderful event. She assured me it was her pleasure and civic duty and asked me to join her in greeting the guests.

  By the time everyone had arrived, my face was sore from smiling, though my temper was much more settled. Supper was an informal affair served around small tables in the Daniels’ elegant ballroom. Father and I had been seated with Cal and I sank into my seat with a sigh, glad to have one fewer person with whom to make small talk. The other people at our table knew Father and engaged him in lively conversation. I needed to do nothing more than smile and answer the occasional question as to how I was enjoying the evening or the food.

  The dancing began as tables ahead of us finished eating first. I’d been looking forward to this part of the evening, but the struggle to dress, the frustrations with Father, and the unceasing line of guests to greet had worn down my enthusiasm greatly. Our table was tucked back against the wall which meant I wasn’t immediately visible. For the first time in my life, I was glad for the excuse not to fill my dance card.

  I spotted Paula Dennis as she waltzed past in the arms of a young man. I wondered if Karl and Miss Reid would be here tonight. Had he managed to smooth over the waters with his parents or would he be banished from their table for the foreseeable future? I knew Miss Reid would have received an invitation from the Daniels’ and would have to have been Karl’s guest. I hoped to find a chance to speak with Paula and satiate my curiosity on the point.

  Neither Will nor his parents were in attendance. The event required a sizable donation or being related to the police and the Edwards family were not in possession of either. I felt my friend’s absence keenly. Will, at least, would have sought me out for at least a dance or two and made me laugh as we twirled across the floor.