Read Online Love in Disguise by Carol Cox - Free Book Online Page B

the behavior she had witnessed so far, she could understand why. “Then perhaps you need a hobby, something you can pursue on your own. What do you like to do?”
    A wide grin lit Billy’s face. “I like finding out things about people. I’m really good at that. I might even be a spy when I grow up. I’d make a fine one, don’t you think?”
    “Hmm.” Ellie chose not to comment on that. “How about this, then? Do you think you could do your spying somewhere besides my front yard?”
    The light in Billy’s eyes dimmed. “Yeah, I guess.” He slipped out of the rocker without further comment and shuffled across the street to his house.
    Ellie watched him go, feeling an unaccountable tightness in her throat. A ray from the afternoon sun caught her squarely in the eye, reminding her that the day was marching on. Time to get to work.
    Back inside her bedroom, she surveyed her appearance in the oval mirror over her dressing table, finding it surprisingly presentable after the rigors of traveling. Smoothing the wrinkles out of her dress as best she could, she checked to make sure the gray wig was fastened securely and straightened her wide-brimmed hat. She was ready to begin.
    But how? Ellie stared at Lavinia’s reflection. The idea of investigating sounded simple enough, but she had no clue what steps were actually involved in accomplishing the task. If only Fleming and Gates had given her more details than the bare information she needed in order to serve as “window dressing.”
    Question the suspects. Wasn’t that what the fictional detectives she’d read about would do? Surely that would be a promising place to start. But she had to locate the suspects first. How was she supposed to do that? On her journey west, she’d envisioned herself asking clever questions of the people in town. Now that she had arrived, she could see she would have to revise her thinking. The people of Pickford seemed to know everyone else’s business. If she wandered around asking questions of every individual she encountered, the whole town would know about it by nightfall. Hardly a good way to keep from drawing attention to herself.
    Instead of Chicago, where neighbors could be virtual strangers, Pickford reminded her of the tight-knit theatrical community, where gossip whispered in one ear would find its way to everyone else in the company in short order.
    Ellie sighed. She’d told the Pinkertons she was resourceful; now she had to prove it.
    She pulled her notes from her reticule and spread them on the dining table, then sat down to study them. Miners, business owners, ranchers. She tucked her lower lip between her teeth. That information was a start, but she had no idea how to go about contacting them.
    With a low moan, she rested her forehead on the heel of her hand. Her situation was becoming more complicated every moment. Would it be appropriate for an older lady to go around asking questions of rough miners and saloonkeepers? How could she possibly learn anything if she had to observe from a distance? Ellie gritted her teeth and slapped her hand on the table. How could Norma abandon her?
    She needed to calm down. There had to be a way. . . . She had no training in being a detective, but she’d spent her life around the theater. The situation in Pickford, filled with nefarious thieves, eccentric characters, and an exotic setting, was a drama of its own, one in which she now found herself enmeshed. Could she somehow use the things she did know to her advantage? After all, she had seen plenty of performances on stage. She knew how a play should be structured.
    “If this were a play,” she murmured, “what would happen next?” She pushed her chair away from the table and paced the length of the parlor.
    “Act one, scene one: the crime is committed. Act one, scene two: the detective arrives and . . . and . . .” Her steps lagged, and she stopped dead in the middle of the braided rug. Try as she might, not a single