Read Online Murder in Chelsea by Victoria Thompson - Free Book Online

to read anything into his grim expression. “Are you hungry?”
    “No, but I could use some coffee.”
    He followed her into the kitchen. Maeve greeted him.
    “I thought you’d be in bed by now,” he teased, taking a seat opposite her at the table.
    “And how would you expect me to sleep without knowing what you found out? And where you’ve been all day, too.”
    Sarah stoked the fire and put the coffee on to heat. “I’ve been wondering that myself,” Sarah said, trying not to sound as annoyed as she felt that he’d made them wait so long for the news.
    Then she noticed Malloy’s expression, and her annoyance evaporated. “What is it? What’s happened?”
    “Anne Murphy is dead.”
    Sarah needed a minute for the truth of it to sink in. When it did, she managed to lower herself into a chair before her knees gave way. “What did she die of?”
    “Somebody stabbed her.”
    “Dear heaven,” Maeve murmured.
    Sarah still could not make sense of it. “Who? Why?”
    “I don’t know that yet. I went to see her first thing this morning, and I found her dead. She was alone in the house, and whoever killed her had probably just left.”
    Sarah glanced at Maeve. Her face was white, her eyes wide with shock. Guilt tore at her. “You were right,” she told Malloy. “We should never have gone to see her alone.”
    He waved away her contrition. “It’s too late to argue about that now. There’s more, a lot more, and none of it is good news. I found Catherine’s father.”
    Sarah’s breath felt like a shard of glass in her chest. How could she bear this? “Who is he?”
    “His name is David Wilbanks. Does that mean anything to you?”
    Sarah shook her head. “No. Miss Murphy said he was a wealthy man. I thought I might know him, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name before.”
    “Maybe your father knows him, or at least knows of him. He wants Catherine.”
    Sarah covered her mouth to hold back a sob, and Maeve threw an arm over her shoulder.
    “We won’t let him have her,” the girl said, tears spilling down her cheeks.
    But Sarah could only shake her head. He was Catherine’s father. How could she keep his child from him? Fighting her own tears, Sarah said, “How did you find him?”
    “Anne Murphy had written him a letter. I found it in her room.”
    “So she did know who he was,” Sarah said, grasping on to anger like a lifeline to keep her from slipping into despair. “What did the letter say?”
    “She was offering to tell Wilbanks where Catherine was if he was willing to pay her for the information. I’m not sure why she wrote it but hadn’t mailed it. Maybe she would have sent it if Emma didn’t show up or something. We’ll probably never know, but it led me right to Wilbanks.”
    Fury swelled in her chest. “Did you tell him where Catherine was?”
    “Of course not, but he’s her father. He has a right to at least see her. And he’s dying.”
    “Dying? What do you mean?”
    “He’s got cancer, he said. He told me he only has a few months to live.”
    Sarah wanted to feel pity for this unknown man who could destroy her world, but instead she hated herself for feeling relief that he might not live to do so. “But he still wants Catherine.”
    “He told me he wanted to marry Emma Hardy so he could raise Catherine to be a respectable young lady.”
    “I thought he was already married,” Maeve said.
    “His wife died over a year ago. Remember Miss Murphy said that Emma and Wilbanks had an argument right before Emma ran away? Wilbanks said it was because she didn’t want to marry him.”
    “But that doesn’t make sense,” Sarah said.
    “None of this makes any sense,” Maeve said. “And why would somebody want to kill Miss Murphy, of all people?”
    Sarah didn’t know, and right now, all she could think about was losing her daughter. “How did you leave it with Wilbanks?”
    “I told him that until I find out who killed Miss Murphy and why she thought Catherine