Read Online Murder in Murray Hill (Gaslight Mystery) by Victoria Thompson - Free Book Online

that with you?” his mother called.
    “Mrs. Brandt,” he said, knowing his mother wouldn’t like that one bit.
    “Good evening, Mrs. Malloy,” she said, giving his mother her best smile as they approached. Rich women learned early how to smile at people who hated them, and Frank was glad Sarah had that training. She’d never needed it more.
    “If you’ve come for supper, I don’t know what I can give you,” his mother said, her hands clutching each other as if she had to stop them from going for Sarah’s throat. But maybe that was just his imagination.
    “Thank you, but we’ve eaten,” Sarah said, ruffling Brian’s hair affectionately. He gazed up at her adoringly, which couldn’t have made Frank’s mother any happier.
    “We need to talk to you, Ma, about something important,” Frank said. He reached down and lifted Brian up for a kiss. The boy wrapped his slender arms around Frank’s neck as if he would never let go. When Frank looked back at his mother, he saw the color had drained from her face, and the light had vanished from her eyes.
    “I guess you’d better come in, then,” she said, her voice flat with despair.
    He exchanged a glance with Sarah, who shrugged. Sarah had noticed, too, but there was nothing for it but to tell her. They’d known it wouldn’t be easy.
    Frank and Sarah sat down together on the sofa, and Brian crawled up into Sarah’s lap. A worn shawl covered the seat to protect it from wear and dirt, because heaven knew when they might ever be able to replace it. The antimacassars lying across the back protected it from the hair oil that might rub off and stain the fabric. Frank glanced around the rest of the room, really seeing it for the first time he could remember. The furnishings were cheap and a bit worn, but his mother kept the place immaculate, even though she had her hands full with a five-year-old boy, and for the past year she’d been taking him to school every day, too. He’d never really appreciated her until this moment.
    His mother perched on the rocking chair that was left over from when Brian had been a baby. She didn’t rock, though. She sat forward, as if preparing to make a quick escape if necessary, her hands clutching the arms like claws.
    “Well, what is it?” she demanded when no one spoke. She sounded almost desperate, and Frank felt the sting of guilt for putting her through this.
    “I should’ve told you sooner, but I didn’t want you to worry until we had everything settled.”
    Her troubled glance darted to Sarah and back to him. “So it’s settled now, is it?”
    “Ma, you remember when Mrs. Brandt’s daughter, Catherine . . . Well, when her father tried to claim her.”
    “Of course I remember. Do you think I’m touched in the head?”
    He was making a botch of this already, but they’d agreed he would tell her this part, so he soldiered on. “Catherine’s father was a very wealthy man, and he wanted to make sure she was well taken care of after he died.”
    She glanced at Sarah again, this time with disdain. “So he left the girl well fixed, did he?”
    “Not exactly. He didn’t want anyone to take advantage of her, so he left the money to someone else, somebody he named as her guardian.”
    She stiffened. “Better still. Now I guess you’re rich, Mrs. Brandt, and you can take care of a family of your own.”
    Sarah gave her a sweet smile, acting as if she didn’t notice the sarcasm behind the words. “He didn’t leave the money to me, Mrs. Malloy. I don’t think he trusted a mere female to handle it.”
    “He left it to me, Ma.”
    She blinked several times before she said, “To you?”
    “Yes. He named me Catherine’s guardian, and he left me enough money to take care of her.”
    “He had a lot of respect for Mr. Malloy,” Sarah added. “He thought he could trust Mr. Malloy to do what was best for his daughter.”
    Mrs. Malloy nodded slowly, her expression bleak, her jaw clenched as if bracing for a blow. “I