Read Online Murder on Waverly Place by Victoria Thompson - Free Book Online
Authors: Victoria Thompson
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mention Maggie or the séance, and Sarah believed she had put it all behind her. The next two weeks passed uneventfully. Sarah delivered a few babies, and her mother chanced to visit when she was out, so they hadn’t seen each other again. Then one day, her doorbell rang.
Catherine and Maeve hurried to answer it. Sarah thought it would be a summons to another delivery until she heard Maeve call.
“Mrs. Brandt, there’s a policeman here to see you.”
She didn’t sound alarmed, but Sarah knew this couldn’t be good news. She hurried out of the kitchen and through the front room that served as her medical office into the entry hall. She found the girls staring at a handsome young man in a blue uniform. He held his hat in both hands in front of his chest, and he was staring at Maeve with more than a little interest.
“Officer Donatelli?” Sarah asked in surprise.
He looked up. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Brandt,” he said, suddenly all business. “I’m sorry to bother you, but Detective Sergeant Malloy sent me to fetch you.”
“What for?” she asked in surprise. She hadn’t heard from Malloy for weeks and she knew he’d never send for her unless it was something very serious.
“There’s been some trouble . . .” He glanced meaningfully at Catherine, who was listening intently to every word.
“Maeve, would you take Catherine upstairs?” Sarah asked, worried herself now.
Plainly, neither girl wanted to miss hearing Officer Donatelli’s news, but they obediently marched up the stairs. When they were safely out of earshot, Sarah asked urgently, “Is Malloy all right?”
“Oh, yes, ma’am,” he hastened to assure her. “He just . . . Well, it’s your mother, you see.”
“My mother!” she echoed in alarm. “Has she been injured?”
“Oh, no, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. She’s fine, just fine. It’s just . . .”
“What is it!” she demanded impatiently when he hesitated.
“Well, I’m sorry to say that there’s been a murder.”
“Who was murdered? Someone I know?”
“I don’t know if you do or not, but it happened at a séance.”
“A séance! At Madame Serafina’s?”
“Yes, ma’am, that’s it, on Waverly Place.”
“And my mother was there?” Sarah asked, almost wailing in despair.
“I’m afraid she was. That’s why they called for Detective Sergeant Malloy. She asked for him special.”
Of course she had. She knew he would handle everything with the utmost discretion. If he could. If anyone could. What would happen when the press found out that someone had been murdered at a séance attended by a half-dozen socially prominent citizens, one of them Mrs. Felix Decker?
“And he sent me to get you,” Officer Donatelli was saying. “He wanted you to make sure your mother gets home all right.”
Sarah sighed wearily. “I’ll get my things.”
4
D ETECTIVE SERGEANT FRANK MALLOY COULDN’T BELIEVE it. He’d managed to keep Sarah Brandt from becoming involved in a murder investigation for weeks, and now she was summoning him to one!
At least that’s what he’d been told. They’d sent a uniformed officer out to track him down where he was investigating a warehouse robbery over near the docks this morning. They’d told him somebody’d been murdered at a séance, and Sarah Brandt was there and demanding he be brought in to investigate. That sounded like Sarah. Imagine his surprise when he arrived at the house to find not Sarah at all but her mother, Elizabeth Decker.
“I couldn’t give the police my real name,” Mrs. Decker explained to him the moment they were alone. He’d immediately taken her to what appeared to be some sort of office to interrogate her in private. “Do you know what the newspapers would do if they found out I was present at a murder?”
“But nobody would think twice about your daughter being at one,” Frank said with a weary sigh.
“Exactly.” Mrs. Decker gave him an approving smile. “And she’d already been
Catherine and Maeve hurried to answer it. Sarah thought it would be a summons to another delivery until she heard Maeve call.
“Mrs. Brandt, there’s a policeman here to see you.”
She didn’t sound alarmed, but Sarah knew this couldn’t be good news. She hurried out of the kitchen and through the front room that served as her medical office into the entry hall. She found the girls staring at a handsome young man in a blue uniform. He held his hat in both hands in front of his chest, and he was staring at Maeve with more than a little interest.
“Officer Donatelli?” Sarah asked in surprise.
He looked up. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Brandt,” he said, suddenly all business. “I’m sorry to bother you, but Detective Sergeant Malloy sent me to fetch you.”
“What for?” she asked in surprise. She hadn’t heard from Malloy for weeks and she knew he’d never send for her unless it was something very serious.
“There’s been some trouble . . .” He glanced meaningfully at Catherine, who was listening intently to every word.
“Maeve, would you take Catherine upstairs?” Sarah asked, worried herself now.
Plainly, neither girl wanted to miss hearing Officer Donatelli’s news, but they obediently marched up the stairs. When they were safely out of earshot, Sarah asked urgently, “Is Malloy all right?”
“Oh, yes, ma’am,” he hastened to assure her. “He just . . . Well, it’s your mother, you see.”
“My mother!” she echoed in alarm. “Has she been injured?”
“Oh, no, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. She’s fine, just fine. It’s just . . .”
“What is it!” she demanded impatiently when he hesitated.
“Well, I’m sorry to say that there’s been a murder.”
“Who was murdered? Someone I know?”
“I don’t know if you do or not, but it happened at a séance.”
“A séance! At Madame Serafina’s?”
“Yes, ma’am, that’s it, on Waverly Place.”
“And my mother was there?” Sarah asked, almost wailing in despair.
“I’m afraid she was. That’s why they called for Detective Sergeant Malloy. She asked for him special.”
Of course she had. She knew he would handle everything with the utmost discretion. If he could. If anyone could. What would happen when the press found out that someone had been murdered at a séance attended by a half-dozen socially prominent citizens, one of them Mrs. Felix Decker?
“And he sent me to get you,” Officer Donatelli was saying. “He wanted you to make sure your mother gets home all right.”
Sarah sighed wearily. “I’ll get my things.”
4
D ETECTIVE SERGEANT FRANK MALLOY COULDN’T BELIEVE it. He’d managed to keep Sarah Brandt from becoming involved in a murder investigation for weeks, and now she was summoning him to one!
At least that’s what he’d been told. They’d sent a uniformed officer out to track him down where he was investigating a warehouse robbery over near the docks this morning. They’d told him somebody’d been murdered at a séance, and Sarah Brandt was there and demanding he be brought in to investigate. That sounded like Sarah. Imagine his surprise when he arrived at the house to find not Sarah at all but her mother, Elizabeth Decker.
“I couldn’t give the police my real name,” Mrs. Decker explained to him the moment they were alone. He’d immediately taken her to what appeared to be some sort of office to interrogate her in private. “Do you know what the newspapers would do if they found out I was present at a murder?”
“But nobody would think twice about your daughter being at one,” Frank said with a weary sigh.
“Exactly.” Mrs. Decker gave him an approving smile. “And she’d already been
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