planning to draw his picture. He was medium built, long dark hair. Blue eyes. Don’t really remember anything else, nor care. As I told you, makes no difference who comes and who says what, nothing goes out until I get me rent. I’m tired of people coming in here like it was a public place, first that Abberline copper, then the one yesterday that made a fine mess going through everything, now you doing only the lord knows what. Nothing leaves here ’til I get me money.”
“Very good policy. I only left the officer in charge of the investigation, Inspector Abberline, a short time ago. I have one other question. What was Hailey’s mood in those last few days before she died?”
“How would I know? I leave my boarders to themselves. As long as they pay their rent on time, have no shenanigans in their rooms, and be here before I lock the doors at night, I don’t care what their moods are or what they do. I keep my nose out of their lives.”
She’s lying, of course. The woman probably spies on her boarders.
“Did she talk to you or any of the other boarders about a particular story she was working on?”
“ No, now—”
“Miss…” The voice comes from the maid.
“Maggie, go attend to your chores.”
The maid quickly disappears down the hallway.
Mrs. Franklin turns back to me and points at the open door. “And until I see payment, you can leave, too.”
“I’ll arrange payment and be back to select the clothing.”
What a witch—to put it politely—but I know I have gone as far as I can get with her, so I leave. Besides, the diary is burning a hole in my thoughts and I need to get somewhere to read it. What a find—if a young woman is going to confess her life and loves anywhere, it will be in her secret journal.
As I step out the front door of the house and start down the stairs, I hear, “Miss, Miss—”
The maid comes out the front door behind me and hurries down, looking nervously back at it.
“You wanted to know about Hailey’s mood. She was happy, not depressed. And excited. We did talk sometimes. She told me she’d met the perfect man, that’s why I was so surprised when the police came and found her note.”
“Did she tell you who the man was?”
“No. She couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“She said she couldn’t because he was very important and well known with the rich and powerful. She said him and her needed time to figure things out before making their romance public.”
“When did she tell you this?”
“Three days before she took her life. She came home late and I sneaked her in. I couldn’t help notice she was wearing a beautiful ring. I asked who gave it to her and she told me it was a gift from the man she loved and that I mustn’t tell anyone about it. It was a secret. She also said she was going to be moving out, that this man was going to take care of everything. She was so happy.”
“What did the ring look like?”
“It was a ruby surrounded by diamonds … very expensive.”
She didn’t have a ring like that at the morgue. If she had it on when her body was recovered, the morgue attendant or someone earlier took it. “Did she talk to you about any of the stories she was working on?”
“Yes, yes…” She looks back at the front door.
“It’s okay; she’s probably still in Hailey’s room adding up how much she can sell everything for.”
Maggie puts her hand to her mouth to smother a laugh. “You know Mrs. Franklin for sure, you do. About a week before she done herself in, Miss McGuire said she was working on a story that would give her … oh, what was the word … recognition. She was so excited, but I have no idea what it was about. I’m sorry I can’t be more help. She was always so secretive about the news stories she worked on. But I think I know something.” Maggie uses a confidential tone and glances back again to see if the boogey woman has reared her ugly head.
“Three or four days before she died, I was cleaning her room
“Very good policy. I only left the officer in charge of the investigation, Inspector Abberline, a short time ago. I have one other question. What was Hailey’s mood in those last few days before she died?”
“How would I know? I leave my boarders to themselves. As long as they pay their rent on time, have no shenanigans in their rooms, and be here before I lock the doors at night, I don’t care what their moods are or what they do. I keep my nose out of their lives.”
She’s lying, of course. The woman probably spies on her boarders.
“Did she talk to you or any of the other boarders about a particular story she was working on?”
“ No, now—”
“Miss…” The voice comes from the maid.
“Maggie, go attend to your chores.”
The maid quickly disappears down the hallway.
Mrs. Franklin turns back to me and points at the open door. “And until I see payment, you can leave, too.”
“I’ll arrange payment and be back to select the clothing.”
What a witch—to put it politely—but I know I have gone as far as I can get with her, so I leave. Besides, the diary is burning a hole in my thoughts and I need to get somewhere to read it. What a find—if a young woman is going to confess her life and loves anywhere, it will be in her secret journal.
As I step out the front door of the house and start down the stairs, I hear, “Miss, Miss—”
The maid comes out the front door behind me and hurries down, looking nervously back at it.
“You wanted to know about Hailey’s mood. She was happy, not depressed. And excited. We did talk sometimes. She told me she’d met the perfect man, that’s why I was so surprised when the police came and found her note.”
“Did she tell you who the man was?”
“No. She couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“She said she couldn’t because he was very important and well known with the rich and powerful. She said him and her needed time to figure things out before making their romance public.”
“When did she tell you this?”
“Three days before she took her life. She came home late and I sneaked her in. I couldn’t help notice she was wearing a beautiful ring. I asked who gave it to her and she told me it was a gift from the man she loved and that I mustn’t tell anyone about it. It was a secret. She also said she was going to be moving out, that this man was going to take care of everything. She was so happy.”
“What did the ring look like?”
“It was a ruby surrounded by diamonds … very expensive.”
She didn’t have a ring like that at the morgue. If she had it on when her body was recovered, the morgue attendant or someone earlier took it. “Did she talk to you about any of the stories she was working on?”
“Yes, yes…” She looks back at the front door.
“It’s okay; she’s probably still in Hailey’s room adding up how much she can sell everything for.”
Maggie puts her hand to her mouth to smother a laugh. “You know Mrs. Franklin for sure, you do. About a week before she done herself in, Miss McGuire said she was working on a story that would give her … oh, what was the word … recognition. She was so excited, but I have no idea what it was about. I’m sorry I can’t be more help. She was always so secretive about the news stories she worked on. But I think I know something.” Maggie uses a confidential tone and glances back again to see if the boogey woman has reared her ugly head.
“Three or four days before she died, I was cleaning her room
Similar Books
