Murder on Marble Row Read Online Free PDF Page B

certain that wasn’t it. “What can you tell me about Mr. Van Dyke’s son Creighton?”
    She glanced toward the door, as if afraid Alberta might come bursting in to stop her. Satisfied that she was safe, at least for the moment, she looked back at Frank with a smug smile. “Creighton is an anarchist.”
    â€œAn anarchist ?” Frank repeated incredulously. She couldn’t have any idea what the word meant, because if this were true, why hadn’t someone at Van Dyke’s office mentioned it already?
    â€œI think that’s what Gregory called him. I don’t know anything about politics, but Creighton got involved with some group of foreigners who don’t believe we should have a government. Can you imagine? How would we keep order without a government? Someone must tell people what to do, or they’ll run wild!”
    Frank had to agree. People ran pretty wild when they did have a government to tell them what to do. “How did he get involved with these people?” The step from being a millionaire’s son to an anarchist was a pretty big one.
    â€œA girl. Isn’t that always the reason young men do foolish things?” she asked sincerely. “He became infatuated with some girl, and suddenly, he was running off to these meetings where people ended up in fist fights and the police had to come. Can you imagine?”
    Unfortunately, he could. “Did Creighton get arrested?”
    â€œIf he did, I never heard about it, but he kept going to the meetings and saying the most outrageous things. He and Gregory argued about it constantly, but always behind closed doors. I’m sure Gregory wanted to protect me from such unpleasantness.”
    â€œI’m sure he did,” Frank agreed sympathetically.
    â€œI do know that anarchists use bombs and murder people,” she informed him with just a little too much satisfaction. “Gregory never told me anything about it, of course, but when Creighton moved out and went to live with those people . . . Well, some of our acquaintances were only too happy to enlighten me. Wealthy females can be terrible gossips, Detective,” she confided.
    Frank decided not to comment on that. “You said Creighton went to live with those people. Do you know where I can find him?”
    â€œCertainly not. Alberta might, though. She’s still quite devoted to him. I think she even sent him money after Gregory cut off his allowance.”
    â€œWhat about Thaddeus? Would he know where Creighton is?”
    Mrs. Van Dyke looked offended. “Absolutely not. Tad and his brother haven’t spoken since Creighton left here. Tad is devoted to his father and would never do anything to offend . . . Oh, my,” she said, suddenly paling. “I keep forgetting about Gregory . . . that he’s gone. It doesn’t seem real, like a bad dream, and I’ll wake up any moment and . . .”
    Her lovely eyes were filling with tears, and Frank knew she’d be dissolving into hysterics in another moment. That’s why he was so glad to hear the parlor door opening. Mrs. Decker had come back to rescue him.
    But when he looked up, he saw Sarah Brandt instead. His breath caught at the sight of her, and somehow, he managed not to swear.
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S ARAH BRANDT WAS JUST AS SHOCKED AS HE. “MALLOY, what are you doing here?” she asked, hardly able to believe her eyes. She hadn’t seen him for almost a month, and this was the last place she’d expected to encounter him.
    He’d risen to his feet, looking disapproving, as he always did whenever he found her someplace he didn’t think she should be. He didn’t have time to say anything, though, because Lilly Van Dyke spoke first.
    â€œSarah! How kind of you to come. I don’t know what’s going to become of me!” With that, she burst into tears.
    Propriety demanded that Sarah should go to comfort Lilly, even though she wanted to talk to