Free Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson Page A

disturbancein the doorway distracted him. A woman had come in late but not quietly. Dressed all in black, she looked the part of a mourner, but her face betrayed not grief but fear and desperation. She glanced wildly around the room until she saw the still-open casket. An anguished cry escaped her, causing the minister to stutter in his prayer and all the mourners to lift their heads in surprise.
    She didn’t seem to notice everyone had turned to look at her as she took a step toward the casket and promptly fainted in a heap.

4
    G ino was already on his feet before Frank could move, but neither of them were quick enough to beat Virgil Adderly and his companions. If they really had been waiting for someone, this woman was probably the object of their anticipation. The smaller of Adderly’s friends reached her first and made short work of picking her up and carrying her out of the room. Adderly and his other friend followed. It was the work of a moment, and the minister picked up his prayer right where he’d left off.
    Gino glanced at Frank for direction. Someone needed to go after them. Frank shook his head and followed the men himself, taking a moment to close the parlor doors behind him. No sense disturbing the funeral any more than necessary.
    The male servant who had been helping old Mrs. Oakes was trying to get them to stop so someone could minister tothe stricken woman, but Adderly was intent on getting her out of there.
    â€œAdderly, you aren’t planning to kidnap that poor woman, are you?” Frank said.
    Adderly looked around in surprise to see Frank following them. He signaled his friend who was carrying the unconscious woman to stop. “I’m just going to take her home. She’s obviously indisposed.”
    â€œNothing a little smelling salts won’t cure,” Frank said. “Oh, look, she’s coming around without them.”
    The woman’s eyes fluttered, and she moaned softly, “Charles.”
    â€œGet her out of here,” Adderly snapped to the man still holding her, then turned to Frank. “You should mind your own business, Malloy.”
    â€œCharles Oakes’s death is my business.”
    â€œCharles,” the woman said again as she regained consciousness. She looked around in alarm. “Put me down, Amos!”
    Amos looked to Adderly, who nodded curtly. Amos set her down. Now that he had a chance to really look at her, Frank could see she was a rather plain woman a bit past her prime, although her figure was good. He’d thought for a minute, right before she fainted, that she might have been Oakes’s mistress, but now he realized that was unlikely.
    She was looking around frantically. “Where is he? I must see him!”
    â€œYou can’t see him, Ella. He didn’t want anything to do with you when he was alive, and you’re not going to make a fool of yourself in front of all those people.”
    She looked like she was going to argue with Adderly, and Frank figured an argument like that, with a female who was already on her way to being hysterical, could be very loud and unpleasant for the Oakes family.
    â€œThis isn’t really a good time to see him, miss,” Frank said, stepping forward.
    â€œWho are you?” she demanded.
    â€œA friend of Charles’s.” Frank ignored the glare Adderly was giving him. “You’ll want to spend some time with him alone, to say good-bye.” Frank was gratified to see the glimmer of hope in her muddy brown eyes. “If you let Mr. Adderly take you away now, you can come back later, after everyone’s gone, and have him all to yourself.”
    â€œOh, thank you!” she said. “Thank you so much.” She turned to Adderly. “You see, Virgil, Charles’s friends understand.”
    Adderly shot Frank a look of reluctant gratitude, then turned back to Ella. “Let me take you home now.”
    â€œAnd you’ll bring me back