later?â
âOf course,â he lied.
She turned back to Frank. âThank you, sir. You are truly a gentleman.â
Frank nodded his acknowledgment and watched Adderly guide her down the stairs and out of the house with his two thugs at his heels.
Now wasnât that interesting. Adderly claimed to have helped Oakes get his patronage appointment at the Manhattan State Hospital, and maybe he had, but who was this woman Ella and how did she know Charles Oakes? She was obviously not quite right in the head either, so he also had to wonder if she might have poisoned poor Charles when she realized he didnât want anything to do with her. In his police work, heâd dealt with women who had developed an unhealthyâand unrequitedâattachment to some man, and this looked like another version of that malady.
Of course, she would have had to have access to Charles in his home, which didnât seem likely, but Frank had learned not to jump to conclusions where murder was concerned.
âMr. Malloy?â the butler said. âThank you very much for your assistance, sir.â
âOh, youâre welcome. I was glad to help.â
âWould you like to go back into the service now?â
He really wanted to go after Adderly and find out more about this mysterious female, but heâd have time for that later. âI suppose so.â
âPlease follow me, then, sir.â
â¢Â   â¢Â   â¢
A fter the funeral and the meal, Gino and Maeve were waiting for them back at Sarahâs parentsâ house, which was only a few blocks from the Oakesesâ house. The Deckers greeted the young people and made everyone comfortable in the rear parlor, the room the family used most often.
âWho on earth was that woman who fainted?â Mrs. Decker asked when they were settled.
Frank noticed that Gino had taken a seat beside Maeve on the sofa. She was no longer clinging to his arm, and they seemed more comfortable together than they had been.
âHer name is Ella,â Frank said. âAdderly and his friends were waiting for her to arrive.â
âIs Adderly the rough-looking fellow with the two, uh, companions?â Sarah asked.
âYes. I got the feeling they had been expecting her to arrive and make a scene, and they all seemed to know each other very well. She was upset about Charles Oakesâs death and wanted to pay her respects, whatever she thought that meant, but Adderly was determined she wasnât going to make a fool of herself in front of everyone.â
âShe managed to make a spectacle of herself in spite of him, though,â Mrs. Decker said.
âIt wasnât as bad as it wouldâve been if Adderly hadnât gotten her out of there,â Frank said.
âBut what relationship does she have with Charles Oakes?â Sarah asked.
âSheâs apparently in love with him or thinks she is, and according to what Adderly said, Oakes didnât want anything to do with her. Iâd like to get her side of the story, though.â
âAnd find out where she was when Oakes was poisoned,â Gino added grimly.
âSo, enough about Miss Ella. Gino, did you notice anything suspicious?â
Gino glanced at Maeve. âMaeve did.â
âWhat was it?â
Maeve frowned. âCharlesâs wife. She never shed a tear.â
âI think we already decided she didnât care much for her husband,â Sarah said.
âBut did you notice all the menâthe young ones, I meanâwere giving her a lot of sympathy, but not the women?â
âI saw women going up to her to express their condolences,â Mrs. Decker said.
âYes, but they didnât really talk to her. They just said how sorry they were and then walked away. The men, they took her hand and looked into her eyes and told her how she could always count on them and a lot of silly stuff that didnât mean anything except