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- Herausgeber: Black Cat Weekly
- Kategorie: Krimi
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
In 1916 Chicago, the servants in the Stone household are dropping like flies. After the third accidental death in as many weeks, gentleman sleuth Elliott Frank is called to investigate. With few clues and no common motive, can he identify the killer before the next victim falls?
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Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
PRETTY IS AS PRETTY DOES, by M.A. Blume
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Copyright © 2024 by M. A. Blume.
Original publication by Wildside Press, LLC.
wildsidepress.com | bcmystery.com
PRETTY IS AS PRETTY DOES,by M.A. Blume
Iris Stone did not want to kill her maid, but after an hour of wrestling with The Problem, no other option seemed viable. She sank into the mountain of pillows on her canopy bed and replayed the facts in her mind, desperate to find another solution.
The Problem had started two weeks ago, when Iris returned to Chicago after spending a month in Sarasota. Her dear husband, Arnold, insisted she allow him to manage things after their Prairie Avenue mansion was destroyed by fire. Now they resided on the tenth floor of a Gold Coast apartment building, complete with every convenience 1916 could offer. Dear Arnold had even overseen hiring new staff, when the old retainers resigned en masse following the second fire at the mansion.
Iris was still getting used to their new home, a showplace of modern opulence. From the private elevator lobby to the ice box, no comfort or convenience had been ignored. She didn’t like to complain, especially after all her sweet husband had done to ensure her comfort. Yet, if the apartment was state of the art, the servants were a state of chaos.
It was a blessing she didn’t yet know the staff well. Imagine if her old groom had been the one trampled in the stables instead of that new fellow. Or if young Thomas, who’d grown up on her father’s estate, had chauffeured the motor when it plowed into the side of a building. But yesterday…she shuddered to think about it.
Iris relished assisting the chef on her at-home days, adding the finishing touches to the tea tray delicacies. But when her apron went missing, the portly chef sugar-dusted the lemon cakes, then popped one into his mustachioed mouth. Minutes later he collapsed on the white tile floor. The poor nearsighted man had mixed rat poison into the sugar sifter.
This morning, clarity arrived along with her breakfast tray. Three deaths among the staff in as many weeks, all coinciding with her return to their new home. With dread in her heart, Iris concluded the culprit must be none other than her maid, poor Eunice Gelch.
Iris suspected the good Lord had used leftover parts when he assembled the maid’s too-high forehead, too-close eyes, and too-long chin. Her fish-like lips and crooked teeth made even true joy appear a sneer, and when she laughed, which was infrequently (thank goodness), she wheezed like an asthmatic with consumption.
Yet her sausage fingers created stunningly intricate coiffeurs, and her stitchwork was delicate as gossamer. She kept Iris’s clothes in perfect order and was on hand with whatever might be required, usually five minutes before Iris knew she’d need it.
Other servants were never kind to Eunice, either at home or abroad. In Sarasota, the maid had found a snake in her bed on more than one occasion. Since their return, she’d heard the viscious taunts and jibes the other servants directed at her maid. Iris reasoned the cruelty must have become too much to bear. Poor Eunice had finally lost her mind.
Iris didn’t fear for her own safety. Eunice had been devoted to her since the sad, unfortunate day they’d met. She truly was a gem, a comfort in so many ways. But the scandal if anyone discovered her maid was killing people…even dear Arnold might be cross with her.
