Murder on Lenox Hill

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Book: Murder on Lenox Hill Read Free
Author: Victoria Thompson
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wasn’t concerned at first, either, but then she noticed that Grace is . . . is plumper. Not that she’s getting fat, precisely, but that her stomach is noticeably larger. And so is her . . . her bosom. Grace’s clothes no longer fit her properly.”
    â€œShe’s probably still growing,” Mr. Linton insisted, but Sarah could hear the thin thread of fear beneath the words.
    â€œShe isn’t growing anywhere else,” Mrs. Linton said, holding her composure with difficulty.
    Sarah’s mind was spinning, trying to think of a logical explanation that would reassure these people. “You said you’ve kept her at home,” she tried. A pregnancy would require a male contribution. Where could that have come from?
    â€œNot literally,” Mrs. Linton said. “She goes to church, and I take her visiting with me to close friends who . . . who know her and are kind.”
    â€œBut she’s never alone when she’s away from the house,” Mr. Linton insisted. “How could this have happened? As I keep saying, it’s impossible!”
    Sarah had to agree, it seemed so. “Perhaps there’s another explanation for Grace’s symptoms,” Sarah said, although the other explanations weren’t likely to be simple or even necessarily good. Ailments that simulated pregnancy were often fatal, even to young girls like Grace. “Have you taken her to a doctor?”
    â€œOf course not,” Mr. Linton said, outraged.
    Mrs. Linton gave him a warning look that silenced him again. “We couldn’t allow Grace to be examined by a man. She’s a very sensitive girl, and if . . . if she is with child, that means someone . . . someone . . .”
    â€œIt means some man violated my little girl,” Mr. Linton cried, near tears himself.
    Mrs. Linton pressed her handkerchief to her lips to stifle a sob, and Mr. Linton covered his face with both hands.
    â€œOf course,” Sarah said in her most professional voice, knowing full well that the least trace of sympathy would completely undo both of them. “You’re absolutely right not to take her to a doctor. If you like, I can examine Grace and see if I can determine her condition. I may be able to put your minds at ease completely. Considering the circumstances, it does seem very unlikely that Grace could be with child.” She didn’t promise that they would have nothing to worry about. The symptoms still concerned Sarah, but perhaps it really was nothing, as Mr. Linton had insisted.
    For the first time, Mrs. Linton smiled. It was a sad thing to behold because it was so full of desperate hope, but Sarah smiled back. “Thank you, Mrs. Brandt. Mrs. Simpson spoke so highly of you and the care you gave her when her last child was born. I just knew you’d be the right one to help us. How would you like to proceed?”
    â€œWhy don’t you introduce me to Grace and let us get acquainted a bit first. Then you can explain to her that I’m a nurse, and you’ve asked me to check her to make sure she’s healthy or something. Will she believe that?”
    â€œShe’ll believe most anything her mother tells her,” Mr. Linton said unhappily.
    â€œI’ve never lied to her,” Mrs. Linton said. “She’ll trust me.”
    â€œGood,” Sarah said. “May I meet Grace?”
    Â 
 
D ETECTIVE SERGEANT FRANK MALLOY THANKED THE elevator operator when he opened the door to let him out on the seventh floor of the office building on Fifth Avenue. He’d been here before, and the only thing that would have brought him back was a summons from one of the most powerful men in the city.
    Nothing had changed here in the months since his last visit. The same middle-aged man, sitting behind the same desk, looked up when the elevator door opened, and he said, “Detective Sergeant Malloy, Mr. Decker is expecting you. Please have a seat while I see if he’s

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