The Harrison: A Beautiful Place to Die (Madeline Donovan Mysteries Book 2) (24 page)

"Madeline, how clever of you to have found me out," said a gruff, low voice.

She did not recognize the voice. She stood without movement, trying to ascertain how close he was to her.

"You see, you have discovered things that will prove of no use to you, for you will not live beyond this day. But perhaps I will spare you if you will come out and speak to me."

She knew his words were false, and that he wanted her to show herself. She still had some advantage; he didn't know exactly where she was. If he walked within visual range, she might be able to fire at him. He did not know she had a gun, and she hoped she would get the opportunity to use it against him.

He was wrong―she was not so clever after all, for she thought it would be Patrick speaking to her. She had long thought that he might have the most compelling motive and insecurities to perpetrate such a crime. She knew he resented his place in the family, not only because of his being adopted but because of him sorely lacking in the looks the other brother's had. But now that she heard him speak again, she knew who it was.

"If only you would have waited a few more days, my sweetheart and I would have been gone to Paris. I have already booked our passage; the thing was nearly done. I have enough money now to care for the both of us.

A few more days...and you would not have been in any danger. It is a pity―for I rather liked you."

She heard a shot ring out, and he said, "You see, no one will come for you. No one can hear anything from the cellar. I have moved the girls to another location. I had planned on leaving them alone, but now you have ruined that and will have their deaths on your head for your interference."

He was getting closer to her, and she thought it was her best opportunity to fire at him. He was moving cautiously, darting behind chairs and other objects, so she did not have a clean shot, but she knew she must do something as she might not get another chance.

As he moved alongside a large stack of boxes, his foot bumped something, and he temporarily lost his bearings. She jumped out from behind the statue and fired.

She grazed him in the shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon. He now stood with his hand to his shoulder saying, "Let me go, Madeline, and I swear no harm will come to you or your father."

She was startled by his speaking of her father and the thought that he might harm him enraged her even further, "Why, Alfred, why? Why did you do those horrible things? Was it really just for the money?"

"Please...of course not. I fully intended to set the blame on my Father and my uncles. That was perhaps the sweetest part of it. I was certain after I left that one of them would see the noose."

"So you knew all along of your parentage. I don't think Lady Mary knew."

"You mean my grandmother. I knew. I've known for almost a year, I heard her speaking to Willie about it, but I always suspected. That is why I gave her the money I received from selling the skeletons, to make sure she had something to tide her over when I'm in Europe."

He made a sudden move, and she yelled out, "Be still or I will not hesitate to shoot you. I have killed another madman like you, and I should not regret doing it again."

"Why, Mrs. Donovan...I think I believe you."

Then without her seeing in the darkness, he threw his walking stick at her. She tried to block the stick and automatically fired her weapon, but did not hit her target. Before she was able to recover, Alfred had retrieved his weapon. He was unsteady due to his wound but fired at her from behind one of the wooden shelves he hid behind.

She thought her only chance now was to run and run she did. She went down one hall, and then another with Alfred calling out to her, almost singing out her name and laughing. She continued checking each door that she saw. He was moving almost as quickly as she was only slowed slightly by his wound. Finally, she came to a door that opened, and she prayed it was not another storage area. It wasn't. Behind the door were glorious stairs―stairs to her freedom. She ran up with Alfred following right behind her.

When she reached the exit door, she found she was in the basement floor with the vats of lye, almost now as terrifying to her as Alfred, for they represented what he had done. She remembered where the exit door to the second floor was and started for it, yelling now for help, hoping someone might hear her.

She was almost at the door when the heel of her boot became snagged against a potted hole in the floor. With the speed she had been running, it caused her to lose her balance and fall backward, dropping her weapon as she did.

When she looked up, Alfred stood over her, a maniacal look upon his face of joy.

"I knew it was not possible that someone such as you could have outdone me," he said.

With that, he pulled off her wig and threw it into one of the vats. "Did you really think you had me fooled with that ridiculous costume? I was following you all along after I saw you in the lobby. Now, you will see what it feels like to be one of my victims! And, I will get a pretty penny for your skeleton."

He had a hold of her hair now in both hands, dragging her up the steps to the landing, and to the top of a lye barrel. The blood from his wound dripped down against his shirt and then onto Madeline. She could feel his blood running down her face, the pain from her being dragged by her hair excruciating, as she fought to get free. She knew her only chance to defend herself would be once they reached the landing at the top of the stairs.

He was pulling her with his back toward her. She pulled her leg up and reached inside her boot for the knife she had placed there. She knew she would only have one chance.

When he pulled her onto the platform, he continued to push her towards a barrel. When he turned, she stuck the knife into his leg, which was the closest part of his body to her. He yelled out, and she pushed him over, his hand now falling over into the barrel of lye. He shrieked with pain, his skin erupting from the toxic substance.

She ran down the stairs and out to the exit, up the stairs, screaming for help. She arrived on the second floor still calling out, blood-stained and weak.

She began to lose consciousness, but then she saw the face of her friend. "Jonathan, quick, it's Alfred. He tried to kill me. Get him. He is in the basement. He has a gun―be careful."

By now, many residents had come out of their rooms and rushed to help her while Jonathan left running to the basement. Then blissfully, everything went black.

Chapter Twenty-One

Until We Meet Again

When she awoke, she was
in her room at the hotel. Her father was holding her hand and wiping her forehead with his handkerchief.

"Madeline, this seems all too familiar. My goodness child, you have given me a fright."

"I'm sorry, Father, but it had to be done. Besides, this time I am not injured, frightened to death, but not injured."

"I left word for Hugh. He informed Mrs. O'Malley that he would be in Oak Park at the site of his home. I have sent a messenger to tell him what has happened. As you know, Jonathan is at the police station with Alfred. I'm sure he will be there a while, not only because he was with Alfred and will have to give the details to the police because he will have quite a story to prepare.

I have brought you something to calm you. No, it is not opium. I will give you an injection of morphine. This drug will calm you and is believed to have great medicinal benefits."

"Thank you, Father. We will have much to talk about. Did the girls get set free?"

"What girls?" asked her father.

She went on to explain about Felicia and the other two young girls. Father said he would go downstairs and bring one of the police officers up to speak with her. He said the lobby was filled with policemen.

When the officers arrived, they took her statement. They would enlist the Harrison brothers to search the cellar area and aid the women who remained there.

"I can rest now, Father, knowing they are safe. I think I would like to go home now, and get away from this place."

She still felt weak. Mrs. O'Malley brought her out a blanket, a glass of wine, and her mystery novel. She lay on the divan near the window seat and tried to relax.

"Father, I would like to have everyone involved to come to dinner tomorrow so that we may tell them what happened. I know Louie and Rosa will want to know, as well as the Gapinski family, and, of course, Marilyn and Nancy."

"Mrs. O'Malley...," said the doctor.

"I heard, Dr. Donovan, we shall have an event tomorrow. I'll go to the market first thing in the morning."

"Will you be all right alone? I have an emergency I have to attend to. One of the children down the street, I believe, has broken their leg," said father.

"Yes, Father, I will be fine. I am still somewhat in shock from what happened, but so very happy no other girl will fall victim to Alfred. Besides, you have notified Hugh, and I am sure he will be here soon."

She lay there alone, trying to read her book, but the effects of the morphine and the wine had taken hold of her, and she drifted into sleep.

She awoke some time later to the knock on her door, and her friend, Hugh, calling to her.

"I came as soon as I heard. Are you all right? Have you been harmed?" he asked with a frantic tone in his voice.

His concern soothed her. Taking his hand, she said, "I am better than I have been in a long time―the murderer was apprehended. Hugh, it was Alfred. Alfred, the attractive, smart, young man who had everything in the world going for him. Alfred...I thought perhaps he was involved in some way, but I had believed one of the brothers committed the crimes."

"Dear Lord―Alfred! I, too, cannot imagine that it is him. Now, if you feel you are up to it, tell me everything."

She told him some of what happened but stated that after she had a full night's rest, she would explain everything at dinner the next day. Whatever she didn't know, she knew Jonathan would have gathered more information about the crimes through his interviews.

She impulsively kissed Hugh's cheek as he leaned over her to say good-bye. He looked somewhat startled, his eyes warmly looking searchingly into hers. Smiling, he grasped her hands and said, "Take care, my friend. You will be in my thoughts until I see you again. Till tomorrow..."

She continued resting on the divan, sleeping on and off, sometimes waking to Alfred's snarling face. She was about to retire when she heard a carriage outside. Looking out the window, she saw Jonathan. She ran to the door to let him in, anxious to hear what news he had.

"Jonathan, how wonderful to see you."

"It is not too late?"

"Under the circumstance, no hour would be too late. I have thought of you all day, hoping you might come by and tell me what you have learned. But first, tell me how you happened to be at the hotel when I thought you were going to Joliet?"

"I attempted it. I think I had gone about five miles before I turned around. I just felt so uncomfortable that you were searching for the killer without anyone even knowing where you were. You will have to tell me later how you found the cellar."

"That is indeed another story. But go ahead, tell me about Alfred."

"Alfred was taken to the hospital for his gunshot wound and his hand injury from the lye. He waived his right to a lawyer, and all he wanted to do was talk to the press. He didn't want to talk to me at first but then sent for me. He said that since I was the one to bring him in, I could hear his story.

He ranted and cried and then ranted again. He truly has been a tormented soul, probably all of his life. He killed the girls almost methodically, doing it as a means to have finally the life he so craved...to be with his love, Margaret, and to be away from the Harrisons.

He said he wanted to speak with you if you were willing to come into the spider's web."

"Me? Heavens, that's extraordinary, but, of course, I will. I will go tomorrow. Perhaps he will explain more of why this all came to be. That is if he even knows. His problems must be deep rooted."

"Indeed."

Jonathan went on, and they conversed for two hours until she insisted he stay the night and sleep in the spare room. He looked weary and in need of a peaceful night, as she did. Tomorrow she would tell the story to the group.

She awoke at five, and if she could have gone to see Alfred at that moment, she would have. She was anxious to discover why he wished to see her. To the world, young, agile, intelligent Alfred had everything to live for. More than anything, she wanted to know the underbelly of this nightmare scenario.

Lighting a candle, she began the arduous task of documenting everything that had happened the last few days in her journal so that she might use it as a reference.

At just eight, when she knew she would be allowed into the hospital, she arrived. At first, the man guarding his room would not let her in. Then it was decided she would be given permission to converse with Alfred as long as an officer stayed in the room with her.

When she entered his room, he was warned again that his words could be used against him, but he motioned for her to come in. He waved the one bandaged from the damaging lye, and this was not lost on her.

"Madeline, come sit by me."

"No, she must remain on the other side of the room," said the officer.

"What a pity. You know I should hate you for ruining everything, but somehow I believe I will survive. Perhaps we will meet again someday,"

The officer laughed and said, "The only thing you'll be meeting, sonny boy, is the noose."

"I think not, there is no noose that could take me. Someday we must all die, but I will not die by the noose, I can promise you that."

The officer laughed again and said, "Get on with it. You only have a half hour allotted to you."

"Madeline, I will tell you a story about a boy―just like any other boy―wanting love, a home, and a family, and what happens when those things are never found."

Alfred went on to tell her his defense of why he had to commit the crimes he did. His pain was so justifiable to him that he failed to show only momentary regret for what he did to his innocent victims.

"Everyone has their life's tragedies, Alfred. As much as you would like to believe you are alone in life's miseries, we all suffer. Now you have inflicted untold suffering to so many who were innocent in every way. I hope you may someday at least find it in your heart to repent for what you did."

As she turned to leave, he said, "Until we meet again, Madeline, may you rest as uneasy as I will. If it weren't for you, I'd be in Paris with my Margaret. Yes, until we meet again."

When she stood, she felt one of her feet give way and had to steady herself against the wall. Even with the police officer sitting five feet from her, she felt as if she was isolated on a desert island with a madman.