Murder in Morningside Heights (A Gaslight Mystery) Read Online Free Page B

as the killer. He was the perfect scapegoat since he was colored and his tool had killed her. Tobias was very lucky he wasn’t sitting in a jail cell this very minute.
    “Maybe you could take me out and show me where Miss Northrup was killed,” Frank said.
    “Ain’t you here to arrest me?”
    “Mr. Malloy is not with the police, Tobias,” Hatch explained, still angry but not as much.
    “He’s a private detective investigating Miss Northrup’s death. Take him outside and show him where you found her.”
    So Tobias had found the body in addition to providing the weapon. How interesting. “I’ll have some questions, too.”
    “And answer Mr. Malloy’s questions,” Hatch added wearily.
    Frank turned back to Hatch. “I’ll need to see Miss Wilson and the others I mentioned.”
    Hatch sighed again. “I’ll let them know to expect you and encourage them to tell you whatever they may know, although I’m sure it won’t be much. Tomorrow is Saturday, so there are no classes. I’ll have Alice make up a list of the faculty members and their addresses and a list of Miss Northrup’s students. The students all live here in the dormitory wing. Men aren’t permitted in there, but I’m sure we can find a room where you can meet with anyone you need to speak with. You canstop by here when you’re finished outside and pick up the list.”
    Frank thought that questioning the students would be an excellent job for Gino. “Thank you for your help, Mr. Hatch.”
    Tobias, still looking terrified, stepped aside so Frank could precede him, but Hatch stopped him.
    “Oh, and Mr. Malloy? Please keep me informed about what you find out.”
    Frank nodded, figuring Hatch would take that as agreement, although he had no such intention. He went out into the front office, where Alice had stopped her typing to stare at him warily. “Thanks very much for your help, miss,” he said with what he hoped was a friendly smile. Sarah had told him that his friendly smiles weren’t all that reassuring, but he still tried.
    Alice didn’t say a word, but Tobias followed him obediently out. When they were at the top of the stairs, Frank turned to him and said, “Where are we going, Tobias?”
    Tobias swallowed nervously. “Is you sure you ain’t here to arrest me, Mr. Malloy?”
    “Absolutely. I couldn’t arrest you even if I wanted to, and I don’t. I would appreciate it if you’d show me where Miss Northrup was killed, though, and tell me everything you know about it.”
    This information didn’t seem to cheer him much, but he said, “Downstairs and out back. I’ll show you.”
    Tobias led the way down the massive staircase, moving slowly in the way old people did when their joints hurt. The short winter day was ending and the building was quiet.
    “Where is everyone?”
    “Classes is over for today, and a lot of the young ladies has gone home because of the trouble with Miss Northrup.”
    Hatch was right to be worried about the future of hisschool. “Tell me how you came to leave your screwdriver in the . . . what was it? A gazebo?”
    “Yes, sir, that’s what they calls it. Real nice place it is, too. The young ladies, they like to sit out there when the weather’s nice. But you know how girls can be, sir, about bugs and things. They’d get right scared if a bee flew in, so a few years back, Mr. Hatch had us put screens up and a door. It don’t keep the spiders out, but it works for most everything else.”
    “And you were working there on . . . What day was it?”
    “Wednesday, sir. Yes, sir. On Wednesday morning. We had some wind the other night, and it set the door flapping. Tore it near off its hinges, it did. So I was putting it back.”
    “I know the night you mean, but that was almost a week ago. Why did you wait until Wednesday to fix it?”
    Tobias looked at him in mild surprise. “Nobody else asked me that, Mr. Malloy. It was because that was the first nice day we’d had. The sun come out and it was