Love for Sale

the Asylum for the Criminally Insane in Beacon, who said he’d have to get the permission of the director.
    “Give me his home telephone number, please,“ Walker said.
    “I can’t give that out,“ the assistant claimed. “You’re dealing with the police, sir. Give me the number.”
    The assistant caved in. “Oh, in that case...”
    The director, when reached, was reluctantly agreeable. “We’re awfully full up right now, Chief Walker. And we can only hold them for three days, maybe four, while they’re examined for both insanity and criminal intent or actions. How many do you have?“
    “Only two at the moment,“ Walker said, mentally excusing Edward Price as the most important witness to keep close at hand. “There will probably be a third by the end of the day. Have you the transportation to fetch them?“
    “The loony truck? Yes, but I’ll have to round up a driver and a guard. That will take me a goodhour or two. Give me the address where they’re to be picked up.”
    Walker smiled to himself. This seemed such a routine job to the man he was speaking to. Who would have thought? He gave the instructions for finding Grace and Favor.
    “Good. That’s quite close to us, fortunately.“ Mr. Prinney had been eavesdropping and was relieved.

    Lunch was way overdue, Walker realized because his stomach had started growling. As he went down the stairs to the main floor, Ralph Summer came to the front door.
    “You been looking for me, Chief?“
    “Where have you been?“ Walker growled.
    “It’s Sunday,“ Ralph said. “You told me I could take the day off to work on the house you owned down by the river, the one Jack and me bought from you. At least Ralph had had the good sense to change from his work clothes to his uniform.
    Jack was only moments behind his cousin Ralph. His hair had smudges of blue paint in it. “What’s going on, Howard?“
    “I wouldn’t tell a newspaper editor yet except that Ralph needs to know, and I know how bad he is at keeping his trap shut,“ Walker complained. “A group of men met here over the weekend to have a private meeting. Turns out it was part of the leadership of the Institute of Divine Intervention upstate. The leader, a man named Charles Pottinger, who called himself Brother Goodheart, was murdered here overnight.”
    As a reporter, Jack was delighted. He pulled out the small notebook he was never without and a stub of a pencil and wrote it down. “Found the murderer yet?“
    “No. But we’re holding the rest of the group until they can be confined at Matteawan, and we have one more from the Institute on the way here to put in with those to be questioned.“
    “Who would that be?“
    “The treasurer of the outfit—the fellow they were plotting to get rid of. Jack, you must keep this under your hat until I know more. The Newburg police have seized all their records and are taking them to Albany. It seems to have to do with money gone missing, possibly on several fronts.“
    “Wow!“ Jack said. “What a deal! This might make you famous, Howard—the guy who pulled the plug on these pious B ible-thumping phonies.”
    Walker gave Jack a wry look and turned to Ralph. “Harry Harbinger and Robert are keeping three of them on the third floor. You need to take over. And Chief Coiling is loaning us another officer and a fingerprint expert. Go upstairs and herd them back into the dining room for luncheon. The outside doors have been locked and Harry has the key. You stay in the dining room with them and I’ll let you know when you can turn them loose.”

Chapter 9

    Lily, Howard Walker, and the Prinneys were having lunch in the kitchen when Robert came in to tell Walker that he had a new bunch of guests: Big Jimmy Rennie, the enormous Deputy Lawrence on loan, and another deputy who was taking the car they’d arrived in back to Chief Colling’s station. There was also a tall, thin man with a locked box of fingerprinting materials who introduced himself as Detective Williams.
    “May I take them into the dining room?“ Walker asked nobody in particular. He stuffed the last of his meat loaf sandwich in his mouth and swigged it down with a gulp of Mrs. Prinney s fake coffee made of chicory.
    Everyone nodded vague agreement with his request. As Walker headed into the front entry, he thanked the deputy who was about to leave and directed the other three men to the dining room. Detective Williams took the suspects’ fingerprints, including Big Jimmy