Love for Sale

Walker said. “I wish I had him alive to take him to trial and put him away in the nastiest prison in the country to live out a long, miserable life.”
    He turned again to Susanna. “May I tell this story—without your name, of course—to a reporter I know?“
    “Oh, please don’t. I don’t want anyone else to know. And I never want to talk about this again. It’s too upsetting. If you hadn’t been from the police, I wouldn’t ever have told anyone but Kathryn.“
    “I promise he wouldn’t use your name,“ Walker pleaded.
    “He’d want to hear it directly from me, then know where I live. We already considered moving away because Brother Goodheart knew our address. If we had to leave this sweet little house we love, I simply couldn’t bear it.”
    Walker gave up. “If you feel so strongly, I’ll keep this as quiet as I can,“ he said. “But Brother Goodheart’s disciples really should know what kind of brute he was. Think about it, Miss Cooper. You don’t need to go anywhere. I’ll probably be back in touch with you.”
    Walker shook hands with Susanna, thanked her for telling him, and apologized for putting her through the ordeal. He said nothing to Kathryn. Without even appearing to notice she was in the room, he gestured to Lily that they were leaving. She followed him.
    “I wish I could dig that bastard up and put him on display,“ he said bitterly as he started the car. “Put Brunhilde next to him,“ Lily said.
    He stared at her for a long moment, then broke out laughing when he realized she was referring to Miss Staley. When he’d wiped his eyes and settled down, he said, “At least we have a real suspect.“
    “Not Susanna?“
    “No. Brunhilde. She’s so determined to take the blame. She really wants to take the credit. I think she’s in love with Susanna. It could have been a crime of passion and revenge.“ He hoped Lily wouldn’t be shocked that he thought this.
    Lily wasn’t offended. She’d gone to pricey girls’ schools in the twenties when some of the girls thought it was brazen and interesting to consider themselves lesbians.
    “Good motive,“ Lily said. “Not practical though. How would Brunhilde have known where he was? And why did she wait so long? That scar on Susanna isn’t all that recent.”
    Howard thought for a few minutes. “Maybe Miss Staley was keeping an eye on him. Parking her car near the Institute and watching where he went. But he usually only left where there’d be crowds around to tear her apart if she attacked him. If she saw him going to Grace and Favor...“
    “She wouldn’t have known where to find him in that mansion,“ Lily said. “There are still rooms even I haven’t been in. And how would she have known his door wasn’t locked?“ In fact, Lily thought, this applied to all of the secretaries and teachers he’d spoken to.
    “Nobody knew that except you and the other residents and guests,“ Walker said. “But there is such a thing as a lock pick, you know. She could have shinnied up trees and looked in windows with lights to find out which room he was in. She looks like the kind of sturdy woman who would be well able to hoist herself up a tree with no trouble.“
    “You’re fishing, Howard. Just because we both feel sorry for Susanna and despise Kathryn Staley.“ She said this sympathetically. She’d have liked to agree with him, but couldn’t.
    “Maybe you’re right,“ he admitted.
    “I think it had to be someone who knew Grace and Favor,“ Lily said. “And it certainly wasn’t any of us who live there. So it has to be someone he brought from the Institute.
    “The guests all knew the room wasn’t locked,“ she went on. “If the rape was common knowledge at the Institute and Nobby Hazard found out, couldn’t he have done it? He’s as nuts as Pottinger was and was devoted to him. Just think how betrayed he would have felt if he’d known, and then discovered that Pottinger was also stealing the money. More than enough motive for Nobby to knock his former idol off his pedestal.“
    “He’s still my best guess, too,“ Howard said. “He may be nuts but that doesn’t mean he’s either stupid or deaf.”

Chapter 20

    Howard Walker returned Lily home well in time for dinner and went back to his office at the boardinghouse. The phone was ringing.
    “Chief Walker! This is Mrs. Towerton,“ she said breathlessly. “My son is missing. Please get help and come out with as many people as you can to search for