Chapter SixEliza
Next eve whilst we slept, safe against the dark of night, another was not so lucky. With Alex gone to work, I reclined in my parlour chair for a few moments' peace. The newspaper's front page headline stunned me. I read the article, bile rising in my throat.
A terrible and dastardly crime took place last night—a murder barely a mile from our own home. We would not learn of the gruesome details until after the investigation. All we could discern was that the victim had been a young woman. I pictured every young woman in Philadelphia cringing in fear. All we could do was share in the horror. The worst had touched the respectability of our privileged existence—cold-blooded murder.
Maria
I plowed through the boardinghouse door, fetched a pail, filled it at the pump and scr
