Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke Read Free Book Online Page A

stock certificates? They must be somewhere. When you find them, I am sure you will find the other assets he had. No, Matthew Voss did not commit suicide; I am sure of it."
    Annie froze. Two hundred and fifty shares of stock, worth five dollars a share . Matthew Voss had bequeathed her over twelve hundred dollars, nearly enough to cover her debt to Driscoll! The importance of that information hadn't sunk in at first; she had been so intent on proving to Mr. Dawson that Voss couldn't have committed suicide. But what if the certificates were never found, or what if he had redeemed them and planned to rewrite the will? What then?
    Mr. Dawson interrupted these thoughts by rising and saying, "I will not argue with you any more. It's late, and I really must go. If it is convenient, perhaps you could stop by the office tomorrow afternoon around four o’clock to sign the papers? You still have my card?"
    Annie rose and looked blankly for a second at the hand he extended toward her. Then she took the hand and shook it, but as she did so she said, "That's not the end of it, is it, Mr. Dawson? You will try to find out where Mr. Voss’s money has gone, won't you? People must be made to see that he had no reason to kill himself. You do believe me when I say he can't have committed suicide?"
    He sighed. "I don't know what to believe. I do promise we will try to discover more about his financial status. But, Mrs. Fuller, you must realize that the police are convinced it is suicide. There was nothing to indicate otherwise: no sign of illegal entrance, no sign of a struggle."
    Gently withdrawing his hand from hers, he continued, "Now I really must go. And, again, I apologize for any distress I might have caused you tonight."
    As he turned and made his way out of the room to the front door, Annie followed him, feeling rather bereft. It was terribly important to her to prove that Matthew Voss hadn’t been the kind of man who would make a financial mess of his life and then leave others to deal with the consequences. But she knew it was unreasonable to insist that he remain just so she could go on trying to convince him.
    She unbolted and opened the door, saying, "Of course I accept your apology. And I am grateful you have been so frank with me in discussing Mr. Voss’s death. Many gentlemen would have insisted that the entire subject was unsuitable for a woman. But do keep in mind what I have told you. I promise you that I will not let it rest until I have discovered the truth."
    After collecting his hat, gloves, and cane from the hall table, Nate Dawson turned at the door's threshold and looked straight into Annie's eyes. "Mrs. Fuller, I don't think you have really considered the implications of what you are saying. If Matthew Voss did not die by accident or by suicide, then..."
    "Quite so, Mr. Dawson," Annie said, not blinking under his gaze. "Then someone killed him. And I think when you find out what happened to Matthew Voss’s assets, you will discover who killed him. Goodnight, sir. Until tomorrow."

Chapter Six:
Tuesday morning, August 5, 1879
     
    The next morning, Annie was again dressed in her plain black gown. This time, a delicate collar of black lace, instead of a scarlet shawl, graced her shoulders, and on her head, instead of the wig, perched an imposing black hat. She hadn't worn the hat since arriving in San Francisco. Then, it had been a painful reminder of the deaths of her father and husband; today it was a useful badge of respectable mourning, behind whose veils she could hide while attending the funeral of Matthew Voss.
    After Nate Dawson had left last night, she found that the more she thought about what she had learned, the more convinced she became Mr. Voss must have been murdered. But why? By whom? When she had discovered the Steins were going to attend Matthew's funeral, she asked if she could come along. At the time, she'd some bright idea that if she could at least meet Matthew's family, she would find answers