Dialing Murder (Amateur Sleuth Cozy Mystery) Read online

  Dialing Murder

  Maisie Mills Mysteries

  by Belle Astor

  Version 1.0.0(Mar. 2017)

  Published By Belle Astor.

  Copyright 2017 by Belle Astor. All rights reserved.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Chapter One

  Maisie Mills was admiring her newly bobbed hair. It was so freeing to let go of her long locks. Yet it still shocked her to look at her reflection. She ran her fingers through her hair, unable to stop touching it. It was so... Maisie searched for a word. Liberating, that was the word.

  "No more need for these pins and a lot less hair to fit under my new cloche hat," she said to herself. Maisie admired herself as she pulled her new hat on her hat and tweaked the edges of her bob that framed her face.

  She was ready for an afternoon at the movie theater. It was such a lovely Saturday afternoon as she walked through Central Park. Maisie loved the excitement of the city, but the Park provided her with reminders of home. The sound of the birds twittering, the gentle rustle of the leaves and a sweet smell in the air. She sat for a little while to observe life in the Park.

  Around her, mothers pushed their prams and children played. Young lovers sat a little closer together under the shades of the trees. Maisie smiled. It was such a beautiful Saturday that Maisie quite forgot herself. She had to hurry to meet her friend before the movie started.

  "Maisie, you look the bee's knees," said Lizzie Tucker. She was Maisie's best friend.

  "Wait until I take off my hat! Lizzie, my new hair feels so strange. I've had long hair all my life. Katie cut it for me. I think momma would have a conniption if she saw me," Maisie said as she giggled.

  "Momma told me that the city would turn my head. She wanted me to marry Danny Lee. I said 'Momma, I don't think so, Danny is no Douglas Fairbanks or Rudolph Valentino.' Are you as excited as I am to see Douglas Fairbanks' new movie, Lizzie? I read that he's playing a swashbuckler. He's such a dish."

  The young women both ahhed at the thought of a man like Douglas Fairbanks being in their lives. Yes, Maisie's momma told that daydreaming would be her ruin. While her papa told her, she should have been born a boy. She had the inquisitive nature that suited a man but was off-putting in a woman. Maisie had heard it many times before. She tried to tell her parents time was changing, and she could be anything she wanted to be. New York was the place to be for a modern young woman. And Maisie had left her little town in Missouri for the bright lights of the city.

  The girls left the movie theater, more in love than before with Douglas Fairbanks. He had stolen their hearts in The Mask of Zorro.

  "That sure was swell, Maisie. Let's walk in Central Park and talk about Mr. Fairbanks. He's so dreamy."

  The young women linked arms as they discussed the movie.

  "Look the boys are still kicking the ball. They were playing when I came through earlier," Maisie observed.

  Just as she spoke, the ball came towards Maisie and Lizzy, landing at their feet. The girls looked at each other and Maisie kicked the ball, but it hit off a man sitting under the tree. Maisie ran towards him to apologize.

  "I'm so sorry," she said to the man. The boys came toward her for their ball.

  The man slumped over, his body limp and lifeless.

  "You've killed him! She killed the man with the football. She'll kill us too." The little boys ran off squealing.

  Maisie looked closer. The man was dead all right, but she had no part in it. His body covered in ants.

  "Lizzie, get a policeman now. Run, quickly."

  Maisie looked around. The boys had run off, and the remaining onlookers watched her. No one seemed to know what to do. A man approached her but heaved as soon as he saw the body. Maisie tried to recall if the dead man had been by the tree when she walked through earlier in the day. She had seen him earlier.

  A police whistle sounded. Maisie could see Lizzie and a police officer running towards her.

  "It looks like he's been dead a long time," Maisie said as the police officer tried to move her out of the way.

  "What a shock for you ladies. Do you feel up to telling me what happened, Miss," he asked as took out his notebook and pencil.

  "I'm Miss Mills, and there were young lads kicking a ball about. The ball landed at my feet and I kicked it. But my aim was off, and it knocked into this poor man. I came over, but he just slumped over. Like he is now. He was by the tree earlier. I remember his shoes."

  "Well, I'm sure it's been a great shock for you. You will need to wait until the detective arrives on the scene. He may have more questions for you."

  The officer looked away and became distracted as his colleagues arrived. A well suited man led a troop of policemen to the scene. Lizzie pulled at Maisie to draw back. However, Maisie wanted to hear what the detective's take on the situation.

  She could overhear the policeman recounting how the body was found. The detective looked at her and then back at the body. Another policeman searched the pockets, but Maisie observed how he had not drawn a wallet. In fact, his hands were empty. So no ID on the victim.

  "Maisie, do you think they will let us go home. I'm very upset," Lizzie dabbed her eyes.

  "Wait, Lizzie, they may have more questions for us."

  Maisie watched the detective, and the policemen work. She wanted to know more. She crept closer to where the detective stood.

  "No ID. I think we've seen enough. The coroner can take him now," the Detective said.

  "Was it poison?" Maisie asked, "I just noticed his lips were very blue. You know he was there when I passed through earlier today."

  The detective looked at Maisie and then looked away again. She watched his head gesture and then the policeman beside him turned to her.

  "Miss, you can go home now," the policeman said. "I believe your statement was already taken. We'll be in touch if we have any more questions for you."

  "Yes, indeed. What do you make of his lips, Detective?"

  There was no response from the detective.

  Maisie looked at his back.

  "Move along now, Miss," the policeman said. "We have a case to solve." When Maisie didn't immediately respond, he added, "As I said, we'll be in touch if we have any more questions."

  Maisie didn't like being ushered away, but the policeman was kind but firm. He had a job to do.

  "Please Miss, move along. The detective is a cantankerous sort. Excellent detective, though, but he does not like interference from non-police folk."

  "You mean questions from a woman," Maisie said, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "I guess the times can move on, but people's attitudes have to catch up!" She hoped the detective had heard her.

  None of the men seemed to pay her any heed.

  "Thank you, officer. I'll make my own way out of the Park." Maisie turned back to her friend. "I'm asking too many questions, Lizzie," she said. "Let's go home."

  The two friends linked arms and started to walk away.

  "I thought life in the city would be more progressive, but here I am being dismissed, like some dumb Dora." Maisie sighed.

  "This is man's work, Maisie," Lizzie said. "And one that I have no desire to partake of." She gave a shudder as she looked back at the grizzly scene.

  As she and Lizz
ie walked away, Maisie was musing, "I wonder who the victim was. From what I gathered, he had no ID on him. Isn't that strange?" Maisie said.

  "Maisie, are you not one bit upset at seeing a dead man? I don't think I'll sleep tonight. His face. The ants."

  Lizzie burst into tears.

  "It's not the first time I've seen a dead body. Are you not curious about what happened to him? I am. But that detective annoyed me. Why back home, everyone knew what the Sheriff was thinking."

  Maisie reflected on the difference between a small town and a city. The Sheriff had used her as a sounding board, not that her help was ever acknowledged. She looked around and saw the policemen and detective. How she longed to part of their world.

  For now, she had to content herself with working as a telephone operator. It was where she and Lizzie had met.

  "I will never know what happened to him. Do you think the story will be in the newspaper?"

  "Maisie, I want to forget what I saw. You are morbid, aren't you?" Lizzie kept her handkerchief in her hand.

  They parted ways as they lived in different boarding houses. Maisie was glad to have time for herself to reflect on the victim. She had seen him earlier. Not quite sure if her memory was real or imagined, but did she remember a woman being with the man?

  Lost in her thoughts, she entered the boarding house she called home. There was great excitement in the drawing room. She could hear the other occupants chatting. She crept upstairs, feeling a need to document her thoughts in case the police called for her again. But her plan for a quiet evening was thwarted as she passed by Katie Lennox's room. The door was open and Katie called out to her.

  "Maisie, come and meet Lily Bantry. She's new to the city and the loveliest girl I have ever met," Katie said.

  Maisie knew it was Katie code meaning the girl came from money. Katie was eager to marry well. She spent her wages on the best she could afford, so in her words, she looked like she belonged. Katie had made every effort to be Maisie's best friend when she first arrived. But Maisie wasn't interested in finding a husband, and soon their paths diverged. Maisie wanted to explore the options that this new wave of prosperity could give her.

  Not wanting to be singled out, Maisie turned on her heel and went downstairs with Katie. A new arrival to the house brought great excitement. The last incumbent of the new girl's room had left to marry.

  "I'm Lily Bantry," the new arrival introduced herself.

  Mrs. Hopkins, the owner of the boarding house, laid on a spread of cakes and tea. She and Lily's mother were friends.

  Lily was from Casper, Wyoming. Her brother was in New York, and she decided to join him in the city.

  "I love your hair, Maisie. I'm not sure I could be so brave," Lily said as she touched Maisie's hair.

  "It's not for everyone but Lily, we are living in a wonderful time. Katie did my hair. Do you like movies?"

  Lily and Maisie were very much alike and soon hit it off. Katie wasn't best pleased at how Maisie seemed to be monopolizing the conversation. Soon Maisie was telling them about her day. None of them wanted to hear about a body covered in ants. They wanted to hear about The Mask of Zorro.

  "Maisie Mills, we are having supper. Change the conversation to something more palatable", Mrs. Hopkins commanded. Maisie was a little downcast. Why weren't they the least bit curious? No wonder men thought women couldn't handle death.

  "How did you not lose your breakfast? I would have been most upset to see a dead man." Katie's words seeming to be the general consensus.

  "Is not one of you curious? How can anyone not carry so form of identification? Especially a man. His pockets were empty. I saw that for myself…"

  "Maisie Mills. Desist from this talk now. I will not have it…" Mrs. Hopkins was in mid flow when the doorbell rang.

  "It's quite late. I hope none of you are expecting a gentleman caller." Mrs. Hopkins ran a respectable house. She stood up to answer the door.

  The girls began teasing Katie that she had an assignation planned. A man's voice could be heard, and the young women strained to hear who it might be. They could hear Mrs. Hopkins tone. It was polite and welcoming. The door opened in and a man stood beside Mrs. Hopkins.

  "This is my brother, George," Lily announced, as she jumped out of her seat to greet him.

  Maisie's mouth fell open as she saw George. He was the policeman who arrived with the detective. George greeted the young women. But when his eyes met Maisie, he paused.

  "You're that young lady who made the startling discovery today," he said. "Miss Mills, isn't it?"

  She could feel her heart race, a detective in the making stood before her. She could discuss the case with him. It took her a moment to compose herself.

  "We didn't actually meet. Did you find out who he was?"

  "I don't think it's appropriate conversation for a young lady's ears," he said smiling at her.

  But as Maisie looked so disappointed, George took her by the elbow to talk more discretely.

  "We still don't know who he is. It's such a shame. The only item he had on him was a key. If we can't find out who he is, how are we to solve the case?"

  "How curious? I think I remember seeing a woman with him. Was he poisoned?" Maisie stopped talking as George looked at her with alarm.

  "Your interest is rather peculiar, Miss Mills, if you don't mind me saying so."

  "I used to help our local Sheriff back home," Maisie said. She was embellishing her investigative skills. "I am not at all squeamish! I love to figure things out."

  "George, come and see what mama sent you," Lily called out, and with that, George returned to his sister's side.

  "I do apologize for calling so late. As I explained to Mrs. Hopkins, I was anxious to see Lily but my hours are long." George spoke out, but while he was addressing everyone in the room, his eyes were on Maisie.

  "I remember George and Lily as babies," Mrs. Hopkins was in a maudlin mood. Apparently, she and their mother had met when they were nurses. Their mother had become a mail order bride and left the city. Maisie wondered how their mother felt with both children now back in the city.

  "Mama wants whatever we want," Lily said, "George is happy here, and I want some adventure."

  "Where will you work, Lily?" Maisie asked.

  "I'm not sure. I thought I'd look for work while I was here."

  "We're always looking for telephone exchange operators. The conditions aren't too bad. Please say you will. It's a great bunch of girls. Our supervisor, Miss Carnegie, is a real Mrs. Grundy but don't let that put you off. You can come with me on Monday and try it out."

  Lily looked at her brother. "What do you think, George? Is it that easy to find work?"

  "You have to start somewhere little sis and why not? The first hurdle is over. You'll have a friend at work, so that will ease any nerves. Thank you for taking care of my sister, Miss Mills. I must take my leave, ladies and Mrs. Hopkins. Thank you for your hospitality."

  George stood up, and Lily walked him to the door.

  "He's dreamy," Katie said, although marrying a policeman wasn't exactly what she had in mind. She wanted to go to the jazz clubs and speakeasys. He came from good stock. Policemen became detectives and detectives became inspectors. Oh yes, this would work out very well indeed, Katie thought.

  As the ladies retired for the night, Maisie heard a knock on her bedroom door. It was Lily.

  "Maisie, George said to call by the station when you finish work on Monday. Here is the address. Are you sure about me going to work with you?"

  "The station. Of course, I'll go," she paused, "Lily, you'll be perfect for the job. You have a nice speaking voice, and your height and weight are like mine. Don't worry about it."

  As Maisie got ready for bed, she found it difficult to settle down to sleep. What a turn up, she thought? Lily and George. She and Lily were going to be firm friends, she knew it. Could it be that she was going to get a chance to solve crimes?

  Maisie was going to find out more about the vi
ctim. His death wasn't natural. Someone knew him and she was determined to find out more.

  The day had been very interesting indeed.

  Chapter Two

  Maisie looked at herself in the mirror once again. With her loosely belted jersey jumper and pleated skirt, Maisie was happy that she looked practical and fashionable. She wanted to be taken seriously at the police station. Not one for over the top make-up, Maisie did like lipstick. She couldn't resist applying it but was determined not to top it up during the day. Her lips would still have some color by the end of the day.

  As she made her way to breakfast, she could hear Katie trying to encourage Lily to go to her work. She currently worked as a secretary, but Lily couldn't type. Sunday had been spent showing Lily the sights. Maisie, however, was glad it was Monday.

  "Good morning. Lily, you look perfect for your first day of work," Maisie said.

  But Lily looked unsure. "You and Katie look like movie stars," she said. "I think I'll have to do something about my hemline."

  Lily's dress was functional and drab. Her face was devoid of makeup.

  "I'll show you how to get the look. Mrs. Hopkins has a sewing machine. Better not be late, come on, Lily."

  Lily was quiet and Maisie recalled how her first day in the city was nerve-wrecking. She didn't interrupt Lily but kept an eye on her. Maisie's focus was when she'd get to the police station and perhaps be the woman who would solve the case. She could see it now, being feted for her intuition. She was so lost in thought that they walked by the telephone exchange.

  Lily pulled on her sleeve.

  "Isn't this where you work?"

  "Ah yes, sorry."

  Maisie led the way. Miss Carnegie was walking the floor. This ensured the girls weren't eavesdropping on conversations.

  "Miss Carnegie, this is Miss Lily Bantry. Newly arrived from Wyoming," Maisie introduced her new friend. "I thought she would be a good fit for here. I heard you say that we needed more girls."