The Edge of Dreams (Molly Murphy Mysteries, #14)

The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. I had wondered before why nobody heard his mother scream, which she surely would have done if a strange man had come into her bathroom. She would have been indignant if her son had come in. She would have ordered him out, but would not have screamed. I couldn’t wait to tell Daniel tonight when he came home.

I must have drifted off to sleep, because I was back in the underground dark place, unable to move with the rumbling all around me. I jerked myself awake and lay there, my heart racing. What could possibly be the meaning of this dream? I wondered if Dr. Werner were still here in New York and if he could perhaps help me. He was supposed to be an expert on this, according to Gus, however little I had liked his handling of poor Mabel. Perhaps things were done differently in Germany and Austria and doctors were stern, unsympathetic characters over there. I’d have to ask Gus when I next saw her.…

I was just in the middle of this thought when there was a knock at my front door. I looked down from my window to see Sid and Gus standing there. I rose from my bed and ran down the stairs to open the door to them before my mother-in-law could tell them I was resting and send them away.

“Molly, dear, how are you feeling?” Sid asked. “I hope we didn’t disturb your nap.”

“I’m well on the road to recovery, thank you,” I said. “Come on in.”

“We won’t stay,” Gus said, stepping just over the threshold to get out of the rain. “We’re going to see Minnie Hamilton. The letter we hoped for has just arrived from Professor Freud in Austria. You remember I wrote to him, telling him about Mabel and asking him for a recommendation? Well, he’s kindly written back.” She held up a letter written in a strange, foreign script. To me it looked as if a spider had crawled into the inkwell and then across the page. “And listen to what he says,” she continued. “I’ll translate as best I can, since I’m still not an expert at reading German handwriting. Anyway, I got the gist of it. He says that he believes Dr. Otto Werner might still be in America, and if he is, then he could recommend no man more highly for the job. He says Dr. Werner’s insights into the workings of the subconscious mind are brilliant, especially in the new field of the interpretation of dreams.”

“You see,” Sid chimed in. “We found the right man, half by chance. So we’re going back to see him again, and we’ll show him the letter from Professor Freud. That will undoubtedly do the trick and make him realize that he is the only one who can help Mabel. And the more we thought about it, the more it made sense to do as Dr. Werner suggested and have him take Mabel to the clinic in Switzerland, where he can work with her. Of course she can’t be cured in a few days. We were silly to think that she could.”

“Sid thought that maybe I should volunteer to go with her, since I speak German and have the freedom to travel,” Gus said. “I wouldn’t want to leave Sid alone too long. Just enough to see Mabel safely settled in.”

“That’s really good of you, Gus,” I said. “I’d feel happier if you were with Mabel. And I’d also feel happier if she were safely far away from New York.”

“Why is that?” Gus asked.

“Because I think we’re dealing with a dangerous man who has killed many times. I think he killed her parents, and her life may also be in danger.” As I said the words, I wondered if Daniel had a photograph of Terrence Daughtery, and if showing it to Mabel might reawaken the memories she had suppressed.

“Do you now know who killed Mabel’s parents?” Sid asked sharply.

“We may,” I said. “And if she recognized the photograph, that would be proof, wouldn’t it?”

“We’d have to ask Dr. Werner about that first,” Gus said. “We don’t know if seeing the man who killed her parents would be too much for her delicate mental state.”

“Of course,” I said.

“I just hope we’re in time, and Dr. Werner hasn’t already sailed home to Germany,” Sid said. “He told us he was leaving in a few days, didn’t he?”

“If he’s sailed already and is going back to Professor Freud in Vienna, then all is not lost. Maybe I can take Mabel over to meet him in Switzerland,” Gus said.

“In any case, please warn Mrs. Hamilton to watch Mabel carefully and keep the doors locked,” I said. “This man may not have realized initially that he was seen. He is extremely cunning and clever.”

“We’ll warn her to take all precautions,” Sid said, “and taking her out of the country seems the obvious thing to do.”

We parted company, they to the Hamiltons’ residence and I to retrieve a crying baby from his crib. He had obviously heard his beloved aunts’ voices and was incensed that he wasn’t being brought down to see them. I placated him with a rusk and some milk, and he cheered up completely when Bridie came into the kitchen holding his treasured new ball.

I helped prepare the evening meal and waited impatiently for Daniel to return home. He came just before seven, his jacket and hat drenched with rain.

“Absolutely pouring out there now,” he said.