The Family Way (Molly Murphy, #12)

“Go on. Run,” Liam shouted to me. “Get out of here now!”


I didn’t want to leave him, but I could see the sense in getting away when I could. I darted out of the room. As I came up the steps I heard Sid shouting. “Molly, watch out! The police are here…”

And before she could finish the sentence, men in blue uniforms swarmed down the stairs around me.

“Where are they then?” one of the police shouted to me.

“Liam, run!” I screamed.

Liam came bursting out of the room and made for the back door. As he ran out into the yard a single pistol shot sounded. Liam pitched forward and went sprawling onto the cobbles.





Thirty-three

“No!” I heard myself yell as I forced my way back down to him. Several policemen were standing around him as he lay there. There was a bright red stain spreading across the back of his white shirt. I ignored the police as I dropped to my knees beside him.

“Liam,” I said gently and stroked his hair. “I’m so sorry.”

His eyes opened and he looked at me, puzzled. Then the ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Molly,” he said and he fell back, dead.

“Molly, dearest, come away.” Sid’s voice brought me back to the present. She lifted me to my feet. “There’s nothing more you can do. Let us take you home.”

From inside the building came sounds of curses and a scuffle Then Barney was dragged out past us.

“Yer traitorous devil woman,” he shouted as they went past. “Curses on you. Curses on you and your family. May you rot in hell.” And he spat at me.

“Come on, Molly. Let’s go home,” Gus said, coming to take my other arm. Together they led me out of an alleyway and back into the busy street. As we emerged I saw John Wilkie standing outside the house. He came over to me.

“Mrs. Sullivan, please allow my men to take you home,” he said.

I glared at him. “How did you know I’d be here?”

“We were awaiting your return to New York and naturally we took the liberty of having you followed.”

“You made me betray my own brother,” I said angrily.

“Believe me, it’s better this way. I wouldn’t recommend either the noose or the electric chair as a pleasant way to die.”

“He didn’t have to die at all,” I said. “He’d done nothing wrong.”

“Nothing wrong? Is that what you think?”

“He might have been plotting and planning a crime, but it might have been all talk. He hadn’t actually committed any crime in America that I know of. You’d no right to shoot him in the back like that.”

“As to that, we always try to cooperate with our English allies and they were the ones who alerted us to his presence. He is a wanted man in his own country, you know.”

“In the eyes of his own people he’s a hero.”

He looked at me quizzically. “Do you happen to know exactly what he was planning, Mrs. Sullivan?”

“Some kind of bomb explosion.”

“Precisely. He was part of a cell of anarchists planning to plant a bomb in the English Houses of Parliament. Hundreds of innocent people blown to pieces. A fine historic building reduced to rubble. Do you call that heroic?”

“I didn’t say I agreed with him. But the Americans also behaved in similar fashion during their own war of independence, I expect.”

“They fought army to army like gentlemen,” he said. “We won our independence fair and square, Mrs. Sullivan.”

“Molly, we have a cab waiting.” Sid tugged at my skirt. “You’re only upsetting yourself by lingering here. Let’s go home.”

“I just want to reiterate that I’m sorry you had to witness this, Mrs. Sullivan,” Mr. Wilkie said. “I’m sure you were fond of your brother.”

I gave him a curt nod as I was led over to the waiting cab.

Sid and Gus came with me into my house. I looked around hopelessly. “I meant to make Daniel a nice dinner,” I said. “And now…” and to my shame I burst into tears. My friends were kindness itself. They sat me down and made me a cup of tea with plenty of sugar.

“Don’t worry about cooking anything,” Gus said. “We will provide the dinner tonight.”

“You’re too kind and I’m a horrible friend to you,” I said. “I make trouble for you. I inconvenience you.”

“Nonsense,” Sid said. “Our little lives would be quite dull without you. Where would we find drama and excitement? How else could we live vicariously as sleuths? And you know that we adore you.”

I looked up and gave them a watery smile. They went off, presumably to prepare a meal. I went upstairs to change my clothes. When I took off my dress I saw that there was blood on the skirt. I crumpled it up and threw it into a corner. I knew I could never wear it again without remembering. I had just changed into a clean skirt and shirtwaist when I heard the sound of approaching feet. The front door was thrown open and Daniel came striding in.

He looked up and saw me coming down the stairs. “Then, it’s true,” he said and a look of almost despair flooded his face.