Crimson Snow (32 page)

“But you could not know!” said Hilda passionately. “Mrs. Schmidt was her landlady. It was natural for them to walk together. You could have done nothing!”

“I could have spoken. I thought my information irrelevant, and I did not feel well. I was lazy. I sent you, a girl, to do a man's work.” He shook his head, looking tired and hopeless, and Hilda's heart ached for him.

“And I suppose,” said Uncle Dan, “that the—er?disarrangement of her clothing, and so forth, was to make it look as though she had been attacked by a man.”

“And that is what everyone thought. Even I thought that, until we learned that the nephew was away. Then I was sure.”

“Well, you were perfectly brilliant, Hilda, dear,” said Mrs. Malloy, patting her hand, “and I'm sure everyone in town owes you a debt of gratitude. Decent women can walk the streets at night without fearing for their lives. And you've done a public service, too, in closing down that infamous house.”

“There are others,” said Colonel George heavily. “And gambling dens, and illegal taverns—a veritable sink of iniquity.”

Erik, fascinated with the subject, opened his mouth to ask a question. Hilda popped the last cookie into it. “We must go, Erik. You are going to help me move to Mama's house, remember?”

“I'll help too, darlin'.”

“And I,” said Sven. They piled amiably into the Malloy sleigh, and as Hilda listened to the harness bells (restored now that there was no need for stealth), it seemed to her that they were the music ushering in her new life.

 

Afterword

O
N MONDAY, APRIL FOURTH, the day after Easter, Hilda and Patrick were married in a very quiet ceremony at his mother's house by Father Faherty. They were also married in the parsonage of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church by Pastor Borg, who had just come to town to take up the pulpit left vacant by Pastor Forsberg some months before. Since he did not yet know Hilda or her situation well, he was not aware of the earlier Catholic service, and no one bothered to tell him. Hilda was radiant in traditional Swedish bridal costume; Patrick wore a splendid new suit purchased at discount from Malloy's Dry Goods.

The happy couple held a reception after the second ceremony at their new house on Colfax Avenue. A Swedish smörgåsbord shared the dining room table with corned beef, soda bread, and several cabbage dishes. Huge bouquets of flowers were everywhere, early daffodils along with masses of white hothouse roses. The knotty question of what to drink had been solved with a delicious fruit punch, and if some of the Irish men strengthened it a little from flasks, they did it discreetly.

Both families were there in force, and for the most part they managed not to step on each others' sensibilities. Colonel and Mrs. George came, as well as Mr. Williams, looking a little pale still, but nearly his old self. Mrs. Clem sent her best wishes and an exquisite piece of old lace for Hilda.

Neither of the Barretts attended. Mr. Barrett had suffered a heart attack and passed away peacefully in mid-March. His widow, suddenly old and frail, was not expected to survive him by very long.

Erik and Birgit were given the day off school. Erik, by exercise of great self-restraint, did not fight with any of Patrick's young siblings or cousins.

Little Eileen O'Hara, eyes shining and step light, presided over the serving.

And Freya Johansson, eyed hopefully by Gunnar Borglund, caught the bride's bouquet.

 

Author's Note

I
HAVE USED
as the basis of this story a real murder that took place in January 1904, not in South Bend but in the southern Indiana community of Bedford. A Miss Sarah Schaeffer (or Schafer; the name is spelled variously in different accounts), a Latin teacher at the high school, was brutally beaten and murdered while walking from her boarding house to her rooming house. I have used many of the details of that historical murder in this book, the characters and plot of which are, however, either fictional or used fictitiously. I have no reason to suppose that my solution to the fictional crime has any bearing on the real crime, which was never solved.

I plan to research that crime more thoroughly and write an account of it. If anyone reading this book has any further knowledge of the Schaeffer family of Elkhart, Indiana, or the details of the murder in Bedford, I would like to hear about it. I can be reached through my website,
www.jeannedams.com
.

About the author

Jeanne M. Dams, of Swedish descent and a lifelong resident of South Bend, Indiana, holds degrees from Purdue and Notre Dame universities. A former teacher, she was in her forties before she decided what she wanted to do when she grew up. Her life ever since has revolved around her love of the mystery, the Victorian and Edwardian eras, and everything and anything oldfashioned. She is married with no children (unless you count her cats). Dams has been nominated for the Macavity and has won the Agatha Award. She welcomes visitors and email at
www.jeannedams.com
.

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