15 - Black Eagle Mystery by Geraldine Bonner

In the heart of New York, a corporate lawyer plunges eighteen stories from the ominously named Black Eagle Building. Police quickly rule it a suicide, but Molly Morgenthau Babbits, an audacious part-time detective, isnt so easily convinced. The deceased, Hollings Harland, was rumored to be involved in a covert organization controlling the copper market, and was on the brink of being exposed. Just before his death, Harland had a heated argument with the affluent Johnston Barker, another suspected member of the secretive organization. Could Harland have been considering defection? Or was there something more sinister at play? With the help of an insider at the Black Eagle, Molly dives headfirst into her own unofficial investigation, suspecting a foul play murder.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter fifteen of The Black Eagle Mystery. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by Mike overby Midland, Washington, dedicated to UNI. The

(00:22):
Black Eagle Mystery by Geraldine Bonner. Chapter fifteen, Molly tells
the story I heard all this late that night from Babbitts,
but there was more to it than I've told in
the last chapter. For after they left the hospital, o'malleyan
Babbitts went to the Whitney office and had a seance
with the old man and mister George. Though Ford had

(00:44):
disappointed them, his story had made the way clear for
a decisive move. This was decided upon then and there
on Monday morning, they would ask Miss Whitehall to come
to Whitney and Whitney's and subject her to a real examination.
If she maintained her pose of ignorance, they would suddenly
face her with their complete information. They felt tolerably certain
this would be too much for her. Secure in her

(01:06):
belief that no murder had been suspected, surprise and terror
would seize her. Even a hardened criminal placed unexpectedly in
such a position, was liable to break down. The next
day was Sunday. I'll not forget it in a hurry.
Many a high pressure day I've had in my twenty
five years, but none that had anything over that one.
It was gray and overcast, clouds low down over the

(01:28):
roofs which stretched away in a gray huddle, flat tops
and slanting mansards and chimneys and clothes lines. Babbitt spent
the morning on the Davenport, looking like he was in
a boat floating through a sea of newspapers. I couldn't
settle down to anything, thinking of what was going to
happen the next morning, thinking of that girl, that beautiful girl,
with her soul stained with crime, and wondering if she

(01:49):
would feel the shadow that was falling across her. After lunch,
himself went out, saying he'd take a shot at finding
Freddy Jasper and going with him up to Yonkers, where
they'd been some anarchist row. He was restless too. If
things turned out right, he'd get his big story at last,
and what a story would be. He'd get a raise,
for certain, And as he kissed me good bye, he

(02:09):
said he'd give me the two glass lamps and a
new set of furs, anything I wanted short of sable
or ermine. In the afternoon, Iola dropped in, all dulled
up and decked with a permanent smile, for she'd landed
her new job and liked it fine. As she prattled away,
she let drop something that caught my ear, and lucky
it was, as you'll see presently. On her way back,
she'd met Delia, the Whitehall's maid, who told her the

(02:32):
ladies were going to move back to the Azalea Woods Estates,
where some one had given them a cottage. Delia had
just been to see them and found that missus Whitehall
had already gone and Miss Whitehall was packing up to
follow on Monday afternoon. Iola thought it was nice they'd
got a cottage, but didn't I think Miss Whitehall would
be afraid of the dullness of the country after living
in the town, I said, you never could tell. What

(02:54):
I thought was that if there was anything for Miss
Whitehall to be afraid of, it wasn't dulness. At six,
Iola left a date for supper, and a little after
that I had a call from Babbitts saying he and
Freddy Jasper had found the anarchist's business more important than
they expected, and he wouldn't be home to all hours.
Isabella didn't come on Sunday, so I got my own supper,
and then sat down in the parlor and tried to

(03:15):
read the papers. But I couldn't put my mind on them.
In a few days, perhaps as soon as Tuesday, the
dispatch would have the Harland murder on the front page.
I could see the headlines the copy reader couldn't spread himself,
and I tried to work out how Babbitts would write it,
where he'd begin with the crime itself, or with all
the story that came before it. It was near eleven
and me thinking of bed when there was a ring

(03:35):
of the bell. That's pretty late for callers, even in
a newspaper man's flat, and I jumped up and ran
into the hall. After I'd jammed the push button, I
opened the door, spying out for the head coming up
the stairs. It came a derby hat and a pair
of broad shoulders, and then Jack Ready's face raised to mine,
grave and frowning. Hello, Molly. He said, it's late. But

(03:57):
I couldn't find any of the others, so I came
to you. If he hadn't seen anyone, he didn't know
what had transpired, the thought maybe bubble up with eagerness
to tell him the new developments. That was the reason,
I guess I didn't notice how serious he was. Not
a smile of greeting, not a handshake. He didn't even
take off his coat, but throwing his hat on one
of the hallpegs, said I've only just got in from Buffalo.

(04:18):
I phoned to the Whitney House from Grand Central, but
they're both out of town, not to be back till
tomorrow mornin', and O'Malley's way too. Do you know how
for he is? You bet I do? He sat up,
take a nourishment and talked, toked have they seen him?
They have? I've turned away and move up the hall.
Come right in and I'll tell you. I went into

(04:40):
the dining room, where the drop light hung bright over
the table, and was going on to the parlor when
I heard his voice loud and commanding behind me. What's
he said? I whisked round, and there he was standing
by the table, his eyes fixed hard and almost fierce
on me. Won't you come into my parlor, said the
spider to the fly, I said, laughing to tease him.

(05:01):
He answered, without a ghost of a smile, Now go
on quick. What did Ford say? All right? I dropped
down into Babbitt's chair and motioned him to mine. Sit
down there. It's a long story, and I can't tell
it to you if you stand in front of me,
like a patience on a monument. He took the chair, and,
putting his elbows on the table, raised his hands clasped together,

(05:22):
and leaned his mouth on them. The light fell full
on his face and over those clasped hands. His eyes
stared at me so fixed and steady. They looked the
eyes of an image. I don't think while I told
him he ever batted a lid, and I know he
never said a word. So you see, I said. When
I was through, Ford's as much out of it as
you are. Without moving his hands, he asked, what did

(05:43):
they think? Why? What do you suppose they think instead
of there being three of them in it, there were two?
They think she and Balka did it. Of course, they've
worked it out that way. I leaned over the table,
my voice low, giving him the details of the new
theory as I told it, there was something terrible in
those eyes. All the kindness went out of him, and
a fire came in its place, till they looked like

(06:05):
crystals with a flame behind them. When I finished, he spoke,
and this time his voice sounded different, hoarse and muffled.
Have they made any plan, decided on their next step?
I've got it all arranged. And it went on about
the interview that was planned for the next morning, with
her thinking herself safe the way she does, They're sure
they can give her such a jolt she'll lose her
nerve and tell He gave an exclamation, not words, just

(06:28):
a choked, fierce sound, and dropping his hands on the table,
burst out like a volcano. The dogs, the devil's dragging
her down there to terrify a lie out of her.
He leaped to his feet, sending the chair crashing down
on the floor. I fell back where I sat, paralyzed,
not only by his words but at the sight of him.
I think I've spoken of the fact that he had

(06:49):
a violent temper, and he's told me himself that he's
conquered it. But now, for the first time I saw it,
and believe me, it was far from dead. I would
hardly have known him. His face was savage, his eyes blaring,
and the words came from him as if they were
shot out on the breaths. That spoke in great heaving
gasp from his lungs. Haven't you, he said, a woman

(07:10):
any hot in ya aya that I've always thought, all
the kindness and generosity willin hound an innocent girl to
a ruin. He grabbed the back of a chair near
him and leaned over it, glareing at me, shaking, gasping,
and the color of ashes. I faltered. She's done it,
she hasn't he shouted, y'are fools, imbeciles mad. It's a lie,

(07:35):
an infamous, brutal lie. He dropped the chair and turned away,
beginning to pace up and down, his hands clenched, raging
to himself. The room was full of the sound of
his breathing, as if some great, throbbing piece of machinery
was inside him. And I, there in my seat, fallen
limp against the back, saw it all. What a fool

(07:55):
I'd been, What an idiot he with his empty heart,
and that beautiful the girl that any man might have loved,
And how much more Jack ready knowing her poor and lonesome,
and believing her innocent and persecuted. I felt as if
the skies had fallen on me, my hero, that I'd
never found a woman good enough for in love with
a murderous He stopped in his pacing and tried to

(08:17):
get a grip on himself, tried to speak quietly, with
his voice gone to a husky murmur. Tama, you say, Tamar,
They're gonna do this damnable thing tomorrow at ten in
mister Whitney's office, I answered, weak and trembling. He stood
for a moment, looking on the ground, his brows drawn

(08:37):
low over his eyes, the bones of his jaw showing
set under the flesh. A deadly fear seized me, a
fear that followed on a flash of understanding. I got up,
I guess, as white as he was, and went over
to him Jack. I said, you can't do anything. Everything's
against her. There's not a point that doesn't show she's guilty.

(08:58):
He gave me a look from under his eyebrows, like
a thrust of a sword. Don't say that to me again, Molly,
he almost whispered. Or I'll forget the dead I owe
you and the affection I felt for you since the
day we swat to be friends. What can you do?
I cried, fairly distracted. They've got the evidence. It's there.
I tried to put my hand on his arm, but
he shook it off and walked toward the door. I

(09:20):
followed him, and during those few short steps from the
dining room to the hall, it came to me as
clear as if he'd set it that he was going
to Carol Whitehall to help her run away. What are
you gonna do? I said, standing in the doorway, as
he pulled his hat off the peg and turned toward
the hall door. That's my affair, he threw back over
his shoulder. He had his hand on the knob when

(09:40):
a thought, an inspiration flashed on me. I don't know
where it came from, but when you're fond of a
person and see them headed for a precipice, I believe
you get some sort of wireless communication from heaven or
some place of that order. Miss Whitehall's not in town now,
I said. He stopped short and looked back at me.
Where is she? They've gone back to New Jersey. Some

(10:01):
people loaned the cottage in the Asiale Wood estates. I
knew that, but they're not there yet. Yes, they went yesterday,
sooner than expected. He stood for a moment, looking at
the floor, then glancing back at me, said thank you
for telling me that. Good night. The door opened, banked shut,
and I was alone. I wonder if anyone reading the

(10:24):
story can imagine what I felt. It was awful, so
awful that now here writing it down, peaceful and happy,
I can feel the sinking at my heart in the
sixth sensation, like I could never eat food again and laugh.
It was an art I'd lost and never in this
world would get back. It was not only that he
loved her, that woman, that vampire who could sin at

(10:46):
the word of an old man. But it was the thought,
the certainty that he was ready to betray his trust,
go back on his partners, be a traitor to his office.
All the work they'd done, all the hopes they'd built up,
all their efforts for success, he was going to destroy.
It was disgrace for him. He'd never get over it.
He'd be an outcast as long as he lived. He'd

(11:07):
be pointed at as the man who gave his honor
for the love of a wicked woman. That was the
first of my thoughts, and the second was that I
wasn't going to let him do it. There was just
one way of preventing it, and honest to God, think
as badly of me as you'd like, I can't help it.
When I got what that way was, I was so relieved.
I didn't care whether I was a trader or not.

(11:27):
All that mattered then was if there'd got to be one,
and as far as I could see, there had to.
It was better for it to be Molly Babbitts, who
didn't amount to much in the world than Jack Ready,
who was a big man and was going to be
a bigger As I put on my coat and hat,
I heard the clock strike half past eleven. There were
no trains out to the Azalea Woods Estates before seven
the next morning. Even if he took his own auto,

(11:48):
which I guessed he'd do, it would take him the
best part of an hour and a half to get there,
and long before that she'd have had her warning from me. Yes,
that's what I was going to do, go to her
and tell her before he could dishonest. Well, I guess yes,
I know what's straight from what's crooked as well as most,
but it seemed to me the future of a man.
That man was worth more than my pledged word, or

(12:09):
the glory of Whitney and Whitney, or Babbitt's scoop. That
was the cruelest of all, my own dear beloved Soapy
to go back on him too. Gosh, going over in
the taxi through the dark still streets, how I felt,
But it didn't matter if I died. When I was through,
I'd got to do it. Maybe you never experienced those sensations.

(12:31):
Maybe you can't understand, but take it from me, there
are people who'd break all the commandments, in all the
laws to save their friends and bad good. I'm one
of them. End of Chapter fifteen.