The Mystery at Belle Magnolia (Madeline Donovan Mysteries Book 3) Read online

  The Mystery

  at

  Belle Magnolia

  Madison Kent

  Madeline Donovan Mystery

  Contents

  Dedication

  Copyright

  Author's Notes

  Prologue

  Chapter One: Arriving in New Orleans

  Chapter Two: The French Market

  Chapter Three: The White Robe

  Chapter Four: The Plantation Oak

  Chapter Five: Marie Laveau's Rise

  Chapter Six: Madame Clarice

  Chapter Seven: New Arrivals

  Chapter Eight: Suspects

  Chapter Nine: Hannah's Past

  Chapter Ten: A Fine Kettle of Snakes

  Chapter Eleven: The Letters

  Chapter Twelve: The Old Absinthe House

  Chapter Thirteen: Anastasia

  Chapter Fourteen: The Dauphine New Orleans

  Chapter Fifteen: The Mafia

  Chapter Sixteen: Mario

  Chapter Seventeen: Memories From the Past

  Chapter Eighteen: Marguerite

  Chapter Nineteen: Cursed

  Chapter Twenty: Caught

  Chapter Twenty-One: Deadly Truths

  Chapter Twenty-Two: Resolutions

  Dedication

  To my Mom, Alvina, who was

  the champion of the good and faithful

  Copyright

  © 2015, Madison Kent

  Self-publishing

  Title: The Mystery at Belle Magnolia

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission of the author / publisher.

  Author's Notes

  The Madeline Donovan Mystery series now includes the following books according to time publication: Stalking Jack, The Harrison and The Mystery at Belle Magnolia.

  Each book was written so that can be independently ready without reading any of the others in the series. However, it does enhance the reader experience to read them in consecutive order. I am currently working on the fourth in the series.

  Other titles available in the romance and fantasy genre is viewable on my website at http://madisonkentwebsite.wix.com/books

  There are book trailers available for each book and is viewable on youtube.

  Book Trailers:

  YouTube Book Trailers

  Stalking Jack (Book One)

  https://youtu.be/1_tVsDyBiGg

  The Harrison -A Beautiful Place to Die (Book Two)

  https://youtu.be/XpdQrxPiBZw

  The Mystery at Belle Magnolia (Book Three)

  https://youtu.be/Uv8S6wpSlt0

  Stalking Jack

  (A Madeline Donovan Mystery)

  Book One

  Madeline Donovan is a complicated woman, distressed and ready to abandon life as she knows it. A recent tragedy has left her without the vision or moral compass to go forward. She is not leading her own life at the moment; it is leading her. The journey she will take into London’s East side will show her sides of life she has never seen before and rather than being repelled by it, she immerses herself into this dark side of London. After all, Jack the Ripper must be stopped.

  The Harrison

  A Beautiful Place to Die

  (A Madeline Donovan Mystery)

  Book Two

  In 1889, Chicago, the city is booming, lavish buildings and must-see architectural and cultural wonders are springing up everywhere around the city. Even in Madeline Donovan's little-known neighborhood of Goose Island, a luxurious hotel has been built within a half-mile of her home. The Harrison, built by a trio of brothers, has designed its three-story building with unusual features that attract many to its doors.

  But soon after its opening, young girls begin to disappear. One of the girl's brothers has employed her to look into her disappearance.

  It will begin her journey into the secret world of the Harrison brothers and others who reside in this mysterious place.

  Her friend Hugh returns to America, and Jonathan Franks, the reporter from the New York Times is sent to Chicago to cover a different story but finds himself with Madeline and Hugh on the trail of the perpetrators.

  They will soon discover the terrifying secrets that are hidden beneath the surface of the beautiful hotel.

  Some Saints Prey

  (A Madeline Donovan Mystery)

  Book Four

  Madeline Donovan is on her way to St. Augustine for a brief respite at the home of Emily and Edgar Montgomery. But even on the train ride to their home, Emily tells her of the recent disappearance of two young men and their connection to the infamous Emma Montgomery. Emma is the city's little princess―young, beautiful and rich. Her precocious behavior prevents her from settling on just one suitor.

  When Madeline and Oliver Mandrake begin their search for the missing men, what she will find will not just shock a city, but astound the country.

  Book five in the series is currently in the works.

  Prologue

  An unexpected urgent request for help from the Donovan family arrived in the form of a telegram on a late summer evening in Chicago, August 1889. It came on the eve of the resolution of a case that involved the disappearance of several girls from Goose Island, Madeline Donovan's neighborhood in Chicago. She first employed her skills as a female sleuth after an unexpected encounter during her trip aboard the SS City of New York, took her to London, and immersed her in the infamous Jack the Ripper case.

  Belle Mayfair, an acquaintance of her father's, Dr. Brian Donovan, wrote that she needed his help. Not stating the nature of the emergency, Father, nonetheless, put his affairs in order and immediately set out for her home in New Orleans. Madeline, feeling a kinship for Belle, as one would for a grandmother, did not hesitate to go along. Her close friend, Hugh Scott, whom she had met while investigating the Ripper case in Whitechapel, now resided temporarily in Chicago. He was at Madeline's home when the telegram arrived, insisting he be allowed to join the group headed for New Orleans.

  When they arrived at Belle Magnolia, Madeline was in awe of the grandeur of the mansion, and its beautiful grounds filled with magnolia trees, and all variety of blooming flowers. On either side of the path winding to the entrance were hundred-year-old oak trees that formed what she thought resembled an honor guard escorting you down the path to the entrance. Dangling Spanish moss hung from the oak trees like decorations on a Christmas tree. It was an enchanting place to be, and disturbing that within its walls would prove to be nothing but fear and anxiety.

  Belle's daughter, Hannah, was married to a prominent lawyer, Wesley Randolph. His defense of accused murderer, Guy Finaldi, in the killing of young Armand LaLande, would bring the city of New Orleans to a frenzied outcry of public opinion—some for, but most against, Guy.

  Voodoo curses, threats, and assault will become a part of the daily life at Belle Magnolia. Madeline, with her friends Jonathan Franks and Hugh Scott, will once again find herself in the heart of an investigation, one that would take on an element none had been involved with before, black magic.

  Now, their quest is to live and mingle with the residents of the French Quarter and be a part of its exotic surroundings to find out who killed Armand LaLande.

  Chapter One

  Arriving in New Orleans

  The smell
of the swamp permeated her clothing. The humid air gave her face a shiny appearance as if a coat of glossy paint had covered it. As she walked in the overgrown underbrush, she hesitated with every step. The sounds of the wildlife scurrying past were unnerving, causing her to put her feet carefully down. She placed a net over her face to protect her from the pervasive sting of the mosquitoes and other biting insects. She could hear the croaks of alligators in the distance, and it was not uncommon to see a snake slithering by in the thick grass.

  She hoped there would be something she could find in the dense foliage to give her a direction to follow. For now, nothing made sense to her. It was as if she had ventured into a fictional world. She had never existed in a climate or environment like that of New Orleans; even though Belle Mayfair and her father had told her stories about the enchanted place; it proved more than she imagined.

  The events that had brought her, Father, and Hugh Scott there were so perplexing that she knew it would take time and research to decide how to go about solving Belle Mayfair's grievous problems.

  A short distance away, reflected in the afternoon sunlight, was a purplish-red, beaded necklace. She picked it up with curiosity, as it appeared it was nothing more than glass. Further ahead lay a torn pouch covered partially with mold; inside looked to be fragments of bones. She cradled the objects in her hand, hoping it might be a start. She could hear someone calling in the distance. Thinking it might be her father, she began her careful plodding back to Belle Magnolia.

  "Madeline, come in. I worry when you stay too long on the plantation grounds. Hugh is somewhat better—the fever has broken, but still he suffers. Will you go to him and comfort him while I see to Belle? She has had another bad night," said Father.

  "How many are there left this morning?" asked Madeline.

  "Samuel is gone, but we hold out hope that he went to the marketplace and will return. Only Hattie, Carmine, and Daniel remain of the field hands. But we still have Mrs. Brown and Mellie. We will make do. We have to—Belle is depending on us."

  "I have not yet heard from Jonathan. If he can come, he has said he will bring a friend with him. That would be a great help."

  "Indeed, we would surely find their presence gratifying. There is another broken window that we must board up before the storm hits. Perhaps Wesley will assist me in mending it."

  Wesley was Hannah's devoted husband, a lawyer, the defender of Guy Finaldi, and the reason everything had occurred.

  "Wesley's color is such that he looks as if he is recovering from a serious illness. Although he asserts himself in a manner of strength, he barely eats anymore."

  "Hannah is the same. Something must be done to calm them, or we should not have to worry about a noose being their demise. They shall fade away of their accord."

  "I will take them some cool tea and then attend to Hugh."

  It was an odd circumstance that had brought them together to the auspicious dwelling, and the eerie, but magnificent grounds. Father had received an urgent telegram from Belle Mayfair, the owner of Belle Magnolia, the name of the plantation. Hannah, Belle's daughter, many years before when just a child, had been saved by Madeline's physician father from choking to death. Hannah, Belle, and Madeline's father and mother—while on their honeymoon—happened to be dining at the same restaurant in New Orleans when it happened.

  Belle and Father had become dear friends after that. Acting upon her gratefulness, she had given Father much-needed funds to begin his first medical practice. Through the years, they had stayed in contact. When Madeline was younger, Belle and Hannah had come to Chicago several times. Even though Hannah was several years older, Madeline remembered her as a kindred spirit. They had developed a close relationship during their brief time together, and continued to correspond with each other over the years.

  The telegram sent by Belle was mysterious in its writing, stating only that circumstances in Belle's life had turned, in such a detrimental way, so that she beseeched her father to come to her aid. Even though it held no clue as to why this was so, he did not hesitate to set his affairs in order so that he and Madeline could both travel as soon as possible to New Orleans.

  Madeline's two dear friends, Hugh Scott and Jonathan Franks, were in attendance at her home in Chicago when the telegram arrived. The cable had come directly after the conclusion of the three friends' investigation of the disappearance of missing girls in her neighborhood of Goose Island in Chicago.

  She had invited both gentlemen to come along with her, but only Hugh was able to do so at present.

  She had met both Hugh and Jonathan during her stay in London when events brought her to the slums of Whitechapel to hunt down the infamous Jack the Ripper. Although she had great affection for both of them, each of them possessing traits that most women would find desirable, nothing blossomed into romance. For her, the possibility of either relationship moving forward to anything besides friends was doubtful. Madeline had become a widow during the Christmas of 1887. An accidental fire had claimed not only her husband but both her beloved boys, Will, and Nate. It was, for this reason, she had traveled to escape the memory of her loss. Through a series of events, she became involved with the aunt of one of the Ripper's victims and began her quest to hunt down Jack.

  Returning to America, she decided to try her hand at becoming a female detective in her hometown of Chicago, and with the help of Jonathan and Hugh, she searched for the missing girls in her neighborhood.

  It would have been impossible for her to resist assisting her father with Belle's request for help. Not only because she admired and cared for Belle, but because the mystery surrounding the request proved to be tempting, and yet another opportunity for her to test her mettle as a fledgling detective.

  Once they arrived, they discovered that there was a good deal of anxiety that Belle's place existed because they believed the estate was under a voodoo curse. Wesley was a lawyer, as was Hugh Scott. Wesley became drawn into a quagmire of a case involving the Italian and Sicilian Mafia. The Mafia in New Orleans was notorious for their unspeakable crimes. Most residents dreaded just the mention of their name. They had invaded the local's sweet landscape and brought with them fear, superstition, and hysteria. During the a recent bank heist, a small child had been mortally wounded. The child was of mixed race, and many residents of the city believed justice had not been served solely because of his ethnicity. The cities residents and its police force believed some faction of the competing groups, either the Italian or the Sicilian Mafia, were guilty of the crime.

  Guy Finaldi was the man accused of the crime. Wesley, through a brilliant defense―prevailed and acquitted Guy.

  It was a general belief that Guy was guilty. Most people believed Wesley had done the greatest injustice to the city; wanting him and all his family to suffer for it, and the people of New Orleans wanted to exact their revenge against the family.

  The servants were the first to leave, as they feared the repercussions from the curse placed on the plantation. Fires began to happen in the brush, and warnings to the family placed on the property in the form of voodoo shrines.

  Belle, finding no allies amongst her local friends, had called upon the Donovan's to come and see if there was anything they could do to allay the threats and bring her peace again. Unsavory characters came forward to solicit Wesley's firm. It instantly gained a reputation that his firm represented a chance that they might escape a prison term. For most, the firm accepting some of them as clients cemented the feeling that Wesley was a corrupt lawyer. He and his wife, Hannah, had become more and more physically and mentally unwell as the time passed, and the incidents of rock throwing and the like continued.

  "My dear friend, I'm afraid you do not look any better this afternoon. I had so hoped you had turned the corner, and I would find you on the way to recovery," said Madeline to Hugh Scott.

  Even now in illness, he remained unmistakably handsome. His dark, coffee-colored hair was slightly wavy, neatly groomed with a distinctive shine. He looke
d as if there had never been a time his hair was out of place, and that was the case even now. Midnight-brown eyes always seemed to be peering and questioning her from his nearly six-foot-tall slender frame.

  She wiped his brow with a cold washcloth as she handed him his tea.

  Hugh said, "That's marvelous―I have a thirst I cannot quench. I feel I am in a desert, instead of this comfortable bed with the sunlight bathing the room. I feel foolish being such a burden to you instead of help. I didn't come here to have you play nursemaid to me. I hope I am better soon."

  She smiled at him, and sat beside him, waving a fan over his face. It was so like him, even under distress, to think of others. Father had assumed he may have caught some malady from an insect bite of some sort.

  She had met Hugh in the autumn of 1888 when she visited London. He was the cousin of the steward she had met aboard the SS City of New York. She had come to rely on him for his friendship and guidance while hunting down the infamous Ripper. Although he was of modest means as an employee in a small legal firm, he had inherited money in the last year and then had purchased a home in Chicago. Now of independent means, he was able to live as he pleased. When he learned of her, and her father's plans, to travel to Belle Magnolia, he had insisted on accompanying them to see if he could help in any way.

  "Hush, and enjoy the tea. You will be well soon enough. I will then enjoy the pleasure of your company. In the meantime, I will sit and show you what I have found on the grounds..."

  She was about to continue, but Wesley appeared in the doorway.