Mystery at Glennon Hall Read online

  Mystery at Glennon Hall

  A Glennon Normal School Historical Mystery

  R. A. Wallace

  2019

  Book One

  Author’s Note

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, dialogue, places, and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Material in this book is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from qualified professionals. The author has no connection to any product, book, or website mentioned.

  © 2019 R. A. Wallace. All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Brandi McCann www.ebook-coverdesigns.com

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter One

  September 1918

  “Glennon Hall was the first building constructed for the normal school.” Philomena motioned toward the entrance as they paused to take in the beauty of the grand structure before them.

  Delia Markham turned toward her companion. “You are a most knowledgeable guide, Miss Bergman.”

  “Please. Call me Mena.” She motioned to the windows above them. “Your classroom is on the third floor but is situated in the rear of this building. I thought you might like to see it.”

  Delia walked beside Mena toward the wide staircase that led to the front doors. The tall electric light posts at either side of the landing sat atop cement corner bases. The left base bore the words Glennon Hall. The right base displayed the date eighteen sixty.

  “That was very thoughtful of you. I appreciate the tour, more than you know. I only arrived a day ago and I have been occupied with getting settled into Hazel’s house.”

  “You’ve never been to the town of Glennon?” Mena sounded more than a little curious.

  “No.” Delia took in the beauty of the landscaping that adorned the front of the four-story hall as they drew nearer. “Though my cousin had occasion to visit us over the years, my parents and I never had the pleasure of seeing her hometown. My mother was ill for an extended period of time. Several years, in fact.”

  “Consumption, you said?” Mena opened the right side of the large front door and waited for Delia to pass through before following her inside.

  “Yes.” An image of the tuberculosis sanatorium where her mother stayed for many long months until her death flashed in Delia’s mind as she stood in the impressive entrance of Glennon Hall.

  That sterile facility of her memory paled in comparison to the beauty she saw now. The high ceiling was supported with baroque columns. Electric chandeliers hung above her. The walls of the hallways were beautifully papered. Large portraits were strategically positioned along them for viewing. A grand staircase led to the floors above.

  “It’s lovely,” Delia murmured.

  Mena’s smile of approval was warm. “I agree. In this building the classrooms are above stairs.”

  Delia’s eyes were drawn to a large fireplace off to their right. There was a welcoming sitting area. She imagined the students and faculty gathering before or after some event. More benches and chairs could be seen lining the hallways leading away from them in both directions.

  Mena motioned to their right. “There are several rooms on this floor used as reception areas in that direction. Many of our smaller gatherings are held here in Glennon Hall, as well as the other buildings. You should plan to spend several hours of your week in one of the many rooms all over the campus available for one event or another. All of the faculty are expected to participate in the committees. Interacting with the students between classes and after them is quite common. The faculty committee room is located down that hall.”

  A sound to her left caused Delia to turn. Through the open doorway in the distance, she could see a massive dining hall. A young boy was pushing a laden cart into the room.

  “The annex was added to the dining hall about five years ago adding seating for two hundred more and providing your cousin with a modern kitchen.” Mena approached the grand staircase that led to the floors above them but stopped when she reached it. “There are two elevators in this building if you would rather.”

  “No.” It came out quickly. Delia turned to her guide and smiled. “The stairs are fine.”

  Mena gathered her skirts and began the ascent. “If you don’t mind me asking. It’s just that I’ve never met a woman who…” Mena appeared at a loss for words. She continued to climb then paused for a moment at the first landing.

  “Joined the service?” Delia supplied. She was surprised it had taken the other woman this long to bring it up.

  “Yes.” Mena glanced at Delia quickly under her lashes. “I don’t mean to be intrusive. Please don’t feel compelled to respond.”

  Delia felt herself warming to the other woman. “Not at all.”

  “Life at Glennon Normal School must suffer in comparison.” Mena reached another floor and turned to continue up the staircase.

  “I look forward to my time here, I assure you,” Delia said.

  “You were an amanuensis for an admiral? That must have been so very exciting.”

  “If hours spent at a typewriter could entice you to giddiness, yes.” Delia joined in Mena’s laughter.

  “You did something that not many women can claim,” Mena insisted as she stopped at the door to a classroom on the third floor. “You should be proud.”

  Delia stepped inside. The room was filled with sturdy wooden desks large enough to accommodate an individual student. Typewriters occupied the largest share of the desktop. She counted seating for fifty. In one corner were wooden cabinets nearly as tall as the ceiling that no doubt contained the supplies needed for her many classes. A desk for her held prominence in the front of the room. Much of the long wall behind it was covered with a chalk board.

  “I hope it meets with your expectations,” Mena said quietly.

  Delia realized that she’d been staring for some moments in silence. “Yes. Yes, of course. Most impressive.” She turned to face her guide. Mena was standing with her hands clasped together, waiting for her answer. “I’m quite taken with it.”

  “Excellent.” Mena flashed a smile then walked over to the windows. “From here you have a view of the grounds and some of the other buildings.”

  Delia skirted between a row of desks and crossed the room to join her. She could see the rooftop of an impressive house set off to one side. It was surrounded by hedgerows and trees. She assumed it was to offer the inhabitants a measure of privacy. It wasn’t a building Mena had shown her on the tour.

  Mena followed her gaze. “That’s the principal’s house. It’s called Glennon House, of course. The school was named after the family, as was the town.” Mena pointed to the other side. “Over there, you can see the Model School. It’s where our student teachers practice their teaching skills under the tutelage of their own teachers. It is fitted with eight classrooms.�
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  Delia scanned the width of the campus grounds between the principal’s house and the Model School. Several more buildings could be seen in the distance. She knew they were dormitories. Mena had pointed them out earlier.

  “We also have a small hospital on campus. You can’t see it from this view.” Mena turned to leave the room.

  “The view also lacks the most important building of all.” Delia joined Mena in the hall.

  “Ah, yes. I see we are of the same mind. The library is the most important establishment in any community.” Mena smiled to show she didn’t mind Delia’s jesting.

  “How long have you been the librarian here?” Delia followed Mena down the stairs.

  “Oh, about a decade now.” Mena stole a glance at Delia. “Might I be so bold as to guess we are of an age?”

  Delia thought her kind. She guessed that Mena had not yet met thirty whereas she was now a year beyond it. “I believe you have a few years before gaining my advanced age.”

  Mena nodded as though to herself. “I thought as much. We aren’t the only spinsters here, I assure you. We should start our own club. I daresay there is a club for just about everything else at the school.”

  Delia chuckled to show she took no offense as they reached another landing and turned to continue down the stairs.

  Mena kept up the conversation. “Although I’ve never learned the art of spinning, we could make it a goal for the club. After all, we spinsters gained our titles from those who held the occupation in the past.” Mena stopped and motioned at a painting hanging on the wall. “This is one of the many Glennon ancestors.”

  Delia read the plaque beneath it. “He was the principal here in the eighteen sixties. Tell me about the new principal. What is he like?”

  Mena continued down the stairs. “I haven’t had the pleasure in many years and even then I’ve only seen him from a distance.”

  “Oh? I understood that you and he were both long-time residents of Glennon.”

  “Lifelong,” Mena agreed. “But we moved in very different circles before he joined the service.”

  Delia stopped when they reached the main floor. “I don’t understand. He doesn’t live at the principal’s house?”

  “He will when he arrives. He didn’t as a youth or young man. His uncle was the principal here before him. Jedidiah Glennon passed late last spring.”

  Delia knew it was from influenza. Her cousin Hazel had told her as much. “The new principal is the nephew?”

  “Yes.” Mena looked around then moved over to the fireplace where her voice wouldn’t carry as much in the large hall. “I understand he hasn’t arrived just as yet. His wound, you know. There was a delay with his travel plans.”

  “I hope for his sake that he recovers soon,” Delia murmured.

  “He is now expected tomorrow but we won’t see him until the following day when school begins, I’m sure. I doubt he’ll be here in time for church services.” Mena smiled at the same young boy they’d seen earlier. He made the return trip past them now with an empty cart. He ducked his head when he saw he had their attention and continued walking. “Speaking of which, I hope to see you there. If you would like, I could wait for you near the entrance of the church?”

  “That’s very kind of you.” Delia switched her focus from the young boy to Mena. “My cousin and I will be arriving together.”

  “Of course. I shall look forward to seeing you both.”

  Chapter Two

  Delia walked through the dining hall slowly. She knew Hazel was the head chef at the school. It wasn’t until now that she appreciated what that meant. Like the main entrance area of the hall, the dining room also had baroque columns. The massive dining hall held seating for several hundred.

  Based on her quick count of the tables and chairs, she guessed it to be something near eight hundred. To know that Hazel and the rest of the kitchen staff supplied three meals a day for many of the students on campus caused her to reevaluate the enormity of the undertaking. Although she now knew there were smaller dining rooms in a few of the dormitories, the majority of those living on campus would make their way to Glennon Hall each and every day.

  After one wrong turn, she found her way to the main kitchen. Ultimately, it was Hazel’s voice that led her there. Although it was the Saturday afternoon before school began, the main kitchen was not devoid of activity late in the afternoon. Delia saw Hazel in front of a large range. Around her, several other women were busy with their own assignments. Four were a little older, perhaps closer to Hazel’s age. She assumed those were the assistant cooks that worked under Hazel. The others scattered about in the room were young girls. She wondered if any were students. She knew that several worked on campus.

  “I’ll wager Mr. Wilson would be happy to see the meal we managed to produce for the faculty dinner this evening,” Hazel said to no one in particular.

  Delia paused in the doorway. She didn’t have to ask which Mr. Wilson Hazel meant. It was not the first time she’d heard her cousin make comments directed at the president. Although everyone wanted to support the war effort, the food shortages would strain the most inventive of cooks when feeding such large numbers of people on a daily basis. Hazel was proud of her kitchen for managing as well as it did.

  “I thought the newspaper said we wouldn’t have to follow the Patriot’s Calendar any longer.” The young girl that spoke without thinking sucked her lips in when Hazel turned a stern eye toward her.

  Delia watched the girl duck her head as she applied herself anew to the vegetables in front of her. She wondered about the most recent directive outlining the expectations of those at home who needed to sacrifice in order to support the war effort. Indeed, the papers had been full of the latest news regarding the measures they were all to follow now.

  “The papers also said that we’ll need to continue to conserve,” Hazel said over the silence that followed. “It’s up to our own Food Conservation Committee to determine exactly what we’ll be doing in the kitchens of Glennon Normal School.”

  Delia wondered at the interpretation anyone would make of the latest edict. Although some newspapers claimed over the past few days that meatless and wheatless days were to be discontinued, many were so accustomed to publishing the calendars with the daily restrictions to be followed that they’d yet to remove them from the printings.

  “Done with your tour?” Hazel pulled her apron up and wiped her hands as she turned her focus to Delia.

  “I thought I should finish with a visit to your domain.” Delia approached Hazel so they wouldn’t have to shout across the kitchen. She knew it was impossible to have a private conversation with so many listening. “If I’m not in the way.”

  Hazel looked over Delia’s shoulder as though expecting to see someone else.

  “Miss Bergman was a most informative guide. She had to return to the library to finish preparing for the start of classes,” Delia said. “She was kind enough to offer to sit with us in church tomorrow.”

  Hazel’s eyes shifted to the others in the room. One of the women closest to the range lifted her brows. Hazel nodded once and the woman turned to take over the food preparation currently underway at the range.

  “That was very kind of her,” Hazel said as she moved about the room checking the work of the younger girls. Above her, dozens of pans and strainers of various sizes hung suspended from racks. Large work tables were strategically located around the room. Several oversized dishwashing machines were against one wall.

  “This is all for the faculty dinner this evening?” Delia asked. She was afraid to move farther into the kitchen. She didn’t want to be in anyone’s way.

  “The faculty gather for a special dinner here the Saturday before classes begin. In past years, the principal always attended as well but we aren’t yet sure if the captain will be able to join you this evening.”

  Delia pressed her lips together uncertain if she should relay what Mena had told her.

  Hazel narrowed her
eyes at Delia. “Did you happen to hear anything?”

  The others in the room stopped their work and turned to hear Delia’s response.

  “I understand from Miss Bergman that he has not yet arrived. The family is hoping to see him tomorrow.” Delia saw several frowns form before the others turned back to their work. “I’m told his war injury is causing some problems.”

  Hazel nodded as though finding it a reasonable explanation for his absence. “We’ll meet him soon enough. If he doesn’t arrive in time for church, you’ll still have the chance to see his sister and her children there in the morning.”

  Delia watched Hazel cross back over to the range. After speaking quietly with the women working there, Hazel returned to Delia and clasped her hands together. “You’ll see that everything here is modern.”

  Delia didn’t have to feign her appreciation as she looked around. “Most impressive.”

  Hazel motioned to the floor as she led Delia back to the doorway. “Everything here is cement wherever we have food stored. We don’t have the worries of vermin that others might.”

  Delia followed Hazel to the dining room. The young boy she’d seen earlier was moving about some of the tables.

  Hazel followed her gaze. “That’s Sam. He works here when he isn’t in school.”

  Delia guessed his age to be around eleven or twelve.

  “It was nice of you to stop in the kitchen.” Hazel pulled her apron up as though by habit and began wiping her hands again.

  Delia watched the actions of her cousin. Here in the expanse of the dining room, Hazel’s diminutive size seemed to shrink even more. Her movements appeared to stem from discomfort. “I hope I didn’t interrupt. I know you must be very busy.”

  “It isn’t that,” Hazel said. She motioned toward the tables that Sam was setting. “But you belong over here with the faculty. It won’t do to be socializing with the kitchen staff. Your new colleagues might think less of you.”

  Delia felt her spine stiffen. “I don’t believe I would care to humor such opinions.”