{"product_id":"2940013703124","title":"Murder Runs in the Family","description":"Lance McCrea set his door open an inch and listened. She was always the\u003cbr\u003efirst of the lodgers to come home in the afternoon. At this hour there\u003cbr\u003ewas nobody in the house except the servants at work in the basement, and\u003cbr\u003eProfessor Sempill, buried in his study in the extension.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Lance heard her firm light step on the first flight of stairs, a\u003cbr\u003ecurious breathlessness took possession of him. He had known the girl only\u003cbr\u003ea week, but she had done things to him. Most inconvenient to fall in love\u003cbr\u003ewhen you were out of a job. He knew her name--Freda Rollin--and that was\u003cbr\u003eall.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe timed his exit from the room so that they came face to face at the top\u003cbr\u003eof the stairs. Both started with surprise. Freda's start was genuine;\u003cbr\u003eLance's made to order. The girl's face lighted up at the sight of him,\u003cbr\u003ebut instantly became grave again. Lance's eyes dwelt on her with a kind\u003cbr\u003eof hungry pleasure. Without appearing to, he blocked the way to her room.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You're earlier than usual,\" he said, just to be saying something.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No,\" she answered. \"Just the same as usual.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Is your work far from here?\" he asked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Not very.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis face fell. He was always trying to lead her into telling him\u003cbr\u003esomething about herself, but she always evaded it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe tried again. \"You're lucky to have a job in times like these.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe sighed. \"I suppose so.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Don't you consider yourself lucky?\" he asked, in surprise.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Oh yes,\" she answered, listlessly. \"But you get a kind of yen for\u003cbr\u003efreedom. You can't help longing to see the world.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I know,\" said Lance, quickly. \"What a good time we could have in the\u003cbr\u003eworld if we had a little money!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe looked away without answering. Lance's eyes ate her up. She used\u003cbr\u003eneither lip-stick nor rouge, and her brown hair was drawn straight back\u003cbr\u003eand twisted in a bun at the nape of her neck. She seemed determined to\u003cbr\u003emake herself look as plain as possible, but it only had the effect of\u003cbr\u003eemphasizing her clear beautiful features and her steady eyes, Lance\u003cbr\u003ethought. It was the blue eyes that had plunged him in a maze. They were\u003cbr\u003efull of sadness. This girl could both think and feel. The silence lasted\u003cbr\u003eso long that she became uneasy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Were you going out?\" she asked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No, just looking for ink,\" he said. \"So that I could answer a couple of\u003cbr\u003edozen more ads.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I have some ink,\" she said. \"No need to go all the way downstairs.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No hurry,\" said Lance, blocking her way. However, she quietly pushed\u003cbr\u003epast him and went into her room, leaving the door open. She occupied the\u003cbr\u003etop floor rear in Mrs. Peale's lodging-house, and Lance had the hall room\u003cbr\u003eadjoining. He looked wistfully through the door of her room. It was just\u003cbr\u003ean ordinary lodging-house room, but the little things of her own that she\u003cbr\u003ehad spread around lent it a wonderful grace in his eyes. He was trying to\u003cbr\u003espy out whether there were any photographs of young men displayed.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47073755594992,"sku":"2940013703124","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013703124_p0.jpg?v=1763584155","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013703124","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}