[Hilda Johansson 03] • Green grow the victims

Hilda Johansson's relationship with Patrick Malloy satisfies the two of them, but it's creating tensions for the families: She's Swedish and certainly not Catholic; he's Irish and the twain should never twine, at least as far as others are concerned. Even in the servants' quarters of the Studebaker household, questions are raised. Of course, Hilda's propensity for getting involved in things like murder that shouldn't be her business also raises more than a few eyebrows and makes people forget her love life and worry about whether she'll live long enough to have a relationship with Patrick at all.This is one of those times: The coal mine strikes of 1902 seem to be spilling into places that would consider themselves immune to such strife. Now a South Bend politician has been murdered, and Patrick's uncle Dan -- the dead man's main opponent -- has gone missing and become the chief suspect. Feeling that the police are doing little to find another suspect, the Malloys take the outrageous step of asking Hilda to put her talents to use for them...and offering to pay her for her services.