Two Names for Death

TWO NAMES FOR DEATH

Barney drives a Boston cab and is surprised to pick up a fare downtown who gives his own address as her destination. Barney rents a room with the Shafft family--old Mrs. Shafft, her son Theo, and their granddaughter Edith--but has no idea that his customer is Lenore Bellane, Theo's wife and Edith's real mother. So when Lenore is found with two slashed wrists in her hotel room the next morning, Barney feels that something here just doesn't make sense.

The supposed-suicide doesn't make sense to Lt. Eggart either. He suspects murder. Lenore had been seen the day before with a Mystery Man who turns out to be her brother-in-law, Francis Bellane, but what motive could he have for killing the woman who seems to have meant so much to him? Why is Barney's boss, Mr. Bottman, getting involved? And how do the Shaffts figure into this?