Mrs.
Quigley's Kidnapping
Mattie Draper remembers one of
her earliest big cases when she opened her detective agency
in 1968. She thought for while that it might be her last
Mrs.
Quigley’s kidnapping took place in the woods surrounding the
Quigley’s ten-acre estate. The grove of ancient trees
offered refuge for small animals and relief for people
seeking a peaceful hideaway. Although located in the
exclusive Chicago suburb of Lake Oak, where privacy and
safety were of utmost importance, the sanctuary failed to
protect Diana.
The
sheriff’s department relied on statements from two of the
Quigley’s employees to determine events leading up to the
kidnapping. Mrs. Anna Allen, the housekeeper, and Mr. Josh
Spencer, the stable hand, and gardener.
Mrs.
Allen told the police that she helped Mrs. Quigley lay out
clothes that she had planned to wear to a meeting later in
the day. She said that Miss Diana commented that she
wouldn’t have much time, and wanted them ready to slip on
when she came home from her ride. Diana Quigley, according
to Mrs. Allen, was excited because the art museum board, on
which she sat, had purchased four new paintings for the
gallery. She wanted to be present when they arrived that
afternoon.
Josh
Spencer stated that he saw Mrs. Quigley approaching the barn
as he brought Vagabond, her gray quarter horse, out for a
morning ride. Josh also reported that Vagabond seemed uneasy
and that Diana rubbed the horse’s neck but it did little to
calm him.
How
differently things might have gone for Mrs. Quigley, if she'd understood Vagabond’s warning. |
