That Affair at Elizabeth

A detective novel set in turn-of-the-century New York City, in which a young lawyer plays the sleuth. Packed with plot twists and the ubiquitous romantic complication. On the day they are supposed to be married, Marcia flees from Bert, leaving a note saying they can never be married. Bert engages his friend, a lawyer and investigator, to find where she has gone.
The investigation leads Lester to the house next door to Marcia's, where he begins to suspect something much more sinister is going on than just a missing wife. Why did Marcia run away, and why does it appear that Marcia's mother is in collusion with those that live next door, who might be responsible for Marcia's disappearance?