Murder on Fifth Avenue: A Gaslight Mystery (24 page)

“Yes, ma’am.”

When the girl was gone, Garnet turned to Sarah. “I envy you. How delightful it must be to simply go wherever you wish and do whatever you wish with no regard for the consequences.”

Mrs. Richmond gasped, but Sarah smiled. “I assure you, it is far from delightful, and I often must deal with consequences. For example, I must now feel terrible for interrupting your visit with your mother.”

“Don’t do that,” Garnet said. “We actually welcome your arrival. I’m afraid we were simply wallowing in our mutual misery when you burst in.”

Garnet sat down, signaling her guests to do the same.

When they were settled, Sarah turned to Mrs. Richmond. She was a handsome woman, and her gown had been made for her by a skilled dressmaker, but not recently. She, too, was pale and looked as if she hadn’t been sleeping well. She also didn’t know quite what to make of Sarah.

“My daughter is exaggerating,” Mrs. Richmond said with a polite smile. “I’ve just been keeping her company while we wait for the rest of the family to return from the funeral.”

“I’m sure she appreciates that.” Sarah turned back to Garnet. “Someone told me at the church that you were too ill to come, so I thought I should make sure you were all right. I
was afraid you might have taken something that didn’t agree with you.”

“Like poor Roderick?”

“Good heavens, Garnet, what a thing to say!” her mother cried.

“Mrs. Brandt isn’t easily shocked. Are you, Mrs. Brandt?”

“Not at all. And I was sincerely hoping you hadn’t suffered the same fate.”

“Your concern is gratifying, but I assure you, I am perfectly safe.”

“If you’re feeling unwell because of the child, I can suggest some things to do that will make you more comfortable.”

“My mother is ahead of you there. The two of you share a touching concern for my well-being. Did I tell you Mrs. Brandt is a midwife, Mother? She is a widow who earns her own bread.”

“Isn’t that really why you envy me?” Sarah asked.

Garnet widened her eyes. “Am I so transparent?”

“Not at all. Any woman could understand your interest.”

“Any woman who had been left penniless and helpless, you mean.”

“You aren’t penniless,” Mrs. Richmond said almost desperately.

“No, I’m not,” Garnet agreed. “At least so long as I stay here, in this house, at the mercy of everyone in it.”

Mrs. Richmond reached out and laid a hand on her daughter’s arm. “But he’s gone now, my darling. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Can’t he? And what about you? He left you penniless and helpless, too.”

From what Sarah knew about Mrs. Richmond, this was
certainly true, but to her surprise, Mrs. Richmond stiffened and snatched away her comforting hand. “Penniless, perhaps, but not completely helpless.” For a moment, Sarah and Garnet stared at her in surprise, and seeing their reaction, Mrs. Richmond instantly softened her expression with a smile. “In many ways, we are the stronger sex, are we not, Mrs. Brandt?”

“Anyone who has seen a woman in childbirth would agree,” Sarah said.

“A woman will do what she must to protect those she loves,” Mrs. Richmond said. “My daughter is still learning this lesson.”

Mrs. Richmond and Garnet exchanged a look. Sarah would have given much to know its true meaning, but Garnet said, “And a bitter lesson it is, too.”

A knock at the door announced the arrival of the maid with their tea. Mrs. Richmond took charge of serving it, and like the proper hostess she had once been, she directed the conversation to trivialities. By asking Sarah about herself and her family with the skill of one who has been taught from birth how to fill the hours with conversation without ever touching on anything of real importance, she managed to pass the time until the maid came to inform them that the rest of the family had returned.

“Mrs. Devries wants you to help her greet the guests,” the girl told Garnet.

Garnet actually winced.

“Mrs. Paul couldn’t possibly stand on her feet for so long,” Sarah said. “Please tell Mrs. Devries that she will be available in the parlor for anyone who wishes to see her.”

“The
rear
parlor,” Garnet added with a perverse smile. Few of the guests would find her there.

This time the maid winced, probably dreading Mrs.
Devries’s reaction to this refusal. When she was gone, Garnet turned to Sarah. “Will you stay with me?”

Malloy had wanted her to report to him what happened at the house, and she would see little if she stayed with Garnet, but she said, “Of course.”

Garnet turned to her mother and took her arm. “We will be as brave as Mrs. Brandt thinks we are.”

An expression that might have been despair flickered across Mrs. Richmond’s face, and she gave her daughter a brief, fierce hug. Then, smoothing out her expression to cool unconcern, she walked out with Garnet into the hallway.

For the next few hours, Garnet held court in the family parlor. As Sarah had predicted, few of the guests found her there. To Sarah’s surprise, one of them was a handsome young man who greeted her warmly.

“Garnet, my darling,” he said, taking her hand in both of his. “How are you bearing up?”

“I’m so much better now that you’re here,” she said.

“Of course you are,” he said, winning from her the first true smile Sarah had seen that day.

From where she sat unobtrusively in the corner, Sarah was busily rethinking her opinion of Garnet, nearly convinced this fellow was her lover, when Garnet said, “Mother, allow me to present Paul’s oldest friend, Hugh Zeller.”

Hugh and Mrs. Richmond made all the correct responses to the introduction, and he accepted Garnet’s invitation to sit with her.

“Paul sends his most affectionate regards,” Zeller said, “and asks you to forgive him for not attending you sooner, but he will find you the moment the witch is done with him.”

“I know he will. She’s keeping him away from me as a punishment for not going to the funeral.”

“Of course she is, and for not standing at her side while people gush about what a wonderful man her husband was. I keep telling Paul to stand up to her, but the habits of a lifetime are difficult to break.”

“We all do what we must to protect those we love,” Garnet said with a meaningful glance at her mother.

“Now tell me, my darling, are you really ill?” he asked, studying her intently. “You are as ravishing as ever, but I’m afraid now it is more in the manner of the tragic heroine wasting away for love.”

“Not for love, surely,” she said.

He grew solemn. “Tell me the truth. Are you really ill?”

“Nothing that time won’t cure.”

She was exactly right, Sarah thought.

“You know we would move heaven and earth for you. All you need do is ask.”

Garnet smiled at him fondly and patted his hand. “I’m sure I won’t require anything so ambitious as all that. Paul might, however, if you don’t get him away from his mother soon.”

“Have you assigned me a quest, fair lady?”

“I most certainly have.”

He took her hand and bowed over it, then rose. “I will bring him back with his shield or on it.”

“What did he mean by that?” Mrs. Richmond asked when he was gone.

“I have no idea. He always says the most outrageous things.”

Sarah’s parents came in then, distracting her from her eavesdropping. She greeted them, then introduced them to Mrs. Richmond. They didn’t bother to express their condolences to Garnet, for which she was undoubtedly grateful. Sarah’s mother, who was also a master of meaningless conversation,
managed to get Mrs. Richmond’s history in a few short minutes.

While the two women were chatting, Sarah’s father drew her aside. “I see Garnet is still alive.”

“Don’t tease, Father. If Roderick was killed because he knew who the killer was, other people might be in danger as well.”

“I wasn’t teasing. I’m as relieved as you are. I just can’t believe Paul or Lucretia would commit murder.”

“Maybe they don’t consider it murder if it’s just a servant.”

She saw her barb hit home, but he said, “Many in their place would not, I’m afraid.”

“I’m glad you aren’t one of them.”

Her compliment seemed to please him. “Where is Mr. Malloy?”

“He’s meeting with the medical examiner to make sure Roderick really was poisoned.”

“Then I assume he’ll question Paul.”

“Yes, but not until tomorrow.”

“Will he be able to find out the truth?”

Sarah didn’t know the answer to that question.

F
RANK HAD TO WAIT FOR
D
OC
H
AYNES, WHO WAS IN THE
middle of an autopsy when he arrived. Sitting in Haynes’s cluttered office, Frank spent the time mulling over all that he had learned about Chilton Devries. Usually, when he investigated a murder, all he needed to do was figure out who would profit most from the person’s death. In this case, however, he wasn’t even sure the person who stabbed Devries had intended to kill him. The weapon—which might’ve been a nut pick, of all things—wasn’t particularly large or dangerous enough to
give the person wielding it confidence in its ability to do serious damage.

No, the incident that caused Devries’s death had probably been a spontaneous act of anger or frustration meant only to cause him pain or divert him from causing it to someone else. If Felix Decker had left it alone, that person would have gone unpunished but rightly so, in all probability. And Roderick would still be alive. If Sarah felt guilt about that, Frank felt even more. He should have used his considerable skill to force Roderick to tell him everything he knew about Devries’s encounters with his family when he’d first had the chance. Instead he’d chosen to bide his time and win Roderick’s cooperation. That decision had cost Roderick his life.

When Doc Haynes finally returned to his office, he plopped wearily into his chair and peered at Frank with bloodshot eyes. “Killers have no imagination, Malloy.”

“If they did, maybe they could figure out a better way to deal with their problems.”

“You’re probably right. The whiskey had been laced with arsenic, just like you thought. Rat poison, straight out of the box. It works pretty fast if you take enough of it, and there was plenty in the bottle. I’m surprised he didn’t balk at the taste.”

“He’d only had a glass or so, judging from how much was left.”

“So maybe he did notice the taste, but he’d already drunk enough. Any idea who did the deed?”

“Yes, unfortunately. A bunch of swells.”

Haynes muttered a curse. “Poor fellow. He was the butler or something, wasn’t he?”

“Valet to Chilton Devries.”

“Oh, the one I saw last week.”

“Yeah, and I wanted to ask you something. Do you think a nut pick could’ve made the wound that killed Devries?”

“A nut pick?”

“Yes, that thing you use to pick out the inside of a walnut when you’ve cracked it open. It’s about this long—”

“I know what it is. Would it be sharp enough?”

“It’s got a point, and if somebody stabbed hard enough, I think it would probably break the skin.”

Haynes considered the possibilities. “Could be. It’s the right size and shape. What made you think of that?”

“Devries liked walnuts. He was always walking around, eating them and dropping the shells. And one of the nut picks is missing from a set he had in his bedroom.”

“So you need to find out who has the missing nut pick.”

Frank was very much afraid he already knew.

S
ARAH’S PARENTS HAD LONG SINCE WITHDRAWN
. G
ARNET
and her mother had easily dealt with the trickle of mourners who found them, accepting their condolences with such a blatant lack of appreciation that they soon fled.

At last Paul appeared, followed by Hugh Zeller. He hurried to Garnet’s side. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” she said with a small smile.

“This must be ghastly for you.”

“No worse than it is for you, and Mother has been keeping me company.”

Paul seemed to notice his mother-in-law for the first time. “I’m so glad you could be here for Garnet, Terry. Thank you for coming.”

She seemed almost offended by his gratitude. “I would do anything for my daughter.”

Paul gave her a crooked smile. “I know, but this must tax even your motherly devotion.”

Some emotion flickered across her face, but she returned his smile with a sad one of her own. “Nothing could do that.”

Paul turned back to Garnet. “Have you eaten anything?”

“No, she hasn’t,” Mrs. Richmond said.

“Let me take you to the dining room, then. You can see my mother and my sisters there for a few minutes, then go back to your room.”

“I couldn’t eat a bite,” Garnet said.

“You won’t have to. Just stand there looking appropriately somber and murmur your thanks if anyone speaks to you. I’ll make sure you don’t have to stay long.”

Hugh Zeller stepped forward. “And I’ll escort you, Mrs. Richmond. Two pariahs together,” he added with a knowing smile.

His frankness seemed to disconcert her, but she rose and took his offered arm. They waited for Paul and Garnet to precede them, but as they moved to the door, Garnet stopped. “What about Mrs. Brandt? You’ve been so quiet, I almost forgot about you!”

“Don’t worry about me,” Sarah said. “I’ll find my parents.”

“Sarah?” Paul peered at her with a puzzled frown. “Sarah Decker?”

“I’m Sarah Brandt now, Paul. It’s nice to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you, too, but what on earth are you doing here?”

“Paul!” Garnet said in dismay.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “It’s just that I haven’t seen you in so long and…I’m surprised you’re here today.”

“Mrs. Brandt is my friend,” Garnet said. “She came to support me.”

This news surprised Paul even more, but he seemed pleased by it just the same. “Then I’m very grateful to you.”

“I’m glad I could come,” Sarah said.

“Hugh, would you escort Mrs. Brandt as well?” Paul asked.

“I would be delighted.”

Paul quickly introduced the two.

As they moved out of the room and down the hallway toward the dining room, Sarah tried to hear what Paul and Garnet were saying to each other as they walked on ahead, but Zeller distracted her.