Murder on Fifth Avenue: A Gaslight Mystery (25 page)

“Paul called you Sarah Decker. Are you any relation to Felix Decker?”

“He’s my father.”

“Ah, then perhaps you know why he’s so anxious to blame someone for old Devries’s demise.”

Zeller’s smile was charming and his tone light, but Sarah saw the sharp intelligence in his eyes. He was more than a little interested in her reply. “He and Mr. Devries were old friends.”

“Then he must know whoever killed Devries did us all a favor.”

Beside him, Mrs. Richmond stumbled, and he caught her.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” she said unsteadily. “I just…Perhaps I’ll go back to the parlor and wait for Garnet there.”

“Would you like me to go with you?” Sarah asked.

“No, no, I’ll be fine. I just…I’m not looking forward to seeing Mrs. Devries, and I’d rather not cause a scene. For Garnet’s sake, you understand.”

“Of course,” Zeller said. “Although her scenes can be amusing if one isn’t involved in them.”

Mrs. Richmond smiled weakly. “I’m sure. Please tell Garnet where I’ve gone.” Before they could reply, she fled back down the hall.

“Do you think she’ll be all right?” Zeller asked Sarah.

Sarah had no idea. “I’ll be sure to check on her in a few minutes.”

But when she did, Mrs. Richmond was gone.

S
ARAH HAD BEEN WAITING FOR
M
ALLOY ALL EVENING
. A
S
she had half expected, he didn’t arrive until after Catherine’s bedtime, when he knew her house would be quiet and free from unexpected visitors. Even Maeve had gone to bed.

When she served him coffee, she noticed he wrapped both hands around the cup to absorb its warmth.

“I don’t suppose you learned anything unexpected from the medical examiner,” she said, sitting down with him at the table.

“No. Arsenic, just as we thought. Somebody poured an awful lot of it into the whiskey bottle. I’m guessing nobody had poisoned Garnet Devries.”

“No, and she didn’t seem particularly ill, either, except for the usual morning sickness women in her condition get.”

“I don’t suppose you learned anything interesting today.”

“I did, but not what I expected.”

He perked up at this. “What?”

“You told me that Hugh Zeller is Paul’s…What do you call it when they’re both men?”

“Friend,” Malloy said.

She raised her eyebrows. “That can’t be right.”

“I don’t know any nice words for it, Sarah. Men like that aren’t treated with much respect, and you don’t need to know what the cops call them.”

He was probably right. “At any rate, I guess I expected Mr. Zeller would be jealous of Garnet or at least that he wouldn’t like her very much, but quite the contrary, he actually seemed fond of her and genuinely concerned about her health.”

“What about Paul?”

“I didn’t see much of him. His mother kept him occupied, but when he was finally able to break away, he was just as kind to Garnet. Not like a lover would be, but like a brother, perhaps. He does care for her, at least, so whoever told you that was right.”

“Fond enough to kill for her?”

Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know. Something Mrs. Richmond said made me—”

“Who?”

“Mrs. Richmond. I almost forgot, she was with Garnet when I got there.”

“That was brave of her. Mrs. Devries doesn’t want her in the house.”

“I’m sure she knew her daughter would need her, and braving the wrath of Mrs. Devries would be a small price to pay.”

“She was probably counting on the fact that Mrs. Devries wouldn’t make a scene at her husband’s funeral.”

“She also managed to keep out of her sight, too.”

“You started to say something about her.”

“Oh, yes. She remarked that a woman would do whatever was necessary for those she loved, and it made me wonder. Would a man do that, too?”

Malloy frowned. “You mean would a man commit murder?”

“Not exactly. I know men commit murder for many reasons
that don’t have anything to do with love. I guess I mean would a man sacrifice for someone he loves, whatever that entails.”

“For someone he
loves
, yes. The question is, does Paul Devries love Garnet—or his mother—enough?”

“I guess you’ll have to ask him that tomorrow.”

“Maybe you could ask Garnet, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’d like for you to go see Garnet at the same time I’m seeing Paul tomorrow.”

“To ask her if Paul loves her?”

“No, to ask her if Chilton Devries fathered her child.”

“Oh, my.”

“It’s not a question
I
can ask her.”

“I know. I suppose I should also find out if she is the one who stabbed him with…What was it? A nut pick?”

“Yes, a nut pick. And if you could find it in her room with blood still on it, that would be even better.”

“And suppose I do? Suppose she tells me Devries was raping her and she stuck him with the nut pick. Then what?”

“Then we find out who poisoned Roderick.”

“And why.”

“We already know why.”

“Do we?”

“Yes. He knew who stabbed Devries.”

“Are you sure of that?”

Malloy frowned. “I
was
sure of that. Why shouldn’t I be?”

“Maybe you should be, but you’re always telling me not to jump to conclusions. We think he knew who stabbed Devries and that person poisoned him to keep him quiet.”

“Or someone who wants to protect that person poisoned him to keep him quiet.”

“But maybe he didn’t really know.”

“I don’t think it matters,” Malloy said. “If the killer thought he knew and killed him because of it, then that’s what matters.”

Sarah rubbed her forehead. “I hope I can remember all this tomorrow.”

T
HE NEXT MORNING, THE MAID INSISTED ON ANNOUNCING
Sarah before escorting her upstairs to Garnet’s bedroom. To her relief, Garnet had chosen to be at home to her, even though it was much too early for a formal call.

She found her hostess still in her dressing gown, an untouched breakfast tray on the table next to her chair.

“How are you feeling?” Sarah asked.

“I’m growing bored with everyone being so concerned about my health. Imagine what will happen when my condition becomes apparent to everyone.”

“I hope that means you’ve given up your hope of finding a
remedy
for it.”

“Not entirely.”

Sarah frowned. “What does your husband say?”

“I haven’t told him yet.”

Sarah blinked. “But you said everyone is concerned about your health.”

“Only because I claimed to be ill yesterday so I wouldn’t have to go to the church. My mother-in-law has promised never to forgive me for that, by the way. If that meant she’d never speak to me again, I’d be ecstatic, but apparently, it just means she’s going to remind me of my thoughtlessness every day for the rest of my life.”

“She would probably forgive you if she knew you were expecting her grandchild.”

Garnet sighed and looked away. Her gaze fell on the tray of food. “Can I offer you some tea? Or coffee?”

“No, thank you, but you need to eat something yourself.”

She considered that for a moment. “Actually, I was thinking I could starve the child.”

“It doesn’t work like that. The baby will take what he needs from you, and you’ll be the worse for it, not him. I’ve seen women in the tenements who give birth year after year. They grow thinner and weaker and lose all their teeth, but the babies are still fat and healthy.”

“How unfair.”

“Not to the babies.”

Garnet closed her eyes, and Sarah had the distinct impression she was fighting tears. Malloy would have told her to exploit this moment of weakness.

Hating herself for it, she said, “Garnet, why haven’t you told Paul about the baby?”

Her eyes flew open. “That’s none of your business.”

“You’re right, it’s not, but I think I know why you haven’t told Paul about the baby.”

“You don’t know anything about it.”

“Yes, I do. I know about Paul and his friend, Mr. Zeller. And I know about your father-in-law and what he did.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“You tried that before, but I know you do. I also think Paul will be very surprised to find out you’re with child, won’t he?”

She lifted a trembling hand to her throat. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because two people are dead, and at least one of them doesn’t deserve to be.”

“Who are you talking about? Roderick? That’s no one’s fault. He killed himself.”

“Who told you that?”

“Paul did. No, wait, his mother. She told everyone. He was distraught because Paul told him he had to leave.”

“And you believe that?”

“What else could it have been? You can’t think someone poisoned him.”

“Yes, I can. In fact, I’m sure of it.”

“But why? What had he ever done to anyone?”

“He knew who stabbed Mr. Devries.”

“How could he know that?”

“He knew everyone who had been with Mr. Devries that morning, Garnet. And he knew everything that had happened.”

Garnet uttered a strangled cry, bolted to her feet, and ran across the room. Dropping to her knees, she began to wretch into the chamber pot that had been beneath her bed.

Sarah hurried over, grabbing a towel from the washstand, and knelt down beside her. When Garnet had finished, Sarah handed her the towel and helped her to her feet and back to the chair, where she slumped wearily. Sarah rang for the maid, then went to get the chamber pot so she could set it outside the door, but when she knelt down again to pick it up, something shiny lying under the bed caught her eye.

A nut pick.

F
RANK HAD BEEN DREADING THIS CONFRONTATION, BUT
he’d given Sarah enough time to get in to see Garnet Devries, and he could put it off no longer. The maid who answered the door didn’t bother to conceal her concern when he asked to see Paul Devries alone. To his credit, Paul didn’t keep him waiting.

The maid showed him into the formal parlor, where Paul
stood stiffly in the center of the room, his face pale and his hands clenched at his sides.

“Have you discovered who attacked my father?” he asked when the maid was gone.

“Not yet. I need to ask you some questions, Mr. Devries. Could we sit down?”

“Yes, yes, of course.” He cast about and chose a pair of chairs near the fireplace.

Frank cleared his throat. “I understand that you met with Roderick after supper on the night he died.”

Paul seemed momentarily confused, but he recovered quickly. “Yes, I did.”

“Can you tell me what you talked to him about?”

“I had to tell him we were dismissing him. He was my father’s valet, you know, and with Father dead …”

“Why didn’t you keep him on as your valet?”

“I already have a valet.”

“But wasn’t Roderick more experienced?”

“I’m perfectly satisfied with Winston.”

“Does that mean you weren’t satisfied with Roderick?”

Paul frowned. “I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, you understand, but I never cared for Roderick.”

“Why not?”

He shifted in his chair. “I always thought he was a bit…sneaky.”

“Sneaky? You mean he stole things?”

“Oh, no, at least not that I ever knew, but he was a sly one. In fact …”

“In fact what?”

“Well, I hadn’t thought of it until this moment, but that last time we spoke, he seemed to think I should be afraid of him for some reason.”

“Afraid of him? Why?”

“I’m not sure, but he was quite shocked when I told him we were letting him go. He could stay until the end of the month, I told him, and I would give him an excellent reference. He should have been expecting it, but he tried to argue with me.”

“What did he say?”

Paul frowned as he tried to remember. “He said I was making a mistake because he knew what had happened.”

“What did he mean by that?”

“I had no idea, and I told him so. That seemed to surprise him, too.”

“What did he do then?”

“Nothing. I mean, he didn’t argue anymore. He seemed very…This sounds odd, but he seemed disappointed. He’d obviously thought he could convince me to keep him on.”

“Is that why you gave him the whiskey? To cheer him up?”

“What?”

“The decanter of whiskey from your father’s room. You gave it to him and told him to drown his sorrows.”

“I most certainly did not! I would never encourage a servant to drink alcohol.” His outrage seemed genuine.

“But you knew he would.”

“Knew he would what?”

“You knew he liked a nip now and then, and he’d need one that night, after you told him you were letting him go. You knew he’d go to your father’s room and take the whiskey and drink it.”

“That’s ridiculous. How could I know a thing like that?”

“You said yourself he was sneaky.”

“I also said I’d never known him to steal. Besides, what harm would it do if he did take it?”

“Because you’d put arsenic in the decanter.”

Paul jumped to his feet.
“What?”

“You put rat poison in the decanter of whiskey—”

“Rat poison?”

“—and you told Roderick he was losing his job, and maybe you even suggested he help himself to the decanter because you felt so bad about having to dismiss him and—”

“Are you insane? Where did you get an idea like this!”

“Because that’s how Roderick died, Mr. Devries. He said you gave him the decanter of whiskey, and it was full of rat poison, and that’s what killed him.”

Paul was scarlet with fury. “Why would he say I gave it to him when I didn’t? No one encourages their servants to drink! That would ruin your staff.”

To door burst open and Mrs. Devries came charging in. “What on earth is going on in here?”

S
ARAH’S HEART WAS POUNDING AS SHE ROSE AND CARRIED
the chamber pot to the door and set it outside for the maid to get. Schooling her expression to reveal nothing of what she was feeling, she returned to Garnet and sat down beside her.

“Are you all right?”