Find the Woman

by Arthur Somers Roche

  IX

  New as she was to New York, limited of observation and of ability todigest her observations and draw from them sane conclusions, Clancyrealized that each business in the city was confined to certainrestricted districts. For instance, Times Square was the center of thetheatrical and night life of the city. A cursory glance at the women onFifth Avenue near Forty-second Street was enough to make her prettycertain that this was the heart of the shopping-district. And, ofcourse, all the reading world knew that the financial district wasdown-town.

  This knowledge had contributed to her feeling of security. She was asingle atom in a most enormous city. Even though the police, by reasonof the card bearing Fanchon DeLisle's introduction of Clancy to MorrisBeiner, might be investigating her, it seemed hardly probable to Clancythat any chance meeting would betray her. She thought that one couldlive years, decades in New York without meeting a single acquaintance.Until the police should get in touch with Fanchon DeLisle and discoverthat Florine Ladue and Clancy Deane were the same person, Clancybelieved that she was comparatively safe.

  But now, as she hesitated on the threshold of the outer office, it cameto her with a shock that New York was a small place. Later on, she wouldlearn that the whole world is a tiny hiding-place for a fugitive, butjust now it seemed to her that fate was treating her most unkindly inbringing her into contact with Grannis to-day. But at the moment shecould only blame fate, not realizing that, from the very nature of itsgeography, having so much north and south and so comparatively littleeast and west, all New York, practically, must, at some time during itsworking-day, be in the neighborhood of Times Square or the Grand CentralStation, and that shrewd men, realizing this fact, have centered certainbusinesses, such as the retail-clothing trade, the jewelry and otherluxury-merchandising, the hotels and theaters in these neighborhoods.The money may be made in other parts of the town, but it is spent here.

  So, had Clancy but realized it, it was not at all unusual that, withinthe first hour of her employment by Sally Henderson, Grannis shouldenter the offices. He needed an apartment; Sally Henderson, catering tothe class of persons who could afford expensive rentals, was naturallylocated in a district contiguous to other places where cost was notcounted by the customer.

  It was only by a tremendous effort of will that Clancy forced herselfacross the threshold.

  But Grannis's sallow face did not change its expression as she entered.It so happened that he had a lot on his mind, of which the renting of anapartment was but a minor detail. And young Guernsey and thestenographer were not particularly observant; they merely saw that MissHenderson's new employee seemed a bit timid.

  "Miss Deane, this is Mr. Grannis," said Guernsey. "Miss Deane will showyou several apartments," he added.

  Grannis nodded absent-mindedly. He glanced at Clancy for a moment; thenhis eyes dropped. Clancy drew a long breath. Something seemed about toburst within her bosom. Relief is quite as violent in its physicaleffects as fear, though not so permanent. Then her pulse slowed down.But her eyes were filmily unseeing until they had entered the motor, aclosed car, that Guernsey ordered.

  Then they cleared. Unflattering as it might be to her vanity, it wasnevertheless a fact that Grannis had no recollection of having met herbefore. It was natural enough, Clancy assured herself. She had simplybeen an extra person at a dance, at a poker-party. Further, in her coatsuit and wearing a hat, she was not the same person that had accompaniedFay Marston three nights ago to the Chateau de la Reine.

  Why, it was quite probable that even Zenda would not remember her if hesaw her again. Then her throat seemed to thicken up a trifle. That wasnot so, because Morris Beiner had told her that not only had Zendaremembered her first name but had been able to describe her soaccurately that Beiner had recognized her from the description.

  But, at the moment, she had nothing to fear. She looked at the card MissHenderson had given her. There were half a dozen addresses written onit. The rentals placed opposite them ranged from five to twelve hundred.

  "How much did you wish to pay, Mr. Grannis?" she asked.

  Grannis started as she spoke. He stared at her; his brows furrowed.Clancy felt herself growing pale. Then Grannis smiled.

  "I meet so many people--oh, thousands, Miss Deane--that I'm alwaysimagining that I've met my newest acquaintance before. I haven't metyou, have I?"

  The direct lie was something that Clancy abhorred, hardly ever in herlife had she uttered one.

  She compromised between the instinct for self-preservation and a rigidupbringing by shaking her head. He accepted the quasi-denial with asmile, then answered her question.

  "Oh, six or eight hundred a month--something like that," he saidcarelessly.

  Clancy smothered a gasp. Miss Henderson had told her nothing of thedetails of the business. That had been careless to an extreme of MissHenderson. Yet Clancy supposed that Miss Henderson felt that, if anemployee didn't have common sense, she wouldn't retain her. Still, notto have told Clancy that these rentals marked on this card were by the_month_, instead, as Clancy had assumed, by the year, was to have reliednot merely on Clancy's possession of common sense but on her experienceof New York. But Miss Henderson didn't know that Clancy had just comefrom the country. Probably sending Clancy out offhand in this fashionhad been a test of Clancy's adaptability for the business. Well--and herchin stuck forward a bit--she'd show that she had that adaptability. IfGrannis were willing to pay six or eight hundred dollars a month for anapartment, she'd rent him one.

  She handed the card to Grannis.

  "You're a busy man," she said. "Which address looks best to you?"

  Grannis stared at her.

  "I congratulate you, Miss Deane. Most women would have taken me to theleast desirable first, tried to foist it upon me, then dragged me toanother. This one."

  He put his finger on the third apartment listed. The rental was eighthundred and fifty dollars a month, and opposite it were the words: "sixmonths." Clancy interpreted this to mean that the tenant must sign a sixmonths' lease. She said as much to Grannis, who merely noddedacquiescently.

  Clancy had never been in a limousine in her life before. But she pickedup the speaking-tube, which told its own purpose to her quick wit, andspoke to the chauffeur. The car moved toward Park Avenue, turned north,and stopped a dozen blocks above Forty-seventh Street.

  * * * * *

  One hour and a half later, Grannis left Miss Sally Henderson's offices.Behind him, Miss Henderson fingered a lease, signed by Grannis, and acheck for eight hundred and fifty dollars, also signed by themoving-picture man.

  "My dear," she said, "you're wonderful! You have passed the test."

  "'Test?'" echoed Clancy innocently.

  "I have only one," said Miss Henderson. "Results. You got them. How didyou do it?"

  Clancy shrugged carelessly.

  "I don't know. I showed him the apartment. He liked it. That's all."

  "You're engaged!" cried Miss Henderson.

  "'Engaged?'"

  "Yes--to work for me."

  "But you engaged me before I went out with Mr. Grannis," said Clancy.

  Miss Henderson smiled. Clancy discovered that those full lips could beas acidulous as they were sensuous.

  "But not permanently, my dear. Oh, I may have talked about salaries andemploying you and all that sort of thing, but--that was to give youconfidence. If you'd failed in letting an apartment to Mr. Grannis--butyou didn't, my dear." She turned to Guernsey. "If you had the pep ofMiss Deane, Frank, you'd be running this business instead of working forme. Why don't you show some jazz?"

  Guernsey shrugged.

  "I'm not a pretty girl," he replied.

  He left the office, and Miss Henderson looked Clancy over critically.

  "Better call it a day, my dear, and run over to Forty-fifth Street andsee my dressmaker. I'll 'phone her while you're on the way. Put yourselfentirely in her hands, and I'll attend to the bill. Only--you promise tostay three months?"


  "I promise," said Clancy.

  Sally Henderson laughed.

  "Then run along. Miss Conover. Jennie Conover. Number Sixty-three A WestForty-fifth. Take whatever she chooses for you. Good-by."

  Clancy was crossing Fifth Avenue a moment later. She was as dazed asshe'd been when Morris Beiner had made the engagement with Hildebloom,of the Rosebush studios. This amazing town, where some starved andothers walked into fortune! This wondrous city that, when it smiled,smiled most wondrously, and, when it frowned, frowned most horrendously!But yesterday it had pursued her, threatened her with starvation,perhaps. The day before, it had promised her fame and fortune. To-day,it promised her, if neither fame nor fortune, at least more immediatemoney than she had ever earned in her life, and a chance for successthat, while not dazzling, yet might be more permanent than anything thatthe stage could offer her.

  She felt more safe, too, now that she had met one of the players inZenda's poker game. Doubtless she could meet any of the rest of them,except Zenda himself, and escape recognition. The town no longer seemedsmall to her; it seemed vast again. It was quite improbable that shewould ever again run across any of those few Broadwayites who knew her.At any rate, sufficient time would have elapsed for the real murderer ofMorris Beiner to have been apprehended. Up to now, oddly enough, she hadnot devoted much thought to the possible identity of the murderer. Shehad been too greatly concerned with her own peril, with the newinterests that despite the peril, were so engrossing. Her meeting withRandall, her acquaintance with Sophie Carey, her new position--these hadoccupied most of her thoughts of the last twenty-four hours. Beforethat, for eight hours or so, she had been concerned with her danger.That danger had revived momentarily this afternoon; it had died awayalmost immediately. But the only way to remove the cause of the dangerwas to discover the identity of the person who had killed Morris Beiner.

  She drew a deep breath. She couldn't do any investigating, even if sheknew how, without subjecting herself to great risk. Still-- She refusedto think about the matter. Which is exactly what youth always does; itwill not face the disagreeable, the threatening. And who shall say thatit is not more sensible in this than age, which, knowing life'sinevitability of act and consequence, is without hope?

  She entered the establishment of Jennie Conover with that thrill whichcomes to every woman at her modiste's or furrier's or jeweler's. Clothesmay not make the man, but they may mar the woman. Clancy knew that herclothes marred her. Miss Sally Henderson, whose own garb was nothingwonderful, but who apparently knew the things that were deemedfashionable, had said for Clancy to trust entirely to the judgment ofMiss Conover. Clancy would do so.

  Care, that had hovered about her, now resting on her slim shoulders, nowapparently flying far off, suddenly seemed to have left her for good andall. It was discarded even as she discarded her coat suit, petticoat,and waist before the appraising eyes of Miss Conover, the plump,good-humored dressmaker to whom Miss Henderson had sent her.

  But she donned these undistinguished garments an hour later. Also, shedonned Care, the lying jade who had seemed to leave her. For, walkingmeasuredly up and down, as though prepared to wait forever for herreappearance, was Grannis, the man whom she had been so certain had notrecognized her earlier to-day.

  She hesitated a moment upon the stoop of the building that had once beena private residence, then a boarding-house, and was now remodeled intointimate shops and tiny apartments. But Grannis had seen her; flightwould merely postpone the inevitable. Bravely she descended the shortflight of steps, and, as Grannis approached, she forced a smile to herwhite lips.

  He stopped a yard away from her, studying her carefully with eyes thatshe suddenly sensed were near-sighted. His sallow, lean countenance waswrinkled with puzzlement.

  "Miss Deane," he said slowly, "you told me this afternoon that we hadnot met before."

  Clancy had not said anything of the sort. She had simply evaded aquestion with a nod of the head. But now she merely shrugged hershoulders. It was an almost despairing little shrug, pathetic, yet withdefiance in it, too. It expressed her mental attitude. She wasdespairing; also she was defiant.

  Grannis studied her a moment longer. Then, abruptly, he said:

  "I haven't the best memory in the world, Miss Deane, but--from themoment I heard your voice to-day, I've been sure that we've met before.I know where, now. In fact, I'd hardly left you when I remembered. And Iwaited outside Miss Henderson's office and followed you. Isn't theresome place where we can go and talk?"

  "You seem to be talking quite clearly here," said Clancy. She knew thather cheeks were white and that her voice trembled, but her eyes neverleft the eyes of Grannis.

  The tall, thin moving-picture magnate shrugged his narrow shoulders. Buthis shrug was not like Clancy's. It was neither despairing, norpathetic, nor defiant. It was careless.

  "Just as you say, of course, Miss Deane. Only--there are pleasanterplaces than a police station. Don't you think so?"

  Clancy gasped. She seemed to grow cold all over, then hot. Then she feltas if about to faint. She gripped herself with an effort that would havedone credit to a woman ten years older.

  "All right," she said. "Where shall we go?"