Murder on Fifth Avenue: A Gaslight Mystery

by Victoria Thompson

  “And maybe she was the one who stabbed him. Do you remember what time he left here?”

  Angotti looked over at his men, who had a brief discussion in Italian. “Around noon.”

  Frank wasn’t sure exactly when Devries had arrived at his club, but if he’d had the time…“Can you tell me where to find this woman?”

  Angotti gestured to one of his men who gave Frank an address not too far from where Norah English lived.

  “What is this woman’s name?” Frank asked.

  “Mrs. Richmond. I am sure you will enjoy her story as much as I did.”

  FRANK DIDN’T REALLY EXPECT FELIX DECKER TO BE AT home yet. In fact, he was hoping he wasn’t. He really wanted to talk to Mrs. Decker. She apparently wanted to speak to him, too, because she only kept him waiting a few minutes in the small receiving room before the maid escorted him up to the parlor. Not the front parlor, either, but the one the family used for every day. Mrs. Decker no longer considered him company.

  “Mr. Malloy, how delightful to see you,” she said, giving him her hand when the maid had shown him in. “I’m sorry my husband isn’t home yet, but I expect him within the hour if you’d like to wait.”

  “Thank you, I would.”

  She smiled conspiratorially. “Good. I ordered coffee, unless you’d like something stronger.”

  “Coffee is fine.”

  “Please, have a seat and tell me what you’ve been up to. I went to Sarah’s house earlier today, but she’s out on a delivery.”

  She sat with him on one of the comfortable sofas, her lovely face alight with interest. Frank couldn’t help noticing how much she and Sarah looked alike, except for the spark of spirit that made Sarah different from all the other rich women he’d met. He thought maybe living a lifetime in luxury killed that spirit, and Sarah had escaped just in time. Then again, maybe she was the only one who had it, and that’s why she had escaped in the first place.

  “I’ve been learning some things about Mr. Devries that aren’t very nice.”

  “Oh, dear. But I guess that isn’t surprising. Nice people seldom get murdered, do they?”

  Frank couldn’t help grinning. “No, they don’t. I haven’t had a chance to find out how your visit with Mrs. Devries went.”

  “I’m afraid we didn’t learn very much that will be of use to you.”

  “Did you learn anything at all?”

  Mrs. Decker frowned. “Let me see. We learned that Garnet and Paul have been married for two years but have no children. This is a source of disappointment for Mrs. Devries, who wants to see the family name continue. Oh, and Garnet expressed a desire to get to know Sarah better. She was very interested in Sarah’s work.”

  “Her work as a midwife?”

  “Yes, she may hope Sarah can help her have a child, although Sarah insists she can’t.”

  “Did she tell Garnet Devries that?”

  “No. We didn’t actually discuss the subject, you understand. This is all conjecture, the part about her wanting Sarah’s help, I mean. Sarah disagrees.”

  “What does she think Garnet wants?”

  “She doesn’t know, but Maeve told me Garnet visited her earlier today, just before Sarah went out to the delivery, so perhaps we’ll find out when she returns. Oh, and we learned Garnet’s family is from the south, Virginia I believe she said. Her father moved the family here because of his business and tried to join the Knickerbocker Club, which is how he met Chilton. I gather Chilton met the rest of the family and decided Garnet would be a suitable wife for Paul.”

  “Does that happen a lot?”

  “What? Trying to join the Knickerbocker?”

  “No, parents choosing a mate for their child. I thought only kings and queens did that.”

  Mrs. Decker smiled. “I never thought of it that way, although…Well, you probably remember poor Consuelo Vanderbilt’s marriage to an English duke last year. That was certainly an arranged marriage. Consuelo was only eighteen and most likely had no desire to marry a man a foot shorter than she was who lived all the way across the ocean from her friends and family, but Alva—Alva is her mother, you know—insisted she was doing it so Consuelo would have an opportunity to live a much more interesting life.”

  “How would her life be more interesting?”

  Mrs. Decker shrugged delicately. “I’m not sure, having never actually met a duchess, you understand, but according to Alva, upper-class women in Europe have many more interests than American women. They are even active in politics. Maybe …”

  “Maybe what?”

  “This will sound silly, but maybe I should have married Sarah off to a duke.”

  Frank could see her point. If Sarah had found her prospects as the wife of a rich man the least bit interesting, she probably wouldn’t have married a poor doctor and become a midwife. “And she wouldn’t be an embarrassment to you now.”

  “Oh, Mr. Malloy, you mustn’t think I’m ashamed of her,” she said, the color rising in her fair cheeks. “I’m very proud of her, in fact. I just…I worry about her, you know, traveling around the city at all hours. She does without so many things, too.”

  “I don’t think she minds.”

  “Of course she doesn’t, but…You must think me very shallow.”

  “No, not at all.” Once he had. Now he knew her better.

  “I didn’t really mean that, about marrying her to a duke. But sometimes I think how different things might have been if she could have been content with her lot in life. But you didn’t come here to listen to my regrets. To answer your question, no, we don’t typically arrange marriages, at least not in America, but parents do take a hand in these matters.”

  “How?”

  “By making sure our children socialize with only the right people. By pointing out a certain young man’s good qualities. By letting the child know how happy such a union would make us. Parents can be very influential.”

  “So you think that’s what happened with Paul and Garnet Devries?”

  She had to consider this. “I suppose at first I just assumed that when Chilton met Garnet, he thought Paul would like her, too, so he brought them together. Then the two young people fell in love on their own, as attractive young people often do.”

  “Do you still think that?”

  “Now that you’ve asked me about it, no, I don’t. The way Garnet told it, I got the idea she and Paul—or at least she—didn’t have much say in the matter. She certainly doesn’t seem very happy, either, although that might not be Paul’s fault. I haven’t seen them together, so I can’t judge.”

  “I have, and he’s sure not doing much to help.”

  Before she could reply, the coffee arrived. Mrs. Decker served them both, and then said, “I know you’ve been investigating, too. What have you discovered?”

  Which reminded Frank of why he’d come here in the first place. “Do you know a woman named Mrs. Richmond?”

  “Richmond?” She frowned, then rose and went to a desk on the far side of the room. She returned with a small book bound in rose-colored leather. As she flipped through it, he saw it contained names and addresses. “No, I’m afraid I don’t. I didn’t think the name sounded familiar, but I wanted to be sure. Who is this Mrs. Richmond?”

  Frank told her about Devries having an appointment with Salvatore Angotti on the day he died and what Angotti had told him about Devries wanting to have Mrs. Richmond murdered.

  “Oh, my,” she said for at least the third time during his narrative. “Do you think this Italian gentleman could be lying? Maybe he stabbed Chilton himself and is just trying to divert your attention.”

  “Anything’s possible, but a man like Angotti always looks after his own best interest first. Killing a man like Devries would not be in his own best interest, especially because Devries was no threat to him.”

  “Yes, I see. What would Mr. Angotti get out of killing Chilton except a lot of trouble?”

  Frank nodded, glad to see Mrs. Decker was as insightful as her
daughter.

  “Would you like me to go see this Mrs. Richmond?”

  “No!” Frank saw the flash of disappointment in her eyes and instantly felt guilty for his vehement response. “I mean, that won’t be necessary. I just wanted to find out everything I could about her before going to see her. If she’s a society lady like you, I’d have to be more careful about how I approach her.”

  Mrs. Decker sighed. “I should so love to help you with something, Mr. Malloy. Couldn’t you at least pretend you need it?”

  For a second, Frank didn’t know what to say, and then he saw the twinkle in her eyes and burst out laughing. They were still laughing when Felix Decker walked in.

  Frank sobered instantly, jumping to his feet and feeling oddly guilty, as if he’d been caught doing something unseemly with another man’s wife.

  Decker had hesitated in the doorway, and he looked more disturbed now than he had when he’d been telling Frank about finding a dead man in his club.

  Mrs. Decker gave him a dazzling smile. “Hello, my dear. I’ve been telling Mr. Malloy about our visit to Lucretia while we waited for you to arrive.”

  “I had no idea your visit had been so hilarious,” Decker said with some asperity. “Mr. Malloy, you could have come to my office.”

  “But he wouldn’t have been able to see me at your office,” Mrs. Decker said. “And he needed to hear my report, didn’t you, Mr. Malloy?”

  Frank wasn’t sure what the proper response to that should be, but he said, “I also needed to consult with Mrs. Decker about another matter.”

  “Yes,” she said. “He was hoping I knew the lady Chilton Devries wanted to have murdered so I could make an introduction.”

  The usually unflappable Decker looked positively apoplectic. “Really, Mr. Malloy—”

  “Oh, Felix, the expression on your face,” his wife said, enjoying it immensely. “You can’t really think for a moment that Mr. Malloy would do any such thing, but I couldn’t resist teasing you.”

  Decker gave Frank an accusing glare.

  “I did ask Mrs. Decker if she knew Mrs. Richmond, but I would never—”

  “Richmond? Did you say Richmond?” Decker asked.

  “Yes. Do you know her?”

  “No, not a Mrs. Richmond, but…Did you say Chilton wanted to have this woman murdered?”

  Frank was beginning to feel sorry for the man.

  “Come and sit down, dear,” his wife said. “We’d better start at the beginning.”

  “I think that would be an excellent idea,” Decker said. “By the way, Mr. Malloy, you haven’t inquired, but I thought you’d like to know that we have asked everyone who was at the club the day Chilton died, and he didn’t speak with anyone except to exchange a greeting.”

  Frank nodded his acknowledgment as they all took their seats. He’d held out little hope the club members would have any helpful information anyway.

  Mrs. Decker graciously allowed Frank to tell Decker the story while she served her husband a cup of coffee, for which he seemed grateful, even though it was probably cold by now.

  “You didn’t tell me you’d seen Angotti at his club,” Mrs. Decker said when he’d finished. “How funny to think a man like that has a club. Is it very much like the Knickerbocker?”

  “Not in any way,” Frank said, deciding not to mention his observation that the Irish would not be welcome in either establishment.

  She started to ask another question, but her husband stopped her with an impatient gesture. “Mr. Malloy, how can you possibly believe this Angotti was telling the truth?”

  “I can’t, but I’m going to see Mrs. Richmond tomorrow and find out.”

  Decker glanced at his wife.

  “No, I won’t leave you two alone,” she said. “And you might as well let me stay. It will save you the trouble of telling me everything later.”

  Decker sighed, and Frank had to bite his lip to keep from grinning. “Mr. Malloy, I can’t believe Chilton Devries would ever associate with a man like Angotti, much less that he would try to arrange for a woman—any woman—to be murdered.”

  Frank could have predicted that Decker wouldn’t have the stomach for this kind of business. “Do you want me to stop investigating?”

  “Heavens no,” Mrs. Decker said, earning a glare from her husband.

  “This is not your decision, Elizabeth.”

  “Forgive me,” she said with mock sincerity. “I forgot myself for a moment. But you can’t allow Mr. Malloy to quit now.”

  “I most certainly can.”

  “Mrs. Decker,” Frank said in an attempt to rescue Decker from his wife’s wrath, “considering what I’ve found out about Mr. Devries so far, I think we can guess that the rest of it will be even worse. I might find out things that will disgrace his family and still not be able to figure out who killed him. A lot of innocent people might suffer.”

  “Apparently, a lot of innocent people have already suffered,” she said. “What about this Mrs. Richmond? What if Chilton hired someone else to kill her? Shouldn’t she at least be warned? Felix, I can’t believe you’d stand by and—”

  “Elizabeth, enough!” Decker said. “Of course I won’t stand by and allow this woman to come to harm. Mr. Malloy will go see her tomorrow no matter what else we decide to do.”

  “And do you agree that Mr. Malloy should stop his investigation to protect the family?” she asked.

  Decker turned to Frank. “I think I’d like to find out what this Mrs. Richmond has to say before I make my decision.”

  “If she’s still alive,” Frank said.

  Mrs. Decker gasped.

  “What do you mean?” Decker asked.

  “I mean if Devries wanted her dead and Angotti wouldn’t do it, he might’ve done it himself.”

  “I don’t believe it!” Decker said.

  “Why not?” his wife asked. “Because you wouldn’t do it yourself? I don’t think you would’ve tried to hire someone to do it either, but Chilton apparently did.”

  “We only have that Italian’s word for it.”

  “Honestly, Felix, just because the man was a member of your club doesn’t mean he was a saint.”

  “And if he killed Mrs. Richmond, or tried to, and she put up a fight, that could explain how he got stabbed,” Frank said.

  “Oh, my goodness, you’re right,” Mrs. Decker said.

  Decker frowned, but he said, “It would also explain why he didn’t tell anyone he’d been injured.”

  Mrs. Decker smiled at her husband with apparent approval. “Of course. How could he have explained it?” To Frank, she said, “Shouldn’t you go right over to see this Mrs. Richmond instead of waiting until tomorrow?”

  “I don’t think there’s any hurry. If she’s dead, I can’t help her, and if not, I don’t want to alarm her by calling on her after dark.

  “But if Chilton hired someone else to kill her—”

  “He didn’t find out Angotti wouldn’t do it until a few hours before he died, so I doubt he had time to arrange anything else. Finding someone to commit murder isn’t that easy, even in New York.”

  “But you’ll let us know immediately what you find out, won’t you?” she asked.

  “Elizabeth, Mr. Malloy will report to me in good time.”

  She didn’t even acknowledge him. “You will, won’t you?”

  “Of course.” Before Decker could object, he added, “Now tell me, was the English duke really a foot shorter than Miss Vanderbilt?”

  “Oh, dear, did I say that?” she asked, her face lighting with delight. “Not a whole foot, surely, but at least half a foot. She’s quite tall, you see, and he is…a bit runty.”

  “Elizabeth, really,” her husband said.

  “Well, he is, even if he is a duke. He was rather penniless, too, so he came out on the better side of the bargain. They had to honeymoon for a year while he used her dowry to refurbish his castle because it wasn’t fit for human habitation.”

  Frank couldn’t wait to te
ll Sarah her mother thought she should have married her off to a duke. “Mr. Decker, I’ll report back to you as soon as I know anything important. Mrs. Decker, thank you for your hospitality.”

  The Deckers murmured all the appropriate responses as Frank took his leave. Just as the maid showed him out, he heard Decker say to his wife, “Now tell me what Mr. Malloy said to you that was so funny.”

  7

  SARAH WAS JUST FINISHING THE ENORMOUS BREAKFAST Maeve and Catherine had prepared for her after she arrived home from the delivery that morning when the doorbell rang. They all groaned, thinking she was being summoned to another birth, but the girls’ laughter when they answered the front door told Sarah their visitor was a friend. The rumble of a male voice prompted her to smooth her hair, but she had no time for any additional primping before the girls escorted Malloy into the kitchen.

  Well, he’d seen her looking far worse than this. “Malloy,” she said, returning his smile of greeting.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Brandt. I was hoping to catch you at home.”

  Maeve poured him some coffee and gave him a few minutes to exchange some nonsense with Catherine before taking the child upstairs so he and Sarah could speak privately.

  “I suppose you’re wondering what Mother and I found out from Mrs. Devries,” she said when the girls were gone.

  “Oh, no. Your mother already told me all about it.”

  Sarah’s jaw dropped open, and she closed it with a snap. “When did my mother tell you all about it?”

  “Yesterday, when I went to see her. You weren’t home,” he added.

  “Maeve didn’t tell me you’d stopped by.”

  “I didn’t.”

  Sarah managed not to gape at him again. “You mean you just went to my mother’s house without even checking with me first?”

  “I needed to see your father, so I figured if I got there early enough, he wouldn’t be home yet, and I could talk to her in private.”

  “She must have loved that.”

  “She didn’t say, but she did seem happy to see me.”

  Sarah could just imagine. “What did she tell you?”

  “She told me the marriage between Paul and Garnet Devries was arranged, sort of like the one with Consuelo Vanderbilt and the duke.”