Murder on Fifth Avenue: A Gaslight Mystery

by Victoria Thompson

  “Where will she go?” Malloy asked.

  “Probably to Europe. Someplace warm where she doesn’t have to observe the strict rules of full mourning the way she would here where people know her. Nothing is duller than New York when you’re in mourning.”

  “Would she take Paul and Garnet with her?”

  “I don’t know, but I will certainly ask her tomorrow,” her mother said with a smile.

  “Before we go any further with this plan,” Sarah said, “we need to know if you’ve reported all this to my father.”

  “Yes, I saw him just before I got here.”

  “Oh, my,” her mother said. “I just remembered that he was going to decide whether you should continue your investigation or not.”

  “Yes, he was.”

  “Did you tell him your suspicions about Paul Devries?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes.”

  She winced. Her father detested scandal. She couldn’t imagine him allowing such a thing to become public knowledge, and if Malloy continued to investigate, it probably would.

  “Mother, I believe we will need to keep our visit to the Devrieses a secret from Father.”

  “Oh, no,” Malloy said in surprise. “The whole thing was his idea.”

  SARAH SHOULD HAVE BEEN USED TO WAITING. SHE MADE her living waiting for babies to be born, and they were notorious for taking their time about it. Still, the fifteen minutes she and her mother had decided she should wait in her mother’s carriage before trying to get in to see Garnet Devries seemed to stretch interminably. They had determined her mother might need a little extra time in case Lucretia Devries kept her waiting. Finally, the watch pinned to her bodice showed she could safely begin her attempt to see Garnet.

  The maid who answered the door seemed harried and dismayed to find a second visitor on the doorstep in so short a time. “We’re in mourning, miss,” she said, glancing meaningfully at the enormous black wreath hanging on the door.

  “This isn’t a social call,” Sarah said. “Mrs. Paul Devries called on me at my office the other day, and I promised to bring her a remedy.” She nodded at the basked she carried over one arm. “If you would just tell her I’m here.”

  “A remedy?” Plainly, she wanted to know what it was a remedy for, but her training forbade her from inquiring. “Couldn’t you just leave it for her?”

  “Oh, no, I must give her instructions, and they are quite detailed. Really, I’m sure she’ll be happy to see me. And if not, I’ll be on my way.” Sarah smiled, trying to look nonthreatening.

  The maid didn’t smile back. “Please wait here.”

  Another eternity stretched as Sarah stood in the foyer studying the very ugly wallpaper and hoping no one would alert Mrs. Devries that someone else had arrived. To her relief, the maid seemed much happier when she returned.

  “Mrs. Paul Devries will see you. She said you should go to her bedroom.”

  “That will be fine.”

  The girl led her up two flights of stairs to the third story of the house. Several doors opened off the hallway. The girl took her to one of them and knocked, then opened it for Sarah.

  The room was a surprise. Furnished with intricately carved mahogany furniture, it was decorated in shades of dark red. Burgundy silk covered the walls and hung in heavy folds at the windows. The coverlet on the canopy bed was striped in cream and crimson. Not what Sarah would have considered restful colors, but the décor set off Garnet Devries’s dark beauty and complemented her name.

  Garnet stood in the middle of the room, her hands clutched anxiously in front of her. “It really is you,” she said when the maid was gone.

  “Of course. How are you feeling?”

  She looked pale and drawn, and she still wore a dressing gown. “The girl said you brought me a remedy.” She glanced at the basket.

  “I’m afraid that was a lie I used to convince her to let me see you.”

  Her shoulders sagged with what might have been disappointment, although Sarah couldn’t imagine why she’d be disappointed. “Oh. I thought…Well, no matter. I’m still pleased to see you, although you didn’t have to lie. I would have welcomed a visit from anyone.”

  “I wanted to talk to you privately, and I thought if I simply called on you, your mother-in-law would insist on intruding.”

  “I’m sure she would have, but I believe she already has a visitor.”

  “Yes, my mother.”

  Garnet blinked and then smiled her appreciation. “How very clever of you, Mrs. Brandt. I find I like you more and more with each meeting. Please, sit down.”

  Garnet’s spacious bedroom had a small sitting area near the fireplace. One overstuffed chair with an ottoman dominated the area, and several slipper chairs stood nearby. A hastily discarded blanket indicated Garnet had been curled up in the chair when Sarah’s visit had disturbed her. She took her seat again and propped her feet on the ottoman. Sarah took one of the slipper chairs and set her basket on another.

  “What’s in there?” Garnet asked, indicating the basket.

  “Just a folded towel. How are you feeling? You look a bit…tired.”

  “How tactful of you. I look haggard and ill. Mother Devries has told me so more than once.”

  “But surely she understands that in your condition—”

  “She knows nothing about my condition.”

  Sarah raised her eyebrows with a silent question, but Garnet did not answer it. “You won’t be able to hide it forever,” Sarah said finally.

  “No, I won’t.”

  Sarah had no idea what to say next. She stared at Garnet, trying to read the emotions behind her calm façade, but Garnet had learned to hide them too well. Where should she start? How much should she confess to already knowing about her? What question would Malloy ask to get the conversation started? Something shocking, she was sure. She settled for, “Have you told Paul about the baby?”

  She stiffened. “No. He wouldn’t have been able to keep it secret from his mother, and I don’t want her to know.”

  “Why not?”

  Garnet seemed almost amused by the question. “Really, Mrs. Brandt, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered anyone quite like you.”

  Sarah winced in dismay. She was making a botch of this. “Oh, dear, I suppose I’ve forgotten everything my mother ever taught me about good manners, haven’t I?”

  “I’m not sure if it’s good manners or not, but certainly no one in society would have ever asked such an honest question.”

  “I don’t suppose they would, and I shouldn’t have either. Your decisions are none of my business.”

  “But I can’t fault you for being curious, I suppose. Most women in my position would be thrilled to find themselves with child, wouldn’t they?”

  “Most of them, yes, but not if they were so unhappy they were contemplating divorce.”

  Her eyes widened. “Who told you that?”

  “Then it’s true?”

  “I’m sure every married woman has contemplated divorce at one time or another.”

  “I doubt many of their husbands are aware of it, though.”

  “Ah, Paul told you. No, wait, he wouldn’t have told you. He would have told that policeman your father brought here. Did he tell you? Is that how you found out?”

  Sarah could also choose not to answer questions. “I also know about Paul.”

  This time, Sarah saw real emotion flicker across her face. For just an instant, Garnet was afraid, but she hid it quickly. “What do you know about Paul?”

  “I know about his friend Mr. Zeller. I know they’re more than friends.”

  The color rose in her face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “That’s the wrong answer, Mrs. Devries. You should have said, Of course they’re more than friends. They’ve known each other for years. They’re more like brothers. Or something like that, if you want to pretend ignorance.”

  “I’ll try to remember that next time someone pries into my husband’s
private life.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve angered you.”

  “I don’t think you’re sorry at all. I think you intentionally angered me.”

  “I wasn’t sure talking about Paul would make you angry. I had to find out.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to find out the truth.”

  “The truth is that Mr. Devries is dead and no one really cares, so why should you?”

  Sarah was starting to wonder herself. “My father cares. He wants to know what happened.”

  “And what good will that do?”

  “You’ll have to ask him, I’m afraid. He feels he has a duty to an old friend, I believe.”

  “Chilton Devries was no one’s friend.”

  “I’m not surprised you think so, after what he did to your father.”

  This did shock her. “What do you know about my father?”

  “I know Mr. Devries convinced him to invest in a business venture that failed.”

  “I thought you said you were interested in the truth. That isn’t the truth.”

  “What is the truth?”

  “He cheated my father and ruined him. He did it on purpose, too.”

  “What makes you think so?”

  “I don’t think it; I know it. Oh, he pretended to be sorry when my father killed himself. I don’t think he expected that. He just wanted my father to be humbled and compliant so when he suggested I marry Paul, he wouldn’t be able to refuse.”

  “You could have refused.”

  Garnet actually laughed at that, an ugly, bitter sound that held no hint of happiness at all. “Oh, yes, I could have refused, and my mother and I could have moved into a tenement and eked out a living making paper flowers or rolling cigars for sweatshops, the way immigrant women do, until we starved to death.”

  “Didn’t you have anyone you could turn to?”

  “My grandmother, but she’s what we call the genteel poor. She owns a large house and a lot of land, but she can’t farm it herself. She rents out the fields to tenant farmers and lives on the pittance they pay her if the crops don’t fail. She can hardly keep herself, so no, there’s no one. When Devries offered my mother a settlement, we couldn’t turn it down.”

  “That was kind of him.”

  “So we thought at first, or that maybe he felt guilty, but I didn’t know him very well then. He was simply buying Paul a wife, and he got off cheap. When he suggested I marry Paul, I was actually relieved. I liked Paul, you see. He can be charming, and I thought…Well, I didn’t know anything then. My mother would be taken care of, and I would have a husband and a home. I thought we would both be safe.”

  The despair in her voice cut Sarah like a knife. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Are you? Then perhaps you’ll really bring me a remedy.”

  Sarah frowned. “What?”

  “A remedy. For this thing.” She touched her abdomen. “Don’t midwives know secret medicines that can solve a problem like this?”

  Sarah shook her head. “I don’t…I can’t help you.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “Garnet, what you’re asking is…I know you’re angry and upset right now, but this baby is part of you, too. You can learn to love it …”

  Fury flashed in her eyes. “Love it? How can I love something spawned by a monster?”

  Sarah instinctively reached out and touched Garnet’s arm. “I know how shocked you must have been when you found out about Paul and his friend, but he’s not a monster. If you find it too difficult to live with him, I’m sure he’ll provide a house for you someplace else now that his father is dead and he has control of everything. I know several couples who live apart except for certain social engagements where they must be seen together. An arrangement like that could suit you very well. You might even bring your mother to live with you.”

  “And Paul’s mother would want the child,” she said, her voice oddly hollow.

  “Don’t be too hasty. You may want it yourself when you see it.”

  She smiled then, but it was little more than a grimace. “You are a good person, Mrs. Brandt.”

  “I don’t think I’m particularly good. I’m just trying to be a friend to you.”

  “Thank you for that. No one has been kind to me in a very long time.”

  Sarah’s heart ached at the pain behind her words. “Did your mother come to see you yesterday?”

  “Oh, yes, and now I know how she found out about the child. You told her, didn’t you?”

  “No, I haven’t met your mother. I told Mr. Malloy.”

  “Ah, and he’s also the one who told her Devries was dead, I suppose. She doesn’t think I should leave Paul either.”

  “You should certainly consider it very carefully before making a decision. Has anyone explained to you what will happen if you do leave him?”

  “I haven’t really inquired. Divorce isn’t a subject one raises in casual conversation.”

  “Then allow me to. If you had come into the marriage with any property or a dowry—”

  “Which I did not.”

  “But if you had, it became your husband’s when you married. If you divorce, he would keep it all, every penny. He would be under no obligation to give you anything except the clothes on your back. He could put you out without so much as a change of linen.”

  “I couldn’t even keep my clothes?”

  “Not if he didn’t allow it. And needless to say, he would no longer support you in any way. And your children are also his property. I know you think you don’t want this baby, but you may feel differently when it’s real and you can see it. If he chooses, you would never be allowed to see your child again. You’re a lovely young woman, and if you had been widowed, you might be able to remarry, but few respectable men would be interested in a divorced woman except as a mistress. You’d also find none of your current friends would receive you any longer.”

  “You make the tenement life sound almost attractive, Mrs. Brandt.”

  “The tenement life might still be in your future. You need to know what you’ll be facing.”

  “And yet you’ve managed without a husband.”

  “I was fortunate to have a trade. I’d learned to be a midwife before I met my husband.”

  “And he left you a respectable widow. I don’t think Paul will be so obliging.”

  Sarah couldn’t conceal her astonishment.

  “Oh, I’ve shocked you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, you know. Poor Paul.”

  How odd. She sounded almost as if she felt sorry for him, when moments ago she’d called him a monster.

  Garnet sat up a little straighter. “Well, in any case, things have changed now that the old man is dead.”

  “Yes, they have.”

  “Do you…? Does Mr. Malloy have any idea who…how it happened?”

  “I’m afraid not. Except we know someone stabbed him, of course.”

  “Stabbed him with a knife, you mean?”

  “They aren’t certain what it was.”

  “I see. What else has Mr. Malloy found out?”

  “Oh, yes, he also suspects Mr. Devries was undressed when he was stabbed.”

  Her eyes widened. “Undressed? How can he possibly know that?”

  “Because he hasn’t found holes in any of Mr. Devries’s clothing.”

  “Holes?”

  “Yes, if someone stabbed him through his clothing, there would be a hole.”

  “Oh, of course.”

  Sarah thought Malloy would probably ask her something directly, if he were here. “Do you think…?”

  She stiffened slightly. “Do I think what?”

  “Do you think Paul could have stabbed his father? I understand his father was undressed when they argued that morning.”

  She seemed to grow even paler. “I…I don’t know.”

  “Or Mrs. Devries? She saw him that morning as well.”

  Garnet had gone very still. “Anything is possible, I suppose. They certainly h
ated each other.”

  “Do you know what Paul and his father argued about that morning?”

  Sarah saw the emotion flicker across her face again. Anger. Or something very close to it. But she said, “I have no idea.”

  Sarah knew they had argued about Garnet, and she could tell Garnet knew it, too. But why would she lie about it? “Paul said his father was being cruel to you.”

  “I suppose Paul said he was defending me.”

  “Do you doubt that?”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “What does it matter? The old man did what he wanted, and nothing Paul said would change that. Now, Mrs. Brandt, I’m afraid I’m not feeling well. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  10

  SARAH FELT A LITTLE SILLY STEALING DOWN THE STAIRS with her towel-filled basket after Garnet had so unceremoniously sent her packing, but she hadn’t wanted to wait for a maid to escort her out. Garnet truly did look unwell, and Sarah didn’t have the heart to upset her any more today. She had reached the bottom of the first flight of stairs when a maid emerged from a door that must lead to the servants’ stairway and hurried to the parlor.

  Sarah froze, hoping to escape notice. The maid didn’t even glance in her direction, but her luck didn’t hold. When the girl opened the parlor door, her mother and Mrs. Devries were standing just inside, obviously waiting for a servant to show her mother out. Both of the older women saw Sarah at once.

  “Mrs. Brandt, whatever are you doing out there all by yourself?” Mrs. Devries asked, her displeasure obvious.

  Sarah saw no reason to lie, although she also didn’t see any reason to tell the entire truth, either. “Hello, Mrs. Devries, Mother. I stopped by to see Garnet.”

  “Whatever for?” Mrs. Devries’s eyes narrowed as she took in Sarah from head to foot, focusing finally on the basket.

  “When I was here before, I got the impression she would welcome some advice.”

  “What kind of advice could you possibly give her?”

  “Do you really need to ask, Lucretia?” her mother said. “You made it very clear how disappointed you are that Paul and Garnet have no children. Sarah is a midwife.”