Murder on Fifth Avenue: A Gaslight Mystery (18 page)

“I can’t believe Chilton would want to harm his son’s mother-in-law. That doesn’t make any sense,” her mother said.

“It makes more sense when you find out how Garnet came to marry Paul Devries.”

“Was it an arranged marriage as you suspected?”

Sarah looked at her mother in surprise. “Was that how you got on the subject of Consuelo Vanderbilt?”

“Don’t interrupt, dear.”

Sarah could see that Malloy tried very hard not to smile, but he failed. “It
was
an arranged marriage, but the circumstances were a little different than we thought. It turns out Devries got Garnet’s father to invest all his money in a business deal, and he lost everything. Her father killed himself, and left Garnet and her mother penniless.”

“We’ve heard stories like that before,” Sarah said.

“This one is a little different, though, because Devries offered Mrs. Richmond a settlement if Garnet would marry Paul.”

“How odd,” her mother said.

“And not at all how things are done,” Sarah said. “If money changes hands, it’s usually the other way around. The bride pays a dowry to the groom’s family.”

“But why would Chilton have to pay someone to marry his son? None of this makes any sense.”

Both women looked to Malloy for an explanation, but he just stared back at them, looking extremely uncomfortable. Casting about for a reason for his unease, Sarah said, “Does Paul have some unspeakable disease?”

Malloy studied his coffee cup for a long moment. “Maybe you already know this, but some men prefer the company of other men.”

“Of course they do,” her mother said. “That’s why they have all those clubs where no women are allowed.”

But Sarah knew that wasn’t what he meant. “Do you mean romantically?”

He continued to study his cup. “That’s one way to put it.”

“And you think Paul…?”

“He has a friend named Hugh Zeller. Do you know him?”

“I know his family,” her mother said, frowning. “What do you mean
romantically
?”

Malloy gave Sarah a desperate look. She rescued him. “Mother, some men are attracted to other men in the same way most men are attracted to women.”

“You mean…
romantically
?”

Sarah nodded.

“But that’s ridiculous! It’s…It’s not even possible!”

Sarah would save explanations for sometime when Malloy wasn’t present. “Nevertheless, it’s true.”

Sarah’s mother needed only a few moments to come to terms with such an amazing fact. “So you think Paul is one of these men?”

“I suspect it, yes,” Malloy said.

“But if he prefers men, why would he get married at all?”

“To conceal it, Mother. Men like that usually find themselves the subject of ridicule and worse. Paul would probably be ostracized from society if people suspected.”

“Oh, my, now that you say it…Is that why Harold Lake went off to Europe and never came home?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Oh, my. I always wondered, but no one would ever tell me a reason. How awful for him.”

“And Paul would suffer, too,” Sarah said.

“So it would also explain why Devries chose to marry his son off to a girl whose family had no power or influence,” Malloy said.

“And who wouldn’t complain or cause a scandal when she found out her groom preferred the best man,” Sarah said.

“But Garnet is with child. You told me so yourself,” her mother said.

Malloy cleared his throat. “Just because Paul prefers the companionship of men doesn’t mean he wouldn’t fulfill his marital duties, too. I understand his mother is anxious for a grandson to carry on the family name, so he probably felt a…a duty.”

“Mother and I have been trying to figure out why Garnet would have wanted a divorce. This would explain it.”

“But we still don’t know why Chilton wanted to kill Garnet’s mother,” her mother said.

“I have a theory about that, too,” Malloy said.

Sarah and her mother both looked at him expectantly.

“Mrs. Richmond said that Garnet had written to her asking if she could come to live with her. Mrs. Richmond had moved back to Virginia and was staying with her own mother. She said she knew Garnet was unhappy, but she wouldn’t tell her why, so Mrs. Richmond came to the city a few weeks ago to find out what was wrong. Garnet still wouldn’t tell her, but Devries might’ve been afraid Mrs. Richmond knew about Paul and would cause trouble and maybe even help Garnet get away.”

“That’s not much of a reason to murder someone,” her mother said.

“There really aren’t many
good
reasons to murder someone,” Malloy said. “Most times it’s some stupid thing nobody else cares about. Protecting his family’s good name was probably important to Devries, though, so it might’ve been enough for him.”

“I should like to meet this Italian gentleman who refused to
kill Mrs. Richmond,” her mother said. “How interesting that he seems to have more honor than Chilton Devries.”

Malloy rolled his eyes, but her mother didn’t notice.

“I don’t suppose you learned anything useful from Miss English,” Sarah said.

“Just that Devries wasn’t stabbed through any of the clothing he kept there either.”

“But wouldn’t a man sometimes be undressed when in the presence of his mistress?” her mother asked. “I mean, that is the nature of their relationship, isn’t it?”

Malloy managed to maintain his composure, although his face grew extremely red. “Miss English isn’t the sort of girl who could stick a knife into a man.”

“Nonsense. Every girl could stick a knife into a man with the right provocation.”

“But Miss English also isn’t the sort of girl who could lie about it afterwards. I wish I thought she did it, but she’s just not that clever.”

“What about the maid?” Sarah asked. “You said she might be capable.”

“She’s not really the maid. She’s Miss English’s stepmother.”

“How interesting,” her mother said. “I had no idea that one could bring along family members when one became a man’s mistress.”

This time Sarah rolled her eyes. “I’m sure there’s a lot you don’t know about mistresses, Mother.”

“Quite the contrary, my dear. Mistresses are often the topic of conversation among my friends. I know a great deal about them, although this Miss English sounds a bit out of the ordinary. Most of them, I’m told, are wicked and scheming women whose primary interest is using their charms to amass jewels
and money from rich, besotted men before their beauty begins to fade.”

“Maybe Miss English will learn to be wicked and scheming as time goes on, but for now she’s just a silly girl whose protector is dead and who doesn’t know where her next meal is coming from.”

“Good heavens! You make her sound pathetic.”

“She is.”

“Sarah, isn’t there someone who could help her?” her mother asked. “One of those charities you’re always getting involved with?”

“She would be welcome at Hope’s Daughters, but I can’t imagine she’d be willing to go there,” Sarah said, naming the mission where she volunteered.

“We could visit her and suggest it,” her mother said.

Sarah and Malloy both stared in admiration at the way she had so neatly contrived a way for her to visit the girl. “Mother, Father would murder
me
if I allowed you to call on Chilton Devries’s mistress.”

“Only if he found out,” her mother said slyly.

Malloy cleared his throat again, drawing their attention. “I do have a visit you
can
make. I need for you to call on Mrs. Devries again, Mrs. Decker.”

“Whatever for?”

“To distract her, because I really need Sarah to visit Garnet Devries. Mrs. Richmond doesn’t know what drove Garnet to consider divorcing Paul, but maybe Sarah can find out now that we’ve figured out Paul’s secret.”

“How can I distract her? Lucretia will never allow Sarah to be alone with Garnet.”

“She won’t know about it. I’ve been thinking about this,
and I think it will work, but you’re the ones who know all the rules about rich women visiting each other, so tell me if you think so, too. Mrs. Decker, you call on Mrs. Devries alone. While the two of you are busy in the parlor, Sarah arrives and asks to see Garnet. I’m going to guess Garnet will be happy for a visitor, and Sarah can insist she doesn’t want to bother Mrs. Devries or something. Is that possible?”

Her mother frowned, but Sarah thought of a way she could get in. “What if I was bringing her something?”

“What could you be bringing her?” her mother asked.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t even have to be anything real. I could carry a basket filled with towels and covered with a napkin. I don’t have to say what I’ve brought her, just that it’s important for me to give it to her myself, and the maid won’t dare question me.”

“Could you ask to see Garnet privately?” Malloy asked.

“Of course I could. I could say it was personal. The only problem would be if Garnet refuses to see me.”

“And we won’t know that until you try,” her mother said. “We need to hurry, too. I saw Chilton’s obituary in the newspaper today. The funeral is set for Monday, and I’m sure Lucretia will leave the city immediately afterwards.”

“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.”

S
ARAH SHOULD HAVE BEEN USED TO WAITING
. S
HE 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.”