Time of Fog and Fire: A Molly Murphy Mystery (Molly Murphy Mysteries) (13 page)

I started when Bella touched my hand. “You poor little thing. You look all in. Where are you staying?”

“I have a room at the Palace for tonight.”

“Nonsense,” she said. “You must come and stay here.”

“Oh, but I couldn’t possibly…” I began.

She held up a white hand tipped with long, red-painted fingernails. “Of course you must stay here. I positively insist. It’s the least we can do. Stay as long as you want. I expect you’ll be arranging to take your husband’s body home, won’t you?”

“I do want to, but…”

“They’ve already buried him,” Tiny mentioned.

“Then they’ll just have to dig him up again,” Bella said. “Don’t worry. I’ll have a word with them. I usually get my own way in this city.” She waved an imperious hand at Tiny. “Go and have the carriage brought around, then you can take Mrs. Sullivan down to the Palace to retrieve her things.”

“I’m sure that’s not necessary,” I said. “I’ll be fine there tonight and I don’t know how much longer I can stay here. Besides, I have my young son with me. A kind person is looking after him at the moment.”

Bella laughed. “The more the merrier. How old is your child?”

“Still a baby. Eighteen months old. I really don’t think—” but she interrupted, holding up an imperious hand. “Tiny, think who we might know with a crib to spare and tell Ellen to go down to Chinatown and find us a suitable nursemaid.”

“Oh, no,” I interrupted. “I really don’t need a nursemaid. I won’t be staying—”

“Everyone in San Francisco has a Chinese nursemaid,” she said, waving my protests aside as Tiny left the room. “They’re awfully good at it. He’ll be treated like a young lord. So that’s settled then. You go back with Tiny as soon as the carriage comes around, and he’ll arrange to have your things packed up and sent up here. At least we can make your stay as pleasant as possible in such awful circumstances. Much better than staying at a hotel with strangers.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “Drink up your tea. You look whiter than a sheet and tea is marvelous for shock.”

I obeyed, sipping mechanically and feeling the hot, smoky liquid trickle down my throat. I tried to think of a good reason not to accept her generous offer but my mind was still refusing to work when she added, “Ah, here’s Tiny with the carriage now. Off you go.”

Tiny came into the room and took my arm.

“Take good care of her, Tiny,” she called after us. “Bring her back to us quickly.”

The carriage took off with Tiny sitting across from me. It seemed I was going to be a guest of Mrs. Rodriguez whether I wanted to or not.

Fourteen

I heard Liam’s wails long before I reached my room at the Palace Hotel. I opened the door to see my son, red-faced and sweating, standing up in his crib while Mr. Paxton stood beside him waving his favorite bear, to no avail.

“Mama!” Liam shrieked and flung himself at me. I scooped him up into my arms.

“He’s been inconsolable ever since he woke up,” Mr. Paxton said. He looked thoroughly exhausted. “I’ve tried everything—food, drink, singing…”

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “Waking up in a strange room with no sign of his mother must have been the last straw for him. He’s been awfully good for four days.”

Liam’s wails had now subsided to sobs that shook his whole body as he buried himself against my shoulder. I stroked his hair, drenched with sweat, and patted his back. “It’s all right,” I said. “Mama is here now. Everything is all right.”

Except that it wasn’t. It would never be. He’d grow up not even remembering his father. He’d grow up poor unless I could find some kind of job.

“So did you manage to locate your husband?” Mr. Paxton asked.

“I did, but not in a way I hoped.” I took a deep breath before I forced the words out. “He’s dead, Mr. Paxton. My Daniel is dead.”

He looked at me in horror and disbelief. “Dead? Then you weren’t wrong in your suspicions that he was in danger.”

I glanced at the door, conscious that Tiny must be lingering outside. “They say it was a horrible accident,” I said. “He fell from a cliff top in the dark.”

“From a cliff? Do they know what he was doing on a cliff in the dark?”

I shook my head. “I spoke to the police. Nobody seems to know anything, except that someone reported hearing a cry and found that the cliff had given way. Oh, and one person reported seeing two men standing together a little earlier.”

Mr. Paxton came over to me and put a hand on my arm. “I am so sorry, Mrs. Sullivan. What an awful shock for you. Is there anything I can do?”

I shook my head, his kindness bringing me close to tears again. “Nothing. There’s nothing anyone can do. I would like to have his body shipped home so I can bury him by his father’s grave, but they’ve already had the funeral and he’s already buried here. Mrs. Rodriguez says she has the clout to make them dig him up again. We’ll have to see.”

“Mrs. Rodriguez? So you did go to see her?”

I nodded. “I did, and she is being so kind. She’s insisting that I come to stay with her until everything is sorted out. She’s sent her carriage and one of her employees to help me pack everything up. He’s waiting outside right now.”

Tiny must have been listening because he entered the room. “Show me what’s to go, Mrs. Sullivan,” he said. Mr. Paxton and Liam both eyed him nervously. “That trunk can be taken down, thank you, Tiny,” I said. “Then I’ll just need to collect the things I took out for my baby. They can fit in the carpetbag. Lucky I hadn’t unpacked earlier, isn’t it?”

Tiny hoisted the trunk onto his shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all. “I’ll be right back for the rest,” he said.

As soon as he was gone Mr. Paxton moved closer to me. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked. “Do you really want to go to her house, after all your suspicions?”

“I don’t have much option,” I said.

“You do. We can send that man away saying that you’ve changed your mind and you’d rather stay here. I’ll tell him that I am happy to put you on the train back to New York.”

I looked across at the door, where I expected Tiny to return any moment.

“But I do want to find out all I can about what happened to Daniel, and Mrs. Rodriguez is being really kind. And she can get Daniel’s body exhumed for me.”

“If you really think that’s for the best. That man … well, I don’t like the thought of you going off with him. He doesn’t look entirely trustworthy, if you want my opinion.”

“We are in the Wild West, Mr. Paxton. I suppose it’s only natural that men wear guns and cowboy hats and Mrs. Rodriguez herself seems very civilized. She lives in a mansion with marble statues…” I broke off, unable to convince myself any longer.

Mr. Paxton looked into my eyes with concern. “Well, you know where I am if you need me. I should be here at least until after the first performance at the opera house. Send a note to me and I’ll come running.”

“You’re really very kind,” I said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for us. I hope to see you again before you go.”

“I hope so too,” he said. “I wish you all the luck in the world. You’re a fine lady. And a brave one. You’ll get through this if anyone can.”

He took my hand and held it in his as Tiny came back into the room.

“I still need to pack my odds and ends,” I said. “Liam, you better go back in the crib while I get things done.”

“Give him to me,” Mr. Paxton said. This time Liam went to him with no outburst.

I stuffed everything into the carpetbag. “You know where I’m staying, don’t you?” I said. “Mrs. Bella Rodriguez up on California Street.” I said the words clearly, wanting Tiny to hear that I had an ally here if necessary.

Mr. Paxton nodded as he handed Liam back to me. Tiny took the carpetbag and we walked in solemn procession back to the elevator and then out to the carriage.

When we arrived back at Bella’s house she was waiting for me and made a big fuss of Liam.

“Look, Francis,” she said. “A baby in the house. Isn’t that lovely. Come and let me show you the nursery, my dear Mrs. Sullivan.”

I followed her up the stairs. Then up another flight. “I thought we’d put him up here so he won’t be disturbed by noise,” she said. “I hold a lot of parties and they can get loud at times.” She went ahead of me into a pretty, bright room with a bed covered in a white chenille quilt and a white dresser against the wall. There was a braided rug on the floor and a flowery washbasin in the corner. “We have a crib coming over and Ellen’s gone to find a nursemaid. Now come and see your room.”

She led me down the stairs again. “I thought you might want to sleep in the room where your husband last slept,” she said. “It’s definitely the nicest bedroom.”

It was a fine room at the side of the house. There was a little balcony outside the window and a creeper twined around the railing. The view faced the bigger and more extravagant mansions at the top of Nob Hill. Against one wall was a big brass bed with a satin quilt on it. And there was a fine mahogany wardrobe, a chest, and a vanity table. And a radiator under the window.

“As you can see, I like my creature comforts,” she said. “It’s not particularly cold here but it can get damp at night and the heat comes on at six o’clock. You’ll be quite comfortable and the bathroom is across the hall. I’ll have towels sent up. Always plenty of lovely hot water. Have a good long soak. I always find that helps when I’m wound up.”

Tiny came in with the trunk. “The crib has arrived. I’ll bring it up,” he said. “Oh, and Ellen’s back with the nursemaid.”

“That was quick. Good for Ellen. She always knows where to find the right people,” Mrs. Rodriguez said. “Send them up here.”

We waited and soon an elderly Chinese woman came in, dressed in the traditional manner with black baggy trousers. Although her face was wrinkled like an old prune, her hair was still jet black and pulled back severely into a bun. Behind her was a younger Chinese girl, also wearing black trousers but with a crisp white tunic over them. Both of them both bowed to Mrs. Rodriguez.

“I find good nursemaid, missus,” Ellen, the elderly Chinese woman, said. “She work for white family before. She take good care of little boy. Her name Li Na.”

“Who did you work for, Li Na?” Mrs. Rodriguez asked.

Li Na stepped forward and bowed shyly. “I work for English family in Hong Kong,” she said. “Then my brother come here to America and say there is good money to be made in Gold Mountain so I come with him.”

“This is Mrs. Sullivan and her son’s name is?”

“Liam,” I said.

The young Chinese girl giggled, holding her hand in front of her mouth. “That funny,” she said. “Lee-na and Lee-am. We made to go together.”

Then she reached out and took him from my arms and to my surprise he didn’t protest, looking at her face with wonder. “We go up to your room and play with toys, yes?” she asked. And she whisked him away.

“Looks like you’ve hit the jackpot again, Ellen,” Bella said. “Well done. And it will only be Mrs. Sullivan and Tiny for dinner tonight. I promised I’d attend a little gathering at the mayor’s house and I can’t really get out of it. Besides, I think Mrs. Sullivan might rather have a quiet meal alone on a tray in her room. Isn’t that right?”

I nodded.

She put an arm around me. “I need to get dressed for this evening’s festivities. And you should have a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we’ll try and sort out all those annoying details and then get you safely back home to New York.”

She left me then. I sank down onto the bed, too weak to do anything else. I lay staring at the ornate ceiling, trying not to think. Outside the window I heard birds chirping and the clang of the cable car bell as it rattled past. I don’t know how long I lay there but I came to when I heard voices, then a front door slam, then a carriage going off. I roused myself to unpack Liam’s things and took them up to the nursery. He seemed quite content as Li Na fed him some kind of soup.

“He good boy,” she said, nodding with approval. “He like to eat. Chinese soup make him strong.”

Ellen brought up a tray for me. I was rather worried that it might be Chinese food and I didn’t think that I could face it, but it was an omelet, light and fluffy, some thin brown bread, a glass of milk, and some cookies. Exactly what I felt I could face. I could see what Daniel had meant when he said he was well looked after at Bella’s house. Even so, I found it hard to swallow and had no appetite. Ellen clucked disapproval when she came to retrieve the tray.

“Missus need to eat,” she said. “Need to stay strong for boy.”

This was true, of course. As she bent to pick up the tray she added in a low voice, “Sullivan’s death not accident.”

I looked up at her, shocked. “How do you know?”

She nodded slightly. “Ellen has good eyes. She see things. She see man always stand waiting in shadows. When Sullivan go out, man follow.”

“What kind of man?”

She shrugged. “Not always same man.”

She looked up as we heard feet on the stairs. “Better go now, back to kitchen,” she said and fled with the tray. I sat like a statue, digesting what she had just said. So Daniel hadn’t meant he was in danger from someone in Bella’s house, but from an unknown outsider, keeping tabs on him. An unknown threat, I repeated. Someone who didn’t want him here. Someone who was powerful enough to have more than one man watching him. But I had no idea how I could find out more, unless I offered myself as bait. If I started asking too many questions, if I let it be known that I didn’t believe my husband’s death was an accident, then I might find out more. But then I might also find myself pushed over a convenient cliff. And even if I found out who killed Daniel, what chance did I have of proving it, so far from home and in a place known for its Wild West ways?

I undressed, curled up in that big cold bed, tucked the comforter around me, and lay there shivering—praying that this was a dream and that I would wake up and everything would be all right again.

Fifteen

I must have drifted off to sleep eventually because I didn’t hear Bella return in her carriage. When I awoke sun was streaming in through my window. As if on cue there was a tap on my door and Ellen came in with another tray.