The Detective Bride

by Sylvia Damsell

  “I’ll be back in two hours,” Noah said. “I want to check if there have been any telegrams from the agency. They would probably know by now if a break in was reported last night.”

  “Yes. I’ll see you later then.”

  She swept into the theatre with as much flair as she could, copying the way a few ladies who attended her parents’ parties would walk. They were confident of their wealth and their place in society. They put people in compartments and, when she had gone to a couple of their houses, kept their servants where they should be, beneath them and there to make their lives easier.

  “Madame.” A man with a rather ridiculous looking moustache virtually ran down the aisle to meet her and bent forward to kiss her hand. “I am honoured to meet you. My name is Bevan Wheatley and I am the music conductor. I am looking forward to working with you for the next couple of days.”

  She smiled and murmured something appropriate. He led her onto the platform, holding her elbow as he walked beside her up the steps. She looked down into the orchestra pit where a few men sat beside their instruments. No guitarist so where was he? Even as she thought of it a man walked up the aisle holding a guitar. Shorter than many of the men who were standing around, his shoes the right size, he was dressed stylishly and had the unmistakable watch on his wrist.

  But did he still have the jewels and particularly the ring which was the most important? She looked at his fingers and there were two rings on each hand, all with different designs but none like the drawing she had seen of the stolen one.

  But one of them could have been altered a bit or covered with something that would hide the original stones. Surely he would not let go a ring which was worth as much as the stolen one. In his place she wasn’t even sure she would trust a partner in crime.

  But she had a concert to practise for and she had to make sure she sang as well as any famous singer would. She had to impress the music conductor and any other interested party as well as the orchestra. She walked into the middle of the platform, turned to face the few people who sat in chairs in front of her where the audience would sit and the music struck up.

  She enjoyed singing and this was no exception. What was even more wonderful was singing with an orchestra whereas before she sang only with an organ or piano though once someone had a saxophone. The music filled the theatre, as did her voice which was far better than she realised it was and the French ingredient which she added to it made it even more beautiful.

  Noah slipped into the back row just before she finished her last song for the morning, his eyes fixed on her while she sang which encouraged her to do even better. It was a love song she had written when she felt she was in love four years previously and had a beautiful and haunting tune. All the instruments came into play which included the guitar. Hank was a brilliant guitarist, she had to admit when the song finished.

  Everyone who sat in the theatre clapped and a lady who was dusting and polishing dabbed her eyes. Noah stood and walked forward.

  “That was beautiful, madame,” he said, looking up at Susannah where she had begun to move to the steps. He put his hand out to hold hers while she walked down. “Absolutely beautiful.”

  “It was,” the conductor agreed. “You are very talented, madame.”

  “Thank you. I’m also very hungry after all that singing.”

  “We will meet again at two for a couple more hours of practise. Is that alright?”

  “Perfect.” She looked at Noah. “Where are we going to eat, Monsieur Howes?”

  “Would you honour me by calling me Noah?” he asked, putting out his arm for her to hold.

  “Then you must call me Mirelle. Where are we going to eat, Noah?”

  “I thought of the restaurant next door. Will that be alright?”

  “Perfect.” They started down the aisle. “But I must not eat too much though I feel I could eat an army of frogs.”

  “Frogs?”

  “It is a delicacy in France.”

  “I have tasted them,” Hank said from behind them.

  “You have?” She turned to look at him. “Then you must join us in the restaurant.”

  “Really?” His expression was eager and obviously even criminals enjoyed attention, Susannah thought.

  “We would be honoured.” She put her other hand through his arm as he drew parallel. “I so enjoyed your guitar playing. Maybe you can tell me more about it and yourself.”

  “Thank you, madame.”

  Why did they all say madame, she wondered. She was supposed to be the French person not them. They made their way into a restaurant. Tastefully furnished, the tables covered with spotless table cloths and sparkling cutlery, it oozed sophistication. The jeweller was going to receive a big bill at the end of the assignment. They sat and the waiter virtually skidded across the room to them.

  If this was how celebrities were treated she liked it. Not permanently but she was going to enjoy every minute. Her photograph was plastered all over the city with the venue and time of her concert and she knew it was the same in New York. Everyone would know about Madame Mirelle Noir.

  Which included her parents and would they go to one of the concerts to see the lady who looked so much like their daughter? Maybe they wouldn’t see the posters. They ordered their meals but Susannah declined the offer of frogs legs.

  “I prefer to eat the cuisine of the country I’m currently visiting,” she said when Hank queried it. “Have you been to France?”

  “Yes, but I only had time to visit Boulogne and Paris. I would like to visit again but I’m busy with the orchestra.”

  “You obviously love music.”

  “I do.”

  “And jewellery. Your rings are very beautiful.”

  “Beautiful but not particularly expensive. I was admiring the ring on your finger. Did you obtain it in Paris?”

  She had so she could be truthful, which was a bit of a relief. “I did,” she said. “My father purchased it for me some years ago.”

  “Such things increase in value as time passes,” Hank said.

  “They do. If I ever have to stop my work as a singer I’ll have something to fall back on.”

  Would he try to rip the ring off her finger? It was worth quite a lot, she knew, and he was definitely the man from last night, right down to his voice which was slightly husky. “Do you sing?” she asked.

  “Yes, but my first love is guitar.”

  “Would you come on stage with me for one of my songs?”

  “I would be honoured to do that.”

  “Good. We will consult with Monsieur and decide on a song. Tell me how you first became interested in music and particularly in the guitar.”

  He was obviously enthusiastic about his music which made what he was doing a bit sad. If he was caught he could spend quite a bit of time in prison and that was such a waste for someone so talented. They ate a leisurely meal, went back to the theatre and afterwards Susannah told Noah she would like to have a short nap before the evening performance.

  “Are you coming?” she asked him.

  “To have a nap with you?”

  She bent her head as she felt her face flush. “To relax in your room.”

  “I’m going to keep an eye on Hank.” He looked across the theatre to where Hank was talking to someone. “I went back to the jeweller and I think the man who administered the ether or whatever it was last night works there. That must be how they had a key. I engaged the owner in conversation and he said nobody has broken in or tried to get the cufflink. He didn’t mention anything being stolen either. He showed me the cuff link and I asked if he has shown the police. When he said no I offered to take it to the police station.”

  Susannah frowned in puzzlement. “Why didn’t they take it, I wonder.”

  “He took it home, he said. I have contacted the police but I still have the cuff link. Hank is staying in our hotel tonight though he didn’t last night, probably because of what they were doing.”

  “Then we must keep
an eye on him.”

  “I will for now. He’s moving. I’ll follow him at a discreet distance.”

  “Be careful.”

  “I will.” Noah leaned towards Susannah a bit. “Will it worry you if I get hurt?”

  “Of course it will. I don’t like to see anyone in trouble.”

  “Oh.” He straightened and started to move away. “Take a cab to the hotel and don’t start looking around. You have got to maintain your cover.”

  He virtually ran down the aisle as Hank went through the door and Susannah walked more slowly after him. There was nothing she could do at this moment and she just had to leave it to him. Tonight she would take her turn to keep an eye on Hank and all of them would be on the same train to New York. What would happen then she could not envisage. She called a cab and was soon on her way back to the hotel.

  Chapter 4

  Women really did wear the most inconvenient kind of clothes, Susannah thought as she crawled quietly along a wide beam above a huge theatre auditorium in New York. One, if a lady tried to run she had to hold up her skirts. Two, if she crawled she kept catching her knees on the skirt. Three. She couldn’t think of a three at this minute but it really would be far more practical wearing pants in the way men did and in the way she did when she and Noah went to check the jewellery shop.

  She couldn’t wear the ones she had got from her brother because soon they would be practising. Maybe she would fall off the beam and then the problem would be nonexistent when she lay lifelessly below. However, it was essential not to fall, also not to be seen.

  She heard voices below and lay quietly on the beam, thankful that she was slim enough to be hidden from view and hoping nobody would look up in case she was wrong about that. She virtually held her breath while she listened to what was being said.

  “Did you bring the goods?”

  “Yes, but where am I going to put them?”

  She recognised Hank’s voice and there was a pause but she did not dare look down to see what was going on. The men below might look up to see if they could find a hiding place above. “How about in the piano?” the other man said.

  “That could bung up the works and make it sound strange. Why do they have to pick it up at the performance, anyway? We could have arranged another venue."

  “It was their suggestion. We don’t have a choice. Monsieur Colbert is only in New York for one night and doesn’t know the city. He wants to attend the concert and then he’s going on a boat somewhere or other. The transaction must be made at some point this evening.”

  “When do we get the money?” Hank asked.

  “When we hand him the goods. Nobody will have an inkling of what’s going on because the robbery hasn’t been publicised.”

  “Pity we can’t involve Mirelle Noir. We could do quite a big trade if we got her to carry future goods back to Paris.”

  One of the men gave rather a raucous laugh, or did she regard it as raucous because of who she knew they were? In actual fact, it was probably quite a musical laugh for a man. Susannah heard the men walk up on the platform and allowed herself one quick peek. They lifted the piano lid and looked inside.

  “It will fit down there,” Hank said. Susannah had another brief look and the other man whose name she did not know started taking packages out of a box he was carrying and putting them into the piano.

  “The problem is that, if we put it in there, we might not be able to retrieve it without being seen. Maybe we should carry the stuff on our person. It’s only the ring he wants, anyway.”

  “Yes, but we want to persuade him to buy more. We can get the stuff if he agrees. What does he look like?”

  “He’s evidently about five feet eight, will be wearing a blue suit and conveniently has a scar on his left cheek which will be the most identifying mark. Brown hair which isn’t too long but goes down to his collar.”

  “He’ll be easy to spot then. What do you think of Mirelle Noir?”

  “A gentleman does not share his thoughts on such matters.”

  “In other words she’s......” Susannah felt she should cover her ears at the following words though she was not particularly shocked. Hank might look and act the gentleman but he certainly wasn’t one, which was proved by what he was caught up in. However, she did feel insulted though there was no room for such feelings because she had a job to do.

  “Shall we put the ring in the piano then?” The conversation continued.”

  “I’m wearing it,” Hank said.

  “Wearing it!” The words were explosive. “You wouldn’t just like to give yourself up now to the police to save the trouble of them finding you.”

  “Under a glove. The only problem with that is that I’ll be playing the guitar. You could wear it.”

  There was a pause then. “I guess I could if I wear it the wrong way round. I’ll just have to be careful not to shake hands with anyone. The rest of the smaller stuff we could put in your guitar bag. It’s better than the piano. Keep it near you at all times.”

  “Everyone will start arriving to practise,” Hank said. “Let’s go out the back door and come back in with the rest.”

  They walked towards the back and Susannah crawled carefully to where she had come up. She heard the door open and shut, ran to the front and let herself out. As she did so she heard footsteps coming up the side of the building.

  She ran quickly away then turned to walk slowly back towards the front door, relieved that there was nobody in the immediate vicinity. Later people would be streaming towards the theatre but for now it was relatively deserted. As she did so Hank and his associate walked round the side of the building.

  “Ma’am.” Hank bent over her to kiss her hands and she resisted the urge to punch him. That could wait for later but a lot would happen in between.

  “Good morning, Monsieur.” She fluttered her eyelids at him. Not too much, not too little. Enough, she hoped, for him to equate her with what she really wasn’t, a French singer on a concert tour which included Princeton and New York. After that she was supposed to be travelling back to Paris.

  “I have really enjoyed working with you,” Hank said. “I hope I will again.”

  “And I with you. You are a brilliant musician.”

  “Thank you, madame. You are a talented singer.” He turned to the other man. “I’ll see you later, Rick.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Is he a performer?” Susannah asked as Rick walked away and they sat on a nearby seat.

  “Just a friend.”

  “Madame. Hank. It is nice when people turn up on time.” Bevan Wheatley and a few other musicians walked up behind him.

  “It’s not really very good manners to be late,” Hank replied.

  “No, but our performers often are. They would benefit from taking a leaf out of your book, madame.” Bevan inserted the key into the door and opened it before standing back for Susannah to enter.

  Susannah’s French accent as she replied was perfect and she was grateful for the tuition she had in the language at the private school she attended in her childhood. She was grateful for the many things she learnt there, a good proportion of which were not academic. The pupils may have acted ladylike and refined in public. In private they indulged in pranks which made them efficient in many areas, one of which was climbing as they had on occasions left their dormitories to become involved in some escapade or another which involved leaving the building by way of drainpipes.

  “Merci, monsieur.”

  “I do love your accent,” Hank said.

  As American as yours, she thought, and they walked forward to take their places at the front, followed not long after by the rest of the orchestra. Once the practise was over she must go to the agency, and really the last few days had been fun.

  But now the assignment was nearing its end because now she knew for certain that it was Hank who stole the ring. It would be good if they could arrest him immediately but he was not the only one involved and all of them needed t
o be caught red handed. They had to catch the two men removing the goods and passing them over, though it might just be the ring if Rafael did not want the rest.

  They all moved into position and the next couple of hours were taken up with practise. When Noah arrived to pick Susannah up for lunch she was eager to tell him what she had heard.

  “At least they haven’t already got rid of the goods,” he said. “I’ll make sure there are quite a few lawmen in the building.”

  “Yes. But we have to establish where Rafael will be sitting and we have to catch them in the act of exchanging goods. Rick will have the ring so it will be him who hands it over but we also have to make sure there is proof that Hank is involved. I’m not quite sure how we’ll do that but I’m working on it.”

  “You’re not bad, are you?” Noah said.

  “Not bad?”

  “At your job. I must admit I had reservations at first but you act like a real professional and your powers of deduction are amazing, also the way you notice details which I missed. I’m not a detective, I know, but I’ve worked with them for a couple of years. None of them are as good as you.”

  “Just doing my job.”

  Susannah was pleased at the compliment. She was pleased at how things had gone thus far. But tonight would be the most important and they had to get things right. She could not even plan ahead because she wasn’t sure what would happen. They went for a leisurely meal at the adjoining restaurant and quite a few of the orchestra members joined them. To be with her but she did not realise that.

  The concert commenced at seven thirty and Susannah peeped through the curtains a few times, hoping to get a glimpse of Rafael. He could be anywhere though Rick mentioned a box so it was a waste of time scanning the audience. She looked round carefully then ran to the other side of the stage to look at the opposite side of the theatre.

  She couldn’t see anyone and in five minutes the curtains would be pulled aside. She would have to look while she was singing but she mustn’t become distracted and disillusion her audience.

  Two hours later the applause was thunderous and people were on their feet. There were whistles. There were catcalls. Some people stood on their seats, which were mostly men. Flowers were thrown onto the platform. The huge auditorium resounded with the sound of those who had appreciated the performance.