by Rhys Bowen
She hung her head. “She make me promise I never tell anyone,” she said.
“But she’s dead now. Tell me. In this country we punish people for being an accessory to a crime.”
“What does this mean?”
“That you knew about a crime and you helped the criminal in some way, even if you didn’t commit the crime yourself. Did she kill Lee Sing Tai? Did she?”
“No!” She yelled out the word. “No, she did not kill him.” Then she sank onto the top stair and put her head in her hands. “She wanted to. She went to the rooftop with that purpose.”
“She was well and strong enough to climb up to a rooftop and then leap from one roof to the next?”
She nodded. “She was not as sick as she acted. She knew if she was sick they would throw her out of the bad-women house—not want her to make their customers sick.”
“You’re saying she was only acting? She didn’t have consumption?”
“Yes, she knew that she had this disease, but not as bad as she wanted everyone to think. She knew she would die from it one day, but right now she was strong enough to climb up and jump across from one roof to the next. It is not such a big leap if one has no fear. And she had no fear, only anger. She said to me, ‘This man must not be allowed to put more girls through shame and misery. He must be stopped now.’ And when I tried to tell her not to go, she said, ‘My life is over. I will die some day soon. But I make sure this man pays before I die.’”
“She went to kill him—but she didn’t go through with it?”
“No,” she said. “Because of the ghost.”
“What ghost?”
Bo Kei looked up at me as if she didn’t want to go on. “When she reached the roof of Lee Sing Tai’s house, he was not there but the door that led to the stairs was open. She plucked up courage and started to go down the stairs to his bedroom. As she stood at the top of the stairs she looked down and what do you think she saw? She saw a ghost floating up toward her. That’s when she knew that Lee Sing Tai was already dead.”
“So what did she do then?”
“Everyone is afraid of angry ghosts. She ran. She jumped across to the next roof and almost didn’t make it. When she came back to me she was crying and couldn’t breathe. She made me promise that I would tell nobody what she had done.”
“This ghost?” I said. “What did it look like?”
“It was a white floating head in the darkness,” she said. “It stared up at her with an open mouth but no sound came out. And it had lots of arms and legs, like a demon or a monster.”
“And she thought it was Lee’s ghost and he was already dead?”
She nodded. “What else could it be?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t believe in ghosts myself. I’m afraid we’ll have to tell this story to the police, Bo Kei. At least it should make them release Frederick.”
She gave me a watery smile. “All right. I will tell your good policeman.”
“I’m going to see him now,” I said. “I will bring him back here to talk to you and you will tell him everything you know.”
“I will get in trouble?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so. If what you say is true, then Annie did nothing wrong—except for trespassing on someone’s property.”
“And they will now believe that Frederick did nothing wrong either and they will set him free?” she asked hopefully.
“Yes, I believe they will set him free.”
The smile of relief that flooded her face reassured me once and for all that she had not been involved in the killing herself. And for the third time that day I set off back to Mulberry Street. When Daniel and I were married, I thought, there would be a telephone in the house so that the police could get in contact with him whenever he was needed. Such a useful instrument. It would have saved me a fortune in shoe leather!
Thirty
As I took the trolley southward yet again I rehearsed what I was going to say to Daniel. I had uncovered valuable information, so he should be pleased with me. On the other hand, I had continued my involvement in this case when he had expressly forbidden me to. The knot in the pit of my stomach returned. He was going to shout at me. Be furious with me. Then suddenly I decided that this wasn’t like me at all. I wasn’t usually the sort of person who cowered before men. I was turning into the kind of female I despised, the kind who lost her individuality and gumption when she married. What sort of a life would I have if my sole purpose on this Earth was to defer to my husband and make sure I didn’t upset him?
Enough is enough, I said to myself. If I didn’t stand up to Daniel now, he would dominate me for the rest of my life. He was going to have to accept that I was not prepared to turn into a helpless little wife. I could understand that he didn’t want me to continue my career as an investigator because that could be seen as compromising his position in the police department. And he did feel the need to protect me, which was nice. And God knows I’d been in need of protection several times in the past couple of years. But I wasn’t going to let him bully me or dictate to me.
Having come to that decision I strode out from the trolley with more confidence. But I have to confess that as I went up the steps into that austere building, that confidence did waver a little. Still, I held my chin high as I approached the front desk.
“I wish to speak to Captain Sullivan,” I announced to the constable who was manning the front desk. “It’s most urgent.”
“I’m afraid Captain Sullivan’s not here at the moment,” he said. “Will one of the other officers do instead?”
“No, thank you.” I felt the relief of reprieve and had to force myself to continue, “You don’t know where I might find him?”
“No, miss. I couldn’t tell you that,” he said.
“Even if you did know, you mean?” I stared at him. “Look, I have some facts for him. It’s important that he gets them as soon as possible. If you won’t tell me, may I write a note and you can ask one of your men to deliver it to him?”
“What’s this concerning, miss?” he asked warily.
“A murder case he’s working on.”
He was still looking at me most suspiciously. “And you say you have important information for him?”
He was driving me mad. “Yes. Now for goodness sake, please provide me with a pen and paper.”
He did so and I wrote: Daniel, I need to speak to you immediately about the murder of Lee Sing Tai. I have obtained valuable knowledge, which I want to share only with you. I believe there has been a second murder. I will await you at—I didn’t want to go all the way back to Patchin Place again—the settlement house on Elizabeth Street. It would be better that he examine Annie’s corpse for himself before he questioned Bo Kei.
I finished up with: Yours, Molly.
I only hoped I was his after this. I blotted the sheet, folded it, then handed it to the young policeman.
“I’ll see that he gets it, miss,” the constable said. He poked his head through into a back room. “Harry, this note has to get to Captain Sullivan,” he said. “The young lady says she’s got information concerning the case he’s working on.”
Another constable, this one looking absurdly young and boyish with a freckled face and strawberry blond hair, came to the doorway and paused there looking at me with interest. Obviously he then decided I looked respectable enough. “Right you are, miss. I can’t guarantee where he’s likely to be. Knowing the captain, he could be anywhere.” He turned to give his companion a grin. “But I’ll find out and we’ll see he gets it. What name shall I say?”
I really didn’t want them to know I was Daniel’s fiancée or they’d think it was some trifling domestic matter such as my needing to speak to him on the color of ribbons.
“It’s Murphy,” I said, “but the pertinent information is all contained in that letter and it’s rather vital that he gets it so that a murderer doesn’t have the chance to slip away.”
At the word “murderer,” the c
onstable’s face became somber. “He’ll know where to find you, will he?”
“I’ve put that in the note.”
“Then I’m sure he’ll come as soon as he can,” he said and escorted me to the doorway.
I went out into the street and was about to go on my way to Elizabeth Street when I had an idea. I ducked into a shop front and waited. Sure enough, a few minutes later the freckle-faced constable appeared and set off down Mulberry Street. I followed, at a sensible distance. I had a problem keeping up with him as he was moving along with the large strides of a young man and my shoes didn’t fare so well on the cobbles. At the corner of Bayard he turned left.… And I realized he was heading for Mott Street. I was in luck. So Daniel had heeded my pleas to find out the truth and get Frederick released. He was still working on the murder investigation, in spite of having told me that it was Captain Kear’s territory.
Sure enough, the constable stopped just before he reached Lee Sing Tai’s residence. Another constable was standing guard outside.
“Is Captain Sullivan in there?” I heard the first ask.
“As far as I know,” the other agreed. “He went in some time ago and I haven’t seen him come out yet.”
I decided I had been patient long enough. I stepped forward. “Thank you, Constable. I can take it from here,” I said.
The constable I had followed from Mulberry looked both shocked and mortified that I had followed him. “But, miss—”
“It’s all right. I know the case he’s working on and I have important facts that he’ll want to receive immediately,” I said.
“You do?” I could see him torn between interrupting an angry Captain Sullivan and getting into trouble for letting me interrupt an angry Captain Sullivan.
I decided a small white lie was in order. “He is expecting me,” I said. “He wanted me to get in touch with him the minute I heard anything.”
I saw relief flood his face. “Oh, well, in that case, miss…” He saluted me and hightailed it back up Mott Street. I took a deep breath before going up the stairs to Lee’s residence.
The faint smell of incense still lingered in the hallway. On the other side of the screen I could hear low voices. There was no sign of the houseboy. I tapped gently on the wall, then came around the screen.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, but—”
I broke off in midsentence and froze. Daniel’s was not one of the two men’s voices I had heard. Captain Kear and Bobby Lee were sitting together on the sofa, heads together in low conversation. They both leaped to their feet as they saw me and I could have sworn they looked guilty.
“I’m terribly sorry,” I said. “I was looking for Captain Sullivan.”
“Captain Sullivan? He’s not here,” Kear said.
“But the constable standing guard outside said that he was. He said that the captain had entered some time ago and he hadn’t seen him come out.”
A quick questioning look passed between Captain Kear and Bobby Lee.
“Well, he’s not here now,” Bobby Lee snapped.
“I wonder if he could be up on the roof, checking out where the murder was committed or how the assailant got away,” I said.
“Why would he be doing that?” Bobby Lee demanded. “Ordinary murder does not require exalted men like Captain Sullivan who have better things to do.”
“Besides,” Captain Kear added, “I already made it clear that this was my case and I had the prime suspect in jail.”
“I’ll just go up to the roof and take a look, if you don’t mind,” I said. “Just on the off chance he’s still up there.”
I didn’t wait for permission and they didn’t deny it. But as I was halfway up the stairs I heard Bobby’s Lee’s distinctive Chinese accent hissing, “What does she want? Do you think he sent her?”
And Kear replying, “If she hasn’t gone in a second we’ll get rid of her.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. It could be as harmless as making sure that I left or it could mean that I followed Lee Sing Tai over the edge of that roof. I hesitated, not wanting to go up the second flight of stairs. But I had to find Daniel and if he wasn’t there, that meant that he might also have taken the leap across to the next roof. I certainly wasn’t going to follow him on that route.
I went up to the rooftop. It was empty. The brass bed frame was still there, but the bed had been stripped. A strong wind was blowing from the Hudson, making the laundry on surrounding roofs flap loudly. I jumped as a nightgown suddenly billowed out. But there was no sign that Daniel had ever been there. So I came down again. As I crossed the upper landing I thought I saw a flash of movement in Lee Sing Tai’s bedroom. I expected it to be the old woman spying on me, but to my surprise I saw Daniel’s face. He put his finger to his lips and beckoned me ferociously. I crossed the hallway, and with one swift movement he grabbed my arm and spun me into the room, shutting the door behind me.
“What are you doing here?” he mouthed at me. At least he wasn’t using profanity, but he didn’t look too overjoyed to see me.
“There’s been a second murder, connected to Lee’s death,” I answered in a whisper. “I wanted you to come and see right away. And why are we whispering?”
“Because I didn’t want my presence in this house known to the occupants down below,” Daniel said. “Now you’ve announced to all and sundry that I’m here, I have no choice but to reveal myself. Once again you’ve successfully managed to wreck what I was trying to do.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “But I thought you should know that someone has just been murdered.”
“How the devil did you know where to find me—or was it just a lucky chance that you stumbled upon me here?”
“I went to Mulberry Street. I wrote you a note. One of your men was sent to deliver it to you and I followed him.”
Daniel shook his head as if nothing about me would surprise him any longer. “There’s no point in standing here any longer,” he said. “Now that my presence has been revealed, I’d better go down and face the music.”
“You could make your escape across the rooftops if you wanted to. I could say I didn’t find you,” I suggested, wanting to please.
“I’m not risking my neck, thank you. No, there’s nothing for it, I’m afraid.” He opened the door and went down the stairs ahead of me.
Captain Kear looked up, scowling. “What are you doing here, Sullivan?” he demanded. “I thought we agreed this was Sixth Precinct business.”
Daniel had resumed his cocky, almost arrogant appearance. “As to that, Kear, you know damned well that headquarters can take over any case it chooses, if it deems it’s beyond the scope of one precinct. But to answer your question civilly, you came to us, asking for forensic help. We have determined that Mr. Lee was knocked over the head with the statue of some god in his bedroom. We’ve detected traces of blood and hair on the statue—also fingerprints we haven’t yet identified, but not those of the man you are holding in the Tombs.”
“Then Frederick is innocent,” I interrupted, trying to play the innocent myself. “I’m so glad.”
Captain Kear and Bobby Lee were both scowling at us.
“So I was just checking the rest of his room for matching fingerprints,” Daniel went on breezily. “It appears he was killed down there and not on the rooftop. Interesting, don’t you think? Makes one believe that it would be someone who knew him who would have the nerve to come into his bedroom and feel comfortable walking around his house.” He turned to Bobby. “Have my men taken your fingerprints yet, Bobby? No matter, I’m sure they’re already in our files from past incidents.”
I was impressed at his bravado. Once again he had clearly taken over, asserted his superiority over the other men, and was enjoying it.
“But I must leave you now, gentlemen,” he continued after neither of the men spoke. “Miss Murphy has uncovered yet another piece of evidence that I must inspect right away. And I believe that I ordered both this room and the bedroom to be sealed off as cr
ime scenes, until our inspections had concluded. So I’m not sure what you’re doing sitting here.”
“This is now my place,” Bobby said, sticking out his chin belligerently. “I make sure nobody steal from my father’s house.”
“If anyone did the stealing, I suspect it might be you, Bobby,” Daniel said. “Has the cabinet been thoroughly checked yet?”
“There was no need,” Captain Kear said. “We had a perfect suspect in jail. If you tell me that his fingerprints are not on the murder weapon, then I suppose we’ll have to start from square one again and go through that cabinet. I’ll arrange for a translator.”
“Notify me when you have him. I want to be there. I take it the cabinet is locked?”
“Yes, and I have the key.” Kear produced it from his top pocket, wrapped in a white handkerchief. Daniel held out his hand, took it from him, and inserted it into the cabinet. “We’ll leave it there and nobody will be allowed to enter this room. That includes you, Bobby.”
“This will be my house, I tell you,” he said angrily.
“Only if your birth certificate stands up to scrutiny under American law, and I rather fear that the old lady will be only too happy to testify against you. She’s still in the place, I take it?”
“Up in her bedroom. Doesn’t come down,” Bobby said. “Cook brings her meals up to her.”
“That’s fine,” Daniel said. “The two of them but nobody else, right, Kear? You and I will meet here when you’ve lined up your interpreter and we’ll conclude the last of the fingerprinting.”
“If you say so,” Kear said flatly, giving Daniel a look of pure animosity.
“Right. Off we go then.” Daniel made it sound like an invitation to a picnic. The other men rose reluctantly and went to the stairs ahead of us.
“Come, Molly,” Daniel said. Captain Kear was just passing around the screen when Daniel added, “And Kear, I suggest you release your suspect from the Tombs. I think we’ll have this case sewn up by the end of the day.”
