“Yes, but…” She hesitated, chewing on her lip. I sensed that she wanted to tell me more, but was afraid to.
It’s not your business. Don’t get involved. The words boomed through my head. As usual I ignored them.
“I’ll go to the settlement house, if you like,” I said. “I can find out for you what will happen to her body and where she’ll be buried.”
“Okay.” She nodded, defeated. “You tell them I must know where they bury her, because one day it is my duty, as family member, to take her home to our village in China.”
“I’ll tell them that,” I said, thinking that it was most likely that poor Annie would be buried in the potter’s field with all the others who couldn’t afford a proper funeral. I went across to Gus’s studio and poked my head around the door. Gus was sitting with her back to me, facing a canvas covered in a bewildering array of dots.
“What do you think?” she asked. “I’m trying the new pointillist style. It really captures the essence of the scene, don’t you think?”
I actually thought it looked like a child with bad chicken pox, but I nodded politely. “Definitely,” I said. “Could I possibly interrupt and ask you to come downstairs for a minute. I want to talk to you and Gus.”
She followed me, intrigued. I sat with them in the kitchen and told them everything. “So you see,” I finished, “we might be harboring a murderer. I’m deeply sorry I have involved you in this. It’s your house. You tell me what you want to do with her. I’m going back to the settlement house now. I can take her with me if you want me to.”
“People in this country are innocent until proven guilty,” Sid said. “What does she have to say for herself?”
“Of course she pleads innocence, most emphatically—but she would, wouldn’t she?”
Sid glanced at Gus. “I think she should stay put for now. At least until we have thought this through.”
Gus turned to me. “And I think you should come clean with Daniel. Tell him the whole thing. He may have qualities of which I don’t approve, but I think he’s fair and straight.”
“Tell Daniel?” I felt my stomach twist itself into a knot. I could just imagine what he’d say when he found out that I had hidden the woman the police were searching for.
“He’s the only one who can decide what to do with her. We’re just not equipped to do so, Molly.” She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I know you mean well. I know you wanted to help, but if you really think she may have killed this Chinaman, then we really shouldn’t keep on hiding her.”
I sighed. “I know. And you’re right. I should come clean with Daniel. But I have to tell you I’m dreading the thought.”
“Nonsense,” Sid said. “You’re a responsible adult, Molly. You did what you thought was best. If he doesn’t like it, then tough luck.” She put her hands on my shoulders. “If you don’t stand up to him now, he’ll walk all over you. I’ve seen it so many times—a strong, bright girl gets married and soon she’s reduced to a quivering, helpless little jelly, trying to please her bully of a husband.”
I had to laugh at this. “I can’t see myself ever being reduced to a quivering jelly,” I said.
“But if you’re frightened of facing him and telling him the truth, that’s the first step on that road.”
“I suppose I feel guilty because I went behind his back and kept on with the investigation,” I said. “But you’re right—if we can’t face each other as equals, what sort of life do I have ahead of me?”
“Just tell him that. And if he tries to bully you, tell him you’ll call off the wedding,” Sid said.
I stared at her. “I couldn’t do that.”
“Molly, he has to know that he is not the king of your little castle—or at least, only if you’re the queen.”
“I wish I could send you in my place,” I said. “But I’ll get going right away. Wish me luck.”
“Don’t stand any nonsense from him,” Sid called after me.
It was all right for her. She didn’t have to face an angry Daniel. I felt positively sick as I rode the Broadway trolley southward to police headquarters. As the journey progressed, I decided that I really should go to the house on Elizabeth Street first, before I confronted Daniel. I had promised Bo Kei that I would report back to her, and after I had told Daniel the truth, there might not be a chance to fulfill that promise. At least that was my reasoning for putting off the moment when I had to face him. So I set off for Elizabeth Street.
The house seemed awfully quiet as I stepped into the hallway. Someone had been cooking and the odor of fried bacon wafted from the kitchen.
“Hello!” I called and Sarah appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Molly, it’s you,” she said, coming down the stairs to meet me. “Good of you to come. Such a sad occurrence. She seemed so much better, so much more cheerful, but then I’ve seen it before, haven’t you—that people seem to rally right before they die.”
“How long ago did it happen?” I asked.
“We’re not quite sure,” she said. “I got here around ten o’clock. I was asked to go and collect Annie’s breakfast tray. We took her meals up to her so that she didn’t eat with the other house residents and risk contaminating them. I went up and tapped on her door, then I let myself into the room. At first I thought she was sleeping and tiptoed across to retrieve her tray. Then something looked strange about her and I took another look. Her eyes were open and she was staring at the ceiling. I touched her and she was cool to the touch—not quite cold, but cool. And I realized she was dead.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “That must have been a shock for you.”
She nodded agreement. “I’ve worked here long enough now that I’ve seen a dead body or two, but one never gets used to it, does one?”
“I agree,” I said. “I’ve seen quite a few dead bodies, but it’s always a shock, especially when you had grown fond of the girl and had hopes for her recovery.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said. “One does not normally recover from consumption, but she had seemed so much brighter since the other Chinese girl arrived. Poor thing—I expect it was a shock for Bo Kei, having found a cousin only to lose her again.”
I nodded. “She was very upset. She begged me to come and see Annie for a last time and she was emphatic about knowing where Annie will be buried so that her bones can be taken home to China one day.”
Sarah sighed. “I don’t think we have much control over where she’ll be buried. Paupers’ graves are—well, paupers’ graves. But I’ll see what I can do. We have several resident volunteers whose families have clout in this city. Maybe we can bend the rules.”
“You’re very kind,” I said. “Could I possibly go up and see her? Bo Kei will want to know how she looked.”
“Of course.” Sarah turned back up the stairs. “Please follow me.”
Up the stairs we went, one flight, then two. Annie’s body was lying covered by a sheet. I tiptoed across as if I were afraid of waking her and gently pulled back the sheet. I looked down at her, then frowned. I had expected her to look pale and translucent, the way people were always described when dying of consumption. Instead of that her face and neck had a purplish hue.
“Was her face that color when you found her?” I asked.
“Yes, it was. I wonder if it was the disease coming out. It’s not very pleasant, is it?”
As I continued to stare at her, a thought was nagging at the back of my brain—something Daniel had told me once. He had mentioned skin turning purple when … the word suffocation popped into my head.
“How was she lying when you found her?” I asked.
“Just like this. Very peaceful, except for the purple skin and the red eyes.”
Fighting back my abhorrence, I lifted one of her eyelids. What would normally be the white of her eye was full of little red dots. I released her eyelid and shuddered.