“Very good, miss. I’ll tell her, just as soon as she comes home.” The poor girl’s voice shook. I knew how she felt. I should go home and wait for Nell to contact me, but I couldn’t. Suddenly I made a decision. I would go to Jacob. He would know what to do. I made my way up rainswept Broadway and turned onto Rivington Street. I just prayed he’d be home by now and was not still involved in strike planning at the Hebrew Trades headquarters. The door to the building opened easily. I climbed the dark stairway and tapped hesitantly on his door. I had a sudden, absurd hope that Jacob would answer and Nell would be inside with him.
He opened the door. “Molly!” He looked pleased but wary. “To what do I owe this honor so late at night? I thought you’d gone home hours ago. I’m not sure I should invite you in without damaging your reputation.” He grinned to let me know that this was a joke.
“It’s Nell. I was supposed to meet her and she hasn’t turned up. I’m worried about her, Jacob.” The words came out in a rush. Quickly I told him what had happened and showed him Nell’s note. “I waited in the café for over an hour,” I said, “and the boy who delivered the note told me that Nell had been near the Walhalla Hall when she gave it to him. The Walhalla Hall is frequented by the Eastmans gang, Jacob.”
Jacob gave a deep sigh. “I’ve been afraid something like this would happen. She takes the most appalling risks without a second thought. Do you know what she was doing in that part of town?”
“She had discovered that Kathy worked for Mostel’s. They are on Canal Street, not too far away, so it could be that she was pursuing some connection there.”
“I must go and find her,” Jacob said. “You have already done enough for one night. You should go home and rest.”
“Nonsense,” I said. “I’ll come with you. There’s safety in numbers.”
He smiled. “Although two isn’t a very big number.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “But it’s very companionable.” His hand remained there until we started down the stairs.
As we came out into the night the rain had stopped and a damp mist clung around the lampposts and area railings. The mist seemed to muffle all sound so that it felt as if we were alone in a dark world. Only the mournful tooting of ships out in the mist on the river told us that the city was still alive and awake. We cut down Chrystie Street. I kept an eye open all the way for any sign of a building that might be the Eastmans headquarters, but of course they’d hardly be likely to advertise the fact. The street was quiet, respectable, and in darkness. We came out onto Canal, not far from Orchard Street and the Walhalla. The area was dimly lit by the occasional gas lamp and the mist swirled in from the East River so that we moved like two ghosts.
“Here is the Walhalla Hall,” Jacob said. “We should ask if anyone has seen her.”
The hall itself appeared to be in darkness. Jacob stopped several men coming out of saloons and got only rude comments for his pains. “Whatdaya want another girl for when you’ve already got one? Greedy, ain’t ya?” It was most frustrating and after a while we gave up. There was nobody else on the street.
“We should maybe check the café again to see if she came there after I’d left,” I suggested.
“Good idea.”
We walked back along Canal Street.
“That’s Mostel’s,” I said, pointing at the looming dark shape. “There is a furniture maker on the ground floors and Mostel’s occupies the top three.”
Jacob tried the door but it was firmly locked and no lights shone in the building. We walked on to Broadway but the café was closed. So were most of the other businesses around it. Only the theaters were still ablaze with lights.
“Should we try calling her house?” he asked.
“I’ve tried twice. Her maid sounds very worried.”
“Then we must go back along Canal and systematically check each backstreet and alley,” Jacob said.
“But what would she be doing there, at this time of night?” I asked, not wanting to listen to the answer that echoed in my own head.
He shrugged.
“There is one possibility.” I could hardly make my mouth say the words. “I was almost taken by the Eastmans once, until luckily the police intervened. If she was snooping too close to their activities, then maybe they’ve got her.”
Jacob stared at me with a look of sheer dread.
“But that’s something we can’t tackle alone,” I said hastily as I saw Jacob steeling himself to confront a gang. “We’ll have to alert the police. I have a friend who is a police captain. We should let him know right away.”