He winced as if I’d slapped him across the face, which, I must confess, I had wanted to do—actually longed to do now.
“This is stupid, Molly,” he said. “You don’t love him. You can’t love him.”
“I’ll go and see if Jacob has found me a cab, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Molly—” He reached out his hand to me.
“Good-bye, Daniel,” I said, then spun on my heels and fled.
Nineteen
That man’s behavior toward you was quite insufferable,” Jacob said as the cab carried us away at a fast clip clop. “Give these fellows a badge and a uniform and the small amount of power goes to their heads.”
I didn’t think this was the moment to point out that Daniel, as a detective, wore neither badge nor uniform, and as one of the youngest captains on the force, he wielded a considerable amount of power.
“He has saved me from a couple of awkward situations in the past and was annoyed that I was still trying to pursue the notion of being an investigator,” I said, not wanting to go into further explanations. I was starting to shiver as delayed shock set in.
“That doesn’t give him permission to shout at you,” Jacob said, “especially after what you have been through tonight.”
“What we have both been through tonight. I still can’t believe it,” I said. “Poor Nell. It doesn’t seem possible, does it?”
“I find it hard to believe too,” Jacob said. “I saw so many terrible things as a young man in Russia, but one does not expect to see them repeated, here in America. She was a fine woman. She could have accomplished much. I should have . . .”He turned away from me.
“You tried to warn her. You tried to warn both of us,” I said. “You are blameless in this, Jacob. Don’t put yourself through this torment.”
Without thinking I reached across and stroked his cheek. He seized my hand and brought it to his lips. “When I first saw you, I thought a bright ray of sunshine had come into my life, Molly. I thought—that could be a girl who would make me laugh and dance and forget all I that I have been and seen.”
“I think it will be a while before either of us can laugh and dance again, Jacob,” I said, “but we will help each other get through this.”
His arms came around me and he held me fiercely to him. I let him hold me close, not sure what I felt, still too conscious of Daniel’s angry, worried face in that police headquarters room.
Then Jacob released me suddenly, putting his hands on my shoulders. “I want you to promise me that you will not attempt anything more to do with Nell’s death,” he said. “Whoever did this is heartless and ruthless. Swear you won’t try to track down her killer.”
“I promise you I won’t do anything stupid, Jacob,” I said, “and you must promise me the same.”
“I couldn’t bear to lose you, so soon after I have found you,” he whispered and cradled my head to him again. I lay against his shoulder until the cab stopped at the entrance to Patchin Place.
“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” Jacob asked. “Would you like me to come in and make you a hot drink maybe?”
“It’s late,” I said. “You should get some rest yourself. You look terrible.”
“Thank you for the kind words.” He managed a smile.
I reached up and touched his cheek, my hand savoring the strangeness of his beard. “We’re both exhausted and upset, Jacob. I think sleep is what we need most.”
He nodded. “Very well, then. I’ll take the cab home and see you tomorrow.” He brought my fingertips to his lips, then he was gone.
As I went to open my front door, the one across the street opened and Gus was standing there in a flowing Oriental robe, her hair hidden behind a purple turban.
“Molly, it is you. I was painting in my studio and I thought I saw you getting out of a cab with the attractive Mr. Singer. Have you been somewhere exciting? Do come inside and tell all!”
My first instinct was to invent some harmless event that Jacob and I had attended together, but I couldn’t lie to such a dear friend.
“Actually, it’s been a horrible, beastly evening,” I said, and heard my voice shake. “We found a friend murdered.” I realized as I said it that Nell had been their friend rather than mine. “Nell Blankenship,” I added.
“Nell? Nell has been killed?”
“What’s this?” Sid’s head appeared behind Gus’s turban.
I had no option but to go in and tell them everything. The reliving of the evening was almost as painful as the experience itself.
“How awful for you, Molly,” Sid said.
“Me? What do I matter? I’m alive,” I burst out. “It’s poor Nell! If I hadn’t asked her to help me, she’d be alive. I feel so terrible.” I sank my head into my hands. “She didn’t even like me very much, you know. She saw me as a threat. She was really only carrying out this assignment to please Jacob because she was smitten with him. So I’ve betrayed her all around.”