“And he was a man.”
“That too.” Those big, reassuring hands squeezed my shoulders. “Molly, when will you give up this stupid idea? Women just can’t be investigators. You’ve seen for yourself now that it doesn’t work. Last night was just an embarrassment for you. Next time it could be worse—the rumors about the white slave trade are not all exaggerations, you know. Prostitutes don’t have very long lives and replacements don’t exactly line up to volunteer for the job. A young woman alone on the streets at night is just what they are looking for.” A picture flashed into my mind of that young girl, looking at me with sadness and longing. I shuddered. “And then there are the gangs,” Daniel went on. He paused, still holding my shoulders, still looking down at me gravely. “Right now there is a war going on between two of the worst gangs in the city. The Hudson Dusters and Eastmans are fighting over territory and control of the cocaine trade. And the third gang, the Five Pointers, are hoping to expand their activities while their rivals are at each others’ throats. A nasty business. There were two men lying dead in the alley behind Tom Sharkey’s saloon last night. Neither gang admits knowing either of them. They’ve no identification on them. If some family member doesn’t report them missing, they’ll be buried in the potter’s field and we’ll never know their names. They might have been gang members, or they might have been innocent men, caught in the crossfire in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do you understand what I am telling you?”
“You’re saying I shouldn’t be out on the streets alone at night.”
“Precisely. And why in heaven’s name didn’t you have me called when they brought you in last night? I could have had you out in seconds, rather than spend the night in jail.”
“Because I have my pride,” I said. “Because I knew you’d behave exactly as you are behaving right now.” I took a deep breath, “And because I can mean nothing to you.”
“Nothing to me—how can you say that?”
I had been so strong all night. Now I was weary, relieved, and Daniel’s hands on my shoulders were unnerving me. I had a horrible feeling that I might break down and cry at any minute. I fought to master myself. “I haven’t read in the Times that Miss Norton has broken off her engagement,” I said stiffly.
“Not yet, no.”
“Then I can be nothing to you, Daniel. We’ve been through this before. Now if you’d just let go of me, I want to go home.”
“I don’t want to let go of you, Molly,” he said, with a look that made me feel even more unsteady. “You know that. I want you to have patience until I can get things squared away.”
“You won’t ever break off your engagement,” I said coldly. “Not while your career is at stake.”
“Give me time, Molly, I beg you. I do love you, you know.”
I held his gaze. “Not enough, Daniel.”
His hands slid from my shoulders. “You’re free to go,” he said.
I left the room without looking back.
Three
As I closed the front door at 9 Patchin Place, a voice yelled out, “She’s here, Gus, she’s here!” and Sid came flying down the stairs toward me, wearing kingfisher blue silk pajamas, followed by Gus wrapped in a large scarlet Chinese robe. Their faces were a picture of relief and joy.
“Molly, where have you been? We’ve been worried sick,” Gus exclaimed over Sid’s shoulder. “We’ve been out half the night, tramping the streets, looking for you.”
“I’m so sorry to have caused you such worry,” I said. “I’d have let you know if I could. I got myself arrested and spent the night a mere stone’s throw away at the Jefferson Market police station.”
“Got yourself arrested?” Sid asked, looking amused now and not horrified as a more respectable woman would have done. “Molly, my sweet, what had you been doing?”
“Nothing. That was the annoying part of it. I was minding my own business, standing on a residential street and observing a house. I was picked up by the police because no decent young lady should be out alone at night.”
“The nerve of it,” Sid said. She helped me off with my cloak which was still damp and still smelled of wet sheep. “Your clothes are completely soaked,” she added as she hung it up. “You’d better let Gus run you a bath and I’ll go along to the kitchen to make us all some strong coffee. We were so worried we didn’t even think of going to the bakery for rolls yet, but I’ll remedy that as soon as I’ve put the coffee on.”