Oh Danny Boy (Molly Murphy Mysteries, #5)

“Damn you,” I muttered. Not words I’d have said out loud to anyone, but they felt good in my own kitchen. If he really was working for Daniel’s enemy, wouldn’t he just love me to deliver everything I’d found out so that he could report it to his boss. If I’d found out anything important, it would then be suppressed. If I had found out anything important, my own life could be in jeopardy.

Wait a second, I thought. Such drama! What had I found out? Not much, except that Mr. Partridge might have been part of the racehorse-doping scandal and he was visiting The Tombs in the near future. Interesting facts, but to be shared with Daniel alone. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do that, if Atkinson wouldn’t get me into The Tombs, and it wasn’t visiting day until the end of the month.

The other interesting fact to be shared with Daniel was that someone had tried to kill Mrs. Goodwin and might well have succeeded. That was surely important, but the police were already onto it, questioning witnesses even as I arrived on the scene.

I did my household chores, which had been neglected for the past week, hung out a line of laundry in the backyard, and had some of my homemade soup. I felt better today and had an appetite. One small blessing to be enjoyed. Then the moment I had washed up, I went back to Saint Vincent’s. I was going to get in to see Mrs. Goodwin this afternoon by hook or by crook.

On my way I stopped off at the Jefferson Market and bought a bunch of roses. As I approached the hospital, I saw two policemen emerging and recognized one of them. His face lit up in recognition when he saw me. “Why, Miss Murphy. What a lucky coincidence. I’ve been wanting to contact you for the past few days, but the wife had mislaid your new address.”

“Have you been to see Mrs. Goodwin?” I asked. “Is there any news on her condition?”

“You know Mrs. Goodwin, do you?”

“I do. She’s a friend.”

“And a fine woman,” he said, his big face a mask of grief. “Her late husband Whitey and I started on the force at the same time. What a tragic accident.”

I nodded and thought it wiser to feign ignorance of the true circumstances.

“And how is her condition?” I asked.

“I’m told she’s holding her own but still hasn’t regained consciousness, I’m afraid.”

“I’m on my way to visit her now,” I said. “Do you think they’ll let me in?”

“You can tell them that Sergeant O’Hallaran gave you permission, if you think it will help,” he said. “There’s a constable stationed at her door.”

“I appreciate it. I tried to see her this morning, but they wouldn’t let me.”

“They want her to have complete peace and quiet,” he said, “so they’re forbidding most visitors. Now tell me, is there any news on Captain Sullivan?”

“Nothing good,” I said, conscious of the other policeman standing beside him and not wanting any snippets of gossip to get back to headquarters. “I’m still praying.”

“You wanted to know who was assigned to take over the cases Captain Sullivan was working on,” he said.

“I’ve found out some of it for myself,” I said. “Detectives Quigley and McIver are in charge of the East Side Ripper case. They were in charge of it before Captain Sullivan was ordered to take over, so I gather. And about the other case—the racehorse-doping—”

“The same pair,” he said. “They were Sullivan’s protégés. He thought highly of them. Young officers with a bright future. I’ve no doubt they’ll do a fine job on both cases—as good as the captain himself could have done.”

“And the men assigned to escort the police commissioner that day he saw Daniel?”

“Officers whose normal beats were in that area. McCaffrey, Doyle were with him for the first part and then Jones and Honeywell took over.”

“And who designed the route?”

“I understand the commissioner just wandered where he wanted. He asked to see the Eastman headquarters and Walhalla Hall and where the bodies of the murdered girls had been found. That’s about it.”

And somehow he knew when Bugsy was going to meet Daniel, I thought. Or somebody knew. Or somebody had bribed one of those four men. At least I had four new names to check out now, something new to work on.

“Thank you, Sergeant,” I said. “I’d better get in to see Mrs. Goodwin now.”

“If she comes to, tell her we were here. O’Hallaran and Hendricks and we’re wishing her all the best,” he said.

“I will.”

The other officer nodded to me. O’Hallaran waved and they continued on their way, while I went into the hospital.

“Visiting hours are not for another twenty minutes,” said the same woman at the reception desk, “and if you’ve come to see Mrs. Goodwin, I’m afraid…”

“Sergeant O’Hallaran said that he has given me permission to be with her,” I said, trying not to look triumphant.

“I see.” She sniffed her disapproval. “She’s in Mercy Ward. That’s up the stairs and along to the end of the hallway.”