They went through the whole of the downstairs. In the servants’ pantry, Joe paused, looking questioningly at Leslie, who ducked her head, unwilling to meet his eyes. Then he lifted the hatch. Light streamed up from below; she had forgotten to turn off her lantern earlier.
Joe didn’t say anything, only started down the stairs. He waved a hand at her to stay where she was until he had made a circuit of the room.
“It’s all right,” he said.
She went down and found him studying the hearth and the wall beside it. He walked closer to the bricks and tapped them, pushed at them.
“What are you doing?” she asked at last.
“I don’t know.” He looked at her. “I thought maybe there might be a hidden latch, a secret door, a room behind the room. Sort of like your city beneath the city.” He smiled.
“Oh.” She walked over and stared at the wall with him. The grout was almost as dark as the brick. She tapped at one brick after another, but she couldn’t tell if there was a hollow space behind it or not.
“You’d asked me for maps,” he murmured.
“It’s all right. I got them myself. At the library,” she explained.
“And?”
“Well, the first subway ran north from City Hall to 145th Street,” she said.
He nodded. “Something to think about. Anyway…the house is empty. I guess I should go.”
Not really, she could have told him. But as for any flesh-and-blood danger…
“Adam is in the room you were in last night, and Nikki is with me. But please, don’t sleep in your car again—and don’t try to tell me that’s not exactly what you’re planning to do. The bed in the master chamber upstairs actually has a brand-new mattress on it. Stay here,” she said.
“All right. It’s going to be a busy morning.”
“Right. You have your meeting with Eileen.” She paused. “And you’re going to speak to Brad, too, right?”
He took a deep breath. Exhaled. “Leslie, he’s been a customer of the girls on the street for a long time now. Years.”
She felt the blood drain from her face, but she refused to believe it. Brad? A kidnapper, even a murderer? No. No way.
“Lots of men hire prostitutes,” she said.
He shrugged. “Hey, I’m not with the vice squad.”
“Joe, if you get into a fight with him—”
“I have no intention of fighting with him. I’m just going to tell him what I’ve discovered and see how he reacts. But if I ever find out he was behind what happened to Matt, or what’s been happening to you…” He didn’t need to go on; the threat was obvious.
“I promise you, Brad would never hurt me. For one thing, I’m the one who makes him famous all the time.”
“Let’s call it a night, shall we?”
She nodded and started up the steps ahead of him. They met Nikki and Adam back in the main entry hall. “Clear?” Joe asked.
“Clear,” Adam agreed.
“I’m sorry. I guess I heard the house creaking,” Leslie said.
“There’s nothing like a good tour of a historic house in the middle of the night, I say,” Nikki said with a casual smile.
“All right, then…back to bed?” Adam suggested.
They all started back up the stairs. Leslie was surprised when Joe, who was bringing up the rear, paused on the top step, looking down.
“What is it?” Leslie asked.
“The house,” he murmured. “Just the house.”
On the upper landing, they split up.
“I promised Melissa that I’d buy the doughnuts tomorrow morning,” Leslie murmured. “This morning, now.”
“We’ll still make it up early,” Nikki promised.
“Your bed is in there—just step over the cords that hold the tourists back,” Leslie told Joe, pointing.
“Cool,” he said. “I get to cross the line.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead and said good night to Adam and Nikki. Adam gave Leslie a thumbs-up and headed for his room.
Nikki looked at Leslie and said, “This time, let’s lock the bedroom door, too, huh?”
Leslie nodded. “I’m sorry I scared everyone, but I know I heard something. I swear there’s someone sobbing down there,” she said as they headed toward their room. “And it’s so strange. Sometimes it sounds as if it’s real, happening right now, but other times, it’s like an echo of something that happened a long time ago.”
“So is it real or ghostly?” Nikki asked, closing the bedroom door behind them and locking it herself.
“That’s just it. I don’t know.” Leslie crawled into bed, then rolled over to face Nikki. “I could swear that there’s a shaft…a room, a tunnel, something, near here. I have the subway maps, but…Anyway, we’ll start searching tomorrow.”
Nikki hiked herself up on an elbow. “At least Joe believes in you,” she said.
“I’ve never actually told him I see ghosts.”
“But he knows you have a special sense. And he believes in it. And if you don’t plan on keeping him in this house with you, then neither Adam or I will leave.”
Leslie laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m starting to frighten myself. Joe is more than welcome to stay in this house.”
Nikki grinned and plumped her pillow. “Good. Now, let’s get some sleep. Doughnut time is near.”