“So he already has one wife?”
She nodded. “She old woman. Very mean. Not want me there. She call me concubine. Tell me terrible things.”
So those had been the fingers I had seen of the person behind the drapes. The old woman who did not welcome a new young bride.
“She tell me I no better than slave. I have to do what master want. Do what she want. And if I no give master a son pretty quick, he put me away, send me to house of fallen women.”
That was no idle threat, as I had witnessed.
“I’ll do what I can to help you,” I said. “Where would you like to go?”
She gave a helpless shrug. “I know no one in America. I can’t go home. No money and family not want to feed me. That’s why they sent me to nuns when I was small. Too many daughters. Not want to feed me. But then when man come to village, my father happy to get money for daughter he didn’t want.”
It sounded as if she’d had a rotten life all around so far.
“Were the nuns kind to you?”
“Nuns okay. Very strict,” she said. “Punish with stick. But I learn reading, writing. I like learning. I good student, so not punish much.”
At the very least she could be a nursemaid or companion, I was thinking.
“So what I do now?” she asked.
I was trying to think. What on earth could she do? “I tell you what,” I said. “You stay here until it’s dark. Then I’ll come back with clothes for you and we’ll find a way to get you out of Chinatown without anyone seeing you.”
“Okay!” Her face lit up. “You kind lady, come save Bo Kei.”
Twelve
I left Bo Kei and followed Mrs. McNamara down the stairs and out of a side entrance onto Park Street. This was still part of Chinatown, but at least I wasn’t directly opposite Mr. Lee’s Golden Dragon Emporium and his front balcony. It might be possible to spirit away Bo Kei from here, as halfway down Park Street the flavor turned from Chinese to Italian. Since I couldn’t do anything until it was dark, I decided to go home. I had been on my feet since early morning. One big advantage a male detective has over a female one (and there are many) is that they wear much more comfortable shoes. Female shoes are not designed for walking miles, and my toes were throbbing in the heat.
I boarded the Third Avenue El at Chatham Square and endured being packed like a sardine until I was finally back in home territory. Sid and Gus’s front door was rarely locked, so I let myself in, not wanting to disturb them if they were involved in their creative pursuits. Instead I heard the sound of laughter from the back garden. I went through and found my hosts sitting in the shade with a third woman. I went to back away, but I was too late. Sid looked up.
“Molly! The wanderer returneth. Or is it the conquering hero?”
I laughed uneasily. “I don’t know about that.”
“Have you located your missing piece of jade?” The third person turned to face me. It was Sarah.
I pulled up a wicker chair beside them and nodded my greeting to Sarah. “The answer is yes, in a way.” I paused, looking from one expectant face to the next.
“And you’ve recovered it and your employer is overjoyed?” Gus added.
I took a deep breath. “I’m really not sure I should be telling you any of this. In fact my employer would probably be furious, but I do need to discuss this with someone, and you’re the wisest women I know.”
“We shall remain silent as the grave.” Sid gave Gus a grin.
“Well, this is how things stand,” I said. “It turns out that the missing prized possession was not jewelry after all. It was a woman whom he had imported from China to be his concubine.” Then I related the whole story, ending with her daring escape across the rooftops. They were suitably horrified and angry.
“We must rescue her instantly,” Gus said as she handed me a glass of lemonade.
“But what are you going to do with her?” Sarah asked. “If this man is powerful among the Chinese community, is it wise to incur his wrath? They are ruthless people, you know, and he may well seek vengeance.”
“What, come as far as Greenwich Village to gun us down?” Sid didn’t seem overly concerned.
“Probably send an emissary to do so,” Sarah said. “We’ve had dealings with the Chinese at the settlement house and we’ve received awful threats when a prostitute manages to flee from one of their brothels and comes to us. In fact we’ve a young woman with us now. She escaped from a Chinese brothel.”
“Actually she was thrown out, because she has developed consumption,” I said.
Sarah looked astonished.
“I met her,” I said. “I was at your house today.”
“You were?”
“I thought that maybe the Chinese girl might have fled there. And I expected to find you there.”
“Ah,” Sarah said, and she sighed. “I’m afraid I won’t be going there again.”
“Too busy before the wedding?”
“Not exactly. Monty has forbidden me to work there anymore. He doesn’t want me running the risk of being in
