The constable I had followed from Mulberry looked both shocked and mortified that I had followed him. “But, miss—”
“It’s all right. I know the case he’s working on and I have important facts that he’ll want to receive immediately,” I said.
“You do?” I could see him torn between interrupting an angry Captain Sullivan and getting into trouble for letting me interrupt an angry Captain Sullivan.
I decided a small white lie was in order. “He is expecting me,” I said. “He wanted me to get in touch with him the minute I heard anything.”
I saw relief flood his face. “Oh, well, in that case, miss…” He saluted me and hightailed it back up Mott Street. I took a deep breath before going up the stairs to Lee’s residence.
The faint smell of incense still lingered in the hallway. On the other side of the screen I could hear low voices. There was no sign of the houseboy. I tapped gently on the wall, then came around the screen.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, but—”
I broke off in midsentence and froze. Daniel’s was not one of the two men’s voices I had heard. Captain Kear and Bobby Lee were sitting together on the sofa, heads together in low conversation. They both leaped to their feet as they saw me and I could have sworn they looked guilty.
“I’m terribly sorry,” I said. “I was looking for Captain Sullivan.”
“Captain Sullivan? He’s not here,” Kear said.
“But the constable standing guard outside said that he was. He said that the captain had entered some time ago and he hadn’t seen him come out.”
A quick questioning look passed between Captain Kear and Bobby Lee.
“Well, he’s not here now,” Bobby Lee snapped.
“I wonder if he could be up on the roof, checking out where the murder was committed or how the assailant got away,” I said.
“Why would he be doing that?” Bobby Lee demanded. “Ordinary murder does not require exalted men like Captain Sullivan who have better things to do.”
“Besides,” Captain Kear added, “I already made it clear that this was my case and I had the prime suspect in jail.”
“I’ll just go up to the roof and take a look, if you don’t mind,” I said. “Just on the off chance he’s still up there.”
I didn’t wait for permission and they didn’t deny it. But as I was halfway up the stairs I heard Bobby’s Lee’s distinctive Chinese accent hissing, “What does she want? Do you think he sent her?”
And Kear replying, “If she hasn’t gone in a second we’ll get rid of her.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. It could be as harmless as making sure that I left or it could mean that I followed Lee Sing Tai over the edge of that roof. I hesitated, not wanting to go up the second flight of stairs. But I had to find Daniel and if he wasn’t there, that meant that he might also have taken the leap across to the next roof. I certainly wasn’t going to follow him on that route.
I went up to the rooftop. It was empty. The brass bed frame was still there, but the bed had been stripped. A strong wind was blowing from the Hudson, making the laundry on surrounding roofs flap loudly. I jumped as a nightgown suddenly billowed out. But there was no sign that Daniel had ever been there. So I came down again. As I crossed the upper landing I thought I saw a flash of movement in Lee Sing Tai’s bedroom. I expected it to be the old woman spying on me, but to my surprise I saw Daniel’s face. He put his finger to his lips and beckoned me ferociously. I crossed the hallway, and with one swift movement he grabbed my arm and spun me into the room, shutting the door behind me.
“What are you doing here?” he mouthed at me. At least he wasn’t using profanity, but he didn’t look too overjoyed to see me.
“There’s been a second murder, connected to Lee’s death,” I answered in a whisper. “I wanted you to come and see right away. And why are we whispering?”
“Because I didn’t want my presence in this house known to the occupants down below,” Daniel said. “Now you’ve announced to all and sundry that I’m here, I have no choice but to reveal myself. Once again you’ve successfully managed to wreck what I was trying to do.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “But I thought you should know that someone has just been murdered.”
“How the devil did you know where to find me—or was it just a lucky chance that you stumbled upon me here?”
“I went to Mulberry Street. I wrote you a note. One of your men was sent to deliver it to you and I followed him.”
Daniel shook his head as if nothing about me would surprise him any longer. “There’s no point in standing here any longer,” he said. “Now that my presence has been revealed, I’d better go down and face the music.”
“You could make your escape across the rooftops if you wanted to. I could say I didn’t find you,” I suggested, wanting to please.
“I’m not risking my neck, thank you. No, there’s nothing for it, I’m afraid.” He opened the door and went down the stairs ahead of me.
Captain Kear looked up, scowling. “What are you doing here, Sullivan?” he demanded. “I thought we agreed this was Sixth Precinct business.”
Daniel had resumed his cocky, almost arrogant appearance. “As to that, Kear, you know damned well that headquarters can take over any case it chooses, if it deems it’s beyond the scope of one precinct. But to answer your question civilly, you came to us, asking for forensic help. We have determined that Mr. Lee was knocked over the head with the statue of some god in his bedroom. We’ve detected traces of blood and hair on the statue—also
