Her mother considered the question for a long moment. “If I truly believed they were from her, then yes, I would have lied without a trace of guilt.”
“Would you have killed?” Sarah pressed her.
Her mother shook her head in disapproval. “Be serious, Sarah.”
“I am being serious. Someone cared enough about something to kill Mrs. Gittings. If we can figure out what it was, we’ll know who did it.”
“Then if you insist, I would have to say no. I don’t think I could kill anyone, no matter the provocation.”
“Then I suppose you’re not the person I should be asking.” Sarah said with another small smile.
“But the others at the table are just like me, aren’t they? They’re all people of privilege whose only real worry in life is whether or not to carry an umbrella when they leave the house or whether they were invited to the most desirable parties.”
“But they were much more… I’m not sure what to call it,” Sarah confessed.
“Obsessed?” Mrs. Decker supplied.
“Yes, that’s it. They were obsessed with speaking to the spirits of their loved ones.”
“They were convinced Serafina could contact them.”
Sarah considered this. “Do you think Serafina is really able to contact spirits?”
This time Mrs. Decker smiled ruefully. “When I was sitting in that dark room, holding hands with strangers, it seemed very possible that she could. Certainly, the others believed it with all their hearts, and perhaps that was part of it. But now…”
“Now?” Sarah prodded when she hesitated.
“Now that I’ve seen Serafina sitting in your kitchen and looking for all the world like an ordinary girl, I’m no longer as sure.”
Sarah felt an odd sense of relief.
At Sarah’s house, Serafina greeted them at the door, her hope that they had found out something helpful from Mrs. Burke shining heartbreakingly bright on her young face. Sarah quickly shook her head and, in the moment before Catherine descended upon them, managed to say, “She didn’t tell us anything important.”
Serafina lifted her chin and put on a brave face as Catherine greeted Sarah and Mrs. Decker with hugs and kisses.
Mrs. Decker agreed to stay for lunch, and Maeve and Catherine were delighted at the opportunity to show off what they had been learning from Mrs. Ellsworth. They had just finished eating the meal of egg sandwiches, cheese and crackers, and pickled peaches the girls had put out when the doorbell rang.
Maeve and Catherine went to answer it, and Sarah couldn’t help the small thrill she felt when she heard the rumble of Malloy’s deep voice. She was already smiling when Maeve came back to the kitchen, but Maeve was alone and the expression on her face sobered Sarah instantly.
“Mrs. Brandt, Mr. Malloy is here, and he said he needs to see Serafina.”
Serafina rose quickly to her feet, but the blood had drained from her face, and her lovely eyes were enormous.
“Does he want to see her alone?” Sarah asked with an anxious glance at Serafina.
“He asked would you come with her,” Maeve reported.
Serafina turned to Sarah, and her eyes were terrified.
“Mother, would you make sure Catherine stays in the kitchen?” Sarah asked, taking Serafina’s arm. “Perhaps he has some news about who killed Mrs. Gittings,” she said encouragingly as she led the girl out of the kitchen and toward the front of the house.
“Of course,” her mother said. “Come here, Catherine, and help me finish my peaches.”
Sarah could feel Serafina trembling as they made their way into the front room that served as Sarah’s office. Malloy was standing at the window, looking out into the street, but he turned when he heard them enter. His expression was too serious to mean he had brought good news.
“Malloy,” she said in greeting.
“Mrs. Brandt,” he replied. “Serafina, maybe you should sit down.”
The girl made a small sound, but she stiffened her spine. “Just tell me,” she begged him.
Malloy glanced at Sarah, who shrugged. She didn’t know what his news was, so she couldn’t judge what Serafina’s reaction might be.
“We’ve found the body of a young man,” he said as gently as he could, although the words themselves were so harsh, no amount of kindness could soften them. “We think it might be DiLoreto.”
“No,” she protested desperately. “That is impossible!”
“What do you mean, you
“He was beaten pretty badly,” Malloy said.
Serafina cried out, and her knees buckled. Sarah grabbed hold of her, but she would have fallen if Malloy hadn’t caught her and half carried her to one of the chairs that sat by the front window. “I told her to sit down,” he grumbled as he set her in the chair.
“But you do not
“That’s right, I don’t, but Donatelli is the one who found him, and he saw him in person. He’s the right size and hair color, and Donatelli found him not too far from Waverly Place.”
Serafina was shaking her head in silent denial.
“Why are you telling her this if you aren’t sure?” Sarah asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance at him.
He gave her an apologetic look. “We need to see if she can identify him.”
Serafina made a moaning sound.
Sarah glared at him. “But you said his face…”
“The body,” he quickly explained. “See if she can recognize the body. They were lovers,” he added. “She should be able to tell if it’s him.”
Tears were streaming down the girl’s face now, and her expression was painful to behold. “He killed him! He killed my Nicola!”
“Who did?” Malloy asked in surprise. “Who killed him?”
“The Professor. I know he did it.”
“Why would he kill Nicola?”
“For stealing the money.”
“And maybe to avenge Mrs. Gittings,” Sarah suggested. “He was the one who thought Nicola had killed her.”
“He would have had to find him first,” Malloy pointed out.
“Maybe he came back to the house looking for Serafina,” Sarah said.
“Maybe,” Malloy allowed. “Serafina, will you come with me to see if this is him?”
Serafina looked beseechingly at Sarah.
“It might not be him,” Sarah said reasonably. “You’d want to know if it isn’t him, wouldn’t you?”
“And if it is him?” she asked in a small voice.
Sarah patted her shoulder. “You’ll want to know that, too.”
The girl covered her face and wept for a few minutes before pulling herself together. When she looked back up at Sarah, her eyes were red-rimmed but determined. “I will go.” She pushed herself to her feet.
“And I will go with you,” Sarah said.
Sarah had to explain to Maeve and her mother what had happened. They both expressed their sympathy to Serafina, who somehow managed to hold herself together.
“Take my carriage,” Mrs. Decker offered, and she went out and instructed the driver.
Sarah was grateful that they didn’t have to find a cab or, even worse, take the Elevated Train, where they would be an object of curiosity, especially if the body really was Nicola and Serafina was grieving when they returned.
When they were securely inside the carriage and on their way to the morgue, Sarah knew they couldn’t just sit there in silence during the whole trip, letting Serafina’s imagination conjure visions of her beaten lover. She caught Malloy’s eye, sent him a silent message, and asked, “Did you find out anything useful today?”
