possibility.”
Miss Yingling held herself very still. “What other possibility is there?”
“Someone in this house might have done it. They could have even done it the day before, maybe
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you would know if that’s possible. Could she have been carrying the poisoned flask around for days?”
Miss Yingling considered the question carefully. “No.”
“You seem very sure.”
“She filled her flask every morning. You can ask her maid, if you like. She filled it every morning because it was empty from the day before. She filled it that morning as well.”
“You saw her?”
“No, of course not, but I know her habits. Mrs. Brandt, someone at the rescue house put the laudanum in her flask. That’s the only place it could have happened.”
“But who would have wanted her dead?”
Miss Yingling slowly turned her head until she was looking at the closed door to Amy’s bedroom. Then she slowly turned back to Sarah. “Someone who had something to gain by her death.”
Unfortunately, Sarah was starting to believe that, too.
“GOOD HEAVENS,” MRS. DECKER EXCLAIMED WHEN they were safely ensconced in the Decker carriage again. “I’ve never seen a prostitute before in my entire life and today I saw two.”
“And what do you know now that you didn’t know before?”
“That they look exactly like everyone else.”
Sarah couldn’t help smiling. “What were you expecting?”
“I don’t know. I suppose I thought they’d look . . . depraved or something. That girl Amy did look like a trollop, the way she was dressed, or rather,
“I’m sure she was. According to the other women at the rescue house, that’s one thing she’s good at.”
Mrs. Decker leaned closer to Sarah, even though they were completely safe from eavesdroppers. “Did you get the impression when she burst in that she thought Van Orner and Miss Yingling were having a tete-a-tete?”
“I did. I’m sure that’s why she was so angry. She was quite shocked to see us sitting there with them.”
“I can’t imagine what Gregory plans to do with those two women now.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “I think you could if you gave it a moment’s thought.”
“Oh, Sarah, I don’t mean that. I mean how does a gentleman explain the presence of two young women in his home with no wife to serve as a chaperone?”
“Hundreds of gentlemen live with unchaperoned young women in their homes. They’re called maids.”
“Those women aren’t maids.”
“No, they aren’t, Mother, but he could pretend they’re some sort of servants.”
“His dead wife’s secretary and a woman who used to be his mistress and now has a child named after him?”
“I’ll admit, that is a bit difficult to explain.”
“And whatever her past, I’m sure Miss Yingling would like the world to believe her to be a respectable young woman now. Will she jeopardize that to remain in Gregory’s home?”
“I have no idea,” Sarah said with a weary sigh. “I don’t understand any of these people.”
“Did you learn anything at all while you were upstairs?”
Sarah mentally reviewed her conversations with Amy and Miss Yingling. “I learned that Amy did know about Mrs. Van Orner’s drinking. It seems Mr. Van Orner told her all about it, for her amusement.”
“That cad!” Mrs. Decker exclaimed.
“I suppose if you’re unfaithful to your wife in one way, it’s not a very big step to be unfaithful in all ways.”
“I believe I could forgive your father for seeking the delights of another woman’s bed, if he were truly repentant, but I would never forgive him for speaking about me to a trollop!”
“I know. That’s a completely different kind of betrayal. Amy said they’d lie in bed and laugh about her drinking.”
Mrs. Decker gasped in outrage.
“But all of that aside,” Sarah continued, “the fact is that Amy did know about Mrs. Van Orner’s flask.”
“Did you find out if someone could have put the poison in the flask the day before?”
“Miss Yingling said Mrs. Van Orner emptied her flask daily, so it seems likely someone put the laudanum in it the same day she died.”
“Someone at her house still could have put it in before she left home that morning.”
“Yes, but who?”
“Miss Yingling, for one. I don’t like her at all. She’s a bit of a . . . a
“I know what you mean, though. I think she’s just trying very hard to be what she thinks a respectable woman should be.”
“Do you think she imagines Gregory is interested in her?”
Sarah considered this. “I have no idea, of course, but it’s interesting that while Mrs. Van Orner was alive, she took great pains to make herself plain and unattractive, but as soon as Mrs. Van Orner died, she changed her clothes and her hair and every part of her appearance to make herself as beautiful as possible.”
“A woman only does that when she wants a man to notice her,” Mrs. Decker said.
“Or when she wants to influence him,” Sarah said. “According to Malloy, she first made the change when she went to speak with Van Orner about allowing the police to investigate the murder.”
Mrs. Decker considered this. “Gregory could easily have forbidden the police from getting involved. He could have just claimed Vivian died of some mysterious ailment and let her be buried quietly. Even if he suspected she’d been murdered, no one wants their family secrets dragged through the newspapers, and they certainly don’t want to be involved with the police . . . No offense to Mr. Malloy, but you know very well—”
“Yes, I know very well what people in your social set think of the police, and you’re right, no one with the means to prevent it would allow them to be involved in their lives.”
“So Vivian’s death could have passed with little notice from any but her closest friends, and yet Gregory chose to let Mr. Malloy investigate.”
Sarah was beginning to see the point her mother was trying to make. “Yes, why would he do such a thing? If he was devoted to his wife, he might want justice, but . . .”
“Believe me, he was not devoted to Vivian.”
“Then it doesn’t make any sense.”
“Just as important, why did Miss Yingling work so hard to convince him to accept Mr. Malloy’s assistance?”
“And she did work hard. She changed her entire appearance, becoming a woman he couldn’t fail to find appealing before making her case to him.”
“Even more amazing, she succeeded,” Mrs. Decker said. “She must have some influence over him, more than his wife’s secretary should have, at any rate.”
“Miss Yingling thinks Amy poisoned Mrs. Van Orner.”
Mrs. Decker looked at Sarah in amazement. “Does she? How do you know?”
“She made it very clear to me that she believes Amy is the only one with something to gain from Mrs. Van Orner’s death.”
“I don’t know if she’s the only one, but she certainly did stand to gain. She’d get nothing but crumbs as long as Vivian was alive. Gregory might have taken her as his mistress again, but he’d never acknowledge the child openly. Vivian would have made sure of it. She’d never allow him to humiliate her like that.”
“How could she have stopped him?”
