“To who?”
Mr. Watkins frowned. “I was going to say to the family, but …”
“I can see how awkward it would be for you to raise the subject. But surely, you can talk to his son. He’s a man of the world.”
Plainly, Mr. Watkins did not agree. “I suppose …”
“You don’t need to be in a hurry about it. I’m sure the girl would appreciate having some time to make other arrangements.”
“Girl? Why do you call her a girl?”
“Because she’s not any older than Miss Shively out there.”
This news seemed to disturb Mr. Watkins even more, but Frank didn’t have an opportunity to discuss it with him any further because another man came into the office. He stopped when he saw Frank.
“Excuse me, Mr. Watkins, I—”
“Come in, Pitt.” Watkins introduced him to Frank. Pitt was about Frank’s age, early thirties, and his pale skin, thinning hair, and slight build marked him as a man who spent his days in an office. “Mr. Malloy needs to know if we have anyone working for us by the name of…What was it again?”
“Salvatore Angotti.”
Pitt’s pale eyebrows rose. “Is Mr. Angotti in some sort of trouble?”
At last, someone who knew this Italian. “No,” Frank lied, managing to keep his excitement from showing. “I just need to ask him some questions.”
“Does this man work for us?” Watkins asked, obviously not pleased by the thought.
“Oh, no. Or at least, he isn’t on our payroll.”
“Who is he, then?” Watkins asked.
“He assists us with…difficult cases. When someone refuses to move out, for instance. We rarely have that situation,” Pitt hastened to explain to Frank. “Most people, when they can’t pay the rent, they stay as long as they possibly can, until they can’t put us off any longer, and when we come back the next day, they’ve vanished. They’re embarrassed, you see. Or afraid we’ll get the law on them or something. Many of them are from countries where the authorities are worse than the criminals.”
Frank had often thought that was true in New York City, too, but he didn’t say so. “Sometimes they don’t vanish, though.”
“Yes, and then…Well, it’s foolish to put our employees in danger. People like that can be unpredictable and…well, dangerous.”
“And that’s when Mr. Angotti helps you.”
“Yes. Mr. Angotti enjoys…respect,” he said, choosing the word with obvious care. “When people learn he is involved, they usually behave reasonably.”
Frank nodded, comprehending the situation only too well. “Why would Mr. Devries have gone to see this Angotti?”
Pitt suddenly looked very uncomfortable, and he glanced at Watkins as if for guidance.
“What is it, Pitt?” Watkins asked.
“I…I had no idea Mr. Devries knew Mr. Angotti.”
“And yet he did,” Frank said.
Pitt’s gaze shifted to Frank but didn’t quite meet his before it darted away again. “I can’t imagine how he would. Mr. Angotti…Well, he isn’t the kind of person a man like Mr. Devries would know, is he?”
“I don’t know what kind of people Mr. Devries might know,” Frank said, “but he did know Angotti. Did you introduce them?”
The color drained from Pitt’s face. “Certainly not! Mr. Devries would never ask me for an introduction to anyone.”
But Frank would have sworn that Devries had done just that, however much Pitt didn’t want to admit it. The question was, did he not want to admit it in front of Watkins or in front of Frank?
“There you have it, Mr. Malloy,” Watkins was saying. “You must be mistaken about this Angotti fellow knowing Mr. Devries.”
“How can I get in touch with this Angotti?” Frank asked Pitt.
Pitt’s hands were shaking now. He clasped them tightly together to hide it. “Why would you want to do that?”
“What do you care?”
Pitt glanced at Watkins again but received no assistance from that quarter. “I wouldn’t want Mr. Angotti to become offended. He might…He might begin to work against us in the community.”
“You mean he might burn down your buildings?” Frank asked.
Pitt blinked several times. “I just meant he might refuse to help us in the future.”
“I’m sure if you continue to pay for his services, he will continue to help,” Watkins said. “Those people all have their price.”
Pitt flushed. “May I go now, Mr. Watkins? I’m very busy.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Thank you for your assistance.”
Frank didn’t thank him because he hadn’t been that helpful. He hadn’t even told Frank where to find Angotti.
Which gave him a good excuse to see Pitt again before he left.
SARAH WATCHED IN FASCINATION AS GARNET DEVRIES’S expression smoothed out again, all trace of the emotion that had caused her to glare so murderously at her mother-in-law vanquished. Whatever she felt about her in-laws, her face now revealed none of it. She turned a bland smile to Sarah.
“I don’t think we’ve met before, Mrs. Brandt.”
“No, we haven’t. I don’t move in the same social circles as my mother.”
“Sarah hasn’t been in society for years now,” Mrs. Devries said. “Ever since she married.”
Sarah didn’t even glance at Mrs. Devries, not wanting to give the impression she was ashamed of not wasting her life as a society matron. “I married a physician, and I’ve been very happy in my new life.”
“I know your parents were disappointed that you refused to return home after your husband died,” Mrs. Devries said.
Sarah sensed her mother stiffen beside her at the implied criticism of Sarah’s choice. “We would have loved having Sarah return to our home when Dr. Brandt died, but I must admit, I’m very proud of the way she has managed on her own. I could never have done such a thing at her age.”
Sarah could hardly believe her mother was defending her. She felt a warm glow to know after so many years that her mother admired her.
“How
Sensing her question was more than idle curiosity, Sarah said, “I’m a midwife.”
Surprise and something else flickered across Garnet’s face and then was gone. “How interesting.”
“I should hate it myself,” Mrs. Devries said. “I can’t think of anything more unpleasant than listening to women screaming in agony all the time.”
Sarah bit back the words she wanted to say. Arguing with Mrs. Devries would be pointless, and she didn’t want to distress her mother by debating with her friend.
“I’d like to hear about it,” Garnet said. “Perhaps—”
“You wouldn’t like to hear about it at all,” Mrs. Devries said. “You can find out everything you need to know when you have your own children. Until then, the less you hear about it, the better.”
Once again, Garnet glared at her mother-in-law, but Mrs. Devries wasn’t paying attention.
“What a lovely gown, Elizabeth,” Mrs. Devries said. “Who made it for you? All my mourning clothes are sadly out of fashion, and I’m going to need something new.”
For a few minutes the two women discussed the relative merits of dressmakers as Sarah surreptitiously studied Garnet. She had folded her hands in her lap and again smoothed all trace of emotion from her face. Sarah thought this would be a useful skill to acquire if she had to live with Mrs. Devries.
Sarah’s mother asked about the funeral arrangements, and Mrs. Devries explained they had to wait until the
