Murder on Fifth Avenue

Richmond?”

“Richmond?” She frowned, then rose and went to a desk on the far side of the room. She returned with a small book bound in rose-colored leather. As she flipped through it, he saw it contained names and addresses. “No, I’m afraid I don’t. I didn’t think the name sounded familiar, but I wanted to be sure. Who is this Mrs. Richmond?”

Frank told her about Devries having an appointment with Salvatore Angotti on the day he died and what Angotti had told him about Devries wanting to have Mrs. Richmond murdered.

“Oh, my,” she said for at least the third time during his narrative. “Do you think this Italian gentleman could be lying? Maybe he stabbed Chilton himself and is just trying to divert your attention.”

“Anything’s possible, but a man like Angotti always looks after his own best interest first. Killing a man like Devries would not be in his own best interest, especially because Devries was no threat to him.”

“Yes, I see. What would Mr. Angotti get out of killing Chilton except a lot of trouble?”

Frank nodded, glad to see Mrs. Decker was as insightful as her daughter.

“Would you like me to go see this Mrs. Richmond?”

“No!” Frank saw the flash of disappointment in her eyes and instantly felt guilty for his vehement response. “I mean, that won’t be necessary. I just wanted to find out everything I could about her before going to see her. If she’s a society lady like you, I’d have to be more careful about how I approach her.”

Mrs. Decker sighed. “I should so love to help you with something, Mr. Malloy. Couldn’t you at least pretend you need it?”

For a second, Frank didn’t know what to say, and then he saw the twinkle in her eyes and burst out laughing. They were still laughing when Felix Decker walked in.

Frank sobered instantly, jumping to his feet and feeling oddly guilty, as if he’d been caught doing something unseemly with another man’s wife.

Decker had hesitated in the doorway, and he looked more disturbed now than he had when he’d been telling Frank about finding a dead man in his club.

Mrs. Decker gave him a dazzling smile. “Hello, my dear. I’ve been telling Mr. Malloy about our visit to Lucretia while we waited for you to arrive.”

“I had no idea your visit had been so hilarious,” Decker said with some asperity. “Mr. Malloy, you could have come to my office.”

“But he wouldn’t have been able to see me at your office,” Mrs. Decker said. “And he needed to hear my report, didn’t you, Mr. Malloy?”

Frank wasn’t sure what the proper response to that should be, but he said, “I also needed to consult with Mrs. Decker about another matter.”

“Yes,” she said. “He was hoping I knew the lady Chilton Devries wanted to have murdered so I could make an introduction.”

The usually unflappable Decker looked positively apoplectic. “Really, Mr. Malloy—”

“Oh, Felix, the expression on your face,” his wife said, enjoying it immensely. “You can’t really think for a moment that Mr. Malloy would do any such thing, but I couldn’t resist teasing you.”

Decker gave Frank an accusing glare.

“I did ask Mrs. Decker if she knew Mrs. Richmond, but I would never—”

“Richmond? Did you say Richmond?” Decker asked.

“Yes. Do you know her?”

“No, not a Mrs. Richmond, but…Did you say Chilton wanted to have this woman murdered?”

Frank was beginning to feel sorry for the man.

“Come and sit down, dear,” his wife said. “We’d better start at the beginning.”

“I think that would be an excellent idea,” Decker said. “By the way, Mr. Malloy, you haven’t inquired, but I thought you’d like to know that we have asked everyone who was at the club the day Chilton died, and he didn’t speak with anyone except to exchange a greeting.”

Frank nodded his acknowledgment as they all took their seats. He’d held out little hope the club members would have any helpful information anyway.

Mrs. Decker graciously allowed Frank to tell Decker the story while she served her husband a cup of coffee, for which he seemed grateful, even though it was probably cold by now.

“You didn’t tell me you’d seen Angotti at his club,” Mrs. Decker said when he’d finished. “How funny to think a man like that has a club. Is it very much like the Knickerbocker?”

“Not in any way,” Frank said, deciding not to mention his observation that the Irish would not be welcome in either establishment.

She started to ask another question, but her husband stopped her with an impatient gesture. “Mr. Malloy, how can you possibly believe this Angotti was telling the truth?”

“I can’t, but I’m going to see Mrs. Richmond tomorrow and find out.”

Decker glanced at his wife.

“No, I won’t leave you two alone,” she said. “And you might as well let me stay. It will save you the trouble of telling me everything later.”

Decker sighed, and Frank had to bite his lip to keep from grinning. “Mr. Malloy, I can’t believe Chilton Devries would ever associate with a man like Angotti, much less that he would try to arrange for a woman—any woman—to be murdered.”

Frank could have predicted that Decker wouldn’t have the stomach for this kind of business. “Do you want me to stop investigating?”

“Heavens no,” Mrs. Decker said, earning a glare from her husband.

“This is not your decision, Elizabeth.”

“Forgive me,” she said with mock sincerity. “I forgot myself for a moment. But you can’t allow Mr. Malloy to quit now.”

“I most certainly can.”

“Mrs. Decker,” Frank said in an attempt to rescue Decker from his wife’s wrath, “considering what I’ve found out about Mr. Devries so far, I think we can guess that the rest of it will be even worse. I might find out things that will disgrace his family and still not be able to figure out who killed him. A lot of innocent people might suffer.”

“Apparently, a lot of innocent people have already suffered,” she said. “What about this Mrs. Richmond? What if Chilton hired someone else to kill her? Shouldn’t she at least be warned? Felix, I can’t believe you’d stand by and—”

“Elizabeth, enough!” Decker said. “Of course I won’t stand by and allow this woman to come to harm. Mr. Malloy will go see her tomorrow no matter what else we decide to do.”

“And do you agree that Mr. Malloy should stop his investigation to protect the family?” she asked.

Decker turned to Frank. “I think I’d like to find out what this Mrs. Richmond has to say before I make my decision.”

“If she’s still alive,” Frank said.

Mrs. Decker gasped.

“What do you mean?” Decker asked.

“I mean if Devries wanted her dead and Angotti wouldn’t do it, he might’ve done it himself.”

“I don’t believe it!” Decker said.

“Why not?” his wife asked. “Because you wouldn’t do it yourself? I don’t think you would’ve tried to hire someone to do it either, but Chilton apparently did.”

“We only have that Italian’s word for it.”

“Honestly, Felix, just because the man was a member of your club doesn’t mean he was a saint.”

“And if he killed Mrs. Richmond, or tried to, and she put up a fight, that could explain how he got stabbed,” Frank said.

“Oh, my goodness, you’re right,” Mrs. Decker said.

Decker frowned, but he said, “It would also explain why he didn’t tell anyone he’d been injured.”

Mrs. Decker smiled at her husband with apparent approval. “Of course. How could he have explained it?” To Frank, she said, “Shouldn’t you go right over to see this Mrs. Richmond instead of waiting