Murder on Fifth Avenue

“Terry, she said.”

“What an odd name. I suppose it’s short for Theresa or something. It still doesn’t ring a bell, although the Richmond part does.”

“I don’t think you’d know her, except that she’s Garnet Devries’s mother.”

Sarah and her mother gaped at him. “Her mother?” Sarah said.

“Yes. Remember when I told you that Angotti went to see her, and when he heard her story, he decided she didn’t deserve to be murdered? That’s what he told Devries the day he died, at least.”

“I can’t believe Chilton would want to harm his son’s mother-in-law. That doesn’t make any sense,” her mother said.

“It makes more sense when you find out how Garnet came to marry Paul Devries.”

“Was it an arranged marriage as you suspected?”

Sarah looked at her mother in surprise. “Was that how you got on the subject of Consuelo Vanderbilt?”

“Don’t interrupt, dear.”

Sarah could see that Malloy tried very hard not to smile, but he failed. “It was an arranged marriage, but the circumstances were a little different than we thought. It turns out Devries got Garnet’s father to invest all his money in a business deal, and he lost everything. Her father killed himself, and left Garnet and her mother penniless.”

“We’ve heard stories like that before,” Sarah said.

“This one is a little different, though, because Devries offered Mrs. Richmond a settlement if Garnet would marry Paul.”

“How odd,” her mother said.

“And not at all how things are done,” Sarah said. “If money changes hands, it’s usually the other way around. The bride pays a dowry to the groom’s family.”

“But why would Chilton have to pay someone to marry his son? None of this makes any sense.”

Both women looked to Malloy for an explanation, but he just stared back at them, looking extremely uncomfortable. Casting about for a reason for his unease, Sarah said, “Does Paul have some unspeakable disease?”

Malloy studied his coffee cup for a long moment. “Maybe you already know this, but some men prefer the company of other men.”

“Of course they do,” her mother said. “That’s why they have all those clubs where no women are allowed.”

But Sarah knew that wasn’t what he meant. “Do you mean romantically?”

He continued to study his cup. “That’s one way to put it.”

“And you think Paul…?”

“He has a friend named Hugh Zeller. Do you know him?”

“I know his family,” her mother said, frowning. “What do you mean romantically?”

Malloy gave Sarah a desperate look. She rescued him. “Mother, some men are attracted to other men in the same way most men are attracted to women.”

“You mean…romantically?”

Sarah nodded.

“But that’s ridiculous! It’s…It’s not even possible!”

Sarah would save explanations for sometime when Malloy wasn’t present. “Nevertheless, it’s true.”

Sarah’s mother needed only a few moments to come to terms with such an amazing fact. “So you think Paul is one of these men?”

“I suspect it, yes,” Malloy said.

“But if he prefers men, why would he get married at all?”

“To conceal it, Mother. Men like that usually find themselves the subject of ridicule and worse. Paul would probably be ostracized from society if people suspected.”

“Oh, my, now that you say it…Is that why Harold Lake went off to Europe and never came home?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Oh, my. I always wondered, but no one would ever tell me a reason. How awful for him.”

“And Paul would suffer, too,” Sarah said.

“So it would also explain why Devries chose to marry his son off to a girl whose family had no power or influence,” Malloy said.

“And who wouldn’t complain or cause a scandal when she found out her groom preferred the best man,” Sarah said.

“But Garnet is with child. You told me so yourself,” her mother said.

Malloy cleared his throat. “Just because Paul prefers the companionship of men doesn’t mean he wouldn’t fulfill his marital duties, too. I understand his mother is anxious for a grandson to carry on the family name, so he probably felt a…a duty.”

“Mother and I have been trying to figure out why Garnet would have wanted a divorce. This would explain it.”

“But we still don’t know why Chilton wanted to kill Garnet’s mother,” her mother said.

“I have a theory about that, too,” Malloy said.

Sarah and her mother both looked at him expectantly.

“Mrs. Richmond said that Garnet had written to her asking if she could come to live with her. Mrs. Richmond had moved back to Virginia and was staying with her own mother. She said she knew Garnet was unhappy, but she wouldn’t tell her why, so Mrs. Richmond came to the city a few weeks ago to find out what was wrong. Garnet still wouldn’t tell her, but Devries might’ve been afraid Mrs. Richmond knew about Paul and would cause trouble and maybe even help Garnet get away.”

“That’s not much of a reason to murder someone,” her mother said.

“There really aren’t many good reasons to murder someone,” Malloy said. “Most times it’s some stupid thing nobody else cares about. Protecting his family’s good name was probably important to Devries, though, so it might’ve been enough for him.”

“I should like to meet this Italian gentleman who refused to kill Mrs. Richmond,” her mother said. “How interesting that he seems to have more honor than Chilton Devries.”

Malloy rolled his eyes, but her mother didn’t notice.

“I don’t suppose you learned anything useful from Miss English,” Sarah said.

“Just that Devries wasn’t stabbed through any of the clothing he kept there either.”

“But wouldn’t a man sometimes be undressed when in the presence of his mistress?” her mother asked. “I mean, that is the nature of their relationship, isn’t it?”

Malloy managed to maintain his composure, although his face grew extremely red. “Miss English isn’t the sort of girl who could stick a knife into a man.”

“Nonsense. Every girl could stick a knife into a man with the right provocation.”

“But Miss English also isn’t the sort of girl who could lie about it afterwards. I wish I thought she did it, but she’s just not that clever.”

“What about the maid?” Sarah asked. “You said she might be capable.”

“She’s not really the maid. She’s Miss English’s stepmother.”

“How interesting,” her mother said. “I had no idea that one could bring along family members when one became a man’s mistress.”

This time Sarah rolled her eyes. “I’m sure there’s a lot you don’t know about mistresses, Mother.”

“Quite the contrary, my dear. Mistresses are often the topic of conversation among my friends. I know a great deal about them, although this Miss English sounds a bit out of the ordinary. Most of them, I’m told, are wicked and scheming women whose primary interest is using their charms to amass jewels and money from rich, besotted men before their beauty begins to fade.”

“Maybe Miss English will learn to be wicked and scheming as time goes on, but for now she’s just a silly girl whose protector is dead and who doesn’t know where her next meal is coming from.”

“Good heavens! You make her sound pathetic.”