Bless the Bride

at nun. I go in church and I wait. I think where there is church, there will be nuns. They will help me. They will not want me to live in sin.”
    “Live in sin?”
    “The brute never intended to marry her. He brought her over here as his concubine,” Mrs. McNamara said, hands on hips.
    “I go to hell if I am with a man and not married to him. That is what nuns say.”
    I put my hand on her arm. “That’s not true. If you were forced to do things you didn’t want to, then it’s not your fault. You won’t go to hell, I promise you.”
    She gave me a sad smile. “When man come to mission and say that rich Chinaman in America want me for bride I am happy. Nuns say Western life very civilized, say it’s good I live in Christian country where women are respected. And I be bride of rich man. Never go hungry. But I come here and I find he already has one wife. He call me wife number two, but that is not true. Jesus say only one wife.”
    “So he already has one wife?”
    She nodded. “She old woman. Very mean. Not want me there. She call me concubine. Tell me terrible things.”
    So those had been the fingers I had seen of the person behind the drapes. The old woman who did not welcome a new young bride.
    “She tell me I no better than slave. I have to do what master want. Do what she want. And if I no give master a son pretty quick, he put me away, send me to house of fallen women.”
    That was no idle threat, as I had witnessed.
    “I’ll do what I can to help you,” I said. “Where would you like to go?”
    She gave a helpless shrug. “I know no one in America. I can’t go home. No money and family not want to feed me. That’s why they sent me to nuns when I was small. Too many daughters. Not want to feed me. But then when man come to village, my father happy to get money for daughter he didn’t want.”
    It sounded as if she’d had a rotten life all around so far.
    “Were the nuns kind to you?”
    “Nuns okay. Very strict,” she said. “Punish with stick. But I learn reading, writing. I like learning. I good student, so not punish much.”
    At the very least she could be a nursemaid or companion, I was thinking.
    “So what I do now?” she asked.
    I was trying to think. What on earth could she do? “I tell you what,” I said. “You stay here until it’s dark. Then I’ll come back with clothes for you and we’ll find a way to get you out of Chinatown without anyone seeing you.”
    “Okay!” Her face lit up. “You kind lady, come save Bo Kei.”
    I’m a lady who is about to get herself in a lot of trouble, I thought to myself.

Twelve
     
     
     
    I left Bo Kei and followed Mrs. McNamara down the stairs and out of a side entrance onto Park Street. This was still part of Chinatown, but at least I wasn’t directly opposite Mr. Lee’s Golden Dragon Emporium and his front balcony. It might be possible to spirit away Bo Kei from here, as halfway down Park Street the flavor turned from Chinese to Italian. Since I couldn’t do anything until it was dark, I decided to go home. I had been on my feet since early morning. One big advantage a male detective has over a female one (and there are many) is that they wear much more comfortable shoes. Female shoes are not designed for walking miles, and my toes were throbbing in the heat.
    I boarded the Third Avenue El at Chatham Square and endured being packed like a sardine until I was finally back in home territory. Sid and Gus’s front door was rarely locked, so I let myself in, not wanting to disturb them if they were involved in their creative pursuits. Instead I heard the sound of laughter from the back garden. I went through and found my hosts sitting in the shade with a third woman. I went to back away, but I was too late. Sid looked up.
    “Molly! The wanderer returneth. Or is it the conquering hero?”
    I laughed uneasily. “I don’t know about that.”
    “Have you located your missing piece of jade?” The third person turned to face me. It was Sarah.
    I pulled up a wicker chair beside them and nodded my greeting to Sarah. “The answer is yes, in a way.” I paused, looking from one expectant face to the next.
    “And you’ve recovered it and your employer is overjoyed?” Gus added.
    I took a deep breath. “I’m really not sure I should be telling you any of this. In fact my employer would probably be furious, but I do need to discuss this with someone, and you’re the wisest women I know.”
    “We shall remain silent as the