Bless the Bride

head, smiling. “Why is it that you and I never have the same conversations as other couples about to be married—about the flowers for the church and the number of guests and the honeymoon?”
    “If you’d rather discuss flowers and bridesmaids’ dresses, I’m happy to do so,” I said sweetly.
    “Your problem is that you have become too damned good at this detective stuff,” he said. “I’ll have one of my men take a quiet look for the murder weapon. Now for heaven’s sake go back and enjoy your party and stop thinking about this. And that’s an order.”
    “Yes, sweetheart,” I said in my most simpering voice.
    He laughed and hurried off into the night.
    I heaved a big sigh as I went back inside. The party continued into the wee hours of the morning. Sid and Gus’s friends certainly kept late hours, still laughing and drinking with no apparent signs of tiredness as my own eyes kept wanting to close. When at last I dragged myself upstairs I peeked into Bo Kei’s room. She was asleep, looking like a peaceful child, her dark hair spilling across the pillow. How could anyone possibly suspect that she could have killed Lee Sing Tai? And if she had dragged his body to the edge of the roof, wouldn’t there have been signs of a heavy object being dragged? Spatters of blood on the tar? I wished I could take another look. I had been allowed only the most cursory of examinations last time. But I thought it was unlikely that I’d be able to slip past a police guard without word getting back to Daniel.
    My gaze went back to Bo Kei. How long could I go on hiding her? But where could I possibly send her where she would be safe? What if I was charged with harboring a fugitive from the law? Did one go to jail for such things? What would that do to my husband’s career? As usual I had let my heart dictate to my head. I would have to learn to start thinking rationally.
    “What on earth am I going to do with you?” I whispered to the sleeping girl.
    *   *   *
     
    In the morning Bo Kei begged me to find out what was happening to Frederick. However, I could hardly slip out and leave Sid and Gus to the mountains of washing-up. Bo Kei joined in cheerfully and we soon had the house back in order.
    “Now you go and save Frederick,” she insisted as soon as the last dish was put on the dresser.
    I looked at her indignant and innocent young face. She could be forceful when she wanted to be. And the irreverent thought crossed my mind that if they had planned anything together, she would have been the driving force, not him.
    “I don’t really know what I can do, Bo Kei,” I said. “I can’t very well show up at the police station and demand that they free him.”
    “You tell them he is innocent. You make them believe.”
    “How can I do that unless I can show them who really committed the crime?”
    “You tell them Bobby Lee did this terrible thing.”
    “I don’t know that for sure,” I said. “I have suggested to Captain Sullivan that they investigate Bobby Lee, so I’m sure he’ll do that. Until then, it’s a matter for the police so we must just wait patiently.”
    “I can’t wait patiently,” she said. “We must help Frederick.”
    “You can’t do anything. You have to stay hidden. You were almost discovered last night when one of the guests saw you.”
    “I know,” she said. “But there was no chamber pot in my room, so I had to go down to water closet. This man, he looked as scared as I felt. He stared at me, then he ran down the stairs.”
    “Really?” This was an interesting interpretation of events.
    “I shall stay hidden,” she said. “But you must help us. Find out if Frederick is still in jail. He need good lawyer to help him. Not Chinese lawyer, American man. Make police listen.”
    That made a lot of sense, although it was unlikely that Frederick could afford to pay for a good lawyer. “I can try to do that much for you,” I agreed.
    I put on my straw hat and out I went, traveling reluctantly back to Elizabeth Street and just praying that I didn’t run into Daniel. I was trying to think if I knew any attorneys. One had been retained for Daniel once when he had been wrongly arrested and thrown into the Tombs. But he hadn’t managed to have Daniel released and Daniel was a well-respected person. How much more difficult would it be for a Chinese man? I wondered if they had lawyers within their community. If only I had someone to ask—then, of course, I realized that I