Bless the Bride

speak to you immediately about the murder of Lee Sing Tai. I have obtained valuable knowledge, which I want to share only with you. I believe there has been a second murder. I will await you at —I didn’t want to go all the way back to Patchin Place again— the settlement house on Elizabeth Street. It would be better that he examine Annie’s corpse for himself before he questioned Bo Kei.
    I finished up with: Yours, Molly.
    I only hoped I was his after this. I blotted the sheet, folded it, then handed it to the young policeman.
    “I’ll see that he gets it, miss,” the constable said. He poked his head through into a back room. “Harry, this note has to get to Captain Sullivan,” he said. “The young lady says she’s got information concerning the case he’s working on.”
    Another constable, this one looking absurdly young and boyish with a freckled face and strawberry blond hair, came to the doorway and paused there looking at me with interest. Obviously he then decided I looked respectable enough. “Right you are, miss. I can’t guarantee where he’s likely to be. Knowing the captain, he could be anywhere.” He turned to give his companion a grin. “But I’ll find out and we’ll see he gets it. What name shall I say?”
    I really didn’t want them to know I was Daniel’s fiancée or they’d think it was some trifling domestic matter such as my needing to speak to him on the color of ribbons.
    “It’s Murphy,” I said, “but the pertinent information is all contained in that letter and it’s rather vital that he gets it so that a murderer doesn’t have the chance to slip away.”
    At the word “murderer,” the constable’s face became somber. “He’ll know where to find you, will he?”
    “I’ve put that in the note.”
    “Then I’m sure he’ll come as soon as he can,” he said and escorted me to the doorway.
    I went out into the street and was about to go on my way to Elizabeth Street when I had an idea. I ducked into a shop front and waited. Sure enough, a few minutes later the freckle-faced constable appeared and set off down Mulberry Street. I followed, at a sensible distance. I had a problem keeping up with him as he was moving along with the large strides of a young man and my shoes didn’t fare so well on the cobbles. At the corner of Bayard he turned left.… And I realized he was heading for Mott Street. I was in luck. So Daniel had heeded my pleas to find out the truth and get Frederick released. He was still working on the murder investigation, in spite of having told me that it was Captain Kear’s territory.
    Sure enough, the constable stopped just before he reached Lee Sing Tai’s residence. Another constable was standing guard outside.
    “Is Captain Sullivan in there?” I heard the first ask.
    “As far as I know,” the other agreed. “He went in some time ago and I haven’t seen him come out yet.”
    I decided I had been patient long enough. I stepped forward. “Thank you, Constable. I can take it from here,” I said.
    The constable I had followed from Mulberry looked both shocked and mortified that I had followed him. “But, miss—”
    “It’s all right. I know the case he’s working on and I have important facts that he’ll want to receive immediately,” I said.
    “You do?” I could see him torn between interrupting an angry Captain Sullivan and getting into trouble for letting me interrupt an angry Captain Sullivan.
    I decided a small white lie was in order. “He is expecting me,” I said. “He wanted me to get in touch with him the minute I heard anything.”
    I saw relief flood his face. “Oh, well, in that case, miss…” He saluted me and hightailed it back up Mott Street. I took a deep breath before going up the stairs to Lee’s residence.
    The faint smell of incense still lingered in the hallway. On the other side of the screen I could hear low voices. There was no sign of the houseboy. I tapped gently on the wall, then came around the screen.
    “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but—”
    I broke off in midsentence and froze. Daniel’s was not one of the two men’s voices I had heard. Captain Kear and Bobby Lee were sitting together on the sofa, heads together in low conversation. They both leaped to their feet as they saw me and I could have sworn they looked guilty.
    “I’m terribly sorry,” I said. “I was looking for Captain Sullivan.”
    “Captain Sullivan? He’s not here,” Kear said.
    “But the constable