Chapter Six

Maisie decided to follow George and Detective Blake. She didn't know why, but she wanted to watch them work. They entered the station, and she lingered on the sidewalk. Would she stay or go? She paced up and down, trying to come to a decision. She was curious about the coat and the hair.

A curious sight caught her attention. George and the Detective were escorting a woman from the station. Was she related to this case? The woman's cloche disguised her hair color. Maisie followed them. She had no idea of where they were going, but she persevered. For detectives, they didn't appear to be very vigilant. It surprised her that she managed to escape their detection as she followed them.

They stopped, and Maisie stopped leaning back into the wall. They were standing outside the city morgue.

"Oh, the poor woman," Maisie said to herself. "She must be here to identify someone."

She went as far as she dared, but the door was closed, and she could hear nothing. Minutes passed by. Maisie was almost caught when the door opened. She scurried in the opposite direction. She figured they would be returning to the station.

"Oh, my," Maisie had to catch her breath. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of Detective Blake's wrath. Feeling relieved, Maisie decided to return home. Now she just had to figure out the way. She had become so focused on following the group that she didn't pay attention to the streets. There was nothing for it, she'd have to retrace her steps until she was in familiar territory.

Maisie was turning a corner when she banged into George.

"I thought it was you shadowing us. If my detective sees you."

"George, you made me jump. Why would do such a thing?"

"Just to prove a point, you don't know what's lurking behind a corner. Just be thankful it wasn't my boss. But you'll never guess who that woman was."

George's eyes had a twinkle and Maisie he could tell he was dying to tell her something.

"I have no idea, George but she is obviously related to our John Smith."

George nodded.

"She's his wife! His name is Henry Jenkins. They married five years ago, and one day he just left her. That was two years ago. No word, no clue as to his whereabouts."

"But how did she find out?" Then she answered her own question, the photograph in the newspaper.

"She wasn't sure as her husband, Henry, had been a little heavier and had graying hair. She said he had a birthmark on his left shoulder and sure enough, it was there. Then she did the strangest thing. She spat on him and screamed at his dead body for breaking her heart again."

Maisie was shocked.

But George continued, "I'd better get back to work. I told the detective I had left my notebook at the morgue. Now we have something to go on. No one leaves a life without reason. Someone must have been after him."

"George, what color is her hair?"

"Maisie, from what I could see, it doesn't match the hair we found on the coat. But who can tell. Remember Jake Lakes had the coat a few days. It could have come from anywhere."

"She could have worn a wig. Is the hair a clue? Could I see her George, face Mrs. Jenkins? It might help me remember. She wouldn't need to know I was there to view her."

"That's an excellent idea, Maisie. I'll see if I can come up with a way and bring in some of the other witnesses too. You would have made a fine detective. I'll call by later."

"Be sure to keep your word, George Bantry and call anytime. I'll be in the sitting room if it's very late. I just know I won't be able to sleep until I know about Mrs. Jenkins. I have a feeling a woman is behind this."

Maisie couldn't stop smiling as George disappeared from view. Lily was at home, waiting for Maisie. She was concerned and wondered if she had been fired. Maisie told her about being an honorary detective for the day.

Lily shuddered at the very thought of being so close to the action.

"Do you think Katie would cut my hair?"

Lily barely had the words out of her mouth when Maisie called out to Katie. Katie sat Lily down and wrapped a towel around her her shoulders. Lily went pale as she saw the scissors. She cried as she watched the hair that had been growing since she was a young girl fall to the floor.

"It's only hair, Lily. It grows back. You'll feel so much lighter."

Katie worked her magic as she added her take on the hairstyle.

"I won't make it too severe like mine and Maisie. In that way, you get accustomed to it. Almost done now. Good thing too. I have a date tonight. You should see my new dress that my beau bought for me. Ideal for dancing the Charleston."

Mrs. Hopkins called the girls for dinner and when she saw Lily's hair exclaimed, "what would your mother say, Lily Bantry. What have those girls done to your lovely hair?"

Mrs. Hopkins was beside herself at Lily's new look, and Lily collapsed into tears again. Maisie reckoned that since Mrs. Hopkins had no children of her, she saw Lily and George as substitutes. Given her bond with their mother.

"You've gotta move with the times, Mrs. Hopkins. Nothing for me, Mrs. Hopkins," Katie declared, "my beau is taking me for a light supper. I must get ready."

Maisie comforted Lily as every time Mrs. Hopkins looked at Lily's hair, she tutted.

"You shouldn't have let them talk you into such things. Next things you'll be smoking."

There was a knock on the door, and they could hear Katie telling them to leave it, that it was for her. She looked dazzling in her dropped waisted silver dress and her hair jewelry.

"You sure look swell. Just like you stepped out of a magazine, Katie." Maisie was impressed. Katie was very fashionable but tonight's look had everything the modern girl wanted. Her delicate dress sparkled as did her head piece.

Katie soaked up the attention. Mrs. Hopkins mumbled about young women showing off too much flesh.

"Don't wait up!" Katie said cheerfully as she left the house.

"I lock up at 11 pm, Katie. You heed that," came Mrs. Hopkins' response.

Maisie and Lily ran to the window to pull back the curtains. They could see a handsome man greet Katie. He had a swanky car.

"He looks old," Lily observed.

"I think Katie's looking for a daddy. Perhaps she has found him."

"Okay, girls, back to the table. I am sure that is enough excitement for one night."

Maisie kept an eye on the grandfather clock that stood in the hallway. Where was George? They must know something by now.

Mrs. Hopkins went to bed, and soon Lily couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. As she said goodnight, she paused, "did I tell you? Miss Carnegie is putting me on the main switchboard tomorrow. She's a strange one, isn't she? Normally she's so put together, but yesterday she had some stray hairs on her. So unlike her."

"Goodnight Lily." Maisie was too preoccupied to pay her much attention.

She settled into her reading her book, but the words kept getting mixed up as though they moved across the page. It struck midnight on the clock.

"George, you said you'd call by." Maisie was getting frustrated.

She looked out the window, to give a final look before going to bed and then she saw them. Katie and her beau were cuddling in his car. Then she saw Katie slap him. Maisie closed the curtains and closed the dining room door so Katie wouldn't notice her. Maisie wasn't in the consoling frame of mind.

The front door opened and closed. She could hear Katie sobbing. Maisie was about to make herself known when there was a ratatat on the window. It was George and Maisie put her finger to her lips and pointed towards the door. George nodded and waited.

Once Maisie was satisfied that Katie had gone to her room, she opened the window.

"Thank heavens. I saw the car just as I arrived. Did you see the slap she gave him?"

"Never mind Katie. Come in George and tell me about Mrs. Jenkins. You have to be quiet. I don't want Mrs. Hopkins to wake up."

George slid through the window and sat in the armchair opposite Maisie.

"She said she reported him missing when he left her initially. They lived in Boston at the time. Mrs. Jenkins hadn't heard or seen her husband in all that time. She moved to New York six weeks ago to live with her brother. She does seem to be on the up and up but she's an angry woman for sure."

Maisie was anxious to know if Detective Blake had approved her viewing Mrs. Jenkins.

"He thought it was a marvelous idea. Detective Blake has arranged for Mrs. Jenkins to sign a statement tomorrow. He wonders if you might come to the station. We will have Mrs. Jenkins sitting so you will have full view of her."

Maisie was ecstatic. She would get to be involved again.

"George, what about work? I'll have to tell Miss Carnegie the police need to see me again. I'll come by at lunchtime. Will you bring Jack the peeper too? He probably got the best look at our mystery woman."

George had it arranged. He also told Maisie where Mrs. Jenkins was staying.

"Why does that seem familiar?" Maisie scratched her chin. There was something familiar about it but she was too tired. George left the way he had come in and Maisie went to bed. This was so much more exciting than working at the exchange.

As she predicted, Miss Carnegie didn't take the news well. Maisie was there to work for the telephone exchange company, not work for the police. She relented and Maisie was counting the time until she could leave. One call after another kept Maisie preoccupied.

She accidentally plugged into an active call. About to disconnect, Maisie paused. She recognized the voice. It was the man who had mentioned Mrs. Leech's but who was he talking too?

"They know it's Jenkins," the voice said. "Meet me in five minutes, at Harford's place. It's two blocks away."

The call ended. She realized that the man had been talking to someone in her exchange. She looked around but the other girls were acting normally. She looked over to where the public sat in booths to make their calls. A shifty looking man stood up. It must be him she thought. Then another man with a scar on his face left. It was one of them. It had to be. Who would she follow?

Maisie quickly called the police station. "Message for Officer Bantry," she told the desk sergeant who answered the phone. "Tell him to meet Maisie Mills at Harford's." She hung up before he could reply.

She had to go now. There was no time to talk to George but at least he would get the message. To her dismay, the shifty man had disappeared when she got outside. But as the scarred man was tall, she soon saw him and followed him. He was certainly going in the right direction. Harford's was a speakeasy. Not that Maisie had been there but she had heard Katie mention it.

"I must remember to talk to Katie tonight," she told herself. Maisie stopped as the man slowed his pace. Was she too close? He turned his head and Maisie bent down to pretend to attend to her shoe. A shiver passed through her spine. She felt like someone was watching her, from behind. She looked behind but nothing seemed out of place.

As she walked on, she knew why Mrs. Jenkins address sounded familiar, it was around here. The man began to quicken his pace and Maisie continued to follow him. The sensation that she was being followed was getting stronger. She turned around and thought she saw someone duck into a shop door. If she lingered to see who might be following her, she would lose sight of who the man she was following.

She saw the sign for Harford's but the tall man disappeared down the alleyway beside it. Maisie would have to be careful. Her decision was to walk by and see if there was some place for her to hide. Luck was on her side and there were crates and barrels along the wall. She was petite enough to hide among them.

The man had disappeared. She wondered where he had got to. Then she saw a door at the end of the alleyway. Her heart was pounding as she gingerly made her way closer to it. Where was George, she asked herself. The door opened and thankfully opened out into the alley, giving her time to duck behind the crates. She could not see from her hiding place, but she could hear men talking in a foreign language. She didn't understand what they were saying.

A rat scurried along the wall, causing her to call out. Suddenly the men stopped talking. Her plan was to say still but their footsteps were coming towards her. She stood up to run away but everything went dark.

Maisie stirred. Why did her head hurt so much? It was pounding. She put her hand to the back of her head.

"Don't move, Maisie." The voice said.

Her eyes were still trying to focus and then George's face came into view.

"There's no need to speak, Maisie. I've sent for the doctor. You got a nasty bump to the head."

George's voice was comforting but Maisie was confused. She wondered what the fuss was about. She tried to sit up but she felt very dizzy. Her head hurt and she touch the sore. But she caught sight of redness on her hand. It was blood. Rather than consider her injury, Maisie remembered why she was there in the first place.

"George, George, the men, they were here. I heard them on the phone again. Did you catch them?"

"There's no need to worry about that now. Here's the doctor."

The doctor attended to her wound.

"Officer Bantry, it looks like the young Miss was hit from behind and then cut herself as she fell. I'd say she knocked her head off this pipe. Whoever did it must have got a fright and took off? Do you know her?"

"Yes, doctor. She's the bravest woman I know."

Maisie still hadn't regained full awareness. However, the doctor was happy the wound was only superficial.

"Let's get you up and get a cab to take you home."

She was aware of other officers around her. They were carrying her.

"I'm like Nefertiti, George," Maisie smiled at them.

"Tell Detective Blake what happened," George said to the other policemen. "I'll make sure she gets home safely."

"George, you should be a detective," Maisie said. Her knock on the head making her quite chatty. "This headache is killing me. What happened to me, George?"

"Maisie, we're almost at Mrs. Hopkins now. I'll tell you when we get inside."

As George opened the cab door, Maisie was aware of Mrs. Hopkins, Lizzie, and Lily coming her to her aid.

"We were so worried about you Maisie. Thank God you weren't killed. You silly girl." Mrs. Hopkins was in tears as she listed all the dreadful fates that could have descended upon Maisie.

"I saw you rush out. Lizzie and I rang George's station but we didn't know where you'd gone. By the time I ran outside, I couldn't see you. Oh, Maisie, you gave me such a shock." Lily was so pale as she spoke.

Once Maisie was comfortable, George asked the ladies to give him room. Maisie had crossed the line, he told her in no uncertain terms.

"But George, it was a clue. The men were speaking a foreign language. I did think I was being followed but whenever I looked behind I couldn't see who was there. I was very careful. It was the person following me did this, not the men I followed. I'm sure of it. We must go to the station."

George shook his head. Her services were no longer required. Maisie looked at him.

"George, I'm invested in this case. Look I'm fine. This was only meant to scare me. Please let me help you."

"The wife is not the woman from the Park. She got quite annoyed sitting there as we pretended to be busy with other work. But no one recognized her. Even Jack didn't react when he saw her. I took your lead and promised him sweets. I was sure Detective Blake was ready to fire me on the spot."

Maisie frowned. This wasn't working out as she expected. The victim's wife was in the city and lived close to Harford's. It is possible she came across her husband by accident.

"But George what do you reckon by them saying his name, Jenkins?"

George almost choked on the tea he was sipping.

"Who said what?"

"George, at the exchange. I accidentally plugged into the wrong call. They were talking about how the police knew the victim was Henry Jenkins. They said they would meet at… where was it again," Maisie rubbed her sore head. "I telephoned as you told me to do, George. I left a message for you to meet me at Harfords."

"But I didn't get the message until after Lily and Lizzie called. By the time I got there, there you were, lying on the ground. My heart was in my mouth thinking you were dead. Never do that to me again, I beg of you."

Despite her tiredness, Maisie had a moment of clarity.

"George, it's the wife's brother. We could have this all wrong. The woman with him may have been a lady friend who is afraid to come forward. I would, if my sweetheart died when we were…" She blushed and didn't finish her sentence.

"Do you think Mrs. Jenkins is a foreigner? I know they weren't speaking Gaelic or Italian. I'd know those accents."

George took a moment to consider what she was saying. "You have a brilliant mind, Miss Maisie Mills. That could be it. I'll return to the station and see what I can find out about Mrs. Jenkins and her brother. Take care. But no more sleuthing. You must promise me."

Maisie promised. She would do no more sleuthing tonight. With George gone, Maisie was helped to her bedroom. She viewed her bump and wound as badges of honor. She was on to something but what? Perhaps tomorrow would bring more information.