Chapter Five

Alice clocked out and headed home, walking with Mark, since they lived around the corner from each other. It really was a beautiful spring evening. Hard to believe a murder had taken place in their quiet town only hours ago.

“I know exactly what I’m going to do when I get home,” she said as they turned down Pearl Street.

“Let me guess.” Mark grinned and gave her a sideways glance. “A long hot bath and a good book.”

“You know me too well.” She laughed and stopped to smell some wild roses that bloomed near the road.

“It’s what you always say you want at the end of the day,” he pointed out.

A train chugged into the station, air brakes squealing as it came to a stop across the street from them, effectively halting conversation for a moment. When it had pulled out again, they were nearly to East Park Avenue, Mark’s street. “Do you think we’ll catch the murderer?” she asked.

“We’ll catch him.” Mark turned down his street and looked over his shoulder at her as he continued. “There’s only so many places to hide.”

There’s the whole damn ocean. After all, the murder had taken place near the marina. There was no reason to think the murderer had stayed around. But she preferred Mark’s way of thinking. She bid him goodbye and walked the one block further to Green Street and her own house.

She stepped onto the porch and felt her shoulders relax. Her house, where she had grown up. Her sanctuary.

“I’m home!” she called to Mama as she stepped over the threshold.

“Did you have a good day at work, dear?” Mama came from the kitchen to greet her. She asked every day. She really didn’t want to know the nitty-gritty of police work, whether it was typing reports or telling a widow her husband had been killed. She just wanted to make sure Alice was satisfied with her life. Alice wasn’t particularly satisfied with her life, but she didn’t want Mama to worry.

“It was fine,” she answered, forcing a smile. “I’m going to go draw a bath.”

“Already done.” Mama touched her cheek. “I know what my girl likes.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Alice hugged her. “You are a gem.”

She went up to her room and stripped out of her uniform skirt and jacket and blouse. She pulled off her stockings and wrapped a dressing gown around herself before slipping down the hall to the bathroom with its clawfoot tub full of steamy water. With a sigh she slipped into the tub and let the cares of the world slip away.

Mama had added a bit of lavender oil to the tub and it was heavenly. She closed her eyes, but instead of blissful scenes, she saw the haunted look in the eyes of the young widow. How unfair life was. That woman with her three children, left to the turns of fate. How would she support herself? How lucky they had been when her father died that the police department was willing to give her a job. Too bad they couldn’t do that for Irene Nagy.

She opened her eyes. Why couldn’t they? If Irene couldn’t type, she would teach her. Then there would be someone else to do the typing up of reports and filing, the work she had been stuck with for years. She wanted more. Maybe this way she could get it, plus they’d be helping the family. A family who desperately needed help. Yes. That’s what she’d do. She’d suggest it to the chief on Monday.

That settled, she relaxed back into the tub again, until the water started to cool, and her skin had pruned up and she knew it was time to get out. She was just drying off and slipping back into her dressing gown when the bathroom door flew open.

“Marty, really!” she exclaimed, catching her breath. “You shouldn’t burst in on people like that.”

“Guess where we’re going tonight!” Her little sister grinned broadly, showing slightly crooked teeth and deep dimples.

“We are going nowhere.” Alice slipped past her into the hall. “I’ve had a long week and I want to relax. At home.”

“That’s all you ever do,” Marty whined. “But that’s not what you are doing tonight. Tonight, we are going to the club.”

“No, we’re not.” She headed to her bedroom, but Marty simply followed her and started going through her closet.

“Yes. Trudy and Mark invited us. They’ll pick us up in half an hour. That isn’t much time to get ready.” Marty took two dresses out of the closet and studied them, then put them back.

“Mark did not have anything to do with this,” Alice said, arms crossed. “He would have mentioned it when we walked home from work.”

“Okay, so it was my idea, but Trudy agreed. She says they never get a break from the children and she wants a night out. She convinced Mama to babysit her littles.” Marty pulled another dress from the closet, an elegant shift dress of pink silk with delicate bead work all along the skirt. “You don’t wear this dress nearly enough. It’s gorgeous on you. You must wear it tonight.”

“Wait.” She took the dress from Marty, but she was still sorting through what she’d told her. “Mama agreed to babysit for the Piccolos’ children? That means she knew about this when she drew my bath. You are all so sneaky.”

“It will be so fun.” Marty flashed her that irrepressible smile. “Besides, there’s this man I’ve been flirting with at Christensen’s and I told him I’d be there. I don’t want to disappoint him. And I certainly don’t want to be the third wheel with Trudy and Mark. You simply have to come.”

Alice fingered the dress. It would be nice to get dressed up and go out. Marty was right, she didn’t do that very often, and there was no reason she shouldn’t have some fun. It might be a nice way to get her mind off what had happened today. Her mother was always saying she was too old too soon, not letting herself enjoy her girlhood. She was twenty-seven, well out of girlhood as far as she was concerned, but perhaps too young to put herself out to pasture yet.

“Half an hour you say?” There was no chance to set her hair; at least the bob held its shape fairly well. She’d have time to get dressed and do up her face; that was about it.

“Yes, and I need to go get dressed.” Marty started to leave the room and then came back in and gave her an impulsive hug. “Thank you! We’ll have fun!” Then she was gone leaving behind her trademark scent of Chanel.

Alice spread the dress out on her chenille bedspread and pulled on a fresh pair of stockings, making sure the seams up the backs of her legs were straight. Then she put on a slip and sat at the dressing table to apply a bit of rouge. Not too much, wouldn’t want people getting the wrong idea. Just enough so it looked like she’d been active and energetic all day, not sitting behind a desk in a gloomy office. A little blue shadow on her eyes to make her appear ever so slightly more exotic than she was, and a touch of red on her lips. Then she used her diffuser to spray on a bit of perfume. Like her sister, when she went out, she favored Chanel.

She slipped on the dress and enjoyed the way the skirt swished against her legs. She studied herself in the mirror. Not bad. She actually cleaned up nicely when she wanted to. And lucky for her, the current styles really favored the tall angular woman. She was made for this era, though Marty was much more a flapper than she’d ever be.

She pulled her black pumps out of her closet. Her dancing shoes. Maybe she’d get a chance to dance tonight. To her surprise she was looking forward to going out.

A commotion of children’s voices and running feet from downstairs indicated that the Piccolos had arrived. Alice hurried down the steps to meet her best friend. She and Trudy were almost closer than sisters and had been ever since they both stepped foot in the sturdy brick building in the middle of School Street to start their education all those years ago. Trudy, short and round, couldn’t pull off the popular flapper look as well as some other people, but it didn’t matter. Her cheerful smile made her look good in whatever she wore.

“You are a vision!” Trudy extended her hands to Alice and they air-kissed.

“Is this the buttoned-up woman I saw at the office all day?” Mark gave her a wink.

He cleaned up nicely too, looking quite dapper in his tuxedo, complete with white tie and tails.

Trudy turned her attention to their three children, who were still dashing about the house like miniature whirlwinds. “Now Paul, Dotty, Jack, I want you to behave yourself for Mama Grady. You understand?”

“Yes, Mama. We’ll be good,” six-year-old Paul answered.

Alice’s heart squeezed a little as she thought of the three little Nagy children, now without a father. Life could be so unfair.

With hugs all around they finally managed to get out the door. Mark’s Model T was parked out front on Green Street, and he opened the door and guided the sisters into the back seat. Then he helped Trudy to the front passenger seat before he gave the engine a crank, and they were on their way.

It was not a long trip over the Causeway and into Sewaren where the Land and Water Club was. Alice had walked the mile or so plenty of times, but it was nice to travel in style in Mark’s car. Maybe someday she’d get a car of her own. She had some money saved up. She could drive her mother and sister into Perth Amboy for shopping or even into Newark. More convenient than taking the train or bus. She could get Mark to teach her to drive. It would be fun.

They got out of the car at the Land and Water Club. The low rambling building on the water didn’t look like much from the outside. It mainly functioned as a club house during yacht races, but their dances were considered local high society.

There was a fresh breeze blowing in off the Arthur Kill and Alice pulled her wrap a little tighter around her shoulders. Spring was such an iffy time for weather. Not that she preferred the cold and snow of winter or the sweltering humidity of summer.

Inside they checked their wraps and were led to a table by the maitre d’. An orchestra was already playing light dinner music.

The special for the evening was fresh scallops, and once again she thought of poor Tomas Nagy unloading his boat at the fishery and then being gunned down for reasons unknown. It almost made her not want the scallops. But what good that would do anyone, she didn’t know. Besides it was a Friday, and as a Catholic, steak was not an option. There of course was no wine, but the club did offer a variety of sparkling fruit juices to make up for it.

Marty, sitting next to her at the table, was swiveling her head this way and that, even as their meal was set in front of them.

“Who on earth are you looking for?” Trudy finally asked, unable to keep a hint of laughter out of her voice.

“She met a man at Christensen’s,” Alice said with an indulgent smile toward her little sister. “She’s hoping he’ll be here.”

“Oh, he’ll be here.” Marty picked up her knife and fork. “I’m sure of it.”

“Well, eat your food.” Alice stepped into big-sister mode. “That way you’ll be all ready to dance when he shows up.”

A few minutes later, Marty exclaimed, “Oh! There he is! I knew he’d come.” And with that she studiously set to work on her food, not paying any attention at all to the man who had just entered the room.

Alice looked up to see who had Marty in such a tizzy. Two men were standing by the door. They were of similar build and coloring, possibly brothers, and they both looked smashing in white tie. She could understand why the man had turned Marty’s head. She wouldn’t mind spending an evening with either one of them.

“Which one?” Trudy whispered across the table.

Marty gave a quick glance and said, “The one on the right.”

He was slim and handsome and had a pleasant open face. The other, a bit older, looked slightly more glowering. Alice stared. She knew him. The one on the left. It was Hank. The man who had come to the Nagys’ house while she was there. Well, she really didn’t want to get involved in a conversation with him. Especially not here, where she had come to relax and get her mind off her day. She turned her attention back to her food.

“Who is that he’s with?” Trudy asked.

“I have no idea,” Marty said, still not looking up, as if she didn’t want to catch the man’s eyes. Alice couldn’t figure her out. She spent all that time looking for him, but when he got here, she pretended not to notice.

The dishes were cleared away, and the music jumped up a notch to more danceable tunes. Mark stood up and held his hand out to his wife. “You dragged me out here, so we might as well dance.” His words weren’t terribly gracious, but there was a glimmer in his eye and Trudy took his hand and they joined other couples on the dance floor.

A waiter came around with coffee and Alice gratefully accepted some. She was eager to dance, and a quick look around the room showed several likely partners. There was Mark, of course, who could always be counted on to give her a turn, and at the next table over, Dexter Smith was deep in conversation with Elliot Walton. Both of them were old classmates, who, once they realized dance music was playing, were sure to ask her. In the meantime, she was content to sit and watch.

Next to her, Marty was tapping her feet in time to the music, her whole body nearly taut with tension as she waited for her man to notice her and ask her to dance. She looked everywhere but in the direction of the table where the two men sat. Alice surreptitiously glanced over from time to time. She saw the man notice them, put down his napkin and stand up.

“I think he’s coming,” she whispered to Marty.

Marty’s eyes flashed, and a grin flitted across her face. “Hush. Don’t let them know we were watching.”

Marty would make a good spy. Alice would have sworn she’d never glanced in the direction of the two men once.

Would Hank come to the table with his friend? What would she say to him if he did? Should she bring up Nagy first, or wait until he did? She wouldn’t mind engaging in simple small talk about the weather, but it would seem odd to ignore the obvious elephant in the room.

But when she looked up, it was only one man standing by their table, Marty’s man. Hank was still seated, staring into his cup of coffee. She felt a little jolt of regret but then reminded herself that she didn’t particularly want to talk to him anyway.

The man in front of them bowed graciously. “Miss Grady, is it not? Douglas Chapman at your service. I believe we’ve encountered each other once or twice around town.”

Alice wondered how long the two of them had been building up their flirtatious relationship.

Marty for her part, was playing it coy.

“Oh, yes! I do recall. How lovely to see you here tonight. The orchestra is simply divine, don’t you agree?”

“Quite.” He held one hand out to her. “Would you care to dance?”

Marty didn’t even bother to say yes. In a flash she was out of her seat and the two were on the dance floor. They looked good together. Almost like a high society couple. She could picture their likeness in the society pages, that is if anyone from the society pages ever bothered to come to the Land and Water Club to take pictures, which they didn’t. You’d have to go to Newark for that.

Alice nursed her cup of coffee, accepting a refill when the waiter came around, enjoying the music and the atmosphere and not really minding that she wasn’t home in her dressing gown, curled up on the sofa, reading.

She glanced back at the table where Marty’s Douglas had been eating. The man she knew as Hank still sat there, watching her. Heat flooded to her cheeks, and she concentrated on the dance floor once again, trying to maintain an attitude of complete nonchalance. She was as bad as Marty, playing coy, except she really didn’t care if he came over to her table or not.

When, moments later, he was standing beside her, her heart gave a little pitter-pat. Maybe she wasn’t quite as nonchalant about this as she wanted to be.

“I’m afraid we’ve not been introduced,” the man said, his manner impeccable. Could he really have been the gruff fisherman she had seen earlier? She was usually pretty good at recognizing people, but she could be wrong. It happened. “I’m Henry Chapman.” He bowed formally.

“Alice Grady.”

“I believe my brother has absconded with your companion for the evening.”

“My sister.” She waved to a chair, inviting him to sit. He did.

“I know you.” His eyes lit up with confused recognition, and she knew he was unable to place her.

She grinned despite herself. She had been right.

“I believe we met this afternoon at the Nagys’ house.”

His face cleared as he remembered. “Yes. Of course. You look different, dressed.”

He had the decency to blush as he realized what he had said.

“So do you.” She raised her coffee cup in a mock toast.

“Touché.” He held up Marty’s empty cup to return the salute.

“The children called you Uncle Hank.” He’d introduced himself as Henry, and maybe that name fit the tuxedo-wearing man in front of her, but Hank was definitely a more appropriate moniker for the fisherman she saw this afternoon. Who was he really? Society man or fisherman? If she had to guess, based on the way he tugged at his collar, she’d say fisherman.

“An honorary title only.” A shadow crossed his face and his eyes glistened. She watched as he squared his jaw and took a steadying breath. “Damn shame about Tomas.” The tip of his ears turned pink and he added quickly, “Pardon my language, ma’am.”

Her eyebrows shot up. Suddenly even the pink dress felt dowdy. “Ma’am? You make me feel old enough to be your mother.”

“My apologies,” he muttered, dropping his gaze.

“Besides, I’m a police officer. I’ve heard far worse.”

He looked at her again and she liked the warmth she saw in his eyes.

“I suppose that’s true, but I’ve just spent two weeks on my boat with nothing but men. I may be a little rough around the edges tonight.”

“I won’t be offended,” she promised him. “And it is a damn shame about Mr. Nagy. Those poor children. I can’t get them out of my mind.”

“She might go back to her family in Hungary.” Hank tapped his fingers on the white tablecloth. “But I don’t know if she could scrape together the fare. She’d be better off staying here, if you ask me.”

“I was thinking about seeing if the department would hire her as a typist. Do you know if she types?”

“I have no idea, but I’m sure she could learn.” He fiddled with a butter knife on the table, as if not sure what else to do with his hands. “That would be very kind of you.”

She didn’t say anything; the conversation felt impossibly awkward. Maybe she should excuse herself and get up to go to the powder room, give him an easy out.

He tugged once again at his collar as if it were too tight as one song ended and another, a Charleston, began.

“Would you like to dance?”

Her smile as she answered was completely genuine. “I’d love to.”