thirty-two

I tied my bonnet under my chin in the Parry’s foyer as the clock struck twice. I’d had a quick, if distracted, cup of tea with Della, then told her I couldn’t tarry any longer. My brain was filled with an imagined image of a dress-and-bonnet-clad Alexander stabbing Minnie in the neck. And my mind churned with questions, too. Why had Minnie even let him in? Had Lillian paid her brother to get rid of the competition, so to speak? It was awful to imagine a woman about to become a mother plotting the murder of another, but I knew it was possible. For Nell, for Lillian, perhaps for anyone.

Della might not be willing to tell the same story to the police as she’d recounted to me. My plans for a quiet afternoon of rest and reflection before the evening soirée were clearly in shreds. I needed to tell Kevin what I had learned, and soon.

“I must go,” I said.

“You don’t want to wait for Mrs. Parry?” Della stood beside me with my cloak in her arms.

As I shook my head, the front door burst open. Della gasped and drew a hand to her throat. Alexander Locke strode in with an angry air that contrasted with the freshness of the day behind him. Gone was his lethargic, giddy mood. He stopped short, narrowing his eyes.

“What are you doing here, Miss Quaker Angel?” His voice was gravelly.

“Good afternoon, Alexander. I was asking about thy sister. I wanted to check on her well-being.”

“I wouldn’t mind doing that myself.” He glanced at Della. “Where is my sister, girl?”

“I don’t know, sir. She’s out shopping.” Della’s face had gone pale.

“Spending my money, no doubt. She owes me and she’s withholding it.” He nearly spat the words in a breathless way. He pushed his bowler back and rubbed his forehead.

I took a closer look. His right hand shook and tiny pearls of sweat decorated his face. His dingy collar sat askew. I suspected he was in withdrawal from the drugs.

“Is thee unwell, Alexander?” I asked.

“None of your business. Is that scoundrel William in?” he asked Della. “The one who humiliated my sister?”

She shook her head. “Not him, neither.”

His gaze strayed to the wide staircase. “I think I’ll help myself to some of Lill’s jewels in lieu of payment. Since she’s not here.” He pushed past us and set a muddy boot on the first step.

“You can’t do that,” Della said. “Sir,” she quickly added with fear drawn on her face.

“I’ll do what I want.” He ran up three more steps.

“But you can’t. She locks her door when she goes out.” Della pleated the cloth of my cloak between her fingers, but she stood up straight.

“Give me the key then, girl.” Alexander clattered back down the stairs, leaving clods of dirt in his wake.

Della shook her head fast. Alexander raised a hand, but I reached out and caught it before he hit her.

“Alexander, calm thyself,” I said in my most firm tone. “Do not strike this young woman.”

Glaring at me, he twisted out of my hold but let his arm fall to his side. He snarled at Della, “Give me the key.”

“You don’t understand, sir,” she said. “I don’t have it. No one does.”

“Cook must.” Alexander’s tone grew more desperate. “There must be a master key somewhere.”

She gazed in my direction as if imploring me to help. “There is no other key. Mrs. Parry locks her door and puts the key in her bag. We can only clean and freshen up the bed and such when she’s in the house.”

“It sounds like thee is unlucky for today, Alexander,” I said.

He turned, his face red, and stormed back out the way he came. We both watched him go.

“Take a deep breath, Della. And then tell me—has he hurt thee in the past?”

She nodded slowly, rubbing her arm, not looking at me until Alexander had reached the street and disappeared out of sight. She handed me my cloak.

“When he loses money, he’s mean. He hit me once when he passed by in the hall. He tried to grab me, but then Mrs. Parry called for him and he let me go. I don’t like Mr. Locke.”

“I don’t blame thee. He seems to have little likeable about him.” As my eyes roamed the foyer, I noticed a black box on the wall. “Is that one of the new telephones?” I’d seen only one or two.

She nodded. I strode to it. “Does thee know how to work it?”

“Oh, no, miss. I don’t. Only Mr. Parry is allowed to use it. He makes that very clear.”

A cylindrical device about a hand’s-length long was connected by wires to the box; it hung from a hook on the left side. I lifted off the device and examined it, the metal cool in my hand, then put the end to my ear.

“Hello? Hello?” I said to the round mesh-covered hole in the middle. But I heard nothing. I tried speaking into the cylindrical part with no better effect. I hung it up. How easy it would have been to ring up the police station and tell Kevin he must bring Alexander in for questioning. With a sigh I donned my cloak.

“Thank thee for the tea, Della. I’m off now. Be well. And try not to be alone where Alexander is.”

She nodded with wide eyes.