intermittent at best, and she had lost a good amount of weight. Arabella had always loved going out and socializing, but lately her “going out” had been limited to these solitary visits to her garden.
Collis Huntington watched his wife from his office. He was a man of action. He had always met problems straight on and solved them. That’s how he had made his fortune, and people marveled at his ability to remove seemingly insurmountable obstacles in order to get his way. But this was different. He was at a loss as to how to help Arabella. His hands were tied, because he was hopelessly in love and had to make sure that whatever he did wouldn’t ruffle a hair on her head.
Huntington rose from his desk and opened the French doors that led directly outside. The garden was enclosed by the mansion on three sides, and several rooms had doors facing it. His office was on the northeast end, and Arabella was so lost in her reverie she wasn’t aware of his approach.
“Lovely day, isn’t it, dear?”
Arabella looked up, acknowledging him. “I guess it is. I hadn’t really noticed.”
Then, once again, she turned to gaze blankly out into what was a magnificent backyard, filled with exotic flowers, lush bushes and trees, and even a small vegetable patch. But she wasn’t looking at anything. Hers was the stare of someone either emotionally drained or trying hard to avoid feeling anything at all. Huntington was upset, too. The recent gossip and social snubs they had begun to suffer meant little to him, but they mattered greatly to his family, and that disturbed him. However, he had learned that men like him could not show weakness. Besides, he had to be an absolute rock for Arabella’s sake, especially now.
“You need to eat, darling. Let me have the cook prepare something for you.”
She turned to him, this time her eyes filled with desperation. “They’re going to find out, Collis. They’re going to uncover what we did.”
He knelt down next to her and took her hand. “Don’t worry, dear. No one’s going to uncover anything.”
“They will,” she said as her panic built. “And then we’ll be destroyed and all will be lost!”
“Arabella—”
“I can somehow cope with whatever may happen to us, but what will all this do to Archer? He’s an innocent. What will become of him?”
She laid her head on his shoulder and started crying. In no time, she was sobbing. He put his right arm around her and with his left hand he gently patted the back of her head. In a way he was relieved she was finally letting out all of that emotion. It might allow them to return to some semblance of normalcy.
“It’s all going to be okay, Arabella. It’ll be just fine. I’ll take care of everything, darling.”
Somewhere in the unspoken code that couples share, Huntington knew Arabella had just given him permission to act. And he could do what he did best: go after what he wanted and destroy anyone who got in his way. That included Hugh McLaughlin, Mayor Chapin, and now Mary Handley.
C HIEF M C K ELLAR, WHO had replaced Superintendent Campbell at Second Street Station, didn’t think Sean’s “button theory” had any merit. In fact, he scoffed at it.
“In all that junk, you really think that silly little button means something? We should send you to Governors Island and have you pore over the garbage. Maybe you can piece together the killer’s whole coat.”
Chief McKellar laughed, but that didn’t lessen Sean’s resolve. It just made his job more difficult. He’d have to investigate the button on his own time. So he spent his one day off a week on Fulton Street and other shopping streets, going into clothing stores and questioning salesclerks and store owners. After a while he caught a break. One of the owners recognized the button and remembered seeing it on the coats of a particular clothing manufacturer. He rambled on about how he hated the owner of that line and how he overcharged for cheaply made clothes.
Collis Huntington watched his wife from his office. He was a man of action. He had always met problems straight on and solved them. That’s how he had made his fortune, and people marveled at his ability to remove seemingly insurmountable obstacles in order to get his way. But this was different. He was at a loss as to how to help Arabella. His hands were tied, because he was hopelessly in love and had to make sure that whatever he did wouldn’t ruffle a hair on her head.
Huntington rose from his desk and opened the French doors that led directly outside. The garden was enclosed by the mansion on three sides, and several rooms had doors facing it. His office was on the northeast end, and Arabella was so lost in her reverie she wasn’t aware of his approach.
“Lovely day, isn’t it, dear?”
Arabella looked up, acknowledging him. “I guess it is. I hadn’t really noticed.”
Then, once again, she turned to gaze blankly out into what was a magnificent backyard, filled with exotic flowers, lush bushes and trees, and even a small vegetable patch. But she wasn’t looking at anything. Hers was the stare of someone either emotionally drained or trying hard to avoid feeling anything at all. Huntington was upset, too. The recent gossip and social snubs they had begun to suffer meant little to him, but they mattered greatly to his family, and that disturbed him. However, he had learned that men like him could not show weakness. Besides, he had to be an absolute rock for Arabella’s sake, especially now.
“You need to eat, darling. Let me have the cook prepare something for you.”
She turned to him, this time her eyes filled with desperation. “They’re going to find out, Collis. They’re going to uncover what we did.”
He knelt down next to her and took her hand. “Don’t worry, dear. No one’s going to uncover anything.”
“They will,” she said as her panic built. “And then we’ll be destroyed and all will be lost!”
“Arabella—”
“I can somehow cope with whatever may happen to us, but what will all this do to Archer? He’s an innocent. What will become of him?”
She laid her head on his shoulder and started crying. In no time, she was sobbing. He put his right arm around her and with his left hand he gently patted the back of her head. In a way he was relieved she was finally letting out all of that emotion. It might allow them to return to some semblance of normalcy.
“It’s all going to be okay, Arabella. It’ll be just fine. I’ll take care of everything, darling.”
Somewhere in the unspoken code that couples share, Huntington knew Arabella had just given him permission to act. And he could do what he did best: go after what he wanted and destroy anyone who got in his way. That included Hugh McLaughlin, Mayor Chapin, and now Mary Handley.
C HIEF M C K ELLAR, WHO had replaced Superintendent Campbell at Second Street Station, didn’t think Sean’s “button theory” had any merit. In fact, he scoffed at it.
“In all that junk, you really think that silly little button means something? We should send you to Governors Island and have you pore over the garbage. Maybe you can piece together the killer’s whole coat.”
Chief McKellar laughed, but that didn’t lessen Sean’s resolve. It just made his job more difficult. He’d have to investigate the button on his own time. So he spent his one day off a week on Fulton Street and other shopping streets, going into clothing stores and questioning salesclerks and store owners. After a while he caught a break. One of the owners recognized the button and remembered seeing it on the coats of a particular clothing manufacturer. He rambled on about how he hated the owner of that line and how he overcharged for cheaply made clothes.
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