today would see the wisdom of it. “As soon as we find Pendergast, we’ll let him go.” Another promise he couldn’t keep and might not even want to.
“I’ll take you to him, then.”
“Joanna, no!” Neth cried, but she ignored him.
“Is that where we’ll find the girl?” Frank asked.
She shrugged. “If he has her.”
“You can’t betray him,” Neth said, obviously terrified.
She had no beauty to speak of, but for a maid, she had a strange dignity, Frank realized, and she gathered it about her now as she stared at Neth. “Why did you bring that girl here?” She gave Maeve a glance sharp enough to draw blood.
Neth’s anxious gaze darted around the room as if looking for an escape or at least an ally. When he found none, he turned back to Joanna. “He told me to. He said she was . . . special.”
“Huh,” Joanna said contemptuously and gazed around at their guests meaningfully. “He smelled trouble, and he wanted you to find it instead of him. Did he tell you to keep the girl for yourself?”
“I . . . No, of course not!” he said, desperate now and probably lying through his teeth.“She was for him, same as always.”
Her face tightened, as if she were in pain. She would know he was lying, and the knowledge wounded her. Frank pitied her for a moment. “Just give me Pendergast’s address. We’ll find him.”
“I don’t know the address, but I can take you there.”
“Good. Are you on the telephone? I need to call Police Headquarters,” Frank said.
She glared at Neth for one more moment. “Yes. I’ll show you.”
“Joanna, why are you doing this?” Neth looked as if he might weep.
“I’m doing it so you won’t go to jail, you fool. Now shut up before you get yourself into any more trouble.”
Frank exchanged a glance with Sarah, who looked as puzzled as he. Neither of them had ever heard a maid talk to her employer like that before. Apparently, things were not exactly as they seemed here in Mr. Neth’s home.
• • •
T he wait for the police to arrive seemed interminable to Sarah, especially because Mr. Livingston kept wanting to leave Neth’s house to find his daughter. Malloy didn’t want to take a chance that Neth would escape or warn Pendergast so he could get away, though, so they waited. They were all relieved by the pounding on the door.
Malloy went to answer it, Sarah at his heels.
“Officer Donatelli,” she said as he entered, so happy to see him that she could have hugged him.
The handsome young man smiled, tipping his helmet. “Mrs. Brandt. What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story,” Malloy said for her. Two other beat cops followed Gino Donatelli inside. Sarah noticed they were staring at Malloy.
“He don’t look like a millionaire,” one of them said to the other.
Malloy glared at them both, which shut them up but didn’t stop them from staring.
“They only agreed to come because they wanted to see you,” Donatelli said. “You’re a seven-day wonder.”
Malloy looked like he might explode, but he said, “Did you bring a Black Maria?”
“Of course. Who is it we need to take in?”
“He’s upstairs.” Malloy briefly told them the story of the missing girl and their plan to follow Pendergast here to find her. “But this fellow isn’t Pendergast after all. His maid is going to take us to him. She says he’s the one who keeps the girls, and it’s only a few blocks from here.”
The other two officers were now staring at Malloy for a different reason. They were obviously as interested in this case as he was.
“We’ll load this fellow into the Maria, and one of you will take him back to Headquarters,” Donatelli said. “The other one will go with me and Mr. Malloy to pick up this Pendergast.”
But both of the others were shaking their heads. “You might need help with this Pendergast fellow. You don’t know what you’ll find there, and then you’ll just have to send for us to take him in anyway. Why
“I’ll take you to him, then.”
“Joanna, no!” Neth cried, but she ignored him.
“Is that where we’ll find the girl?” Frank asked.
She shrugged. “If he has her.”
“You can’t betray him,” Neth said, obviously terrified.
She had no beauty to speak of, but for a maid, she had a strange dignity, Frank realized, and she gathered it about her now as she stared at Neth. “Why did you bring that girl here?” She gave Maeve a glance sharp enough to draw blood.
Neth’s anxious gaze darted around the room as if looking for an escape or at least an ally. When he found none, he turned back to Joanna. “He told me to. He said she was . . . special.”
“Huh,” Joanna said contemptuously and gazed around at their guests meaningfully. “He smelled trouble, and he wanted you to find it instead of him. Did he tell you to keep the girl for yourself?”
“I . . . No, of course not!” he said, desperate now and probably lying through his teeth.“She was for him, same as always.”
Her face tightened, as if she were in pain. She would know he was lying, and the knowledge wounded her. Frank pitied her for a moment. “Just give me Pendergast’s address. We’ll find him.”
“I don’t know the address, but I can take you there.”
“Good. Are you on the telephone? I need to call Police Headquarters,” Frank said.
She glared at Neth for one more moment. “Yes. I’ll show you.”
“Joanna, why are you doing this?” Neth looked as if he might weep.
“I’m doing it so you won’t go to jail, you fool. Now shut up before you get yourself into any more trouble.”
Frank exchanged a glance with Sarah, who looked as puzzled as he. Neither of them had ever heard a maid talk to her employer like that before. Apparently, things were not exactly as they seemed here in Mr. Neth’s home.
• • •
T he wait for the police to arrive seemed interminable to Sarah, especially because Mr. Livingston kept wanting to leave Neth’s house to find his daughter. Malloy didn’t want to take a chance that Neth would escape or warn Pendergast so he could get away, though, so they waited. They were all relieved by the pounding on the door.
Malloy went to answer it, Sarah at his heels.
“Officer Donatelli,” she said as he entered, so happy to see him that she could have hugged him.
The handsome young man smiled, tipping his helmet. “Mrs. Brandt. What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story,” Malloy said for her. Two other beat cops followed Gino Donatelli inside. Sarah noticed they were staring at Malloy.
“He don’t look like a millionaire,” one of them said to the other.
Malloy glared at them both, which shut them up but didn’t stop them from staring.
“They only agreed to come because they wanted to see you,” Donatelli said. “You’re a seven-day wonder.”
Malloy looked like he might explode, but he said, “Did you bring a Black Maria?”
“Of course. Who is it we need to take in?”
“He’s upstairs.” Malloy briefly told them the story of the missing girl and their plan to follow Pendergast here to find her. “But this fellow isn’t Pendergast after all. His maid is going to take us to him. She says he’s the one who keeps the girls, and it’s only a few blocks from here.”
The other two officers were now staring at Malloy for a different reason. They were obviously as interested in this case as he was.
“We’ll load this fellow into the Maria, and one of you will take him back to Headquarters,” Donatelli said. “The other one will go with me and Mr. Malloy to pick up this Pendergast.”
But both of the others were shaking their heads. “You might need help with this Pendergast fellow. You don’t know what you’ll find there, and then you’ll just have to send for us to take him in anyway. Why
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