enjoying a look of disappointment growing on the faces of his visitors. Then he resumed. âSince I couldnât follow him inside, I made the acquaintance of Ambrose Norton, a young, ambitious clerk at the bank, who appears to detest Sullivan and covets his position as assistant to the head of the bankâs trust department. According to the clerk, Sullivan settles down every morning in his small, plain office adjacent to the large, splendid one of his boss. A pot of tea soon arrives. Sullivan sips at his desk while glancing at the financial pages of the morning paper and clipping articles of special interest for later use. Routine meetings and appointments follow at regular intervals until noon.â
âNothing remarkable about him this far,â Harry remarked. âBut how did you get Norton to speak to you at all?â
âA friend of a friend of mine knows and respects him, and introduced us at a bar. Heâs a young lawyer with good credentials from the Columbia Law School. For three years, he has worked as a clerk in the trust department learning the business. Heâs very eager to get ahead but recently has become frustrated. Sullivan overworks him, fails to give him credit, and has written an unfair review of his work.â
âIs Norton angry?â
âYes, Iâd say heâd be willing to help ease Sullivan out of the way, but heâd be afraid of being regarded as an intriguer. He hinted that Sullivan is vulnerable but wouldnât tell me whyânot yet.â
Pamela remarked, âWe clearly need to encourage Norton to take us deeper into Sullivanâs secrets, but now lead us through the rest of his day.â
Flynn nodded. âNorton has spoken to servants at the club where Sullivan lunches at noon. While others indulge in loose talk and large beefsteaks, washed down with beer and wine, he eats slowly and drinks little, attending instead to investment opportunities and pitfalls. He prides himself on the nuggets of useful information he gleans there. But Norton complains that he has to correct or discard most of it.
âAt two oâclock, Sullivan walks back to his office for an afternoon of more meetings and appointments. After business hours, he lingers in his office writing memos to himself presumably for buying and selling stocks and bonds and real estate.â
âWhat does Sullivan do on the weekend?â asked Harry, appearing a little impatient at Flynnâs slow pace.
âNorton didnât know,â replied Flynn.
âI can fill in a few details,â said Pamela. âAccording to Mrs. Donovan and Trish White, Michael takes a long walk on Saturday morning, lunches alone, then retires to his study. He spends hours going over household and personal accounts and meeting with members of his family and the servants. Saturday evening, he dines with family and occasional guests from a narrow circle of relatives and business acquaintances.â
âSo far his behavior seems proper, if dull,â remarked Harry. âArenât there any traces of bad behavior?â
âThereâs still the night,â said Pamela. âMrs. Donovanâs room is near the back door. She has noticed him slipping out of the house late on Saturday when everyone has gone to bed. Heâs at home other nights. Whenever heâs in the house, however, heâs a threat to Theresa. Mrs. Donovan has also instructed her to barricade the door when sheâs alone in her room or in bed.â
âShe shouldnât have to live in fear,â Harry said. He looked grim, his jaw rigid. âIf he harms her, Iâll kill him,â he muttered under his breath. âIâll follow him next Saturday night. In the meantime, weâll get better acquainted with Norton.â
Â
Monday evening, Flynn, Harry, and Pamela went by cab to the Cooper Union on Astor Place to meet the clerk. Flynn had arranged with Norton to set aside an hour before
Robert Swartwood, David B. Silva