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they stood together in the entryway, having just seen Felix Decker out. “Your father has given both of us permission to investigate Chilly Devries’s murder.”
    “I believe he actually
ordered
me to do it, but I don’t think he has the slightest expectation that you will do anything except escort me.”
    “You may be right, but I feel obligated to misunderstand him if it serves my interests.”
    “Until he finds out and locks you in the cellar.”
    “Then we’ll have to make sure he doesn’t find out.”
    “Did Mr. Decker leave?” Maeve called from the top of the stairs.
    “Yes, dear,” Mrs. Decker replied. “Could you get the tea things ready again? I’ll be right up.” She turned back to Sarah. “I’ll stop by for you in the morning, and we can make our plans on the way over to Lucretia’s house. This evening, I’ll try to find out what else your father knows.”
    “Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to come to you in the morning?”
    “Probably, but we’ll need to plan what we’re going to ask her, and I don’t want to take the chance that your father will stay at home tomorrow. We couldn’t possibly speak freely if he’s around.”
    “I can’t wait to meet this Garnet Devries. She sounds like an interesting woman.”
    “I hope so. Her mother-in-law is an insufferable bore. One of those women whose only concern is herself. She’ll thoroughly enjoy being a widow, I’m afraid.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean she’ll get attention from her friends; she’ll have her husband’s money to spend, but she won’t have to put up with him anymore.”
    “Was Mr. Devries a bore, too?”
    “No worse than many of the men your father knows, I suppose. I’ve often wondered how they amuse themselves at that club of theirs since none of them has the slightest idea how to have a good time.”
    Sarah bit back a smile. “What I don’t understand is why Father is so interested in Mr. Devries’s death.”
    “Because it happened at the Knickerbocker, of course. He’s the club secretary, I believe. Or treasurer. Something like that. He feels responsible, I’m sure. What concerns me is that he has involved Mr. Malloy.”
    Sarah frowned. “Of course he would involve Malloy. He wants the murder solved, and he knows Malloy is the man to do it.”
    “Does he?”
    “Of course he does. Malloy is the best detective in New York.”
    Her mother arched an eyebrow. “Is he now? But that isn’t what I meant. I meant, does your father really want the murder solved? I’m guessing he doesn’t know that himself yet, although I’ll grant you he knows Malloy has the skill to discover the killer. The question is what your father will do with the information once he learns it.”
    “Father doesn’t have to do anything with it. The police will arrest the killer and bring him to trial.”
    Mrs. Decker shook her head. “Sarah, where did you get an idea like that?”
    “Because it’s the law!”
    “If your father doesn’t want the killer arrested, he won’t be. You should know that as well as I.”
    “All right, I do, but if Father doesn’t want the killer arrested, why did he involve Malloy at all?”
    “That is what concerns me. If he wanted the crime ignored, he could have done that without anyone’s help. Instead, he called in the one man he is sure can solve it.”
    “Perhaps you aren’t giving Father enough credit. Perhaps he simply wants to see justice done.”
    “And perhaps your father has another goal entirely.”
    “Such as?”
    “Such as putting Frank Malloy to some sort of test. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a tea party to attend.”
    F RANK STARED AT R ODERICK . “H IS MISTRESS ?”
    Roderick shrugged.
    Frank retrieved a small notebook and pencil from his pocket. “Where is this house again?”
    Roderick gave him the address. “The young lady who lives there is Miss Norah English. I doubt that’s her real name, but that’s what she calls herself.”
    “How do you know all