The Alienist - Caleb Carr [75]
Prominently displayed on the Post’s front page was an article announcing that the Zweig killings and the Santorelli murder were now believed by “high police officials” to be the work of the same man. The article made less out of the apparently unusual nature of the killer than out of the fact that the link to the Zweigs demonstrated that the “ghoulish fiend” was not drawn exclusively to child prostitutes: It was now clear, Steffens declared in his best rabble-rousing style, that “no children are safe.” There were other sensational details, as well: Santorelli, it was stated, had been “assaulted” before his death (in fact, Kreizler had found no evidence of sexual violation), and in some quarters of the city the murders were being talked of as the work of a supernatural creature—though “the infamous Ellison and his cohorts” made “far more promising suspects.”
I folded the paper and tapped it slowly against my leg. “This is very bad.”
“Bad,” Kreizler said, controlling his anger, “but done. And we must try to undo it. Moore, is there any chance that you can persuade your editors to run a piece in the Times denouncing all this as speculation?”
“It’s possible,” I answered. “But it would tip them off to my involvement in the investigation. And they’d probably have someone dig deeper once they knew that much—the connection to the Zweigs is going to make a lot of people a lot more interested in this.”
“Yes, if we attempt to counteract this, I suspect we’ll only make things worse,” Theodore pronounced. “Steffens must be told to keep quiet, and we must hope that the article is ignored.”
“How can it be?!” Laszlo erupted. “Even if every other person in this city fails to pay attention, there is one who will see it—and I fear, I truly fear, his reaction!”
“And do you imagine that I don’t, Doctor?” Theodore countered. “I knew the press would interfere eventually—that’s why I urged you to hurry your efforts. You can hardly expect to go for weeks without someone mentioning the matter!”
Theodore put his hands to his hips, and Kreizler turned away, unable to say anything in reply. After a few moments Laszlo spoke again, more calmly, this time. “You’re right, Commissioner. Instead of arguing we should be making use of the opportunity we have now. But for God’s sake, Roosevelt—if you must share official business with Riis and Steffens, make this an exception.”
“There’s no need to worry on that account, Doctor,” Roosevelt answered, in a conciliatory tone. “This isn’t the first time Steffens has annoyed me with his speculations—but it will be the last.”
Kreizler shook his head in disgust once more, then shrugged. “Well, then. To work.”
We joined the Isaacsons and Sara. Marcus was busy taking detailed photographs of the body as Lucius continued his postmortem, calling out the injuries in a flurry of medical and anatomical jargon, his voice steady and full of purpose. Indeed, it was remarkable how little either detective displayed those quirks of behavior that were usually a cause of laughter or consternation in observers: they moved around the rooftop in a flurry of cerebral inspiration, locking onto apparently insignificant details like trained dogs and taking charge of business as if they, not Roosevelt or Kreizler, were directing the investigation. As their efforts continued, all of us, even Theodore, lent them every possible assistance, taking notes, holding pieces of equipment and lights, and generally making sure that there was no need for either of them to break their concentration even for a moment.
Once he had finished photographing the body, Marcus left Lucius and Sara to complete their grim work and began to “dust” the rooftop for fingerprints, using the small vials of aluminum and carbon powders that he’d shown us at Delmonico’s. Roosevelt, Kreizler, and I, meanwhile, went to