The Angel of Darkness - Caleb Carr [104]
“I heard that before,” Kat answered. Then she spoke aloud: “Her name’s Libby Hatch. She’s—well, her and Goo Goo—”
“Goo Goo Knox?” Marcus asked. “Chief of the Hudson Dusters?”
“That’s right,” Kat said. “She’s his girl. Well, she’s one of ’em, anyway. They all got plenty, the sons of—” Kat caught herself and cut her fuming short. “But she’s his favorite right now.”
“Libby Hatch?” Lucius said, taking the picture. “You’re sure?”
“Sure I’m sure—I got eyes, ain’t I?”
Lucius gave Kat a careful squint. “You wouldn’t happen to know where this ‘Libby Hatch’ lives, would you?”
Kat nodded quickly. “Right around the corner from the Dusters’ headquarters. Bethune Street. She’s married to some old geezer, but he’s half dead, anyway, so she has to look out for herself. Goo Goo’s got their house under the gang’s protection—anybody gets caught even casing the place, they’ll end up in the river. And they won’t be swimmin’, if you take my meaning.”
Lucius was about to say more, but then Marcus held up a finger. “Miss Devlin? I’m sorry—would you excuse the three of us for a moment?”
“Sure,” Kat said, looking ever more confused and then turning to me. “Stevie, maybe I could go downstairs, have a little more of that medicine?”
“Yeah, sure, Kat,” I said. “It’s right where we left it.”
She tried to smile at the detective sergeants. “Just a little stomach complaint. I’ll be right back.”
Lucius and Marcus watched her go, Lucius looking very excited about the news we’d received. He was about to express that excitement when Marcus stepped in again. “Stevie, how do we know that this girl can be trusted?”
The question took me a little off guard. “How—well… because. She’s a friend of mine. I’ve known her for—well, for a long time. Why shouldn’t you be able to trust her?”
Marcus looked me straight in the eye. “Because she’s a prostitute and a cocaine fiend.”
My pride got ruffled for just an instant; but it was clear from Marcus’s look that he didn’t mean to cause any injury, he just wanted to be sure that we weren’t, in fact, getting taken. I looked to the floor as I answered, “Neither of them things makes her a liar, Detective Sergeant. I’ll answer for Kat.”
“The cocaine fiend I understand,” Lucius said to his brother, looking puzzled. “The indications are fairly clear. But why do you assume she’s a prostitute, Marcus?”
“A girl that age? Living at the Dusters’? It’s not a mission house, Lucius, for God’s sake.”
“Hmm,” Lucius said grimly. “True. But she does know where the Hunter woman lives. And what could she possibly gain from telling us all this? I say we believe her—not least because it could make all our lives a lot easier.”
“How so?” Marcus asked.
But it was me that Lucius spoke to next: “Stevie, do you think this girl might do us a—favor?”
I shook my head. “A favor, probably not. We—I got her into a little hot water yesterday. Anyway, Kat’s life hasn’t made her one for favors. But if there was something in it for her—then yeah, I think we might ask her.” I looked at them both earnestly. “But only if it ain’t dangerous.”
“It shouldn’t be,” Lucius answered eagerly.
“What are you cooking up, Lucius?” Marcus asked.
But at that moment Kat came running up the stairs and back into the room. “Stevie, there’s people coming into the house!”
“Don’t worry,” I said, going to the stairway. “Probably just the housekeeper. I been wondering when she’d turn up.”
“No, it’s a couple of men,” Kat answered quickly, following me. “Stevie, it’s your doctor! I shouldn’t be here, he’ll take it outta your hide!”
Looking down the stairs, I saw that the new arrivals were, in fact, the Doctor and Cyrus. Putting a quick hand on Kat’s arm, I squeezed it gently. “Don’t worry,” I said, half amused by her fear. “I told you, it’ll be fine, he ain’t that way.”
“But we been eatin’ his food, and the medicine—”
“Calm down,” I said, as the Doctor started up the stairs at a jaunt. “Go inside. It’ll be fine, I’m telling you.”
Kat nodded reluctant agreement but didn’t move; and as the Doctor reached the top of the stairs she drew back behind my shoulder, her