“That wouldn’t have gone down well with his Tammany pals would it?” Terrence said dryly and was rewarded with a sharp look from his father.
“And Mr. Hannan would have come by train and not by automobile?” Daniel went on.
“It is a long uncomfortable trip by automobile,” Joseph said. “Most of it on unpaved road, you know. Certainly not worth the effort for a few days. I’m sure he was intending to come by train.”
“Who would have met him at the station? Would not one of the servants have been sent?”
“It depended if he had notified anyone of the train he was planning to catch,” Joseph said. “He could have telephoned from the station if he wanted someone to come and fetch him. He was just as likely to have taken a cab. Brian didn’t like fuss.”
“So we have no way of knowing whether he took the train and at what time he arrived here?” Daniel said.
“Not at this moment,” Joseph said.
“I met someone who had seen him in the station in New York yesterday and was surprised that he hadn’t arrived here yet,” I said.
They all looked at me with interest again, as if they had forgotten about my presence.
“And who was that?” Chief Prescott asked.
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t give his name. He was standing outside the main gate yesterday evening after dark and of course the gate had been locked for the night. He called out to me and asked if Alderman Hannan was in residence. I said that I didn’t know if he’d arrived yet. I asked him if he wanted to come in, or to let the family know that he was here, but he said he wanted it to be a surprise and he went away again.”
“Aha. Now we’re getting somewhere,” Chief Prescott said. “Can you describe this man?”
“Not really. It was dark. He was young, I’d say. Slight of build, and a voice that didn’t sound educated. Oh, and I believe he had a mustache.”
“That describes half the population of this country,” Joseph Hannan said.
“I’m sorry. In the dark one doesn’t see colors or facial features,” I replied haughtily.
“Were any of you expecting another guest? Any family members who are not here?” Prescott asked.
“Only Aunt Minny and Aunt Agnes,” Terrence said. “And we certainly weren’t expecting them.”
“My two sisters who are in the convent,” Mary Flannery explained. “They haven’t been outside the walls for years. And the only other family members are my daughter and son-in-law and their other children. My brother Brian didn’t approve of her marrying him against his wishes, so they are not invited here.”
“Could the husband be the man that my wife encountered last night?” Daniel asked. “Uncouth, thin, with a mustache?”
“Possible,” Joseph Hannan said, “but why on earth would he show up here? He knows he’s not welcome.”
“To touch Uncle Brian for money?” Terrence suggested with a grin.
“Then why come here? It would be more convenient to see him at his office in the city, any day of the week,” Joseph said. “They only live a stone’s throw away.”
As I watched him, an idea struck me. The whispered conversation at our cottage. The shadowy figure on the stairs and the feminine giggle. Joseph Hannan had conveniently forgotten to mention that he had brought somebody with him—someone who was not here now.
Eleven
“Your wife is not here, I believe, Mr. Hannan?” I said innocently and was glad to see a flash of annoyance cross his face.
“My wife never comes to family gatherings,” he said. “She is of a nervous disposition, easily upset by noise and too many people.”
I thought that someone who did good works among the poor, as described by Eliza, would quite often encounter noise and bustle in the slums of the Lower East Side. It was one of the noisiest places on Earth with the pushcart vendors shouting their wares and all the facets of life taking place in such close quarters.
I thought Eliza was going to say something but she glanced at Terrence and then looked out of the window.
“Is there anything else we can do to help at this moment?” Joseph Hannan went on. “I believe we’ve established that nobody saw Brian or knew that he had arrived. Now I don’t want to sound callous but I could do with some hot coffee and breakfast. So could we all. We’re all in a state of shock. You’re welcome to join us, Chief Prescott.”
Joseph rose to his feet. Other family members also got up. So did Daniel. He held up his hand. “One more question, if you don’t mind. Exactly why did Brian Hannan invite his family here in the middle of October? Not exactly the season, is it? And a long, awkward journey for all of you.”