An Agent for Lucy Read online

  “Jed Green,” Jed replied, and Lucy watched out of the corner of her eye as the woman worked that into Chinese characters on the ticket.

  A man walked into the building just then, and Lucy saw with a start that it was the man they’d noticed before. She turned slightly and observed him.

  Another woman came out from the back. “Mr. Dodrill,” she greeted him.

  He didn’t say anything in return. Instead, he touched the right side of his nose. She nodded, and he glanced around. Lucy averted her gaze, pretending to be studying a painting on the wall, and he slipped into the back with the second woman.

  The first woman handed Jed his ticket. He thanked her, and then he and Lucy left.

  “Did you catch all that?” Lucy said as they walked away.

  “I saw some. We’ll compare notes in a bit.”

  Their first task complete, they crossed the street and entered one of the silk shops Mr. Collins had indicated. Their objective here was to purchase enough silk that they’d need help getting it back to their hotel.

  “Let me buy it,” Lucy said as they perused the selection. “I can take it back to Denver with me, and Father can sell it through his company.”

  “We do have an expense account,” Jed replied. “We can just use that.”

  “But what is Archie going to do with bolts of silk? If you do it my way, it will be put to good use, and it won’t be using up Archie’s resources.” Lucy was careful not to say “agency” or “agent” just in case anyone around them spoke English.

  Jed pressed his lips together. “But there’s no reason for you to handle the expense.”

  “It’s not my expense. It’s my father’s, and he’ll make it back when he sells the silk.” She paused, her hand resting on a bolt of purple and blue. “Is my father’s money making you uncomfortable?”

  “No, of course not.” He took a few steps down the aisle, then turned back. “All right, maybe it is. I’m not as wealthy as your father, Lucy, and I never will be. I can’t expect that from myself, and it’s foolish for me to think that I could ever . . .”

  “Could ever what?” she asked when he didn’t continue.

  He seemed to struggle within himself before he answered, “Could ever give you the things he can.” He moved down the aisle, leaving her completely flabbergasted where she stood.

  He’d been thinking about providing for her? That meant he was thinking about being married to her—not just for the duration of the case, but for the duration of their lives. This meant she wasn’t the only one having a hard time keeping her mind on the here and now. This meant . . .

  This meant their kiss hadn’t been spur of the moment or a fluke. He wanted to be with her. He wanted them to last much longer than just today or tomorrow.

  It was all she could do not to chase after him, throw herself in his arms, and kiss him until neither of them could breathe.

  Instead, she walked behind him slowly, looking at colors of silk, but not remembering anything she’d seen.

  “He didn’t become rich overnight,” she said softly when they reached the end of that row. “And you already know that money doesn’t matter to me.”

  That was all the reply she would give him until later. He hadn’t intended to say what he had—she knew he’d just let his feelings slip—and she wasn’t going to harp on it. He deserved just a bit of hope, and that’s what she gave him. And maybe later she’d throw herself in his arms and kiss him silly.

  She’d just have to see.

  After another moment of discussion, Jed agreed to let Lucy pay for the silk, and she chose out six different varieties that she knew weren’t already in the warehouse back in Denver. As the clerk prepared her packages, Lucy gasped. “Oh, no! I didn’t mean to buy so much, and I’m not done shopping. Is there a way someone could take these back to my hotel for me?” She worried that no one would understand her, but the clerk smiled and nodded. Then he stuck his head outside and called out to one of the children, who ran over eagerly.

  Jed and Lucy followed the child, his arms full of packages, for a block before Lucy called out to him and asked him to stop. He turned, looking curious.

  Lucy bent over and tucked a coin into one of his hands. “What’s your name?” she asked him softly in Cantonese.

  His eyes grew wide. “Lui,” he replied.

  “Lui, thank you for your help today.” She tucked another coin in his hand. “Do you know another boy who helps with packages who used to work on this street? He was my friend, but I can’t find him. I called him Tommy.”

  The boy shook his head so hard, Lucy was sure he’d give himself a headache. “I don’t know. I don’t know this boy.”

  Lucy glanced at Jed. He was leaning against the building and trying to stay out of the conversation, but she could tell that he was listening to every word. Whether or not he could understand them was a different story. “Liu, are you scared of something?”

  Again, the boy’s head whipped back and forth. She wasn’t going to pressure him into saying more—he was terrified, and she wouldn’t put him through that. “If you see Tommy, would you please tell him I would like to see him? I will give him money too.” She put a third coin in Liu’s hand. “Now, do you remember our hotel?”

  He nodded, and she smiled. “Good. Off you go.”

  She watched him scurry up the street, looking relieved to be on his way at last.

  “He knows Tommy, but he’s scared to say anything,” Lucy told Jed as they continued down the street.

  “I could tell that just from his mannerisms. Do you think you can trust him not to tell anyone that we were asking?”

  Lucy shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. At this point, though, don’t we have to take some risks? We could wander up and down these streets forever and never learn anything. Look at Mr. Collins. That’s all he’s done this entire time, and he’s no closer than he was when he began.”

  “True. And I think you’re on to something, Lucy. I think it’s time to shake things up a bit.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Just how do you plan to do that?”

  “I have some ideas. I have a feeling you won’t like any of them, but it’s for the greater good, right?”

  She sighed. Oh, the things that were done in the name of the greater good.

  ***

  Lucy stepped into the laundry, glanced around, and approached the woman behind the counter. Without saying a word, she touched the right side of her nose.

  The woman looked at her in surprise, but didn’t say or do anything.

  Lucy touched her nose again, longer this time, and the woman nodded. After glancing around herself, she stepped out from behind the counter and led the way into the same back area where Mr. Dodrill had been taken the last time they’d been here.

  The first room they passed through looked like a typical storeroom, with boxes stacked on either side and barrels of what looked to be laundry soap. In the back of that room was another door, and Lucy stepped through it feeling as though she was Alice and had tumbled down the rabbit hole. This room was covered in red silk tapestries, satin pillows, ornate paintings—it looked like a parlor in one of the finest Chinese homes she’d ever seen. The woman led Lucy over to a low couch and motioned for her to make herself comfortable, then held out her hand.

  Lucy had consulted with Jed about the cost of opium, and he’d told her the right amount. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the money, tucking it into the woman’s hand, and was rewarded with a smile. Then she was gone, heading back to the front to run the shop.

  Lucy looked around, her heart beating faster than it ever had in her life. Over in the corner was a woman who seemed to be asleep. Only her regular use of her opium pipe gave any indication that she was still conscious. They were the only two in this room, but there was another door that led even further back, and Lucy wondered what was on the other side. She was tempted to get up and take a peek, but just then, a younger woman entered and brought her a pipe of her own.


  Well, now. When she and Jed had discussed her coming in here, they hadn’t discussed this part as carefully as she would have liked. She had no desire to smoke opium—none at all—but how could she get out of this?

  The young woman showed her how to get the pipe going. In order for the vapors to rise properly, Lucy had to lie down, which made her feel vulnerable and unprepared. What if she needed to escape in a hurry? She’d be all tangled up in her skirts and her petticoats and all the other contraptions she was wearing under there—she knew she was liable to fall flat on her face. She’d certainly done it enough times in her life. But she lay back as shown, and the girl smiled before disappearing again.

  Lucy lay there with the pipe in her hand, glad that the only other inhabitant of the room was paying her no attention whatsoever. The aroma in the room was cloying and she was getting a bit of a headache. Now she knew what opium smelled like, and she’d never forget it again.

  There remained the problem, though, of pretending to smoke. She waited until she was sure no one would be coming back for a few minutes, and then she crawled across the floor to where the other woman lay and traded her pipes. It wasn’t easy to crawl in all her skirts, but she was going to make it work.

  She arranged the stolen . . . er, borrowed . . . pipe next to her own couch, then paused again, listening. She heard no footsteps and no voices, but just then, two people entered the room anyway, and she froze.

  It was Mr. Dodrill, being led by their Chinese guide. She took him across the room and opened that second door. He smiled broadly, slipped some money into her hand, and disappeared.

  When the door closed, a whoosh of scented air billowed out, and Lucy nearly choked. There was quite a lot of smoking going on back there.

  She motioned at the woman who ran the establishment and pointed to that door, indicating that she’d like to go in there too.

  “Much money,” the woman replied, continuing on her way as though Lucy were nothing.

  Hmm. That was a special room for wealthy clients, was it? Lucy was wealthy—she could get back there. It was now just a matter of demonstrating that wealth.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jed checked the time, then ordered another pot of tea and a sandwich. When he’d asked Lucy to see about getting into the back area of the laundry, he hadn’t expected her to be gone so long. This meant she was having success, didn’t it? Or did it mean that she’d been abducted and was even then being carted off somewhere?

  He’d met with the police shortly after Lucy went into the laundry, and they hadn’t given him much hope. They felt the problem was too big, and he got the distinct impression that they didn’t want to be bothered. They promised to back him up if he needed it, but they were more than content to let him take the lead.

  Frustrating.

  But it was this sort of attitude that led to him having a job, so he supposed he couldn’t complain too much.

  He was starting to panic when he finally saw Lucy walking up the street. She knew where he would be waiting, and she entered the restaurant and took a seat across from him.

  “It’s definitely a den,” she said quietly. “I was taken into a back room and given a pipe. I didn’t have to smoke it, thank goodness, but I’ve breathed enough fumes to give me a headache for days. Mr. Dodrill came in and was shown into a room even farther back in the building. I was told that I needed a lot of money to go back there, so I think that’s our next step. It’s time to go dress shopping.”

  “Dress shopping?” Jed was confused by what seemed to be an abrupt change of subject.

  “Yes. I need to look like I have money so they’ll let me back there.”

  He nodded, sheepish that he didn’t understand that immediately. He’d been distracted by his relief at seeing Lucy safe and sound. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  He raised a finger, and the waitress came over with more tea and sandwiches. He watched with amusement as Lucy tucked in like she hadn’t eaten in days.

  “What?” she asked, glancing up. “Haven’t you ever seen a hungry woman eat before?”

  “Not like that. It’s cute, though—you’re like a little puppy digging into table scraps.”

  “A little puppy?”

  “A cute one. Not a flea-bitten one.”

  “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

  He grinned. She never stayed mad for long—it would be over soon.

  She finished eating, and they left the restaurant as dusk began to fall. “I’ll send a note around to Mr. Collins and update him,” Jed said as they walked back to their hotel. “I haven’t seen him in Chinatown since he showed us around.”

  “He’s probably stepping back and letting us do our jobs,” Lucy said. Then she chuckled. “I like saying that—‘our jobs.’ It makes me feel official.”

  “I don’t see why you couldn’t be official, Lucy. You’re doing a great deal of good on this case.”

  She turned to look at him. “Be honest with me, Jed—do you think I have what it takes to be an agent?”

  Jed thought back to his initial feelings about female agents. Lucy had proven him wrong over and over again, and he found that his opinion was entirely different now. “I think you’d be an excellent agent. You should consider staying on after this case.”

  She smiled, and he could tell that she was pleased to hear his thoughts. “I’ll consider it,” she said after a moment.

  When they reached their hotel lobby, Jed was surprised to see Liu waiting for them in the corner. He ran up to them as they entered, but then seemed reluctant to speak.

  Lucy guided him over to a quiet alcove, sat him down on a soft chair, then talked to him in a low voice. It didn’t take long for the boy’s tongue to be loosened, and he spoke so rapidly, Jed wouldn’t have believed him capable of it.

  When he was done, she nodded grimly, then reached into her bag for a coin. He pushed it away and went running out of the hotel, his feet pounding the floor with a slapping sound.

  “Let’s go up to the room,” Lucy said, tucking her arm through Jed’s. He didn’t know if she was doing that for the sake of their cover or because she wanted to. Either way, he liked it.

  Once they were in their room and the door was locked, Lucy took a deep breath. “Liu said that he’s been thinking and thinking, and couldn’t decide what to do. He knows Tommy, whose real name is Keung, and he’s been worried about him. So when we started asking questions, Liu got scared, and he didn’t want to say anything because he didn’t want to get taken away like Keung. But if there’s anything we can do to help Keung, Liu is willing to take that risk.”

  Jed blinked, goose bumps rising on his arms. This was the break they needed—he sensed it. “What else did he say?”

  “Keung has been working for Lee’s Laundry, helping them get more customers. Liu didn’t seem to know anything about the opium den—I gathered that he thinks this is all about laundry. He said that Keung would be paid good money for every new customer he found. But not long ago, Keung just disappeared, and Liu hasn’t seen him since.”

  “I think this solidifies the fact that Keung’s disappearance is related to the opium den, and there’s a solid tie between Keung and Mrs. Collins. We’re on the right track, Lucy. We just need to push forward.”

  She nodded. “First thing tomorrow, I’ll go dress shopping. I’ll find something that says I have money, but without being overt about it. Then I’m going back to that den, and I’m getting into that other room. I honestly don’t care what I have to do—how much sneaking around, how much money I need to hand over. If Mrs. Collins is there, I’ll find her.”

  Jed’s heart warmed. Lucy’s determination was inspirational. “I’ll write to Mr. Collins right now. We’re going to succeed, Lucy. I have no doubt.”

  ***

  Jed disliked clothes shopping. It was a necessary evil, something he did only to keep from being naked. Going clothes shopping with a woman was even worse because it required him to stand aroun
d, looking approving and dispensing appropriate amounts of praise all while fighting off wave after wave of sleepiness. When Lucy finally hit upon the right dress, however, he came awake quickly, and his compliments were completely sincere.

  She’d chosen a dress of green velvet, which made her eyes look more blue and her hair more golden. He almost couldn’t breathe as he looked at her.

  “I’ll take it,” she said, turning to the salesgirl.

  “If your husband’s reaction is any indication, I’d say you’ve definitely made the right choice,” the salesgirl said with a chuckle.

  They returned to the hotel, where Lucy changed back into the green dress and also put on a necklace she’d purchased. Jed didn’t want to see her using her own money for this expense either, but she’d told him she’d have plenty of use for the things she was buying just as she’d have use for the silk. He’d finally given in, knowing she was right and that he was just being stubborn.

  Sometimes he liked being stubborn, though.

  Before they headed back out, Jed brought Lucy closer and held her against his chest. “Please be careful,” he said into her hair. He couldn’t help but feel that they were close to solving the case, but he also couldn’t help but feel a cloud of danger hovering over them. He’d be watching the situation as best as he could from outside, especially keeping an eye on the alley in case someone tried to leave that way. It was common for places like that to have multiple exits.

  Lucy curled her fingers around the lapels of his jacket. “I will be,” she replied. “This is too important for me to fail.”

  Jed stayed true to his original decision and didn’t kiss her while they were still in the room, but he did hold her tight for another moment, and then it was time for them to leave.

  ***

  When Lucy entered Lee’s Laundry for the second time, she worried that she hadn’t been a customer long enough to be trusted with entrance to the second room. She slipped a generous amount of money into the attendant’s hand and held her breath. She was scrutinized for a moment, but then she was allowed through the second door, and she thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest.