back and forth, hoping to spring the heavy lock. Unaware that such a tactic was useless against a deadbolt, Auntie Lil persisted for several minutes until her card cracked and her temper did the same. She kicked the door in frustration and contemplated her next round of action. She'd fall back on an old favorite. She'd lie.
She pressed four buzzers before she got an answer.
"Who is it?" a sleepy voice mumbled.
"Delivery," Auntie Lil announced in as young a voice as possible. "East Side Floral Arrangements. And hurry, this thing is huge."
She was buzzed in promptly but got no farther than the front hallway before she was spotted. The superintendent was backing out of her apartment with a large wheeled cart piled high with laundry. She maneuvered it toward the front doorway and saw Auntie Lil just as she tried to slip into the stairwell.
Her reaction was instant and curious. Her face drained white and she began babbling so quickly in Spanish that Auntie Lil could not catch a word. The woman made the sign of the cross repeatedly as she spoke, then she took a small crucifix hanging from a chain around her neck. Holding it out in front of her like a talisman, she advanced on Auntie Lil and made a shooing motion with her free hand.
"Out! Out!" she cried at Auntie Lil. "Get out! Get out of my house!"
Auntie Lil opened her mouth to argue but the superintendent was not in a mood to negotiate. Giving up on her crucifix, she dashed to the small hallway closet, grabbed a large push broom and advanced on Auntie Lil with it held in front of her like a sword. "Get out, get out," she warned again. She jabbed at Auntie Lil and narrowly missed poking her in the stomach. That narrow miss was enough.
"I'll be back," Auntie Lil warned, slipping out the front door. "I'll be back."
As she hurried down the front steps, Auntie Lil saw the superintendent slumped against the hallway wall, praying and mumbling in Spanish. Good heavens. You'd think she'd seen a ghost.
Much to her embarrassment, Herbert was sitting with Franklin on the steps of the building across the street from Emily's. They were making little attempt to hide their presence and were sipping fresh cups of coffee while staring glumly at the front steps across from them.
"Not very discreet," Auntie Lil pointed out, sitting gingerly on the cold concrete step beside them. Winter was most definitely coming, that was certain. The stairs still held the cool night air.
"No one alive around here this time of day. Besides, I'm big enough to take care of anyone who gives us trouble," Franklin pointed out. He had received new clothes from the Salvation Army. The overalls had been replaced by deep green pants like those favored by municipal workers. He also wore a bright red sweater over a white shirt and was nothing if not conspicuous.
"And I have discovered that no man is more invisible than a man of the streets," Herbert replied calmly. "Disguises are superfluous. New Yorkers supply their own blinders. Besides, did I not just see you walk right down the front steps?"
"Did you see what else happened?" Auntie Lil asked lightly.
"No. Why? You discovered something significant?"
Auntie Lil shrugged. She saw no reason to alert Herbert to the fact that she'd just been chased from the building with a broom. "Any news on your end?"
Herbert shook his head. "Nothing unusual. No Eagle. The regular comings and goings."
"What about the ladies?" Auntie Lil inquired.
"They don't hang out here at night," Franklin pointed out. "We don't let them. Too dangerous, you know."
"Any sign of Eva?"
Herbert shook his head. "Not around here."
"Anywhere else?" She looked at Franklin.
He shrugged. "Haven't seen her for a couple of days," he realized with some surprise. "Come to think of it, she wasn't eating yesterday, now was she?" His brow furrowed as he worked on the puzzle. "She's usually on the block about five or six in the evening. Stays until ten or so. But I didn't see her last night. Did you?" He stared at Herbert, who shook his head apologetically.
"I hope she's not trying anything foolish," Auntie Lil said somewhat pompously for someone who had taken as many chances as she had.
"If anyone was going to try something foolish, that would be Miss Eva," Franklin pointed out. He rose and sighed deeply, then leisurely stretched out to his full height. He looked like a bear emerging from months of hibernation. "Time for