time was different,” he said. “I had such high hopes. We were going to sail his yacht to the Med for the summer. He was going to back my new play.”
“Ah, I see. So maybe money did play a small part for you as well.”
“A very small part,” he agreed. “One does like to dine well and a summer on the Med sounded so delightful. Better than being stuck in this sweltering cesspool for the summer. And now what will happen to my new play?”
“I didn’t know you’d written a new play,” I said.
“Only the most brilliant thing so far this century,” he said. “It will make that oaf George Bernard Shaw look like an illiterate schoolboy.”
“What’s it called?” I asked, since he was clearly perking up.
“I don’t have a title yet. And I have to confess that most of it is still in my head, but the smattering that is on paper—sheer, unadulterated brilliance.”
“Modesty, thy name is Ryan,” I said.
“One knows one’s worth,” he said.
“Then it seems to me that you have a lot to live for right now. You need to get that play on paper before it all vanishes from your head. And I tell you what, if it’s as brilliant as you say, then we’ll take it to the impresario Tommy Byrne. He’s a fellow Irishman, isn’t he?”
Ryan sat up, clutched at his head in dramatic gesture for a moment, then reached out and grabbed my hand. “Molly, you are a true lifesaver. You’ve given me hope. If things were different, I’d fight off that horrible policeman and marry you myself. You always know how to lift my spirits.”
A knock at the door heralded the arrival of black coffee. He drank it, protesting with each sip, then lay back down again.
“Now you can do something for me,” I said. “First of all, I need a costume to be a magician’s assistant.”
The bloodshot eyes opened in surprise and he laughed. “Molly, my sweet. You do not look the part of a magician’s assistant. They are tiny and weigh no more than a feather. How else can they fit themselves into those terrible contraptions for the tricks?”
“I don’t intend to be put inside any kind of contraption,” I said. “I’m just going to stand there and be helpful.”
“Have you abandoned your current profession for the stage then? Daniel won’t approve.”
“Daniel won’t know and this is for an assignment.”
His eyes lit up. “An assignment? Do tell?”
“To the most notorious gossip in New York? Ryan, you know I can’t discuss my cases. But you may be able to help me.”
“You only have to ask, you know that.”
“What do you know about illusionists?”
“Not very much. We move in different circles. They are vaudeville, I, my dear, am legitimate theater.”
“So you don’t know much about Houdini?”
“Only that I’d adore his fame and money. My dear, he is the darling of Europe at the moment. He was feted by the Kaiser, the Tsar of Russia. He has them eating out of his hand.”
“He’s back here for a few weeks this summer and part of an evening of illusion at Miner’s.”
“Is he? I must go and see it. I understand he has muscles like iron. They positively ripple.”
“I understand the whole show is sold out,” I said.
“My dear, I can get my way into anything. The theater owners all adore me.”
“So you would have no way of knowing if there were any current feuds going on between Houdini and other magicians?”
“No, but I expect I can come up with someone to ask, if I put my mind to it.”
“And I did just save you from imminent death,” I reminded him.
“You know I’d do anything for you,” he said. “So let me think who I know in the sordid world of vaudeville. And who loves to gossip.” A wicked smile came over his face. “Yes, I can think of one or two people, although whether they’ll be in town at this time of year, I can’t tell you. But I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it, Ryan. So about the costume. Where do you think I could find one in a hurry that would fit someone as large and healthy-looking as me?”
“You wouldn’t find one anywhere, darling, but I do know a divine little dressmaker,” he said.
“That may be the answer,” I said. “How do I find her?”
“It’s a he,” he said. “I’ve no doubt he could make you one in a hurry, but he’s not cheap. I’ll take you to him if