Chapter 2 - THE WOMAN EVERYONE THOUGHT WAS POOR
Daniel Mercer made it as far as the kitchen door.
Then he stopped.
Not because someone grabbed him.
Because a man in a gray suit stood in the doorway holding a phone.
"Police are on their way," the man announced.
Daniel looked back at Adrian.
"You can't do this."
Adrian's expression remained cold.
"I haven't done anything."
"You locked the door!"
Adrian glanced toward the entrance.
"Unlock it."
One of his men obeyed immediately.
Then Adrian looked at the restaurant's frightened customers.
"Anyone who wants to leave may leave."
Nobody moved.
Not yet.
Mrs. Ellis sat rigidly in her chair.
I approached her.
"Would you like some water?"
She nodded.
I went behind the service station, filled a glass, and returned.
Daniel stared at me.
"You're fired. You can't touch restaurant equipment."
I looked at him.
"Daniel, I think we're past the water-glass stage of your management career."
Someone laughed nervously.
Adrian's mouth twitched.
Then he pulled a chair toward me.
"Sit down, Sophie."
I hesitated.
"How do you know my first name?"
"Your manager shouted it twice."
"Right."
I sat beside Mrs. Ellis.
Adrian placed the photograph on the table.
"Eleanor, tell me exactly who gave you this."
She swallowed.
"A man came to my apartment. He said Thomas had been killed because he discovered something about your business."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"What man?"
"He called himself Daniel Mercer."
I turned.
The manager stood near the kitchen, breathing hard.
Mrs. Ellis looked at him.
"But he looked different then. He had a beard."
Daniel shook his head.
"She's confused."
Mrs. Ellis lifted her chin.
"I'm eighty-two, young man. Not blind."
Adrian studied Daniel.
"Interesting."
Daniel tried to speak.
Adrian raised one hand.
"Don't."
Then he looked back at Mrs. Ellis.
"Why didn't you contact me?"
Her eyes filled.
"Because I believed you were responsible."
Adrian's expression changed.
For the first time, he looked less like a feared crime boss and more like a man who had been struck somewhere vulnerable.
"Thomas was my friend," he said quietly.
Mrs. Ellis began crying.
"He was my only son."
I squeezed her hand.
Adrian looked at me.
"Miss Carter, would you take Mrs. Ellis somewhere private?"
I stood.
"Only if she wants to."
He paused.
Then nodded.
"Of course."
Mrs. Ellis looked at me.
"Would you stay with me, sweetheart?"
"Absolutely."
We moved into the restaurant's small private dining room.
Mrs. Ellis sat near the window.
I brought her tea.
For several minutes, she said nothing.
Then she looked at me.
"Do you know who Adrian Voss is?"
I nodded.
"Enough to be concerned."
She smiled sadly.
"Most people are."
I hesitated.
"Why were you eating here today?"
She looked toward the door.
"Because I knew Daniel worked here."
My stomach tightened.
"You came looking for him?"
She nodded.
"I wanted to ask about Thomas."
I stared.
"Then why did you pretend you'd forgotten your wallet?"
Her eyes filled.
"I didn't pretend."
She opened her purse.
Inside were tissues, a small notebook, medication, and an old photograph.
No wallet.
"I've been so frightened lately that I forget things."
I felt ashamed for even wondering.
Mrs. Ellis looked at me.
"But you helped me anyway."
I smiled.
"It was twelve dollars."
She shook her head.
"No, sweetheart."
Her voice trembled.
"It was kindness when I had almost forgotten what kindness felt like."
The door opened.
Adrian entered.
His expression was grim.
"Daniel has agreed to speak with the police."
Mrs. Ellis sat upright.
"Did he tell you where Thomas is?"
"Not yet."
She looked down.
Adrian crouched beside her chair.
"Eleanor, I promise you something."
She looked at him.
"I will do everything I legally can to find your son."
Mrs. Ellis began crying.
Then she reached for his hand.
Adrian held it.
I watched silently.
May you like
And something inside me shifted.
Because the man Chicago feared was kneeling beside an elderly woman, holding her hand as though it were made of glass.
