Murder on Sisters' Row Read Online Free PDF Page B

agreed. “It would be awfully bad for business, I imagine.”
    Malloy glared at her again. “If you’re going to ask me to rescue this girl or something—”
    “No, I wouldn’t ask you that. If they’d kill me, they’d probably kill you, too.”
    “They wouldn’t kill me, but I’d lose my job. Places like that pay the police to protect them, not kidnap their girls.”
    “I hadn’t thought of that.”
    “I’m sure there’s a lot of things you hadn’t thought of, like not going to a brothel in the first place.”
    “You don’t have any reason to be angry with me. I already told you, it wasn’t my fault.”
    He rubbed his face again. “I’m not angry with you. I’m just . . . angry.”
    Sarah bit back a smile. She knew he wouldn’t be so mad if he didn’t care about her. “You don’t need to be. I’m not going to do anything foolish.”
    He frowned, obviously not believing her for a minute.
    “I know I don’t stand a chance of helping Amy, and so does she. She asked me to contact a Mrs. Van Orner for her.”
    His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Who’s that?”
    “She has a charity that takes care of girls like Amy. She helps them get away and—”
    He groaned. “One of those rich do-gooders. I thought the name sounded familiar. She’s going to get herself killed one of these days, too.”
    “She has people who help her, I understand.”
    “Other rich do-gooders,” Malloy said in disgust.
    “I’m going to ask her to help Amy.”
    Malloy half turned on the sofa so he was facing her, his dark eyes nearly glowing with the strength of his emotion. “Sarah, leave it alone. I’m warning you, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
    “But that poor girl and her baby! She’s obviously from a good family, and she hates it there, hates the things she has to do. I can’t even imagine what it must be like for her.”
    “She’s not what you think, Sarah. Those girls are all liars. They’ll say anything to get what they want.”
    “But you didn’t see her. She’s terrified of Mrs. Walker—”
    “Who?” he asked sharply.
    “Mrs. Walker. She’s the . . .” Sarah tried to think of a nice word and failed.
    “The madam ,” Malloy supplied, rolling his eyes. “Of all the madams in New York, you had to pick one of the Sisters, didn’t you?”
    “The Sisters?”
    “Yeah. Maybe you didn’t notice, but the house you were in is one of seven that are just alike. They say seven sisters came to the city from New England years ago and each one set up her own house of ill repute . . . Well, I don’t think the madams at the houses next door are really Mrs. Walker’s sisters, but they call that street Sisters’ Row.”
    “I have to admit, I was surprised at how well appointed the house was.”
    “It has to be,” Malloy said. “They cater to the wealthiest men in the city, which means they pay lots of protection money to the police. If you get in trouble there, no one will help you, Sarah.”
    She heard the fear underlying the harshness in his tone. “I told you, I’m not going to do anything foolish.”
    “You’re going to help that girl. That’s foolish.”
    “I can’t turn my back on her, Malloy. How could I live with myself?”
    Malloy sighed. “You don’t know what those women are like. She’s not an innocent country girl who got kidnapped and forced into a life of shame—and even if she was once, she’s not innocent anymore,” he added when she would have protested.
    “What about her baby?” Sarah argued. “She can’t bear the thought of being separated from him.”
    “So she said, but she probably figured that was the easiest way to get you to help her. Look, do I have to lock you up to keep you from getting involved in this?”
    Sarah couldn’t help smiling at the idle threat. “Just try, Malloy,” she taunted. “And no, you don’t. I told you, I’m going to find this Mrs. Van Orner and turn the matter over to her. I’m not going to put myself