Page 26 of Equalizer
“Would anyone have left the grounds after Jacob died?” Calvin asked.
“I wouldn’t think so. It was quite late. But it was known that evening that he was likely to die overnight,” Molly said. “Why?”
“We believe that the people who are using the bodies for their experiments reach out to workers in places like this and offer them money to let them know about a death,” Calvin replied.
“Did any of your workers quit after the body vanished?” Abby asked. “Or perhaps just not show up for their shift?”
“One of our janitors, Peter, called off sick the next day,” Molly replied. “I didn’t think anything about it at the time. The colder weather has everyone coughing and under the weather. He lived here in the building. But when someone went to check on him, he was gone—and so were all his things.”
“Did he mention leaving to anyone?” Calvin asked.
Molly shook her head. “No. And if someone gave him money to watch for a death and steal the body, they must have paid well because the janitor position was one of our better house jobs.”
“Do you know anything about Peter?” Abby asked. “That might give us a clue to who might have gotten him involved.”
“Assuming that he did take the body,” Molly reminded them. “We don’t know that for certain. It’s circumstantial evidence.”
I could bring Owen and see if he can contact Jacob’s ghost. But finding Peter without more details will be a dead end, even if we know he took the corpse.
“Do people here know the body was taken?” Calvin asked.
Molly shook her head. “We did our best to keep it quiet. That’s such a terrible thing. Our residents have very little besides their dignity. It shouldn’t be too much to ask to be treated like a human being.”
“What have you heard from the other smaller settlement houses?” Abby asked. “You know everyone who’s involved.”
“Most of the houses have had a body go missing,” Molly said. “Not Hull House, but they have more security, and the police have to pay attention to them. The cops ignore the rest of us, even though what we do makes their job easier by helping people get off the street and out of poverty and crime.”
“It’s happening elsewhere?” Calvin confirmed.
Molly nodded. “We don’t talk about it publicly because how would that look? We depend on the goodwill of the communityand the government. But yes, it’s happened other places. We’re scared. No one knows what to make of it. We can’t afford to hire guards. I can deputize more of our residents, but they might not be more honest than Peter was.”
Calvin admired Molly’s matter-of-fact approach and was impressed that she assessed the situation so calmly.
“Folks are here because they’re poor,” Molly said. “Even some of our staff started as clients and then pulled themselves together and qualified for a job. Offering what to them seems like a lot of money for something that doesn’t hurt anyone would be hard to turn down.”
“Given the type of people we believe are behind the experiments, there’s a good chance that the body thief won’t get paid—but could end up dead,” Calvin warned.
“Desperate people are used to taking risks,” Molly told him. “Compared to what they may have survived, they might not see it as dangerous.”
“When the other houses had bodies vanish, did they also have a worker disappear? It would be helpful to know whether these are all inside jobs or if some involve a break-in,” Calvin said. “And if there’s a connection between the body being taken and a worker leaving suddenly, it could be helpful to remind the staff of the risks if someone offers them a job that’s too good to be true.”
Molly took a deep breath. “I can suggest it, but I don’t think they’ll do more than make a very general statement if that. We’re all mortified about what happened and afraid that if word gets out to donors or the newspapers, we’ll lose support.” Molly paused. “You’ll keep what I’ve told you confidential, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
Calvin could empathize with the settlement houses’ predicament and wagered that whoever was behind the thefts also understood the pressure on them to remain silent and notmake a public fuss. Given his experience with police, he doubted any useful investigation would ensue, meaning the houses would have compromised their reputations for nothing.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Molly asked.
Calvin shook his head. “No. You’ve been generous with your time.” He took out a card from his vest pocket. “If anything else strange happens, please contact me. Miss Edwards knows how to reach me as well. Thank you for the information.”
When the carriage pulled away from the curb, Calvin turned to Abby. “You know her. How do you think that went?”
Abby looked thoughtful. “She was definitely uncomfortable talking about it—not surprising. Worried about the house’s reputation. I think she was honest with her answers, and she’s scared that harm could come to the residents. Molly’s a straight shooter.”
Calvin nodded. “That was my impression. She’s an impressive lady.”
The carriage dropped Abby off at her rooming house, with a promise to talk soon, and then took Calvin back to the Pullman car.
