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CLIVE CUSSLER

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➞ START READING ➞ 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 THE 08 09 CUTTHROAT 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 S28 N29

9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 1 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 TITLES BY 02 03 04 ® ADVENTURES SAM AND REMI FARGO ADVENTURES 05 (with Dirk Cussler) 06 Havana Storm (with Dirk Cussler) Pirate (with Robin Burcell) 07 ’s Arrow (with Dirk (with Russell Cussler) Blake) 08 Crescent Dawn (with Dirk Cussler) The Eye of Heaven (with Russell 09 Arctic Drift (with Dirk Cussler) Blake) 10 of Khan (with Dirk Cussler) The Mayan Secrets (with Thomas Perry) 11 Black Wind (with Dirk Cussler) Trojan (with Thomas Perry) 12 (with Grant 13 Atlantis Found Blackwood) 14 Empire (with Grant Blackwood) (with Grant 15 Blackwood) 16 17 ISAAC BELL ADVENTURES Treasure 18 The Cutthroat (with Justin Scott) 19 (with Justin Scott) 20 Pacific Vortex! The Assassin (with Justin Scott) Night Probe! 21 The Bootlegger (with Justin Scott) Vixen 03 (with Justin Scott) 22 Raise the Titanic! The Thief (with Justin Scott) 23 The Race (with Justin Scott) 24 (with Justin Scott) The Wrecker (with Justin Scott) 25 26 27 28S 29N

9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 2 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 02 03 KURT AUSTIN ADVENTURES OREGON® FILES 04 Novels from The NUMA ® Files 05 The Emperor’s Revenge (with Boyd (with Graham Brown) Morrison) 06 The Pharaoh’s Secret (with Graham Piranha (with Boyd Morrison) 07 Brown) Mirage (with ) 08 Ghost Ship (with Graham Brown) The Jungle (with Jack Du Brul) Zero Hour (with Graham Brown) (with Jack Du Brul) 09 The Storm (with Graham Brown) (with Jack Du Brul) 10 Devil’s Gate (with Graham Brown) Plague Ship (with Jack Du Brul) 11 (with Paul Kemprecos) (with Jack Du Brul) The Navigator (with Paul (with Jack Du Brul) 12 Kemprecos) (with Craig Dirgo) 13 Polar Shift (with Paul Kemprecos) (with Craig Dirgo) 14 Lost City (with Paul Kemprecos) (with Paul Kemprecos) 15 NONFICTION (with Paul Kemprecos) 16 (with Paul Kemprecos) Built for Adventure: The Classic 17 (with Paul Kemprecos) Automobiles of Clive Cussler and 18 Dirk Pitt 19 Built to Thrill: More Classic Automobiles from Clive Cussler 20 and Dirk Pitt 21 The Sea Hunters (with Craig Dirgo) 22 The Sea Hunters II (with Craig Dirgo) 23 Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed 24 (with Craig Dirgo) 25 26 27 S28 N29

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9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 4 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 02 03 04 THE 05 06 07 CUTTHROAT 08 09 10 AN ISAAC BELL ADVENTURE 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 CLIVE CUSSLER 23 24 AND JUSTIN SCOTT 25 26 27 S28 G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS NEW YORK N29

9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 5 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS 08 Publishers Since 1838 An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 09 375 Hudson Street 10 New York, New York 10014 11 12 Copyright © 2017 by Sandecker, RLLLP Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages 13 diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with 14 copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and 15 allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

16 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 17 [Insert CIP] Printed in the United States of America 18 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 19 BOOK DESIGN BY TK 20 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents 21 either are the product of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, 22 companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. 23 24 25 26 27 28S 29N

9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 6 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 02 CAST OF CHARACTERS 03 04 05 06 THE VAN DORN DETECTIVE AGENCY 07 08 Isaac Bell — Chief Investigator. 09 Joseph Van Dorn — The “Boss.” 10 Harry Warren — Chief of Van Dorn Gang Squad, born Salvatore 11 Guaragna, alias Broadway theater sceneshifter Quinn, Isaac Bell confidant. 12 Grady Forrer — Head of Research. 13 Archibald Angell Abbott IV — New York blue blood, former actor, 14 Isaac Bell’s best friend since they fought a college boxing match. 15 Helen Mills — Isaac Bell’s protégée, daughter of U.S. Army Brigadier 16 G. Tannenbaum Mills, first woman detective in the agency. 17 James Dashwood — Sharpshooter, Isaac Bell protégé. 18 “Kansas City” Eddie Edwards — Railroad protection specialist. 19 Texas Walt Hatfield — Former Texas Ranger and Van Dorn private 20 detective turned Western movie cowboy. 21 Scudder Smith — Former newspaperman masquerading as inebri- 22 ated New York Evening Sun reporter. 23 Eddie Tobin — Gang Squad harbor pirate specialist. 24 25 VAN DORN FIELD OFFICE CHIEFS 26

Horace Bronson — San Francisco. 27 Tim Holian — Los Angeles. S28 N29

9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 7 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 Charlie Post — Denver. 02 Jerry Sedgwick — Cincinnati. 03 04 NEW YORKERS 05 Captain “Honest Mike” Coligney — Commands New York Police 06 Department 19th Precinct serving the Tenderloin and the Theater 07 District. 08 Nick Sayers — Handsome proprietor of Grove Mansion, a bordello 09 known as the “Ritz of the Tenderloin.” 10 Skinner — Two-hundred- and- fifty- pound doorman of the “Ritz of 11 the Tenderloin.” 12 Neil Nyren — Bordello procurer, twinkly-eyed proprietor of perfume shop in Grand Central Terminal. 13 14 Gophers — West Side gangsters. 15 Adolph Klauber — New York Times drama critic. 16 Mrs. Shine — Proprietress of Mrs. Shine’s Boarding House for Actors, Anna Waterbury’s landlady. 17 18 Heather and Lou — Dancers residing at Mrs. Shine’s. 19 DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE COMPANY 20 21 Jackson Barrett — Actor- impresario, matinee idol, and writer who 22 trades the title roles of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in his modernized version of the melodrama based on the Robert Louis Stevenson 23 novella. 24 John Buchanan — Actor- impresario, matinee idol, and the business 25 brains of the Barrett & Buchanan Theater Company, trades Jekyll 26 and Hyde title roles with Jackson Barrett, his near twin. 27 Isabella Cook — “Great and Beloved” leading- lady Broadway 28S actress, plays beautiful heiress Gabriella Utterson. 29N

9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 8 12/10/16 7:54 PM Henry Booker Young — Barrett & Buchanan’s long- serving, 01 long- suffering stage manager. 02 The publicist 03 Jeff and Joe Deaver — Wealthy brothers, “angels” who invest in 04 Broadway shows. 05 Miss Gold — General businesswoman-actress, ticket shill. 06 Rick L. Cox — Playwright, embittered ghostwriter. 07 08 ALIAS JIMMY VALENTINE COMPANY 09 Mr. Vietor — Star. 10 Douglas Lockwood — Plays Detective Doyle. 11 Lucy Balant — General businesswoman-actress, Anna Waterbury’s 12 roommate in Mrs. Shine’s Boarding House for Actors. 13 Ned Stewart — Head carpenter. 14 Stage Manager 15 16 ENGLAND 17 18 Joel Wallace — Chief of Van Dorn London field office. 19 Scotland Yard inspector 20 Scotland Yard detectives and constables — Active and retired. 21 Nigel Roberts — Retired Scotland Yard detective, curator of the 22 British Lock Museum. 23 Davy Collins — Tonsorial practitioner with barbershop in 24 Whitechapel. 25 Wayne Barlowe — London newspaper illustrator and artist. 26 London Emily — Manchester laudanum addict, crucial witness. 27 Lord Strone — British Military Intelligence, Secret Service Bureau. S28 N29

9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 9 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 Abbington- Westlake — British Admiralty, Naval Intelligence, 02 Foreign Division. 03 Reginald — Espionage shadow. 04 James Mapes — Actor, Garrick Club member. 05 Granger — Cruel critic. 06 Dolly — West End chorus girl, Detective Joel Wallace’s new friend. 07 Dolly’s mother — Former dancer in Tra-la-la Tosca. 08 09 MOVIE MAKERS 10 Marion Morgan Bell — Isaac Bell’s bride of one year, his beloved 11 confidante, well- known filmmaker. 12 Mrs. Rennegal — Rough-and- ready Cooper Hewitt lighting designer 13 and operator. 14 Mr. Davidson — Camera operator. 15 Kellan — Davidson’s assistant 16 Mr. Blitzer — Camera operator. 17 18 WALK- ONS 19 Medick — Actor- impresario, owned previous tour of Dr. Jekyll and 20 Mr. Hyde. 21 Rufus S. Oppenheim — Theatrical Syndicate boss, Isabella Cook’s 22 husband. 23 Preston Whiteway — San Francisco newspaper publisher and 24 Marion Morgan Bell’s boss for Picture World News Reels. 25 Kux — Isaac Bell’s taciturn private car conductor. 26 Uncle Andy Rubenoff — Wall Street banker gone to Hollywood. 27 Hazel Bradford — “Billboard in the sky” airplane pilot. 28S 29N

9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 10 12/10/16 7:54 PM Jimmy Richards, Marvyn Gordon, and Molly Staten Island 01 wharf rats. 02 Coroners, assistant coroners, stage door tenders, theater callboys, 03 stagehands, newspapermen and - women, company cops, locomo- 04 tive engineer and fireman, apprentice Van Dorn detectives 05 THE INNOCENTS 06 07 Anna Genevieve Pape — Stagestruck eighteen- year- old who ran 08 away from home to be an actress. Stage name: Anna Waterbury. 09 William Lathrop Pape — Anna’s father, a Waterbury industrialist. 10 Lillian Lent — Boston prostitute. 11 Mary Beth Winthrop — Springfield, Massachusetts, Christ Church 12 choir soprano. 13 Beatrice Edmond — Cincinnati continuous vaudeville dancer. 14 Countless women — Actresses, girls of the street, factory workers, 15 Western dance hall girls, a doctor’s wife, a banker’s wife, a librar- 16 ian, and others. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 S28 N29

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NEW YORK, AUTUMN 1910 14 15 16 “Medick is dead!” 17 Jackson Barrett crashed through John Buchanan’s dressing 18 room door, waving the Cognac bottle they kept for opening 19 nights and bankable reviews. 20 Buchanan was blacking his face for tonight’s Othello— his 21 Moor, opposite Barrett’s Iago. He tossed his greasepaint stick 22 with a jubilant, “Best news we’ve had in a year!” 23 Nothing personal against Medick. That workman-like ac- 24 tor had struck it rich playing the dual title roles in the old 25 Mansfield– Sullivan dramatization of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 26 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But his sudden death left the gold mine 27 up for grabs, and they had a scheme to grab it with an all- new, S28 N29

9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 1 12/10/16 7:54 PM CLIVE CUSSLER

01 modernized Jekyll and Hyde that would clean up on Broadway 02 and launch the richest cross- country tour since B e n - H u r . 03 They banged glasses and thundered toasts. 04 “Barrett and Buchanan . . .” 05 “ Present . . .” 06 “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!” 07 The brandy barely wet their lips. They worked too hard man- 08 aging the Barrett & Buchanan Theater Company to be drinking 09 men, and their temperate habits kept them ruggedly youthful. 10 Tall and broad-shouldered—“Lofty of stature,” in the words of 11 the New York Sun critic pinned above Buchanan’s mirror— they 12 bounded onstage like athletes a decade younger than their for- 13 ties. Jackson Barrett was fair, John Buchanan, his near twin, 14 was slightly darker, his hair more sandy than Barrett’s golden 15 locks. Both shimmered with the glow of stardom, and their in- 16 tense blue eyes famously pierced women’s hearts in the back row 17 of the highest balcony. The ladies’ husbands rated Jackson Bar- 18 rett and John Buchanan as hearty men’s men— fellows they 19 could trust. 20 “I’ve been thinking . . .” said Barrett. 21 “Never a good sign,” said Buchanan. 22 “What do you say we switch our roles back and forth— keep 23 ’em guessing who’s who. First night, I’m Jekyll, and—” 24 “Next night, you’re Hyde. Sells tickets, and might even keep 25 you from getting stale.” 26 “Sells even more if we can talk Isabella Cook back on the 27 stage.” 28S “Rufus Oppenheim will never allow her.” 29N Isabella Cook’s husband held the controlling interest in the

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Theatrical Syndicate, a booking trust with an iron- claw grip on 01 seven hundred top theaters around the country. You could not 02 tour first class without Rufus Oppenheim’s syndicate, and you 03 paid through the nose for the privilege. 04 “Why did the most beautiful actress on Broadway marry the 05 spitting image of a bald bear smoking a cigar?” 06 “Money.” 07 “She would never go with us even if Oppenheim let her,” said 08 Buchanan, “There’s no Jekyll and Hyde role big enough for the 09 ‘Great and Beloved Isabella.’ ” 10 “Actually,” said Barrett, “I’ve been tinkering with the manu- 11 script.” 12 “How?” Buchanan asked sharply, not pleased. 13 “I wrote a new role for Miss Great and Beloved— the beauti- 14 ful heiress Gabriella Utterson— which makes her central to the 15 plot. Gabriella sets her cap for our handsome young Jekyll. The 16 audience sees the evil Hyde through her eyes and fears for her.” 17 Buchanan understood immediately. His partner had gone off 18 half cocked, per usual, but rewriting Robert Louis Stevenson’s 19 stuffed-shirt narrator into a beautiful leading lady was a crack- 20 erjacks scheme. 21 “Any other changes I should know about?” 22 “Added some biff- bang stuff,” said Barrett. 23 “Like what?” 24 “An airplane.” 25 “Airplane? What will an airplane cost?” They had warred 26 over money since they opened their first theater down on 29th 27 Street. S28 Barrett said, “Stage manager at the Casino says they’re closing N29

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01 He Came from Milwaukee. They’ll practically give us their bi- 02 plane if we pay for removing it from the theater. Meantime, you 03 better bone up on your swordplay. We’ll give them a duel they’ll 04 never forget.” 05 “An airplane makes the play too modern for sword fights.” 06 “The transformation potion makes Dr. Jekyll hallucinate. Je- 07 kyll and Hyde fight a Dream Duel.” 08 “Jekyll and Hyde onstage together?” 09 “Brilliant, isn’t it?” said Barrett. “Good and evil battle for 10 each others souls.” 11 “Any more biff- bang?” 12 “Mr. Hyde escapes a howling Times Square mob on the 13 subway.” 14 “Jekyll and Hyde is set in London.” 15 “London’s old hat. I moved it to New York. Jekyll lives in a 16 skyscraper.” 17 Buchanan worried that erecting, striking, and transporting 18 stage sets for a subway train would cost a fortune. Except a 19 New York subway was not a bad idea if you subscribed to the 20 Weber & Fields theory that audiences were more apt to respond 21 in familiar, “realistic” settings. It worked for laughs. Could they 22 put it across for melodrama? 23 “We’ll cut down the subway for the tour.” 24 “Don’t patronize me with your cutting down!” Barrett 25 shot back. 26 “We’ll be carrying sixty people on the road,” Buchanan an- 27 swered coldly, and they exploded into a red- faced, clenched- jaw 28S shouting match. 29N

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“Melodrama is whipsawed! Why else are we attempting 01 bloody Othello?” 02 “Cutting down saves money so we can make money.” 03 “Movies are driving us out of the theaters, and theater audi- 04 ences are nuts for vaudeville.” 05 “Your free spending will kill us.” 06 “Damn the expense! We’re dead without spectacle.” 07 Their stage manager stuck his head in the door with a finger 08 to his lips. 09 “Angels,” he whispered. 10 “Thank you, Mr. Young. Send them in.” 11 The partners manufactured warm smiles for their investors. 12 Joe and Jeff Deaver, almost as tall as Barrett and Buchanan 13 and considerably heavier than in their college football days, were 14 heirs to their mother’s locomotive factories and their father’s 15 love of showgirls. Decked out in capes and top hats, twirling 16 canes, and trailing the scent of the perfumed blondes they’d 17 parked in the hall, they could finance Jekyll and Hyde with a 18 stroke of a pen. 19 “Your timing is exquisite!” boomed Barrett. 20 “I’ll say. We just got invited to back Alias Jimmy Valentine. 21 Broadway and a tour. They’ve got Vietor from England to play 22 Valentine. And Lockwood to play Doyle. We’re going to clean up.” 23 “Not so fast,” said Barrett. 24 “Why?” 25 “Opportunity has arisen closer to home,” Buchanan ex- 26 plained. “Poor Medick is dead.” 27 Jeff, the brains of the duo, asked, “Is your Jekyll ready?” S28 N29

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01 Barrett nodded, arousing Buchanan’s suspicion that his part- 02 ner’s “tinkering” had included private negotiation with the mon- 03 eymen. “We are ready to go.” 04 “Do you have Isabella Cook?” 05 “We’ll find a way.” 06 “If you get Miss Cook on board, we say the heck with Jimmy 07 Valentine,” said Joe. “Don’t we, Jeff? Vietor wants too much 08 dough just ’cause he’s English. And Lockwood’s always getting 09 chorus girls in trouble.” 10 “Wait a minute,” Jeff said. “Medick’s young. What killed him?” 11 “They say he fell from a fire escape. Fourth floor.” 12 “That’s crazy. The man was terrified of heights. We had him 13 in our Black Crook. Remember, Joe? They couldn’t get him near 14 the orchestra pit.” 15 “Something’s fishy. What was he doing on a fire escape?” 16 “Exiting a lady’s back door,” said Jackson Barrett, “pursued 17 by a husband.” 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28S 29N

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9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 6 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 ACT ONE 08 09 10 SPRING 1911 (SIX MONTHS LATER) 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 S28 N29

9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 7 12/10/16 7:54 PM 9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 8 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 1 13 14 15 16 On the second floor of New York’s finest hotel, the Knicker- 17 bocker, at the corner of Broadway and 42nd Street, the Van Dorn 18 Detective Agency’s Chief Investigator sized up a new client 19 through the reception room spy hole. The Research Department 20 had provided a snapshot dossier of a “ stiff-necked, full-of- 21 himself Waterbury Brass King worth fifty million.” 22 Isaac Bell reckoned they had their facts straight. 23 William Lathrop Pape looked newly rich. A broad- bellied 24 man in his early fifties, he stood rock- still, gloved hands clamp- 25 ing a gold- headed cane. His suit and shoes were English, his hat 26 Italian. He boasted a heavy watch chain thick enough to moor a 27 steam yacht, and his cold gaze bored through the front desk man S28 as if the young detective were a piece of furniture. N29

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01 Research had not discovered why the industrialist needed pri- 02 vate detectives, but whatever William Lathrop Pape’s troubles, 03 he had pulled numerous wires for a personal introduction to Jo- 04 seph Van Dorn, the founder of the agency. As Van Dorn was 05 three thousand miles away in San Francisco, it had fallen to Isaac 06 Bell to extend the favor requested by an old friend of the Boss. 07 “O.K. Bring him in.” 08 The apprentice hovering at Bell’s elbow raced off. 09 Bell stepped behind Van Dorn’s desk, cleared candlestick 10 telephones and a graphophone diaphragm out of his way, and 11 laid down his notebook and fountain pen. He was tall and about 12 thirty years of age, built lean and hard, with thick golden hair, a 13 proud mustache, and probing blue eyes. On this warm spring 14 day, he wore a tailor- made white linen suit. The hat he had 15 tossed on Van Dorn’s rack was white, too, with a broad brim 16 and a low crown. His made-to-order boots were calfskin, well 17 worn and well cared for. He looked like he might smile easily, 18 but a no-nonsense gaze and a panther’s grace promised anything 19 but a smile were he provoked. 20 The apprentice delivered Pape. 21 Isaac Bell offered his hand and invited him to sit. 22 Pape spoke before the apprentice was out the door. “I was 23 informed that Van Dorn would make every effort to be here.” 24 “Sincere as Mr. Van Dorn’s efforts were, they could not free 25 him from previous obligations in San Francisco. I am his Chief In- 26 vestigator. What can the Van Dorn Detective Agency do for you?” 27 “It’s imperative that I locate a person who disappeared.” 28S Bell picked up his pen. “Tell me about the person.” 29N

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William Lathrop Pape stared, silent for so long that Bell won- 01 dered if he had not heard. “The person’s name?” he asked. 02 “Pape! Anna Genevieve Pape,” said Pape, and fell silent again. 03 “A member of your family?” Bell prompted. “Your wife?” 04 “Of course not.” 05 “Then who?” 06 “My daughter, for pity’s sake. My wife wouldn’t . . .” His 07 voice trailed off. 08 Bell asked, “How old is your daughter, Mr. Pape?” 09 “Eighteen.” 10 “When did you last see Anna?” 11 “At breakfast on February twenty- seventh.” 12 “Did she often go away for long periods of time?” 13 “Of course not. She lives at home, and will until she marries.” 14 “Is she engaged?” 15 “I told you, she’s only just turned eighteen.” 16 Isaac Bell asked a question that he was reasonably sure he 17 already knew the answer to. “When did you report that the girl 18 was missing?” 19 “I’m doing that right now.” 20 “But today is March twenty- fourth, Mr. Pape. Why have you 21 waited so long to raise the alarm?” 22 “What does it matter?” 23 “It is the first question the police will ask when they get wind 24 we’re looking.” 25 “I do not want the police involved.” 26 The tall detective had a steady, baritone voice. He used it to 27 speak soothingly as if explaining a disappointment to a child. S28 N29

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01 “Police involve themselves when the facts of a case indicate the 02 possibility of foul play.” 03 “She’s an innocent girl. There’s no question of foul play.” 04 “Policemen suspect the worst. Why did you wait so long to 05 raise the alarm if Anna’s disappearance was unusual?” 06 Pape gripped his stick harder. “I suspected that she ran away 07 to New York.” 08 “What did she want in New York?” 09 “To become an actress.” 10 Isaac Bell hid a smile. The situation was immensely clearer. 11 “May I ask why you have come to the Van Dorn Agency at 12 this juncture?” 13 “She should have come home with her tail between her legs 14 after a couple of weeks.” 15 “Are you concerned for her safety?” 16 “Of course.” 17 “But you still waited another week after those ‘couple of 18 weeks’?” 19 “I kept waiting for Anna to come to her senses. Her mother 20 has persuaded me that we cannot wait any longer . . . Listen 21 here, Bell, she was always a levelheaded child. Since she was a 22 little girl. Eyes wide open. She’s no flibbertigibbet.” 23 “Then you can comfort your wife with the thought that a girl 24 with Anna’s qualities stands a good chance of a successful career 25 in the theater.” 26 Pape stiffened. “She would disgrace my family.” 27 “Disgrace?” 28S “This sort of behavior attracts the newspapers. Waterbury is 29N not New York, Mr. Bell. It’s not a fast city. My family will never

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live it down if the papers get wind of a well- born Pape on the 01 stage.” 02 Bell’s manner cooled. “I will have a Van Dorn detective fa- 03 miliar with the theater districts work up the case. Good after- 04 noon, Mr. Pape.” 05 “Hold on!” 06 “What?” 07 “I demand you personally conduct the search if Van Dorn 08 can’t.” 09 “The agency parcels out assignments according to their de- 10 gree of criminality. Mr. Van Dorn and I specialize in murderers, 11 gangsters, bank robbers, and kidnappers.” 12 At the moment, he was supervising investigations into train 13 robbers derailing express cars in the Midwest, bank robbers 14 crisscrossing state lines in autos, Italian gangs terrorizing the 15 New York docks, a Chicago jewel thief cracking the safes of ty- 16 coons’ mistresses, and blackmailers victimizing passengers on 17 ocean liners. 18 “A temporarily missing young lady is not the line I’m in. Or 19 are you suggesting she was kidnapped?” 20 Pape blinked. Obviously accustomed to employees obey- 21 ing his orders and his whims, the industrialist looked suddenly 22 at sixes and sevens. “No, of course not. I checked at the sta- 23 tion. She bought a train ticket to New York— Bell, you don’t 24 understand.” 25 “I do understand, sir. I was not much older than Anna when 26 I went against my own father’s wishes and became a detective 27 rather than follow him into the banking business.” S28 “Banking? What bank?” N29

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01 “American States.” 02 “You made a mistake,” said Pape. “An American States 03 banker faces a lot more lucrative future than a private detective. 04 Take my advice: you’re a young fellow, young enough to change. 05 Get out of this gumshoe business and ask your father to per- 06 suade his boss to offer you a job.” 07 “He is the boss,” said Bell. “It’s his bank.” 08 “American States. American Stat— Bell? Is your father Eb- 09 enezer Bell?” 10 “I mention him to assure you that I understand that Anna 11 wants something different,” said Bell. “Your daughter and I have 12 disappointed fathers in common— Now, by any chance have 13 you brought a photograph?” 14 Pape drew an envelope from an inside pocket and gave Bell 15 a Kodak snapped out of doors of children in a summer camp 16 theatrical performance. Anna was a cherubic, expressive, fair- 17 haired girl. Whether she was levelheaded did not show— perhaps 18 a tribute, Bell thought with another hidden smile, to her thes- 19 pian talent. 20 “Shakespeare,” said Pape. 21 Bell nodded, engrossed in memories the picture brought forth. 22 “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” 23 “How did you know?” 24 “They made me play Oberon when I grew too tall for Puck— 25 Anna’s a pretty girl. How old was she here?” 26 Pape muttered something Bell couldn’t understand. “What 27 was that, sir?” He looked up from the photograph. 28S The Brass King had tears in his eyes. “What if I’m wrong?” he 29N whispered.

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“How do you mean?” 01 “What if something terrible happened to her?” 02 “Young women come to the city every day,” Bell answered 03 gently. “They eventually find something they want or they go 04 home. But, in either event, the vast, vast majority survive, en- 05 riched, even happy. I would not start worrying needlessly. We’ll 06 find your daughter.” 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 S28 N29

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9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 15 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 2 14 15 16 17 Eighteen- year- old Anna Waterbury read Variety aloud to Lucy 18 Balant, her roommate in Mrs. Shine’s Boarding House for Ac- 19 tors. They had pooled nickels to buy the show business maga- 20 zine and—like a sign from Heaven, thought Anna— V a r i e t y 21 headlined the new Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tour about to cross 22 the country on Barrett & Buchanan’s private train. 23 “ ‘Jackson Barrett and John Buchanan—matinee idols who 24 ignite melodrama like dreadnoughts on a rampage— will trade 25 title roles as they did on Broadway. The chief interest centers 26 around the struggle between the good and evil halves of the same 27 man. Isabella Cook portrays the innocent love interest tormented 28S by Hyde. Miss Cook returns to the stage after two years’ retire- 29N ment, during which she was married and widowed by the late

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Theatrical Syndicate chief, Rufus S. Oppenheim, who drowned 01 when his yacht exploded.’ ” 02 Anna whispered, “Can I tell you a secret?” 03 Lucy was reading the Wanteds over her shoulder. “Look! 04 ‘Wanted for Permanent Stock. General businesswoman. Must 05 be tall, young, experienced, and have good wardrobe. Join at 06 once. Sobriety, wardrobe, and ability essential. Long season. 07 Money, sure— How tall is ‘tall’?” 08 Anna said, “It’s a secret.” 09 “What?” 10 “You have to promise never, ever tell anyone.” 11 “O.K., I promise.” 12 “There’s a man who’s going to coach me to read for a role in 13 a big hit.” 14 “Is he a teacher?” 15 “No! Much better. He’s a producer. A Broadway producer 16 who knows someone in a big hit.” 17 Anna’s friend looked skeptical, or possibly envious. “Did he 18 take you to Rector’s?” 19 “Rector’s? No!” 20 “Anna! A sport should at least treat a girl to a Beef Welling- 21 ton. I mean, what does he want for ‘coaching’?— Why are you 22 laughing?” 23 “Because three weeks ago I wouldn’t have known what ‘a 24 Beef Wellington’ meant.” 25 Anna Waterbury had learned so much so fast since coming to 26 New York, Beef Wellington was the least of it. “I am,” she said, 27 “the only graduate in the history of St. Margaret’s School for S28 Girls who knows to ask whether a road offer includes train fare.” N29

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01 Not to mention who supplied costumes. And to dodge theat- 02 rical managers who got the artist, coming and going, by ap- 03 pointing themselves her agent. And to never, ever take a job with 04 the circus. Not that anyone had offered her any job in any- 05 thing, yet. 06 “Welcome to Broadway,” Lucy fired back. She was jumpy, 07 waiting to hear if she got the understudy part in Alias Jimmy 08 Valentine, a big sensation based on an O’Henry story, which 09 was sending a road company to Philadelphia. They had both 10 tried out for it, but only Lucy had been called back for a second 11 reading. 12 “No,” said Anna. “He’s not like that. He’s a sweet old thing.” 13 “How old?” 14 “I don’t know— old as my father. He limps, on a cane. Be- 15 sides, he’s married. He wears a ring. He doesn’t hide it. He’s full 16 of wonderful advice.” 17 “Like what?” 18 “Give the star the center of the stage and stay out of his way.” 19 “What’s his name?” 20 “I can’t tell you his name. He made me promise— Why? Be- 21 cause the cast would resent me if they knew he got me the part.” 22 “What big hit?” 23 Anna dropped her voice even lower, and she looked around, 24 though who else could fit in their tiny room? “This!” She waved 25 Variety. “The spring tour for Jekyll and Hyde! I can hardly be- 26 lieve my luck.” 27 There was a brisk knock at the door, and their landlady flung 28S it open with an unusually warm smile. “Lucy Balant, you have a 29N visitor.”

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Bouncing up and down beside Mrs. Shine, cap in hand, was a 01 callboy from Wallack’s Theatre. “Stage manager says to pack 02 your bag!” 03 Lucy was out the door in minutes. “Good luck, Anna. Don’t 04 worry. It’ll be your turn next.” 05 Anna went to the narrow window and craned her neck to 06 watch Lucy trotting alongside the callboy. She had a strong feel- 07 ing that it really would be her turn next. What would she do if 08 the nice old gentleman asked her to dine at Rector’s? She knew 09 in her heart that she did not have to answer that because he 10 wouldn’t. He really did want to help her. Although maybe after 11 she got the part, he might ask her there to celebrate. Fair enough. 12 As long as he brought his wife. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 S28 N29

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9780399575600_Cutthroat_i-xii_1-388_1P.indd 19 12/10/16 7:54 PM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 3 14 15 16 17 ALl CLOTHES WASHED GOoD AS NEW 18 THEATRE COSTUME OUR SPECIAL 19 20 Isaac Bell hurried out of the Chinese laundry. 21 A broad- shouldered hard case in an overcoat and derby 22 blocked the sidewalk. 23 “Care to tell me why the Chief Investigator of a private detec- 24 tive agency, with field offices in every city worth the name, and 25 foreign outposts in London, Paris, and Berlin, is personally 26 sleuthing for one missing young lady?” 27 “I wondered when you’d show, Mike. Your plainclothes 28S boys were pretending not to watch me exiting Hammerstein’s 29N stage door.”

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“I train them to dislike surprises.” 01 Captain “Honest Mike” Coligney commanded the New York 02 Police Department’s Tenderloin station house. His precinct in- 03 cluded much of the Theater District and the hotel and boarding- 04 house neighborhoods where actors lived. Bell had worked closely 05 with him years ago on the Gangster case, but operating on the 06 same side of the law at sharply different angles made them com- 07 petitors as much as allies. The policeman danced an elaborate 08 ballet with the politicians who bossed New York City. The pri- 09 vate detective was beholden to none. Coligney had six thousand 10 cops backing him up, Bell had the Van Dorn Agency’s ironclad 11 guarantee: “We never give up! Never!” 12 “Haven’t see you in a while,” said Coligney. “Where you been?” 13 “Out West.” 14 “What brought you back?” 15 Bell gave him a copy of Anna’s picture. Now that the captain 16 had the police “involved,” as Pape had put it, he intended to re- 17 cruit extra eyes. 18 “ Sweet-looking kid,” Coligney said. “A hopeful actress ex- 19 plains why your sidekick Archie Abbott is hanging out in the 20 theatricals’ saloons. The blue- blooded Mr. Archibald Abbott IV 21 having been a thespian before you brought him into the agency.” 22 Bell remained reticent. 23 The captain probed drily, “It might even explain why Harry 24 Warren’s Gang Squad is knocking on rooming house doors, 25 though I’m not sure how far detectives disguised as gangsters 26 will get with rooming house landladies. But it still doesn’t ex- 27 plain why you are gumshoeing personally— is the lassie’s father S28 a big wheel?” N29

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01 “Not a Rockefeller or Judge Congdon, but big enough. Truth 02 is, I had a couple of light days and felt sorry for the poor devil. 03 He’s self- important and self- admiring— the richest man in the 04 Brass City— but Anna is his only child, and it became clear to 05 me that he loves her dearly.” 06 “Any luck?” 07 “Not a lot. I found a stage manager who sort of remembers 08 hearing her read for a role. Archie found a callboy who told her 09 ‘no parts.’ Harry found a landlady who thought she’d been look- 10 ing for a room, three or four weeks ago. That would fit the time 11 she left home, but if the name she gave was hers, she changed it 12 for the stage.” 13 “So did Lillian Russell.” 14 “This one’s become ‘Anna Waterbury.’ ” 15 “Homesick.” 16 Bell and Abbott had made the rounds of dance and music 17 schools, and the cheap eateries patronized by young actors start- 18 ing out and older ones on the way down, and Bell was now fin- 19 ishing up low- cost laundries in the theater neighborhood. They 20 had shown Anna’s photograph to landladies, young actors and 21 actresses, and stage door tenders; a few thought they recognized 22 her. In a tiny dressing room crammed with chorus girls at the 23 Broadway Music Hall, Bell had found one who recognized her 24 picture and recalled the name Anna Waterbury. So he was rea- 25 sonably sure she was in New York, but still had no clue where. 26 “Hospitals?” asked Coligney. 27 “No Papes, no Waterburys.” 28S “Morgue?” 29N “Any unidentified young women I should know about?” Bell

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replied, doubting there were. He was neither especially concerned 01 about young Anna’s safety nor surprised he hadn’t located her 02 yet. New York was a huge city, and there were thousands of jobs 03 for actresses in the vaudeville and dramatic theaters, in musicals 04 and burlesque, and the road shows they spawned. 05 “None as of an hour ago,” said Coligney. “Good to see you 06 again, Isaac. Congratulations, by the way. I heard you finally 07 persuaded Marion Morgan to marry you.” 08 “Thank you. If there’s a luckier man on the planet, I haven’t 09 met him.” 10 “Lord knows what she sees in you.” 11 “She’s funny that way,” Bell grinned back, and they shook 12 hands good- bye. 13 “Say hello to Joe Van Dorn.” 14 “Can I tell him you’ll lend a hand?” 15 The captain nodded. “I’ll pin up Anna’s picture and have my 16 sergeants mention her at roll call.” 17 18 19 20 Two days later, running out of options and growing concerned, 21 Isaac Bell mounted the front steps of a brick mansion on a dimly 22 lighted cross street in the Tenderloin. The doorman stood six- 23 four and weighed two- fifty. “Good evening, sir. It seems years 24 since we’ve had the honor.” 25 “Good evening, Skinner. Would you tell Mr. Sayers I want to 26 see him?” 27 The doorman whispered into a voice tube. S28 Nick Sayers, handsome proprietor of the Grove Mansion N29

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01 bordello— known as the “Ritz of the Tenderloin”— kept him 02 waiting ten minutes. He was dressed in evening clothes and 03 reeked of top- shelf cologne. 04 “Mr. Bell. Dare I ask? Business- business or pleasure-business?” 05 “Advice, Nick. In your office.” 06 Sayers led him up the grand staircase and into his richly ap- 07 pointed office. He sat at his desk and offered Bell a chair. Bell 08 took notice of a glass display cabinet filled with remarkably spe- 09 cific pornographic ceramic figurines. Sayers beamed proudly. 10 “I’ve become a collector. Turns out, not every Staffordshire pot- 11 ter produces statues of spaniels— what sort of advice?” 12 “Who recruits girls at Grand Central Terminal?” 13 “Not the Grove Mansion.” 14 “I am aware that you don’t lure them personally, Nick. Who 15 does it for you? Who ambushes pretty country girls when they 16 step off the train? Who promises a cushy life?” 17 “Mr. Bell, I’ve really never felt the need to recruit. Young la- 18 dies come to the Grove Mansion as volunteers.” 19 “Nick.” 20 “Why don’t I parade my girls by you? You can see with your 21 own eyes that they could work in any house in New York. They 22 work here because they want to.” 23 “Nick. The Van Dorn Detective Agency was not founded yes- 24 terday. Cheap pimps hunt poor farm daughters who can only 25 afford steamers and trolleys at ferry piers and trolley stops. High 26 class resorts like your ‘Ritz of the Tenderloin’ troll Pennsylvania 27 Station and Grand Central for the class of girls who can pur- 28S chase a railroad ticket to run away from home. I am looking for 29N one particular well- off girl. I know she came by train. I know she

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arrived at Grand Central because she journeyed from Connecti- 01 cut. I want to know who to interview at Grand Central. And I 02 am running out of patience.” 03 “Patience?” Sayers got indignant. “Isaac! You helped me, a 04 long time ago, and I helped you. I call us even steven.” 05 “Isaac instead of Mr. Bell? Sounds like you’re paying off ever- 06 bigger friends at Tammany Hall.” 07 “It would pay you to remember how to get along in this town. 08 How dare you barge into my house, making threats?” 09 “Threats?” 10 Isaac Bell stood up, draped a big hand on the glass cabinet, 11 tipped it forward, and slammed it down to the floor, shattering 12 glass and smashing ceramics. 13 Sayers gasped in disbelief. “Do you know what those cost?” 14 “That was not a threat,” said Bell. “Who is snagging girls at 15 Grand Central?” 16 Sayers reached for his voice tube. 17 Bell said, “If you call Skinner, you’ll need a new doorman. 18 That’s not a threat, either.” 19 20 21 22 The bordello procurer at Grand Central ran his operation from 23 Nyren’s, a fancy station shop that sold French perfume, kid 24 gloves, and silk scarves. Exquisitely dressed and barbered, he 25 had the kindly, twinkly- eyed manner of an unmarried uncle. 26 “May I help you, sir? Something for a young lady friend, 27 perhaps?” S28 “I don’t have a young lady friend.” N29

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01 Nyren delivered an indulgent wink. “Well, until you get one, 02 why not something nice for your wife?” 03 “What I want,” said Isaac Bell, “is a private conversation in 04 your back room with each of your young gents who waylay girls 05 off the trains and steer them in here.” 06 The twinkle hardened with an edge like limelight. “I don’t 07 know what you are talking about. If you haven’t come to make a 08 purchase, please leave my shop.” 09 “But first I want to talk to you, Mr. Nyren. I’m looking for 10 this girl.” 11 He held out Anna’s picture. 12 Nyren pretended to study it. “I still don’t know what you are 13 talking about, but I never met this girl.” Then, in an act that 14 made the tall detective believe him, he dropped his mask long 15 enough to leer, “I can assure you I never forget a pretty face.” 16 “I will watch your shop for you while you round up your 17 young gents. One at a time.” 18 “I will call a policeman.” 19 “I will, too,” said Bell, “and it won’t be one of the New York 20 Central rail dicks you paid off. It will be his boss.” 21 “Who the hell are you?” 22 “A friend of the young lady’s family. Get them in here— now!” 23 Three swaggered into the shop, one at a time as Bell ordered. 24 They were young, well dressed, and it was not hard to imagine a 25 frightened girl falling for their polished manners and charming 26 smiles. Bell greeted each politely. “I’m not here to put you out of 27 business. I’m looking for one particular young lady and I would 28S appreciate your help. My appreciation will take the form of a 29N monetary reward.”

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“How much?” 01 “One hundred dollars,” said Bell. The figure, two months’ 02 earnings for a day laborer, captured their attention. “Have you 03 seen this girl?” 04 Two shook their heads. The third said, “I remember her.” 05 “When did you see her?” 06 “Let me think . . . Month ago. Maybe five weeks.” 07 The time was right, and Bell asked, “Did you speak?” 08 “Tried to. She wasn’t buying any.” 09 “What happened?” 10 “She just brushed past like I wasn’t there and kept going.” 11 “Did one of the other boys accost her?” 12 “No. Only me.” 13 “How do you know?” 14 “I followed her out on the street.” 15 “Did you really? Which way did she go?” 16 “Across 42nd.” 17 “West?” 18 “Yes.” 19 “How far did you follow her?” 20 “Fifth Avenue.” 21 “Why’d you stop?” 22 “She was walking like she knew where she going. Or knew 23 what she wanted. So I figured, this is not a girl I could convert.” 24 Bell remained silent, and the brothel recruiter added, “Want 25 to hear something funny?” 26 “What’s that?” 27 “I saw her a few weeks later— last week.” S28 “Where?” N29

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01 “Over on Broadway. She was strolling with an old swell. You 02 tell me what she’s about.” 03 “What did he look like?” 04 “Old.” 05 “Stooped over? Bent?” 06 “No. Tall guy like you.” 07 “What color was his hair?” 08 “Gray.” 09 “Beard?” 10 “No, just a mustache.” 11 “What color were his eyes?” 12 “I don’t know. I wasn’t that close. Say, maybe I could go now? 13 Maybe you could give me a piece of that hundred?” 14 “Maybe I could,” said Isaac Bell. “You called him a swell. 15 What was he wearing?” 16 “Homburg and a cape. Looked like he walked straight out of 17 the operetta. Even had a gold- headed cane.” 18 “Frock coat under the cape?” 19 “No. More like a pinchback.” 20 “Pinchback?” Bell asked. “A bit up-to-date for an operetta.” 21 “I thought so, too. Maybe the young lady took him shopping.” 22 Bell passed him a one- hundred- dollar bill. “Here you go. 23 Take a week off, give some poor girl a break.” 24 “If I don’t get her, some other guy will.” 25 26 27 28S Four men followed Isaac Bell from Grand Central and paced 29N him on the other side of 44th Street. Snappy dressers—present-

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able for the neighborhood, if somewhat flashy in two- tone 01 shoes— they might have been out-of-town buyers just off the 02 train, or junior advertising men, except for their socks. The 03 modern breed of Gopher Street gangster favored yellow hose. 04 They were still there when he crossed Fifth Avenue. A traffic cop 05 shot them a look, but he had his hands full sorting carriages 06 from motor trucks. 07 Bell did not expect them to make their move on the block 08 between Fifth and Sixth. Shared by garages and carriage houses, 09 the Yale, New York Yacht, and Harvard clubs, and the Iroquois 10 and Algonquin hotels, there were too many people. At Sixth Av- 11 enue, he crossed quickly under the El and stopped suddenly in 12 the shadows of the overhead train trestle with his back to a 13 stanchion. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 S28 N29

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