𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕘𝕣𝕪 𝕖𝕪𝕖𝕤 | 𝕟𝕖𝕨𝕤𝕚𝕖𝕤

𝕙𝕖'𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕕

CHAPTER NINE: he's like the windliving without him,I'd go insane

Davey and Sarah spent the rest of the night consoling each other and rebuilding the same synchronicity that had been missing between them the past couple of days, eventually both falling asleep – top and tailing - in Sarah's twin bed.

It was nice to have his sister back and away from such a toxic creature as Oscar Delancey, and Davey felt the first bit of happiness being around his family for a long time.

During breakfast, they were joined by the likes of Joe and Katherine and Davey may have moved his chair to ensure that Miss Pulitzer and his sister were conveniently placed beside each other before.

Even if it meant sitting down next to his father, Davey knew that it would be very much worth it if Sarah swallowed her pride for a second and came clean to the other girl.

"You know how you feel when you see a patient and you think he's all right..." Joseph Pulitzer had begun after they all finished their meal and sat back to bask in the morning. Sarah had clamped her hand on Davey's knee and had stopped him from moving away, obviously needing moral support to continue talking up Katherine. "then you look at the X rays and it's nothing like you thought?"

"What happened?" Mayer enquired. "It's exactly what it's like when you find out one of your staff's a thief" Pulitzer spat, obviously frustrated.

"John Preston's wallet was stolen when he was playing pinochle last night," Katherine explained to the wider Jacobs family, though she was still fully facing Sarah. "It was in his jacket hanging on the back of his chair. He had it at eleven-thirty and when he checked again at quarter-to-four, it was missing."

"Miriam thinks she remembers this dance kid....Jack...walking by" Joe continues, explaining the situation to Mayer. Davey tried to school his expression at Jack's name, but Sarah gave him another knowing yet sympathetic glance. "So we ask him. 'You have an alibi for last night?' He says he was alone in his room reading" Joe lets out a cruel laugh "There are no books in Jack Kelly's room! The boy's borderline illiterate"

Davey grabs Katherine's attention by leaning across his sister and frantically tries to reason them away from what they're implying "There's been a mistake. I know that Jack didn't do it"

"Davey, I'm sorry. But there have been similar thefts at the Sheldrake. It's happened here before; three other wallets" Katherine elaborates, her eyes taking pity on Davey, but she remains firm. "It's better if you just stay out of it"

David's next port of call was his father; he turned and gathered the older man's attention with a frantic tap on his forearm. "I know he didn't do it. Dad please, it wasn't him. Just please trust me, Dad" He's practically begging now, he knows how much Jack needs to keep on this job.

"I'm sorry, David. I can't" Mayer sighs, looking away from his son again, that look of disappointment in his eyes knocking the air from Davey's lungs.

"M-mister Pulitzer" Davey calls to the older man across the table "Maybe Jack didn't do it. I mean, anyone could've taken it. Maybe it was, uh-- It could've been that little, old couple, the Schumacher's. I saw her with a couple of wallets a few days ago"

"Sylvia and Sidney?" Joe gapes at the boy, looking less than impressed.

"David, you don't go around accusing innocent people!" Mayer scolds.

"I even saw them at the Sheldrake. You said something was stolen from there." Davey's pleas were falling on deaf ears. "I got an eyewitness and the kid has no alibi" Joe stands, buttons his blazer and turns to his daughter. "Come on, Katherine. You'll learn what it's like to fire an employee"