Intersections

by Megan Hart

  And then they were gone.

  I turned back to the table and this time, I was the one who gasped.

  The pointer, the one that Seph had knocked to the floor, sat on the table, once again pointing at Simon.

  9

  "You need to leave," Persephone said once the lights were back on.

  Simon shook his head. "I'm innocent. I'm not running."

  "You know how this town works." She took his hands. "You better than anyone. The mediums are the life's blood here. Mayor or not, they have to lock you up. If they don’t, then they're admitting the entire thing is a fraud."

  Rose had grabbed Madame Nephthys by the shoulders, pulling her toward the door and away from us. She kept her hands on the psychic's shoulders, tense and ready to yank her away.

  Nephthys raised her veil and I lost my breath.

  "I'm not a fraud," the girl said.

  All I could think of was our kiss and how stupid I was in not putting two and two together. Of course the girl was Rose's daughter. Who else could she be?

  Persephone spun, fire in her eyes. "Oh, don't even, child. Not with me."

  "It's true," Rose said. "She has the gift. Even more than you."

  Seph stomped across the room and thrust a finger toward her mother. "The only gift I ever had was in eating your bullshit by the spoonful."

  Rose took a step back, shock on her face. This was the twenties, after all, and a woman wasn't supposed to say things like that. Not that Persephone ever did anything that society said she should. I would have thought her mother of all people would have known that, but I suppose fifteen years is a long time.

  "This isn't just a typical swindle here," she continued. "This is a dangerous game you're playing. It could end in an innocent man's death."

  "He's not innocent," Nephthys said and I wondered if that were her real name. "And I'm not a fraud. You saw for yourself. The Ouija isn't rigged."

  "Like hell it isn't." Seph marched over and, grabbing one end, flipped the table over.

  "Persephone!" Rose screamed.

  She ignored her mother as she ran her hands around the wood, looking for a string or crevice. "I'm just missing it is all. Connie!"

  I looked to Nephthys and she met my eyes. She was frightened and hurt and I wanted more than anything to hold her.

  "Connie! Now!"

  Rushing to Persephone's side, I helped examine the wood.

  "It's just a table," I said. "Just an ordinary table."

  "Then it's the pointer." She hurried around the table. "Where’d the damned thing go?"

  "Persephone," Simon pleaded. "Please. Just stop."

  "No. Not until I find the damned—”

  He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll all work out. Have faith."

  She looked up at him, quaking in anger, and he kissed her.

  Three policemen stepped into the room then. One was the redheaded officer who had tipped me off on Caitlin to begin with.

  "Mr. Mayor?"

  "Hi, fellas." He smiled. "I know why you're here and I won't give any fuss. But can we do this without cuffs and the like? Wouldn't look good for the mayor to be escorted through town like a common thief."

  "Of course, sir."

  "I guess you'll hold me tonight until the Sheriff can come in from Larchmont and question me?"

  "That's right, sir."

  "It'll be good to see Bill," he said and walked over to them. "I just hope he's still not mad about me beating him in the election."

  Two of the officers walked out with him. My redheaded friend took in the room, including the overturned table.

  "Everything all right in here?"

  "Oh, just dandy," Seph said.

  "We'll need to question all of you tomorrow as well. So don't leave town."

  Rose nodded. "You don't have to worry about us, officer."

  He narrowed his gaze on me, then tipped the brim of his cap to the ladies and left.

  Relaxing, Rose finally took her hands off of Nephthys. "You should go get ready for bed."

  Eyes on Persephone, the girl asked, "Will you be okay, Mama?"

  "Just go on now. I'll be up in a bit."

  She nodded and, sparing me one final glance, headed from the parlor.

  "You two help me with this table," Rose said.

  I rushed over and helped right it, but Persephone stepped away. She collapsed in a chair and pulled a cigarette from her purse, sliding it into the long, black holder she always carried.

  "I'd prefer it if you didn't smoke inside," Rose said.

  Ignoring her, Seph lit the cigarette. "Well, Mother." She said the word with all the love of a curse. "I hope you've enjoyed yourself."

  Rose sat at the table. "You know I didn't want that, don't you? I've known him since he was Connie's age."

  I didn't know what to do, so I hovered near the door and watched.

  Seph snorted.

  "Listen. I'm sorry I never wrote,” Rose said. “I kept meaning to, but... I don't know. I didn't think you'd want to hear from me. And then, when Nephthys came—”

  "Her real name is Nephthys?"

  Rose grinned. "Why, yes, it is, Persephone."

  "So she's my sister. How old is she?"

  "She'll be fourteen next month."

  "Did Daddy know?"

  Rose shook her head. "She... She's not his."

  "Jesus." Persephone laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound.

  "After your father left, I was so lonely. I started renting a room out at the old house and my first lodger was Joseph. He was a widower. An insurance salesman. On the road quite a bit for work but looking for a place to hang his hat. He hadn't planned to stay here but we found a comfort in one another. He was a very faithful man."

  "Meanwhile Daddy raised your daughter all on his own."

  "Don't do that," Rose said. "Your father left me here to starve while I'm sure he hired all sorts of tutors and nannies to look after you."

  "But none of them were my mother." Persephone nearly snarled the words.

  They hit Rose hard and her shoulders slumped. A tear ran down her face, hovering from her jaw before plummeting to the floor.

  Persephone went back to her cigarette. "And what happened to dear old Joseph?"

  "He died. Train accident down near Pittsburgh. Nephthys was three when it happened."

  "And how long did it take before you forced her into the business?"

  "I didn't. It was her choice, just the same as it was yours."

  "Oh, that's rich."

  "Neph used to see her father after he passed. Several times a week I'd find her talking to him."

  Persephone waved that off. "Coping mechanism, that's all. How a child with an overactive imagination deals with the death of a parent."

  "Maybe. But she spoke to Francis, too."

  "So did I."

  "But she didn't know about Francis. I'd never mentioned him to her. I never mentioned you to her either, for that matter, and yet she knew she had a sister. Knew things about you, too. She was the one who told me you were working with Harry Houdini."

  "She could have read that in the papers."

  "And yet she didn't. I know you don't believe in any of this, but it's real. Everything she does is real. I'm sorry, but it is. And if the spirits say Simon murdered that girl—”

  "Just stop. Stop it." Persephone stood. "You're either so committed to your fraud that you'd lie to me or you're completely insane. And, honestly, Rose, I don't know which it is." She grabbed her purse. "Nor do I care. Come on now, Connie. I've had enough of this."

  As we headed to the front door, Rose came up behind us.

  "Persephone," she said. "Please. It's not a coincidence that you're here. Neph always says that there’s a certain symmetry to matters supernal, and I think we're supposed to reconnect. We're supposed to be a family again. I know that will take some work, but—”

  "I have a family, Rose. And they don't lie to me." Persephone squeezed my shoulder and then we were out the door.


  Half a block from the House of Spirits, I looked back to see Rose still standing in the door, wringing her hands and watching us walk away.

  10

  The next morning, I went to check on Persephone. She opened her door and hurried me in. The place smelled like an ashtray. The cold settled in from the open window and a dozen cigarette butts littered the window sill.

  Persephone closed the door and I noticed she only wore a slip. I turned my head away, warmth flooding my cheeks.

  "Connie, are you...? Oh." She grabbed her robe and threw it on. "Aren't you sweet."

  Dark circles ringed her eyes and I knew she'd been up all night.

  "Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. Just need a damned drink is all. Of course, everyone here sticks to Prohibition like Moses brought it down from on high. Here."

  She handed me what looked like a blueprint for some kind of contraption.

  "What's this?"

  "That's what I've been up all night working on. And this."

  There were pages of electrical schematics. I couldn't make heads nor tails of any of it.

  "I don't..."

  "Gimme." She snatched it all back. "This will help prove Simon's innocence, that's all you need to know right now. But I'll need you to take the train to Larchmont. There's a massive hardware store there." She shuffled through the papers and handed me a list of supplies. "I need every bit of that, no substitutions. Have it delivered directly to me. If they don't have anything on that list, have it ordered. I suspect you'll at least need to order the vacuum tubes."

  "Vacuum tubes?"

  "Pay whatever you have to so as to put a rush on it. I need everything on that list immediately. Make that clear."

  "Immediately, no matter the cost. Gotcha."

  She dug around in her suitcase and removed a shoe. "You may need to wire their suppliers directly. Again, exact specifications." Slipping her fingers into the shoe, she revealed a hidden roll of cash.

  She tossed it to me and I fumbled the catch, but managed to snatch the roll before it hit the floor. "Jesus, Seph. There must be—”

  "Three hundred dollars," she said. "And if you need to spend every dime, so be it."

  "I could buy an automobile for this."

  "I don't need an automobile."

  How she learned all this, the engineering and carpentry and electrical know-how, I had no clue. I guessed Harry taught her, but I'd never known him to use this stuff in his act. Not that he let any of us know what he was really up to with the illusions and escapes. Or maybe those tutors of hers? Seemed awful advanced for a teenager’s education.

  Regardless, she somehow knew it all. She was a lot more like Doyle's detective in that regard than she was a magician. If she was exposed to something once, she knew it inside and out and could do it like an old pro.

  "Anything else?" I shoved the cash into my underpants. I'd never even seen that kind of money, never mind carrying it around. It made me an instant paranoiac.

  "Just keep on your guard around here, Connie.”

  I laughed. "Here? Everybody's over the age of sixty. All except the rubes."

  "Don't discount these people. Don't ever discount people in this line of work. Everyone always thinks they're harmless, simply earning a dime from people who are all too willing to be fooled. Make no mistake: these are criminals, and in a place like this that crime is organized."

  "What? Like the mafia?"

  "I ever tell you about Eustace?"

  "Who?"

  She walked over to the sill and brushed the cigarette butts out the open window. "Eustace. He was one of the first Irregulars. He was the one who introduced me to Harry." She sat on the bed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, exhaustion finally catching up with her. "There was this psychic he busted, the Great Rahimini. Little squeaky fella, maybe weighed a buck thirty. Eustace busted up his whole operation, pointing out every underhanded trick in his repertoire. It ruined Rahimini. The entire neighborhood realized he was a scam artist and that was that."

  I nodded, unsure where she was going.

  "A month later, they found Eustace beaten to death in an alley nearby. Rahimini had this symbol, like the Eye of Ra, that he'd kept on his signs, put on his business card, all of that. The Eye of Ra had been carved into Eustace's forehead. Of course, Rahimini had an airtight alibi and was never charged. But that was a warning to the rest of us." She stretched out on the bed. "Never forget these are people working outside of the law and that makes them dangerous. Now, I'm going to get caught up on some sleep. Hurry back."

  11

  Persephone had been right, of course. I had to order the vacuum tubes. But everything else was on hand and the shop owner, a burly fella with a thick New England accent, assured me he'd have it delivered first thing the next morning. The amount I paid him, he should have walked the whole way carrying it on his back.

  By the time I returned to Gallow's Grove, everyone knew about the mayor. The only thing I seemed to hear whispered more than his name was Madame Nephthys's. She'd already been the town star, but solving a murder? That put her in the Nostradamus category. She was Major League now and some folks wondered if she might take her show on the road.

  I didn't know what to think. I knew from experience that there had to be some trick to it all, I just couldn't imagine what it was. What we'd witnessed... Well, if it wasn't supernatural, I didn't know what to call it. Maybe Seph's contraption could solve the mystery.

  Though a part of me hoped she couldn't. I didn't want to imagine sweet Nephthys, she of the warm smile and soft lips, knowingly sending an innocent man to the gallows.

  If he was innocent.

  My brain wasn't swift enough to wrap around the whole thing. All I knew, it took a tremendous force of will to go back to the Gallow's Grove Arms rather than walk down the street and invite my teenaged medium out for a stroll.

  When I did arrive at our accommodations, Persephone sat in the parlor with someone. At first glance, I thought it was Simon and almost congratulated the two of them, figuring Seph had worked some kind of magic to free him. It took a second to realize it was the Senator.

  She saw me passing and motioned me in. "Oh, Connie. Excellent timing. You get everything ordered?"

  "Should be here tomorrow, all except the vacuum tubes. Those will be a few days."

  "Just as I thought. Senator Carmichael, this is my assistant."

  The Senator stood and extended a hand.

  "Constantine Lloyd," I said.

  He immediately sat again. "You assist Miss Gale in dismantling the frauds?"

  "Yeah. Yes, sir. Though she really does most of the work."

  "Good. Good." He turned back to Seph. "So it must be true what they say."

  "And what do they say?"

  "That your father, he was a Pinkerton man. Died in the line of duty. That you take after him in both your intellect and your dogged determination."

  She shrugged. "They say all sorts of things. Some of them's bound to be true."

  He didn't smile at that, his face remaining grave and serious. "I trust, then, that you'll be able to extricate my son from this fiction Rose and her girl have put him at the center of?"

  "I promise you, Senator, I will not rest until he's free."

  "Thank you." He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "It's so odd to see you on this side of things. Last we met, you were the one at that table talking to spirits."

  "That's how I know none of this is real. Now. May I ask you something, Senator?"

  He motioned for her to do so.

  "Why don't you simply pull some strings? A man with your wealth and connections, not to mention your position in state government, surely you could get your son set free."

  "Possibly. But the political climate here isn't as friendly to me as it once was. I've backed the wrong horse a few times, or at least that's what the townspeople would tell you. There was a bill a few years back to use state funds for a railroad expansion. It was sponsored by the Ch
urch of Spiritualism and would have replaced that tiny railroad leading here with a major transit line for the entire state. The number of people passing through Gallow’s Grove would have increased tenfold."

  "And you killed it?"

  "I did. It didn't make sense at the time and would have quadrupled the cost to the state compared to the railroad lines currently being built. That was one of many decisions I made for practical reasons that the people here and in the nearby towns haven't cared for. I won my reelection by only twelve votes. Twelve, Miss Gale. I'm up for reelection again next year and, so far, my chances are not looking great."

  "I see. So your reach isn't what it might otherwise be."

  "Precisely."

  "And, if you were seen exercising your power to set a murderer free when you haven't been using it to help this town, well, that might cost more than twelve votes."

  Now he did smile. Aside from the gray around his temples, it made him look even more like his son. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but yes. Right now I can maintain the moral high ground and build my campaign around the fact that I've done what's best for my office and the state, even when it conflicted with what was best for me and my family. If I have the charges dropped against my son while suspicion still rests on him, that moral high ground ceases to exist. I will attempt to do so if I must, Miss Gale. Don't mistake me. My son will not rot in prison. But I'd rather free him in a way that preserves both his and my own political viability."

  "I completely understand, Senator, and will do my part."

  He stood. "Thank you. Anything you need, you'll have it. I'll send a check over immediately." Placing a hat on his head, he left.

  "What was all that hullabaloo?"

  "Oh, the Senator there hired us to free his son."

  "Weren't we already doing that?"

  "Yes, but he didn't need to know." She stood and stretched. The circles were gone from around her eyes but she still looked tired. "Now, I know you've been out all day, but I need you to accompany me."

  "To where?"

  "Why, jail, of course."

  12