by Liz Eagle
“Well, it appears we’re the only ones left,” Phillip said to Jacqueline. “Would you like another drink?”
“Of course, I would,” Jacqueline replied, passing him her glass. “Thank you. How long are you home for?” she asked.
“Only until Tuesday, then it’s back to Buffalo and studying,” Phillip said. “What about you? When are you leaving?”
“Father has business somewhere around here on Monday,” Jacqueline said. “I will take the train back on Sunday. I have a sitting for a dress on Monday afternoon.”
“Why don’t you skip the train and let me take you back?” Phillip said. “I have not been to the city in a while. I would be honored. That way we can talk and get to know each other better.” He amazed himself by how smooth he was.
“I will think about that,” Jacqueline said, “that may work.” She liked to give herself an out if she needed one. She thought Phillip was nice to offer, and the train took so long.
Phillip figured it was time to make his big move. “Have you been up to the cupola?” he asked. “There is a wonderful view of the town.”
“Yes,” Jacqueline responded. “I went up there during our last visit in the fall. You are right, it was marvelous.”
“Well, I think you should see the town at night with all the lights,” Phillip said. “Let’s go up now, and I will point out where all the rich people live.” He took her by the hand to lead her up the stairs. Even the touch of her small fingers in his hand sent shock waves to his groin. He tried to control his urges and not get too aroused and scare her away. They made their way up the ladder and sat on the circular cushions in the cupola. The lights twinkled from the streets and houses. Jacqueline swept away from the view and by being alone with Phillip.
Phillip put his arm around her bare shoulder, and she snuggled up to him. He reached down, put a finger under her chin and drew her to his mouth. They both tasted the wine on each other’s lips, and their tongues moved loosely in each other’s mouths. They kissed long and hard, pressing their lips tightly against each other and moving their mouths as if they could not get enough. Jacqueline felt a warmth in her that she had never felt before. She was giddy and happy, feelings that she thought had died with Frank. It had been so long since she had been kissed like this.
Jacqueline felt Phillip trying to slip his hand down her dress then he stopped. She forced herself to pull away from his lips, placing her hand on his chest and turning her head to pretend to look out at the lights of the town. “Oh, my!” she exclaimed. She put her hand over her mouth as she had done in one of her acting auditions, saying “I am afraid that was frightfully bold of me. I apologize. I think I may have had too much to drink.” She turned and looked at him intently with her blue eyes, adding “But, that was a wonderful kiss. I think we had best go downstairs now.” She really did not want to leave Phillip, but wondered if the proper Warsaw women kissed like that on the first meeting, or did they do more?
Sadly, Phillip acquiesced, and they went back to the formal living room, where they heard loud voices coming from behind the closed kitchen door. “I think my aunt and uncle are having a disagreement,” he said. “I will take this opportunity to say goodnight. I hope that I will see you again soon, perhaps tomorrow?” He kissed Jacqueline’s cheek and left through the front door. Phillip knew she wanted more, and she wanted him.
Jacqueline tiptoed to the kitchen door. She knew it was not polite, but she couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation between Max and Gynnie, which was getting a little heated.
“You are doggone right I am upset,” Max said harshly. “How could you encourage him like that? We could lose all our business and future business if Phillip acts out, and God knows what he might reveal to serve his own selfish, piggish interests. Jacqueline seems like a nice girl. Drinks too much, but she is nice. And, since you brought it up again, I will repeat, I apologize for saying our secret code out loud at dinner the last time they were here. They don’t have a clue what it means. I was just letting you know that I was excited about it, that’s all. But I know all too well if word gets out about what we and the Chandlers do, it could ruin our business, not to mention our family’s name.” Max was doing his best to think fast on his feet, trying to keep the peace. He had already apologized for bringing the tainted brandy to the park and he was thankful that Gynnie caught it before anyone took a drink. God, he didn’t need these types of problems on top of everything else.
“Come on Max, honey, it is alright,” Gynnie put aside her frustration with Max’s mistakes and tired to calm him down. She knew how to speak his language. She whispered in his ear. “You know you love it.” She moved even closer like she was trying to seduce him, putting her hands on his chest and beginning to rub him up and down.
Max quickly pushed her hands away, saying, “That is fine when it is just between us, but you know we have to be very careful when others are involved! Yes, I enjoy our sex nights immensely, or else I wouldn’t host them every other week. But if the town finds out, we could lose everything! Do I have to keep reminding you that we had a close call before and were almost exposed and ruined? We were so lucky that Milton was available to take care of it for us,” Max said firmly. He knew he was far too involved to deny his participation. “This had better stay right here in our little circle. Understood? And stop encouraging little Phillip. Lord knows what he has found out over the years and what he might drag Jacqueline into!”
“Oh, come on Max,” Gynnie said trying to make peace so Max would not cut off their sex nights that she enjoyed so much, “no one knows what we mean when we say “how’s your father?”
Jacqueline put her ear to the door. She listened intently to their conversation. There it was. She was not just hearing things this time. She had a lot of wine, but there it was, there it was the British phrase – “how’s your father?” – again and again.
Jacqueline was both appalled and terrified. This family had a secret, a very big one, and she knew about it. She felt dizzy and slightly confused from the wine, so she leaned closer and pushed the door ever so slightly with her shoulder when the wood floor creaked under her feet. She ducked down, took off her shoes and carried them as she hurried upstairs, heart racing.
Chapter 9
1945 Warsaw, New York
The next day Gus drove to Attica Prison on business and was long gone before breakfast. Back at the inn, Max and Gynnie served Jacqueline breakfast consisting of hard-boiled eggs in an egg cup. Jacqueline’s head was pounding, she must have drunk much more wine than she thought the night before. She picked at the eggs slowly, trying to appear as interested and grateful as possible, when really eating was the last thing she felt like doing.
“Good morning Jacqueline, did you sleep well?” Max inquired.
She hesitated, knowing that something had made her very on edge last night but not able to grasp what happened fully. “Yes, quite well, I suppose.” This was not a very interesting answer, but it seemed to satisfy them. What was it that had kept her awake? She looked around, trying to recall, when she noticed a small fruit fly buzzing around Max’s ear. Her mind conjured up Gynnie’s whisper, “You know you love it.” Then it started coming back. Yes, they had been talking about their sexual encounters, their how’s your father? evenings. The more that came back to her, the more uncomfortable she felt. She could barely look them in the eye.
She took her knife and cracked the other egg just above the cup rim. She scooped the egg from the shell, added some butter, and devoured the whole thing along with some toast and delicious strawberry jam. She felt she was force-feeding herself, but it was the only way she could appear focused on something else and not give away what was going on inside her head. These people! These respectable, married people that were her hosts were having “sex parties,” so to speak, sex involving other people. Jacqueline had learned a lot from living in the big city, but something like this happening in a small
town? Sipping her coffee, Jacqueline sat quietly to observe Gynnie and Max; trying to imagine them being so sexually adventurous was difficult, in many ways they seemed so bland and traditional. She really couldn’t wrap her mind around it.
“Will you see Phillip today?” Max asked Jacqueline. He noticed she was particularly quiet this morning and wondered if being at the breakfast table without her father made her slightly uncomfortable.
“I am not sure,” Jacqueline said. “He alluded to it, but we did not set anything definite.” She lifted the coffee cup from the saucer with her little finger outstretched. “Are either you or Gynnie British?” Jacqueline asked Max. The words fell out of her mouth. It may have been too bold, but she had to get it out in some way.
The question caught Max off guard, and he cleared his throat. “Well, not totally, my dear,” he furrowed his brow and his voice quivered slightly as he responded. “We are actually German and English.” She could sense right away that this wasn’t going to go anywhere productive without drawing suspicion; she would have to find another way to investigate.
“Interesting...I was just wondering because I love your decor, it is so European! Say, do you know if Phillip’s parents have returned from the lake yet?” she asked, figuring Phillip a nice change of topic. Secretly, Jacqueline hoped she would see him again despite her initial feelings about him. She was still pondering whether she should accept his offer to drive her back to the city. Jacqueline hoped they would drink wine together again soon though, so she could get to know him better.
“We have not heard from them today,” Gynnie said. “They usually call later in the day to chat about the plans for the week ahead. The four of us get together at least once a week for a card game or other fun.” She flashed her husband a look of desire. Max shook his head. Now Gynnie was the one not being careful, handing out hints like candy. He hoped no one ever found out what the family did. This was a small town and talk and gossip were cheap and plentiful.
Oh God, Jacqueline thought, other fun? Could that mean what she thought it meant? Were Phillip’s parents going to sex parties too? She thought she had changed the topic, but it turned out to be the right question after all. She pushed her thoughts back, she needed to stop dwelling on such a strange scenario. Back to Phillip. “Well, last night Phillip volunteered to drive me back to the city on Monday,” Jacqueline said. “I was impressed by his thoughtfulness. Do you know if he is seeing anyone at the moment?” She realized this was also a bold question in other ways, but wanted to know if she had any competition just in case she was interested in pursuing Phillip. This was important to her, she couldn’t deal with another Frank.
“I don’t think so, my dear,” Max said. “I have not heard him talk about anyone special, and he certainly has not brought another young woman around us.” He certainly hoped Phillip had good intentions with Jacqueline. One could never tell.
After breakfast, Jacqueline went up to her room and checked her stockings. She put on her car coat and hat as it was still a little chilly for spring. Jacqueline wanted to walk downtown and explore the shops on Main Street while her father was gone. She was curious about what fashions were popular in this town with it being so far away from the city, and shopping always helped to clear her mind. Walking down the street, she turned at the town library, walked the whole length of the street on one side, then crossed and headed back on the other side. Jacqueline had stopped to look at a window display in a boutique when she heard a car horn sound behind her. She turned to see Phillip in a Ford pulling over toward her.
He turned off the car, got out, leaned against the car, crossed his arms and stood with one leg crossed over the other at his ankle. “What is a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” Oh brother, that was such a classic come-on line, and she had heard it one too many times before.
But she answered in kind, “Got a cigarette, big boy?” She pulled one shoulder up and winked.
Phillip laughed and took her arm. “What are you doing down here all alone?” he asked. “It’s not safe, you know.”
“This town is extremely safe,” Jacqueline said. “The city is the place that is not safe, and I do fine there. Anyway, I was curious about the fashions that all the Warsaw women are wearing and thought I would look around. What are you doing down here?”
“I was looking for you,” Phillip responded. “There is no woman in Warsaw who could compare to you. Hey, would you like to go to the lake and take a sailboat ride?” he asked.
“Sure,” Jacqueline said. “I suppose that would be alright. Dad is in Attica for the day. I think it will be fine as long as you have me back at the inn by dinner.” Realizing she had no idea where the lake was and that no one knew where she was going, Jacqueline hoped for the best.
They had only driven about 20 minutes when she saw a sign that read, “Welcome to Silver Lake – Home of the Sea Serpent.” It was the smallest lake she had ever seen, only about two miles long and a mile wide. Living by the ocean had spoilt her, but she still loved being near the water. Jacqueline started to feel a little better knowing that it was so close to Warsaw. They drove down one road before turning onto another one that was saturated with small cottages lining the lake’s edge. Popular place, she assumed.
Jacqueline and Phillip walked down to the dock, boarded the boat, hoisted the sail, waited for a good gust of wind, and sailed around the lake, drinking wine. She observed that Phillip certainly knew how to skillfully operate a sailboat. He also knew a lot about the lake. As they drifted by the cottages, he pointed out who lived in what cottage: the owners of the bank lived near the country club, the dentist on the other side, and the surgeon at the local hospital close by. It seemed that anybody who was anybody in the county had a cottage at Silver Lake.
“Did you know there was a sea serpent spotted in this lake?” Phillip asked in a serious tone. “Someone saw its head, some of its body and its tail right here in the lake. The people who join the country club and become members get blazers or jackets, and they all have a golden sea serpent patch on the pocket. That is a true story!”
“Well, now I know you will make a great attorney,” Jacqueline responded. “You can fabricate a story like that and have everyone believing you. You had me, but only for a minute,” she said with a smile as she stood up in the boat holding the mast to let the wind blow her hair.
Phillip watched her with admiration and lust. She stood beside the sails and looked like she was posing for a photo shoot. Jacqueline looked out across the lake, pushing back her hair as the wind blew strands across her face. Phillip saw how beautiful she was and knew he had to find a way to seduce her soon or he was going to pop. Every man in the county would be jealous. He certainly did not want her getting into the hands of any other eligible bachelor in the town. They docked the boat and hoisted it up away from the water, after which Jacqueline said she needed to use the ladies’ room.
“Alright,” Phillip said. “Just follow me.”
He took her hand and led her up the hill to the backside of the cottage. Instead of going into the cottage, he took her to a small wooden building between the cottage and the road. The door had a half moon painted on it. Phillip opened it for her, revealing a bench seat with two toilet seats on it and several Sears and Roebuck catalogs.
“There you are,” he said, continuing to hold the door open for her.
“What?!” Jacqueline exclaimed, holding her nose with her fingers. “What is this? You expect me to go into that smelly building?”
“Why, yes,” Phillip said proudly. “It is one of the best outhouses around. It’s a ‘double holler’ at that. Nobody on the lake has one like it.”
Jacqueline had to admit this was different. While she loved the Chandlers’ little cottage, she was not thrilled nor was she accustomed to using the ladies’ room in an outhouse. She looked around, noticing that each of the cottages had one. Not an ounce of indoor plumbing. It was quaint b
ut smelly.
While she was in the outhouse, Jacqueline wondered who would be comfortable using the bathroom with someone else sitting right next to you doing the same thing. What kind of family was this? She was really starting to fall for Phillip and did not want to let worries of his home and family life get in the way.
All concerns aside, Jacqueline realized that her self-confidence was back. She could feel it. All it took was to have an interesting and successful man take a liking to her. This was exactly what she had needed to get out of her slump. For the first time in a long while, Jacqueline felt invigorated and alive. She figured out the recipe: copious amounts of wine, and the hope of a future with a successful attorney in this quaint little town. Jacqueline began to fantasize about being one of the richest women in the town of Warsaw. She would show those small-town gals what fashion was really about.
Chapter 10
1945 Warsaw, New York to Attica Prison
Gus drove to Attica Prison that morning by taking the back roads up the west hill outside of Warsaw. It was a very scenic drive; the sky was so clear he could see the other side of the valley and its patchwork farmlands from the road. Attica was a maximum-security prison, where only the most dangerous of the state’s convicts were housed. Built in 1931, it was oftentimes referred to as the last of the “big house” prisons. At one point, it was the most expensive of the penal facilities built in that time, so Gus was curious as to why there were so many complaints. There had been considerable unrest from the inmates about the conditions, but New York’s Republican governor, Thomas Dewey, did nothing to improve them. In fact, some believed he had even made them worse. Inmate Harvey had been convicted of the Warsaw murders, but many of the other inmates were imprisoned for much worse; like the notorious gangster leaders from New York City who were responsible for the dismemberment of multiple bodies.