Last Stop in Brooklyn

by Lawrence H. Levy

  “Then you’ll also be upset your attempt on my father’s life failed. On the plus side, it gave you time to go shopping.”

  “Actually, shoplifting.” He shrugged. “That’s what happens when you rush out without your pocketbook. And just between you, me, and Hilda here, it didn’t matter to me whether your father lived or died.”

  “Let Hilda go, Leo. She has nothing to do with this.”

  “She does now. Did you know that Hilda is German?” Leo saw that Hilda had stopped working on his leg. “Bist du fertig?” Hilda didn’t respond. “You don’t understand German? That’s a shame. People come here and don’t bother to teach their children about their heritage. When I was with Barnum and Bailey, I traveled the world and became fascinated with the different cultures. I’m fluent in many languages, including—”

  “Leo, no one gives a shit.”

  “Mary, language! And in front of Hilda.” He glanced at the tense Hilda. “Okay, I’ll ask you in English. Are you finished?” She tensed up even more. “Oh, I forgot. You’re afraid to talk because…well, because. Tell you what. Roll down my pant leg if you’re through.” Hilda did just that. “Excellent. Now the trickier part. Let’s stand at the same time. Careful now. We don’t want any accidents, do we?”

  They slowly rose together, Leo keeping the hypodermic needle next to her jugular. He quickly glanced down at his leg. “Good job, Hilda.”

  “Let her go. We can settle this between us.”

  “When you have a pistol and I have a hypodermic needle. Not exactly a fair match. Move away from the door, Mary.” He waved his free hand to indicate the direction. Mary obeyed and he edged toward the door with Hilda in tow.

  “Hilda, be a darling and open the door.” She complied. “You’re a dear. Thank you.”

  Leo then stabbed Hilda in the jugular and ran off, slamming the door shut. Mary caught her as she fell toward the floor, gasping for air with blood gushing out of her neck. She gently laid her down, then bolted into the hallway screaming for help. No one came immediately.

  “The supply room, hurry! Nurse Hilda’s bleeding to death!” Mary had started running toward the nurses’ station when a doctor and two nurses came charging down the hall. Mary pointed. “She’s in there!”

  They rushed in and immediately started working on Hilda. Once Mary knew she was in good hands, she took off after Leo.

  Outside of the hospital, she stopped and whipped her head around, looking in all directions. Leo was nowhere in sight. She didn’t have time for despair. She had to pick a direction and go. She chose the park. That was where she’d have gone if someone were following her.

  The moon would be full in a few days, and it was shining brightly in the sky, casting a good amount of light. She spotted the moonlight illuminating a man’s bald head a good distance up the beach on the sidewalk. She had no idea who it was, but she had nothing to lose and began running as fast as she could. Unlike her earlier experience at the Oriental Hotel, she was wearing dress more suitable for her detective work, dress that didn’t hamper her movement.

  The bald man was startled when she jumped in front of him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t Leo, and after apologizing, she crossed the street and entered the amusement park.

  Mary was right. Leo was trying to lose himself in the crowds at the amusement park, so he could eventually leave safely and find someplace to recuperate.

  He stopped at a souvenir stand. The vendor was occupied by a family of four from Pennsylvania who were very much interested in any object that had Coney Island emblazoned on it. It was simple for Leo to swipe a hat and T-shirt. It wasn’t until later, when he ducked into an alley to change his shirt, that he noticed the hat had ELEPHANTINE COLOSSUS written on it and the shirt GRAVITY PLEASURE SWITCHBACK RAILWAY. He chuckled with delight, figuring he’d blend in perfectly with all the tourists.

  Not wanting to waste time, Mary had made a beeline for the Kill the Coon booth. Arthur was out front doing his sales pitch, but it wasn’t like before. There were no lines and no customers.

  “Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and take a shot at this savage from the wilds of Africa. You, lovely lady. A nickel will get you three balls.”

  “You do realize,” said Mary, pointing to the man who had replaced Edgar, “how obvious it is that he’s a white man wearing blackface?”

  Arthur turned to look. “You’re costing me a fortune, Carl! Check your makeup. You’ve got white blotches on your face again.”

  “I can’t help it, Uncle Arthur. Every time they hit me, some of the black stuff rubs off.”

  Arthur looked skyward. “Damn it, Edgar. Why’d you do this to me?”

  “He didn’t. He’s innocent.” Mary quickly introduced herself, then returned to what was important. “The man who killed that woman and framed Edgar is here in the park, and I need your help.”

  “Why didn’t you say that in the first place? Anything for Edgar…and my business.”

  He started to lower the flaps, closing his booth. Mary followed him to each one. “He’s bald, about five foot seven, and he walks with a limp, favoring his right leg.”

  “Polio?”

  “I shot him.”

  “That could do it.”

  Carl came out from behind the curtain. He was a tall gangly kid of about nineteen. “Are we shutting down early?”

  Arthur tossed Carl a towel. “Wipe that crap off your face. We’ve got a real job to do.”

  It didn’t take long for Arthur to spread the word. Not many booths or rides closed but there were quite a few that were two- or three-man operations and were willing to spare one. They spread out all over the park in search of the bald man with the limp.

  Leo was getting bolder. There was no sign of Mary, and as he headed for one of the park’s exits not far from the Elephant Hotel, he was making plans for his future. He obviously needed to change identities. That was a simple matter. He’d done it many times before. Sadly, Leticia would have to disappear along with Leo. Keeping her would be much too brazen. Of course, in the future, when things settled down, Leticia could be reborn. He was looking forward to starting his new life. If a man didn’t mix things up once in a while, he could stagnate.

  He spotted two men by the exit who were carefully looking over every person who left. One of them pointed to a man about Leo’s size.

  “What about him?” he said.

  “He has a full head of hair,” the other man replied. “Do you not know what bald is?”

  Leo made a fast about-face and joined the long line for the toboggan ride. He pulled his hat further down and turned toward the ride with his back to the rest of the park as the people inched toward the front. Two more men showed up and began searching through the people in line for the ride across from the toboggan. Leo remained remarkably calm.

  “Where’s your ticket, sir?” said Lois, the woman at the entrance who collected them.

  “Ticket?” he asked, feigning ignorance.

  “It’s a nickel a ride. You can buy your ticket over there.” She pointed.

  Leo dug his hands into his pockets and acted shocked when he didn’t come up with any money. “I must have lost my wallet.”

  “That’s terrible. Go look. You may have dropped it while you were in line.”

  “Wait a second. Now I remember. I gave it to my wife to hold for me.”

  “Glad you didn’t lose it. Next.”

  The line started moving, with the people behind Leo entering.

  “My daughter’s up there waiting for me. She’s afraid to go on the ride by herself. Could you just let me in? I’ll get the wallet from my wife later and buy two tickets, even three.”

  “Sorry, can’t do that, sir. I need a ticket or I lose my job.”

  Leo feared he would call too much attention to himself if this discussion continued. He reluctantly reached into his pocket and took out the diamond and gold heart locket. “This should cover it.” And he dropped it in her hands.

  Lois looked at the locket. “
Is this real?”

  “Yes, it’s real. Can I go in now?”

  She bit it. “Wow, it is real. Go ahead, mister. Ride as many times as you like. You and your daughter.”

  Leo entered the toboggan ride just as the two men started inspecting its line.

  The toboggan ride was tamer than the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway, but like it, it was also pulled by gravity. He had to climb up many stairs to get to the top of the track and board the toboggan. The toboggan slowly went down the track until there was a deep dip, which gave it enough momentum to make it up another incline. It stopped at that point, the workers moved it to the return track, and it went back where it came from. Leo took Lois at her word and kept riding it, hoping that in time he would be able to sneak out of the park undetected.

  Mary had been around the park a couple of times and had come up with nothing. As she was about to start her third go-around, she bumped into Arthur.

  “Have you seen anything?” she asked.

  He shrugged and shook his head. “Do you think he snuck by us and got out?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was never here at all.”

  “This is no time to doubt yourself. Edgar never did. He was going to get to England if he had to take a million balls in the face.”

  “If he did, he would definitely have to play character roles.”

  Arthur laughed. “I like you.”

  Mary joined him. “I like you, too, Arthur. Edgar is lucky—” Mary stopped. She had turned her head while talking and spotted something.

  “What is it?”

  “Maybe I wasn’t wrong.”

  Arthur followed as Mary headed straight for Lois and pointed to the necklace with the diamond and gold heart locket that she was wearing. “Where did you get that?”

  Lois smiled with pride. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

  “Where did you get it?”

  “I don’t appreciate your tone.”

  “Answer her,” Arthur demanded.

  “Who are you?” Lois said. She was a new employee who didn’t know Arthur.

  “The only thing you need to know about us,” said Mary, trying to control her frustration, “is that I have a black belt in jujitsu.” Mary stared at the woman and she broke.

  “I didn’t steal it. Some man gave it to me.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Inside, on the ride.”

  Mary turned to Arthur. “You stay here in case he sneaks by me.” Before Mary entered, Lois stopped her.

  “A ticket.” She shrugged. “It’s my job.”

  Mary quickly opened her pocketbook and tossed a nickel to Arthur. “Go buy a ticket.” She then charged up the stairs to the toboggan as fast as she could. Lois turned to Arthur, indicating her necklace.

  “Does that mean I get to keep this?”

  Meanwhile, Leo had taken a breather from riding the toboggan and had been peeking over the wooden railing to see if it was safe to leave. He saw Mary and knew she would soon be upon him. He looked around for an escape route, but everything he saw would lead him straight to her.

  When she made it to the top, Mary didn’t see Leo anywhere. He wasn’t on the platform, and he wasn’t in the toboggan that was about to take off. She immediately leaned over the railing to signal Arthur that she hadn’t found Leo and to look for him coming out. She crossed the tracks to the other wall, the one that faced outside the park and hovered over the Elephant Hotel. It was the highest point of the ride and a considerable distance to the street below. When Mary peered over it, she was astounded at what she saw.

  Leo was climbing down the toboggan structure, barely making it through the large spaces between the wooden slats.

  As Mary flipped the clasp on her pocketbook and pulled out her pistol, she shouted, “Leo!” He ignored her. “I will shoot you, Leo. This time it won’t be a leg.”

  Leo looked up at Mary, then at how much further he had to go. He was about halfway down. Jumping was not an option. He stood straight up on one of the wooden slats and turned around to face the street below.

  “I warned you, Leo!”

  Before she could shoot, Leo dove off the toboggan structure, flew through the air, and latched onto the left tusk of the Elephant Hotel. It was an amazing feat, worthy of any circus act, and Mary was stunned. Leo quickly flipped his body around until he was lying on top of the tusk, hugging it. She couldn’t risk taking a shot at him. There were too many innocent people on the street below.

  A ragpicker’s wagon passed below, pulled by a horse. It was actually an old, broken-down delivery wagon that the owner had found abandoned and had fixed. The roof had been missing, so he’d replaced it with a canvas canopy. Leo glanced at Mary, a wide smirk on his face, and waved his Elephantine Colossus hat at her as if saying good-bye. He then jumped, pulling the canvas with him as he landed in the wagon.

  Mary took off, descending the stairs as fast as she could. When she bolted out of the toboggan ride, she screamed to Arthur, “He’s in a ragpicker’s wagon heading for the beach!”

  Arthur was confused, but that didn’t stop him from following her, along with the two men who were guarding the exit. When they had gotten out onto the street, the wagon had already turned the corner by the beach, and they lit out in that direction.

  Halfway there, they heard a huge explosion, which caused them to stop as they saw flames shooting into the sky. Unlike the others’, Mary’s hesitation was brief, and she continued running toward the explosion. When she turned the corner, she saw that the ragpicker’s wagon had collided with what looked like a wagon that was carrying kerosene. Both of them had caught on fire. It was intense and all-consuming. The bells of fire wagons could be heard in the distance as Mary fought the flames, trying to get closer. She saw a man on the perch of the ragpicker’s wagon and naturally assumed it was the ragpicker. He was burned beyond recognition. She continued battling the flames, which were much more severe in the back, where all the goods were. She saw a man stretched there, also burned beyond recognition. Mary dared to get closer. Even though all logic told her it was Leo, she wanted some concrete evidence that it was him. That’s when she spotted the hat with ELEPHANTINE COLOSSUS emblazoned on it next to the man in the wagon just before it was consumed by the flames. She stood there staring, hypnotized by it, thinking about Ameer and Edgar and whether she’d just watched their last chance at freedom being destroyed.

  Suddenly, Mary was yanked away from the fire. It was Arthur.

  “You’re not going to do Edgar any good if you’re burned to a crisp.”

  Mary snapped out of her trance. “Thanks.”

  He gave Mary a minute to recover, then asked, “So, what’s our next step?”

  Mary realized she had no next step. “It’s time to go home. Leo is dead.”

  “We have to do something.”

  Mary didn’t reply. Depressed, she slowly started her walk to the train station.

  34

  Over the next few days, Mary tried to rest and to count the positives. Once the ether wore off, her father was fine. Ameer’s doctor told her he would make a full recovery. Ivan Nowak returned to Brooklyn and, with Superintendent Campbell’s permission, examined the scalpel that had been found in Edgar’s hand. It turned out there was a second bloody thumbprint on it that also matched the one on Carrie Brown’s room key. That was enough evidence to set Edgar free.

  Andrew Carnegie had called Mary to his home and wanted to show his gratitude for her saving his life. Mary would never have asked for anything for herself, and that’s why she, Harper, and Arthur were down at the New York docks to see Edgar off to London.

  “I can’t thank you enough, Mary. I—” Edgar stopped as emotion overtook him.

  “Don’t thank me. It’s Andrew Carnegie’s money. I have absolutely no problem spending his.”

  “You can make light of it as much as you want, but the truth is you’ve made a dream come true for me.” He hugged her.

  “You’re welcome.”r />
  “You realize the pressure is on, Edgar,” said Harper. “Now you have to be the best Othello ever.”

  “What about Hamlet, King Lear, or Romeo?”

  “As long as it’s not the lead in Kill the Coon,” said Arthur, “which I’m closing down.”

  “How come? Is business off?”

  “Yeah, but that’s not the reason. It’s wrong, clear wrong.”

  Edgar smiled. “All of a sudden you’ve acquired scruples.” He shook Arthur’s hand. “I’m glad I know you.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’ll find some other scam to perpetuate on the American public. As P. T. Barnum used to say—”

  They all joined in: “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

  The four of them laughed. The ship’s horn sounded, signaling passengers it was time to board. The three of them stayed to watch Edgar walk up the plank. After he waved to them from the deck, they left.

  Outside on the street, Mary and Harper said their good-byes to Arthur. They promised to see each other again, but they all knew that would never happen. It was not because they didn’t like one another but rather that they lived very different lives.

  When they were alone, Harper turned to Mary. “I’m proud of you. That was the single most generous and selfless act I’ve seen anyone do.”

  They kissed.

  Harper went back to his apartment and Mary went to Lazlo’s. They were going to meet that night at her parents’ house for their traditional Friday night dinner. Jeffrey and Elizabeth had invited Harper to thank him for bringing Jeffrey home and also hoping he was Mary’s new beau. That day, after seeing Edgar off, they finally admitted how much they cared for each other, and so at the dinner that night, Mary’s parents would get what they wished for.