“The ledger?”
She shook her head. “Topsy.” She watched the confusion wash over Charlie’s face. “My Kewpie doll. Except he didn’t know that’s what he was looking for, and that’s why he didn’t find it.”
“Your Kewpie doll?”
Vivian nodded. “Topsy, or ‘Top-C’ as my father had written in on the missing page of his appointment book.”
“Top-C,” Charlie repeated, his eyebrows raised.
Vivian stood and retrieved the paper that had been hidden in the doll’s dress. She handed it to Charlie.
“This is what Martin was after.”
She watched Charlie’s eyes scan the paper as he read. “Jesus, Viv.”
“It was so much worse than I could have imagined.” Tears sprang to her eyes. That statement was a coldhearted depiction of the meeting her father had hosted for Capone and his most trusted lieutenants at the family cabin at Cranberry Lake in October 1928. Where they’d planned in great detail how they were going to kill his archenemy, Bugs Moran. Of course, their best-laid plans had gone wrong and turned into what the papers had called the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. There it was in black and white. Signed in her father’s hand. Witnessed by Martin Gilfoy.
He’d known all along what her father had been doing. He’d been part of it—the confession at least. And he’d known her father was going to turn and confess everything he knew to the feds. And then Martin had been approached by the same men that had approached Freddy, and he couldn’t refuse. He’d killed her father, but he couldn’t close the loop. He could never find this last bit that would have tied him to everything. If this piece of paper had gotten out, even now, the stigma of Martin having been involved in such a notorious event would stop his political ambitions dead in their tracks.
“That’s what my father was going to hand that over to the feds.”
“Why? What good would it have done? The massacre was a local matter, not a federal one. And the Chicago police were in Capone’s pocket.”
“It wasn’t meant to get Capone convicted of anything. It was a way of gaining their trust—proving he was for real, proving that he was in it all the way. That they could trust him to supply information.”
“Why would he do such a thing? Take such a terrible chance?”
“For me…for Everett…for Mother…” Vivian thought of her father that night, resting his fingertip on the picture of Barbara Hutton. It will matter who you associate with. And who your father associates with, she amended.
Charlie’s eyes flicked from the paper to Vivian. “Your mother doesn’t know about this?”
She shook her head. Her mother would never see this statement. Her mother could never know this. She took the paper from Charlie’s hands and set it on the side table. She should burn it, she thought. Get rid of the evidence of her father’s terrible criminal past for good. Then again, it was evidence that might put Martin away where he belonged. For now, she’d let it sit there. Maybe she’d take it down to the safe-deposit box.
“How’s Uncle Freddy?”
“He’ll have one hell of a bump on his head, but he’ll pull through.”
Vivian grimaced, thinking of how she’d knocked him unconscious. He hadn’t done anything except lie to her to try to spare her feelings. How could she ever make that up to him?
“And how are you feeling, Viv?”
She swallowed. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I was up all night turning things over and over in my head. I still can’t believe Martin killed—” She broke off as the words stuck in her throat. “He’d said my father was like a father to him—and he was.” She felt the ire rising in her, and she tamped it down. Anger would do her no good now. What was done was done.
She stood, pulled the tie on her robe tighter, and headed toward the kitchen.
“Would you like some coffee? I was about to start a fresh pot.”
Charlie shook his head. “I only stopped by to put your mind at rest. Gilfoy’s behind bars. It’s over. Try to get some sleep, Viv.” He turned toward the door, but Vivian rushed forward and grabbed his hand, yanking him backward.
“Wait.”
She tugged him over to sit next to her on the sofa. He sat willingly, but he looked at her without expression. She took a deep breath.
“Can you keep a secret?” she asked.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Secrets are my business, remember?”
“Right,” she said. “Well, the thing is…” She looked into his eyes and lost her nerve. How on earth could she tell Charlie something like that about Graham? It was embarrassing to her, quite honestly. The man he thought—the man they had both thought—had come between them had never been a threat in that way. They’d wasted so much time. She shook her head at the thought. They had wasted time, yes, but there was no reason to waste any more. She took another deep breath and said it before she lost her nerve again.
“The thing is…I want to be with you, Charlie. I’ve always wanted to be with you.” She smiled at him then and half stood from her seat on the sofa to lean over and impetuously plant a kiss on his slightly parted lips. He responded immediately, grabbing her waist with both hands and pulling her down roughly onto his lap.
After a long moment, his lips moved to her ear and he whispered, “No offense, Viv, but that wasn’t much of a secret.” She laughed, eyes closed, her cheek resting against his.
“Wasn’t it?” She sighed. Then his lips moved to her neck, and she found that she was rapidly losing interest in what the real secret had been. She’d have to tell him about Graham, of course, but not now. For the first time in hours, her mind was no longer going round and round about her father or Martin. Now she could think of nothing but how Charlie’s lips roamed down her throat and over her collarbone, and where else they might roam if she let them. He lifted his head again and pulled slightly back, regarding her with half-closed eyes.
“And Yarborough?”
“That very fake relationship is over,” she said. Not technically true, she thought, but she would end it. Soon.
“What about the papers?”
“Oh, hang the papers.”
He smoothed her hair back from her face with his hand before kissing her forehead. “Hang the papers? Now those are words I never thought I’d hear Vivian Witchell say.”
Something important tried to work its way to the front of her mind as she watched Charlie’s lips curl into a smile. An event? An appointment? Something to do with the ad man? Something momentous happening today. Then Vivian slid her hand around to the back of Charlie’s neck and pulled his lips to hers again. Nothing as momentous as this, she thought.
Reading Group Guide
1. How do you think Vivian’s father’s death during her teenage years affected her? How have you been affected by the loss of a loved one, either during your adolescence or later in life?
2. Radio performances became less popular once TVs became affordable enough for people to have at home, but today podcasts have surged in popularity and brought back some of the enthusiasm for storytelling in an audio format. Do you listen to podcasts? If so, what are some of your favorites, and how does the experience of listening to a story differ from watching it on TV or in a movie?
3. Was the revelation about Graham’s personal life surprising to you? Do you blame him for not telling Vivian and encouraging their faux romance? What kind of challenges might he face as an openly gay man in show business in the 1930s?
4. The Darkness Knows is sponsored by Sultan’s Gold cigarettes, and they play commercials during the broadcast. How do old advertisements compare to today’s TV and radio commercials? Do you have any favorite commercial jingles?
5. Vivian finds herself attracted to both Charlie and Martin. What are the similarities and differences between the two men? What do you think Vivian finds attractive about each?
6. How i
s Vivian able to reconcile the memory of the father she loved with the fact that he worked for Al Capone? Have you ever discovered a damaging secret about someone you were close to? How did it affect your relationship with that person?
7. Did you suspect who the murderer was at any point before the revelation? What were the clues that pointed you toward one suspect over another?
8. What do you think Vivian and Graham’s relationship will be like now that their staged romance is over?
A Conversation with the Author
Homicide for the Holidays is the second book in the Viv & Charlie mystery series. What were some of the challenges of writing the second book as opposed to the first? Were there elements of the storytelling process that were easier this time around?
I’ve never written a series, so that was the major challenge. In a series, you not only need to keep the individual plot of that particular book going but also keep all the balls in the air from the previous book while planting seeds for all future books.
Homicide for the Holidays was half-written when I signed the contract for the series, so I had most of the research done about radio, the time period, and Chicago. That made it easier to focus on the story itself.
Why did you decide to include Al Capone as a character in Homicide for the Holidays? Did you learn anything surprising about him as you were doing research for the book?
How could I write a series set in 1930s Chicago without mentioning Al Capone? Capone was actually in Alcatraz in December 1938, so it’s really more the shadow of Capone and his era in this book. I based Vivian’s father, Arthur Witchell, on a real life associate of Capone’s named Eddie O’Hare (the father of the war hero Butch O’Hare and where O’Hare Airport got its name). I found Eddie’s story first and then worked Capone into Arthur’s story backward.
I think it’s surprising how quickly Capone rose to the top and how short his reign in Chicago actually was. He took control of the organization in 1925 and was convicted of tax evasion in October 1931. In only six years he created such an international reputation that people still mention him today when I tell them I live in Chicago (along with Michael Jordan, of course).
What are some of your favorite films and radio shows from the 1930s?
Radio shows: Jack Benny, Lights Out, Big Town, Burns and Allen, Lux Radio Theatre, Mercury Theatre on the Air. My absolute favorite radio show, Suspense, didn’t come on the air until 1942.
Films: The Thin Man, My Man Godfrey, Bringing Up Baby, It Happened One Night, Top Hat, Swing Time, Red Dust. (There are too many to mention, but I love anything screwball comedy, musical, or pre-code.)
Who are some of your favorite authors? Do you think any of them have inspired your writing style?
I was directly inspired to try my hand at historical mystery (with a dash of romance) by Deanna Raybourn and Tasha Alexander. I think everything I’ve read influences my writing style. I think what most directly influenced it, though, was writing notes to my friends in high school. I learned to inflect drama and excitement into the events of an otherwise boring fifth period study hall.
What do you think Vivian would be like if she had lived in the twenty-first century? Would she have a career or a family, or both? How would her relationship with Charlie change?
A woman in the 1930s usually chose one or the other—career or marriage and family (if she had the luxury to be able to choose). You don’t see many women from that period that were successful as actresses and also had happy home lives. (Think Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, etc.…) One or the other usually suffered. I’m sure there were women who made it work, but the gender roles were so much more rigidly defined then.
You see Vivian struggle with the idea of marriage in this book (and even more so in the next book in the series). I think it might still be a struggle for her in the twenty-first century, but her options wouldn’t be nearly as limited. After all, I have a career and family (though I’m not entirely sure of my level of success with either…kidding), but at least I have the option.
I think her relationship with Charlie would probably be a little more relaxed in the twenty-first century. He’s supportive of her acting career in the 1930s, but is a little threatened by her independence. I don’t think that would be such a threat to him in the twenty-first century. I’d like to think Charlie would support Vivian’s career ambitions—and also gladly cook dinner and do the laundry.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my agent, Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli, for being my champion. Thanks to my editor, Anna Michels, for loving my characters as much as I do and being the master of constructive feedback. Thanks to Barak and Kate, of course, for giving me the time and space to create. Thanks to my beta readers—Jessica Crawford, Marla Kelsey, and Julie Shaner Jones—who let me know if I was on the right track (or not) with my first few drafts of this book.
And finally, thanks to the readers who have reached out to me to express their own love of old-time radio. You’re kindred spirits, all of you.
About the Author
Photo by Scott Lawrence
Cheryl Honigford is the author of The Darkness Knows, the Daphne Award–winning first installment in the Viv and Charlie Mystery series. She lives in the suburbs of Chicago where she enjoys listening to old-time radio, watching classic movies, tumbling down historical research rabbit holes, and living vicariously through her writing.
Thank you for reading!
At Sourcebooks we are always working on something new and exciting, and we don’t want you to miss out.
So sign up now to receive exclusive offers, bonus content, and always be the first to get the scoop on what’s new!
SIGN UP NOW!
Homicide for the Holidays Page 31