Her memory tingled and she turned, shouting a warning. She barely escaped the arms reaching from behind her. Nearby, Teddy screamed, kicking at her assailant. Percival thumped on the third, trying to get his cane free.
The youngest thug grabbed at her again. No time to get the gun out. Cornelia struck him instead with the black leather purse, made heavier with the weapon.
“Ow!” He clutched his elbow, stepping back.
She popped the bag open and freed the gun. “Get out of here, if you know what’s good for you!”
He ran. Next to her, Uncle Percival fell to the ground. The other attackers had also fled. She helped him up and looked for his cane. She found Teddy’s first. Unfortunately, Teddy wasn’t with it.
A car roared to life on the street nearby and sped away. In the back, she spotted a struggling shape in red.
Rollo and his company were summoned to the Professor’s room at the hotel, where Cornelia informed them of the revolting development.
Her uncle fumed in his comfy chair. “I should have seen this coming…I should have been prepared. Blast it all, I have a dozen devices that could have been useful, all at home on my workbench!”
“We were focused on their seizing Roland,” Cornelia said. “When they saw that he was securely guarded, they took a presumed family member hostage. Good strategy. We need to meet it with our own.”
She turned to the earnest young men. “If this involves gambling, then the mob is somehow involved. Where gangsters are, there is liquor. Rollo!”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Where do your more…rambunctious classmates go for a little fun?”
“There’s the movie theater, and pep rallies, and the glee—” The glare in Cornelia’s eyes silenced him.
“I wasn’t clear. Where do you go for a drink in this town?”
“Well—um, I, of course never—”
Professor Pettijohn broke in. “We’re not talking about responsible students such as yourself, Rollo. Where would a young rapscallion go for a swell party?”
The youth flushed. “There’s this place near campus…”
“That’s where we’ll start,” Cornelia said.
“What? You can’t just walk up to a speakeasy and ask if they’re holding a little old lady hostage!”
He was met with glares by both his seniors.
“Teddy was injured by mustard gas during the Great War,” the Professor said. “Perhaps she appears older than she is.”
Cornelia growled. “Just tell us about this place.”
Rollo told her about the speakeasy, located in one of the older rooming houses in town.
“What do you have in mind, Cornelia?” Percival asked, when the young man finished.
“You and I need to change our appearance,” she said. “We’ll never get through the door if they recognize us.”
“She’s right about that,” Rollo said. “You’ll have to lose the distinctive cane too, Uncle Percy. That guy you whacked isn’t likely to forget it.”
“The beard too,” Cornelia said. “You’ll look like a different man without the whiskers.”
Professor Pettijohn was apoplectic.
“I haven’t shaved since I was twenty,” he protested. “And what about you? I don’t see any way we can change your appearance enough to get by the guards.”
“No,” she said, “but my demeanor, that’s another matter. I’ll use Teddy’s cane and borrow a few items, make myself look older and a little more frail.”
The professor gave her a skeptical look that she ignored.
“Once we’re inside,” she continued, “a couple of these lads could create a distraction while we position ourselves near inside doors or stairways.”
“Ah, places we can search,” Percival said.
“Exactly. They aren’t going to be holding Teddy in the barroom.”
She paused and looked around at the young serious faces. These boys reminded her of the doughboys she’d watched going off to the trenches. Cornelia couldn’t let them attempt a rescue while thinking this was a lark, not even for her dear Teddy.
“These men will be armed,” she said. “I won’t think any less of you and your friends if you don’t wish to be further involved, Rollo.”
Rollo thought about her warning for a moment.
“What sort of man would I be if I didn’t help a lady in distress?” he said, looking at the Professor. “I can’t speak for the rest of the guys though.”
One of the football players said, “Shucks Rollo, Sibley would never forgive us if a lady got hurt on behalf of the team. She’s not even an Indiana fan.”
Cornelia turned her attention to her uncle.
“Do you have something that would create a diversion? I don’t know what you’ve brought with you, but we need the sort of diversion that would draw the attention of everyone in the room long enough for these lads to disappear into other parts of the building.”
“Rollo, fetch that heavy leather bag,” the professor said.
“What have you got in there, sir?”
“A diversion. Now set it up here on the table.”
The youth did so with a heavy oof.
“Gentlemen, meet Hot Tamale, the University of Kentucky mascot, or at least a replica of her. The live Kentucky wildcat is only allowed to attend outdoor sporting events.”
He opened the case, revealing a life-sized bronze wildcat. With a flick of his finger, he released the key and the wildcat rose to standing height and let out a roar that made everyone but the professor jump for cover.
Pettijohn let out a great barrel laugh that sent him into a fit of coughing. When he recovered, he grinned at his niece.
“What do you think? Distracting enough?”
“Uncle Percy, you’ve outdone yourself. A clockwork wildcat. Who else would think of such a thing?”
“The young people can take Hot Tamale with them,” Professor Pettijohn said. “When the guard asks what’s in the bag it will be easy enough for them to claim to have come to celebrate liberating the Kentucky mascot.”
As the professor talked, he rewound the clockwork key and set the lock to hold it in place.
“She is all ready to roar,” he said. “Flip the lock off, and you’ll have their attention.”
Teddy, sitting in a strange bedroom, eyed her surroundings. The coverlet on the bed was thin and stained. The ewer on the nearby stand was cracked, and the furniture had seen better days. A nearby shelf held a collection of adventure novels. The room of a young man, then. Music and laughter echoed from below.
She eyed her captor, seated beside the door. “I don’t believe we were ever introduced. I’m Theodora Lawless.”
He snorted.
“Is this your room?”
The thug shook his head. “Don’t get curious.”
“It’s too late for that, I’m afraid.” She gestured at the floor. “Do the sounds below come from a speakeasy?”
“Don’t ask.”
“Too late again. I’ve already asked. Do they serve bathtub gin, or something of a better quality?”
He turned his chair aside and pulled his fedora further down on his face. “Lady, you’re killing me. Quit yer yappin.’”
Teddy hmphed. “If you’re going to hold me prisoner, especially at a party, the least you could do is provide me with refreshments. It reflects badly on the host.”
“Tell him yerself. I hear him coming up the stairs. Maybe he’ll give ya a glass of water.”
She stood and faced the door. As an afterthought, she fluffed her white curls.
A heavyset older man entered the room. “Is this her, Grunt?” A younger man, gun in hand, blocked the doorway behind him.
“Hugo!”
He stared at her. “Do I know you, lady?”
“You should. From the infirmary at Verdun. You had a leg injury. Remember Nurse Teddy?”
The younger men gaped as Hugo pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket and squinted. “Nurse Teddy! From the War!”
“This has all been a terrible misunderstanding. I don’t know why I’m being held.”
“What are you even doing here, ma’am? I heard that they sent you to Arizona. After you were hurt.”
“I lived there for a while. I came to see the game with Cornelia and her uncle. You may remember—”
“The Iron Petticoat is here, too?” He grinned at the young man behind him. “No wonder Tarzan here was having so much trouble.”
“Ah, this must be your room, then,” Teddy smiled. “The Burroughs fan.”
“And she has an uncle,” Hugo mused. “He must be older’n Moses. So, is Sibley your relative or hers?”
“Neither. Rollo, the young man Lord Greystoke attacked, is with the pep band.”
Hugo turned now to scowl at both men. “You went after the wrong guy?”
“He looked like the picture, Boss,” the man called ‘Grunt’ said. “Tall and a hair part near the middle. It’s not like he was gonna wear his playin’ togs all the time.”
“Yeah, but Tarzan here was supposed to know better. He’s the local guy.”
“Maybe he hasn’t attended many games,” Teddy said. “And, really, Rollo does resemble Mr. Sibley.”
“She’s lying about him not being Sibley,” the young man said. “She’s trying to protect him.”
Now Teddy frowned. “I do not prevaricate, young man. I came with Cornelia to see Kentucky play.”
“He was surrounded by the guys from the football team.”
“Rollo’s a popular boy. He’d been attacked, so they were protecting him. It’s not his fault he looks like your star player.”
Grunt slapped their junior partner’s head. “They sent us a ringer!”
“But she was wearin’ a red coat,” Tarzan whined. “Indiana’s red.”
“I happen to look good in red.”
“Rats. Why didn’tcha look good in green?”
“I do,” Teddy said, adjusting her curls. “Green wasn’t in style this year.”
Rollo and his elders eyed the rooming house from a distance.
“Now what do we do? Sneak in from the back?”
“Oh, no,” Cornelia said. “That’s how most of the clientele enter. Plus, they’ll have lookouts stationed to watch for police raids.”
Both men turned to stare at her.
“You seem quite the expert, Corny dear,” the Professor commented.
“Teddy has a prescription for medicinal alcohol. It helps with her cough. Unfortunately, our pharmacy isn’t always dependable. At home, we can turn to Mr. Scroggins, but we have to make other arrangements on the road.”
“Scroggins…? I recall an old Luther Scroggins who lived your way. He served me my first drink of corn liquor. I thought he had passed away.”
“This is his son.” She remembered how touched Lester had been by the embroidered curtains Teddy had given him for Christmas. Poor Teddy…
“I hope his product is better. Luther’s was mostly good for removing paint.”
Rollo sighed. “What about Miss Lawless? How will we get her out of there?”
“Have any of your more adventurous friends ever mentioned the password?” Cornelia asked.
Rollo lowered his head and his ears reddened.
“You knock three times, pause and knock three more times. Then say ‘Lil sent me’ when the guy opens the peep hole.”
“Rollo,” one of his beefy companions complained.
Cornelia silenced him with a glance.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Cousin, I can’t take you to a joint like that,” Rollo said, waving in the direction of the building across the street. “Grandma Genevieve would roll over in her grave.”
“My sister, God rest her, would understand the necessity of rescuing a lady in distress.” Professor Pettijohn insisted.
“But…” his voice failed in the face of his elders’ resolute expressions.
“You will not be taking me, Rollo,” she said. “You and your friends should go ahead of us to the club. If they don’t know you are with us, it will be easier to get into position. Just don’t do anything until we get there.”
“She’s right,” the Professor said. “We might be recognized, but they have never seen the three of you before. We’re all safer if we’re not together. If they grab us, you boys get out of there fast and let your coach know what happened.”
“One more thing,” Cornelia cautioned. “When we start searching, be ready to leave. Any gunplay, you lads go for the police. I would rather be in a position to let officers do the searching, but they won’t investigate just because we think Miss Lawless is there. Tell them you heard a gunshot and they’ll be there faster than you can blink.”
“What about you?” the nearest one asked.
Cornelia chuckled. “Bless you lad. I’ve been through more wars than you’re old enough to remember. Believe me, I know how to duck and hide when guns start going off.”
“Go on now,” the professor said, “and put a little swagger into your step. Stealing our mascot was quite a caper.”
“Our turn, Uncle,” Cornelia said, giving her uncle an admiring look. Shaving had taken twenty years off the professor’s appearance.
Cornelia wanted to do just the opposite with her own appearance. She’d pulled on Teddy’s crocheted hat and wrapped the matching shawl around her shoulders. Anyone watching would have been amazed at the transformation. Her body seemed to shrink in on itself. Back bent, shoulders stooped, and with a slightly trembling hand she reached out and took the professor by the arm.
Together, the professor and his niece ambled across the street. Cornelia pretended to need to pause and rest, partly to allow Professor Pettijohn to catch his breath and partly to give herself the chance to glance around the area for potential lookouts. She thought she caught sight of a curtain moving in an upstairs window of the butcher shop overlooking the back entrance. It was impossible to know if the person watching was a lookout, or merely a nosy shopkeeper. Gossip was the lifeblood of small-town society.
Once her uncle’s breathing sounded less strained, and the young people were safely ensconced in the club, Cornelia thought it safe for them to approach the door.
Professor Pettijohn delivered the knock as directed and waited for the small wooden window to open.
“Lil sent me,” he said when a pair of eyes peered out at him from under heavy brows.
“Aren’t you a little old for this, Gramps?” a gruff voice replied.
The professor’s barrel chest puffed and his chin tilted a little higher.
“I’m old enough to remember when it wasn’t a crime to have an afternoon drink.”
Cornelia kept quiet.
“Settle down Gramps, you’ll have your afternoon toddy soon,” the big man said as he closed the window.
They could hear a metal latch being thrown open. Soon they would be inside where she could begin searching for Teddy. Cornelia tried to tamp down her eagerness and keep up the pretence of being infirm. It wasn’t easy. Her dear Theodora could be injured or worse. Who knew what these hooligans might do to insure victory?
When the door opened they were greeted by a hallway smelling of stale cigars and cheap perfume. Cornelia surmised that the cigars belonged to the doorman, who had the unlit stub of one clenched in the corner of his mouth.
“That way, Gramps,” the man said, pointing to a door at the far end of the hallway. “Can you make it that far?”
Cornelia could feel her uncle’s muscles tighten at the implication.
“Steady, Uncle,” she said, holding fast to his arm.
The retired Professor had spent a lifetime designing and building fantastic machines. In her youth, she had watched him lift parts that must have weighed hundreds of pounds. Time had robbed him of physical strength, but even at his advanced age, Percival Pettijohn’s keen mind made him a formidable enemy. She would never have dared speak to him in such a condescending tone.
Pettijohn straightened to
his full height, tipped his hat to the roughen, and turned away.
“Come along my dear,” he said, “we won’t stay long in this establishment. I just need to clear the dust from my throat before the game.”
Despite the rudeness of the doorman, the club was surprisingly well appointed. It must also have been well insulated against noise. A jazz band was playing, and she hadn’t heard a single note until they reached the door. At the opposite end of the long room, a bartender stood behind the mahogany bar, behind him a large gilded mirror reflected the glow of some two dozen polished brass lamps lining the walls. A pair of matching chandeliers hung above the dark wood tables.
To the left of the bar, a flight of stairs appeared to be the only way out other than the door they entered through. Cornelia surmised that the owners of the establishment must be paying a handsome sum for protection, since they had no good way for patrons to escape a police raid.
She spotted the college men gathered around a table near the center of the room. The youngsters had the professor’s case open and were elaborating to the flappers at an adjoining table how they had come into possession of Kentucky’s mascot.
The professor paused long enough to catch Rollo’s eye, then guided Cornelia towards the bar. He ordered a beer for himself and a sidecar for the lady.
When the drinks came, Cornelia drifted to the end of the bar nearest the stairs and leaned against the wall, pretending to listen to the music.
It didn’t take the Professor long to engage the bartender into a rousing discussion of the game. After several minutes of pointing out the merits of various players, he ordered a second beer. While the bartender’s back was turned, Pettijohn signaled Rollo.
Rollo released the lock.
The bartender dropped Professor’s Pettijohn’s fresh beer when the wildcat let out a bloodcurdling roar.
“What the devil was that?” he sputtered, not noticing that Cornelia was gone.
The roar did not go unnoticed upstairs.
Hugo, who had been sharing a drink with Teddy, jumped to his feet. “Tarzan, Grunt. Go down and find out what’s going on.” They ran out, and he stood near the door, readying his gun.
Hoosier Hoops and Hijinks Page 13