Gilbert’s head popped out from the low doorway. “Is he headed back?”
“No. But I think you should come.”
“Keep watch. I’ll hurry.” He ducked back into the dim room before she could plead with him.
The docks were bustling with action, but she couldn’t see the sailor they’d met. He’d been wearing a dingy top and had long dark hair.
She craned her neck, looking as far as she could in every direction. The sailor was nowhere to be seen, so she relaxed for a moment. When she looked back toward the gangplank, a man was halfway up it. Not the sailor from before. This man was older and walked like a man in charge. She wasted no time and pounded on the door of the captain’s quarters, banging as hard and fast as she could.
“Come now,” she hissed in a loud whisper, then left her spot and scurried up the stairs toward the man, ready and willing to do what she must to protect Gilbert.
“Excuse me,” she said as she hurried across the deck.
“What in tarnation?” The man swore under his breath as he surveyed her. His mouth dropped open, and Hazel took a step back, afraid he recognized her, but she could not think from where. No matter who he was, she had to keep her composure.
“My husband”—she looked back over her shoulder, relieved to see Gilbert only a few steps away—“and I were hoping to ship some supplies on this boat.”
“So you came aboard and decided to have a look around?” Skepticism oozed from his words. “What’s your name?”
“Gilbert McDowell,” Gilbert said, using her pseudonym. “One of your shipmates told us we could look around. I apologize if that was an inconvenience.”
The man’s eyes didn’t move to Gilbert. They stayed firmly planted on Hazel. “And your name?”
“Mrs. McDowell,” she said to the man before turning back to Gilbert. “I believe we’ll be late to meet the rest of our party if we don’t go.”
“I thought you wanted a look around.” The man moved closer. “I’m the captain of this vessel. You want to know about her, I’m the man to ask.”
“I feel assured that it’s watertight and in good condition. I believe any further inquiries can be made later,” Gilbert said as he backed slowly toward the gangplank.
The captain spit before saying, “If you’re up to some sort of nonsense, I’ll find out.”
“No need to worry yourself,” Gilbert said as they moved away from the captain and the ship. Perfectly in sync, they walked across the wooden docks, leaving the Sally Belle behind them.
“We have to go quickly.” Hazel tried to catch her breath and calm her shaking hands. “The way he looked at me—”
“He recognized you, but I’m not sure he knows where from,” Gilbert said as he pulled her around the corner of a building and wrapped his arms around her. She fell into them, grateful he’d sensed her near-bursting emotions. “You’re safe. We’ll work fast and get this sorted out before he has a chance to do anything.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever met him, but I suppose I could have. I met a lot of people while I was married to Nathaniel. Did you find anything? How can we act fast if we have no clues?”
“Nothing that proves he’s guilty, but I found some opium. Not a lot, but the way it was packaged didn’t look like a personal supply.” He shrugged. “Maybe it was. I don’t know how much people typically take at a time, but I think it may be a clue.”
“Opium.” A sob she’d not anticipated burst from her, and anger followed. It made sense, or it could at least. Opium dens riddled the city. “Nathaniel died for opium. They killed him.” She pounded her fists against his chest. “I spent five years—”
“Shhh.” He rubbed her back. “This isn’t your fault. None of this is.”
When the tears slowed, she once again became aware of their need to take action. Later, she could feel it all, but right now she had to think. She wiped her face and quickly apologized for her lapse in control.
“Don’t be sorry, but you’re right. We need to solve this in a hurry.” They stepped out from their alley hiding place and started back toward the heart of the city. “What is Nathaniel’s father like? If we told him what we know, what would he do?”
“I haven’t seen him since my trial.” Hazel shivered. “It was a horrible day. My mother cried, but my father wouldn’t even look at me. And all the people I had thought were my friends . . . I could feel them jeering.”
“And Nathaniel’s father?”
“Hugo Williams.” Her heart ached. “He looked so sad and ashamed. I don’t think I could ever face him again. He’d agreed with my father and been a part of the marriage, but he hadn’t liked it.”
“I’m very sorry.”
“Hugo’s an honorable man. When my father told him my reputation could be ruined because we were caught together at the park so late, he agreed to the marriage and convinced Nathaniel it was his duty. Hugo and I did eventually become friends, but then everything fell apart. I can only imagine what he has thought of me all these years.” Hazel shook her head, frustrated and overwhelmed by all she felt at that moment. “If we can find out who put the jewels in my house and link it to Nathaniel’s death, then maybe those feelings could be redeemed and Hugo would look at me like family again.” Her chin quivered. “Gil, I want my family back.”
“Then that is what I will fight to give you.” He quickened his step. “We’ll set it right.”
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
“You ever heard of a Patrick Harper?” Duncan asked before taking a bite of bread. The four friends sat around a back table in a little restaurant on the south side of Buffalo.
Hazel shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“So no one ever told you whose jewelry it was they found in your home?”
“No, not exactly. The police came to my home saying they suspected I was involved in a burglary. They searched my home without my consent, and when they found the jewels, they arrested me. I was not in my right mind after losing Nathaniel. At the trial, the words and everyone’s faces blurred together. They spoke of a woman’s jewelry, but they didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t know her.” Hazel set down her fork with a clang. “I believe my guilty verdict was decided before the trial began. I’m partially to blame, as I had no great character witnesses.”
“Who is Patrick Harper?” Gilbert asked Duncan.
Duncan cleared his throat. “He’s an immensely wealthy man who’s made his living off speculating. But my friend believes there may be more going on than just that. We were able to dig up three other cases where he was the accuser. In Hazel’s case, he was the one who brought charges against her on behalf of a Charlotte Lowell. We spent the morning asking questions wherever we deemed safe, but looking at all these cases makes us believe Nathaniel was right and there are crooked police involved. The three cases were all absurd—no motives, little evidence, and speedy verdicts. And Patrick Harper’s name keeps popping up.”
“But why?” Hazel shook her head, still unable to put the pieces together. “I know it connects, but how? Does Patrick have connections to the boat?”
The door of the restaurant opened with a loud squeak. In sauntered Eddie. “Sorry I’m late.”
“How are your friends?” Gilbert asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“They’re all married.” Eddie spat the last word out like he was discussing the plague. He sat and reached for a roll. “It seems that despite someone’s efforts to keep them from ever settling down, they all have.”
Hazel looked at her plate. With her fork, she drew lines in her potatoes. Would the guilt never cease? With Eddie around, she felt as though she were forever doing the dance of shame.
Eddie ripped a piece off a roll and buttered it. “They remember a lot of what happened when Nathaniel died.”
“What do they remember?” Hazel asked.
“They remember him talking about smuggling and his parents’ boats, but they didn’t take him seriously at the time because th
ey figured he was going out at night to get away from his wife, and the boats and smuggling were just an excuse. Married life must have been worse than I’d imagined for him, to find the docks a more enjoyable atmosphere than his home.” Eddie leaned back in his chair, a smug look on his face. “They also remember how much they disliked you.”
“Is that why no one would plead my case? Their grudge with me was more powerful than their loyalty to Nathaniel?”
He shook his head. “When no one investigated, they accepted the cross fire story and moved on. They all believed you were capable of stealing the jewels, though they couldn’t guess why you’d do such a thing.”
“But I didn’t steal them, and I did nothing to cause his death,” she said, only to see Eddie sneering at her. She threw her napkin down. Eddie’s company exhausted her. He reminded her of the many times she’d tried to prove how changed she was and how no matter what, there was no changing some people’s minds. It was as though they wanted to continue seeing her as flawed, unfeeling, and manipulative.
Hazel turned on Eddie and with passion said, “I was far from perfect. If you would like me to grovel or shout it from the rooftops, I will. But I am innocent in this case. And Nathaniel at least deserved to have people standing up for him.”
Gilbert put a hand on hers. “Eddie knows you’re innocent. Don’t you, Eddie?”
Eddie kept chewing for a few more moments. Just staring at them. “I don’t think you had any part in killing Nathaniel, and I don’t think you stole any jewels. Still doesn’t make you a good person. And you’re far from innocent.”
“Oh, but she is a good person,” Ina said in Hazel’s defense.
“Let him think what he likes.” Hazel smiled weakly at Ina before turning back to Eddie. “Tell me, what do you think happened to Nathaniel? What’s your theory?”
“I think someone found out that he knew about the smuggling.”
“The smuggling may still be happening. I found opium in the captain’s quarters of the Sally Belle,” Gilbert said. “It makes sense that it’d be something ongoing like opium to feed the dens and not a onetime thing. Otherwise, I doubt Nathaniel could have compiled much information.”
Eddie licked his lips. “Opium dens are hidden all over the city, and if Nathaniel was interfering with the deliveries, whoever is behind them would kill him to keep him quiet. And the jewels. I think that was to keep you quiet and to humiliate Nathaniel’s family. His family is wealthy and could have spent a fortune investigating their son’s death. Instead, they mourned privately and hid from society because of the shame brought to their family by their daughter-in-law.”
“It fits with everything I’ve found,” said Duncan.
“It makes sense.” Gilbert leaned forward, both elbows on the table. “How do we prove it?”
“I don’t know,” Eddie said. “What difference does it make? She’ll never get those years back, and Nathaniel, well, he’s not coming back. It’s too late for any of this to matter.”
Gilbert glared at his brother. “It makes all the difference, and if you weren’t stuck in a sour mood, you’d admit it. It means Hazel can walk through Buffalo without the gossips wagging their tongues about her past. It removes the shame from her family and allows her to reconcile with Nathaniel’s family. But more than all that, if we can stop what Nathaniel was trying to stop, it means his death amounted to something.”
Hazel wanted to applaud Gilbert. Her shy and quiet friend had found not only his voice but also an eloquence of speech.
“You may have your own personal qualms with Hazel,” Gilbert continued. “You must sort that out yourself. But if you are half the man I remember you being, then you’ll see the injustice of it all.”
Eddie chuckled. “Listen to you. You’ve got no trouble speaking anymore.” He stood. “I’ve promised another old friend I’d meet him this afternoon, but I’ll do what I can to help. I have time that needs to be filled.”
Eddie grabbed another roll from the table before ambling away as though he had no cares in the world.
“Was he always like that?” Ina asked. “He seems very . . . confident.”
“He has always been good at heart, but he can carry a grudge,” Gilbert answered. To Hazel he said, “What was he like when you knew him?”
Hazel hated discussing memories she wished to forget. “It’s been years. I don’t remember too much.”
“What are your plans for the afternoon?” Ina asked as though they were on holiday. If only they were and they could explore the city, shop, and relax.
“I think we’ll see what we can discover about Charlotte Lowell,” Gilbert said. “Do you want to join us?”
“Thank you, but we are going to try to meet with a judge Duncan knows and trusts,” Ina replied. “How will you find Charlotte?”
“It won’t be too hard,” Duncan offered. “Ride with us to the courthouse, and we will see if there are any records in her name. If she’s married or if she has any legal records, I think I can find a way to access them. Legal forms should list her address on them. She must be well-known to have jewels worth stealing.”
“That’s a wonderful plan,” Hazel said to Duncan, then turned to Ina. “Before we go, will you show me your dress? I know we have to hurry, but it’d only take a minute.”
Ina sprang from her seat. “Yes! We left it at the coat check.”
She and Ina bounded away from the table like two schoolgirls despite the looming threats and unanswered questions.
“How was shopping with Duncan?” Hazel asked after they’d gotten the box and stepped down a quiet hallway with it.
“It was so nice. I fear he’s ruining all ordinary things for me.”
“Ruining them?”
“Now that I’ve had him with me dress shopping, I’ll probably never enjoy it quite so much on my own. Everything is better when he is there.” The string came undone and fell away from the box.
The dress was a soft yellow with a few small embellishments, a bit of lace, and a ruffle. Most would call it simple, but compared to her dull gray dresses, it might as well have been a ball gown. “Oh, Ina! It’s lovely.”
“Duncan plans to take me to a concert. I think I’ll wear it then.”
“That’s exciting.”
“Today while we were walking the streets of Buffalo, so many people were around. I don’t like crowds of people that I don’t know. I never have. He held my arm while we walked, and he introduced me to people during our meetings. I almost felt like he was proud to have me by his side.” She fingered her red chin. “It didn’t matter much today. He wasn’t embarrassed, so I wasn’t either.”
Hazel put her arms around her friend and kissed her cheek. “Never be embarrassed. You are in a class of your own, and Duncan seems to realize that. We should go back. They are probably wondering what’s gotten into us. We need to settle all this so we can fill our days with concerts, yellow dresses, and a little girl named Amy.”
“Do you think it’s safe to go to her house?” Hazel asked Gilbert as they set out to find Charlotte. They’d talked of renting a ride, but with the weather still moderate, they opted instead to walk. Now, with her legs burning, she questioned the wisdom of that decision. “We don’t know a thing about her. I was told she signed a testimony privately. I’ve never even seen the woman.”
“It was all handled poorly. There should have been questioning.”
“I can’t change that now. But I do worry about you and the others being safe.”
“None of this is safe. But we’re in this far. Besides, it’s been years. There won’t be spies hiding in the bushes waiting for you.” He put the paper with the address that Duncan had found on a marriage license in his pocket. “Can I ask you a question while we walk?”
“You want to know more about me and Eddie.” She’d expected the question, and though she dreaded answering it, she did appreciate his waiting for them to be alone before asking.
“Will you tell me?”
“He w
as staying with Carl Kaine, the friend he ended up going west with. Carl was engaged to be married to Georgia Upton. They were happy together, and Eddie blames me for coming between Carl and Georgia.” She brushed her windblown hair from her face, wishing she could brush the past away as easily. “And he has every right to blame me.”
“What happened between you and Carl?”
“Nothing really, or at least it felt like nothing back then. I flirted with him. We went on afternoon strolls, but he didn’t realize he was merely a diversion. He called off his engagement, but of course, I didn’t want to marry him. Eddie told me I was the reason for his friend’s broken heart. I can’t remember all the colorful words Eddie used, but I remember how angry he was. The rumor was that Eddie and his friends concocted the plan to catch me in the park with Nathaniel, but I never knew for certain how that all came about. I do know he was there in the trees the night I was cornered, so he was involved. After that I never saw him again.”
“Eddie never courted you?”
“No.”
“Why aren’t you angry with him for what he did to you?” he asked. “You have every right to be.”
“It sounds trite, but I wanted to change. And I began by forgiving others. Besides, I can’t imagine he knew how far it would go.” Hazel stopped and searched Gilbert’s face, hoping to find understanding.
Gilbert stopped too. He tucked the strands of hair that blew relentlessly across her face behind her ears, only to have them blow loose again. “I believe in forgiveness. I always have. Did Eddie ever tell you why he left home?”
“I recall something about a falling out, but I don’t think he ever told me the details.”
They walked in silence until they rounded a corner. “I think the house is on this street.”
“It can’t be. Someone with expensive jewels wouldn’t live here.” She looked at the little houses all lined up in a row, all the same. Boxes with roofs on them and small front yards. “You must have the wrong address.”
A Lady in Attendance Page 17