He dropped off the paperwork at the front desk and asked the sergeant to call a cab. The air outside was damp and full of the promise of fog, but the night was clear and awash in misty stars. He leaned against the station wall, watching the sky. Deep breaths of cold air cleared Gabe’s head and made it easier to think beyond the empty ache in his chest.
Treason was an easier charge to prove against Effie Fontaine than murder. He’d do what was necessary to find justice for Sal and Sung Lan, Archie Baldwin, Thad Harper, and all her unknown victims. It really didn’t matter if she was convicted of murder or treason. Fontaine would go to the gallows either way.
Maybe then he could sleep at night and the nightmares about his sister would stop.
The cab pulled up. He straightened his shoulders and crossed the sidewalk to the curb, muttering to himself. “If wishes were horses, Ryan, then all could ride. Go home.”
CHAPTER 21
Delia
The night Sal and Pearl Rosen died, Gabe and I slept in each other’s arms. We both needed comfort and to know the other one was there, warm, alive and safe.
That someone could snatch Sal and Pearl’s lives away in an instant shook me as deeply as it did Gabe. We’d talked for hours before finally giving in to exhaustion and the need for sleep. Gabe told me about discovering that Miss Fontaine was a German citizen, and I told him all about our encounter with Maximillian. Neither of us had any doubt that Effie Fontaine was behind the Rosens’ so-called accident. The reason why she’d had them killed was a question we couldn’t answer.
For the first time since we’d been married, Gabe left his pistol on the nightstand, in plain sight and near to hand. I knew that fear wasn’t what made him leave the gun out, but caution. Our house wasn’t ringed in policemen standing watch the way Jack’s and Dora’s homes were. Neither of us knew what Fontaine would do next or how far she’d go. He wouldn’t take the risk of not having the gun within reach.
Mai crouched on the pillow near our heads, blending into the shadows near the wall. Her green eyes were wide in the dark, watching the corners, and low growls woke me twice during the night. I’d no doubt she was guarding us, driving away nightmares and phantoms of Gabe’s guilt come back to haunt him.
Gabe was up and making breakfast when I stumbled into the kitchen the next morning, still bleary eyed and half-asleep. Mai was perched on the spare chair we rarely used, watching him intently. I’d grown somewhat used to seeing him put on the gun holster shortly before leaving for work. Today the pistol already hung at his side.
He smiled and gestured toward the table with a spatula. “Toast is ready and your eggs are almost done.”
I stood behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He smelled of shaving soap and gun oil, a combination that was familiar and foreign at the same time. “How are you? Don’t try to pretend everything’s fine, Gabe Ryan. I know you better than that.”
“Nothing is fine, Dee, nothing at all. I’m not trying to pretend otherwise. I’m furious about what happened to Sal and his wife, but scowling at you won’t bring them back. And I still have to do my job.” Gabe slid two eggs onto a platter already loaded with bacon and sliced potatoes. He cracked two more into the pan, breaking the yolks with the edge of the spatula. “I’ve already talked to Jack twice this morning. Judge Alger won’t issue a warrant for Fontaine’s arrest. He wants time to study the charges and make sure this isn’t a vendetta of some kind. Fontaine could be out of our jurisdiction by the time he gets around to answering. I never should have mentioned Commissioner Lindsey’s name in the warrant request or suggested the judge talk to him. There’s bad blood between them.”
I hugged him tight before finding butter and jam, salt and pepper and setting them in the center of the table. “I think there’s bad blood between Robert Lindsey and half the officials in San Francisco. You can’t let that keep you from going after her.”
“I won’t. But Judge Alger’s refusal means I have to let Dora go through with her crazy scheme of spying on Fontaine’s lecture. I’d feel much better if Jack and I could go inside with you.” He set the platter of eggs and potatoes on the table and held my chair, letting me get settled before sitting down himself. “This is one of those times I wish I didn’t believe everything that Dora tells me. Treating this as nothing but a police matter would be so much easier.”
“But you can’t and we all know that.” Toast crunched in my mouth, sweet with the taste of last summer’s strawberry jam. The pensive expression on Gabe’s face worried me. Maybe he’d decided to talk us out of going. I washed the toast down with tea and rushed to plead our case. “Dora and I have to get a look at her in order to understand what she does and how to stop her. Leaving things as they are is much too dangerous. Until we know what’s involved or what forces Miss Fontaine is tapping into, we won’t know where to begin.”
Gabe held a hand up defensively. “I know all that and I’m not trying to argue you out of anything. But that man you met with Dora, Maximillian, will be there too. Isadora’s afraid of him even if she doesn’t come out and say so. Anyone Dora’s afraid of worries the hell out of me. I don’t know how to protect you.”
The kitten leapt to the back of my chair, perching just over my shoulder and studying Gabe. Dora had begun jokingly calling Mai my familiar. I’d stopped thinking of it as a joke.
“You can’t protect us.” I took his hand, holding tight. “But Dora and I can find a way to protect ourselves. We’ll be all right, Gabe, I promise. Having Randy along will be an enormous help.”
“I’m allowed to worry.” He kissed my fingers before letting my hand go. “But I have to trust your judgment when it comes to ghosts and spirits. Just promise me that the three of you will stay together and leave as soon as possible. Don’t let Dora go off exploring on her own.”
“That’s an easy promise to make.” I spooned potatoes onto my plate. “And I can’t imagine Randy allowing Dora out of his sight.”
Gabe chewed his eggs slowly, gazing out the kitchen window and watching clouds blow in from the sea. He still finished everything on his plate and carried it to the sink before I’d half begun. That he was eating again was a good sign and made me worry less. He sat across from me again, keeping me company while I finished my breakfast.
“Jack and I will be just down the block from the church hall, and Henderson will be across the street, where he can see the side entrance. I’m trying to arrange the duty schedule for Finlay and Polk so I can station them in a car around the corner. I can trust them.” Gabe picked another slice of potato off the platter and popped it into his mouth. “My grandmother used to make fried potatoes like this every Sunday after church. I remember one week Gram caught Penelope trying to talk me out of my share before we even sat down for lunch. Gram scolded her for being greedy, but somehow Penelope ended up with an extra portion on her plate anyway.”
“Who’s Penelope?” He didn’t answer. I touched his arm and asked again. “Gabe, who is Penelope?”
Gabe jumped, red-faced and sheepish. He’d been staring out the window again, far away and lost in memories. I’d seen the same wistful longing in his eyes when he thought about his father. “Sorry. I don’t know why I never told you before. Penelope was my older sister. She died when I was three. Pen was five, nearly six.”
“You had a sister?” I sat back, twisting the napkin around my fingers and sternly telling myself not to make too much of this. Mai huddled against the back of my neck, purring softly. “How did she die?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure. We were visiting relatives back East and there was some kind of accident. I don’t remember much, other than my mother crying and Dad telling me Pen wasn’t coming home with us. Mom was so sad, I didn’t ask any questions.” Gabe drummed his fingers on the tabletop, frowning. “I’ve been dreaming about my sister the last few weeks. Nightmares mostly. I don’t remember anything about them when I wake up.”
I bit my lip, not wanting to say what leapt to mind and make it real.
The little girl spirit who’d invaded Gabe’s dreams and proved so insistent on gaining my attention might be his sister, but it was just as likely that she wasn’t. The spirit who’d attacked me and caused so much chaos in Mrs. Allen’s boarding house felt older, more canny, and she harbored secrets five-year-old Penelope Ryan couldn’t know.
Still, I’d no way to be certain, no proof of what was true or who this ghost had been. Perhaps that didn’t matter in the end. Her actions and what she wanted from Gabe and from me were more important.
Asking why this spirit had chosen now to drive a wedge between me and Gabe was the same snare I’d been caught in since she first appeared. Effie Fontaine was the answer I kept coming back to, but I wasn’t entirely sure I’d found the right question. If this ghost was Gabe’s sister, Penelope, I couldn’t conceive of a way her death could be tied to Miss Fontaine. Too many years lay between. Still, I’d speak to Dora.
“You’ll sleep better when this case is over.” I stood to clear the table, oddly reluctant to continue this conversation. The last thing I wanted to do was inadvertently summon the little girl spirit. “The lecture starts at seven thirty. Dora and Randy will call round just before six to pick me up. She sacked that strange little man, Nathan, last night, but Randy’s sure he can handle Daniel’s car. He swears it can’t be any bigger than his father’s farm truck.”
“He’s probably right.” Gabe carried the last of the breakfast dishes to the sink. He leaned against the edge of the drain board, rolling down his sleeves and watching me fill the sink with soapy water. “Why did Dora fire her driver?”
“That man, Maximillian, stopped to speak with Nathan outside the furriers.” I hid the shiver that rippled through me with the memory. “They were a bit too familiar for comfort. Dora decided it was safest to send Nathan away with the car. We waited inside the shop until Randy came to drive us home.”
“I’m suspicious of anyone with a connection to Fontaine, however slight. I’ll see what I can find out about Nathan.” An odd expression flashed across Gabe’s face, come and gone before I really saw it. He straightened his cuffs and took his jacket off the hook near the back door. “Has Dora heard from Daniel?”
“Not a word. She maintains she’s not worried, but I don’t believe her.”
“Neither do I.” Gabe brushed his fingers across my cheek before slipping on his jacket. “Does Dora have any inkling that Dodd’s falling in love with her?”
“No, I don’t think so. She takes adoration as her due, not as anything lasting or serious. She wouldn’t flirt so outrageously if she thought there was a chance of hurting someone.” I took his hand and walked him to the front door. “Isadora might be the only one who doesn’t know how Randy feels.”
“That will be rough once Daniel comes home. I hope Dodd’s prepared.” He studied my face, his expression far too solemn and serious, and kissed me good-bye. “You have a few hours before Dora arrives. See if you can come up with a foolproof plan that lets me arrest Fontaine without putting you in danger. I can think of better ways for us to spend an evening, Mrs. Ryan.”
“I’ll do my best, Captain Ryan, but last time I checked, you were the brilliant detective.” Sheer will and stubbornness let me smile. I refused to say good-bye as if I’d never see Gabe again. “Perhaps you’d do well to pull your weight and concoct a clever plan or two of your own. Or assign schemes to Jack as the junior officer. He must have picked up a trick or two from Sadie.”
He smiled, amusement filling his eyes, and opened the front door. “I’ll give that some thought.”
Two police cars sat at the curb. Gabe climbed into one for the drive to the station. The other car containing Perry and Taylor remained behind. Perry waved and smiled, letting me know they were watching over me until Gabe came home later.
I waved back and shut the door again, grateful that Gabe’s men were outside. That I deeply resented the necessity of being guarded and having my life disrupted wasn’t their fault.
The blame for that rested squarely on Effie Fontaine.
* * *
Dora and Randy arrived precisely on schedule. I couldn’t recall the last time Isadora was less than a fashionable ten minutes late. No doubt Randy Dodd deserved credit for her promptness.
“What do you think, Dee?” Isadora posed and turned in a slow circle, the scent of her perfume filling my sitting room. The chinchilla coat she’d bought was draped over an arm. “Will this fool the rubes?”
She was dressed to the nines as always, but there was an added air of understated wealth to the black silk taffeta skirt and jacket she’d chosen to wear. Diamonds and opals sparkled in the brooch pinned to her jacket, and the matching spray of gems pinned to the crown of her hat. Small rings—moonstone, lapis, and pale blue sapphires—glimmered on each finger of her right hand. A diamond graced the ring finger on her left.
Strangers who looked at her would see exactly what she meant them to see, a socialite with too much time to dabble in whatever caught her fancy, and more than enough money to indulge her whims. They wouldn’t see Dora as a threat nor guess at what she was capable of. And I doubted that anyone but Dora and I would know that every gem she wore had a purpose. They were part of her armor, another layer of protection and a source of strength.
“I think you look utterly stunning and elegant. Miss Fontaine will be quite upstaged.” I’d made my peace long ago with blending into the background while Dora and Sadie attracted all the attention. Their charm had a way of disarming people, making the most guarded person more open and willing to talk. Watching the reactions of those around us gave me a great deal of amusement.
And at times, like tonight, blending into the background served a purpose. I overheard and learned more if people took little notice that I was nearby.
Randy stood to one side, watching Dora and pulling at his starched collar. He looked decidedly uncomfortable with his hair slicked back and wearing an expensive suit, but dressed that way, Randy appeared much older, closer to Dora’s age. No one would think him a farm boy from Indiana. He made the perfect escort for Dora, tall and handsome, dignified and reserved.
“How long ago did the captain leave?” Randy grimaced as Dora tried to straighten his tie, but overall, he submitted with good grace. “I don’t want to arrive before he has everyone in place.”
“A little after five. Gabe wanted to allow plenty of time before the lecture started.” Mai sat on the back of the settee next to my coat, alternating washing her paws and her tail. The cat took no notice of me gathering my belongings in preparation of leaving, or that I’d checked my bag twice to make sure I had house keys. Her nonchalance was a stark contrast to the quivers in my stomach and the thunder of my pulse. “I don’t know how long it takes to reach the church, but I’m ready now. We can leave anytime.”
“One last thing before we go.” Dora pulled a small diamond horseshoe pin out of her bag and pinned it to my collar. She beamed at me fondly, an expression that, given the circumstances, put me on guard. I knew her too well. “I want you to wear this tonight, Dee. Obvious symbolism aside, diamonds bring clarity and dispel illusion. Given what we might be walking into, the clearer things are, the better.”
“Thank you. It’s beautiful.” I ran a finger over the pin, feeling the facets of the diamonds and searching for patterns not readily visible. Seldom were Dora’s gifts as simple as they appeared. “I assume you’ve explained everything to Randy. Or is that why we’re loitering?”
“Of course I explained. I wasn’t going to let him come along until he knew all the facts.” She preened for a few seconds, fussing with the placement of her own diamond pin. “But there is one last instruction that involves both of you. I felt it best to wait and tell you together.”
“All right.” Randy cocked his head to the side and studied Dora’s face, his expression closed off and cautious. He’d learned quickly. I was glad he didn’t let his fondness for Isadora interfere with his judgment. “Tell us and we’ll go.”
“I
need a promise from the two of you.” Dora stood up straighter and faced us. Her expression wasn’t exactly grim, but she wasn’t pretending to a cheer none of us believed. That struck me as both better and worse. “Miss Fontaine attracts a considerable crowd for all her lectures. She must have some method or means for isolating those singled out as victims. I’d rather we got through the evening without one of us falling prey to her. No matter what happens or what you imagine you see, don’t let Fontaine or her men separate us. We stay together at all cost. Promise me.”
Randy and I exchanged looks before he turned back to Dora, arms crossed over his chest. His face set in stubborn lines. “I don’t need to promise. Frankly, I’m insulted you asked, Dora. Short of being forced away at gunpoint, I’m not letting the two of you out of my sight.”
“She knows that, Randy, and you shouldn’t feel insulted. Isadora’s often overcome by the need to state the obvious. Eventually her friends learn to forgive her idiosyncrasies or ignore her pronouncements.” I scratched behind Mai’s ears, ignoring Dora rolling her eyes heavenward. “In any case, she’s right. We don’t know what might happen and it’s best to be prepared.”
“Pointing out when to ignore her would be a big help. You’ve had more experience.” His expression became less tense and his stance not so stiff and angry. He’d forgiven her already, but wouldn’t say so too quickly. Randolph Dodd wouldn’t really need my help; he was more than a match for Dora.
The parlor clock chimed the quarter hour. Randy offered Dora his arm. “We should go. The captain will worry if we’re late.”
A strange motorcar sat at the curb, more than large enough for the three of us, but I’d expected to see Daniel’s car. “Dora…”
“Nathan didn’t return to the storage garage last night, and the proprietors claim not to have seen him or Daniel’s car. The truth is that I’m more than a little worried about where Nathan’s gone with the car. And only heaven knows what he might be doing.”
A Barricade in Hell Page 27