Mrs. Janosik nodded. “He lives on the second floor, but he’s with his sweetheart right now. He doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
“I have something very important to tell him. Which room is he in?”
“The last one on the right, but I doubt he’ll answer the door.”
“Thank you,” Karina said as she turned toward the hallway.
“Don’t you have time for a drink with an old friend? I’ve been wondering what it’s like in that fancy neighborhood where you work.”
“Maybe in a bit, Luba. I need to talk to Pavol first.”
Karina carefully made her way up the collapsing staircase that led to the second floor. The steps were narrow and steep and in desperate need of repair. The entire place seemed to be falling down and caving in. Once at the top of the stairs, she noticed the only door closed on the entire floor was Pavol’s. All the others were open in an attempt to circulate the stale, humid air.
Karina put her head against Pavol’s door. She could hear the faint sounds of moaning and groaning coming from inside the room. A bed squeaked loudly under the weight of bodies, presumably in the act of lovemaking. She rolled her eyes and knocked on the door.
“Go away!” a muffled voice shouted in Slovak.
“I need to talk to you, Pavol. It’s important,” Karina said.
“Come back later.”
Karina heard the distinct giggle of a woman. “I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say. It’s about your brother, Tomas.”
There was a pause that lasted almost a minute followed by voices arguing in hushed tones. Finally, the sound of heavy footsteps and the creaking of floorboards. The door opened, and a man, half-naked and sweaty, appeared. He wore a bed sheet around his waist, shielding the lower half of his stocky frame. Karina glanced past him toward the bed where a woman was hiding under a blanket.
“What about him?”
“I have some disturbing information about his accident. Please let me come in, and we’ll talk about it over a drink or two.” Karina held up a bottle of whiskey she’d snatched from Luba Janosik’s kitchen when the old lady had her head in the oven.
The young woman hiding in the bed peeked out from under the blanket and frowned.
“Don’t worry,” Karina said as she entered the room. “There’s no need to be embarrassed.”
“Put some clothes on, Milena,” Pavol grumbled. “You’ll want to hear this, too.” Turning to face Karina, he said, “She was to be my brother’s wife.”
“I’m so sorry,” Karina said. “At least you have found comfort in each other.” As she watched the two young people scramble to cover themselves, Karina wondered how long they had waited to jump into bed together after poor Tomas was buried.
Still shirtless, but wearing a pair of ripped pants, Pavol pulled a rickety chair out of the corner. He placed it near the bed and motioned for Karina to sit down. He and his scantily clad lover sat on the edge of the mattress. The girl wore a thin nightgown that was practically transparent. Karina could see the outline of her nipples.
“You opening that whiskey, or not?” Pavol pointed to the bottle Karina had placed on the floor near her feet.
“I’m sorry. I nearly forgot. You and your sweetheart can have it.” Karina picked up the moonshine and handed it to Pavol as she glanced at the skinny girl sitting next to him. “Milena, is it?” she asked in the sweetest tone she could muster.
The girl nodded shyly.
“What do you have to say? And who are you?” Pavol asked, eyeing Karina suspiciously as he took a swig from the bottle.
“It seems you and I share a common enemy. His name is Henry Archer. Your brother Tomas’s death was the result of his negligence.”
“Who?” Pavol asked, his eyes narrowing.
“Henry Archer,” Karina repeated herself. “He’s one of the managers at the mill. He oversees equipment inspections. He’s the reason your brother died in that horrible accident. He lied about having the crane near your brother’s furnace inspected.”
Karina crossed her arms, waiting for the potency of her words to take effect.
Pavol’s face went pale. He shook his head and clenched his fists. “There was talk—talk about inspections. Rumors that the crane needed repairs. The company men said it was an accident. It couldn’t have been prevented.”
“They lied. Henry wasn’t having the equipment inspected. He falsified his reports. I heard it from a reliable source.”
Pavol stared at Karina. She nodded her head slowly.
Suddenly, the bottle of whiskey sailed through the air, hitting the wall with a loud, shrill crack. Shards of glass rained down on the floor. The moonshine trickled down the wall and followed the sloped floor to its lowest point in the corner.
“I’m going to kill that son of a bitch!” Pavol got up from the bed and paced around the room.
A stream of tears flowed down Milena’s cheeks.
Seizing her opportunity, Karina said, “I know you’re angry. You have every right to be. But I have a plan for you to get revenge on Henry Archer.”
“Why do you care?” Pavol turned around. “What’s in it for you?”
“I have a reason to hate Archer, too.” Karina seethed.
“You going to tell me?”
“No.”
Pavol walked back over to the bed and sat down. He sighed. “What’s your plan, then?”
“Milena, honey …” Karina said. “Why don’t you go downstairs and get another bottle of whiskey from Luba? Here, I’ll give you the money for it.”
Eighteen
POLE
RIVERTON, JUNE 25, 1910
Pole stood on Sofie’s front porch, wiping a tear from his cheek with his dirty shirt sleeve. The sun would be up soon. He hoped Mr. Kovac had already left for work. He desperately needed to speak to Sofie and preferred to do it in private. She was the only person he could trust with a secret.
As he neared the front door, he caught the scent of fried eggs and bacon and heard the banging of pots and pans. Aunt Anna was awake and in the kitchen making breakfast. He smoothed his hair and knocked on the door.
“I’m coming, Iveta. I’m coming,” Sofie’s aunt grumbled in Slovak. The door opened abruptly, and Aunt Anna appeared, wielding a greasy spatula. “Pole! I wasn’t expecting you,” she said, switching over to English. “Mrs. Radovic usually shows up at this time of day to borrow eggs.”
“Is Sofie up yet?”
“No. I thought you two weren’t going fishing until mid-morning.”
“Something came up. Can I talk to her?”
“Is everything okay? You look upset.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Pole tried not to cry.
Aunt Anna eyed him suspiciously. “She’s still sleeping, but I’ll get her up and tell her to put on her work clothes.”
“We don’t have to get to the fishin’ hole now. We just need to chat a few minutes.”
“Do you want to come in and have breakfast while you wait for Sofie?”
“No, thanks. I’m not hungry.”
Pole waited for almost five minutes on the front stoop. He stared into the street and watched a crow peck at a banana peel someone had thrown on the ground. He bowed his head and examined the top of his left shoe where his big toe was peeking out through a hole.
Suddenly, he heard the squeak of a door hinge. He turned around to find Sofie standing in a pink nightgown, her long blonde hair in tangles around her face. Her eyes were sleepy, her cheeks the color of her cotton dress.
“What’s the matter, Pole? Is someone using our fishing hole again? Is it the Russians?”
“No, Sof.” He smiled weakly. “It’s nothin’ like that.”
She sat down next to him, a concerned look on her face.
“I have something important to tell you, but you have to keep it a secret. You can’t even tell your papa.”
Sofie frowned. “But I tell him everything. What’s going on?”
Pole took a deep breath. “My pop wok
e me up real early this morning. He told me to meet him at the train station at eight-thirty. We’re leaving town.”
“For how long?” Sofie leaned forward.
“He wouldn’t tell me. I told him I wasn’t goin’ anywhere with him—he knows I can survive on my own. But he told me I’d better be at that station if I want to meet my baby sister.”
Sofie’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “Has he lost his mind? He’s been drinking too much!”
“No, I think he was serious. And sober.” Pole looked down at his big toe again, trying to hide his watery eyes. “He said I have a five-year-old sister, and we’re going to stay with her and her mama for a while.”
“You can’t!”
“I have to. Ever since Mama died, I’ve been having a hard time believing that the only family I have left in this world is my jackass father.” He glanced up at Sofie. “Sorry for the cussin’.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Not really, but sometimes I feel so lonely. I miss Mama. And now I think …”
“It sure would be nice to have a sister.”
Pole looked up and smiled.
“Where do these people live?”
“I can’t say for sure. I looked at the train schedule Mrs. Janosik keeps on the front table in the boarding house. It says the eight-thirty train goes to Washington D.C.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. How would someone like your father get involved with a rich lady from the city?”
“Cities are full of poor folks, too. But I don’t think that’s where we’re headed. That train to the capitol goes right through coal country—Connellsville, Pennsylvania. That’s the kind of place you’d find a lady willing to … um,” Pole stammered, his face turning red.
“Have a baby with your father?” Sofie smirked.
“That’s one way to put it.” Pole laughed nervously. “That’s the part I need you to keep secret. I’m not sure exactly where we’re going, but you can’t tell anyone which train we took.”
“Do you think your pop is in some kind of trouble?”
“Of course, he is. He owes a lot of people money. He probably wants to hide out for a bit.”
“When do you think you’ll be back? How will I know you’re okay?” Sofie clutched Pole’s arm.
“I don’t know. I hope real soon. In the meantime, you keep the fishin’ going and sell to the guys at the boarding house. Deal with Sef. He’s honest and won’t let anyone take advantage of you.”
Sofie buried her face in Pole’s shoulder. She began to cry.
Fighting back the tears threatening to roll down his cheek, Pole wrapped his arms around her. “I won’t be gone long. I’ll be back before you know it.” As soon as the words rolled off his tongue, Pole regretted them. He had no idea what was going on with his pop, but he was sure it was complicated and ugly. It could be a while before he got back to Riverton.
“Don’t you remember?” Sofie asked, looking up, sniffling. “At the wedding, when we talked about Marie and her family moving?”
Pole closed his eyes as a wave of guilt struck him. “I told you I wasn’t going anywhere.”
Sofie pulled away from him. “First Marie and now you! My two best friends are leaving me. How could you? You’re a liar!” she shouted.
The words stung. Pole felt the tear he’d been fighting for the last few minutes finally trickle down his cheek. He reached out to Sofie, but she swatted at him.
“I never saw this comin’. I didn’t know I had a sister,” he pleaded. “What if my father gets drunk and hits her? What if she has no one around to protect her?”
“She has a mother, doesn’t she?”
Pole watched Sofie’s face twist in pain. She seemed to catch her mistake almost instantly. He stroked her cheek and pulled her into his chest. “That doesn’t always make a difference, does it?” he whispered.
“No.” She sighed heavily.
Sofie snuggled tight against Pole’s chest and seemed to relax as the minutes passed. He tried to savor every second he had left with her. He knew the clock was ticking and that his train would be leaving soon. He wondered gloomily when he might see her again. Sofie had been the one constant in his life since his mother had passed. She was his best friend and the person he cared most about in the entire world. Overcome with emotion, Pole gently placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head upward.
“I’ll be back, Sof. I can’t say when, but I promise I’ll come back.”
Nineteen
KARINA
RIVERTON, JUNE 25, 1910
Just before sunrise, Karina crept around the side of Henry Archer’s house toward the backyard. It was early on a Saturday morning, so all the houses in the neighborhood were dark, the inhabitants inside fast asleep. Including Henry. His train didn’t leave until nine o’clock, so Karina felt confident she had plenty of time to execute her plan.
As she stood in the shadows near the back porch waiting for Pavol, she thought about the possible fallout from her scheme. She had analyzed the situation carefully and concluded that she could not go inside the house to watch Pavol beat up and rob Henry. While she desperately wanted to witness him get the thumping he so deserved, she could not risk him recognizing the outline of her body or her familiar scent. When he recovered, he might remember her presence and report her to the police.
Karina would have to trust that Pavol’s vengeance would be forceful and swift. Only if Henry were knocked unconscious, would she sneak into the house to take a peek at his wounds. It was safer this way. He would never know who had attacked him in the dark. The beating and subsequent robbery would look random.
Suddenly, Karina heard footsteps approaching from behind her. She turned around to greet Pavol, but was surprised by a man of greater stature. He was carrying an axe handle.
“What are you doing here?” she asked sarcastically in Slovak. “Where’s Pavol?”
“He’s right behind me,” the man replied in a gruff voice.
“I brought Stofanik, just in case,” Pavol said as he emerged from the shadows with a club.
“In case what?” Karina asked.
“In case he needs extra muscle.” Stofanik laughed as he held up his bicep and waved the axe handle in the air.
Karina stiffened. “I don’t think it’s going to take two of you to get the job done.” She scowled as she looked at the implements her accomplices were carrying. “And take it easy with those weapons. You’re just going to rough him up a little.”
“Aww, come on. We want this to be fun,” Stofanik whined.
“The real prize is the cash. But you’ll have to pay him out of your share, Pavol,” Karina said as she motioned toward Stofanik. “I’m not splitting Henry’s money three ways.”
“Whatever.” Pavol huffed.
“A little greedy, aren’t we, Mrs. Kovac? Why should you get half the money when we do all the work?” Stofanik asked.
“Neither one of you would have this opportunity if it weren’t for me. Just get in there and get me the cash.”
Karina’s stomach lurched. John Stofanik was an unexpected wrinkle in her once brilliant plan. She was aware of his violent tendencies and hoped his presence wouldn’t do more harm than good. She had seen him beat up quite a few men when she worked at the boarding house. He was also known for roughing up his son, too. Karina frowned as she thought of poor Pole. She disliked Stofanik, but maybe he’d come in handy if Pavol lost his nerve.
“I’d never pass up a chance to stick it to the boss man.” Stofanik laughed wickedly. “I’d do this for free if I wasn’t so damned broke.”
“Shh! You’re going to wake someone,” Karina scolded Stofanik as she scanned the area. “Pavol, did you tell him the plan?”
“You’d better go over it again. I’m not sure he remembers much of our conversation from last night. He was pretty drunk.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Karina groaned. “Now, listen up. Henry’s bedroom is the second door on the left at the top of
the stairs. Once you smack him around a few times, get his wallet out of the nightstand next to the bed. He went to the bank yesterday to close his account, so it should be full of cash.”
“How much?” Stofanik asked.
“At least twenty dollars. I think he had most of his money transferred to his new bank, but he’s got to have plenty of cash for traveling.”
“That’s a few months’ rent,” Pavol said, nodding. “Anything else of value?”
“Just his pocket watch. The transport company shipped everything else to New York. Henry’s supposed to catch a nine o’clock train this morning. He’s leaving Riverton for good.”
“I’m not sure he’ll be able to make that train. Might have to postpone his trip a few days.” Stofanik sniggered.
Karina trembled. She wondered whether it was too late to call off her plan. She shook her head vigorously, trying to stave off her doubts. Her family needed the money, she reminded herself. She needed it. She’d earned it anyway—going to so much trouble to keep Henry satisfied.
“Let’s get this over with,” Pavol said as he climbed the porch steps and headed for the back door.
“Hold on.” Karina rummaged through her pockets. “I’ve got to unlock the door. I need to find my extra key.”
“Exactly how long have you been planning this?” Stofanik asked.
“Less than twelve hours. I had the extra key made months ago. You know, just in case.”
“Uh huh,” Stofanik said, eyeing Karina. “You’re something else.”
Karina quietly unlocked the back door and motioned Pavol and Stofanik to tiptoe down the hallway toward the staircase. She clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking. She then watched Pavol climb the steps while Stofanik hung back at the foot of the stairs.
She returned to the back porch and began to pace. She tried to keep calm and wait patiently for the return of her accomplices, but her curiosity grew more uncontrollable with each passing minute. Karina could not resist the temptation to go inside the house. Throwing caution to the wind, she slipped through the back door and hurried toward the staircase, pausing at the newel post. She listened for some sort of tussle or brawl coming from above. Had Pavol and Stofanik already confronted Henry? The house was eerily quiet.
Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash Page 11