(1988) The Golden Room (25 page)

‘Maybe we could persuade him to have the banquet at my home after all,’ said Armbruster.

‘No, that won’t work,’ said the Mayor. ‘You heard how emphatic he was about the Everleigh Club. How can I tell him I closed it down in a hurry because of him?’

Armbruster sighed. ‘I don’t mind cancelling the banquet at my home. I’d even host it in the Everleigh Club, if that’ll keep the prince in a good mood.’

‘I wouldn’t mind that either,’ said Mayor Harrison. ‘But how?’

‘Well, the Everleigh Club is still there.’

‘Sure it is, with a big sign posted saying that it’s been closed down by order of the mayor. All the furnishings are probably packed for storage, and let me remind you that the Everleighs themselves are locked up in jail.’

‘What do you intend to do, Mayor?’

With deliberation, Mayor Harrison prepared a cigar and lighted it. ‘There is only one thing we can do,’ the mayor said. He took a few puffs on the cigar, contemplated it, and looked at Armbruster. ‘Open it before this evening.’

‘The two of us can’t do that.’

Mayor Harrison sat up. ‘But the two of them can do exactly that.’

‘You mean Minna and Aida?’

‘Yes, they can do it with the help of their servants. They can return the furnishings to their proper place, bring back the girls and music. And present the banquet in their restaurant.’

Armbruster frowned. ‘What if they won’t do it? What if they refuse to out of spite?’

‘Then it’s our job to convince them to open up the Everleigh Club. The first thing we have to do …’ He jumped up, went to his desk, and reached for the telephone. ‘. .. is get them out of jail.’

‘Then what?’

The mayor did not reply. He was giving an operator the number for the main police station. In a few seconds, he had Chief of Police Francis O’Neill on the phone.

‘Chief, this is the mayor,’ Harrison said. ‘There’s something urgent I want you to do at once.’

‘Whatever you say,’ replied O’Neill.

‘I want Minna and Aida Everleigh out of their cell. Take them to your office and wait for me. I’ll be coming down to talk to them. Harold Armbruster will be with me.’

‘We just locked them up! Now you want them free?’

‘Instantly,’ said the mayor. ‘The entire operation was a

mistake. I want to rectify it this minute. I’ll explain to you later.’ He paused. ‘By the way, what kind of mood are they in after a night in jail?’

‘Not too happy,’ said the chief. ‘Uh, to put it mildly.’

‘I thought not,’ said the mayor. ‘Armbruster and I will be right over.’

Hanging up, the mayor went to retrieve his hat.

‘What are we going to say to them?’ Armbruster wanted to know.

‘We’re going to say we’re sorry,’ said the mayor. ‘We’re going to apologize abjectly. Then we’re going to bargain with them.’

Armbruster joined the mayor. ‘I don’t think we’ll have to bargain much. After all, they’ll have their Club open again. That should please them.’

The mayor led Armbruster to the door. Opening the door, he stared at the meat-packer. ‘I think it’ll take more than that to please them. Much more. You’ll see.’

When Mayor Harrison and Armbruster were received by Chief O’Neill as they entered his office, they could see Minna and Aida Everleigh seated stiffly on a couch, somewhat rumpled from their night in jail, and glaring at them.

Losing no time, Mayor Harrison stepped forward and stood before Minna.

‘Miss Everleigh,’ said Mayor Harrison, ‘first I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the inconvenience I’ve caused you and your sister. I made a mistake, and I’m here to say I’m sorry.’

Minna’s countenance was not forgiving. It was defiant. ‘You harassed us a long time, Mayor. You finally shut us down and landed us in jail. Now you want to be forgiven. It’s not easy.’

‘I know it isn’t.’

‘Now you’re saying we’re free …’

‘Personally,’ said the mayor, ‘and free to open your Club once again.’

Minna did not soften. ‘I don’t get it. What’s behind this?’

Mayor Harrison tried to collect himself. At last, before speaking, he cleared his throat. ‘I am going to level with you, Miss Everleigh. No evasions. No subterfuge. Only the truth, whatever it avails me.’ He cleared his throat again. ‘This concerns Prince Henry of Prussia - you’ve heard of him, haven’t you?’

‘I’m no dummy,’ Minna snapped. ‘I read the newspapers. Of course, I’ve heard of him. He’s coming to Chicago.’

‘He’s already here,’ the mayor corrected her. ‘He arrived this morning. Mr Armbruster and I were among those who officially greeted him. We reviewed the programme of events we’d planned for him. He flatly declined everything for the afternoon. As for the evening banquet, well, I’m embarrassed to tell you. He wants it to be held in the Everleigh Club.’

‘He what?’ said Minna and Aida in one voice.

‘The only site he agrees to visit in Chicago is your Everleigh Club.’

‘My God!’ Minna exclaimed, slapping her forehead. ‘I don’t believe it -‘ She broke into laughter, poking at Aida, who also began to laugh.

Mayor Harrison gulped. ‘I know it is funny. I worked relentlessly to shut down your Club. I was so afraid that the prince would hear of it and be repelled. Now he is here and it’s all he wants to see. It gave me a whole new perspective on what you have done for our city. Miss Everleigh, will you find enough kindness in your heart to forgive me and open the Club tonight? Isn’t that enough to persuade you to resume business?’

Minna stared at him. ‘Not quite,’ she said slowly, ‘not quite. It’s a good beginning, but not enough. To open the Club, you have to offer me more.’

‘What?’ said Mayor Harrison hastily. ‘Anything you wish. Name it.’

Minna turned her gaze from the mayor to Armbruster. ‘It is something Mr Armbruster must do for me. Otherwise, the Club remains closed.’

‘I have much at stake in seeing you open for Prince Henry,’ said Armbruster. ‘What can I do for you?’

Minna’s gaze remained fixed on him. ‘You can take back what you said the last time we met. You cancelled the wedding of your son and my niece. You announced the wedding was off. Aida and I want the wedding on. We want it on and we want it to take place in the Everleigh Club. That’s our condition. What do you say to that?’

Armbruster flushed but seemed relieved. ‘That’s your condition for opening the Club?’

‘Yes, the wedding.’

‘Then you can open the Club. The wedding will take place in your house this evening.’ He hesitated. ‘In return for that, I have a request. My most heartfelt ambition is to become ambassador to Germany. I was hoping to get a word in to Prince Henry to that effect. Now I can see that a word from you, Miss Everleigh, would carry considerably more weight with the prince. Would you consider doing it?’

Minna laughed good-naturedly. She stood up, crossed the chiefs office, and planted herself in front of Armbruster. ‘Why not?’ she said, suddenly bending and planting a kiss on the startled Armbruster’s cheek. ‘I’ve always wanted my niece to be married to the son of an ambassador!’

Returning to the Everleigh Club, Minna observed that -except for the brightness of the walls and the fountains still bubbling — it resembled a warehouse.

Now there was a single morning and afternoon in which to return the Club to normal.

Her first act was to send Aida scurrying out to contact the servants. They would be needed to unpack the furniture, hang tapestries and artwork, and shelve the books in her library.

Once the servants were found and set to work, Aida’s next assignment was to locate the musicians and have them ready to play that night.

Next, Minna ordered Edmund to go from hotel to hotel to meet with the girls and tell them that the Everleigh Club would be open that evening for business after all.

Minna then telephoned Bruce, caught him just awakening, and roused him completely with the word that the Everleigh Club would be open tonight staging a banquet to honour Prince Henry of Prussia, and that a clergyman would be on hand to marry Cathleen to Alan Armbruster.

‘Telephone Alan Armbruster and tell him the wedding will take place tonight,’ Minna said. ‘Tell him his father relented and will be on hand for the festivities. My God, Cathleen doesn’t know yet she’s going to be a bride. I sent her out with Karen Grant to spend the night with Dr Holmes. He was gracious enough to take them in until I could find them hotel accommodation. Why don’t you surprise them by going over to Dr Holmes to give them the good news? When you collect them, return them here. Have Alan accompany you. I’ll tell you what, you both come here and take my car to Dr Holmes’s. I’ll give you his address.’

While waiting for the restoration to begin, Minna hastily pulled her study into shape.

As the dozen servants gradually began to trickle in, the furniture was uncrated under Minna’s direction, and gradually began to fill the gaudy chambers once more. In the restaurant, the tables were lined up to form one long banquet table.

Then the musicians brought in their instruments and set them in their familiar positions. After that, the beautiful Everleigh girls, herded by Edmund, jubilantly returned to the Club and began to move their belongings upstairs.

Observing all this activity, Minna felt buoyed with confidence that the Everleigh Club would be its old self in a few hours and that by nightfall it would be fit for a prince and for a wedding.

While supervising the resurrection, Minna realized that she was being interrupted by Edmund.

‘What is it, Edmund?’

‘Gentleman to see you, Miss Everleigh. Insisted it’s a matter of urgency. Wouldn’t give me his name, but gave me this calling card.’

Puzzled, Minna took the card. It read:

PINKERTON’S NATIONAL DETECTIVE AGENCY

Beneath the trademark eye, it read:

We Never Sleep

William A. Pinkerton Superintendent Chicago Branch

Minna blinked at the card. William Pinkerton. She had almost forgotten that she had retained him to locate her three missing girls. He had learned nothing in the beginning, and she recalled vaguely that he had told her he would continue working on the case at no extra charge — except if he uncovered some new information.

Now Pinkerton was here to see her - apparently he had uncovered something. She was terribly busy at the moment, yet Pinkerton himself wanted to see her on a matter of ‘urgency’.

Minna knew that she could not resist. She must spare the time.

She said to Edmund, ‘Tell the gentleman I’ll be glad to see him in the privacy of my study. You escort him, Edmund. I’ll be there waiting.’

A few minutes later, Minna was settled behind her desk, satisfied that the room was once more in order, when Edmund rapped, announced William Pinkerton, and showed him in.

She had half forgotten his appearance, but when he lumbered in, she recognized him at once. He was this bulky man, with neat, flat hair and an overflowing moustache. He was carrying a thick folder. Without wasting time, he took a chair and drew it up across from Minna.

Opening the folder in his lap, he raised his head.

‘You may recall, Miss Everleigh, I advised you after our last conversation on the telephone that I would continue working for you at no cost, unless I found something.’

‘Yes.’

‘I found something, Miss Everleigh.’

‘On the three missing girls?’

‘No. On Dr Herman Holmes, your house physician. Remember, I advised you I’d be investigating Dr Holmes himself.’

‘I do remember your saying that. But why him?’

‘His veracity, or the lack of it,’ said Pinkerton. ‘I am very experienced in judging when people are or are not speaking the truth. I was immediately suspicious of Dr Holmes. I questioned his veracity.’

‘About what?’

‘About insisting he did not know what had happened to your three missing girls. I began to check into the background of Dr Herman Holmes. It wasn’t easy, but with the help of our branch offices I managed it.’

‘Managed what, Mr Pinkerton?’

‘I’m afraid what I learned will appal you.’

Minna’s heart tripped. ‘Tell me … tell me what you found out.’

Shuffling through his notes, Pinkerton did not look up. ‘To begin with, his name is not Herman H. Holmes. His real name is Herman Webster Mudgett. He has one of the most unsavoury backgrounds I have ever come across. There exists evidence that Dr Holmes has been a forger, bigamist, horse-thief, mad scientist, swindler - and possibly, quite possibly, most likely although not yet proved, a Bluebeard of sorts, a compulsive murderer.’

Minna trembled. ‘I can’t believe it. He’s gentle, mild, and as a physician most professional. Are you sure of your data, Mr Pinkerton?’

‘Judge for yourself.’ He began to read from his notes, actually skimming the notes and giving Minna his findings in abbreviated form. ‘At eighteen, Holmes eloped with the daughter of a well-off New Hampshire farmer. His new wife paid his tuition to study medicine at a small college. Then he transferred to the medical school at the University of Michigan. A student friend who carried life insurance worth $12,500, and who worked with Holmes and named him the beneficiary, soon disappeared. Holmes then abandoned his wife and moved to the state of New York. He boarded with a farmer, seduced the farmer’s wife, left her pregnant and dropped from sight. He next turned up in Chicago, where he bigamously married one Myrtle Belknap, twice tried to poison her father, then fled to St Louis. He became friends with Benjamin Pietzel, a swindler. He came back to Chicago, changed his name to Holmes, and posed as an inventor. He escaped from his work leaving $9,000 in debts. He bought the building he now lives in on Wallace and Sixty-third streets and remodelled it as a hotel for the World’s Fair. Many of his guests were never seen again. One was Julia Connor, along with her eight-year-old daughter. Mrs Connor had left her husband to become Holmes’s mistress — before she vanished. Travelling to Texas, Holmes met Minnie Williams, who, with her sister Nannie, owned property worth $75,000. Holmes disposed of it and ran off with the cash. There followed other women in his life, including Emily Van Tassel and Emeline Cigrand. All eventually disappeared. Holmes brought his friend Pietzel from St Louis to take care of the house. Eventually Pietzel was found dead. Perhaps Pietzel had made the mistake of taking out life insurance, with Holmes as the beneficiary. Visiting Denver, Holmes married Georgianne Yoke, even though he already had two wives. Then came others -‘