A Barricade in Hell (36 page)

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.”

Randy cleared his throat. “Given his connection to Maximillian and Effie Fontaine, you should worry. Did you file a police report? I'd feel better if the captain had men out looking for Nathan and the car.”

“He's right, Dora.” I checked that the front door lock had caught and dropped the key into my bag. “I'd feel much safer knowing some of Gabe's men were hunting for Nathan.”

She frowned slightly, but waved her concern away immediately. “I can't worry about that tonight. I spoke with Gabe earlier and he promised to pass the word along to the squad to watch for the car. That will have to do for now. I'll file a formal police report if Nathan hasn't returned Daniel's car by morning. A friend lent me her touring car for the evening. This is posh enough to make an impression, don't you think?”

“Oh yes. A strong impression.” I linked arms with Dora, putting her between me and Randy. The sudden impulse to hold tight to Isadora was a sure sign of how uncertain I was about this evening. What we were about to do should give any sane person an attack of nerves.

But perhaps the question of our sanity was best left for once we were home again, safe and whole.

*   *   *

Randy found a parking space in front of the house next to the church—a real surprise, considering the crowd outside. The line of people waiting to enter the church hall wound down the front walk and a considerable way down the block. People chatted with others around them, those who had attended lectures before telling newcomers how much they'd enjoyed Miss Fontaine's talks, and preparing them for the treat to come. We crept close enough to overhear most of what was said, but avoided being pulled into their conversations. That there were three of us clustered together helped.

Dora eyed the crowd dubiously. “My my, Dee. I hadn't counted on so many of the upper crust attending the same night. Based on what I'd read in the papers and conversations with your husband, I'd pictured more of a mixed crowd. These aren't the type of people who could vanish without causing an uproar. I wonder how many are invited to the private reception afterwards.”

The line moved forward by inches, people filing toward the church hall and surrendering their tickets to the men standing on either side of the door. Neither of them was Maximillian, a huge relief. Avoiding him completely was likely impossible, but I'd put off facing him for as long as possible.

“Do you know many of these people, Dora?” Randy walked between us, trying not to be too obvious about hovering protectively. “If that's going to be a problem, we'll leave.”

She craned her neck to look at those waiting in line ahead of us. “Not at all. The people I recognize aren't friends, and the majority of them won't acknowledge me in public. I'd be very surprised if anyone speaks to me. I'm a society medium, a fortune-teller hired to entertain at parties. That keeps me from being entirely respectable. The fact Daniel and I live together without benefit of marriage makes me positively scandalous.”

“You're joking.” Most of Dora's friends went through this stage, fueled in large part by her outrageous behavior. He'd known her just long enough to be poised on the brink of skepticism and belief, and unsure about which way to fall. Sadly, I knew.

“No. I'm not.” Dora arched an eyebrow, patently amused. “Surely you don't think they'd consider me an equal? The only reason I'm not called a whore openly is because Sadie and I are such good friends.”

Randy stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at Dora. Horror and shock played across his face, but that quickly gave way to anger. “If anyone so much as whispers a word against you, I'll make them regret it. I mean that.”

I think that was the moment Dora got an inkling of how Randy Dodd felt about her. The sly, teasing edge left her smile and she touched his hand. “Thank you, but I don't need a champion. I've learned to watch out for myself. As a matter of fact, I'm quite good at that. What I could use is another friend.”

Randy didn't look away, searching Dora's face. He swallowed and cleared his throat. “All right. You've got another friend.”

The three of us had blocked the sidewalk while Randy and Dora worked things out, and caused a small scene. People glared and shoved past, stepping onto the grass or into the street on either side, and muttered about our lack of manners. How frantic they were to get inside to hear Miss Fontaine speak was more than a little disconcerting.

“So much for not standing out in the crowd. Come along, Randy. We need to get inside.” Dora tugged him into motion. “All the seats will be gone if we don't hurry.”

People handed their tickets in once they entered the foyer, and were directed to seats inside the hall. As we got closer, I saw that the tickets came in different colors, yellow and blue in addition to the rusty red slips clutched in Randy's hand. There were far fewer people turning in red tickets. Blending into the crowd unnoticed grew more unlikely.

The balding, square-shouldered man who took our tickets from Randy looked us over and smiled. A large, shadowy gap showed between his front teeth. “Guests of Maximillian sit up front. Take any seat in the first five rows.”

Randy nodded and took my arm as well as Dora's, making sure we wouldn't be separated in the crush near the door. The hall was much larger than I'd imagined, more like a good-sized theater or auditorium than a room to hold box socials or quilting bees. A raised stage with heavy velvet curtains as a backdrop filled one end of the room.

People milled about, hunting for seats and blocking the way forward. Dora took the opportunity to look for empty chairs near the back and the exit, but the man in the foyer frowned and watched us keenly. When he moved toward us, Isadora relented, letting Randy lead us to the front. She leaned and murmured in my ear. “I'm beginning to feel herded, Dee, and that makes me leery. Maybe we should leave after all.”

Big double doors slammed shut, closing off the foyer, a hollow, final sound that set my heart pounding. The men who'd admitted people to the hall were joined by two others. All of them took up places blocking the exits, arms crossed and looking less than friendly. Given the smiling, eager faces all around, I was certain that I was the only one who'd noticed.

“I'm not sure we can leave. Miss Fontaine seems to prefer a captive audience.” I moved down the fifth row of chairs to the far end, taking a seat next to the wall. Dora came next, then Randy. We were as isolated as we could get in a hall brimming with people, but I took little comfort in that. Once Effie Fontaine took the stage, we'd be practically under her nose.

“We'll just have to hope the risk I took with the hunter pays off.” Dora's smile was brittle as she looked around, feigning the excitement sweeping the room. Lines of strain deepened around her eyes and pulled at the corners of her mouth. Even I could feel the energy in the room grow stronger, thicker. “If you'd hold off saying I told you so until we're safely out of here, I'd appreciate it. All my attention is spoken for right now.”

Organ music filled the church hall, soaring upward from a half-hidden alcove to the left of the stage. The energy in the air grew stronger, thick and strangely still as a thunderstorm about to break. Ghosts shimmered into view: rows of men and women, farmers, merchants, and shopgirls hovered near the ceiling, lined up along the edge of the room and crowded at the back of the stage, half-submerged into the walls.