Tightrope

by Amanda Quick

  The tense standoff inside ended when Mr. Luther Pell and a business associate, Mr. Matthias Jones, succeeded in overcoming the crazed killer. Jasper Calloway died in a hail of bullets. According to those on the scene the nature of his demands was never made clear. Mr. Hyde described the chauffeur as “clearly mad.”

  Readers will recall seeing Mr. Hyde’s chauffeur around town. Jasper Calloway made a decidedly chilling sight with his shaved head, tattoos, metal earring, and leather attire.

  Calloway’s hostage, Miss Amalie Vaughn, is a former trapeze artist who was able to escape from Calloway’s clutches by employing the daring skills she learned while working in a circus. Witnesses told this reporter that she literally flew over a balcony railing to escape the clutches of Mr. Calloway. Miss Vaughn landed in the arms of Mr. Jones.

  Dubbed the “Psychic Curse Mansion” due to a string of mysterious events connected to it, the Hidden Beach Inn has appeared frequently in the press. Miss Vaughn noted that henceforth the popular tours of the Psychic Curse Mansion will include a view of Calloway’s room at the inn.

  Mr. Vincent Hyde, the star of the Mad Doctor X films, is currently a guest at the inn. He told this reporter that he was shocked by the chauffeur’s attack. “I gave Calloway a job when he was down on his luck,” Mr. Hyde said. “He repaid me by attempting to murder me. Clearly, Calloway was unstable, a human monster. I should have known that he would turn on me one day.”

  Matthias walked through the front door, a copy of the Herald under one arm.

  “Irene Ward did a good job with the piece,” he said, sounding satisfied.

  “Mr. Hyde will be pleased because he got the final quote.” Amalie folded her copy of the paper. “And Irene very kindly slipped in a note about the new addition to the tours here at the Hidden Beach. I expect the phone will start ringing soon.”

  “You know, at the rate you’re going, you won’t have any rooms left to rent to actual guests,” Matthias said. “They’re all going to be featured attractions on the tour.”

  Amalie shuddered. “Don’t say that. Funny you should mention marketing, though. I’ve decided that there is something to that old saying about any publicity being good publicity. We’ve had several reservations this morning. Some were for the tours, of course, but people are starting to book rooms. Two bookings specified Madam Zolanda’s suite. The others wanted Vincent Hyde’s. I had to explain that Hyde was still in residence. That just made people all the more eager to reserve his room as soon as it became available. I had to start a waiting list.”

  “Please don’t tell me you’re going to advertise my room to people who want to sleep where a notorious mobster once slept.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it, but now that you mention it . . .”

  She had been teasing but Matthias did not look amused. His jaw hardened and he got the icy look that, back at the beginning of their relationship, had sent unnerving little frissons across her senses. She was somewhat surprised to discover that the chill factor still had the power to put her nerves on edge.

  She folded her arms on top of the desk.

  “What?”

  “The rumors of my mob connections are not going to go away,” he warned, “probably because they are true. I really do have mob connections, remember?”

  “Luther Pell?”

  “There will always be talk, speculation, and gossip about us, Amalie. Neither Luther nor I can wave a magic wand and make it go away. The cover Luther developed for himself and his consultants has worked too well. It’s become real.”

  She considered that for a beat, and then a great sense of certainty swept through her.

  “So what?” she said. “You’re not the only one who has to live in the shadows of speculation and gossip. There are rumors that I once murdered a lover. These days I am said to be the girlfriend of a mob guy. And, last but not least, I own and operate a mysterious inn that caters to psychics, gangsters, and Hollywood stars. I’ll put my reputation up against yours any day of the week.”

  Some of the cold tension that had whispered in the atmosphere around Matthias evaporated. His eyes heated.

  “What are you trying to tell me?” he asked.

  She came out from behind the desk, stopped directly in front of him, and gripped the lapels of his jacket.

  “What I’m telling you,” she said, “is that this is Burning Cove. Everything here is larger than life. Everyone here has secrets. Nothing is quite what it seems. I think that people like you and me fit right in here.”

  He put his hands on her waist. “Are you inviting me to stay for a while?”

  “Yes.”

  “How long do you think you might want me around?”

  She took a deep breath. “As long as you want to be here.”

  He tightened his hands around her waist. “That’s good, because I’d like to stay here for a very long time.”

  A thrill of joy whispered through Amalie.

  “Do you have a plan to do that?” she asked.

  “As a matter of fact, I do. It all depends on you, though.”

  He pulled her toward him.

  The phone rang. Amalie sighed and reluctantly freed herself. She picked up the phone.

  “Is Matthias there?” Luther asked, his tone low and urgent. “I need to talk to him.”

  “He’s right here.” Amalie handed the phone to Matthias without another word.

  “What’s wrong?” he said. “. . . All right. I’m on my way.”

  Amalie watched him hang up the phone.

  “Is there a problem?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Matthias said. “Luther said he got a coded telegram telling him to expect a call from the head of the Accounting Department this afternoon. He wants to talk to me first.”

  “Why?”

  Matthias flashed one of his rare grins. “First rule of intelligence work. Get your cover story straight.”

  He was enjoying himself, Amalie thought. He was no longer drifting. He was a man with a plan.

  “What about your scheme to stay in Burning Cove?” she asked.

  “Why don’t we go to the Burning Cove Hotel for dinner tonight and discuss my future? How does that sound?

  “That sounds lovely,” she said. “Like a real date.”

  “About time we had one of those.”

  Matthias pulled her close and kissed her hard and fast, and then he was out the door.

  A man with a plan.

  Chapter 56

  Amalie returned from grocery shopping just as Hazel and Willa ushered the last members of the afternoon tour out the door. She brought the Hudson convertible to a stop in the driveway in front of the entrance to the inn and got out from behind the wheel. There was no sign of the Packard. Evidently Matthias was still meeting with Luther.

  “Another successful tour,” Hazel announced. “Slapping that big gold star and Vincent Hyde’s name on his room was a stroke of sheer genius, by the way.”

  “Everyone loved knowing that they were walking past a room that was currently occupied by a real movie star,” Willa added. “We need to work on getting more famous actors to stay here.”

  “That might not be easy,” Amalie warned. “We’ve got stiff competition. The Burning Cove Hotel is the first choice for most of the Hollywood crowd.”

  “Sure, but there will be times when the Burning Cove will be booked solid. We can grab the overflow,” Willa said, undaunted.

  “Or we could push the gangster angle harder,” Hazel said. “I can see the ads now. Vacation at the inn that is the first choice of celebrity mobsters.”

  Amalie glared at her. “That is not funny.”

  Hazel and Willa both looked at her in surprise.

  “I was just joking,” Hazel said.

  “I know.” Amalie opened the trunk of the coupe. “Guess I’m still a
little tense. It’s been a stressful week. Why don’t you two make yourselves useful and give me a hand with the groceries?”

  “Sure,” Willa said. She hurried to the Hudson and scooped up one of the paper sacks. “The good news is that while you were gone this afternoon we got a bunch of new reservations.”

  Amalie hoisted the second grocery sack and closed the trunk. “For the tour?”

  “Nope,” Hazel said. “Actual room bookings. Evidently our little inn has become fashionable, thanks in large part to Lorraine Pierce.”

  Willa headed toward the front door. “Do we know what happened to her, by the way?”

  Amalie followed Willa into the hall. “Matthias told me that the FBI collected her from the Burning Cove jail late this morning.”

  Hazel trailed after Amalie and Willa. “Hard to believe she shot a man in cold blood. She’s a gossip columnist, for heaven’s sake. She’s probably guilty of murdering a few careers over the years but it’s bizarre to think she actually killed someone.”

  Amalie thought about her encounter with Lorraine in the ladies’ room of the Paradise Club. “Personally, I don’t find it at all hard to believe that she might have murdered someone. I’m pretty sure she wanted me dead.”

  Willa shuddered. “In that case, thank goodness the FBI took her away. What about that top secret machine that was stolen?”

  “It’s in the hands of the FBI, too,” Amalie said. “I doubt if we’ll ever hear anything more about it now that the government has it.” She set the grocery sack on the tiled counter. “The whole crazy business is finished.”

  Hazel started to put away the groceries. “To think it all started with that robot shooting Dr. Pickwell.”

  “Pickwell was shot by Lorraine Pierce, who was wearing a robot costume at the time,” Amalie said.

  “So they say.” Willa said with a knowing look. “But they never found Futuro, did they?”

  “What?” Amalie had been about to open the refrigerator door.

  “The robot disappeared, and no one has seen it,” Willa said. “Who knows what it can do? What if it really is the killer?”

  “Oh, for pity’s sake,” Amalie said. “Chester Ward and Matthias took that robot apart piece by piece. It didn’t disappear. It was dismantled.”

  “But how can we be sure of that?” Willa said. “Maybe the authorities are trying to cover up the truth because they’re afraid people will panic if it turns out robots are capable of murder.”

  “Don’t you dare breathe a word of that silly conspiracy theory,” Amalie said, using very stern tones. “There are enough wild-eyed stories connected to this inn as it is. We don’t need any more.”

  “Okay,” Willa said. “Not to change the subject, but would you mind if I took the rest of the day off? Pam and I want to have a soda and catch the early show at the Royal. Pam has a car, so she can pick me up and bring me home.”

  Amalie smiled. Willa had arrived in Burning Cove a desperate woman. But she was embracing her new life with enthusiasm. She looked happy.

  “You deserve some time off,” Amalie said. “I’m glad you’ve made a friend here in town. Who is Pam?”

  “She works at a dress shop. I met her when she came through on one of the tours.”

  “That’s great,” Amalie said. She paused. “Willa?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Did you have any feelings for Jasper Calloway?”

  Willa looked confused. “Feelings?”

  “He really did enjoy your cooking. And you liked watching him eat the food that you prepared for him. I think he tried to flirt with you.”

  Willa rolled her eyes. “I liked him, but not in the way you mean. For Pete’s sake, Amalie, he was way too old for me. I did enjoy watching him eat, though. It made me realize that I belong here at the inn. Clearly I was born to be in this business.”

  “I’m glad,” Amalie said. “The three of us really are a family again.”

  “Yes,” Willa said. “That’s exactly what we are. A family.”

  “This family member is going to take a nap,” Hazel said. She started across the kitchen but paused at the doorway to fix Amalie with a curious look. “Will you and Mr. Jones be staying in this evening or will the two of you be off to the Paradise Club again?”

  “There’s talk of the two of us going to the Burning Cove for dinner,” Amalie said.

  Hazel chuckled. “A real date, hmm?”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “About time.”

  Hazel went upstairs.

  Amalie waited until Willa left with Pam before she sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of tea. A heavy silence descended on the villa. For some reason she found it unsettling. It occurred to her that she had not spent much time alone during the past few days.

  But she wasn’t alone, she reminded herself. Hazel was upstairs. It wouldn’t be long before Matthias returned from his meeting with Luther. She was looking forward to spending the evening with him. Things had been moving so quickly in the past few days that they had not had much time to simply be together. Time to get to know each other. Time to talk.

  On second thought, maybe talking was not such a good idea. What if the conversation did not go well? What if Matthias told her that his work in Burning Cove was done? What if he hung around for a while, got bored, packed his bag, and drove away? Maybe forever.

  She really did not want to contemplate that possibility. She refused to consider it. He had said he wanted to stay in Burning Cove. She would take him at his word. She trusted him.

  And in that moment the reality of what had happened slammed across her senses.

  I love him.

  Her glance fell on the grocery receipt. She needed to distract herself, and there was work to be done. She finished the tea, picked up the receipt, and left the kitchen. She went down the hall to the front desk.

  The door to the small office was ajar. She pushed it open, walked into the shadowed space, and leaned down to switch on the desk lamp.

  The light came on, illuminating the top of the desk.

  The necklace of black beads was coiled like a snake on the green blotter.

  Chapter 57

  Luther dropped the receiver back into the cradle.

  “You probably heard enough from my end of the conversation to know that Grainger is not happy,” he said.

  “Can’t blame him.” Matthias propped his elbows on the arms of the leather chair and put his fingers together. “No self-respecting director of a clandestine government agency would be thrilled with the press that the Burning Cove Police Department is getting this week. Detective Brandon and his officers are making headlines as the heroes who recovered a top secret encryption device and shut down a ring of gunrunners.”

  They were in Luther’s private quarters above the Paradise Club. He had listened to Luther’s side of the conversation with Grainger because Luther had insisted he remain in the room while he took the call.

  “He knows it’s too late to do anything about the story,” Luther said. “He’s just lucky that his people managed to collect Lorraine Pierce and the Ares machine from the FBI in Los Angeles this morning. The Bureau was probably not happy about that turn of events.”

  “Maybe J. Edgar Hoover didn’t put up much of a fight,” Matthias said.

  Luther’s mouth twisted in a wry smile. “You may be right. Hoover probably figured out right away that this situation wouldn’t reflect well on the FBI. The fact that a rogue spy turned gunrunner was able to operate for years without drawing the Bureau’s attention is a trifle embarrassing.”

  “True. As Amalie said, no agency comes out of this mess looking good.”

  Luther got to his feet and went to stand at the open French doors. He contemplated the sun-warmed gardens below the terrace.

  “Grainger is, of course, relieved that Failure Analysis re
covered the Ares machine, but he’s annoyed because Smith is dead and, therefore, not available for questioning.”

  “What about Lorraine Pierce?”

  “Grainger is afraid she won’t be of much use to him.”

  “She’s a professional killer. There’s no telling how many people she took out over the years. But it’s true that Grainger won’t get a lot of information about Smith from her. As far as she was concerned he was just her number one client. She never realized that he was actually her boss.”

  “Smith was good,” Luther said. “Very, very good.”

  “Not as good as you,” Matthias said. “He didn’t see through your cover until the very end.”

  “Or yours. Most people, even former spies, see what they expect to see. In our case that happens to be a nightclub owner who is a mob boss and his associate who is also an underworld figure. Why look deeper?”

  Matthias pushed himself up out of the chair and went to stand beside Luther. The golden sun warmed the land and sparkled on the Pacific. Just another perfect day in the fantasy that was California.

  So why was he suddenly feeling so uneasy?

  “Considering that Grainger is personally responsible for destroying your career and taking over the department that you created,” he said, “I don’t think he has any right to criticize the outcome of the Ares case.”

  “Oddly enough, that did not stop him from making his irritation known,” Luther said.

  “What annoyed him the most is that you were the one who ran a successful operation. What did he say when you warned him that he might have a double agent working for him?”

  “He went from irritated to furious. He only hires gentlemen from the finest, most established families, you understand. Every single one of them is a true patriot, et cetera, et cetera.”

  “Not men like us?”

  “The problem for Grainger is that our cover is so close to the truth that it is the truth.”

  “Mom did warn me about that little perception problem,” Matthias said. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to get rid of the small chills.