“Oh, you’re a wonder!” Betty said. “My two favorite things!”
“Couldn’t trouble you for that coffee this morning, could I, Betty? I’ve got a chill in me that could freeze a polar bear.”
“I can do you one better, Cliff, darling,” Betty said, as she led him up to the kitchen. “I’ve just pulled a rack of molasses cookies out of the oven to go with it. And you can take some home for Mildred too.”
“Ah, she’d love a cookie or two, Betty. Her feet are giving her all sorts of grief at the moment, on account of the weather.”
“I can only imagine,” Betty sympathized and put the kettle on to boil. “Can you tell her I’ll pop over tomorrow with some pin-wheel rolls and the new bath salts she ordered? They’re meant to be heaven for rheumatic joints.”
“I’ll tell her. And you can tell her to stay off her feet.”
“You know I will.”
“If she’s not running around after the grandchildren, she’s keeping half the street clean and fed,” Cliff said. His ruddy cheeks were jolly but there was a careworn look in his eyes. “With all the moms off working in the factories, my house is like a kindergarten. Doesn’t know how to say no, my missus.”
“She’s an angel, Cliff. We’d all be lost without her.” Betty stirred his coffee and passed a plate. “Have a cookie.”
A half hour later, with Cliff back en-route with a warm belly and an ear full of gossip, Betty finally slipped open the letter he’d delivered. She sat back down at the table, her heart stilled as she drank in George’s words.
My dearest Jitterbug,
Well, I’ve finally got my marching orders, as they say. We’re shipping out next week. I don’t know where I’m being sent, but I do know one thing. I’ll be thinking of you every minute of the journey. There’ll be no bellyaching from me about it though. I’m determined to do my bit, Betty. Even with a shaking hand and pounding heart, I’ll be putting my best foot forward. All these years with you out there doing what you do, well, now it’s my time to protect you, Jitterbug. And I’m going to do a good job of it too, you’ll see. I’ll make you proud.
You’ll be pleased to hear that I’m a fully-fledged gasoline cowboy now. The Motor Gun Carriage is the finest tank you’ll ever see, it’s swell to get my hands dirty on her and I’m old hat at keeping her operational already. If I think of how much I’ve learned in the last few months of this post, it boggles my mind.
Engelhorn still rags on me for being dead keen when the sugar reports come in, but he’s a good-time Charley at heart and he doesn’t mean anything by it. I told him if he had a missus like you at home, he’d be at the front of the line too. He’s a good lad, Betty. If we get a night out before I go, I think you should bring that friend of yours Fanny-Mae for a drink in town. She’s just the sort that would send him spinning.
Let’s hit the dancefloor, one last time before I leave.
Give my love to the children,
Your one-and-only, George.
Betty put down the letter, tears in her eyes. It seemed she had run out of time. George was going to war. Like so many other families during these dark times, her perfect little world was about to be torn apart. And there was no way she could protect her husband from what lay ahead.
Ding Dong!
Betty looked up, blinking away her tears. What I wouldn’t give for a moment of peace and quiet, she thought. She quickly cleared the teacups and plates off the table, wiped her hands on her apron, plumped her hair, and walked to the front door. She took a deep breath behind the closed door, forced a smile on her face, and opened it.
Her smile dropped.
“Get off my doorstep before I slit your throat.”
Donald Pinzolo raised his eyebrows and grinned.
“And here I was hoping I’d get a coffee and some cake. Don’t worry, Mrs. Jones, I’m not staying. Just thought you might like to congratulate me. You’re looking at a free man – all charges dropped.”
“So, the FBI sold their soul to the devil.”
“Better the devil you know, Mrs. Jones. Your words.”
“What do you want Donny?”
“To gloat.”
Donald Pinzolo leant in closer, his hand on the frame of the door. Betty stiffened, every finger itching to snap his fat neck and see him collapse on her porch in broad daylight.
“Don’t tempt me,” she said, eyes flashing.
Donny grinned, then looked sideways as the kitchen curtain fluttered in Mrs. Porter’s house next door. “Old ladies make such good witnesses, don’t they? Get one on the stand, and every jury believes them, no matter what crazy thing they say they saw. Miss Sonberg found that out the hard way.”
“What. Do. You. Want?”
“Just passing on a warning, little Susie.” Donny watched her for a reaction. “I’m back on the docks, as of right now. Tell your lover-boy to keep out of my way because I’ve got a piece of paper from the government that says I can do whatever I want, and they’ll look the other way. I’m on the payroll now, see? I’ve been hired – with a schmoozy office and all the trimmings.” He nodded toward the end of her driveway, where a gleaming Delahave luxury convertible was idling. A driver was waiting patiently behind the wheel. “Turns out, since Normandie went down, Uncle Sam’s been losing sleep,” Donny said. “They’re worried about civilian security breaches on the Harbor. Lot of dockworkers and fishermen down there that could think about things a bit different to what the Navy wants. Mussolini might find a sympathetic pair o’ hands on one of our ships, if you know what I mean. They need someone with a bit of muscle to control the docks, keep the union strikes at bay, keep an ear to the ground.” Donny shrugged, looking smug. “We all know who the man for the job is.”
“And they’ll look the other way while you get things done.”
“It’s a beautiful thing, ain’t it? Seems I’m a useful person to have around in a tight spot, you might want to remember that.”
He shoved his hands in the pockets of his overcoat and looked around. “So, I’ll guess you’ll be seeing me around. I’m still waitin’ on your answer to my little proposition. We could do great things together.”
“Oh, you’ve done enough.”
“The FBI are ready to pounce, little Susie.”
“Thanks to you.”
Donny shrugged. “You’re giving me no choice here. I told you before, I could put in a good word. Hold them back. I could even sort out this Tin Man goon and clear the path for your perfect life of baking cookies and throwing money at homeless little bastards. But first, you gotta give me something. We’ve gotta work together. Like old times.”
“What is it you want from me, Donny?” Betty asked, her eyes narrowing.
“I want you in my corner.”
“I’ll never be in your corner. You destroy people.”
“I get things done.”
“The wrong way. You have a lifetime of blood on your hands.”
“Look who’s talking, sweetheart.”
“You killed my mother.”
“You killed my son.”
The air hung heavy. Winter gripped them with both hands.
“I won’t work with you, Donny. If you seek to destroy me for it, you’re in for a dirty fight.”
“Don’t be a fool. You know what the Tin Man would give me for your head? He’s already made an offer I can barely refuse.”
“And what’s that?”
“Your daughter.”
Betty’s hand was on Donny’s throat before he finished the word.
“I refused,” he choked out.
She released him. “Get off my doorstep.”
“Look, I’ve got two options here, doll,” he said, rubbing his throat. “I could give the man what he wants, or I could help you take him out.”
“So generous. Helping me clear the path for you to reclaim your throne?”
“Look, I am being generous,” Donny said. “What about my little ta
ce licet? I gave you a contact, didn’t I?”
“Abraham Lawrence? He doesn’t know anything.”
Donny laughed out loud. “That schmuck? He never knew anything. It’s the wife who knows.”
Betty’s heart raced. Golda Lawrence? What did I miss?
“Looks like you dropped the ball, kiddo.”
Betty crossed her arms, scowling.
“And the Boudoir Butcher?” she said. “You recognized her when she came to see you in Rikers, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“She came to you six years ago. About a baby.”
“She did.”
“And you sent her away.”
“I did.”
“Looks like you dropped the ball on that one.”
“Touché.” Donny cleared his throat. “I’m not gonna blame myself that she hooked up with a nut job after she lost the kid, if that’s where you're going with this. That’s women for you. They do stupid things. Make bad decisions when they’re upset. Look at silky-drawers Sonberg. I didn’t get her into that mess. I just took advantage of it.”
“And you’ll take advantage of Violet Mills too. Now that she’s offering something useful to you.”
“I’ll take the deal if you leave me no choice. I’m not interested in the woman. She’s just a tag-a-long for Tin Man. He’s the brains behind this operation. The real threat. Or the opportunity, depending on how you look at it.”
Donny doesn’t know about Violet’s powers, Betty thought. As far as he was concerned, she was just a killer, plain and simple.
“And there is your greatest weakness, Donny,” Betty smiled. “Your propensity to underestimate women. ‘Vot gde sobáka zarýta,’ as Tin Man would say. That’s what will see you undone.”
“So what? I’ve got another grandkid out there somewhere. More than one, probably.”
“I believe she registered the birth as, ‘Father Unknown’. So, you’ve got nothing.”
“It makes no difference to me.”
“Good.”
Donny turned to look at the idling car.
“So, you’re against me?”
“I’ve been against you since I learned to walk.”
“Tin Man wants me to kill you, and I’m offering to help you kill him, ain’t I?
“Only to save you having to do it yourself.”
Donny frowned, clearly disappointed. He tipped his hat to her.
“The Russian it is, then.”
He turned away. Descended the porch steps. Donny turned back as he reached the driveway.
“This is a nice neighborhood, Mrs. Jones,” he said. “Maybe it’s time I moved in.”
Bonus Extra
Sneak Peek – Episode #19 “Fools Rush In”
“Betty?” Adina’s voice called as she made her way through the laundry door and out into the back yard. She was nearly bowled over by two raucous little boys. “I hope you don’t mind, I let myself in. Georgie insisted I bring them both home to play with his toy plane. I thought as long as you were home, it should be safe enough for Teddy.”
“Of course,” Betty said, straightening up from the garden bed. Nancy ducked across the garden to retrieve her knives and hid them behind her back for the sake of the little ones. Betty knew she wouldn’t practice with her six-year-old brother watching.
“Hello, Nancy, how are feeling?” Adina called.
“I’m fine,” Nancy smiled.
“I think poor Teddy’s bored silly at Mrs. Porter’s house,” Adina said. “Thank goodness for Georgie keeping him company. He’s been desperate for a bit of sunshine.”
“He’s safe out here while I’m home,” Betty said. “But really, I think we’d better find somewhere else to hide him.”
“I agree,” Adina said. “Violet knows he was living here with you, and she knows I’m next door. I’m at my wit’s end with worry. I can’t leave Teddy at the orphanage; the nuns could never protect him if Violet turned up with her mind-control or minions. All the children would be at risk. I just don’t know what to do.” Adina rung her hands, looking exhausted. “Jacob is never at home, so he can’t take him, and if we place him with a stranger under police protection, well, I couldn’t bear not knowing where he is or if he’s alright –”
Betty took Adina by the shoulders and held her eyes. She offered her most earnest expression.
“I promise I won’t let any harm come to him.”
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About the Author
Hayley Camille is the author of The Chronicles of Ivy Carter Science Fiction series and multi-award-winning Lady Vigilante Crime series, as well as The Ultimate Players Guide to Skylanders gaming guides for kids.
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Also by Hayley Camille
The Chronicles of Ivy Carter Series
HUMAN
How do you define humanity when evolution gives you more than one choice?
Archaeologist Ivy Carter is no stranger to losing the people she loves.
With the exception of Kyah, an ex- lab chimp at her university, Ivy holds everybody at arm’s length, even Orrin James, the brilliant young physicist falling for her.
But when Ivy is stolen 50,000 years back in time to save a dying species of human from extinction, she must battle her demons, inside and out, to prevent a war that could change the course of human evolution forever.
In a thrilling adventure that flips between modern world catastrophe and primitive survival, Ivy Carter holds the fate of humankind in her hands.
Available at: HayleyCamille.com/human-on-amazon
Lady Vigilante (Episodes 16 – 18) (Lady Vigilante Crime Compilations) Page 23
