Born of Corruption

by Teri Brown

  “That’s highway robbery!” Curt says, shocked.

  Madame Zola shrugs again. “Someone who is giving away automobiles as a prize can surely afford to pay my rate.”

  I tap Jack on the arm. “Just give her the money. She is loaning us her crystal ball, after all.”

  Jack pulls his wallet out of his overcoat and hands the woman a fifty-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

  Madame Zola hikes up her silk caftan and shoves the money into the pocket of the very modern striped dress she’s wearing underneath. “Line up,” she commands us.

  “Am I the only poor person here without a car?” Curt asks. “Because I’d really like to try to win one, if we could get back to the task at hand?”

  Eugenia gives a patronizing sniff, but Anna laughs. “I don’t have one either,” she says.

  “It will only take a minute,” I chide.

  I push Anna toward Madame Zola and her smile fades. As much as I love her, there’s a lot I don’t understand about her. I adore this sort of thing, while she seems to find it excruciating. Then I remember how she looked at lunch after having a vision. Maybe she has reasons for her reluctance.

  Madame Zola looks up at Anna and her face softens. “You’ll be a huge success in Europe. Don’t worry so much!”

  Looking relieved, Anna steps away and I move forward, breathless with anticipation.

  Her eyes narrow as she regards me. “Stay off roofs” is all she says.

  My heart slams against my rib cage and I swallow.

  Behind me, Eugenia snorts. “Oh, for the love of God, don’t make her any more terrified of heights than she already is.”

  I give her a withering look as I join Anna.

  “Don’t pay any attention to her,” Anna whispers. “She’s just jealous because you don’t look like a ferret.”

  I giggle. That’s the only mean thing I’ve ever heard Anna say about anyone. She must really dislike Eugenia.

  Apparently we’re not the only ones. Madame Zola is staring up at Eugenia with distaste.

  “Well?”

  “Lower your expectations.”

  Eugenia opens up her mouth. “That’s it? We paid good money for that?”

  “That’s all I have for you.” Madame Zola looks past her. “Next.”

  It’s Jack’s turn.

  “Well, aren’t you a handsome devil?” She pats his hand and I smile.

  “Be careful of those you do business with. They may come back to haunt you.”

  “Really?” Tension stiffens his shoulders even though his voice is carefully nonchalant.

  He steps away and Reggie takes his place. This time it’s Madame Zola who glances away as if she can’t stand the sight of him. “Quit the drink or it will kill you.”

  Reggie laughs. “You sound just like Mummy.”

  Madame Zola gets up and strides over to a cupboard. She takes out a crystal ball and wraps it in a piece of black velvet. I almost clap. First item down!

  Madame Zola hands it to Anna. “Please give my best to Jacques and your . . . lovely mother.”

  Something in Madame Zola’s voice tells me that she likes Anna’s mother about as much as I do.

  “Hey, what about me?” Curt asks. Madam Zola looks up at him. She looks less like a fortune-teller than a sad old woman who’s seen too much. “Your secrets will all be revealed,” she says.

  Curt swallows. “I hate when that happens,” he jokes, but I can see his discomfort.

  What’s wrong with him?

  “Thank you for loaning us the ball,” I tell Madame Zola, and she nods.

  “Could you lock the door on your way out,” she asks, her voice exhausted. “I think I’ve had enough for one evening. Good luck with your game. You’re going to need it.”

  Her warning casts a pall on my mood as we drive to the Cotton Club, though no one else seems to notice. Unable to find a place to pull up right in front of the club, Al parks across the street and we spill out of the motorcar like revelers at a masquerade. The sign for the Cotton Club glows like an electric constellation, casting odd shadows across the faces of my companions.

  What I really want is to get Anna alone and ask her if she could read Jack’s mind for me. Or anyone’s, for that matter. I’d sure like to know what Eugenia is thinking. I watch as she clings to Jack’s arm and whispers something in his ear. Then again, maybe I don’t want to know.

  “Stay here,” I order. “Anna and I will run in and get the program.”

  “Well, I for one will be glad to relax and have a ciggy,” Curt says. “How about you?” He holds out his open cigarette case to Eugenia, who shrugs and takes one. He lights it for her and they exchange a look as she leans forward.

  I frown, watching them. Could Eugenia really be dallying with someone other than Jack? Could I be that lucky?

  Turning away from them, I grab Anna’s hand and we race across the street. She hesitates when we reach the other side.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  She gives me a rueful smile. “Sorry, it wasn’t too far from here that I was abducted.”

  “Oh, God, I’m sorry. And I thought my life was dangerous.”

  She laughs as we enter the Cotton Club. “Maybe that’s why we’re friends!”

  An older man with his hair slicked back gives us a suggestive smile as we walk in. Next to me, Anna screws her face up and crosses her eyes at him. It’s so completely out of character that I burst out laughing. I’m going to miss her like crazy.

  After grabbing a program, we step back out into the cold night. I catch Anna’s coat sleeve to hold her back before joining the others. “I have a favor to ask. Some odd things have been happening and I’m worried that Jack is having an affair. Can you read his mind?”

  Shock widens her eyes. “Oh, no. I’m sure he’s not.”

  My heart catches painfully in my chest. “Me too. But I need to rule that out before I can figure out what’s really going on.”

  Her forehead wrinkles. “What do you mean?”

  I quickly tell her about the phone calls and Jack’s preoccupation. She just shakes her head. “I’m sure that’s not it.”

  “How do you know?” I ask, eager for more reassurance. “Have you read his thoughts?”

  Anna snorts. “No. But I can see that he adores you.”

  I sigh, disappointed.

  “I’m sorry, Cyn, but I really can’t read minds,” she says.

  “There has to be some way. . . .”

  “Have you tried talking to him?” Anna’s voice is innocent and I give her a sharp look. Is she really that naive?

  Probably. In spite of a life of hardship and travel, Anna is still strangely innocent about a lot of things. Especially men. “Come on, we should go. The others will be wondering what happened to us.”

  We’re about halfway across the street when I hear a loud pop. Instinct takes over and I hit the wet pavement, Anna dropping next to me at almost the same moment. More shots sound and I cover my head with my arms . . . like that would stop a bullet. Bits of gravel dig painfully into my cheek as I press myself against the ground. Next to me, I hear Anna whimper and remember that she’d been shot not too long ago.

  Another volley of bullets sounds and I can hear the people waiting to get into the Cotton Club screaming. What the hell is going on?

  Then, as suddenly as it started, it’s over. My heart thuds in my ears as I glance over at Anna. “Are you all right?” I ask.

  “I think so,” she says, her voice trembling.

  I finally look up, frantically searching for Jack. Al is running toward me, his gun drawn.

  “Stay down,” he yells, running past me.

  I follow his orders until I hear Jack’s voice calling my name. Leaping to my feet, I rush toward him, tears springing to my eyes. “Jack!” I launch myself into his arms, relief washing over me. “What happened? What was that?”

  Jack shakes his head. “I have no idea.”

  Al, his weapon safely hidden back in his coa
t, comes up to us with Anna just a few steps behind him. “It looks like we got into the middle of a ‘family’ fight,” Al says. “Shots were coming from two different directions.”

  I can tell by the suspicious look on his face that he doesn’t think the shots were entirely random. But then, he’s my bodyguard. He’s paid to be suspicious.

  Reggie, Eugenia, and Curt join us.

  “No one was hurt, I hope.” I look back at the crowd in front of the club. A few flappers are sobbing hysterically but no one seems to be injured.

  Al shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Someone important must be inside,” Curt muses.

  Al gives him a sharp look. “Why would you say that?” he asks.

  Curt shrugs. “Skirmishes like that usually only happen if someone’s boss is in the neighborhood, if you know what I mean.”

  I frown. I know what he means, but the question is, how does he know that? Who is this Curt anyway?

  “I think I should take you home,” Al says.

  He’s probably as shook up about the incident as I am. Who knows what my uncle would do to him if something happened to me on his watch. I shake my head.

  “No,” I tell him. “There’s no reason to be concerned. It doesn’t have anything to do with us.”

  Eugenia looks from me to Al, confused. “Of course it didn’t. Why would it have anything to do with us?”

  “We should probably get a move on,” Anna says, glancing around at the knots of upset people in front of the club. “The police will be here soon and we have more items on our list.”

  I can tell by her manner that she hates the police as much as I do and Al gives a decisive nod. “Where else do you have to go?” Al asks. He’s not happy, but he’s bowing to my authority. For now.

  “I have a copy of So Big,” Reggie says. “But Mummy’s no doubt waiting up for me so I’m not volunteering to go get it. A Lincoln isn’t worth it.”

  Our laughter breaks the tension.

  “I know an all-night drugstore close by that might have a copy,” Al says, holding the door open for me.

  “Perfect,” I tell him. “I can telephone Olivia from there.”

  I look back as I climb into the motorcar and spot Mrs. Spetford weaving her way through the crowd, waving a piece of paper. I recognize several other people from my party, but I don’t see Nico among them. Where could he have gone?

  “We better hurry,” Reggie says, waving a hand in Mrs. Spetford’s direction. “Looks like we aren’t the only ones marking items off the list.”

  I nod, disquiet churning in my stomach. “Apparently.”

  “Let’s stop by my place,” Curt says. “I have a top hat left over from a costume party.”

  “And I have a pair of handcuffs,” Anna adds.

  Reggie’s eyes bug out at that and I giggle.

  They give Al their addresses and we speed off into the night, putting the gunshots behind us. Reggie, Anna, and Curt try to sing “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby,” and even Eugenia is giggling at their atrocious harmonies. Only Jack, staring out the window, seems withdrawn and preoccupied. We stop by Anna’s for the handcuffs and then head over to Curt’s apartment building on West 42nd.

  While waiting for Curt, I take the opportunity to grill Jack. “What’s going on with you and Nico?”

  He frowns. “Nothing. Why?”

  “You disappeared with him while I was giving the rules for the game.”

  “Oh, that. I was just trying to find out why he was there.”

  Disappointment curls around my chest like a ribbon.

  Jack’s lying. I can tell by the way his nostrils flare. “Did you find out anything?”

  He shrugs. “He said he came with friends.”

  “He doesn’t have any friends,” I murmur, and then lapse into frustrated silence.

  “What’s taking him so long?” Eugenia asks restlessly from the front seat.

  Reggie leans forward over the back of the seat and says in her ear, “Maybe he’s giving you and me time alone. Rather sporting of him, actually.”

  She swats at him with her hand like he’s a bug and Anna giggles.

  Eugenia has a point though. What could Curt be doing?

  “What took you so long?” I ask when he finally rejoins us.

  “Sorry,” he says, sliding in next to Eugenia. “I had to make a quick phone call. Work stuff.”

  “At this time of night?” I ask.

  For a moment he looks discomfited and then grins. “Sure, didn’t I tell you? I’m a bootlegger by trade.”

  Jack coughs and I pat his back while Reggie launches into a ridiculous story about filling a swimming pool with champagne. Eugenia whispers something in Curt’s ear and I watch with a puzzled frown. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Eugenia was flirting, though I don’t think Curt has nearly enough money for her taste.

  Minutes later, Al is pulling up in front of the drugstore and we pile out of the car for the third time that night. The men automatically light up while Anna and Eugenia and I hurry to the store.

  “I’ll telephone Olivia. You two look for the book,” I order, going into the phone booth.

  I put a coin into the phone and dial the number. The minute I hear Olivia’s voice, I know something’s wrong.

  “You need to get back here right away.”

  “Why? What’s happened?”

  “Mrs. Spetford’s group is back. They’ve won.”

  My stomach plummets. “They won? How could they have won? There’s no way they got everything already. We’ve only been out a couple of hours. Did you check?”

  “Of course, I checked.” Her voice is indignant. “You trying to say I don’t know how to do my job? And it gets worse. Mrs. Spetford is roaring drunk and demanding her Lincoln. Now.”

  I roll my eyes. “What are the rest of Mrs. Spetford’s team doing?”

  “When I told them that the cars were on order, they had a drink and left for a club. Only Mrs. Spetford is getting unruly.”

  I sigh. I can’t believe I have to give Nico a car. “Fine, I’m on my way home. Try to keep Mrs. Spetford calm.”

  Olivia laughs. “I’ll do my best.”

  I hang up and open the door to the booth. Anna and Eugenia are standing in front of the booth.

  “They don’t have the book,” Anna says.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway. Game’s over. One of the groups is back already. I’m sorry your scavenger hunt is being cut short.”

  She links arms with me as the others join us. “It’s been a great party and the very first one anybody’s ever thrown for me.”

  I put a gloved hand over my heart. “Really? I’m so glad!”

  We pile back into the car. “Where to?” Al asks.

  “Home. We’re done,” I tell him.

  The mood in the car is glum and there’s no singing as we travel the dark streets. The scavenger hunt is over, and even though it didn’t turn out like I wanted it to, it doesn’t mean that anything is wrong. So how come I have an uneasy feeling in my gut?

  Four

  I leap out of the car as soon as Al pulls in front of the house.

  Olivia throws the door open even before I reach the top of the stoop. “She passed out, thank God!”

  My steps slow. “Is the rest of her team here?”

  Olivia shakes her head. “Just Nico. He’s partaking of the free refreshments.”

  Jack places his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t be too disappointed, darling. This party is definitely going to get a write-up in all the papers.”

  The rest of the gang join us in the foyer and Parker takes our coats. Reggie makes a beeline for the “refreshments” while Anna and Curt head into the lounge. Eugenia is hanging on to Jack’s coattails, and my hopes that she would take up with someone other than my husband are dashed.

  Jack smiles down at her. “Why don’t you run and get me a drink, Genie. I’ll be right in.”

  She gives me a triumphant look, the sharpness of her expr
ession matching the rest of her angles.

  Jack steers me to a quiet corner of the foyer. I hear the radio come on in the lounge.

  “What did you want, snookums? I should go oversee things,” I say.

  “Let Olivia do that. I need to talk to you.”

  His voice is tense and I look up at him with alarm. His face is shadowed and my stomach tightens. Whatever he wants to tell me, it can’t be good.

  “You know I love you, right?”

  I blink and my pulse kicks up a notch. That sounds like the beginning of a confession and I’m terrified of the but that comes next. You know I love you but I love someone else more? You know I love you but I’m leaving you? Without thinking I grab the back of his neck and pull him down for a passionate kiss, hoping to shut him up.

  “I love you too,” I tell him when I come up for air.

  “Wait a minute,” he says, but I shake my head and dash out of reach, my heels clicking across the tiles.

  “Come on, we have a party to get back to,” I tell him over my shoulder. Whatever he wants to tell me can wait until tomorrow. I will not break down in front of my guests.

  It’s not much of a party though, with so few people. Olivia has it well in hand. The rest of the teams should start coming in soon, but I still wonder how Nico’s group managed to find everything so quickly. It just doesn’t make any sense. I look around but don’t see him. Maybe I got lucky and he left. Anna and Curt are laughing and talking in the corner and I smile, glad she’s enjoying herself. Reggie and Eugenia are nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’s talked her into robbing his cradle, after all. No, that would be too perfect. I turn back to Jack, but he’s disappeared as well.

  Olivia appears back at my side. “I’m going to go check on Mrs. Spetford.”

  I snort. “Go ahead; just don’t wake her up, all right? I’ve had enough excitement for one evening.”

  Olivia grins. “Party’s not over yet. I hope you don’t mind; I sent the staff home. They set everything out on the dining-room table buffet style, so there’s plenty of food for everyone. The cook is still here and will make hot drinks as soon as more people get here.”