“Yes, I’ll be quiet.”
Mr. Warden patted Katya’s arm as he pulled his hands away. “Good girl.”
Katya stepped back toward the door to the outside, the portal to fresh and innocent air. “Do you need anything else from me?”
“No. Thank you.”
Katya could guess Mr. Warden’s next move, but she did not feel as reassured about it as she had been before. “You’ll hire more security, won’t you?” Katya hoped he could not hear the anxiety belying her flat tone.
“Of course. I can’t have someone running amok at the carnival, taking out my best workers.” Mr. Warden regarded Katya with personable, protective eyes. “I only hire the best, and I consider you all most worthy of personal safety. We need our patronage to stay where it is and not fall flat on its face.”
“Thank you, Mr. Warden. Thank you, officers.” Katya let herself out the door, never more relieved to close a door than she was to shut herself out of the same room as Mr. Lieber’s dead body.
For a moment, Katya hung close to the office, simply breathing the summer air and letting the noises of the carnival inundate her ears. She breathed in the careful spicing of sausages and the cinnamon-sugar powder sprinkled over the fried dough desserts.
Katya sped off at a run, turning sharply at the rear of the nearest food stall and arriving at Magdalene’s side. Katya grabbed at her friend’s wrist clumsily.
“Hey,” Magdalene blurted out. Her wide, alarmed eyes searched Katya’s face. “Are you all right?”
“I have to talk to you.” Katya’s words jumbled together. “I saw...”
“I can’t talk now.” Magdalene took a plate of dessert from Irina’s large, square hand and gave it to the first customer in line.
“It’s incredibly important.” Katya cut herself off before she could cry. Mr. Davies had been so angry. He would be too smart to kill Mr. Lieber with his whip. The letter opener would have presented itself as the perfect, most convenient choice of weapon. “Please. Just one minute.”
Irina answered for Magdalene, her voice exploding in Katya’s ear. “We don’t have a minute to spare.”
Magdalene glanced over her shoulder at Katya. “Can’t it wait? Please?”
Katya nodded, not knowing what else to do. She wandered out of the food stall, wondering how she was going to work the rest of the night with Mr. Lieber’s flushed white face waiting behind her eyelids every time she blinked.
Katya wound her way into the crowd, slowly returning to her duties of greeting and guiding. The man who had said her job was unneeded lay dead. She was not surprised she did not feel sorry for Mr. Lieber. She did not miss him, but she noted his passing left a strange, vacant hole. She did not imagine that another three or four or five security men were going to be more trouble than a single Ernst Lieber.
But Katya still worried. What kind of man could take down Mr. Lieber with a simple, just-found letter opener? And would it be the same man waiting to drive them home in just a few hours?
Chapter Sixteen
An hour before the carnival closed, Mr. Warden’s plain-clothes security spread out over the grounds. They visited every worker, delivering the message that Mr. Warden would share an announcement after the guests emptied out.
Katya led the last patrons past the ticket booth, noting the security stationed on both sides of the gate. The band members sat silently in their seats, instruments resting beside them or in their laps. The rides came to their final stops for the day, turning no more revolutions and sending no more cars along their tracks.
Mr. Warden waved all of the employees toward him as he strolled past the Beast and the bandstand. Katya lingered on her side of the anxious crowd of workers, spotting Magdalene in red on the other side, standing with the impatiently frowning Irina. The rest of the fifty or so employees filled in the loose and jagged circle forming around their boss.
Mr. Warden offered no poetic versions of the truth. “Ernst Lieber is dead.”
Katya did not catch Mr. Davies’ face when Mr. Warden issued the news. The thought of looking at him, a possible murderer, spooked her into a shudder. As it was, Katya saw the open mouths and dumbfounded stares of the others as they gasped and swore under their breaths.
“There’ll be an investigation into his murder,” Mr. Warden continued, having regained his businesslike certainty since the last time Katya saw him.
The employees’ confusion graduated to shrieks and urgent questions.
Mr. Warden patted his hand against the air to quiet them. “The details don’t need to be known. I’ll be hiring new security in the next few days.”
The fear and speculation continued to buzz, and Mr. Warden waited until it fell away. Katya glanced aside, finding a glimpse of Maddox off to her left. He fixed his eyes on Mr. Warden and did not seem to notice her.
“Police are confident,” Mr. Warden added, “this was a crime carried out specifically against Mr. Lieber. None of us should be in danger. It’s my biggest concern that the carnival remain a happy, contented place for those who work here and those who visit.”
Irina folded her bulky arms, and Katya found humor in knowing what Irina must be thinking. When was the carnival ever a happy place for its employees?
“You can close up and go home,” Mr. Warden concluded. He sounded tired, having used all his energy to keep his crew from committing landlocked mutiny.
Mr. Warden slipped away through a gap in the circle. The employees slunk back to their duties, and Katya thought only of how soon she could tell Magdalene about her terror of Mr. Davies. She busied her hands helping the band fold up their music stands, trying to decipher if she could feel Mr. Davies’ eyes on her back or not.
This time, Katya waited until Magdalene and Irina reached the band stage to approach the front gates. The Englishman parted ways with the three women, and they climbed up into the carriage. The charwoman already sat drooped in the back corner, her dreary eyes gazing out the window into the black night. Katya settled into the seat across from her with Magdalene at her side.
The carriage jerked into motion, and Katya bit her lip. She longed with every muscle in her body to turn to Magdalene, press her face as close to her friend’s ear as she could get, and whisper, “I think Mr. Davies did it.”
The carriage ride lasted twice as long as usual, or at least, Katya imagined it did. No one spoke. Irina caught the hem of her dress in the bottom corner of the door as she climbed down to the sidewalk and spent several unending minutes working it free. The charwoman nodded off by the time Mr. Davies stopped the carriage in front of her house. Magdalene needed a minute or two to shake the woman awake. She drowsily collected herself and ambled out of the carriage.
Finally alone, Katya snatched Magdalene’s wrist. The carriage picked up its pace for the final leg of the journey.
Magdalene eyed Katya with tilted eyebrows. “What’s wrong? Is that what you’re so upset about? Someone murdered Mr. Lieber?”
Katya explained herself with breathless adrenaline. “He was. I saw him. I went into Mr. Warden’s office to talk to him, and Mr. Lieber was lying on the floor.” Katya’s hand flew over her mouth. “I’m not supposed to talk about it.”
“I won’t repeat anything you say to me. Was Mr. Warden telling the truth? Somebody planned to attack Mr. Lieber?”
“I don’t think it was planned. They used a letter opener that Mr. Warden had out on his desk.” Blood rose in Katya’s vision, and she swallowed hard to wash it away.
“You don’t think it was Mr. Kelly, do you?” Magdalene asked. “He wouldn’t have acted so irrationally.”
“No. I didn’t think of Mr. Kelly.” A whole list of suspects ran through Katya’s head. Maddox O’Sullivan. The charwoman. Mr. Warden. He had said he was out of the office meeting with customers, but whom? He had never done that before.
The carriage rocked to a stop in front of the Weekly Boarder.
Katya reset her grip on Magdalene’s wrist. “No, I think it might be–”
>
The carriage door flew open, and Mr. Davies stood on the other side of Magdalene below them on the sidewalk. He showed his teeth in a genteel, easy smile. “Ladies, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like a few private words with Miss Romanova.”
Magdalene turned to Katya, her eyebrows rising in interest and suggestion. Katya hoped she did not think Mr. Davies wanted a romantic conversation, as that was surely the last thing lurking in his mind.
Katya’s eyes bulged at the thought of being alone with him until she feared they would drop out of her head. “No, I’m sorry, Mr. Davies. I’m exhausted. So much has happened tonight.”
Magdalene patted Katya’s hands as she scooted along the bench toward the open door. “Now, Kat, it’ll only take a minute. Won’t it, Mr. Davies?”
Magdalene swept down past Mr. Davies. His dark blue eyes sparkled in the dim lamppost light. “It shouldn’t take very long at all.”
Mr. Davies swung the door shut, and Magdalene waved to Katya from the sidewalk. Katya inched toward the door, but the carriage started up much sooner than she anticipated. The horses pulled it swiftly through the neighborhood, past houses Mrs. Weeks could recite the extended histories of. Katya had declined sipping tea with several neighborhood ladies, and she wished more than anything she was safe in any of their houses now.
The carriage’s sharp right turn lurched Katya to one side. By the time she propped herself up, a skidding left turn swayed her body the other way. The carriage bolted down Washington Street while her heart pounded out of rhythm. Katya stared out the window at the road, watching the hard granite blocks speed past. She thought about jumping out, but she would ruin her dress at the very least if she was lucky not to break her neck.
The carriage sped over the river bridge, plummeting Katya’s stomach into her belly. Mr. Davies would not need a letter opener if they stayed near the water. Arms strong enough to subdue Mr. Lieber could easily hold her under its surface. The carriage turned again, slowing a few blocks later at the military park.
The park featured mostly open ground, laid out with narrow paths in the same design as the city streets around it. Four paths converged from the four corners into a circular drive in the center. Mr. Davies followed the nearest path, stopping the carriage in the middle of the lane where a scattering of trees blocked Katya’s view of the surrounding streets.
Despite the hammering in her ears, Katya tried to hope for the best. Maybe Mr. Davies had not stabbed Mr. Lieber in the neck with a borrowed letter opener. Maybe all of Katya’s terror and dread stemmed from a simple misunderstanding. Then Katya realized something else. Not only had she seen Mr. Davies arguing with Mr. Lieber, Mr. Davies had likely heard her exchange with Mr. Lieber. He might have his suspicions about her. Maybe that explained this nightmarish ride.
The carriage door gaped open, and Mr. Davies stepped up to sit next to Katya. She shrank away from him, grasping for the handle on the door to her right.
Mr. Davies’ sleeve brushed hers, he sat so close to her. “You think I killed Mr. Lieber.”
Katya had not expected the solemn, almost apologetic tone in Mr. Davies’ voice.
“I didn’t kill him, Miss Romanova,” he insisted.
Katya hung back in the corner. “I didn’t, either.”
“I know.”
Katya relaxed in the dim light, wishing she was home in her safe room in her soft bed, but glad her heart was slowing to its normal pace. “Then why did you bring me here?”
Mr. Davies shook his head. “I’m sorry if I misjudged you. I don’t know you very well. I only know what they say about you.”
Katya averted her eyes. “What did you hear?”
“That you have a close connection with Mr. Warden. I thought if he were angry about Mr. Lieber being killed, he might press you for information. You might’ve told him or the police that you saw me arguing with him. Not just the other day, but before.”
“I was afraid you might’ve killed him,” Katya admitted.
“It wasn’t me. I’m sorry if I scared you, but I had to talk to you before you had a chance to think otherwise.”
“I didn’t tell Mr. Warden or the police anything. I didn’t even mention that you were there that last night I saw Mr. Lieber. You won’t tell Mr. Warden I had words with Mr. Lieber, will you?”
“No, and I don’t imagine it would matter if I did. Nobody liked Mr. Lieber.”
“Mr. Warden did. I don’t want to give him any reason to think I might’ve killed him.” Katya took a handkerchief out of her bag and dotted it across the top of her forehead under the brim of her hat. “Next time, Mr. Davies, please tell me what you want to speak to me about. I thought you were going to kill me. I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
“I apologize again.”
Katya tried to make out Mr. Davies’ features in the shadowed carriage. For all of her recent thoughts and suspicions about him, she knew very little about him. “What were you arguing with Mr. Lieber about? What idea did you have for expanding the carnival?”
Mr. Davies shrugged. “Maybe it was too far from the theme of steam and gears. I wanted a job I could do at the carnival during the evening without having to make my money all over town. I suggested to Mr. Warden that we expand the carnival to include a small corral where children and perhaps adults could ride horses. Not everyone has been on a horse.”
“I haven’t,” Katya ventured. “I think it sounds like a good idea.”
“Mr. Warden didn’t like it, but he was more polite about it than Mr. Lieber was.”
Katya held her tongue to keep from saying what she was thinking: Mr. Warden might not be making those decisions much longer. “Do you have children, Mr. Davies?”
“No. I’ve never been married. I see the children around the carnival sometimes, and I thought they might want something else to do here.”
Katya thought of Brady’s original vision for the carnival, one for families and wonder. “I’m sure you’re right. How do you know so much about horses?”
“I used to work with them over in Cornwall. It’s a part of England, surrounded on three sides by water.”
“And now you live here,” Katya teased him. She had heard of the Great Lakes north of the state, but she had seen mostly mere ponds since leaving New York.
“It took some getting used to,” Mr. Davies obliged her. “I drove carts for the tin mines there. I got to know my horses very well. It’s why I took this job for the carnival.”
“Maybe someday you could work with more horses at the carnival.”
“I like your optimism, but I won’t hold my breath for it.” Mr. Davies reached for the door handle beside him. “That’s all I wanted to say. I should see you home.”
Because Katya knew Magdalene would find some way to feel sorry for Mr. Lieber, she voiced one last question. “Mr. Davies, are you sorry Mr. Lieber’s dead? Because I’m not, and I’m not ashamed of it.”
Mr. Davies’ eyes flicked around the dark carriage. He met Katya’s gaze before he answered. “No, Miss Romanova, I’m not.”
Mr. Davies slipped out of the carriage and returned to his high seat. The carriage bounced forward and carried Katya to the park’s center circle before making its way down the next path to Market Street.
Katya closed her eyes, trying to recover as much as possible during the ride home. She usually had enough energy for anything, but her harrowing ride had spent all her reserves, leaving her limp, supported mostly by the dependable sturdiness of her bustle and corset.
When the carriage stopped, Katya looked out the window at the Weekly Boarder. She dragged herself out of the carriage, pausing only to wish Mr. Davies a good night. Katya climbed the three stairs to the porch and let herself into the front hall. As quietly as she could, Katya ascended the front staircase, gliding her hand up the curving railing to steady herself. She reached her room and unlocked that door as well. She had barely hobbled inside when Magdalene crept up behind her.
“What did he say?” Magdalene whis
pered.
Katya faced her with eyelids drooping for need of sleep. “He’s not the killer, and neither am I. Good night, Mags. I’ll tell you the rest when I get up.”
Chapter Seventeen
The changes at the carnival did not present themselves as obviously as Katya expected. She scrapped the plan to lure Mr. Warden into a mysterious date downtown, and pending a better idea, she avoided his office as much as possible. She felt freer knowing she no longer needed to worry about Mr. Lieber’s imposing presence, but she also felt hemmed in. Katya could not tell which men roaming the carnival night after night were paying guests and which were Mr. Warden’s newly hired security.
Katya stopped mentioning the carnival around the boarding house. The only person there who wanted to talk about it with her was Lizzie, who smirked slyly every time they occupied the same room. Katya would ask for a platter or a pitcher to be passed to her at the table, and Lizzie would hand it to Magdalene between them with a sidelong glance at Katya. Katya always imagined Lizzie thinking pointedly, You can have this, Katya, but the doctor and his rich friends from the east side of town are all mine.
The rooms and halls at the boarding house grew quieter by the night. Lizzie disappeared on dates for and after dinner a few times a week. Mrs. Weeks buried her white head in the newspaper every afternoon, offering more and more snippets of news about President Cleveland’s upcoming goodwill tour across the country. “It’ll be five thousand miles,” Mrs. Weeks announced with punctuated syllables. “His private train will take him as far west as Omaha, Nebraska, and as far south as Montgomery, Alabama. He’s taking his wife, of course, and about half a dozen other people.”
Mary shared a small portion of her mother’s enthusiasm, reserved but pleasant. “That’ll be nice.”
Mrs. Weeks gasped loudly, clutching the locket over her chest. The rest of the ladies swung their heads to look at her. Mrs. Weeks raised her eyes with a proud, beaming smile. “President Cleveland is including us on his goodwill tour.”
Steampunk Carnival (Steam World Book 1) Page 9
