Delia's Shadow

by Moyer, Jaime Lee

  Sadie struggled heroically not to laugh. If she’d heard me, the dressmaker had as well. I retreated to stand next to the door, out of the way and hopefully able to resist the temptation to make any further remarks.

  Other temptations I had no intention of fighting. The door opened easily. Mademoiselle frowned, but I gave her my brightest smile and stuck my foot in the gap. I didn’t think the dressmaker or her assistant would go so far as shutting the door on my foot, nor would they wrestle the handle from my grasp.

  Air flowed into the fitting room, marginally cooler at best, but letting me breathe. The small opening let me look out into the empty waiting area. Henderson had moved to the front counter to talk to the clerk. I didn’t think he was flirting with her; his expression was much too sober and hers too earnest. Henderson took whatever was being said very seriously.

  “Dee, what do you think?” Sadie preened before the mirror, studying the bodice with a practiced eye. “Is the top too tight?”

  I eased the door within a handspan of closing and took a step closer. She really was the most beautiful bride. “Stop worrying, Sadie. The fit is perfect.”

  A bell jangled over the front entrance. I heard Henderson say hello and the clerk start to scold a deliveryman for not using the tradesman’s entrance. A gust of wind slammed the door before he answered her.

  Aileen’s ghost stood against the far wall, shawl crossed over her chest and hands folded at her waist. Three other ghosts stood with her, young women every bit as prim and proper as my ghost in their stance, and every bit as patient. The room was still stifling, but I shivered.

  Each of the ghosts stared at Sadie, their gaze serene and patient. Haunting her now, as Aileen haunted me.

  CHAPTER 13

  Delia

  We ran a few errands on the way home from the dressmaker’s shop. Henderson was awfully good about driving Sadie anyplace she asked to go, always cheerful and smiling in the face of waiting in florist shops, or stopping at the butcher shop for Annie. He never complained and I counted us lucky to have him. I’d made sure Gabe knew how well he got on with all of us.

  Our street was unusually crowded once we reached home. The iceman’s wagon was parked in front of the McAllister’s and dripped a steady stream from underneath, darkening the paving stones. Delivery wagons and a large furniture van filled other spaces along the curb. Henderson was forced to park the patrol car down the block.

  He got out and stood by the driver’s side, frowning and craning his neck to look around for what felt like an excessively long time. The neighborhood looked peaceful as always, but his expression warned of trouble.

  Sadie gathered parcels into her arms and reached for the door handle. I stopped her. “Sadie, sit still. Wait for Marshall to open the door.”

  She stared at Henderson and slouched back against the seat. “I think this is when you tell me not to panic, Dee.”

  “Don’t panic.” Laughing would be unkind and under the circumstances, I didn’t feel much merriment. “I’m sure everything is fine, he’s just doing his job. We’re a half block or more from the house, so Marshall is just being extra cautious. He’s good at what he does and we can trust him.”

  I believed what I’d said. Gabe wouldn’t assign him to our detail unless he knew Henderson was able to take care of us. I trusted Gabe even more.

  We sat there another moment or two before Officer Henderson opened the door on the street side and leaned in. “I’d like both of you to get out this side if you would. We’re going to walk down the center of the street, not on the sidewalk. If one of you could carry the roast in for Annie, I’ll come back for the other parcels after you’re safely inside the house.”

  Neither of us argued. We slid out, me with the dinner roast in my arms, and waited for him to give us instructions. Once he’d helped us out of the car, Henderson took his sidearm out of the holster. The barrel of the pistol pointed at the ground, but I’d no doubt that would change instantly if he felt threatened.

  Aileen and her trio of sister ghosts shimmered into view a step behind Henderson. They stared beyond me, down the street and toward home. Anxiety pooled in my chest, making breathing difficult, and the thought of stepping away from the car made me tremble. For the first time, I wasn’t sure if the fear came from the ghost or if seeing Marshall Henderson with a gun in his hand had stripped away all my courage.

  “What’s wrong?” I swallowed, trying to moisten a mouth gone dry. “We’d both feel better knowing.”

  “Officer Casey and the other car are gone.” Henderson glanced at me and went right back to watching the street, seeming to look everywhere at once. I’d seen Gabe do the same at the fair. Habit Gabe had said, probably picked up early in his career, as Marshall had picked watchfulness up from him. “This doesn’t feel right. Aaron wouldn’t leave his post voluntarily.”

  I put the roast in the crook of my arm and reached for Sadie’s hand. Annie and Mama Esther were in the house and the need to know they were all right outweighed my fear. “Then we should go find out what’s happened.”

  He set a good pace and home drew near quickly. Walking down the middle of the street was an odd sensation, leaving me feeling exposed and grateful I could see anyone approaching at the same time. Jack and Gabe’s job would be like this at times, as Henderson’s was now. I respected all of them for being able to deal with the uncertainty and the danger day after day. This little taste was making me ill.

  Tradesmen came out of the house across the street from ours and climbed into the back of the furniture van. They emerged with a chaise, covered in shocking blue damask and trimmed in white maple along the front edge. I watched them struggle up the front steps with the couch and wondered if thoughts of those they loved disappearing, or worse, ever interrupted their day. A normal life, free of worrying about ghosts and murderers, was still something I longed for with all my heart.

  Henderson waved us through our front gate ahead of him. We hurried up the walk and the porch steps, pausing at the top so he could ring the bell. He kept the gun drawn, but held it half-hidden behind his leg.

  A nervous glance behind showed the walkway clear of ghosts, somewhat of a surprise. The itch on the back of my neck told me Aileen was still with me, watching as always, but she’d chosen not to show herself. She often disappeared when Annie was near and I prayed that was the case now.

  My knees sagged when Annie opened the door, whole and safe. Annie saw the gun in Marshall’s hand and her eyes widened. She didn’t waste a second shutting and locking the door once the three of us were inside.

  Sadie hugged Annie tight, her hands visibly shaking. “Thank God you’re all right. I was worried something terrible had happened to you and Mama.”

  “I’m fine and so is Miss Esther.” Annie cradled Sadie’s head on her shoulder, rocking her side to side as if she were a little girl again. She frowned and turned her sternest look on Henderson. “Explain what’s going on, Marshall, and why that gun’s in your hand. I need to know why both my girls come home scared near to death.”

  He stood his ground, not an easy thing to do against Annie. “I need you to answer some questions first. Is Aaron in the house with you? If not, do you know where he is?”

  She patted Sadie on the back and let go. Annie took the roast from me, kissing me on the forehead before answering Marshall. Her frown grew deeper. “No, he left awhile back. Messenger came by and brought him a note saying he had to get back to the stationhouse. He came to the backdoor and told me he was leaving, but drove off right after. Is Aaron being gone what’s got you all upset?”

  “That’s part of it.” He looked past Annie and stepped closer to the sitting room until he could see inside. Marshall cast about, as if deciding whether to search the entire house. “Aaron shouldn’t have left you alone, Annie. Is anyone else in the house with you other than Mrs. Larkin? Anyone knock on the door or ring the bell since Officer Casey left?”

  Annie shook her head. “Not since he left, no. A man from the
rail company delivered Delia’s trunk earlier today, but Aaron wouldn’t let him come inside. Made that man most unhappy. I guess he thought better of shouting at a police officer or got worried that his boss might hear about it. He calmed down after a minute, even said he was sorry. Aaron dragged the trunk in himself after the man drove away.”

  “I thought they’d lost my trunk forever.” I set my handbag on the hall table. On the surface all was well, but a calm surface hid many things. I was too unsettled, too restless to relax. “I’m glad that’s not the case.”

  “I’m going up to Mama.” Sadie glanced at Henderson and touched my shoulder on her way to the stairs. “Call if you need me.”

  Henderson finally holstered his pistol and hung his hat on the hall tree. “I hate to impose, but I think it best if I stay in the house with all of you. The only officers with the authority to pull Aaron off this detail are Lieutenant Ryan or Sergeant Fitzgerald. I can’t imagine either of them doing that, not without sending someone to replace him.”

  “No, neither can I. They’d send a patrol car, not a note.” The sick feeling in my stomach returned. Gabe and Jack would stand watch themselves before leaving the house unguarded. Marshall’s instincts ran true, something was wrong. “Annie, where did Officer Casey leave my trunk?”

  “It’s still on the utility porch. Aaron said that he and Marshall would bring it up to your room later.” Annie shifted the roast to her other arm, eyeing me and Officer Henderson both, but didn’t ask any more questions. At times I was sure Annie saw right through me and divined all the thoughts I tried to keep hidden. “I best get this meat in the oven if supper’s going to be on time. Jack and Gabe are both coming to eat with us. Are you meeting your girl tonight, Marshall?”

  He blushed, his neck and cheeks turning a deeper red than his hair. “No, not tonight. She’s going to a family wedding. One of her cousins.”

  “Well you’re more than welcome to stay for supper, too.” She handed him the roast and smoothed down her apron. “I could use an extra hand with the potatoes. Come along now, both of you.”

  We followed her from the entry, across the formal dining room, and through the swinging door into her domain. That she ruled the kitchen was a fact none of us contested.

  Annie was never shy about putting people to work. The young officers watching the house were no exception, but she fed them well and none of them ever complained. I suspected that secretly, most of them liked helping her.

  Henderson set the roast on the oak worktable in the middle of the kitchen. He slipped off his uniform jacket, draping it over the back of a chair and began rolling up his sleeves. “Do you know what time Lieutenant Ryan is coming by this evening, Miss Martin?”

  I grabbed an apron off the peg near the icebox and slipped it over my dress. “If Gabe and Jack are coming for supper, I imagine not later than seven.”

  “Right after shift change.” He sat in front of the potatoes Annie had piled on the table and started peeling, tossing the ones he’d finished into a mixing bowl. “Edwards and Thompson are on tonight. Maybe I can call in a few favors and pull more men in for overnight. I don’t think the lieutenant will mind.”

  Annie was in the pantry, gathering ingredients for biscuits and singing one of her favorite hymns. I moved closer and lowered my voice. “You think someone lured Officer Casey away for a reason. That’s what really concerns you.”

  “I don’t know that for sure.” Marshall Henderson glanced up at me and for an instant, all the worry showed in his eyes. This case had aged him in just the few weeks we’d known each other. “But it is a possibility.”

  Annie took a tray up to Esther so Sadie could help her mother eat while our supper cooked. Esther ate less each day, all soft foods easily swallowed. I set to work cutting up turnips and resolved not to think of how near Esther’s end drew, hour by swift hour.

  With three of us in the kitchen, supper had come together quickly. Potatoes and turnips bubbled on the stove and the smell of roast beef filled the kitchen. Biscuits sat on the cutting board, covered with a flour-sack towel, ready to bake at the last minute.

  I patted the last of the pie crust into a tin. Henderson was still peeling and cutting up apples, eating one wedge for each that he added to the mixing bowl. Until he finished I wouldn’t be needed. I washed flour from my hands and opened the door to the utility porch.

  My trunk sat on the chipped brown linoleum floor and filled most of the small porch. The last anemic rays of sunset found their way through the window, glinting off brass hinges, and the wide metal-bands that reinforced the rounded top. Given the time the rail company had the trunk in their keeping, I’d expected it to come back to me scratched and dirty from weeks spent in baggage cars. Instead, the wood and fittings looked cleaner than when loaded on the train in New York.

  Officer Casey had shoved the trunk into the room and turned it sideways to let the outside door close again, and the latch faced the backdoor, out of reach. Squeezing between the trunk and the laundry sink was a tight fit, but I managed. Having my own things again would be a treat and I wanted to change before Gabe arrived.

  The etched nameplate on the front was gone, something Aaron Casey wouldn’t know to miss. A neat square of pale blue paper was wedged into the frame in its place, the words Miss Delia Martin written out in sharp, black ink.

  I backed away until the wall behind stopped me, remembering at the last instant not to open the door and run. Clamping a hand over my mouth kept me from screaming, but only just.

  “Oh, God … oh, God … oh, God.” I sucked in air, fighting to stay calm and not retch. “Marshall … Marshall!”

  He hit the door at a run, a hand on his gun. Relief flashed across his face as he saw me, but he leapt the trunk to reach me, his long legs clearing the rounded top with ease. Annie appeared in the doorway right behind him. Her eyes went wide as she saw me huddled against the far wall.

  “Are you all right?” Marshall turned me to face him when I didn’t answer. “Miss Martin— Delia, tell me what’s wrong.”

  “He was here. He brought my trunk.” Breath caught in my throat and I choked, trying not to sob. I pointed at the blue envelope bearing my name. “Marshall … he was here.”

  “Son of a—” He put an arm around my shoulders, holding me up as my knees gave out. “Annie, call the stationhouse and have them send two cars right now. If Lieutenant Ryan isn’t there, tell the desk sergeant to find him. Give the sergeant my name and make sure he understands this is urgent.”

  Annie hesitated, twisting her hands in her apron and staring at me.

  “I’ve got her, Annie.” His voice was calm, reassuring, and reminded me of Gabe. “Call the lieutenant.”

  Henderson helped me around the trunk and sat me in a kitchen chair, leaving me only long enough to close the door into the porch and fetch a glass of water. I heard Annie’s voice from the parlor. She was speaking to Gabe. He and Jack would be here soon.

  Esther’s ghosts, Teddy and the little girl, Beryl, shimmered into view, blocking the door onto the porch. Aileen and her sister ghosts appeared next to Teddy, and a new face, a young man I’d not seen before. Shutting my eyes didn’t prevent me from knowing they were there or sensing their anger. More would come as well, all determined to stop this man.

  An army of ghosts haunted me, haunted Sadie and Esther, spectral guardian angels standing between us and the darkness a murderer cast over our lives. So many spirits, aware and purposeful, had gathered together for a reason. I couldn’t look into Aileen’s eyes and not believe that to be true.

  The thought brought me comfort.

  Gabe

  Gabe swallowed his anger, struggling to remain detached and professional. Letting go of Delia to do his job was one of the hardest things he’d ever done.

  Jack stood with him, taking notes as Marshall Henderson gave his report. Each angry scrawl of Jack’s pencil on paper was a reminder that his partner fought the same battle between duty and the need to be with Sadie.


  Neither of them wanted to stand in the cold on unmowed grass, dampness from last night’s rain soaking into their trouser cuffs. Supervising the collection of evidence was the very last thing Gabe wanted to be doing. He knew Jack felt exactly the same. Neither of them had a choice.

  Too close, too close. He couldn’t get the words out of his mind. Gabe looked from the side yard to the utility porch and the door into the house; he turned away again to keep from punching a wall. He was angry with himself for being careless and taking half measures, no one else. Ignoring the killer’s pattern put people he was supposed to protect in greater danger. People he cared for deeply.

  Henderson wasn’t to blame for leaving the house unguarded and Gabe was determined no one would hold his promising rookie responsible. The young officer had done everything right. Aaron Casey was the one who’d disobeyed orders, but even so, Casey hadn’t let the stranger inside.

  Gabe was extremely grateful for that second chance. He’d be willing to give Casey another chance and let him make up for his mistake—if they found him alive. That seemed less likely as more hours passed without word.

  One man to watch the house and one to drive Sadie and Delia on wedding errands was at least one man short. He’d known that from the start, but Gabe had let the captain bully him out of having three to four men on each detail. That ended now, tonight. Extra men were already on the way to Isadora’s house.

  “Lieutenant?” Maxwell stood at the top of the back steps. “Baker’s finished taking his photographs. We’re ready to open the trunk when you’re finished.”

  Gabe stuffed clenched fists deeper into his trouser pockets. “Did Turner find any fingerprints?”

  Maxwell leaned back inside the door to ask. “He says the prints he found won’t do us any good. They were smeared one set on top of the other and spread all over the outside. Rail company baggage handlers or Casey’s most likely. Nothing we can use to identify our man.”