Part 2 (1/2)

aSo, we ready to open officially for the night?a Cecil asked.

aYep. Iave just gotta make sure the village idiot is ready, too.a aHey now, Sparkas a good egg. His mama just dropped him on his head one too many times when he was a kid.a aYou ask me, his mom shouldave dropped him a few more times and done us all a favor.a A group of giggling women with feathered headbands descended the stairs. aHere we go,a Cecil said as he poured vodka into two shot gla.s.ses. aTime for one quick belt, if youare up for it.a Lorraine stared at the shot gla.s.s, filled to the brim with throat-burning, world-fuzzying, wonderful, beautiful liquor. A drink would be pos-i-lute-ly lovely, but a she couldnat risk even the slightest bit of foggy-headedness at this job. If she messed anything up, it would get back to Puccini. And then Puccini would send a telegram to their mutual friend back in Chicago. And then Carlito would come to New York and teach Lorraine a lesson.

Cecil could drink and work, but not Lorraine. She pushed it away. aDonat tempt me.a Cecil threw back both shots, one after the other. aI guess youall have to be responsible enough for the both of us.a Lorraine remembered sitting next to Carlito in his reserved booth when head told her his plans for her. It was a few weeks before graduation, and Lorraine had become a regular at the Green Mill. Carlito paid her to hang around and be a pretty face for the male patrons to look at. It was easy peasy work, made Lorraine feel desired, and gave her something to do after all her so-called friends had abandoned her. And she kind-of-sort-of liked Carlito.

The thing shead tried to explain to anyone who would listen was that Carlito was very attractive. Not just handsomea”though his slicked-back hair and dark eyes were good-looking enougha”but powerful and fearless. She had no idea whether Carlito was actually strong, but everyone treated him as if he could break a person with a snap of his fingers. It was a little bit frightening and a lot s.e.xy. Lorraine had never met someone so young who seemed so confident and dangerous.

aSo,a Carlito had said, shuffling a few poker chips through his fingers, ayouare leaving for New York and Barnard soon, isnat that right, Lorraine?a She narrowed her eyes. Maybe she mentioned Barnard a lota”it was a big-deal school, and people needed to know that she was a smart cookiea”but she didnat think shead said anything to Carlito. And why would she have? Her deal had been to work for him at the Green Mill until graduation. And then she could go back to how her life was supposed to be.

aMaybe at the end of the summer,a she said.

Carlito laughed and draped his arm around her. aIave gotten very attached to you these past few months, doll. You work hard, and youare feisty. Perfect for a position Iam looking to fill over the summer.a aNo thanks, Carlito, Ia”a He patted her thigh. aSo I guess you donat want Jerome Johnson and whatas-her-face, that Gloria dame, to pay for what they did to you?a She almost sprayed her drink all over him. Gloria. She hadnat heard that name since Jerome had run off with Gloria months earlier. There were rumors about what had happeneda”one of Carlitoas goons had gone missing around that time, and no one seemed to wonder where head disappeared to. Which meant he was dead. A tiny part of Lorraine worried that Gloria had been involved in the gangsteras murder, but a much larger part hated Gloria for abandoning her, and that part won out every time.

aWhat exactly do you have in mind?a shead asked Carlito.

Six weeks later she was here at the Opera House, living off her paycheck and her allowance from her parents (to whom shead promised aprogress reportsa from the summer cla.s.ses she was taking before Barnard started in the fall) and stopping Spark from abusing the musicians. aThe ba.s.s goes behind the piano, not on top of it,a he was saying to Rob. aYou think youare fronting this band?a aLeave him be, Spark,a Lorraine said, striding toward the stage.

Spark was a skinny man who liked to wear brightly colored bow ties and vests. With his wispy brown hair and stupid straw boater hat, he looked like a child playing dress-up.

aWhy, h.e.l.lo, Raine,a Spark said, removing the boater and pressing it to his chest. aWhatever did I do to earn the privilege of your attention? I figured you were just gonna stay at the bar and let me do all your work for you.a Spark was supposed to be Lorraineas comanager, but they both knew that Lorraine gave the orders and Spark took them. He was ten years older than Lorraine, which sometimes seemed to make him think he was smarter than she was.

Lorraine looked at the band on the stage. aThey all set?a She got her answer when the band launched into an upbeat tune. The blond piano player, Felix, was. .h.i.tting on all six, his fingers flying over the keys. He was one of the best piano players Lorraine had seen, second only to a well, Felix was definitely the best piano player Lorraine knew who wasnat also a murderer.

Carlito had told her that Jerome had stolen money from the Green Mill, and when Tony had tried to stop him, Jerome had taken out a pistol and shot Tony in cold blood.

Lorraine hadnat even had to fake her shock. Jerome was even worse than Bastian. Murder! Gloria had thrown away her friends.h.i.+p with Lorraine for a poor black piano player who went around killing people? aItas just not right,a she said aloud.

aI dunno,a Spark said. aI think they sound pretty good. But of course, I donat have your educated ear, Lorraine.a She looked at Spark. aYour ears are so tiny itas a wonder you can hear anything at all.a Then she turned on her heel and walked back through the swiftly filling room to the door marked EMPLOYEES ONLY beside the bar.

She didnat look back to see whether Spark was followinga”she knew he was.

Through that door and then another door was the Opera Houseas tiny office. Dante, Lorraine, and Spark all made use of the place, and it was in a constant state of messinessa”sticky rings on the oak desk left by gla.s.ses of Scotch (Dante), discarded headbands and gloves lying on the file cabinets (Lorraine), crumpled sheets of paper in the trash can and on the floor (Spark), and overflowing ashtrays on every possible surface (all three).

Lorraine sifted through the mess and unearthed a folder. aI made some changes to our ad. Make sure to take it over to the Times first thing in the morning.a Spark sat down in the desk chair, propped his feet up, and opened the folder. He read through the advertis.e.m.e.nt. aThis is a lot more specific,a he said.

aWe want a certain type,a Lorraine said.

aBut what was wrong before? Just saying weare looking for a young, pretty singer with experience?a aI have a look in mind. A vision, if you will.a aWhyas she gotta be a redhead?a Good question. Lorraine bit her lip. a aCause we want her to look Irish. Ireland is known for its jazz singers.a aSince when?a He shook his head. aNever mind. And she has to be five-three? Whatas that about?a aAcoustics,a Lorraine said quickly. aThatas the perfect height for a singer to a project effectively. Everyone knows that.a Spark snorted. aUh-huh. And whatas this business about her having green eyes?a aSpark!a Lorraine s.n.a.t.c.hed the folder from him. aHow about we just do what we were hired to do? I was hired to think, and you were hired to a why did Puccini hire you, anyway?a Spark stood up from the chair and bowed. aWhy donat I go and make sure Cecil isnat giving away free hooch to his buddies again?a After he was gone, Lorraine looked at the ad one more time. It was the perfect bait. Gloria had been in New York for half a year; she had to be running out of money. Sure, an ad like this probably wouldave seemed fishy to the old Gloria. But desperation put a whole new s.h.i.+ne on things.

Carlitoas plan was simple. aThere are two different ways to catch a bird,a head said. aBeat the bushes so it flies out. Or lure it into a cage. Weare gonna do both. My guys are gonna beat the bushes. Youare gonna build a gilded cage so that the birds fly right inside. You manage one of my clubs in New York, and you hire Gloria and Jerome. Then I show up to collect a debt. Itas that simple.a aWhat are you going to do to them?a Lorraine had asked.

aNothing to the girl. I donat hurt women, itas not my style,a Carlito had said. aAs for the piano man, well a Iall rough him up a bit and send him on his way. Teach him a lesson.a Head leaned in a bit closer to Lorraine. aWeall teach him a lesson.a Lorraine had liked the sound of that.

Now Lorraine s.h.i.+vered a little and slipped the folder into Sparkas absurd yellow briefcase. She went back out into the bar.

It was just the usual chaos. Sparkling young women and dapper young men, the girls sporting their sultry flapper besta”all drop-waisted, s.h.i.+mmery, sleeveless evening dresses, and hair crimped and bobbed and caught in beaded headbands. They constantly checked their cigarettes and their c.o.c.ktail gla.s.ses for lipstick marks, and they constantly laugheda”they were desperate to be witty. The men were the same way, only without the lipstick and headbands. Lorraine could barely stand any of them. Had she been as dizzily vacant as the flappers who filled the club and cut a rug on the dance floor?

She let out a heavy sigh. She missed the days when a speakeasy seemed like a rebelas paradise, full of sparkling diamonds glinting in a smoky pool of soft jazz and even softer laughter. Now it was just a whole lotta hard work. She felt as if she was somewhere between being a waitress and a maid. Although she was pretty sure Marguerite had never had to sc.r.a.pe vomit off the floors of the Dyer residence. (Not that Lorraine did the actual sc.r.a.ping. But watching over Jimmyas shoulder while he did it to make sure he didnat leave any specks was almost worse.) But it was only for the summer.

Once Gloria fell into Lorraineas trap, Lorraine would tell Carlito where Gloria and Jerome were hiding. And Gloria would suffer. She would have to watch Carlito and his goons rough up her boyfriend. Shead have to go along as they ran him out of town. Then Gloria would wander back to her sad little New York life, broken and alone. Eventually, she would come crawling back to Lorraine, begging for forgiveness.

And Lorraine would laugh. No, she would cackle! Like a witch!

Gloria had made a huge mistake when shead crossed Lorraine Dyer. Now Carlito would come and take Jerome away, just as Gloria had taken everything from Lorrainea”Bastian, Marcus Eastman, the flapper lifestyle Lorraine had introduced her toa”without a thought for anyone but herself.

Once laaffaire Gloria was all wrapped up, Lorraine could start her real life in New York. She would have some positively scandalous stories to tell to her spectacular new Barnard friends about how she palled around with mobsters and ran their gin joints and how it was all so old hat for someone as worldly as she.

Lorraine was almost done making nice with gangsters and doing actual worka”her revenge on Gloria was so close she could taste it.

So why did she feel so awful?

CLARA.

Looks ainat everything.

Claraas black feather fan looked like the perfect accessory to go with any slinky flapper dressa”dark, intricate-looking, s.e.xy. But as a fan, it didnat work so well. She was no cooler after ten minutes of flapping, and now her arm was tired.

She dropped the fan into her purse and pulled out her copy of the Ill.u.s.trated Milliner magazine. She liked it for the pictures and the articles, which werenat too literary but were engaging enough. Shead wanted to be a writer back in the old days, when she was living in New York with Leelee and Coco. Poetry mostly, but writing for a magazine seemed fun. Glamorous. A way to set trends and impress people.

Clara laughed a little to herself. Who cared if she wasnat a trendsetter anymore? The only person she wanted to impress was Marcus, and head fallen for her when shead been stuck wearing dresses that were about as attractive as potato sacksa”let alone anything that would be featured in a magazine. She shook the Cartier bracelet on her wrist and smiled. That was far more gorgeous than any stupid dress in the Milliner.

But what Clara loved most about the glittering diamond and platinum bracelet was what it meant. Marcus had first given it to her when he still believed she was Country Clara, Gloriaas innocent cousin from a small Pennsylvania farm. And then even after he had learned the truth about Claraas turbulent past, he had again clasped the bracelet on her wrist and asked her to move to New York with him for the summer.

Clara hadnat taken it off since.

She knew that Marcus had imagined that she would be living in Upper Manhattan, close to him and Columbia, where he would attend college in the fall. Instead, she had chosen to live in Brooklyn Heights. She just couldnat go back to Manhattan, not yet. She didnat want to run even the slightest risk of falling back in with her party-all-day-and-all-night crowda”or into the lifestyle that went with them. For right now, Manhattan was like a giant neon LOOK BUT DONaT TOUCH sign blinking at her from across the East River.

Aside from Marcus, there was only one reason to visit Manhattana”to find Gloria.

Clara knew that her cousin was in New York City somewhere. Gloria had promised she would send Clara a telegram in Pennsylvania once she and Jerome arrived safely in New York, but the telegram had never come. And now Clara herself had come to New York, and Gloria was no closer to being found.

Clara leaned back on her bench and looked down the street, past the line of elegant brownstone town houses. She could just make out a tiny part of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was beautiful, just like everything else in Brooklyn.

Her folks hadnat been so enthusiastic about her returning to the very place where shead lost her virtue. In fact, theyad forbidden it.

But then her aunt Bea had stepped forward on Claraas behalf and persuaded them to give Clara a second chance. aThe mistakes Clara committed in the past,a she wrote, ahave made her a better person.a Her aunt had testified that Clara had become a new woman in Chicago and a favorite of the smart set. And shead praised the positive influence of Claraas beau, the upstanding young man Marcus Eastman, one of the most sought-after bachelors in the great state of Illinois.

So the Knowleses had grudgingly allowed Clara to return to New York. But shead had to make promises: Not to fall back into her wild ways. Not to run with the same group of adissolute girls.a Not to drink. Not to dance. Not to set foot in palaces of sin (as they called speakeasies). They sent Clara money from time to time at her Brooklyn address, but it was the absolute minimum.

Clara had resorted to wearing dresses that had gone a little threadbare, and she couldnat afford to replace her worn-out black Mary Janes. Her apartment was s.p.a.cious and cheap, but that was only because it was such a long hike from the subway stop. She was making ends meet, but just barely.

Clara jerked when she felt someone slide up close to her on the bench.

aYou sit with such style, miss,a a soft voice whispered. aYou positively brighten up this dreary bench just by parking yourself on it.a She exhaled deeply and turned toward him.

Marcusas sky-blue eyes shone mischievously from under his hata”his eyes were the same color as her dress, only brighter. He was das.h.i.+ng in a tan suit and a light blue s.h.i.+rt. With each pa.s.sing day, he looked less like an eighteen-year-old and more like a man. But then head smile, and his cheeks would dimple, and shead see in his face the charming boy he would always be.

She scooted away from him. aI donat take kindly to strange men.a Marcus scooted right after her, wrapping his arms around her. aYouall find that few strange men are as devastatingly strange as I am.a She laughed. aYou may have a point. You are exceedingly strange.a aI exceed in everything, darling.a He kissed her softly on the lips. It wasnat much more than a pecka”there were children walking by, after alla”but it still left Clara a little offbalance.

Back when she was sixteen, shead run off to New York in search of that intense, heart-wrenching, almost painful kind of love. Shead spun through parties, dinners, nights at the theater; dancing with men whose gorgeousness belonged within the pages of magazines. But only one thing was on those menas minds, and it certainly wasnat love.