Part 12 (1/2)

Hank brushed Lorraineas fingers with his as he took the bottle from her, giving her a sympathetic look.

Lorraine knew she mustave looked tired and haggard, but Hank was his usual unkempt-in-the-s.e.xiest-possible-way self. Today he wore dark gray slacks and a pale blue V-neck sweater. His practically black hair was getting a little long and kept falling into his eyes. But it didnat look sloppy: it looked adorable.

The truth about how Lorraine had come to work at the Opera House hadnat scared Hank awaya”if anything, head become more devoted than ever. He stopped by her apartment every morning to walk her to work, even on days when he wasnat working. He kept trying to convince her to quit her job or go to the police, promising he would protect her.

Not that Hankas knight-in-s.h.i.+ning-armor act wasnat sweeta”it was. But it was also kind of stupid. Lorraine could only imagine what Carlito would do to her if she tried to back out on the deal now. Thor had tried to fire Hank the day he arrived, but then head seen how quickly Hank mixed drinks and had allowed him to stay.

aWhoas Frankie Balzini, anyway?a Lorraine reached for a lowball gla.s.s from a tray and went back to drying.

aOnly one of the top bootleggers in the citya”a good buddy of Owney Madden.a Thor took another puff on his cigar. aRaine, how about you get me a shot of that brandy? Iad better sample it before Frankie does, make sure itas top-notch. In fact, better make it a double.a Hank cleared his throat. aI can get that for you, bossa”a aI told Lorraine to do it,a Thor growled. aYou go on upstairs and help the boys unload the s.h.i.+pment. Dryina dishes is womanas work, anyway.a Lorraine wanted to wring his neck. Shead never dried a dish before now!

Hank reached under the bar to squeeze Lorraineas hand, then crossed the barroom and walked up the stairs.

Thor hopped onto one of the bar stools. aIf I didnat know any better, Iad say that bartenderas carrying a torch for you.a Lorraine felt her cheeks redden.

aI canat imagine why,a Thor went on, smacking his lips. aYouave got some nice gams, Iall give you that, but even you know you need about ten pounds oa paint to make that mug look presentable.a She handed him his drink. aAt least I can ride all the rides at the carnival.a Thor pushed the gla.s.s right back. aDonat be stingy, sweetheart.a He wove his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. aSo the canary and her spade boyfriend are coming in for her debut tomorrow night, right?a Lorraine nodded. aYep, at eight.a Thor grinned. aNow, thereas one choice bit of calico. Though I doubt sheall look so good once Carlitoas through with her.a Lorraine stopped drying. What was Thor talking about? aCarlito would never do anything to Gloria,a she said. aIt was the piano player who killed Carlitoas partner, not the singer. Heas the one whoas gonna get it.a Thor barked out a little laugh. aYou really donat know anything, do you? Iall let you in on a little secret.a He lowered his voice. aJerome wasnat the one who took Tony outa”it was that little bluenose.a Lorraineas blood went cold in her veins. aI donat believe you.a Thor took a sip of his brandy. aCarlito covered it upa”imagine how itad look if word got out that a seventeen-year-old girl knocked off one of his top guys?a aSoa”so what is he going to do once he catches them?a Thor shrugged. aWho knows? But the boss has got big plans.a He chuckled and then ran the flat of his hand across his neck, miming the slas.h.i.+ng of his throat.

Lorraine looked away in horror.

Thor knocked back the rest of his drink. aWell, Iam off to the little boysa room,a he announced, jumping off his stool.

Lorraine waited until head disappeared into the menas room. Then she dashed up the stairs and found Hank in the alley outside. aI need to talk to you,a she said. aIave only got a minute before he tracks me down. It takes him forever to get up those stairs, what with those tiny things he calls legs.a Hank c.o.c.ked his head. aWhatas up?a She relayed what Thor had just told her. It had nevera”not even for a seconda”dawned on her that Carlito would want to physically hurt Gloria.

Lorraine was a lot of thingsa”she knew that. She could be a b.i.t.c.h, a drunk, a doormat, a backstabber a sure. Was she proud of all those things? No. But a girl did what she needed to do. She wasnat a killer, though. She wasnat an accomplice to murder. And no matter how bad things had become between them, Gloria Carmody had been her best friend for most of their lives. Whatever bad things Gloria might have done, she didnat deserve to be killed for them.

aCarlito promised me he was just going after Jerome, that he was only going to rough him up and send him away. He promised me he wasnat going to kill anybodya”thatas why I took the job!a Hank rolled his eyes. aAnd you believed him?a Lorraine dropped her face into her hands. aYes!a she cried hopelessly.

Hank put a hand on her shoulder. aYou donat need to worry, Raine. Iall help you.a Lorraine shook him off, angry tears welling up in her eyes. aWhat can you do? Youare just a stupid bartender!a Her eyes widened as she heard the words come out of her mouth. aNo, no, I didnat mean youare stupida”but you are a bartender.a Thankfully, Hank didnat seem offended. Instead, he just gripped her shoulder tighter. He was so strong! aWe can warn them. Youave got their address, right?a The door of the club banged open. Thor stood there, angry, his face red. aWhat are you doing out here?a Hank held up a cigarette. aJust came out for a smoke, boss.a aGet back in here, Lorraine,a Thor commanded, his expression unchanging.

As Lorraine turned to follow Thor inside, Hank started talking again. aActually, boss, Iave got to run over to the butcheras to pick up those special steaks the Balzini party ordered.a Thor glanced back. aMake it quick.a aTheyall need a manageras signature.a Hank gave his million-dollar grin, holding the door open for Thor and Lorraine. aI know the butcher is awfully fond of Lorraine. They usually knock down the price if she tags along.a Hank really must have had a lot of experience with gangsters: Their inherent cheapness when it came to business always won out above all else.

aAll right.a Thor crossed his arms, then sighed. aBut donat you take any wooden nickels, Rainea”you understand?a Lorraine nodded, glad that in addition to being a sweetheart and absurdly handsome, her boyfriend was clever. Maybe bartenders were smarter than shead thought.

Lorraine stared up at the ugly brown building. aEew. Are you sure this is it?a Hank pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. When theyad run to Lorraineas office to get her purse and hat, Hank had copied down the address they had on file for Gloria. aYep, here we are. She didnat list an apartment number, though, so weare just gonna have to ask around.a Lorraine clutched Hankas arm as they walked up the steps. How wonderful it was to walk on a manas arm, even with all the terrible things going on. At six feet, two inches, Hank made Lorraine feel ladylike instead of like a too-tall ugly duckling. She imagined what it would be like to have him by her side at Barnard, how all the other girls would swoon over him (of course they would, he was swoon-worthy!) and then want to be her friends. And Lorraine would wear glamorous clothes, and Gloria would be safe, and safely out of Lorraineas life, and Hank would maybe go to school himself and stop bartendinga”well, he would mix her drinks at homea”and the two of them would get married and have beautiful babies. And get nannies to take care of the babies.

What a grand new life that would be!

But first she had to clean up the mistakes of the old life.

In the lobby of the shabby apartment building were a few peoplea”Italian factory workers and young families pa.s.sing through, and two men talking by the stairs.

Hank tapped one man on the shoulder. aSorry to bother you,a he said, abut weare looking for a friend of ours. Her nameas Gloria Carmody. She has short wavy red hair, green eyes, very pretty?a Lorraine tried not to bristle at the fact that Hank had called Gloria pretty.

The man tugged on his mustache. aShe young like you, yes?a he said in a heavy accent. aI see her here, there.a Lorraine grinned. aWonderfula”do you know which apartment sheas in?a Her face fell when the man shook his head. aNo, I only ever see her here, in lobby,a he replied.

The other man pointed at a door. aAlways seems to be heading to the bas.e.m.e.nt. Nothing down there but the boiler room.a Gloria had dumped her perfect life so she could sing in a speakeasy and fall in love with a poor black man, and now she was living in a boiler room? The girl did some crazy things.

Lorraine followed Hank down a rickety set of wooden stairs to a dirty cement-floored bas.e.m.e.nt. Piles of unidentifiable objects covered with tarps filled the room, with only narrow s.p.a.ces between them. Lorraine sneezed as their feet kicked up dust, and she tried not to touch any of the sooty pipes that snaked through the room. aI hate dirty things,a she said.

Hank appeared to be looking around for something. aJerome and Gloria both listed this building as their address, right? But everyone we saw in the lobby was white. No way would the landlord let a colored boy live here. And from what the tenants were saying, it doesnat sound like Gloria lives here, either.a He picked up a canvas bag he found on the floor and looked through it. aAha!a aI donat really think you should be going through peopleas things,a Lorraine said.

aWhat if Gloria only pretends to live here? This building is right on the edge of Harlem. Say she and Jerome live in one of those buildings, and Gloria sneaks through this one and into a black building through the back? A colored landlord wouldnat take any more kindly to her living in his building than the landlord in this building would take to Jerome.a aSounds far-fetched.a Lorraine wanted to tell Hank that he should stick to bartending and leave the detective work to someone else, but she bit her tongue.

aNot if she has a good disguise,a Hank said, tossing the canvas bag to her.

Inside were a long black coat and black gloves. Lorraine checked the label on the coata”it was from the House of Beer in Paris. Quality goods. Exactly the sort Chicago Gloria had owned. aThereas nothing here that would cover her hair.a Hank shrugged his big, beautiful shoulders. aShe probably keeps a hat in there. Maybe she took it with her.a He opened the back door and went outside. Walking to the ragged fence at the back of the lot, he started pus.h.i.+ng on each wooden slat. A scarred piece of wood swung aside at the gentlest poke. Lorraine followed him through the wide gap in the fence.

They found themselves in the backyard of a building that was in even worse repair than the one theyad left. Two older black women narrowed their eyes at Hank and Lorraine as they walked through the back door, but made no move to stop them. Lorraine had spent her life looking at and through colored people in the exact same way that she was being looked at nowa”it felt strange to be on the other side of that look.

Gloria had lived herea”in this dump? aWhat now?a Lorraine whispered, wincing at the scraggly grayish carpeting beneath her brocade pumps.

aI doubt they live on the first floor,a Hank replied, deep in thought. aWhy go to all this trouble if Gloria was going to hit all the foot traffic coming from the lobby? If I were trying to hide, I would live on the top floor.a aWhy?a Lorraine asked, intrigued by Hankas detective skills. aNot that I donat love the view from a penthouse, of course.a aLetas say someone was able to find out where they were but didnat know the apartment number. Theyad start knocking on doors on the first floor and work their way up, right?a Lorraine shrugged. aI guess so.a aSo letas start at the top and work our way down,a Hank said, heading toward the stairs.

Lorraine groaned and trudged after him. They eventually reached the top floor, which turned out to be the fourth. She tried to catch her breath and watched as Hank knocked on the nearest door.

A young black man looked as surprised as Lorraine when he opened the door. aYes?a he asked warily.

ah.e.l.lo, Iam Paul Seymour and this is my fiance, Betty,a Hank said, slinging his arm over Lorraineas shoulder. aWeare getting married soon and we were wondering if youad be willing to play the piano at our reception.a The man blinked. aIam sorry, sir, I think you got me confused with somebody else.a Hank was all fl.u.s.tered embarra.s.sment. aOh, I am so sorry! Arenat you Jerome Johnson?a The man shook his head. aThe piano player? Naw, that music comes from over in Four D.a Hank smiled back. aI mustave written the address down wrong. Thanks.a Lorraine stared at Hank as they walked down the hallway. aDid you used to act out there in California, too? What else do you do that I donat know about?a aWhat can I say? Iam a man of many talents.a They stopped in front of 4D. aAre you ready?a Lorraine exhaled. Now that they were finally here, her stomach was knotted into nervous coils. Surely Gloria still hated her. But Lorraine would just have to force Gloria to listen. For her own good.

She nodded. aIam ready.a Hank rapped on the door; a moment later a young man answered. A white man. He was dressed far too well to be living in a place like this, in a navy blue suit, and his dark hair looked as if it had been trimmed by a professional barber. The man didnat say anythinga”he just crossed his arms.

aUh, weare here to see Jerome Johnson,a Lorraine said nervously. aOr Gloria Carmody. Or both, really.a The man gave a crisp nod. aWait here.a He closed the door.

aWhoas that?a Hank whispered.

aIave never seen him before.a A moment later the door opened again. The man waved them in, reminding Lorraine of a butler. aPlease come inside.a Lorraine looked around at the dingy apartment, noting its peeling wallpaper and the tacky fact that the door led straight into the kitchen. The oak dining set screamed aflea market,a and the doors on the cabinets looked as if they were ready to fall off their hinges.

Lorraine couldnat imagine Gloriaa”model-student, well-mannered, diamonds-and-lace Gloria Carmodya”in this apartment. Lorraine felt a guilty lump welling in her throat. How much must Gloria have loved Jerome to put up with these hobo-camp living conditions?

The only other person in the room was an older man sitting in a chair by the window. His bronze hair was shot through with silver, as was his mustache. He was dressed in an impeccable gray suit that probably cost more than a yearas rent on this tiny apartment.

Lorraine took a quick, short breath as the man turned toward her.

aWhy, Lorraine Dyer,a he said. aYou have a lot of explaining to do.a CLARA.

When life gives you lemons, sometimes you need to stash them in the icebox and make a martini with olives instead.

Clara patted her short golden hair as she turned onto Tenth Street.

For once, she wished her hair were long enough to twist into a sophisticated knot at the nape of her neck. Her boyish party-girl bob clashed with her outfit, but otherwise she looked the part of a real journalist: Her burgundy blouse and black skirt were fitted enough to be flattering but conservative enough to look professional. She even had a notebook and a pencil in her purse.

It was nice to have something to be excited about when nothing else in her life seemed to be going right.

Things were still rocky with Marcus.

Theyad meet up, and Marcus would give her suspicious glances as if he expected her to break out a flask and start dancing on the nearest table. On evenings they didnat spend together, head ask painfully detailed questions about her plans as though he didnat believe a single word she was saying.

Head lost faith in her, and she was slowly trying to rebuild his trust. But it wasnat exactly s.e.xy to feel as if your boyfriend were a copper keeping watch over your every move.

And Marcus didnat even know that shead almost kissed Parker.