CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

 

“Would you like me to call the police, madam?” the manager asked Eliza.

Eliza pursed her lips in concentration. “Not just yet. I think I know who the culprit is. Do you have a key to the next room?”

“I have one,” the first maid said, taking out a heavy ring of keys.

“Would you open the door for me? I believe I’ll find my clothing inside.”

They paraded down the hall -- the maid, the manager, Eliza holding onto her towels, the other two maids, and the curious onlookers. The first maid opened the door and stepped back as Eliza and the hotel manager walked inside and looked around.

“There’s my dress!” Eliza said, pointing to her green calico lying over the back of a chair. “And that’s my bag, too.”

“Would you describe something inside the bag, madam?” the man asked, opening the clasp and peering inside.

“Well, there are my unmentionables, of course. Did you want me to mention them?”

“No, madam,” he said instantly. “But surely there’s something else you can identify.”

Eliza tapped her chin. “At the bottom you should find a crystal pendant in the shape of a heart.”

The manager pulled out her pendant, then returned it to the bag and handed it to Eliza. “Do you want me to notify the police?”

“That’s not necessary.” Eliza glanced down at her towel ensemble. “Would you mind if I changed into my dress here?”

“You’ll come right out, won’t you?”

Did the man think she would retaliate by stealing something of Case’s? “Of course I will.”

As soon as the manager and the maids had gone, Eliza unfastened the towels and began to dress, her fingers fumbling with all the ties and buttons in her rush. Stopping to pick up her handbag, Eliza hurried downstairs to the reception desk in the lobby, where she spotted the helpful manager.

“Is everything all right, now, madam?”

“Yes, thank you. I’d like to take my money out of the safe, please.”

“You’ll have to sign for it,” he said, sliding a receipt book toward her.

Eliza quickly wrote her name and pushed it back. The manager turned it around and read it. “You’re not related to Mrs. Edward Lowe, are you?”

“Why, yes. I am. She’s my aunt.”

“I assume you know that she’s staying with us.”

“She’s here? In Omaha?” Eliza asked incredulously. “What room is she in?”

He turned the registration book around and ran his finger down the list of names. Then he flipped back a page and scanned that list. “Here it is. Mrs. Edward Lowe. She checked in two days ago. She’s staying in room three-oh-nine. Third floor.”

Eliza was stunned. If Auntie Vi had come all the way to Omaha, it must have been for a very important reason. But she could only think of one reason that important - her niece’s safety. What could Auntie Vi have possibly learned that would make her fearful? Was it something about Case -- or Caroni? And why hadn’t she tried to contact Eliza?

“I’ll be right back with your money, Miss Lowe.”

“Never mind,” she said, and dashed for the elevator. Case had accused her of being too trusting, and perhaps he was right. If she couldn’t trust him, how could she be certain she could trust Caroni? Wouldn’t it be wiser to meet with him first, and then if all seemed well, to give him the money?

Eliza tapped her toe impatiently as she waited for the elevator to slowly descend to the main floor. A man in a red coat sitting on a stool inside nodded politely as she entered.

“Third floor, please.”

As the elevator’s cables jerked into motion, Eliza nibbled her lower lip. She’d just speak briefly with her aunt and then be on her way. There was no time to spare.

The metal accordion door folded back on three and Eliza dashed out. She stopped at number three-oh-nine and rapped sharply. “Auntie Vi? I’s me, Eliza.” Oh, please be there.

She waited, then knocked again. Where could her aunt have gone?

Down in the lobby, Eliza again approached the hotel manager. “My aunt wasn’t in her room,” she said breathlessly. “You didn’t see her leave, by any chance, did you?”

“No, I didn’t,” he said. “Let me check with another manager.”

Eliza drummed her fingers rapidly against the marble counter while she waited. It was five minutes before two o’clock. She had to get to the station quickly, before Case met up with Caroni.

“No one has seen her today,” the manager reported, “however, one of the clerks remembers seeing her leave yesterday evening with a gentleman.”

“How odd -- I didn’t know she knew anyone in Omaha. If my aunt should return, would you please tell her not to leave again, but to wait for me here? It’s very important.”

“I’d be happy to.”

Eliza thanked him and hurried outside to hail a cab. “Burlington Station, please,” she said, settling against the back.

 

Wearing borrowed workman’s overalls and cap, Case pushed a broom around the perimeter of the huge depot, surveying the people passing by. He had arrived half an hour early, paid a workman to let him use a pair of overalls and a broom, and started sweeping.

As he worked, he studied the men sitting on the wooden pews inside the depot, men lined up to buy tickets and waiting on the platform outside, and most especially, the men who appeared to be doing nothing more than loitering. Eventually, he’d spot Caroni among them.

He pushed the broom through the wide arches in the rear and out onto the big wooden platform in the back, where a train had just arrived from the East. He moved slowly through the disembarking travelers, and when the area had emptied, he worked his way back inside, casually glancing at the big clock on the wall. It was nearly two o’clock. Caroni would have to show up soon.

 

At ten minutes past two, Frank Caroni watched from his hiding place across the street from Burlington Station as a black buggy pulled up and an attractive young lady stepped out. He was certain it was Eliza, but just to be on the safe side, he waited until he saw his wife wave to her from her cab. Then he gave a sharp whistle to an older woman -- an acquaintance of his from the White Gull Tavern -- who was standing inside the doorway of the train station. She lifted her hand in response and disappeared inside.

Frank smiled as he headed for the boardinghouse. Everything was going just as he’d planned. He’d had to spend his last fifty cents to pay for the woman’s help, but it had been well worth it. An hour from now he’d be swimming in money.

 

Case stood near the ticket window and glanced at his watch. Ten minutes after two. Where the hell was Caroni? He’d been all over the place four times without a sign of the bastard.

Just then, he heard a scream and swung around to see an elderly woman fall to her knees on the platform just outside the rear doorway.

“Help! Police!” she cried. “I’ve been robbed!”

For a second Case hesitated, his instinct telling him it was a trap. But when no one made a move to help her, he stood the broom against the wall and ran.

 

As the cab pulled up to the station, Eliza glanced down to check the time, only to discover she'd forgotten her watch. She hoped she wasn’t too late.

She had no sooner stepped out of the cab when she heard her friend call, “Eliza! Over here!”

She swung around and spotted Eileen waving from a hackney cab parked on the other side of the street. Eliza eagerly waved back. She wasn’t too late! Lifting her skirts, she hurried across the brick-paved street, stopping midway to let a carriage pass.

“Eileen!” Eliza cried, climbing into the cab and enveloping her friend in a big hug. “I’ve missed you so!”

“I’ve missed you, too, Liza. Oh, it’s so good to see you again!”

“Where’s your husband?” Eliza asked curiously.

Before Eileen could reply, the buggy jerked into motion. Eliza looked out the window in surprise. “Where are we going?”

Eileen gave Eliza’s hands a squeeze. “I hope you’re not angry, but Francis is in a hurry and he thought it best that we don’t delay. He also thought you and I should meet alone -- without your escort. So if you don’t mind, I’ll just ride with you back to your hotel.”

Eliza agreed whole-heartedly that it was best to meet without Case present. Yet the fact that Caroni didn’t want a Pinkerton man there gave her an uneasy feeling.

She turned to take a closer look at her friend and was dismayed by what she saw. Eileen was ashen and gaunt and so sad-eyed Eliza wanted to weep for her. Even her clothing looked haggard. What had happened to her cheerful, robust childhood chum? “How are you feeling, Eileen?”

Eileen laughed nervously. “It seems like I’ve been sick for ages. I guess I’m not meant to carry babies.”

“Nonsense. You’re just not meant to be dragged all over creation. I don’t understand what your husband could have been thinking.”

Eileen looked down. “I couldn’t stay behind. I need Francis, Liza. He’s so much smarter than I am. I wouldn’t be able to survive on my own.”

“Of course you could survive. Where did you ever get such an idea? You ran your father’s farm for nearly a year after he took ill, didn’t you? ”

The cab pulled up across the street from The Grand Central Hotel. Eliza turned back to her friend. “This is too quick, Eileen. At least come inside and have tea with me.”

Eileen sighed forlornly. “Perhaps some other time.”

“You’re going to Mexico! I haven’t seen you in ages and I don’t know when I shall see you again. Surely your husband won’t mind if you spend a few more minutes with me. There’s a nice tea room in the hotel.”

Eileen twisted her fingers together. “This is very difficult for me, Liza, I just want you to know that. And someday we’ll repay you, I promise. But I have to leave now.”

Eliza was taken aback. Was her friend expecting her to simply hand over the one thousand dollars and walk away? Her intuition began to flash strong warning signals, but she tried to ignore them. She had never doubted Eileen before.

But Eileen has never behaved this way before, her intuition whispered. Don’t be naive.

“I’ll give you the money, Eileen,” she said, and saw the instant look of relief in her friend’s eyes, “but I want to speak to your husband first.”

Eileen’s eyes widened in alarm. “Why do you need to talk to Francis?”

“To reassure myself that he’ll take care of you.”

“Oh, he will!” she answered too eagerly. “Francis takes very good care of me.”

“You don’t look well cared for, Eileen. Now where can we find Francis?”

Her friend stayed silent for a long moment, as though struggling to decide what to do. Finally she sighed wearily. “I’ll take you to the boardinghouse. He should be there soon. But bear in mind that it’s an old building in a run-down part of the city. You won’t find it much to your liking.”

Eliza sat back grim-faced. There was little about the whole situation she was finding to her liking.

 

Case reached the elderly woman just as she picked herself up off the ground.

“My handbag!” she cried in a panic, pointing down one of the boarding platforms, where at least a dozen men waited to board a westbound train. “That man stole my handbag!”

“Which man?” Case asked.

“He’s wearing a gray fedora. Hurry!” she pleaded. “My life savings are in that bag.”

Case scanned the group in dismay. At least half of the men had on gray fedoras. He saw one man moving away from the waiting passengers at a fast pace, carrying something in his hand. Case gave chase, nearly knocking his suspect to the ground. But the item in the man’s hand turned out to be his own traveling bag.

Case questioned the others, but none proved to be the thief. Frustrated, he went back to where he’d left the old woman, only to find that she had disappeared.

Damn it! His instinct had proved right.