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“What are you doing?” Lydia asked her husband as she saw him checking his revolver to ensure it was loaded. They were in their room waiting to go downstairs for afternoon cocktails.
“I’m going on a hunt,” he said, as he looked down the barrel and snapped it shut.
“Matt, where are you going and why are you taking a gun?”
“I’m meeting the killer.”
“What? Who is it?”
“I’m not going to tell you.” He tucked the weapon into his waistband, then practiced drawing it. “I wish I’d brought my holster. The one I had made in Mexico.”
“How do you even know who the murderer is?”
“Because I was up that night and I saw the murderer leave Madame Racine’s room.”
Lydia couldn’t hide her shock. “Why didn’t you tell the authorities? Why haven’t you said anything before now?”
Farnsworth shrugged. “It didn’t concern me.”
“But it’s murder! It concerns everyone.”
“It’s not the first time in my life I witnessed a serious crime and didn’t report it. Trust me, you get a lot further in life if you keep what you know close to your vest. You never know when it’s going to come in handy.”
“You’ve got to tell Grant and David!” said Lydia, putting her hand on her husband’s arm.
He brushed it off him. “Are you kidding me? That’s the last thing I should do. I slipped this guy a note saying I knew what he’d done and we needed to talk. And that’s what we’re going to do right now.”
“So it’s a man?”
Farnsworth smiled without humor. “Is it?”
“Stop playing games. Who is it?”
“I’m not going to tell you. I don’t want you queering my play by going to Barker.” Farnsworth tucked a second gun into his boot. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s still in love with you.” He stepped back to look at himself in the mirror, checking to see if either gun was visible. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say the feeling was mutual.”
“I’ve always been fond of Grant,” said Lydia, not quite meeting his eyes. But then she looked at him full on. “Don’t go. You can’t trust a murderer.”
“Sure, I can. And if he doesn’t go for what I propose, he’ll answer to this.” He held up his gun. “Look, I’m sick of dancing to this guy’s tune. I have a mutually beneficial proposition for him.”
“This is madness.”
“No. It makes all the sense in the world. If I don’t make a deal with this guy, I’ll be paying him for the rest of my life. I can’t have this hanging over my head when I’m back in Washington. The ethics hearing has been enough of a black eye. So, I’ll tell him flat out that what I have on him is a lot more damning than what he thinks he has on me.”
“What if he doesn’t agree to the deal? Will you kill him?”
Farnsworth shrugged. “Not if I don’t have to. I’ve killed men before, of course, though most of them were natives, so that doesn’t count as much. Don’t pull that face with me.”
“You know I don’t like it when you say things like that. We’re all equal.”
“You really are naïve, aren’t you?” He looked at himself in the mirror, putting a few stray hairs into place. “I’ve faced down a few men in my day, so you needn’t worry about me.”
“You can’t kill this man, no matter how odious he is. You must tell Grant – Agent Barker – and David. They’ll find a way to arrest him and we’ll all be done with this madness.”
“I don’t plan to kill him. And I especially don’t want him arrested, free to tell everyone what he knows. I’m going to give him something he doesn’t know he wants. I’ve been keeping my ears open and have learned quite a bit about the other guests. Once this guy hears what I have to say, the last thing he’ll do is make me an enemy. He’ll stay quiet just to keep me talking.”
“That’s terrible. You can’t betray other people just to protect your own secrets. And it won’t work! As soon as you can’t tell him any other secrets he’ll turn on you. You’ll be right back where you are right now and have made things worse for the others.”
“I don’t care about the others. And I’m not just asking for my secret to stay buried. I want a cut of the action. I’m a United States Senator. There’s no telling what dirt I can dig up on government officials, Wall Street bankers and anyone else I come in contact with. Hell, I could probably dig up dirt on world leaders. There’s money in this just waiting to be taken.”
“Matt, we don’t need the money. Please don’t do this. It will hurt so many people. And you can’t trust this man.”
Farnsworth studied her. “You really are pathetic, aren’t you? I didn’t get to where I am in life by worrying about others. Let them take care of themselves. Right now I’m worried about what’ll happen to me. And you should be worried about it, too, because what affects me affects you.” He studied his wife. “What does he have on you?”
Lydia paled, then turned away. “Who says he has anything?”
“Because money disappeared. I know you made a drop the other night and that’s probably how you hurt your hand. What does he have on you?”
Lydia sighed. “It’s about my mother. He knows about her past and said he’d tell everyone.”
“Jesus, Lydia!” said Farnsworth. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me? I can’t have it out there that my wife is the daughter of a whore.”
“Don’t talk that way about my mother.”
“That conniving, money-grubbing bitch is barely a mother. She all but sold you to me. I knew what she was then. I almost said no, except I knew how much it would anger Grant Barker. I couldn’t resist that.”
Lydia tried not to cry, but her eyes were filling with tears. “Don’t strike a bargain with that monster. I’m begging you.”
He ignored her, then finished dressing. She placed a hand on his arm, then he back-handed her, sending her flying across the room. For a moment, he looked like he regretted his actions.
But only for a moment.
“I’ll be back in an hour. Don’t ruin this for me, Lydia, if you know what’s good for you.”
Then he left without looking back.
* * *
Josie, David, Grant and Mikey were on the south lawn seated on Adirondack chairs. They could hear Lawrence Henry singing at the piano and from the way the servants were hurrying back and forth, it was obvious the rest of the guests were enjoying themselves. David, Josie and Barker had just filled Mikey in on what they’d learned from Professor Crowfeather and Josie’s time travelling. So far, he hadn’t said much in response.
“So, what did I look like in this picture you saw, Miss Matthews?” asked Mikey. “The one where I was dead.”
“I’m afraid you were dressed just as you are now, lying dead in the forest.”
“I guess I must have taken a walk in the woods in my evening clothes. I wonder why I’d do a fool thing like that.”
“I don’t know,” said Josie. “Very little was revealed about the motive behind the killing. The stories said you and David had known each other for a number of years. It didn’t mention Agent Barker at all.”
“Why do they think I killed my friend?” asked David.
“I think the most damning evidence was you disappeared soon thereafter. I guess they figured an innocent man wouldn’t run. You were known as somewhat of a recluse, as much as a Wall Street tycoon can be. You stayed out of the press, kept your love life private. The incident with Clara Bow didn’t come out until years later.”
“Hold it,” said Barker. “You dated the It Girl?”
David shrugged. “I wouldn’t say we dated. She came to a party at my Hamptons estate and we talked.”
Mikey snorted. “What’s the real story? You can talk in front of Miss Matthews on account of I think she’s a lunatic who’s used to hearing all sorts of odd things. God knows she says enough of them.”
“I’m not a lunatic,” said Josie.
“That’s right,” said Mikey. “You’re a lunatic time traveler. So, what’s the deal with Clara Bow?”
“She was nice. Fairly ordinary. I felt sorry for her. if you must know. We kissed and she wanted to take it further.”
“Maybe Miss Andrews should excuse herself now so we can hear the rest of the story,” said Barker.
“There is no rest of the story,” said David. “I turned her down.”
“Now, I think you’re a lunatic,” said Mikey.
Lydia ran up to them, breathless. “Matt is going after the murderer!”
“What?” asked David.
Grant took Lydia’s hands as he studied her. “What the hell happened to your face?”
“He struck me. But that’s...”
“What?” said Grant, enraged. “I’ll kill the bastard.”
“I think the murderer will beat you to it.” She explained everything her husband had said to her.
“Where was he going?” asked Barker.
“I don’t know. He was too fast for me. But I saw him heading into the woods.”
Grant pulled out his gun. “You two stay here,” he said, pointing to Lydia and Josie. “David, call Deputy Irwin. Mikey get back in the house.”
“I’m coming with you,” said Mikey, pulling out his own gun.
“You can’t go into the woods dressed like that!” said Josie. “You look exactly like you did in the pictures.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Matthews. I still don’t believe you,” said Corrigan, as he followed Grant and David who’d already run ahead of him.
Josie and Lydia followed.
It was dark in the woods, with only occasional glimpses of sunlight shining through the treetops. It was slow-going for both Josie and Lydia, since they were wearing heels. The men must have split up, because Josie could hear people walking through the woods in three different directions. They walked ahead carefully, straining to hear anything which indicated the way they should go. But the woods were eerily silent, with not even the sound of animals around them. Then they heard it – the deafening crack of a gunshot, along with a flash of light to the left of them.
As quickly as possible Josie and Lydia made their way in that direction, finally figuring out they were in the right place when they saw David and Barker looking at something on the ground. Josie looked down at the spot and sunlight showed a man dead on the forest floor. But it wasn’t Mikey Corrigan. It was Senator Matt Farnsworth.
Lydia was silent, as Josie pulled her into her arms.
A moment later, Mikey Corrigan caught up to them. “What’d I miss?” he asked, before seeing the body. “You really know how to throw a party, Remington.”