Monday, June 22, 1942
The next several days passed in a blur. Audra tried to keep up as Mark seemed intent on making them all work doubly hard in a convoluted effort to keep them from thinking about Lana. The caravan played to packed crowds in the cities of Raleigh, Charlotte, and Columbia, moving so fast all Audra remembered was the thick accents and sweetened tea. Mark finally gave them a couple of hours to relax when they hit Atlanta.
“Why are we stopping in Atlanta?” Charlie Lester asked the question he seemed to ask at every stop.
This time everyone chimed in to answer. “We’re here to sell war bonds, not entertain the troops.”
“Though you’ll likely do that too. Atlanta’s a hub for troops stationed within a three-hundred-mile radius. And don’t forget there’s money here too. We’re in the heart of the old South, and these folks are waiting for an opportunity to open those old pocketbooks and buy bonds. Tonight you’ll help them do that.” Mark paced in front of the group in the lounge car. The area under his eyes bore a purple tinge, the stress of his job wearing on his health.
“I’ve got it on good authority they’re shipping men up from Fort Benning and other military installations for the show.” Mark leaned on a chair, a pinched look closing his face. “Take a few hours. Shop on Peachtree Street or wherever it is folks shop in Atlanta. You can even sleep in a hotel tonight. I’ve made reservations at the Winecoff, which is a good one right in the middle of any action. Then tomorrow we’ll rehearse and have a show.”
A murmur floated through the room at the unexpected freedom. After a week on a train with Mark controlling her every movement, it seemed odd to Audra to suddenly have unscheduled time to do whatever she wanted.
The performers rushed from the meeting to get off the train, most not even stopping to pack a bag.
Victoria hooked arms with her. “I think we should get our bags and head to Peachtree. Surely whatever cab we hop in, the driver will direct us to the right store. Go pack an overnight bag and let’s escape before Mark changes his mind.”
The idea sounded wonderful to Audra. “Give me ten minutes.”
“You’ve got five.”
After getting caught in a conversation with a porter, Audra hurried toward her berth, barely noticing the hot, heavy air when she stepped between the cars. The quiet led her to believe the others had escaped. She hoped she could still catch Victoria if she hurried. The thought of spending the night on a full-sized bed sounded glorious. She stepped across to the sleeping car but felt something tug at her shirt. Before she could regain her balance, a shove sent her flailing to the iron platform. She tried to catch her breath but felt a weight press firmly between her shoulders.
“Keep your attention where it belongs.” The deep words hissed into her ear.
The air was forced from her lungs by the weight, and she desperately tried to breathe. Her mind raced as she tried to glimpse whoever pinned her, but a hand pushed her face into the rough grillwork. Just when she knew she would pass out, she felt the vibration of footsteps. Someone was coming. Maybe they could help her.
Audra gave a desperate twist as her lungs screamed for oxygen. She caught an image of a trench coat, polished Italian loafers, and a hat pulled low to meet the upturned coat. Then her face was pressed once more into the floor and everything went black.
“Miss Audra, Miss Audra.” Dalia called to her while stroking her cheek. “Come on, sweet child. Come back.”
It felt like a wet, damp blanket enveloped her. Audra struggled to open her eyes.
“Thank the Lord. You had me worried again, Miss Audra.”
Audra opened her eyes and met Dalia’s soulful gaze. She opened her mouth to speak but only croaked. Licking parched lips, Audra tried again. “Did you see anything?”
Dalia’s eyes widened, and she sucked in a quick breath. “No, ma’am. I didn’t see nothing. Just you laying here like some poor hurt bird. I didn’t know what to do, seeing poor Lana in my mind’s eye. Can you get up?”
“Yes, or everyone will be staring at me.”
In fact, she was surprised Victoria hadn’t headed back to check on her.
“Everybody else is gone, eager to get off this train.”
“I was too.”
“You’re still getting off. Just wearing a bit of pancake makeup.”
Audra felt her cheek and groaned. It felt like the cross-work of the platform had been permanently embedded in her skin. “I think I’d like to get as far away from this train as possible.”
She needed to get away from whoever had attacked her. The quick glimpse of the person didn’t give her much to go on. It might be a man, but she wasn’t certain—though the Italian loafers seemed to indicate that. Her mind spun, and she decided the safest thing to do was abandon the train and head to the largest group of people she could find. Shopping, like Victoria had suggested, sounded like just the ticket. If Victoria hadn’t decided Audra had stood her up. Audra needed to find her then somehow act like nothing had happened.
“Let me help you up.” Dalia creaked to her feet then offered Audra her hand. “Here you go.”
Audra stumbled to her feet, a large pain settling between her shoulder blades. “Whoever it was, I’ve probably got his knee imprint on my back.”
Dalia clucked her tongue. “I just don’t understand people. Hurting each other, murdering...” She shivered dramatically. “Maybe it’s time to get away from these folks for a while. After this tour finishes.”
Audra nodded. Yes, she’d be headed far away if she survived. Indianapolis looked more appealing every moment. “Thank you again, Dalia.” The woman watched her as she hurried to her room. Her attentiveness felt protective and left Audra with the urge to hurry and get off the train while Dalia still stood guard in the passageway.
When Audra heard Dalia’s plodding footsteps move down the hall, she doubled her efforts to get out before something worse happened. She tossed a dress and nightgown in her smaller bag then added face cream, cosmetics, shoes, and stockings. She paused in the bathroom,
studying her face. From her right jawline up to her eye, a discolored area spread.
She touched her cheek, wincing at the pain. Maybe she could find a cosmetics counter with someone who could help her hide the forming bruise.
Until now the attacks hadn’t seemed personal. Anyone could follow her. But this... She shook at the realization that something had changed. Someone—the person who killed Lana—had decided she needed a warning.
Should she abandon the train? In Atlanta? She had the perfect opportunity right now. Get off when Mark gave permission for time off—and never return. She doubted anyone would miss her. They didn’t need her to get people on stage at the right moment. In fact, why would they really need her, unless someone wanted to keep an eye on her?
Mark?
She quickly discarded the idea. He wouldn’t sabotage his precious caravan by killing Lana. And why would he attack Robert? Not when he’d needed the actor ready to emcee a show in two hours.
Move.
The urgency hit her by surprise. She abandoned the mirror and grabbed her bag. Then she hurried from her berth and off the train. She hesitated after walking the platform without seeing any familiar souls.
Robert shoved his hat on. Almost twenty-four hours of true freedom. The concept sounded fabulous, but what could he do in a strange city with that kind of time?
From what Mark had said, the Winecoff Hotel sat in the heart of downtown. If all else failed, he could hop on a trolley or stroll the area, taking in the sights and sounds of the Southern jewel.
He picked up his suitcase and lugged the thing off his bed. He hadn’t thought to bring a smaller bag, so he would have to haul the full case along. Once he checked in, he’d be free of the weight. He stepped from his small berth.
“See you tomorrow.” He saluted the space and closed the door.
A full-sized bed. He almost groaned at the thought of sleeping on one tonight. Luxury defined after sleeping on that tiny bunk. At least the train had rocked him to sleep, but he remembered how to do it on his own.
The heat assaulted him when he stepped off the train. Then the humidity swept across him like a tidal wave, and circles of sweat formed under his shirtsleeves. He’d thought it was sticky in Virginia and North Carolina. But nothing had prepared him for this. Now he knew why the air conditioning on the train hadn’t kept up for the past couple of days. How could it against this humidity?
He hurried across the platform to the inside of Atlanta’s Terminal Station. In the coolness of the station he adjusted his hold on the suitcase. People bustled through, but what caught his attention was the solitary figure seated on a bench as if trying to hide in plain sight. Something about her posture put him on edge.
What had happened now?
Robert wound his way through the pedestrians and travelers. “Audra?”
She barely looked at him, instead averting her face as if hiding from him. The action punched through him.
“Aren’t you headed to the hotel?” He crouched in front of her, trying to see her face.
“Please leave.” The words were weak and hesitant, without any of her normal strength.
“Not until I know you’re all right. What kind of white knight would I be if I left you without ensuring that much?”
Her head popped up at his words. Her eyes made round circles on her face, and she covered her right cheek with her hand. Something was most definitely not okay.
Robert reached up to touch her fingers. He slowly tugged them away. When he saw what lay beneath, his blood began to boil but he held it in check. “Who did this to you?”
“I don’t know.”
He sucked in a quick breath and then stroked her cheek with a light touch. “Audra.”
“I only have an impression, but whoever it was sat on my back and shoved my face into the grill.” Her pupils loomed large in her eyes as she stared at him. “I wouldn’t call me as a witness.”
“Did he say anything?”
“All he said was to keep my attention where it belonged.” She shrugged, steeling her spine. “I don’t understand what that means. I haven’t talked about Rosemary since Lana was murdered.”
“True.” He tugged her to her feet and then pulled her into a light embrace. She trembled like a terrified kitten. How could he remove her fear? “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“But it already did.” The muffled words pierced him.
Somehow he would keep that from happening again. He’d once had true feelings for Lana, but as the fear and rage battled inside him, he realized that what he felt for Audra made the former a faint shadow.
“Let’s get checked into the hotel. Then we’ll make a plan. We’ll find a way to identify who’s doing this.”
“When the police haven’t?” Audra pulled away from him, sinking back to the bench. “I really thought I could figure this out after Rosemary’s death. That’s why I signed on for the caravan. I didn’t have any strong patriotic notion of serving the war effort. I wasn’t even interested in spending time with stars.”
He slumped next to her, acting as if she’d shot him through the heart. “Not even me?”
“No.” She smiled apologetically then hurried on. “But I’ve enjoyed our days together. We’ll return to Hollywood, you’ll go back to movies, and I’ll leave for Indianapolis. I’m a diversion. That’s all.”
Robert grabbed his bag and pulled her back to her feet. “Do you really believe that?”
She stared at him blankly, as if the last emotion had been drained from her.
“You are no diversion. What’s growing between us is much deeper and something I want to explore. What if God brought us together?” He studied her, watching a flicker of light brighten her eyes. “Right now we’re going to the hotel.” Any talk of their future would have to wait.