ZenithRising (15 page)

Everyone laughed then one woman ventured a tidbit. “Well, I
heard the Gavistons aren’t as high society as they want everyone to believe.”

“I heard their money came from blockade-running in the Civil
War,” her husband countered.

“I heard they sold secrets to the Germans during the big
one.” This from the man on Maggie’s other side.

“That’s ridiculous,” said the aspiring writer. “The old
man’s related to one of the New York crime families. Gaviston isn’t his birth
name. I know that for sure. I also know he’s made his fortune running hooch
across the Canadian border. We’re probably drinking some of it tonight. He
likes coming down here because he and the wife get to pretend they’re
aristocracy and everyone here pretends they believe them.”

“He’s right about that,” the man beside Maggie interjected.
“And a matchup like this could give the family an inside man where they make
the laws. If you know what I mean.”

From the looks passed around the table,
everyone
knew
what he meant and decided it was time to change the subject.

The band started playing and put an end to any further group
conversation, gossipy or otherwise.

Maggie watched Mama give her son a silent reminder to take
his fiancée out onto the floor for the first dance. As he rose he touched his
mother’s arm. They were definitely close but did his loyalty go so far as to
walk away from the woman he loved and their baby? The parents followed the
engaged couple then most of the guests rose and made their way to the dance
floor to watch.

“Shouldn’t we join them?” Maggie asked Noah.

“Naw. As soon as the guests crowd onto the floor, the
parents will probably come back. And they’re the ones we need to keep an eye
on. If they think no one is watching, they might take their masks off so
pretend we’re wrapped up in a private conversation of our own.”

As he predicted the four parents soon made their way back to
the head table, though the Martins made several stops along the way to exchange
comments with constituents. Maggie leaned closer to Noah and let her peripheral
vision take care of spying. It didn’t take long to see something of interest.

Mr. Gaviston was very annoyed about something. Mrs. Gaviston
was reminding him to behave like the gentleman he was supposed to be. When the
Martins drew close, however, the older man shot the politician a distinct
warning and the politician nodded. Then there was a very quick exchange between
the Martins as they took their seats. The only difference was it took place
behind frozen smiles.

“If I’m not mistaken,” Maggie said close to Noah’s ear, “the
only one who
doesn’t
know about Broderick’s wanting to defect is the bride-to-be.”

“This would actually make an interesting plot,” Noah replied
as he brushed an imaginary crumb off her shoulder. “Who would you make the
villain?”

She gave his chest a poke. “This isn’t fiction. A
real
girl and her baby are going to die if we don’t figure out how to stop it. And I
have a terrible feeling that it could be tonight.”

He sobered immediately. “But Broderick took her home,
wherever that is. Unless…”

She waited several seconds before poking him again. “Unless,
what?”

“Unless he changed his mind and told her to wait on the
beach. Or maybe she came back after he dropped her off, just to see what was
the important thing he had to do before they could be together.”

“
Or
…one of them followed Broderick and saw where
Shannon lives and they kill her elsewhere and bring her body back here to make
it look like a suicidal drowning.”

Noah’s eyes widened. “Wow, you could have something there. I
remember the medical report mentioning the throat bruising but not whether
there was water in her lungs. They may not have bothered to autopsy her. You
know, you’re pretty damn good at brainstorming.”

“I read a lot of good books,” she answered with a smirk.
“So, what now?”

He shrugged. “Guess we just keep watching and hope to catch
a break. But as long as we’re stuck here…” Noah’s hand covered her knee and
inched his fingers up to the garter clamped to her stocking. “How about a
dance? I think they’re playing our song.”

* * * * *

Love’s glow brightened with delight. “They are going to
figure it out in time. I am certain of it!”

“
Hmmph.
” Karma was skeptical as usual. “Not if they
get distracted with each other again. You may have overdone the chemistry this
time, Love.”

Her soft light flushed with pink. “You knew?”

He didn’t bother to respond. “Time! Status?”

“The portal will close again in forty-eight Earth hours.”

“Justice! What is the status of your foxhunt?”

“The trap is set. He will not be able to resist such a
hotbed of deception. The moment he steps foot on Davenport property the
magnetic field will be activated. He will be back in his cage this night.”

Love could only hope he was not caught before he had a
chance to do one last favor for her. With only two zeniths left, his assistance
could be the defining factor in whether Maggie and Noah got to live happily
ever after or never meet at all.

The party remained in full swing until well after midnight
when the hosts and honored guests said good night. Those who were not ready for
bed were invited to go to the Amethyst Cave. Although the hotel’s speakeasy was
supposed to be secret, no one needed to ask what it was or where the Cave was
hidden.

It was easy enough to follow the two families to the lobby
and watch the three Gavistons head to their rooms upstairs. It took a while
longer for Mr. Martin to do a bit more back-patting and hand-pumping before he
and his family got in their car and headed home together.

“I feel like we missed something,” Noah said. “We’ve been
alert all evening and although we came up with a lot of guesses, I didn’t
expect it to end like this.”

“I felt so sure tonight was
the
night. Maybe my
intuition isn’t as good as you think.”

“Maybe this was the night when someone
decided
to
take action. About the only thing we can do is follow Shannon around again
tomorrow.”

Neither of them liked that plan but with no other ideas they
headed out of the rear door of the lobby. As soon as they were outside Noah
pulled Maggie into an embrace and pressed his lips to hers. “It feels like
years since I got to do that.”

Maggie smiled. “You really are quite the romantic.” She
pulled his head down for another kiss. “Even though we didn’t solve anything
tonight, I had a lovely evening. There were whole minutes at a time when I felt
like I was on a date rather than a mission.”

He chuckled and kissed her nose. “I promise to take you on
lots of real dates when we get back.”

She gazed up into his eyes and saw the promise of a future
filled with love and laughter. “I’d like that,” she whispered and drew his head
down for a deeper, sexier kiss. Within seconds she felt his body changing
against hers and there was no question of what her body wanted from him. “Take
me home, Mr. Nash.”

“With pleasure, Mrs. Nash.”

They had reached the first of the bungalows when a
four-legged creature tore across the boardwalk in front of them.

Noah froze. “What the hell was that?”

“A cat?”

“Too big. But it didn’t look like a dog either.” Before he
could make another guess, the animal raced back over the walkway toward the
ocean, whirled around, leapt over the walkway and dodged between two of the
small buildings.

Maggie stared into the darkness without feeling brave enough
to get any closer until two golden eyes flashed at her. “It’s the fox! From my
dream. We have to follow it.” She grabbed Noah’s hand and pulled him as fast as
she could in her heels. The animal stayed too far ahead of them to see it
clearly but it turned occasionally and flashed its eyes as though to make sure
they were following.

Suddenly Maggie felt an electrical shock followed by a loud
yelp from the fox and he disappeared in a crackle of light. She and Noah
glanced at each other but said nothing as they found themselves in one of the
hotel’s parking areas surrounded by a variety of black antique cars.

Maggie opened her mouth to say something but Noah clapped his
hand over it and pulled her down to the ground behind a car. He pointed at
something beyond their hiding spot and she carefully peeked over the car’s
fender. There was enough moonlight for her to recognize Amelia Gaviston getting
into a fully-enclosed, four-door model a few yards away. She quickly ducked
down and stared open-mouthed at Noah. He nodded to let her know he was as
surprised as she was.

They stayed hidden until they heard the car driving away
then Noah pulled her to her feet and surveyed the area.

“What do you think she’s doing?”

“She could be sneaking off to meet a lover but odds are we
were wrong about her not knowing about Broderick’s change of heart. She just
might be a better actress than the rest of them. Maybe she even knows about
Shannon and is taking matters into her own hands. C’mon,” he said, abruptly
pulling her down the row of cars. “I had to research Model Ts for a book. I
think I can handle one.” He helped her into the passenger seat of the old Ford
and ran around to the driver’s side.

“We’re stealing a car?” Her voice came out in a very squeaky
pitch.

“Just borrowing it. Stay focused on our good intentions. We
might be saving someone’s life. Now, if I remember correctly, the Tin Lizzie
had a starter button on the floor.” He shuffled his feet around until he found
what he was looking for and a few seconds later the engine coughed and clanked
to life.

Getting the car out of the parking area and onto the
intracoastal waterway bridge proved that reading about something was not quite
the same as hands-on training but soon he had the hang of it and they could see
Amelia’s car ahead. Since there were so few cars on the road they had to keep
their distance but the scarcity of traffic also made it easy to keep an eye on
her.

“I never appreciated my car’s shock absorbers,” Maggie said,
her voice quavering with the vehicle’s vibration as it bounced over the rough
road. “I’m really confused. I would have sworn she didn’t have a clue during
the party. But even if she was the greatest actress in the world, how would she
know where to find Shannon?”

“Lots of questions. Let’s hope we get to hear some answers
before it’s too late.”

Shortly after they had crossed the waterway, Amelia made two
turns into what looked like a middle-class neighborhood. She pulled to a stop,
jumped out of her car and hurried to the rear of a three-story house. A sign in
front advised it was a boarding house for gentile young ladies. Amelia was in
too much of a hurry to notice the Model T as it passed. Noah turned at the next
corner and parked the car. “Time to see just how good we’ve gotten at tailing a
suspect.”

Maggie followed his lead, moving stealthily through several
backyards, behind trees and bushes and over one fence. A woman’s shrill voice
let them know when they’d reached their destination. It was coming from inside
a small wooden structure unevenly balanced on concrete blocks at the back of
the property behind the large house. A narrow open space between the top of the
walls and the roof seemed to be the only way for air or sunlight to get in. It
reminded Maggie of a toolshed. As they crept closer they heard the distinct
sound of a slap and the woman’s words became clearer.

“Don’t play stupid with me, you little Irish whore! I saw
you together, your hands all over him, rousing his lust until he couldn’t think
straight. I knew he was up to something so I followed him. I followed him all
the way here to this…this hovel you call home. How many men besides Broderick
have soiled those sheets with you?”

As the shrew continued her tirade Maggie peeked through a
crack between the slats of wood. Her limited view confirmed it was Amelia’s
tongue doing the lashing and her silent target was indeed Shannon. Amelia’s
eyes seemed to be popping out more than usual and the maid was cringing on a
narrow cot, clutching a dingy sheet beneath her chin. She looked terrified and
very small.

Maggie took in the rest of the cramped interior. There was a
little three-legged table, chest, wash basin and chamber pot. A candle in a
cracked glass on the table was the only source of illumination and added to the
scary look of the scene. Maggie was utterly shocked to realize the girl
actually lived in that miniscule space. She wanted to rush to Shannon’s rescue
but Noah held her back.

“You’re probably too stupid to realize he was lying to you,”
Amelia continued, clearly baiting the younger girl.

“No,” Shannon refuted quietly. “He wouldn’t lie to me.”

“Oh? Did he tell you we were engaged to be married? That we
had the big announcement party at the Davenport this evening?”

“He…he said he had ta take care of something and tomorrow—”

Amelia slapped Shannon again. “Stupid, stupid girl. Tomorrow
morning Broderick and his parents are leaving for Philadelphia. To meet
my
family’s friends at our
second
engagement party. I don’t know what sort
of promises he made you to get between your fat thighs but he told me you meant
nothing to him. He did suggest you’d make a good kitchen maid and said we
should move you to Philadelphia with us tomorrow. That must have been what he
meant about taking care of something. But I can assure you I will never have
one of his sluts living under our roof no matter how good a maid she is.”

“No.
No!
” Shannon got to her feet. Her thin nightgown
barely reached her knees and had been mended many times. “Yer wrong. Rick loves
me.”

Amelia straightened her spine and lifted her chin. “Perhaps.
Men are fools when they’re being diddled by a girl with experience and my
fiancé is a bigger fool than most. He’s also completely dominated by his mother
who has
millions
of reasons to force him into going through with our
betrothal. So regardless of who
Rick
loves,
Broderick
will be
marrying me. So you may as well start forgetting about him right now.”

Shannon did her best to imitate the haughty posture. “Twill
be a might hard ta forget about him when I be carryin’ his son.” She proudly
smoothed the nightshirt over her swollen belly. A bit too proudly.

Amelia let out a growl and lunged at Shannon, closing her
long, skinny fingers around the girl’s throat and knocking her to the floor
with her body on top. “He’s mine. Mine!
Mine!
” she screeched, banging
Shannon’s head against the floor with each word.

Noah bolted to the door and jerked it open. With lightning
speed he yanked Amelia off Shannon and shoved her out the door. Maggie hurried
inside to help Shannon. The girl was gasping for air but seemed more shocked
than anything else.

Through the open door Maggie saw Amelia stagger to her feet,
stuttering and staring at Noah as though he were the devil himself. “How dare
you touch me? My father will hear about this. He’s had men killed for less.
Whoever you are, you will wish you were never born.”

Noah looked down his nose at her. “I met your father this
evening and I know how important it is for his family to keep up appearances
here. I think he would be very interested in hearing what you were up to when
he thought you were safely tucked in bed.”

She was spitting mad but no further threats came out of her
mouth.

“Now get the hell away from here before someone calls the
cops.” He stood guard at the door until she was out of sight and her car engine
rumbled.

By the time he came back inside, Shannon was sitting on her
cot, looking shaken but very much alive.

“I don’t understand,” she said, glancing from Maggie to Noah
and back to Maggie. “Mind ye, I am most grateful but what are ye doin’ here at
such an hour?”

Maggie gave Noah a look to let her explain. “Do you believe
in angels?”

“Of course,” she said and quickly made the sign of the
cross.

“Well, an angel came and told me you were in trouble and
where to find you. Are you sure you’re okay now? You got knocked down pretty
hard.”

Shannon smiled. “’Tis a good thing I’m already so close ta
the ground.” She rubbed her bottom. “And there be plenty of paddin’ too.”

Maggie wasn’t convinced. She looked at Noah. “I don’t think
she should stay alone tonight. Or go to work tomorrow either. She should rest
with her feet up until we’re sure the baby wasn’t injured.”

The girl’s eyes opened wide as she shook her head. “I can
see ye mean well but I mustn’t miss work. I’m not a stupid girl. In my heart I
know what that woman said be true. Rick loves me but he…” She shook her head
and wiped at the corner of her eye. “He is not so strong ta be standin’ up
against his kin. Even when he kissed me today and said he would be back, I knew
he wouldn’t be after keepin’ his promise. I cannot take the chance of losin’ me
job too.”

Noah ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll tell you what.
Stay with us tonight. Bring your uniform and whatever else you might need.
We’ll talk about your working in the morning.” He pulled out his pocket watch
and amended his statement. “In a couple hours. If Amelia told the truth, she
and her parents, and maybe the Martins as well, will all be on their way back
north tomorrow and you’ll be safe.”

It took a few more minutes to convince the girl but soon
they were in the Model T, heading back over the bridge to the Davenport’s
exclusive island.

Maggie’s curiosity finally got the better of her manners.
“How is it that you live…
there
? Instead of inside one of the boarding
house rooms? Doesn’t it get awfully hot?”

Shannon shrugged. “’Tisn’t so bad with the door open. I’m
very lucky ta have me own place. And since I clean the big house on me day off,
I can well afford the rent.”

As if Noah sensed her outrage over the girl having to pay
rent on top of cleaning, he gave her a nudge and a warning look. She swallowed
what she was about to say but she had another question. “How do you get to and
from work?”

Shannon looked at her curiously. “By me feet of course. Some
of the others have bicycles but I must save me pennies fer somethin’ more
important.” She patted her belly and smiled.

Maggie could not begin to imagine herself in this girl’s
position. She wasn’t sure she would be nearly so strong…or so wise. There was
no question in her mind that Shannon O’Toole deserved a second chance to live,
even if it meant changing history.

For some reason she and Noah had been chosen to make that
change and, if they had actually done what they were sent here to do, by this
time tomorrow they should be back in their own time. As soon as she completed
that thought an uneasy shiver ran through her.

As much as she wanted to ignore it, she knew what it meant.
Their task was not yet finished. Had they rescued the wrong person after all?
Had they missed something important? Something that would prevent them from
ever going back to their own time?