“That’s so absurd. We’re about to spend four hours of our life watching them on screen but they aren’t fit to sit next to us?”
“You’re a progressive young woman, my dear.” Jacobs leaned close to whisper, “I hope we get to see Mr. Gable up close. The man’s simply beautiful.”
Violet laughed, enjoying the secrets that they shared. It was a shame that Jacobs had to hide his sexual interests from the world… but too many people, both men and women, seemed threatened by anything that deviated from the norm.
The inside of the theater was even more breathtaking than the exterior. The rich and famous from throughout the South — and more than a few from Hollywood — were standing around, exchanging pleasantries. Violet dazzled more than one man with her smile and she found herself enjoying the attention. She and Jacobs were chatting up a makeup artist from the film when someone tapped Violet on the shoulder. She turned, the smile on her face turning brittle.
It was Daniel Armitage. The crime boss was short, standing just a smidge over five feet in height. He was twice as big around as he was tall. His suit bulged in all the wrong places and he held a cigar in his right hand. A horrible scent wafted from the end of the stogie. He was dressed in all white, which stood in stark contrast to Violet’s midnight attire. “Miss Cambridge. Fancy meeting you here.”
“Sorry about your boys, Danny-boy,” Violet said. “They came by to give me your message but they both slipped and fell.”
“I heard. The Police Chief came by and asked me all sorts of questions. Of course, I told him I didn’t know nothin’ about them coming to see you.”
“You shouldn’t tell fibs,” Violet responded. Jacobs had come to join the conversation now, recognizing that Violet might be in danger. A look from her kept him silent, however. “Let’s let bygones be bygones, shall we?”
“You took a bunch of money from me, lady,” Armitage said, lowering his voice.
“And you took it from a bunch of orphans. Sounds to me like everything worked out just fine.”
“You need to watch yourself, bitch.” Armitage poked his lit cigar at Violet’s face but she didn’t flinch. “One of these days you’re going to get what’s coming to you.”
Violet was about to respond when she caught sight of something over Armitage’s shoulder that made her pause. It looked like Miles, though she only caught a glimpse of her friend’s back. He was moving through the crowd as if he were looking for something. “I’ll be right back,” she said to Jacobs. She pushed past Armitage without another word and the man stared daggers at her as she walked away.
“You’d be better off just forgiving whatever debt you think she owes you,” Jacobs said.
Armitage made a sneering expression at Jacobs. “Go to hell, you fucking queer.”
Clint Jacobs shrugged, smiling, “Suit yourself. All I’m trying to do is warn you for your own good. Violet’s enemies aren’t usually long for this world.” Armitage muttered something under his breath but Jacobs didn’t catch it over the noise of the crowd. The fat little crime boss turned and vanished amongst the noisy theatergoers, leaving Jacobs to wonder what had taken Violet from him.
“MILES!”
VIOLET WAS increasingly perplexed. She was positive that it was Miles but she hadn’t been able to reach him yet, as the crowd was packed in too tightly. What was he doing here? Had something happened already on his stakeout? Was he looking for her?
Up ahead, Miles Knopf came to a stop in a small alcove next to a door marked Staff Only. He still hadn’t turned around but Violet could see that there was a moist stain on the collar of his jacket. It looked like someone had spilled catsup all around it.
After squeezing through a small pocket of reporters, Violet was finally within a few feet of her partner. “Miles! What are you doing here?”
Miles continued to face the wall. His voice sounded strangely emotionless, like he was suffering from shock. “I found her.”
“Who? Maggie?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“The case is a lot worse than we thought.”
Violet was a bit out of breath from fighting her way through the crowd. She lit a new cigarette and took a few drags, standing on her tiptoes until she caught Jacobs’ eye. She waved at him, letting him know it was okay to go on in and get seated. “So talk. What’s going on?”
“She’s not alive. Maggie, I mean.”
That took the wind out of Violet’s sails. “Did you find her body? How do you know?”
“I’m sorry, Violet. I shouldn’t have rushed us into this one. It just seemed so easy… and we’re in debt. More than I’ve told you. We’re two months behind on the rent for the office.”
Violet took another drag on her cigarette. She wasn’t sure if she felt more annoyed or fearful. It wasn’t like Miles to be like this. Then again, she didn’t think he would have lied to her about their finances, either. “It’s okay, Miles. We’ll work this out. Now tell me about Maggie.”
“I have to go.” Miles turned and started to move past her but Violet caught him by the arm. Now that she could see his face, she could tell he was covered with blood. There were numerous cuts all around his eyes and mouth. They were shining with red wetness.
“Miles… Jesus. We need to get you to a doctor. Did Morehouse do this to you?”
Miles looked at her then, stared deep into her eyes. Violet removed her hand and actually took a step back. The intensity in his gaze was heart-stopping. “I’m so very sorry.”
Stunned, Violet watched him move towards the exit. No one seemed to take notice of the blood-covered man moving amongst the crowd, not even the ushers or the policemen who were there to provide security. Violet knew she should stop him or yell for someone else to get him help but she couldn’t seem to find her voice. For a woman who was normally as self-confident as Violet, that was very unusual.
“Violet? They’re about to start the film.”
Jacobs was looking at her with obvious concern. “I’m sorry if that brute Armitage got to you…”
“No, it wasn’t that. It was Miles.”
Jacobs brightened. “Oh! Was Miles here?”
“I was just talking to him. Didn’t you see him? He was right next to me when I waved to you.”
“No… all I saw was you standing here against the wall. I thought you just wanted a moment to regain your composure.”
Violet took a deep drag on her cigarette, shaking her head. “That’s so strange. Miles was right here and he was covered in blood. He said he was sorry…”
Jacobs put an arm around her shoulders but Violet shrugged it away. “Do you want to leave…? We can go find Miles if it’ll put you at ease.”
“No. I appreciate that but no… Are you sure you didn’t see him?”
“Positive.”
Violet thought about how no one else reacted to Miles’ appearance, either. Sighing, she snuffed out her smoke in a nearby ashtray. She forced a smile. “Maybe you’re right. Not enough sleep and too much Armitage. Let’s see this epic film and then afterwards I’ll give Miles a call.”
They entered the darkened theater together and Violet tried hard to put her worries behind her. She wasn’t sure what to make of it all… she hadn’t imagined all that, she was sure of it. But why had no one else seen Miles? She didn’t believe in the supernatural so there had to be some rational answer.
Forcing herself to enjoy the moment, Violet was soon seated beside Jacobs, watching the beginning of the longest film ever made. Within moments, the travails of Rhett and Scarlett had taken her mind off the unsettling events of the evening.
IT WAS NEARLY three in the morning when the phone rang, noisily disturbing the peaceful dark. It rang four times before Violet reached over and fumbled for the receiver. She held it to her hear, blinking away the sleep that had so hungrily claimed her only an hour or so before. “Hello?” she asked, her voice sounding hoarse and tired. After the movie, she’d allowed Jacobs to drag her to an after-party and it had gone on much too long. She’d drunk a little much, leaving her head feeling fuzzy. She’d been dropped off at her apartment, ignoring the crime scene chalk still on her bedroom floor and the bullet holes in the bed’s headboard.