Delia's Shadow (24 page)

Her shoulders slumped and Sadie looked well and truly miserable. “Not the slightest. Jack had his normal share of disagreements with his father, but all fathers and sons argue. The upset of finding out Katherine is his stepmother was minor compared to how angry Jack is now. I think that’s what hurts him most. He doesn’t understand.”

Aileen drifted closer, a hand stretched toward Sadie. Misery, regret, and a need to comfort, the ghost felt them all and so did I. She brushed a hand over Sadie’s hair, offering comfort as I’d seen Esther do a thousand times.

Sadie didn’t feel her touch, didn’t react or know Aileen was there. That made the gesture all the sadder.

The door to the fitting suite opened and Mademoiselle and her plump assistant entered. For an instant I caught a glimpse of Marshall Henderson in the waiting area, filling one of the petite chairs to bursting and thumbing through a magazine. A chill breeze whispered around my head, making me shiver. Then the door closed and I was shut into the overheated room again.

“Good afternoon, Miss Larkin. Time to see how well Elise has followed my instructions.” Mademoiselle smiled broadly, showing almost perfect teeth. “If all goes well I’ll have the dress ready for your final fitting a week before the wedding. We can pin the hem once I’m certain the rest of the alterations are satisfactory. Your ceremony is in the evening and the gown will be ready that morning.”

The assistant fussed with pins and made more adjustments, delaying the dressmaker’s appraisal of her work. I took Sadie’s water glass before she dumped the remains on the assistant’s head. “Pardon me, Mademoiselle, but that’s cutting things a bit fine. Perhaps you could just pin the hem now. Then Miss Larkin and I wouldn’t have to worry about mishaps or unforeseen delays.”

Mademoiselle recoiled. “Oh, I couldn’t do that. The alterations to the bust and waist will change the drape and the fall of the skirts. Hemming the dress now would be a disaster. I won’t take that risk.”

“Of course not. Mustn’t be rash.” Waiting until the morning of the wedding to bring the dress home made me uneasy. Too many things could go wrong. We were at the dressmaker’s mercy and there was nothing to be done.

I traded looks with Sadie, silently urging her to be strong, and replaced the water glasses on the table. Muttering snide comments under my breath wasn’t polite, but my patience had melted away. “We don’t want to ruin the drape or the fall of the skirts, and cause a scandal. Better to risk the bride going down the aisle in her second-best suit. Much safer.”

Sadie struggled heroically not to laugh. If she’d heard me, the dressmaker had as well. I retreated to stand next to the door, out of the way and hopefully able to resist the temptation to make any further remarks.

Other temptations I had no intention of fighting. The door opened easily. Mademoiselle frowned, but I gave her my brightest smile and stuck my foot in the gap. I didn’t think the dressmaker or her assistant would go so far as shutting the door on my foot, nor would they wrestle the handle from my grasp.

Air flowed into the fitting room, marginally cooler at best, but letting me breathe. The small opening let me look out into the empty waiting area. Henderson had moved to the front counter to talk to the clerk. I didn’t think he was flirting with her; his expression was much too sober and hers too earnest. Henderson took whatever was being said very seriously.

“Dee, what do you think?” Sadie preened before the mirror, studying the bodice with a practiced eye. “Is the top too tight?”

I eased the door within a handspan of closing and took a step closer. She really was the most beautiful bride. “Stop worrying, Sadie. The fit is perfect.”

A bell jangled over the front entrance. I heard Henderson say hello and the clerk start to scold a deliveryman for not using the tradesman’s entrance. A gust of wind slammed the door before he answered her.

Aileen’s ghost stood against the far wall, shawl crossed over her chest and hands folded at her waist. Three other ghosts stood with her, young women every bit as prim and proper as my ghost in their stance, and every bit as patient. The room was still stifling, but I shivered.

Each of the ghosts stared at Sadie, their gaze serene and patient. Haunting her now, as Aileen haunted me.

CHAPTER 13

Delia

We ran a few errands on the way home from the dressmaker’s shop. Henderson was awfully good about driving Sadie anyplace she asked to go, always cheerful and smiling in the face of waiting in florist shops, or stopping at the butcher shop for Annie. He never complained and I counted us lucky to have him. I’d made sure Gabe knew how well he got on with all of us.

Our street was unusually crowded once we reached home. The iceman’s wagon was parked in front of the McAllister’s and dripped a steady stream from underneath, darkening the paving stones. Delivery wagons and a large furniture van filled other spaces along the curb. Henderson was forced to park the patrol car down the block.

He got out and stood by the driver’s side, frowning and craning his neck to look around for what felt like an excessively long time. The neighborhood looked peaceful as always, but his expression warned of trouble.

Sadie gathered parcels into her arms and reached for the door handle. I stopped her. “Sadie, sit still. Wait for Marshall to open the door.”

She stared at Henderson and slouched back against the seat. “I think this is when you tell me not to panic, Dee.”

“Don’t panic.” Laughing would be unkind and under the circumstances, I didn’t feel much merriment. “I’m sure everything is fine, he’s just doing his job. We’re a half block or more from the house, so Marshall is just being extra cautious. He’s good at what he does and we can trust him.”

I believed what I’d said. Gabe wouldn’t assign him to our detail unless he knew Henderson was able to take care of us. I trusted Gabe even more.

We sat there another moment or two before Officer Henderson opened the door on the street side and leaned in. “I’d like both of you to get out this side if you would. We’re going to walk down the center of the street, not on the sidewalk. If one of you could carry the roast in for Annie, I’ll come back for the other parcels after you’re safely inside the house.”

Neither of us argued. We slid out, me with the dinner roast in my arms, and waited for him to give us instructions. Once he’d helped us out of the car, Henderson took his sidearm out of the holster. The barrel of the pistol pointed at the ground, but I’d no doubt that would change instantly if he felt threatened.

Aileen and her trio of sister ghosts shimmered into view a step behind Henderson. They stared beyond me, down the street and toward home. Anxiety pooled in my chest, making breathing difficult, and the thought of stepping away from the car made me tremble. For the first time, I wasn’t sure if the fear came from the ghost or if seeing Marshall Henderson with a gun in his hand had stripped away all my courage.

“What’s wrong?” I swallowed, trying to moisten a mouth gone dry. “We’d both feel better knowing.”

“Officer Casey and the other car are gone.” Henderson glanced at me and went right back to watching the street, seeming to look everywhere at once. I’d seen Gabe do the same at the fair. Habit Gabe had said, probably picked up early in his career, as Marshall had picked watchfulness up from him. “This doesn’t feel right. Aaron wouldn’t leave his post voluntarily.”

I put the roast in the crook of my arm and reached for Sadie’s hand. Annie and Mama Esther were in the house and the need to know they were all right outweighed my fear. “Then we should go find out what’s happened.”

He set a good pace and home drew near quickly. Walking down the middle of the street was an odd sensation, leaving me feeling exposed and grateful I could see anyone approaching at the same time. Jack and Gabe’s job would be like this at times, as Henderson’s was now. I respected all of them for being able to deal with the uncertainty and the danger day after day. This little taste was making me ill.

Tradesmen came out of the house across the street from ours and climbed into the back of the furniture van. They emerged with a chaise, covered in shocking blue damask and trimmed in white maple along the front edge. I watched them struggle up the front steps with the couch and wondered if thoughts of those they loved disappearing, or worse, ever interrupted their day. A normal life, free of worrying about ghosts and murderers, was still something I longed for with all my heart.

Henderson waved us through our front gate ahead of him. We hurried up the walk and the porch steps, pausing at the top so he could ring the bell. He kept the gun drawn, but held it half-hidden behind his leg.

A nervous glance behind showed the walkway clear of ghosts, somewhat of a surprise. The itch on the back of my neck told me Aileen was still with me, watching as always, but she’d chosen not to show herself. She often disappeared when Annie was near and I prayed that was the case now.

My knees sagged when Annie opened the door, whole and safe. Annie saw the gun in Marshall’s hand and her eyes widened. She didn’t waste a second shutting and locking the door once the three of us were inside.

Sadie hugged Annie tight, her hands visibly shaking. “Thank God you’re all right. I was worried something terrible had happened to you and Mama.”

“I’m fine and so is Miss Esther.” Annie cradled Sadie’s head on her shoulder, rocking her side to side as if she were a little girl again. She frowned and turned her sternest look on Henderson. “Explain what’s going on, Marshall, and why that gun’s in your hand. I need to know why both my girls come home scared near to death.”

He stood his ground, not an easy thing to do against Annie. “I need you to answer some questions first. Is Aaron in the house with you? If not, do you know where he is?”

She patted Sadie on the back and let go. Annie took the roast from me, kissing me on the forehead before answering Marshall. Her frown grew deeper. “No, he left awhile back. Messenger came by and brought him a note saying he had to get back to the stationhouse. He came to the backdoor and told me he was leaving, but drove off right after. Is Aaron being gone what’s got you all upset?”

“That’s part of it.” He looked past Annie and stepped closer to the sitting room until he could see inside. Marshall cast about, as if deciding whether to search the entire house. “Aaron shouldn’t have left you alone, Annie. Is anyone else in the house with you other than Mrs. Larkin? Anyone knock on the door or ring the bell since Officer Casey left?”

Annie shook her head. “Not since he left, no. A man from the rail company delivered Delia’s trunk earlier today, but Aaron wouldn’t let him come inside. Made that man most unhappy. I guess he thought better of shouting at a police officer or got worried that his boss might hear about it. He calmed down after a minute, even said he was sorry. Aaron dragged the trunk in himself after the man drove away.”

“I thought they’d lost my trunk forever.” I set my handbag on the hall table. On the surface all was well, but a calm surface hid many things. I was too unsettled, too restless to relax. “I’m glad that’s not the case.”

“I’m going up to Mama.” Sadie glanced at Henderson and touched my shoulder on her way to the stairs. “Call if you need me.”

Henderson finally holstered his pistol and hung his hat on the hall tree. “I hate to impose, but I think it best if I stay in the house with all of you. The only officers with the authority to pull Aaron off this detail are Lieutenant Ryan or Sergeant Fitzgerald. I can’t imagine either of them doing that, not without sending someone to replace him.”

“No, neither can I. They’d send a patrol car, not a note.” The sick feeling in my stomach returned. Gabe and Jack would stand watch themselves before leaving the house unguarded. Marshall’s instincts ran true, something was wrong. “Annie, where did Officer Casey leave my trunk?”

“It’s still on the utility porch. Aaron said that he and Marshall would bring it up to your room later.” Annie shifted the roast to her other arm, eyeing me and Officer Henderson both, but didn’t ask any more questions. At times I was sure Annie saw right through me and divined all the thoughts I tried to keep hidden. “I best get this meat in the oven if supper’s going to be on time. Jack and Gabe are both coming to eat with us. Are you meeting your girl tonight, Marshall?”

He blushed, his neck and cheeks turning a deeper red than his hair. “No, not tonight. She’s going to a family wedding. One of her cousins.”

“Well you’re more than welcome to stay for supper, too.” She handed him the roast and smoothed down her apron. “I could use an extra hand with the potatoes. Come along now, both of you.”

We followed her from the entry, across the formal dining room, and through the swinging door into her domain. That she ruled the kitchen was a fact none of us contested.

Annie was never shy about putting people to work. The young officers watching the house were no exception, but she fed them well and none of them ever complained. I suspected that secretly, most of them liked helping her.

Henderson set the roast on the oak worktable in the middle of the kitchen. He slipped off his uniform jacket, draping it over the back of a chair and began rolling up his sleeves. “Do you know what time Lieutenant Ryan is coming by this evening, Miss Martin?”

I grabbed an apron off the peg near the icebox and slipped it over my dress. “If Gabe and Jack are coming for supper, I imagine not later than seven.”

“Right after shift change.” He sat in front of the potatoes Annie had piled on the table and started peeling, tossing the ones he’d finished into a mixing bowl. “Edwards and Thompson are on tonight. Maybe I can call in a few favors and pull more men in for overnight. I don’t think the lieutenant will mind.”

Annie was in the pantry, gathering ingredients for biscuits and singing one of her favorite hymns. I moved closer and lowered my voice. “You think someone lured Officer Casey away for a reason. That’s what really concerns you.”

“I don’t know that for sure.” Marshall Henderson glanced up at me and for an instant, all the worry showed in his eyes. This case had aged him in just the few weeks we’d known each other. “But it is a possibility.”