Page 47 of Circle of Death
Jessica pulls up a chair. “Strange,” she says, “I didn’t hear you gentlemen arrive.”
“We came in late,” says Tapper, his mouth full of bacon and eggs.
“We didn’t want to ring the doorbell,” adds Hawkeye. The side of his face is still purple from my punch.
“So what’s the plan?” asks Jessica, boring in on them. “How do you intend to catch the criminals who killed Mr. Shrevnitz? I assume that’s why you’re here?”
I lift the carafe and fill Jessica’s cup. “Tapper and Hawkeye brought us some valuable intelligence on the Command. A specific target.”
“As a matter of fact,” says Margo. “Lamont and I are on our way to France tomorrow.”
“France?” says Jessica. “How?”
“By air,” says Margo. “Tapper says he’s a flyer.”
Jessica leans across the table toward Tapper and narrows her eyes. “How many hours?”
“To France?” replies Tapper, spooning another helping onto his plate. “It depends on the type of plane my friend Hawkeye steals for us.”
“No,” says Jessica. “I mean how many flying hours do you have?”
Tapper puts his spoon down and wipes his mouth. He stares at Jessica. She stares back. “Two-thousand-plus,” says Tapper evenly. “Last time I checked.”
“Instrument rated?” asks Jessica.
“Since high school.”
“Good. I won’t have my family going off with some bush pilot.”
“Glad we cleared that up,” says Tapper. He digs back into his food.
I hear the front door open, then slam shut. When I look up, Maddy is standing in the kitchen archway. Her face is pale and her eyes are bloodshot.
I jump up from the table and walk her into the parlor, my arm around her shoulders. “Maddy, what happened?”
She jerks away and glares at me with her jaw set.“How many?”Her voice is tight and her tone is cold.
“How many what?”
“How many people have been murdered at the World’s Fair?”
I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I know I need to come clean. I let out a slow breath and clear my throat. “Six, that we know of.”
“Wrong,” says Maddy. “Seven.My best friend died last night.”
I take a step toward her. “Maddy, I’m…”
“It wasn’t even reported, was it?” she says. She slams her hand hard against my chest. “It’s notgoingto be reported,is it?”
I grab her wrists and hold them tight. Her eyes are brimming with tears. “Maddy, it’s political. The authorities are keeping this thing a secret. It’s sick, I know, but it’s not our choice. They’re trying to keep up appearances. Prevent panic. Make sure the fair succeeds. That’s why we told you to stay away.”
“You’re serious? People are dying, and you’re trying to protect the attendance numbers?”
Now Margo is at my elbow. “Who was it?” she asks Maddy. “The girl you go dancing with?” Maddy twists away from my grip.
“Deva. Her name was Deva. She died because of all these secrets. This city has way too many secrets. So does this family!”
“Maddy, I’m so sorry,” says Margo. “We were just trying to protect you. We’ll solve this case. I promise. We’ll catch whoever did this.”
