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43: Challenges
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Dear God, Evelyn thought trudging up the Trust’s stairs. Even this early in the day, the monotonous gray cement stairwell was blisteringly hot and stuffy, and her rising physical discomfort added to the intertwined panic and confusion clanging madly in her head.
She wondered which one of them was lying about their identity— Edwardo Montero? Or Mrs. Stiles. Probably both, she thought contemptuously. No question about why Evelyn herself didn’t like either of them—why her stomach twisted into pretzel knots the instant either of them was around—and knowing they were together in whatever malign scheme they were hatching only made it worse.
‘We need to talk’, the sleazy detective had said menacingly. She doubted it. Yet the same instinct that made her insides wrench with anxiety upon seeing him, lit up her neural pathways like the Empire State building at night, anxious to hear what he had to say. Just not whil
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World of Tomorrow 44: Conflict and Rewards
Andrew’s voice sounded raspy, doubtless from the argument with his mother, but still cultured, elegant and cool. Between the gravel in his voice and his disheveled appearance, his fine suit wrinkled as he sat cross-legged on the floor like one of the children, the exchange they were having seemed absurd, even bordering on surreal. Stripped of his polished veneer, he should have sounded fanatic. Instead, he sounded entirely sincere. Evelyn’s heart lurched and her eyes widened in shock, then the cold hard truth intruded again. She had to keep her defenses up—she was too big of a pushover to his charms otherwise, and all that had landed her was a broken heart. “You want what you can’t have, Andrew.” Cocking his head, he huffed a laugh and flashed her a megawatt smile. “That’s not how I imagined that going.” “Cinderella stories only work for real princesses.” He look
World of Tomorrow 45: Investigation
“What do you suppose he’s doing here?”Evelyn scarcely looked up at Lily’s question. Instead she gave a grateful sigh as they emerged from the revolving door, removing the handkerchief from her purse, and wiped her nose. “The same thing everyone else is—working or banking.”As they neared the elevators and the density of the crowd increased, Lily’s curiosity was piqued. “Oh, please. Did you even look up?”“I’m sorry. I didn’t, but I would hope you’d understand. I’m not exactly at my best right now.” She dabbed her nose again and folding the kerchief tightly around itself, tucked it back in her purse, glancing up startled when Lily’s hands closed on her upper arms.Her sky blue eyes were focused elsewhere. “He’s not banking, and I guarantee if he’s w
World of Tomorrow 45: Investigation
“What do you suppose he’s doing here?” Evelyn scarcely looked up at Lily’s question. Instead she gave a grateful sigh as they emerged from the revolving door. Removing the handkerchief from her purse, she wiped her nose. “The same thing everyone else is—working or banking.” As they neared the elevators and the density of the crowd increased, Lily’s curiosity was piqued. “Oh, please. Did you even look up?” “I’m sorry. I didn’t, but I would hope you’d understand. I’m not exactly at my best right now.” She dabbed her nose again and folding the kerchief tightly around itself, tucked it back in her purse. Glancing up, she startled when Lily’s hands closed on her upper arms. Her sky blue eyes were focused elsewhere. “He’s not banking, and I guarantee if he’s working, it’s not here.” Following Lily’s gaze, Evelyn studied the man in question bri
World of Tomorrow 46: Reactions
Andrew stood before the window in the private hospital room. Arms crossed over his chest, he watched the traffic flow below.A great deal weighed heavily on his mind, not least of which was his concern over Evelyn. She lay sleeping off the effects of the sedative the doctors had given her prior to her examination. He was still anxiously awaiting the report from the physician.Montero was dead.While he understood neither he nor Evelyn were under suspicion—in fact, the current most probable suspect by his best estimation was the remarkably unfortunate Mr. Aldrich, who was unlikely to ever resurface and provide any sort of accounting for himself or his actions. Had Andrew not been familiar with the kind of zealous violence favored in underworld thugs with ties to Tammany Hall, he might have felt bad for the luckless fellow.Almost.At present, he was more concerned with protecting his own.A soft rap at the door pulled him from his cycling thoughts. Spying the long white lab coat embroid
World of Tomorrow 47: Heat Wave
“My word, is there no end to this?” Evelyn moaned to Lily, rapidly waving her folded paper fan at the back of her neck. The two of them made their way along the congested sidewalk on their last leg toward the Trust. Already her camisole was soaked through and even the cotton tap pants she wore clung to her body miserably.“Almost there,” Lily panted back, keeping pace with the rest of the teeming masses. She shuddered beside Evelyn at the sudden chill as they drifted into the revolving door, though even the air conditioning only lowered the building’s temperature to tolerable.Twice during the last month—once shortly after Evelyn had been discharged from the hospital, and again towards the end of the miserable July—Trust employees had been sent home without pay when blackouts shut down the cooling fans. Without the moving air, the building’s internal temperatures skyrocketed into the stratosphere. Even the potted plant Evelyn kept on the conference table in Andrew’s office had wilted,
World of Tomorrow 48: Negotiations
It was dark in her room when Evelyn awakened. Inhaling deeply, she breathed the warm tobacco-y scent surrounding her. Rubbing her cheek over Andrew’s chest, she let the light sprinkling of fine hair there tickle her, then pressed a soft kiss into his warm flesh. It earned her a pleased sigh of relaxation as reward. Careful not to wake him, she slipped from the circle of his sheltering arms and from underneath the thin blanket he’d thrown over them. She perched on the side of the bed. Dear God, I’m exhausted. She had no idea what time it was, but over the low drone of the fans even the street noise had diminished enough that she could hear the pitter-patter of light rain. In the dim light from the open window, she could see the trail of their clothes leading out of the bedroom and smiled. Forcing herself to her feet, she collected their discarded garments. She did her best to brush out the
World of Tomorrow 49: Entertainments
Drowsy as she had been, suddenly Evelyn was wide awake. Not only as a result of her embarrassment. Lily’s new request to divulge ‘everything’ felt horribly invasive, and the reservation was readily obvious in her voice. “What is it you want to know?”Leaning forward eagerly, Lily propped her elbows on the table, her head in her hands. “Oh for pity’s sake, Evie, who am I going to tell? You’re my only friend. How did this happen? Was it an accident? Were you fooling around and things went further than you thought? Did you talk about it together and decide?”“We didn’t talk about it. Or plan it,” Evelyn admitted reluctantly. “Things—sort of—progressed—until we were—,” she shrugged, “—there.”Lily beamed. “How romantic! It’s much better when it’s spontaneous if you ask me. Besides, talking with men is an utter waste of time. At least, it is once that part is engaged. Was it your first time?” She sat up abruptly, her face etched with concern. “Did he hurt you?”Evelyn shook her head. “He di
World of Tomorrow 50: Perfection
“Well? How was it?” Andrew asked after the movie. Exiting their box seats, they followed the stream of people leaving the theater directed to the Capitol’s lobby and out of the building by smartly dressed ushers spaced at regular intervals along the path. “Look!” Peter interrupted before anyone could answer, jumping up and down and waving. “There’s our usher! John! Bye!” Hearing his name, the young man searched the faces around him. Spying the bouncing exuberant Peter, he smiled and waved back. “I’m hungry. Can we have lunch here?” Peter asked as his father captured his hand to keep him from getting lost in the crowd. Andrew glanced down at his son. “I have no idea where you ever got such an appetite. You ate your popcorn. You had half of Sarah’s M&M candies and a soda. All within the last two hours during the movie.” “It is lunchtim
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World of Tomorrow 139: Epilogue
“Stop, Peter!” Sarah exclaimed, whirling to face behind her. She shot her brother an angry glare. “Peter, for pity’s sake, don’t throw dirt clods at your sister,” Andrew called over his shoulder, shifting his swaddled, sleeping son from his right shoulder to his left as they walked the long, tree-lined drive that led to the James’ estate, perched with its back on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Gulls rode the ocean updrafts in the afternoon sun above the glistening water, occasionally diving when something of interest caught their eye. On the opposite side of the tree-lined drive, his wife’s tiny orchard of glossy-leaved oranges in full bloom left a sweet scent drifting over the drive on the warm, salty breeze off the sea. Not far away, Evelyn's gated garden was growing lush with upright stalks of corn, twined in the loving arms of pole beans with the wide leaves of squash spreading in a carpet at their feet along the ground in one row. In another, her tomatoes were already d
World of Tomorrow 138: Sound and Fury
“M-ma-ma.” The stuttering word was an alarming half-sob and half-gurgle from the wounded Becky. “M-ma-m-ma.” Dear God! Whoever it was had shot her! That poor, helpless girl! Why!? She wasn’t a threat! And there was absolutely nothing here of any value! Evelyn’s heart leapt to her throat and hammered painfully. But she stayed close to the wall, inching forward on tiptoe to clutch at Andrew’s jacket. She pointed to the floor where their shadows fell long across it from the single overhead lamp in the middle of the room. If they drew too close to the door, their shadows would be visible to the intruder in the darkened hall leading to the bedrooms. She pointed to the window, and Andrew jerked his chin towards it in acknowledgement. Escape. They had to escape. Outside, on the sidewalk, they could summon the patrolling police officer. They could summon help. Men trained for this. Men with other guns. They had to move fast. Miranda’s daughter needed them. Even above the scuffling noises fr
World of Tomorrow 137: Miranda's Story
Andrew rose slowly to his feet, an antagonized muscle twitching along his clean-shaven jaw. His expression looked like a bomb about to explode. Evelyn drew a sudden breath, one hand clapping over her mouth. She stared, in turns, first at Will, then at Miranda, and her mind whirled. What was it Alexander Lowell had said the day that Detective Kelly had attempted to arrest her? The same day he’d later resigned from the police department. Something about the detective being fed what he needed to lay an accusation upon Evelyn. The question of ‘why’ anyone cared about a lowly former secretary enough to attempt to kill her, let alone invest the effort in framing her was growing more convoluted by the minute. But it was clear it was centered here, with the account belonging to Glorietta Moreno and her rights as an heir to it. “It’s a stretch,” Andrew said softly, nodding towards Miranda, “but I can see why your mother might have had Russell’s name on that account. N
World of Tomorrow 136: Doors
“You folks just planning on waiting?” their cabbie asked, his dark eyes studying Andrew and Will in the rearview mirror, despite that Evelyn was seated between them. “Meter’s running. Makes no never mind to me if you do, but I’ll have to circle the block or the flatfoots will cite me.” “How long do we have to decide?” Andrew asked, reluctant to have the cab move on the off chance that they might miss Miranda's departure for work during the process. “’Nother minute or two at most.” “Thank you.” He shifted slightly on the cab’s rear seat so he could better see his companions. “I know we’re early, but if she’s keeping business hours, I’d have expected she’d have to allow time to travel to a workplace. You’re certain this is the building, Will?” “It’s the place,” he replied definitively. “I can go in and wait. Tail her to wherever she’s going, then come get you.” “Is it possible she recognized you yesterday?” Evelyn asked, peering through the murk
World of Tomorrow 135: Plan of Attack
The dancing had worked like a charm. For a couple of hours. Andrew had managed to get just shy of another couple hours on top of that, burning time off the afternoon by alternating between listening to the orchestra rehearse, dancing, and finally, by slipping a bribe to the broadcasting staff to show Evelyn their equipment set-up and to take their sweet time about it. After that, she’d become too fretful to do much beyond distractedly, which had quickly spoiled the ballroom option for both of them. They’d retired to their drawing room, taken afternoon tea, then Evelyn’s pacing had begun again in earnest. He had to admit, watching her as she combed through her drying hair at the dressing table, it might be time to worry about Will a little. It was going on eight o’clock. Late by any business standard, but certainly well past the time when most diners catering to the kind of clients they’d seen at the DeBaliviere Diner and Waffle House would be visiting
World of Tomorrow 134: As Luck Would Have It
Wednesday morning in St. Louis dawned dark and gloomy and only marginally better than it had been upon their arrival early afternoon on Monday. When Evelyn emerged from the bedroom into the drawing room where he and the constantly-moving Will waited, Andrew flicked the newspaper he’d been reading down and smiled. They’d all slept poorly—again. They’d all woken late—again—and after their enjoyable brunch yesterday, both men were eager to see what other offerings were available in the East Lounge’s dining area. “Well?” she asked, her red-tinged and particle-irritated eyes roving the drawing room’s lush furnishings, immediately spotting the unmistakable coating of fine black powder and ash. “Are we trapped inside again today? It seems faintly better.” Will snorted. “By comparison to yesterday, being buried in black sand would seem better.” Andrew chuckled, setting aside the St. Louis Star-Times he’d been reading. He rifled through a stack of newspapers o
World of Tomorrow 133: Black Tuesday
The hotel’s ballroom was a gently baroque style. Its elegant space was replete with all manner of luxuries one would expect of a high-profile hotel, no matter where one might visit in the world—custom paneled with artfully etched-mirror and plaster walls, gold-leafed accents and intricate crown moldings. Above the near-magical dancefloor, which was lit from below, hung in the decorative ceiling, a ponderous crystal chandelier lit the warm wooden dancefloor beneath it. Along the periphery, undulating balconies supported by Corinthian pilasters gave an air of classicism to the space, but one not overly staid. These generous galleries provided seating for those who had only come for a meal, to watch the dancing or to listen to the orchestra. They’d dressed for a late dinner, but though the orchestra played, their music broadcast exactly as Evelyn had always dreamed of experiencing, she and Andrew hadn’t danced. In fact, they hadn’t stayed much longer than
World of Tomorrow 132: Miserable Monday
“The Coronado was built, and I believe is now run, by Preston Bradshaw,” Andrew advised more than an hour later as their cab pulled away from the curb at the train depot. “He graduated from Columbia with my brother, Russell. The two were quite good friends as I recall. My father introduced him to Stanford White in New York City where he worked before returning to St. Louis. He’s responsible for the monumental hotels on Lindell Boulevard. The Melbourne and the Coronado at midtown and the theatre district. And opposite, near the Central West end, the Chase and the Forest Park hotels were also his commissions.” “Did you know him?” Evelyn asked, closing her burning eyes and resting her head against his shoulder. “Is that why we’re staying at the Coronado?” She left unspoken the reminder that the Coronado Hotel, in particular the hotel’s famed Caprice Club, was where they’d found Charlotte to serve Andrew’s divorce paperwork after their tip-off from the Princes in Los Angeles.
World of Tomorrow 131: Arrival
The following morning Evelyn woke alone. She could tell by the way his belongings were packed that Andrew had already risen. If she was any guess, he was taking advantage of the train’s onboard barber, which meant she had time to bathe and dress without his typical morning enthusiasm for both processes. Selecting a warm dress from her traveling case, she draped her clothing over the empty towel rack in the bathroom and rooted through her toiletries for her toothbrush and toothpowder. When she was done, she hung a fresh towel on the rack nearest the shower beside the still-damp one Andrew had used and stepped under the spray. The warm shower felt delightful and soothed the telltale soreness from her bedroom exertions with her husband the night before. Once she’d washed, she stood with the warm spray draining off of her and for the first time since they’d come, wondered what they were going to do in St. Louis. They had only the name of a diner and a hotel off t
