Beaumont looked up, his surprise hidden by decades of unsavory business experience. After lighting a cigarette, he crooned, “Why do I have the sense you’re gonna get yourself in a lot of trouble when Matthew finds out you’re here?”
She grinned, showing her teeth. “And just what makes you think he’ll find out?”
Radcliffe took her arm and pushed up the sleeve to see the long tracks of stitch marks before leaning towards her neck and the barest hint of fading bruises. “You really agree to marry that menacing country boy? He’s got a scary reputation, little girl.”
Winking, she answered, “You want to give me away at the wedding?”
Beaumont leaned back in his chair and waited for her to get to the point.
Charlie’s voice was smooth as butter, the girl reaching out to straighten Radcliffe’s tie. “I know you have the feds in your pocket. They the ones who attacked Devil’s Hollow?”
There was a touch of respect in his voice. “The feds are running scared of your Mr. Emerson. Every time they come at him, a lot of their men mysteriously disappear.”
Sapphire eyes narrowed to slits. “Was it you? You going after him cause of me?”
He gave her a warning look. “Last thing I want is to stir up trouble with the Emersons.”
Charlotte nodded and hummed, thinking it over. “Well then, I have a present hog-tied at your back door. I picked up two of Bugsy’s men lurking nearby. What do you say we have a nice long chat with them… for old times’ sake?”
The words came out in a puff of cigarette smoke. “That’s my girl.”
She eyed the dozens of guns lined up against the wall. “I’m his girl now.”
Blue eyes sparkled at her. “You’ll always be my girl, Blackbird.”
She kissed his cheek with a bashful smirk. “Come on, you ol’ charmer. Pauli the Tooth and Fernando Carrera aren’t going to shoot themselves.” She looked to the ceiling and considered, “Well, Pauli might… he’s pretty dumb.”
Beau let a deep rumble shake his chest. “How much you want for them?”
“Consider it a personal favor.” Her eyes grew sharp. “But should you get wind of anything…”
“I don’t want to be owing favors to a woman like you,” Beaumont teased.
Charlie put a hand on his shoulder. “Very funny, Uncle Beau.”
The interrogation was fruitless; it was clear early on Bugs had nothing to do with the attack on Devil’s Hollow either. Pauli and Fernando did however have a great deal of info useful to Radcliffe… and would spend the last remaining hours of their lives having it tortured out of them—bad men, being murdered by a bad man.
If her attacker was in Chicago, no doubt Beaumont would get wind of it. Problem was, in her gut Charlie was sure whoever the man was, he was not going to be showing his face for some time.
Sitting in th
e cart of a freight train she’d hitched a ride on, Charlie mulled over what she’d heard and what she knew. She’d shot that man good, but not enough to kill him. He would have had to pick the lead out, and only the real ballsy sort did that alone. Seeing as he ran off, coward was written all over him. He went to a doctor or hospital after driving as far as he could, considering blood loss and pain.
Plan in hand, Charlie jumped off the train outside of Gap Mills, sneaking into Fontanne’s Boarding House quiet as a ghost. Sun up, all traces of her illicit activities washed away, Charlie was at a pay phone making calls, two steps ahead of Matthew’s manhunt by the time the Emersons crossed the county line.
It’s funny what a box of candy can do for a woman. The nurses at Huntington hospital were full of grins when Charlie offered the treat.
Chattering away, she put on a show. “I heard from our cousin that he went and shot himself in the leg. He’s a bit of a troublemaker, but my mama asked me to stop by and see if he was okay.”
The young nurse shook her head in apology. “Well, ma’am, Roy Beachum was checked-out nigh on two weeks ago.”
“Well don’t that beat all.” Looking downright disappointed, Charlie memorized the soon-to-be-dead man’s name. “After I come all this way… Maybe it’s for the best. Word is he got a bit rough, nasty scar down his cheek and everything.”
The woman agreed, only happy to have another bite of chocolate.
Charlie said goodbye, and went straight to the small town’s hotel, found he’d never stayed the night, then asked around the local general store. Roy Beachum had got out of Dodge. But she had a name, she had his general direction pointed straight at Charleston—therefore she had the power.
The drive home took two hours and it was almost supper by the time her car pulled up outside Devil’s Hollow. Matthew was sitting on the porch, sipping coffee and looking downright petulant. “Where you been?”