he said, “you’re a decent girl and I like you, but you can be awfully naive. Davies isn’t exactly stable. Far from it, in fact. She has a temper that would put the fear of God into you, and Gloria was her entire life.”
“What are you saying?”
“Gloria was a little afraid of Davies. Of what she might do if she was ever dismissed. Davies knows a lot of secrets, and if she felt wronged, she wouldn’t be past making up a few more out of whole cloth. She could have done a lot of damage if Gloria ever cut her loose. So Gloria kept her on, where she could be controlled.”
I stared up at him, wondering whether it was true, wondering what else I had missed. “‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,’” I said.
“Exactly. Gloria was no fool. And more to the point, Gloria did need money. For what, I don’t know. She didn’t confide in me anymore.” His voice grew almost bitter, and for a second his eyes were hard. “But I’ll tell you, when I told her the number the Dubbses were offering, she agreed. It was the money, Ellie. That’s what swayed her.”
I dropped my gaze to my lap.
What were you into, Gloria? What did you need money for, so badly that you were willing to break your own rules?
Fitz leaned back against the edge of his dressing table, his shoulders sagging a little in his expensive jacket. “And so I set it up,” he said, the memory subduing his voice. “Ramona latched herself on—God only knows how. Perhaps through the Dubbses. So we all went off to Kent. It was a grand party, I tell you, all of us there to find Davey Dubbs.”
But not, I thought, before Gloria had dropped a note at her brother’s hotel, asking that I find her. I didn’t mention this to Fitz. “What happened?” I asked, leaning forward in my uncomfortable chair, placing my elbows on my knees in an unladylike way. “Did Gloria find Davey?”
“She didn’t get a chance to try,” Fitz answered to my surprise. “It was a fiasco nearly from the moment the Dubbses collected us at the train station. Gloria had been drinking, and Ramona was being coarse and rude. The Dubbses were trying to keep a lid on things, to keep everyone calm—especially Gloria, who they begged to sober up. But the Dubbses weren’t ready for a séance at all. They hadn’t moved any furniture or prepared a table or anything. Mr. Dubbs disappeared into another room somewhere, and Mrs. Dubbs tried to serve us tea and cakes at nine o’clock at night. I had to instruct her how to set up for a proper séance. She was nice enough, but for a couple who wanted to see Gloria so badly, they were completely unprepared. Gloria was in a mood—something had gotten under her skin. She seemed angry and almost resigned at the same time, and she kept sipping from the flask she’d snuck in her pocket.”
I thought of the flask I’d taken from Gloria’s flat. It couldn’t be the same one. Gloria must have had several, then. This didn’t exactly surprise me.
“Finally,” Fitz continued, “Gloria complained that she had a headache and needed some air. Then she got up and left the room.”
Something about the story weighed on me, depressed me horribly, and I pressed my fingers to my forehead. “And no one went after her? No one at all?”
Fitz shrugged and ran a hand through his dark hair, messing its slicked-back style. “I don’t see why we would, even when I think back on it. She just said she needed some air, like any girl might say.”
Gloria was not any girl,
I thought. Fitz caught my icy stare and looked away.
We were silent for a moment. Then I said, “None of it adds up. I can’t figure who would want Gloria dead. Or who even knew where she was.”
“It wasn’t me, I can bloody well tell you.” Fitz looked sullen. “I would have taken Gloria back if she’d ever thought to look at me. I’ve never had a girl to hold a match to her since.” He looked at me. “If I were you, I’d be looking at that gorgon Davies. She
“What are you saying?”
“Gloria was a little afraid of Davies. Of what she might do if she was ever dismissed. Davies knows a lot of secrets, and if she felt wronged, she wouldn’t be past making up a few more out of whole cloth. She could have done a lot of damage if Gloria ever cut her loose. So Gloria kept her on, where she could be controlled.”
I stared up at him, wondering whether it was true, wondering what else I had missed. “‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,’” I said.
“Exactly. Gloria was no fool. And more to the point, Gloria did need money. For what, I don’t know. She didn’t confide in me anymore.” His voice grew almost bitter, and for a second his eyes were hard. “But I’ll tell you, when I told her the number the Dubbses were offering, she agreed. It was the money, Ellie. That’s what swayed her.”
I dropped my gaze to my lap.
What were you into, Gloria? What did you need money for, so badly that you were willing to break your own rules?
Fitz leaned back against the edge of his dressing table, his shoulders sagging a little in his expensive jacket. “And so I set it up,” he said, the memory subduing his voice. “Ramona latched herself on—God only knows how. Perhaps through the Dubbses. So we all went off to Kent. It was a grand party, I tell you, all of us there to find Davey Dubbs.”
But not, I thought, before Gloria had dropped a note at her brother’s hotel, asking that I find her. I didn’t mention this to Fitz. “What happened?” I asked, leaning forward in my uncomfortable chair, placing my elbows on my knees in an unladylike way. “Did Gloria find Davey?”
“She didn’t get a chance to try,” Fitz answered to my surprise. “It was a fiasco nearly from the moment the Dubbses collected us at the train station. Gloria had been drinking, and Ramona was being coarse and rude. The Dubbses were trying to keep a lid on things, to keep everyone calm—especially Gloria, who they begged to sober up. But the Dubbses weren’t ready for a séance at all. They hadn’t moved any furniture or prepared a table or anything. Mr. Dubbs disappeared into another room somewhere, and Mrs. Dubbs tried to serve us tea and cakes at nine o’clock at night. I had to instruct her how to set up for a proper séance. She was nice enough, but for a couple who wanted to see Gloria so badly, they were completely unprepared. Gloria was in a mood—something had gotten under her skin. She seemed angry and almost resigned at the same time, and she kept sipping from the flask she’d snuck in her pocket.”
I thought of the flask I’d taken from Gloria’s flat. It couldn’t be the same one. Gloria must have had several, then. This didn’t exactly surprise me.
“Finally,” Fitz continued, “Gloria complained that she had a headache and needed some air. Then she got up and left the room.”
Something about the story weighed on me, depressed me horribly, and I pressed my fingers to my forehead. “And no one went after her? No one at all?”
Fitz shrugged and ran a hand through his dark hair, messing its slicked-back style. “I don’t see why we would, even when I think back on it. She just said she needed some air, like any girl might say.”
Gloria was not any girl,
I thought. Fitz caught my icy stare and looked away.
We were silent for a moment. Then I said, “None of it adds up. I can’t figure who would want Gloria dead. Or who even knew where she was.”
“It wasn’t me, I can bloody well tell you.” Fitz looked sullen. “I would have taken Gloria back if she’d ever thought to look at me. I’ve never had a girl to hold a match to her since.” He looked at me. “If I were you, I’d be looking at that gorgon Davies. She
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