Still hesitating, Dr Holmes tried to make up his mind if he should continue to the lever or turn around and find out who was so insistently ringing the doorbell. Holmes told himself it could be no one important. He expected no one. At most, this could be a patient without an appointment, or possibly someone with a minor complaint.
If the visitor was indeed someone with a minor complaint, Holmes felt that he could dispose of the patient quickly. On the other hand, if it was a true emergency, the bell ringer might not cease in the effort to gain admittance.
Wanting to be alone and unhurried to savour the elimination of Cathleen and Karen, Holmes decided to answer the doorbell. Better to get his caller out of the way before indulging himself in the pleasures ahead.
Dr Holmes turned away from his office, went back into the entry hall, crossed to his front door, took the knob firmly and pulled the door open.
He was surprised to find himself facing two young men, both well-dressed and seemingly in the best of health. One was tall, husky, while the other was slightly smaller, but wiry.
The husky young man spoke first. 'Dr Herman Holmes?'
'Yes, I'm Dr Holmes,' the physician said, wondering who they were.
'I'm Bruce Lester,' he said with a tinge of Southern accent. 'This is Alan Armbruster.'
Holmes recognized neither one, and because of his tense state, their names were only dimly familiar.
'What can I do for you?' asked Holmes impatiently.
'We've been sent here by Minna Everleigh -'
'By Minna Everleigh?'
'Yes. The mayor has lifted his ban on the Everleigh Club. The Club is to be reopened today. Minna – my Aunt Minna
– is frantically trying to get her place in shape. She's giving a banquet for the prince of Prussia tonight. All her servants, musicians, and girls are back. I am very grateful to you for taking care of Cathleen and Karen. My Aunt Minna told us to borrow her car to bring them back to the Club as soon as possible – especially since my friend Alan is going to marry Cathleen this evening. Sorry to disturb you, but here we are to take your guests off your hands.'
Dr Holmes was momentarily confused. 'Well, I don't know – I mean, I'm afraid you're too late,' he said finally. 'Cathleen and Karen did spend the night in my house, but they're no longer here.' Holmes gestured behind him. 'You can see, I'm quite alone now.'
Suddenly suspicious of the doctor's manner, Bruce went through the doorway past Holmes to see for himself. He was immediately followed by Alan.
As Bruce and Alan turned towards the doctor's open office door, Holmes caught up with them.
His hand swept the office. 'You can see it's empty. They left an hour ago. It's strange they didn't let Minna know they were leaving.'
Alan shook his head. 'They left just like that? It makes no sense.' His eyes continued to rove about the office.
Holmes, having recovered his poise, feeling easier about the intrusion, took Alan by the arm and led him to the desk. 'Sit down for a moment, both of you, and let me explain.'
Alan sat down alongside the desk, and Bruce reluctantly seated himself across from the doctor, who had taken his swivel chair.
Briefly, Bruce considered the doctor's office. On the surface, it appeared average enough – the flat oak desk, the examination table, the fireplace, the square table that was heaped with medical journals. Yet, Bruce's intuition told him, it did not have the feel of a real doctor's office. It seemed somehow staged. There was something indefinably creepy about it, as there was about Dr Holmes himself.
Bruce's eyes met Alan's, and he sensed that Alan was having the same reaction.
Nevertheless, here was Dr Holmes and here was his office, and there was actually nothing wrong with either.
Bruce concentrated his attention on Dr Holmes once more.
'You say they left an hour ago?' repeated Bruce.
'Give or take a few minutes,' said Holmes.
'They were supposed to stay here,' Bruce persisted. 'They were to wait for Minna to contact them. Why did they leave?'
'I suppose it was uncomfortable for them,' said Holmes, fully composed. 'Perhaps they wanted privacy. They simply said they were leaving. I urged them to remain until they heard from Miss Everleigh. But no, they refused. Uh, maybe you will find them back at the Everleigh Club. Perhaps they wished to help your aunts with the packing.'
Alan shook his head again, more vigorously. 'That's quite impossible, Dr Holmes. You were acting as their host because the Everleigh Club had been shut down. They'd have had no way to know that it was ordered reopened this morning.'
Dr Holmes shrugged helplessly. 'Then I have no idea -not the faintest idea – where they went. Unless they were seeking you out, Mr Armbruster, because of the wedding.'
'Not in a hundred years,' said Alan. 'For all they knew, the wedding was cancelled.'
'Well, then it's all beyond me,' said Holmes.
'And beyond me too,' agreed Bruce, rising. Alan came to his feet, and together they went into the hallway, still casting about, mystified, eyes on the blank wall.
Holmes was hurriedly beside them. 'You can see – and hear – that I am quite alone. I have no idea where Miss Lester and Miss Grant went. I'm sorry you were put to all this trouble. You'll just have to look for the young ladies some place else.'
'We're certainly going to,' said Bruce with determination. 'I don't know where we'll begin, but we are going to find them.'
Holmes started walking the two young men to the door. 'Maybe Miss Everleigh gave the young ladies a means of contacting her, before she sent them off with me. At least I hope so. Anyway, neither of them told me where they were heading.' He opened the massive door. 'If I should hear of their whereabouts, I'll telephone Miss Everleigh instantly.'
Bruce nodded. 'Sorry to have bothered you this long, Dr Holmes.' 'Good day and good luck,' murmured Holmes.
Once they were gone, he shut the door.
Outside the Castle, Bruce and Alan stood on the sidewalk before Minna's car.
'What now?' Bruce said. 'Where do we go from here?'
'Nowhere else,' said Alan enigmatically.
Beckoning Bruce closer, Alan held a clenched fist in front of him. Slowly unclenching his fingers, he revealed a ring of keys in the palm of his hand.
Puzzled, Bruce asked, 'What's that?'
'Dr Holmes's keys, I hope. They were dangling from a hook under the edge of his desk. While we were talking, my knee bumped against them. When he turned his head, I slipped my hand under his desk and pocketed them. My guess is that his front door key is among them.'
'Front door key?' said Bruce, bewildered.
'To get us back in the house for a thorough look around.'
'But what for?'
Alan lowered his voice. 'Bruce, I don't like it. I don't believe that Cathleen and Karen left to go somewhere else. It makes no sense. They had no place to go, neither of them. They didn't know the Everleigh Club was open again. Karen had rented out her rooms. No hotel rooms were available last night. They had no idea where Minna and Aida might be staying. Why would they leave with no destination?'
'What are you trying to say?'
Alan came even closer to Bruce. 'I think they're still here.'
'Why wouldn't the doctor tell us so?'
'Maybe he wants to keep them here against their will for some reason like -'
'Like what?'
'Sex, white slavery, I don't know what. I only know I don't like him and I don't trust him. I say we go back into his house for another look.'
'What if he catches us?'
Alan jiggled the keys in his palm. 'I could say the ring got caught in my pocket and I just found it and wanted to return it.'
'He'll never accept that.'
'Then he can accuse us of trespassing and call the police.'
'I doubt he'd do that,' said Bruce.
Alan gazed at Bruce. 'Want to come along with me?'
Bruce smiled, took the keys out of Alan's hand, and started for Holmes's front door. Alan fell in beside him.
'This will have to be a very quiet operation,' whispered Bruce.
He began sorting the keys and pushed the first one into the front door keyhole. It didn't turn. He tried the second key. Same result.
The third key worked.
Gently, Bruce eased the front door open, praying it wouldn't make a noise. Well oiled, the massive door yielded without a sound.
As they squeezed inside, Alan's head tilted forward, indicating something ahead.
Dr Herman Holmes was visible in the hall, his back to them, as if meditating.
Silently, Bruce and Alan entered the shadowy foyer and closed the door. Bruce signalled Alan to duck behind the dark corner of a pillar with him and hide there.
After a brief interval, although desperate to keep out of sight, Bruce risked peeking out from behind the pillar.
He saw Dr Holmes still standing in contemplation where he had been when they re-entered. But now, Holmes was no longer looking towards his office. Instead, he was staring at the blank wall.
Now that he had rid himself of the intruders, and was in complete control once more, Dr Holmes had come to a different decision about what he would do next.
He had been about to lift the gas lever that would exterminate the two imprisoned women. However, with the visit of those two meddling young men, a delay had occurred. Dr Holmes could imagine how that passage of time had affected Cathleen and Karen. They had expected to die at once. Certainly, this waiting, trapped, had tortured them, weakened their resolve to resist him. Perhaps they were less ready to die. Likely, they'd had time to reconsider Holmes's demand, and probably now saw it as the lesser of two evils.
Fantasizing what it was like to have Karen naked beneath him, that soft, fresh body, to be followed by Cathleen's body, Holmes changed the direction of his next step.
He would give them another chance.
Slowly, Holmes walked to the blank wall, reached behind the broad-leafed rubber plant to the button opening the sliding door. As the wall began to slide open, Holmes reached into his pocket for the Colt.45. He pointed it into the room.
He observed Karen off to his left, on her hands and knees exploring the floor of the room, as if seeking a means of escape. He saw Cathleen seated on the examination table, crying quietly.
Both women sprang upright at the sound of the opening door and, as they realized that Holmes had returned, looked at him with dread and disgust.
'Karen!' Holmes shouted. 'Get over to the examination table where you belong, next to Cathleen!'
Obediently, Karen straightened and marched back to the table and stood beside Cathleen.
'All right, listen to me,' announced Holmes. 'I'm giving both of you a second chance. It's your last chance, and you'd be wise to take it. You, Cathleen, I want you to come up to my bedroom with me.'
There was a long interval of silence before Cathleen began sobbing loudly. 'No – no, I can't -I can't do that.'
Holmes spoke again. 'All right, that was Cathleen's death sentence. What about you, Karen? Do you want a reprieve?'
'Get out of my sight, you lousy scum, and let me die in peace!' Karen shouted.
Holmes grunted. 'You will now have your wish, each of you. I'm locking you in. I'm going to turn on the poison gas and leave it on until you choke to death. Goodbye, you fools!'
With that, Holmes stepped outside the room and pressed the button, waiting while the wall slid shut on his victims.
Pleased, he pocketed the gun, and in measured strides made for his office.
Bruce pulled back into the shadows behind the pillar.
'You heard that,' he whispered. 'We've got to act fast, right now.'
'He's got a gun,' Alan whispered back. 'If he hears us, he'll shoot us dead and kill the girls too.'
Bruce was already removing his boots. 'Take off your shoes, Alan. He's not going to hear us.'
In seconds they were both in their stocking feet.
'Let's go,' Bruce whispered urgently.
They stepped out into the foyer and crept quietly down the central hallway.
They paused.
In the dim light off to their left, they could see that Dr Holmes had entered his office. He was rubbing his hands together as he headed towards what Bruce guessed was a control panel.
Without another word, Bruce signalled Alan to follow him as he hurried on padded feet across the hall into Holmes's office.
Dr Holmes was reaching up for a lever.
Abruptly, Bruce gestured for Alan to circle around to Holmes's other side. Alan did so as Bruce closed in on Holmes directly from behind.
Holmes's finger was already on the lever.
Bruce cocked his head towards Alan.
With a shriek, Alan leaped at Holmes, hammering one fist against the doctor's arm, knocking his hand away from the lever.
Startled, wild-eyed, Holmes lunged at Alan with a fist as his free hand snaked into his jacket for the Colt.45.
Behind him, Bruce saw the gun in Holmes's hand. Instantly, Bruce grabbed for Holmes's wrist, wrenching hard. The Colt.45 wobbled in Holmes's grip, then flew to the floor.
Holmes whirled about to confront Bruce, slipped beneath a blow, and hooked out with a right and left to Bruce's jaw. The power of the punches rocked Bruce, momentarily paralysing him as he went down heavily on his back.
In a flash, Holmes kneeled, swept up the Colt.45 once more, gripped it, and spun around to fire at Alan, who was coming at him.
Bruce staggered to his feet, in a frenzy scanned the room for any heavy object – he saw the solid-looking Venus de Milo vase with its dried flowers on the mantelpiece. With both hands Bruce reached up for it and turned in time to see Holmes taking aim at the retreating Alan.
Bruce lifted the vase high above him, and with all his strength brought it down with a loud thud on the top of the doctor's skull.
The blow shattered the vase.
Clearly, it also shattered part of Dr Holmes's head.
Dr Holmes crumpled, and then pitched unconscious to the office floor. He lay spreadeagled between Bruce and Alan.
Losing no time, Bruce dropped to his knees, released the Colt.45 from the doctor's slack fingers, and shoved it into his own pocket. Turning the doctor over, he could see that Holmes was totally unconscious and fresh bright blood was matting his hair.
'He's out,' Bruce gasped.
'Thank God,' said Alan breathlessly.
With difficulty, Bruce came to his feet. 'The girls…' he croaked. 'Let's get them out of there before something goes wrong – before they die of fright.'
Alan was already on the run, out of the office and heading for the blank wall. Alan searched desperately for the button to the sliding door. At last he found it, and pressed hard.
The portion of the wall slid wide open.
Alan peered inside the room.
Cathleen and Karen were standing in front of the examination table, clinging to each other as they waited for death. At the sound of the sliding door, they both gazed with disbelief at the opening, as if they were seeing an apparition.
'Oh, Alan… Alan… it's you,' Cathleen moaned. She pulled free of Karen and stumbled towards Alan as he entered the death chamber. She threw her arms around him and he hugged and kissed her.
Bruce was in the room now, advancing on the shaken Karen. His arms went around her tightly and his mouth found her lips. He kissed her over and over again until she could scarcely breathe.
'How… how did you get here?' Karen wanted to know.
'Aunt Minna sent us to bring you back,' replied Bruce. 'Dr Holmes tried to bluff us into believing you weren't here, that you'd left, but we were suspicious of him. We managed to hide out and discover that he was trying to kill you. Then we overcame him.'
Cathleen tore away from Alan. 'Where is Dr Holmes?' she asked, still fearful. 'Where is that maniac?'
'Come along,' said Bruce.
The four of them emerged from the death chamber.
They crossed the central hall to the doctor's office. Stretched out on the floor, still unconscious, was Dr Holmes.
Bruce looked at Alan. 'We've got to lock him up,' said Bruce. 'Help me, Alan. We'll carry him into the gas chamber. After we close the sliding door, we'll call the police.'
They both bent down, Bruce taking Dr Holmes by the armpits and Alan taking his legs, and they carried him away, as the two women, with hatred in their eyes, watched his body go.
Minutes later, the four of them were gathered in the doctor's office.
Bruce's gaze met Alan's. 'You know what I'd like to do,' said Bruce. 'Give the bastard a taste of his own medicine. But we can't do that.'
'Why not?' said Alan furiously.
'We just can't. We can't do what Holmes planned to do – commit murder. We've got enough evidence to see that justice is done under the law. I'm calling the police right now.'
Rapidly, Bruce made his call to the police station, explained what had taken place, and when the police captain promised to send someone over, he hung up and turned to the two women. 'Are you feeling any better?'
Karen and Cathleen nodded uncertainly.
'You'd better sit down, both of you,' Bruce ordered. 'Since you left the Club, a great many things have happened. Alan, you start it off.'
Alan feasted his eyes on Cathleen. 'Darling, we're getting married this very evening. My father gave us his blessing.'
'What?' exclaimed Cathleen, half out of her chair.
Alan went to her and kissed her, and settled her down. 'It was the price your Aunt Minna demanded to open the Everleigh Club again.'
Karen was in mild shock. 'Minna bargained to open the Everleigh Club again? After all the work the mayor went to -to shut it down? How can that be?'
Alan gestured to Bruce. 'You take over from here, Bruce.'
Grinning, Bruce recounted the astonishing events of the past hours.
'The prince of Prussia arrived in Chicago this morning. The mayor, Mr Armbruster, and an entire reception committee were there to greet him. What the prince did was to throw the mayor's complete agenda out the window. He would have none of it. He was very forthright. He told everyone what he did want. The only place he wanted to see in Chicago was the Everleigh Club.'
It dawned on Karen first. 'Oh, no!' she blurted, and began to laugh. 'And the Everleigh Club was out of business, shut down, closed.'
'Exactly,' said Bruce. 'Well, the mayor was on the spot. So was Alan's father, who wants to be our ambassador to Germany. They both knew that they couldn't disappoint him. They simply couldn't deny his one request. So the mayor and Mr Armbruster agreed, as one, that the Everleigh Club must be opened. But there were only two persons who could do that.'
'Aunt Minna and Aunt Aida,' said Cathleen.
'Yes – and both were in jail,' said Bruce. 'You can bet they were freed at once. Then Minna drove her hard bargain. She and Aida would get the Club in shape and throw it open for the prince (/"they could host the prince's welcoming banquet in the Club, and if Cathleen and Alan were allowed to be married there before the festivities.' Bruce grinned at his sister. 'Mayor Harrison and Mr Armbruster offered no opposition. The Everleigh Club is being readied right now and you, Cathleen and Alan, are going to tie the knot there this evening.'
That moment the front doorbell rang and continued to ring, and there was a hammering at the door.
'It can't be the police so fast,' Bruce said. 'Who the devil can that be?'
Cautiously opening the front door a,crack and then flinging it wide, Bruce found himself confronting a man in a braid-trimmed police uniform, another burly man in a business suit, and five policemen in plain blue.
'Who are you?' the man in the street clothes wanted to know.
Taken aback, Bruce announced, 'I'm Bruce Lester. What are you doing here?'
'I'm William Pinkerton, a private investigator working for Miss Minna Everleigh. You must be the nephew. This is Chief of Police Francis O'Neill. The other men are his officers.' Pinkerton swallowed. 'We've come about the ladies -Cathleen Lester and Karen Grant – are they all right?'
'They're safe now,' said Bruce. 'Come in and see for yourselves.'
Bruce led the seven men into the office. With the chief's help, he introduced everyone.
The chief of police looked around, as if missing someone. 'Where's Dr Herman Holmes?' he wanted to know.
'He's unconscious in the next room,' Bruce said. 'Alan and I jumped him just as he was about to kill the women with gas. Holmes had a gun. He shot at Alan and missed, and was about to shoot again, when I smashed him on the head with a heavy vase and knocked him out. We locked him in the next room.'
'Wait a minute,' said the chief. 'Are you sure he's not dead?'
'For all I know, he might be. You want to find out?'"
'Immediately,' said the chief.
'Let's go,' said Bruce. 'I'll open up the next room.' While Alan, the chief, and Pinkerton followed him out of the office, Bruce went straight to the rubber tree at the far end of the blank wall. 'Holmes has a button concealed back here. You push it and it automatically opens up a portion of the wall that leads you into an airtight room – where Holmes intended to gas Karen and Cathleen to death. Look.'
Bruce worked his arm behind the branches of deep-green foliage, found the button, and pressed it.
With only the slightest rumble, a portion of the wall slid smoothly to one side.
Bruce pointed into the room. 'There's Dr Holmes on the table the way we left him. I think he's still unconscious.'
The chief grunted. 'Let's hope he's not dead. Let me have a look.'
Bruce and the others stood aside as Chief of Police O'Neill entered the room by himself. He walked straight to Dr Holmes's inert body, peered down at it, saw the eyes closed, the face almost bloodless. Then he lifted a wrist and felt for a pulse.
After a while, he lowered Holmes's arm, turned away and left the room to rejoin Bruce, Alan, and Pinkerton. 'He's alive, but barely,' the chief said. 'His pulse is very feeble. I don't know if he'll make it. We'd better get him to the County Hospital at once.'
That moment the doorbell rang, and Alan answered it. The policemen summoned by Bruce rushed into the room.
The chief, hastening back to the office, called out, 'Soren-son. Prescott. Nadler. What are you doing here?'
'A Mr Lester telephoned us about a Dr Holmes. He -'
'We already know,' said the chief. 'Glad you're here. The three of you carry Dr Holmes out to your car. Take him to the County Hospital. He's in poor shape. We don't want to lose him, so take it easy, but don't waste a minute. Stay there for word of his condition. The minute you know if he'll live or die, telephone and let me know. Take down this number.'
One of the men copied the number, then hurried to help his partners remove Holmes's body from the chamber.
The chief of police confronted Bruce. 'Now tell me again what happened. Why did you hit the doctor on the skull like that?'
'I had to get Holmes before he got Alan.'
The chief frowned. 'Better back up a step and tell me how you got mixed up with Dr Holmes in the first place.'
Bruce tried to restrain his impatience. 'My aunt Minna Everleigh was looking for a place for Karen and Cathleen to stay, and Dr Holmes volunteered his house. When the Club was reopened, Alan and I were sent to pick up the ladies. Dr Holmes was here, but he told us Karen and Cathleen had left already. His answers were so evasive that Alan became suspicious. Alan managed to get his hands on a set of the doctor's keys. After we'd left here, we let ourselves in for another look. We hid in the entry and saw Holmes tell Karen and Cathleen they had to sleep with him or he'd kill them. They both refused. Holmes locked them up in that crazy room, and he was just about to turn on the gas. Then Alan and I came out of hiding and we overpowered him. That's when I smashed Holmes on the head.'
'You shouldn't have done that,' said the chief of police sternly. 'You might have killed him.'
'He was trying to kill them,' Bruce protested.
'You can't be sure of that,' said the chief. 'He may have said he was going to do so, but he may not have meant it.'
'What do you mean?' Bruce exploded. 'I saw him going for the gas lever -'
'He may never have used it.'
'I can't believe what I'm hearing,' Bruce said.
'Wait a minute,' Pinkerton interrupted. He faced the chief of police. 'When I went to the police station and showed you all the evidence I'd gathered against Holmes, you agreed to come here with me to see if the ladies were safe.'
The chief of police bobbed his head. 'I agreed to this because you had some suspicion that Dr Holmes might be up to no good. However, you had no solid proof, Mr Pinkerton, that Holmes was a murderer. A scoundrel, yes, but no absolute evidence that he was a killer.'
'You heard Bruce tell you what he was witness to,' Pinkerton argued. 'I say that's more than enough evidence that he's a murderer.'
Bruce broke in. 'If Holmes lives, I'll swear in court that he planned to kill Karen and Cathleen. Until then, Chief, the rest of us would like to get right back to the Everleigh Club.'
The chief of police shook his head. 'I'm afraid you can't do that, Mr Lester,' he said. 'You took the law in your own hands when you attacked Dr Holmes. There is still not a shred of concrete evidence that Dr Holmes ever committed murder or ever intended to. Unless we can find such proof, you may be involved in a crime, young man. Your partner as well. That is, if Dr Holmes dies.'
'The whole thing is absurd,' said Bruce.
'It's anything but absurd,' the chief countered. 'If we can prove that Dr Holmes is indeed a murderer, you'll have no problem.' He surveyed the room. 'But I don't see any corpses around.'
Karen pushed forward. 'When Cathleen and I were locked in here, I searched for some way to escape. There was none. But over there in the floor I did find what may be two trap doors. You'd better see where they lead.'
Chief of Police O'Neill beckoned to his three officers. 'Captain Zubukovic, let the lady show you where she thinks she saw some trap doors. If they exist, remove them and find out where they take you.'
As Karen walked towards the chamber with the policemen, the chief turned to Bruce.
'Unless they lead to real evidence that Dr Holmes is a murderer, you're in trouble.'
While waiting for the outcome of the search down the trap doors, they all sat in the doctor's office.
Pinkerton sat with Chief O'Neill, going through a file of notes on his investigation of Dr Holmes.
Bruce and Alan sat huddled with Karen and Cathleen, struggling to make conversation about the wedding, and about Minna and Aida and the restored Everleigh Club. The talk was mostly intermittent. Bruce and Alan were plainly worried by the turn of events, and the unfairness of the chief's interpretation of the law.
At one point Bruce addressed himself to the chief of police and to Pinkerton. 'I wonder what's happening?' he asked.
'Maybe nothing,' said the chief. 'Or maybe something. We should know any minute.'
The chief went back to Pinkerton. Bruce and Alan continued their conversation with Karen and Cathleen, trying as best they could to reassure the shaken women that they were really safe and could relax at last.
It was more than an hour before the three policemen, somewhat dusty and dirtied, finally reappeared. All three came out of the airtight room, crossed the central hall, and came into the office.
Everyone instantly fell silent. All eyes were on the police.
Chief O'Neill spoke first. 'What did you find, Captain Zubukovic?'
'Miss Grant was right,' said Zubukovic. 'There were two trap doors in the floor. One led to a narrow staircase that Dr Holmes obviously used to descend into a basement-level room. The other trap door opened on to a chute, a kind of slippery slide by which human bodies were dropped into that basement.'
'Human bodies?' repeated Chief O'Neill. 'What gives you that idea?' He added with emphasis, 'I want facts, not fantasies.'
'I have facts, Chief,' said Zubukovic. 'You want to hear what we found in the basement?'
'Tell me,' said the chief.
'We found an operating table – blood has been washed off but some still exists in patches – upon which Dr Holmes apparently dismembered the bodies of his gassed victims. There is a vat with traces of quicklime. It looks as though Dr Holmes dipped his dismembered victims into it.'
Chief of Police O'Neill interrupted with annoyance. 'All speculation, Captain. I told you I wanted facts.'
'Then,' Zubukovic resumed doggedly, 'we found a huge furnace. A huge one. Big enough so I could step inside. I counted twenty-seven skulls, and the worst tangle of charred ribs, pelvic bones, thigh bones, shin bones and other human remains – it's too gruesome to go any further.'
Chief of Police O'Neill was standing. 'Twenty-seven human skulls,' he echoed with disbelief. 'Twenty-seven?'
'Precisely,' said Zubukovic. 'That's how many we sorted and counted. Most of them women, I'd guess. That doctor probably tricked them into coming here, then tried to take advantage of them. I imagine he gassed them whether he had his way or not, then dissolved the bodies, cut them up, and cremated the pieces. That's the truth, Chief. You should see for yourself. Miss Lester and Miss Grant are lucky to be alive.'
Chief of Police O'Neill stood silently, contemplating what he had heard.
Suddenly the telephone on the desk rang. The chief seemed to rouse himself out of a state of shock. He stepped towards the desk to take up the telephone.
'Officer Sorenson at the County Hospital,' a voice announced.
The chief said, 'This is O'Neill. What about Dr Holmes? Is he still alive or did he die?'
'He's alive, sir. A skull fracture. They can fix him up.'
'They'd better,' said the chief of police. 'I want him in good shape when he's tried and sentenced to the gallows.'
His narrowed eyes lingered on Cathleen and Karen. Then they shifted to Bruce and Alan.
His gaze holding on the two young men, the chief said loudly and distinctly, 'We'll put Holmes on trial as soon as he's well enough. I'll send in our forensic experts to identify the remains.' He paused, and grinned. 'You're free, Bruce, to go to the Everleigh Club – in fact all of you are free. Minna and Aida will be relieved to see you. And, adding my thanks, so am I.'
Bruce drove Minna's Ford to 2131 South Dearborn Street and parked it in the reserved place in front of the Everleigh Club.
While Alan helped Cathleen out of the car, Bruce assisted Karen to the sidewalk. Together they hurried up the steps leading into the Everleigh Club.
As they hastened through the Club's entrance, they saw rainbows of flowers reflected in gleaming mirrors. Cathleen, Karen, Alan, and Bruce were met by Minna and Aida, who had stationed themselves in the foyer to await their return.
The moment that Minna set eyes upon the new arrivals, her face lit up with relief and joy.
She rushed forward to fling her arms around Cathleen, and then around Karen.
'You're alive, you're safe!' Minna exclaimed. 'Aida and I were desperate when Mr Pinkerton told us about Dr Holmes's background. We'd been waiting on pins and needles for some word that you were alive. Thank heavens Bruce telephoned.'
'They're alive,' Bruce said, 'but it was close, very close, I can tell you that.'
'What happened?' Aida wanted to know. 'Did Dr Holmes make advances to you?'
'Yes, he made advances to Karen and me,' answered Cathleen, 'and when we rejected him, he was ready to kill us. We were rescued at the last minute by Alan and Bruce. Tell my aunts about it, Alan.'
Alan gestured to Bruce. 'I'm still too shaky to be very articulate. I think Bruce can do a better job of it.'
'It was pretty awful, and it was nip and tuck with the girls' lives. I'll make it brief. Here is what happened.'
Quickly, Bruce recounted what had taken place at Holmes's Castle, from the time he and Alan had come calling to the terrible moments when they had prevented Holmes from gassing Cathleen and Karen.
'We knocked him unconscious,' concluded Bruce, 'and after we pulled the girls out of that death chamber of his, we carried him into it, sealed it, and held him there until Chief of Police O'Neill and Pinkerton arrived. The chief was concerned that Alan and I had taken the law into our own hands without proof – actual proof – that Dr Holmes had ever done harm to anyone.'
'But then the police found proof, in the basement, that Dr Holmes was a lunatic killer,' added Alan.
Bruce was nodding his head. 'Aunt Minna, Aunt Aida, the police found the remains of twenty-seven bodies in his basement.'
Aida covered her face. 'Twenty-seven bodies,' she said, shuddering.
Minna was horrified and saddened. 'And our three missing girls – our Everleigh Club girls – Fanny, Avis, Greta – they must have been among his victims.'
Bruce sighed. 'I'm afraid so, Aunt Minna.'
'How gruesome,' said Minna. 'Wait here.' She disappeared into the hallway briefly and returned with her head servant. 'Edmund, would you find Chet Foley in there, the reporter from the Chicago Tribune. Then go out to my car and carry in the ladies' luggage, and unpack it in their rooms upstairs. And see that Cathleen's wedding dress is prepared. But get Mr Foley first.'
When Edmund was gone, Minna turned to Bruce.
'I owe this young man a story. I wouldn't permit him to write about the Everleigh Club when he first came here. We were in trouble then. Now I should make it up to him. Bruce, I want you to repeat to him everything you told us about Dr Holmes. What you saw and what you learned from Mr Pinkerton.'
When Edmund reappeared with a puzzled Foley, Minna introduced him around and then directed him to Bruce. 'My nephew has a story for you, Chet, a genuine scoop. He'll tell you the whole thing.'
Enthusiastically, Foley located the ever-present notebook in his pocket, took out a pencil, and waited.
Concisely, but without loss of detail, Bruce recounted their adventure with Dr Herman Holmes and what Pinkerton and the police had learned about him.
'Twenty-seven bodies,' Foley noted on paper, wagging his head. 'It's the most awful thing I've ever heard. But what a great story. Thank you, Bruce. I'd better call it in for the next edition. Minna, may I use your telephone?'
'Make yourself at home,' said Minna, waving the others to follow Aida into the Club.
Leaving last, Minna could overhear Foley dictating his story on the telephone. She halted momentarily, listening to Foley trying to explain Dr Holmes's psyche. 'The nerve, the calculation and the audacity of the man were unparalleled,' she heard Foley dictate. 'Murder was his natural bent. Sometimes he killed from sheer greed of gain; more often to gratify an inhuman thirst for blood. Not one of his crimes, as far as we know, was the outcome of a sudden burst of fury – "hot blood" – as the codes say. All were deliberate, planned, and concluded with consummate skill. To Dr Holmes murder was indeed a fine art, and he revelled in the lurid glamour cast upon him by his abnormal genius. The field of victims was open to him, since he served as the physician of the Everleigh Club and its thirty beautiful girls. Captured, he will be tried and-'
Minna listened no longer.
Hastening ahead, Minna caught up with Aida and the others as they entered her beloved Gold Room.
Once inside, Minna took command, as was her habit.
The room was crowded. Surrounding the prince of Prussia, who had arrived an hour earlier, were members of his entourage – braid and medals everywhere – and at least a dozen of the Everleigh Club's most attractive girls. The majority of them surrounded Prince Henry, resplendent in his uniform with its elegant high-collared jacket, relaxing on a gold sofa with women on either side of him and at his feet. The sighing, teasing, and flattery of the girls was mixed with the sounds of toasts and music from the five-piece orchestra playing in a distant corner.
Deftly, Minna guided her party around the room, introducing Cathleen, Karen, Alan, and Bruce to members of the German entourage.
When she reached Prince Henry, Minna waited for his attention and then drew Cathleen forward. 'Your Royal Highness…' Minna began.
Prince Henry rose to his feet at once.
'… I want you to meet another guest who is being honoured here tonight,' Minna continued. 'This is Miss Cathleen Lester, whose marriage ceremony to Alan Armbruster will be performed here in your presence shortly.'
'I am honoured, most honoured,' said Prince Henry, bending slightly to kiss the top of Cathleen's outstretched hand.
'Your Highness,' Minna went on briskly, 'my niece will be feted before you are. Ladies first, you know. After that we'll proceed with the banquet in your honour.'
'I am absolutely delighted,' said Prince Henry. 'This long-desired visit to the Everleigh Club – how exquisite it is, how magnificent its occupants – is the climax of my tour of your country.'
Minna introduced the others to the prince, then ushered him back to his place of comfort on the sofa.
Turning away, Minna caught Cathleen by the arm and led her aside. 'Time to put on your wedding gown,' she whispered, 'as quickly as possible.'
Cathleen hugged and kissed her and ran off.
Now, after the close call at Holmes's Castle, Bruce Lester wanted – more than ever before – an interval of privacy with Karen Grant.
Taking her by the hand, he led her first into the Japanese Room and then the Blue Room, but both were filled with chattering male guests and Everleigh girls.
At last, arriving at the Moorish Room, Bruce saw that it was unoccupied and he drew Karen inside.
'I want to talk to you,' he told her.
He led her across the brilliant Oriental carpet and between smoking incense burners to a small sofa. He sat her down, and then seated himself close to her.
'Karen,' he said, 'you've known ever since we met – I made it no secret – that I'm in love with you.'
'Oh, Bruce,' she said, her voice catching, putting her arms around him and kissing him. 'And you know I'm in love with you.'
Separating himself from her, Bruce said, 'I've been in love with you from the start, but I didn't realize how much until I almost lost you at Holmes's place. Now I want to – I want to discuss us.'
'I'm ready,' said Karen.
'I've wanted to ask you to marry me. I want to marry you more than anything -'
'Bruce, dear -'
'No, hear me out, Karen. There are problems. You're a big-city girl. I'm a country boy. You're a working woman, living fairly well on your own, I gather. I'm a fellow who runs a small Kentucky farm – and a home for my half-paralysed father. All I have to my name is a small stud farm and my winnings from the Derby. Eventually, I want to plough that money back into stallions and mares. I'll hope to breed more Derby winners, always a long shot. If you married me, I'd be taking you back to an old house in Kentucky. We'd live with my father, a dear man, but he does need some attention. You'd be isolated from city life down there. I don't know if that's the kind of life I can ask you to share with me.'
Karen emitted a sigh. 'Bruce, how can you be so smart in so many ways, and be so dumb about this? I love you. How many times do I have to tell you? I want to live with you wherever you live, however you live, because I want to be with you now and for ever. Bruce, stop being a donkey and tell me you will marry me, the sooner the better, right now, here and now.'
In those seconds all of Bruce's reservations had fled. 'You mean that?'
'I'll prove it. Let's get married tonight. The minute that minister has finished marrying your sister and Alan, let's grab him and make him marry us too.' 'Karen, that's perfect!'
He rose to his feet, pulling her up with him, and embraced her, smothering her with kisses. 'Come on,' he said, 'let's find the minister.'
He tried to take her hand to leave the Moorish Room, but she remained firmly planted, refusing to go.
'Not so fast,' she said, 'not yet.'
He stood before Karen. 'Why not? What's wrong?'
Karen smiled sweetly. 'I don't think you should marry a virgin. I think on your wedding night you should enjoy an experienced woman. Don't you?'
Confused, Bruce hesitated. 'Well, really, I don't know.'
'I know,' said Karen. 'Believe me, Bruce, it would be better. No fumbling, no tension, if we're both experienced. After that, from our wedding night on, it will get better and better.'
'You mean that, don't you?'
'I mean it. I'm ready. I still have my bedroom. Don't you want to make a virgin happy?'
He kissed her. 'You bet I do.' He took her hand. 'Right now.'
Slipping away from the banquet guests slowly filling the Everleigh Club, Karen and Bruce made their way to her room.
Once inside, Karen locked the door. There was only one lamp shining dimly. The rest of the room was dark.
Without a word they began to undress.
He was the first to strip and to stand nude. Standing apart from him, she dropped the last of her clothes.
His eyes widened as he took her in. 'My God, I've never seen anyone so beautiful.'
She stared at him. 'I've never seen a man undressed before…'
He went to her and pressing his body against hers, he could feel her heart thumping.
Taking her hand, he led her to the bed.
'You know what to do?' he asked softly.
'I think so.'
She lifted herself on to the bed, and settled on her back, frightened and thrilled.
Lying close, Bruce kissed her on the mouth, ran kisses down her cheek and neck, until his lips found her nipples.
Her nipples hardened and his tongue on them began to arouse her. As he moved above her body, her hand went to the back of his head. 'Please – please – oh, please, don't wait,' she gasped. 'I can't stand this. Please do it. Do it now.'
He guided his hardened penis downward, and slowly, slowly he entered her.
'Ahhh,' she said. 'Ahhh – deeper, deeper.'
He went in all the way, going slowly.
Once he stopped, drew himself back, and glanced down at the bed sheet.
'Darling, you're not a virgin anymore,' he said, and added, 'You're an experienced woman.'
'Make me more experienced,' she breathed. And they went on.
Half an hour later, composed and fully dressed, they held hands, in love, and walked away from the bedroom.
The downstairs hallway was empty and quiet. From the muted sounds of conversation and laughter somewhere in the Club, they realized that almost everyone had gathered in the Gold Room.
Karen and Bruce made their way to the entrance, and they saw Cathleen in her white satin and lace wedding gown and Alan standing before a tall Lutheran minister, while the guests – including Prince Henry of Prussia – watched the conclusion of the wedding. Minna and Aida were beaming at the bride, and Armbruster and his wife stood behind the groom.
'Alan Armbruster,' the minister intoned, 'wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy state of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?'
'I will,' said Alan.
'Cathleen Lester, wilt thou have this man to be they wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy state of matrimony? Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honour and keep him in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?'
'I will,' Cathleen replied in a firm serious voice.
The minister bent towards them and whispered something.
Alan took Cathleen's right hand and spoke. 'I, Alan Armbruster, take thee, Cathleen Lester, to be my wedded wife, and plight thee my troth, till death us do part.'
Then Cathleen raised her voice to speak. 'I, Cathleen Lester, take thee, Alan Armbruster, to be my wedded husband, and plight thee my troth, till death us do part.'
The minister said, 'The ring, please.'
Harold Armbruster took the blue velvet box out of his pocket, snapped it open, removed the wedding band, and handed it to his son.
Alan placed the ring on the fourth finger of Cathleen's left hand, and he stated, 'Receive this ring as a token of wedded love and troth.'
The minister directed, 'Join your right hands.'
Cathleen and Alan took each other's right hand as the minister covered them with his own, and announced, 'Forasmuch as Alan Armbruster and Cathleen Lester have consented together in holy wedlock, and have declared the same before God and in the presence of this company, I pronounce them man and wife. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.'
Cathleen lifted her veil, and went into Alan's arms as he gave her a prolonged kiss.
Music struck up from somewhere in the Gold Room, and the guests gathered in small groups joined in with applause and cheers.
Watching, Karen tugged at Bruce's sleeve. 'Our turn next.'
'Right now,' said Bruce.
'In the Moorish Room where we can be alone with the minister – and Minna and Aida as our witnesses – if the minister will do it.'
'He will,' promised Bruce. He strode into the centre of the Gold Room, got the attention of the minister, and whispered to him.
The minister listened, looked up at Bruce, then at Karen, and vigorously nodded his assent.
It was half-past eleven in the evening by the time everyone had taken a place at the long table of the Everleigh Club.
At the very centre of the banquet table, erect and beaming with pleasure, sat Prince Henry himself. On the right side of him sat Minna in her freshly done Gibson hairdo, Arm-bruster, Cathleen, and Alan. At the left side sat Aida, Mayor Harrison, Karen, and Bruce.
From the far end of the restaurant, the musicians had begun to play the day's favourites – 'On the Banks of the Wabash ', 'A Bicycle Built for Two', and 'I'm Afraid To Go Home in the Dark'.
Waiters were filing in, carrying the first dish, a garnished Bodense felchen trout.
Mayor Harrison pushed back his chair and stood up to unfurl a sheet of paper. He read a brief address welcoming Prince Henry of Prussia to Chicago, the gem city of the Midwest prairie.
No one listened. The babble of voices continued gaily and loudly, as the Everleigh girls clinked their goblets of champagne and became better acquainted with the male guests beside them.
'Wonderful, wonderful,' said Prince Henry to Minna. 'A most remarkable and memorable evening. I am happy that you could do this for me.'
'Your Highness, I'd do anything for you,' Minna said. 'You're a true gentleman, and I will always be delighted to do anything you ask.'
'You are a most gracious lady,' said the prince.
Aware of Armbruster beside her, Minna turned fully towards Prince Henry. 'Your Highness,' she began, 'you told me you were pleased I could do this for you.'
'Of course,' said Prince Henry. 'Indeed, I meant it.'
'Then I would like to request a favour of you,' said Minna.
'Anything,' said Prince Henry. 'Whatever you wish.'
'All right, I'll come out with it,' said Minna. 'We have an American ambassador in Germany. What is his situation today?'
Prince Henry appeared bewildered. 'I'm not sure I understand your question,' he said. 'What do you mean?'
'I mean, how long will he be ambassador?'
'Sadly, for a short time only. Normally, the ambassador would remain head of the diplomatic mission to the royal court for as long as your government wishes. But your ambassador is unwell. I know he plans to send a letter of resignation to your president in a very short time – perhaps a few months.'
'Then you will need a new American ambassador in Germany?' said Minna.
'Of course. I am sure that President Roosevelt will appoint someone from the diplomatic corps as soon as he receives the resignation.'
'Could the kaiser recommend to President Roosevelt an American he would like to see represent us?'
Prince Henry gave it some thought. 'Normally, Miss Ever-leigh, it is not done that way. Your President will select someone he feels deserves the post and is qualified. Then his choice must be approved not only here but also in Germany. When the kaiser has given his approval, the new ambassador is on his way to Berlin.'
'I understand,' said Minna. 'But what if it went the other way around? Suppose the kaiser knew of somebody in the United States whom he would like to have as the American ambassador? Could the kaiser make such a recommendation – informally – to President Roosevelt?'
Prince Henry furrowed his brow, considering such procedure. 'Umm. It would be unusual. I can see no rule against it. But then, my brother, the kaiser, would know of no such American to suggest.'
Minna edged provocatively closer to Prince Henry. She said flirtatiously, 'I may, Sir. I may know somebody to suggest.'
'You?'
'Why not? Who on earth knows men and their character better than Minna Everleigh? Yes, me. I have someone to suggest.'
Prince Henry chuckled. 'Why not you? Of course you would be highly qualified to suggest someone to represent the United States.'
'The idea is that I would suggest a name to you. And you could convey it to the kaiser. He in turn could make the suggestion to President Roosevelt. Of course, this would make a deep impression on the president. He would want to please the kaiser and would certainly consider selecting such a man for the post.'
'Yes, that is possible,' said Prince Henry. 'Obviously, you do have a man in mind.'
'I do.'
'Very well, tell me.'
Minna reached to the side, took Armbruster by his hand, and drew him into the conversation. 'Your Highness, this is Harold T. Armbruster, the renowned Chicago meat-packer, who would very likely be pleased to become the next ambassador to Germany. He is of German origin, of Lutheran faith, and he knows very well what the post would entail. Isn't that so, Mr Armbruster?'
Armbruster gulped. 'It is, it is.'
'More importantly, Mr Armbruster is my niece's father-in-law. So I'd be involved in a relative way.'
Prince Henry grinned at Minna, and then at Armbruster. 'A capital idea,' Prince Henry said. He was briefly silent, as if turning the idea over in his mind, and then he said gravely, 'I would be happy to make such a recommendation to the kaiser – on one condition.'
Minna frowned. 'What is that condition, Sir?'
'That the Everleigh Club remain open for my next visit to the United States. If I knew it would be here, I'd be certain to make my next visit very soon. I heard that it had been shut down, and only opened tonight for my presence. I would like to be reassured that it will continue to flourish for years to come. May I have your word on that, Miss Everleigh?'
'You can have my word,' said Minna, 'but my word is not enough. It's really up to the mayor.' She leaned across Prince Henry. 'Aida, would you get Mayor Harrison's attention?'
Aida gently prodded at the mayor, who immediately turned, glanced at Aida, and then noticed that Minna had something to say to him.
'What is it, Miss Everleigh?' Mayor Harrison asked.
'It's about Harold Armbruster becoming the next ambassador to Germany,' said Minna. 'I just broached the subject to Prince Henry. He agrees to help under one condition -that you allow the Everleigh Club to remain in business not just for tonight but in the months and years to follow.'
'Is that all?' said Mayor Harrison, all affability. His eyes met Prince Henry's. He cleared his throat and said with sincerity, 'Your Highness, you have my solemn pledge that the Everleigh Club will remain open and flourish as long as I am in office. I'll manage my reformers.'
Prince Henry smiled broadly at Minna. 'Miss Everleigh, as you Americans put it, you have a deal.'
At just past two o'clock in the morning the banquet was finally coming to an end. Someone jumped to his feet, held up a hand, gave a signal to the orchestra, and began to sing.
The singer was Alderman John Coughlin.
Minna leaned towards Prince Henry, made a face, and explained, 'The alderman is singing a song he wrote, and he sings it at every public occasion. It's something called 'Dear Midnight of Love'. I want to apologize for this, Sir…'
Prince Henry, listening, hushed Minna and said, 'Let's give the man a chance.'
They all paid heed to Coughlin as he sang on:
Dear Midnight of Love, why did we meet? Dear Midnight of Love, your face is so sweet. Pure as the angels above, surely again we will speak; Loving only as doves, Dear Midnight of Love.
When love hearts are serene, can waking be their knell? Were midnight but between, sleep, night, but not farewell. Stars! Oh, what do they mean? For you to wake 'tis well – Look, mother, on the scene, for you my love will tell.
Your promise, love, redeem; your gentle words do thrill; Live as the rippling stream, always your friend I will. Now I must bid adieu so cruel, why did we meet? List! What shall we do? Pray, when do we eat?
Prince Henry broke into laughter. 'You are right, Miss Everleigh. I accept your apology.'
With the song ended, Prince Henry reached down along Minna's leg, and asked for her shoe.
'My shoe?'
'Yes, kindly take it off and hand it to me,' said Prince Henry.
With Minna's shoe in hand, the prince came to his feet and poured the champagne into the slipper.
'A toast!' announced Prince Henry. 'To the health and longevity of the Everleigh Club, and to the enrichment of its proprietors! To Aida and Minna Everleigh, who have given me my finest evening in America!'
Everyone at the table rose, lifting their goblets of champagne.
The guests remained standing, getting ready to depart after the prince left the table.
But Prince Henry of Prussia sat down beside Minna once more. He bent close to her. 'Only one thing is missing from this evening,' he said.
'What's that?' Minna wanted to know.
'Most of the men here have sampled the joys of the Everleigh Club. I too should like to sample its pleasures.'
Minna waved her hand at the girls around the table. 'Take your pick, Your Highness. You may choose any girl you wish.'
'There could be only one I want,' said Prince Henry, staring at Minna. 'I want you.'
Minna returned his gaze. 'You really want me?'
'Only you, Miss Everleigh,' Prince Henry said.
Minna stood up. 'In that case, you'd better call me Minna, and I'll call you Hank.'
Minna put her arm inside Prince Henry's. She was pleased to see that Mayor Harrison had offered his arm to Aida.
The four of them walked out of the restaurant and across the hallway to the staircase.
Then they all went upstairs.