his neighbors with the whores they brought home at night. When he returned to the room and lit the lamp, insects skittered away back into the walls.
“Now,” he said, “what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Can I have some water?” she asked.
He poured her a glass and handed it to her. She drank half of it down and rubbed her neck tenderly.
“You’ve some grip,” she said.
“I’m not going to apologize for that,” he said. “I had noidea who was following me, or why. You sounded like a herd of buffalo.”
“I was just trying to catch up to you so we could talk,” she said. “If I’d really wanted to follow you, you never would have known I was there.”
He doubted that but decided to let it go.
“Just tell me what you want, Dol,” Roper said, “and why you’re trying to get yourself killed by walking around Hell’s Half Acre dressed like that?”
“What do you mean?” she asked. “This is a great disguise.”
He studied her critically. Despite the disheveled appearance, she still seemed feminine to him. Maybe that was just because he knew who she was. But she still seemed the type—small, helpless—who would become a victim in the Half Acre.
“Never mind,” he said. “What do you want?”
“I want to work with you on this assignment.”
“I don’t have anything for you to do,” he told her. “Does your boss know you’re here?”
She frowned.
“William fired me as soon as you left.”
“No connection to me, I gather?”
“No,” she said, “he just said there was no place for me in the Pinkertons.”
“So you want to prove him wrong.”
“Yes! And I want you to help me.”
“I can’t do that, Dol,” he said. “I have too much to do, not to mention keeping myself alive.”
“I can watch your back!”
“I don’t know that,” Roper said, “and I can’t depend on it. I think what you have to do is go home.”
“Home?” she asked. “Where’s that? I’ve got nothing left in Chicago.”
“Where are you from?”
She frowned, almost pouted, and folded her arms.
“There’s nothing for me there either.”
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“I have a hotel room.”
“Where?”
“The White Elephant.”
“Why would you stay there,” he asked, “when you’re trying to blend in here in Hell’s Half Acre? Why do you think I’m staying here?”
“I—I didn’t think—”
“And it’s that kind of not thinking that could get you killed. And me!”
“I’m sorry…”
“Go home, Dol,” he said. “Go back east anyway. You’re not going to do me or yourself any good here.”
She just stood there, miserable.
“Do you have money?”
“Yes.”
“Go back to your hotel, get yourself cleaned up, and have a meal. You’ll feel better. Then go to the train station in the morning.”
She nodded, turned toward the door.
“And go out the back, the way we came in,” he said.
She nodded again and left without a word.
* * *
Outside the hotel, two men stared up at the single lit window.
“According to the clerk, that’s his room,” Ed Hague said.
“Okay,” Dan Giles said, “we’ll wait for it to go out before we go after him.”
“You sure Nancy’s right?” Hague asked. “This don’t look like a place a fella with money would stay.”
“She’s a good judge of men,” Giles said. “She says the guy ain’t what he seems to be, that’s good enough for me. She ain’t steered me wrong yet.”
“What’s your deal with her?” Hague asked.
“She gets twenty percent,” Giles said.
“That seems like a lot.”
“This is your first job with me,” Giles said. “You’ll see that she earns her keep.”
“I hope so,” Hague said. “I need to have somethin’ that’s gonna pay.”
“Don’t worry,” Giles said. “This pays.”
They settled into their darkened doorway and waited for the light in the window to go out.
* * *
Dol went out the back door of the hotel, then used an
“Now,” he said, “what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Can I have some water?” she asked.
He poured her a glass and handed it to her. She drank half of it down and rubbed her neck tenderly.
“You’ve some grip,” she said.
“I’m not going to apologize for that,” he said. “I had noidea who was following me, or why. You sounded like a herd of buffalo.”
“I was just trying to catch up to you so we could talk,” she said. “If I’d really wanted to follow you, you never would have known I was there.”
He doubted that but decided to let it go.
“Just tell me what you want, Dol,” Roper said, “and why you’re trying to get yourself killed by walking around Hell’s Half Acre dressed like that?”
“What do you mean?” she asked. “This is a great disguise.”
He studied her critically. Despite the disheveled appearance, she still seemed feminine to him. Maybe that was just because he knew who she was. But she still seemed the type—small, helpless—who would become a victim in the Half Acre.
“Never mind,” he said. “What do you want?”
“I want to work with you on this assignment.”
“I don’t have anything for you to do,” he told her. “Does your boss know you’re here?”
She frowned.
“William fired me as soon as you left.”
“No connection to me, I gather?”
“No,” she said, “he just said there was no place for me in the Pinkertons.”
“So you want to prove him wrong.”
“Yes! And I want you to help me.”
“I can’t do that, Dol,” he said. “I have too much to do, not to mention keeping myself alive.”
“I can watch your back!”
“I don’t know that,” Roper said, “and I can’t depend on it. I think what you have to do is go home.”
“Home?” she asked. “Where’s that? I’ve got nothing left in Chicago.”
“Where are you from?”
She frowned, almost pouted, and folded her arms.
“There’s nothing for me there either.”
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“I have a hotel room.”
“Where?”
“The White Elephant.”
“Why would you stay there,” he asked, “when you’re trying to blend in here in Hell’s Half Acre? Why do you think I’m staying here?”
“I—I didn’t think—”
“And it’s that kind of not thinking that could get you killed. And me!”
“I’m sorry…”
“Go home, Dol,” he said. “Go back east anyway. You’re not going to do me or yourself any good here.”
She just stood there, miserable.
“Do you have money?”
“Yes.”
“Go back to your hotel, get yourself cleaned up, and have a meal. You’ll feel better. Then go to the train station in the morning.”
She nodded, turned toward the door.
“And go out the back, the way we came in,” he said.
She nodded again and left without a word.
* * *
Outside the hotel, two men stared up at the single lit window.
“According to the clerk, that’s his room,” Ed Hague said.
“Okay,” Dan Giles said, “we’ll wait for it to go out before we go after him.”
“You sure Nancy’s right?” Hague asked. “This don’t look like a place a fella with money would stay.”
“She’s a good judge of men,” Giles said. “She says the guy ain’t what he seems to be, that’s good enough for me. She ain’t steered me wrong yet.”
“What’s your deal with her?” Hague asked.
“She gets twenty percent,” Giles said.
“That seems like a lot.”
“This is your first job with me,” Giles said. “You’ll see that she earns her keep.”
“I hope so,” Hague said. “I need to have somethin’ that’s gonna pay.”
“Don’t worry,” Giles said. “This pays.”
They settled into their darkened doorway and waited for the light in the window to go out.
* * *
Dol went out the back door of the hotel, then used an
Similar Books
