The Dame Did It (12 page)

Hazel saw the color drain from her Aunt’s
face, and then Aunt Luella rushed to her bedroom. Hazel
followed.

“Aunt Luella? Are you all right?”

Luella pulled out a suitcase and flung it
open on her bed.

“We have to pack everything we can. We have
to get out now!”

“What? Aunt Luella, I don’t understand!”

Luella began opening drawers and flinging
contents into the suitcase. “Hurry, child!”

Hazel grabbed Luella’s wrist. “Aunt Luella,
don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little? If we run away
immediately, everyone will know something is up. Besides, who will
run the store? We’ve got to be cautious but think this
through.”

Luella eased off and calmed down. “I guess
you’re right. But please, be careful. If your visitor was correct,
those were powerful people that took down your father. That’s why
no one ever brought them to justice. But do know we will be leaving
as soon as I can figure out what to do with the store. Surely these
people won’t be back tomorrow. But we can’t risk staying.”

“Thank you, Aunt Luella,” Hazel said, and
then she hugged her Aunt. She hoped this strategy bought enough
time to figure out the truth.

That night, Hazel slept anything but
soundly. Her mind filled with fitful dreams, all of them including
the mysterious man that she first encountered at the Swan Song. Her
dreams played out various scenarios as to whom he might be. Perhaps
the man would be a long lost relative, or an old friend of her
father’s. Hazel didn’t know and wished she had more information as
right now she risked her very life on the words of a stranger.

The next day, Hazel stayed home until Luella
left. Then she decided to go back to the Gorton brownstone one more
time to see if she might learn anything else. As she approached the
door, Hazel could hear that Cora already had a visitor, though she
didn’t recognize the male voice.

“I know it is hard with your husband being
gone,” the clearly older male said. “But it will get better soon,
Cora. I promise you that.”

“What makes you so sure, Bertram?” Cora’s
scared voice replied.

“Come tomorrow night to the old clothing
factory I just purchased. Let me show you all the great things I
have planned that you can be a part of, and that you were always
meant to be a part of. Without your husband, you’re free to be who
you were really meant to be, my sweet Cora.”

Hazel listened as the man gave details and
an address. As it sounded like he planned to leave soon, she darted
away and hid behind some nearby trees in order to see the man exit.
The man appeared to be well-dressed, confident, and
seasoned—perhaps a few years older than Hazel’s own father would be
if he still lived. She then recognized that a stylish model car
parked on the street contained a driver that specifically waited
for Cora’s caller, as its driver got out and then opened the door
for the man. Then the driver got back in the car and it drove away.
That Cora associated with others of money should be no surprise
given her background, but what remained so important about this
specific older man wasn’t clear. Based on what Hazel knew from the
press clippings, the man would not fit the description of Cora’s
adoptive father.

Hazel got a cab and returned home to find
the mysterious man from the Swan Song waiting on her doorstep.

“I thought you were leaving,” Hazel told
him.

“I know, I thought so too. But I couldn’t
stop thinking about you.”

“Me neither. I don’t even know your name.
I’ve got so many questions to ask you.”

“I’m glad you’re all right,” he told her,
dodging her question for the moment. “I heard about your manager
friend dying. I never thought others would get hurt by this. I’m so
sorry. But you need to know it’s the same people. You’re not
safe.”

“I’m going to find whoever it is,” Hazel
said. “I’m going to find who killed my father and my manager. I
don’t want to lose anyone else I care about.”

“It’s not worth the risk.”

“Yes it is!” she insisted. “Who else will
get hurt if I don’t do something?”

“You are very brave. In that case, I can
only give you one more clue before I go,” he said. “Ask Luella
about her crime of passion.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,”
Hazel pointed out.

“And that is why you need to ask around,” he
insisted. “I have really risked staying around too long, and you
are the temptress that brought me around to doing so. Now I must be
going. When your father’s killer is gone I promise to return.
Goodbye.”

He turned and left. Just then, Hazel Atwood
realized that she still didn’t know the man’s name. She called
after him to stop, but he just kept on going. This left her little
to do but follow the man’s advice. However, Luella still wasn’t
home yet so she decided to go to sleep. She still dreamt of the man
as her subconscious turned over the latest words.

Dawn came, and Hazel bolted up in bed. She
still had the stranger’s last words echoing in her head. So
quietly, Hazel dressed and went downstairs, where she found Aunt
Luella reading the newspaper.

“Did you have a good night?” her Aunt
asked.

“I guess so,” Hazel said with a shrug. “Tell
me something. Has there ever been someone special in your life? Or
some exciting crime of passion? No one I’ve talked to ever thinks
so, but I’d rather hear it from you.”

“That’s admittedly a bit out of the blue,
Hazel.”

“Well, I just wondered. Well I’ve wondered
before but only just now got around to really asking about it.”

“There was,” Aunt Luella replied. “But no
one noticed because we kept it rather secret. The family had its
reasons. Not everything goes as you expect.”

“What was his name, Aunt Luella?”

“His name,” Hazel’s Aunt explained, “was
Bertram. I’ve long forgotten the last name.”

“Still, kind of unusual sounding,” Hazel
replied. “I can see why you’d remember the first name at
least.”

Hazel also found it interesting that the man
Cora talked to would also possess the same first name. That was the
name she thought she heard Cora say while listening in, at
least.

Her Aunt nodded. “Indeed, just as unusual as
the man attached to it. Bertram proved charming, attractive, and
all of those sorts of things that make people take notice. I
definitely would be no exception to his allure.”

Hazel tried to imagine her Aunt Luella being
in love with anyone. Yet, everything pointed to this Bertram
wounding her Aunt so deeply that no further relationships ever
blossomed and she buried herself in her work. Also, Hazel knew she
needed to focus and see if there were any ties between this part of
her Aunt’s life and her own father’s untimely end—suspicions needed
to evolve into fact or fall away as fiction. She continued on with
her line of questioning.

“How did you meet Bertram?”

Hazel’s Aunt leaned back and sighed as she
drifted off into memory.

“Through my father’s clothing business, long
before I ran the shop. As you know, your grandfather owned a
successful men’s suit store for years. Not only did he procure
locally, he also knew how to bring in high end fashions from both
the United States and Europe. So when Bertram came to town, he felt
that a man of his style should only be outfitted with the best.
Naturally, referrals brought him to my father’s doorstep.”

“But that still doesn’t explain how you
met.”

“Patience,” said her Aunt. “I am getting to
that part. Sometimes I would work in the store, helping my father,
especially once my older sister—your mother—started courting the
man she would eventually marry.”

“Mother worked in the store too? I never
knew that.”

“Yes she did. With her out, I was working
the first time Bertram visited the store. I found myself smitten at
first sight.”

Hazel noticed that her Aunt did not use the
word love when describing her feelings towards Bertram back
then.

“By the time Bertram left my life he took
everything. Bertram took away my ability to love. He also took away
my innocence, in all ways.”

“I’m trying my best to follow,” Hazel said
after giving it some thought.

“Well, after a few months your grandparents
needed to hide me away, before I bore Bertram’s child into the
world.”

It never occurred to Hazel that her Aunt
Luella being alone all those years would root in a broken heart and
family shame.

“This child would be my cousin,” Hazel said.
“What happened?” Hazel immediately covered her mouth in
embarrassment, and then slowly removed her hand. “I am so sorry. I
had absolutely no right to ask.”

“The question is a natural one. Honestly I
do not completely know the answer. My parents sent me to live at a
home for unwed mothers until my daughter was born. I never saw her
again. Then I returned to my father’s shop and worked there until
he died, eventually inheriting it myself.”

Hazel got up out of her seat. “Thank you,
Aunt Luella. I understand so much more now. But I know you need to
get going.”

“Indeed I do. There’s a full day ahead at
the shop.”

After Luella left, Hazel got down to
business figuring out what she would need to do in order to acquire
clothing that would either be decidedly male in appearance, or
unisex enough such as shoes to not stand out. She knew that only so
much could be done if she continued to walk around clearly looking
like Hazel or even as a woman. So she did the only thing that made
logical sense to obtain men’s clothing, which would be to stop by
her Aunt Luella’s store. She would hate lying to Aunt Luella, but
she didn’t see any other way.

“Why hello dear,” Luella perked up as Hazel
entered the store. “It’s such a rare occasion you stop by. Is
everything all right?”

“Actually, a local theatre company stopped
by seeing if the store could make any donations.”

“To the house?” Aunt Luella asked
suspiciously.

“I think they were asking the whole
neighborhood for any old or outgrown clothes. I didn’t have any at
home of course, but said I’d promised to check the store. Are there
any slightly imperfect items we might have in the back?”

“There’s some I’ve got, feel free to take a
look. I usually put those out for sale a few times a year, so don’t
take anything you think might sell. But even a medium design flaw
may not stand out on stage.”

“Thanks, Aunt Luella,” Hazel said, and then
proceeded to check around the store for what might be usable for
her own personal theatre company of masquerading as a man.

After a while she collected a small bag of
clothing and came back out front. “I found a few things that might
work. Don’t worry, I saved the best to still be sold.”

Aunt Luella waved in appreciation. “Thank
you dear. It’s always good to be nice to the community. But now to
get back to my customers!”

Back at her Aunt’s house, Hazel started to
sort things out and get ready for the evening to come so she could
make her move. After dark, keeping her gaze focused on the dusty
and chipped mirror, Hazel took her Aunt Luella’s sewing scissors
and began hacking away at the beautiful hair her father loved so
much. Tonight, however, she could not afford to be detected, or let
the slightest thing give her away. This would be her one and only
chance to set things right.

Soon the long flowing hair disappeared,
replaced with a choppy cropped short hairstyle. Placing her
father’s hat on her head, she saw it did a fairly good job of
hiding what hair remained. After doing some final small cuts to
even it out, using the hat as a guide, Hazel began to dress in the
clothes she’d managed to get her hands on earlier in the day. They
wore baggy but not so loose that they fell off in any way—just
enough to hide her true form.

Lastly, she carefully picked up one of her
father’s old trench coats and put it on over her shoulders.
Glancing back into the mirror, Hazel saw a completely different
person staring back. This new person exuded confidence and mystery
where Hazel Atwood seemed fragile and garnered pity for her
existence.

Hazel’s next challenge would come leaving
the home unnoticed by the neighbors. Fortunately Aunt Luella slept
heavy, but still Hazel could not afford to see neighbors notice her
coming out the front door. Slowly and carefully she opened her
bedroom window and crawled out onto the second story fire escape.
Hazel looked down, trying to see how safe the drop would be if she
didn’t extend the almost certainly squeaky ladder.

Now that she’d managed to slip down the fire
escape, she would need to make her way to the old abandoned factory
in time for the hinted rendezvous. She could afford a cab, but
flagging down a car for a ride might call attention if the driver
memorized too many details about her and became suspicious. So she
would just need to hope that the shoes she’d managed to procure
would hold out for a trek across town, not to mention her feet.
Fortunately, Hazel knew her way about the city well and felt
confident that she would not get lost in it.

As she walked toward the more industrial
area of town, Hazel noticed a growing discomfort with walking
alone. Not because she didn’t feel capable of fending for herself,
but her Aunt Luella never let her walk alone at night, fearing that
she would not be safe. Even for the performances, Aunt Luella
always insisted Hazel be in her manager’s company. Tonight, with
the world thinking her a man, Hazel toyed with a freedom to which
she found herself unaccustomed and decided it to be thrilling.
After a long walk she finally reached her destination.

Hazel Atwood eyed the old abandoned factory
from across the street. From the outside, it appeared completely
unassuming and unimportant, just awaiting a wrecking ball if anyone
could afford to tear it down. Yet, Hazel knew that inside
significant events had unfolded just a few short years earlier.
Inside deals went down and money changed hands to get a gumshoe,
who had gotten a bit too close to the action, off of a very hot
trail.