By ten that morning, Zahra’s leg was starting to ache from her uneven gait. “I think Minnie wants to go home and get out of these shoes. I’m also roasting inside this batting.”
Sable smiled. “Whatever you wish.”
“Thank you for your help. You seem to know everyone.”
“It wasn’t always that way, but my work with the orphans has made me quite a few friends on the streets, and I value them very much.”
Zahra valued them as well. They all promised to leave Sable word at the convent or the orphanage should they see Crete or find out where he was staying. Now that Crete’s face was on the drum, all Zahra could do was hope and pray that something on him turned up soon.
Sable looked Zahra’s way and said, “Before we go back to Juliana’s, how about we stop at the Christophe, get something to eat, and see how long it takes Archer to see through your disguise.”
Zahra thought it an excellent idea. “I doubt he’ll be fooled, but I’m in.”
The restaurant was fairly empty because of the time of day. André greeted Sable warmly, then turned to her companion. “My name is André. Welcome to the Hotel Christophe, madam.”
“Thank ya,” Minnie said. “Name’s Minnie Turpin. Miss Sable said you all have the best food in town here.”
André smiled, “Miss Sable is correct. This way, please.”
He led them across the restaurant to a table, and behind his back Zahra and Sable shared sparkling smiles. As they sat, Sable asked, “Is Archer here? I’d like for him to meet my friend.”
“I’ll get him. You all look over the menu. Your waiter will join you shortly.”
After his departure, Zahra and Sable chuckled, then read their menus and waited for Archer.
When he appeared moments later, Zahra could only sigh at how handsome he was.
“Hello, lovely sister-in-law.”
“Hello, Archer. I want you to meet a friend. Her name’s Minnie Turpin and she’s visiting New Orleans for a few days.”
“Enchanté, Madam Turpin. I hope you are finding New Orleans to your liking.”
“Very much so. All this walking’s got my leg acting up, but I’ll be fine.” She then looked up into his dark eyes. “Miss Sable said you own this whole place.”
“I do indeed.” Then, as if noticing something amiss, he asked, “Have we met before?”
Minnie shook her head. “Nope. First time I ever been to New Orleans.”
“You remind me of someone.”
“You know more than one old woman with a bad leg?”
“Well, no, but—”
Sable said, “Archer, tell Aristide I’ll have the catfish and the red beans and rice. Minnie, what would you like?”
Minnie ordered the same. Both women could see Archer still trying to figure out if or where he and Minnie had met previously.
He seemed to give up as he said, “I’ll take your orders back to the kitchen.” Turning his attention to Minnie, he bowed and said, “It was a pleasure meeting you, madam.”
“Same here. Back home in South Carolina the men don’t bow like that. Makes me feel real special like.”
Archer smiled and nodded. “Enjoy your meals, ladies.”
As he walked away, Sable and Zahra hid their laughter behind their hands. By the time he disappeared through the kitchen doors, both women had tears in their eyes.
After they finished their lunch, Zahra said to Sable, “I’m going to go up to his office for a moment. Will you wait?”
“Certainly. Juliana wanted me to stop in at the post office to see if she’s received any mail. I’ll do that while you see Archer and I’ll meet you back here.”
“Very good.”
Sable paid the bill and departed. Zahra stood and waved over André Renaud.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Is Mr. Le Veq still here?”
“Yes, he’s in his office.”
“You think he’d mind me disturbing him a moment so I can tell him how nice everything was?”
André gave her a smile. “I’m sure he’d be pleased to see you, just as long as you don’t stay very long.”
“Oh, no. I know he must be a real busy man. I’m going to pop my head in, say what I have to say, then come back and wait for Miss Sable to finish her errand at the post office.”
“Good. Then come. I’ll escort you upstairs.”
André knocked on the closed office door. When Archer responded, he opened it and said, “Miss Turpin wanted to speak with you for just a moment.”
Archer stood up from behind his desk, then gestured in the direction of one of the chairs. “Certainly. Miss Turpin, please have a seat.”
André withdrew, leaving Archer and the old woman alone.
“What may I help you with?”
“You know, you’re a fine-looking man, Mr. Le Veq.”
“Um, thank you.”
“You know an older woman knows a whole lot more than a young one.”
Archer went still. “Was there something you wanted, Miss Turpin?”
Using her real voice, Zahra said, “I just wanted to say thank you for the lovely lunch.”
His eyes wide, he choked out, “Zahra!”
“In the flesh. I’m glad I didn’t set a wager when I told Sable you wouldn’t be fooled. I would have lost.”
He came around the desk and stared. “My God. Look at you.”
“Not bad, eh?”
“Not at all,” he echoed. “You look like an old woman.”
“Thank you very much. It was what I was hoping for.”
She then told him about the distribution of Crete’s likeness. “Sable promises that all of her people will be discreet.”
Archer approved of the plan, but he couldn’t get over her transformation. “I have no idea how long it might have taken me to see past the disguise, if ever.”
“The measure of a good disguise.”
“How’d you make yourself plumper?”
“Cotton batting, and if I don’t get back to your mother’s soon, I’m going to wilt.”
“When you told us last night that you were going to hand out the drawings, I was concerned that you might be seen by Crete. But if I couldn’t recognize you, I know he wouldn’t have been able to. That’s a fantastic getup.”
“Hope you didn’t mind the joke at your expense.”
“No, I’m too impressed to be offended.” And he was—there wasn’t an ounce of Zahra anywhere in the disguise. “I’ve never disguised myself. Maybe if I had I wouldn’t have wound up hanging like a side of beef in Crete’s barn.”
“How were you found out?”
“I was playing the role of a Cuban planter touring the area looking to expand my holdings. In reality, though, I was looking for the maps.”
Zahra knew that part.
“But when I walked up to Crete’s door, one of the men with him was a man I thought to be working intelligence for the BMI, because I had seen him a few times on other missions. Apparently he was a counteragent for the Confederacy, because he gave me away as soon as Crete escorted me into the parlor.”
Zahra shook her head. She’d heard tales that the first James Lafayette had encountered the same sort of situation; the man on the other side had just been pretending to spy for the British. “If you hadn’t been found out, we might never have met.”
“True.” Still enjoying her surprising new persona, he asked, “So what are you doing for the rest of the day?”
“Sable’s going to drop me by Wilma’s so I can put Minnie Turpin to rest, and see if any reports come in that need to be passed on to Araminta. Wilma has already sent on the information about the Death Books. Araminta wired back her intentions to alert everyone who is listed.”
“Good. They need to be made aware of the danger.”
The book was now locked away in the wall safe in Archer’s bedroom.
Zahra said, “I should get going. Sable will be back shortly, if she hasn’t returned already. I will see you this evening?”
“Most definitely.”
“Shall I wear this getup to bed for you?”
“No!”
His emphatic answer made her laugh. “Just thought I would ask.”
He had amusement in his eyes.
Zahra said in Minnie’s wavering voice, “Come, give Miss Minnie a kiss and you can get back to your work.”
He walked to her, but when she turned up her lips, he planted the kiss on her cheek.
Zahra grinned. “Coward.”
“Yes, ma’am. There’s nothing arousing about you whatsoever. You look like I imagine mother’s Aunt Vi would look.”
Zahra’s amusement increased. “Okay, but I expect a bit more enthusiasm tonight or you’ll wake up to Minnie in the morning.”
He laughed. “And you would do that, wouldn’t you?”
“Without a bit of shame.”
Archer studied her and again wondered how he was going to let her go. “I’ll see you this evening and Minnie had better be asleep in another room.”
“She will be.” Waggling her fingers good-bye, Zahra left him and closed the door behind her.
Zahra waved good-bye to Sable then entered Wilma’s shop. Her old friend greeted her, saying for the benefit of the other customers, “Hello, Mrs. Turpin, would you like to rest a bit in the back and have some refreshment? We can talk about hiring you after that.”
“Sounds like a good idea. This leg of mine is paining me something fierce.”
Wilma escorted Zahra to a small back room. “There’s tea there. Rest a minute while I see to these customers then I’ll come back and help you out of those clothes.”
“Thanks.”
Zahra took a few sips of the tea, then looked in her cup. The brew had a strange taste. She was about to bring the cup to her nose to smell the contents when a dizziness began creeping over her. She stood up intending to call for Wilma but she crumpled to the floor and everything went black.
When Zahra awakened her head was pounding and she had an awful taste in her mouth. Somewhere outside of the fog clouding her brain she heard Wilma say, “Drink this, lass.”
Zahra pulled away. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want anything to drink.
Wilma’s voice grew firmer, “Drink Zahra, you’ll feel better.”
Her throat was so dry and felt so foreign she swallowed and tasted cool water on her lips, then she drifted back to sleep.
When she awakened again, she was more clearheaded and so opened her eyes. Startled to see that she was in a moving wagon, she stilled at the sight of her companions: Wilma, Brandon Crete, and the driver, Mitchell Isenbaum.
Wilma said, “It’s good to have you back with us, lass.”
Zahra could only stare.
“Aren’t you going to say hello to my friends?”
Zahra didn’t respond.
“And here I was just telling them all about your fine manners.”
“Where are you taking me?” she asked angrily. Still dressed as Minnie Turpin she was hot and uncomfortable. She noted that both Isenbaum and Crete appeared to be very pleased with themselves but she ignored them for now.
“Where’s the book?” Wilma asked Zahra.
“What book?”
They were traveling along a rutted country road Zahra was unfamiliar with.
“The Death Book.”
“We never found it. It was all a ruse to see who would come out of the woodwork after it.”
“You’re lying.”
Zahra remained cool. “Am I? I never showed it to you did I? I spoke of having found one, but you never saw it in my possession.”
Wilma’s eyes narrowed. “What about the wires you had me send to Tubman?”
“Did you send them?”
“Of course not.”
Zahra hid her profound disappointment. “How long have you been working on the wrong side?”
Before the woman Zahra had always considered a friend could answer, Crete answered, “Long enough to be of great value to our cause.”
Wilma inclined her head. “I’m honored to be able to serve.”
Zahra seethed. Zahra had trusted her. Araminta had trusted her. Now it was quite apparent that she’d been in with the supremacists the entire time. Zahra could care less how Wilma’s perfidy had impacted the information needed by the president, but the possible damage done to the spiders set up across the South by Henry Adams would impact lives. Had she passed on false information? Zahra had no way of knowing. She did know that Wilma hadn’t passed along the warnings about the Death Books, thus leaving the men named ignorant of the danger. According to Araminta, back in the days of abolition, traitors such as Wilma had often been found floating face up in the rivers, lakes, and streams of places like Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania after having been visited by agents of retribution. Zahra wished Wilma a similar fate.
Zahra wondered how long it might take Archer and the others to realize she was missing. She was certain once they did they’d mount a campaign to find and rescue her, but it was going to take all of Archer’s deductive skills to do so. She looked for landmarks that might help her get home such as: the big bent Cypress they passed a few miles back, and a stand of magnolias that were just beginning to bloom. Granted she’d not be able to see any of that should she escape at night, but at that point Zahra was trying to file in her memory as much information as she could for future reference.
“Where are we going?”
Crete answered her by saying, “When Faye told us the Butterfly was in New Orleans all I could do was smile because I’ve been after you a long time. When you stole those maps back in ’63, some of the generals put a bounty on your head. Ten thousand dollars. That’s a lot of money.”
Isenbaum grinned. “Sure is, and I can’t wait to get my share.”
Zahra stilled. “So where are you taking me?”
“To collect the bounty and put you on trial.”
“For what?”
“Crimes against the Confederacy. The war’s not over for us.”
The possibility of being made to pay for having been a agent of the government was something Zahra had feared since the end of the war, and now it had come to pass. If she were ever to see Archer and her parents again, she had to find a way to escape.
“Anything yet?” Archer asked Alfred anxiously.
Alfred shook his head. “It’s as if she’s vanished into thin air.”
Archer didn’t want to hear that, but it appeared to be true. No one had seen Zahra since Sable let her off at Wilma’s this afternoon. She hadn’t shown up at his mother’s as promised and Archer and everyone else who cared about her had spent the afternoon combing the city for clues. The fact that the dress shop was closed and that Wilma seemed to have disappeared as well added more mystery to the riddle.
“Where could she be?” Archer asked.
“Do you think that mistress of yours could be involved?”
Archer shook his head. “No. Lynette and her aunt left town right after Zahra scared them silly that afternoon.”
“What about Etienne Barber.”
Once again Archer shook his head. “Barber moved his operations to Biloxi a couple weeks back.”
The Le Veq brothers entered Archer’s office. “Anything?”
“No. Nothing,” Raimond said. “Isenbaum’s place is deserted and since we have no idea where Crete is living it’s impossible to know if he’s involved.”
Alfred said, “I knew I should have gone with her and Miss Sable today, but she wouldn’t let me.”
Archer was certain that Alfred’s anxiety matched his own.
“The fact that both she and Wilma have vanished points to them being together, wouldn’t you think?” Drake asked.
Everyone nodded but they had no answers to the question as to where the women might be.
By evening they seemed no closer to finding Zahra than they’d been that afternoon and Archer knew the longer she stayed missing the higher were the chances that she’d become a v
ictim of foul play. Not knowing where she was was wearing on him. He’d never been so fearful for someone he cared about. He and Alfred had spent the last few hours trying to locate some of Isenbaum’s associates in an effort to track down the White Leaguer to see if he was involved, but it was as if all the rats had scurried into their holes and were nowhere to be found.
Archer’s suite was the command center. He’d just returned from another fruitless search when Raimond walked in. Archer could tell by his brother’s solemn face that he had no news.
“How are you holding up?” Raimond asked.
“As well as can be expected, I suppose.”
“Sable has all of her people on the lookout, too. Maybe we’ll know more in the morning.”
Archer hoped so. The knowledge that he might never see Zahra again was tearing him apart. “What does love mean to you, Rai?”
If Raimond was surprised by the query he didn’t let on. Instead, he shrugged. “Waking up every day with Sable in my arms. Holding her close and thanking the heavens for blessing me with such joy. It’s looking at a little girl who has her grandmere’s face and her mama’s eyes. It’s all that, brother, and more.”
“Then I suppose I’m in love. Except for the child part. Hopefully that will come later.”
“I guessed as much.”
“So what do I do now?”
“Find her and tell her how you feel.”
“She’s planning on leaving when this is over.”
“Then find her and don’t tell her, but at least admit to yourself how you feel.”
The advice felt right to Archer and it offered him a modicum of peace. “When did you become so wise?”
“The moment I knew I couldn’t live without her.”
Archer nodded his understanding. He turned and looked into his brother’s face. “Thanks, Rai.”
“Anytime, mon frere.”
Sable arrived moments later and her green eyes were sparkling with excitement. She had a middle-aged man with her. “This is Mr. Mayfield and he saw the men who took Miss Turpin.”
Hope filled Archer for the first time today. “When?”
“This afternoon,” Sable said. “Tell them, Mr. Mayfield.”
“I have a fruit stand and I sometimes dump the old crop behind the grocer next to the dress shop. I was back there today when I saw two men with Miss Turpin. She looked sick because the men had her between them and they were walking her to a wagon that was waiting there.”