“One more question,” said Hester. “Why does Dan Peale pretend to be from London?”
Jessica handled that one on the fly. “It's an affectation. A charming one. We just play that he is.”
“Ah. But it's made clear that it's an affectation, then?”
“Yes, of course.”
“But there are a lot of people at the Mansion convinced he's from England,” persisted Hester.
“And,” said Jessica, “if they choose to believe it… What's the harm? Some people are more naive than others.” She replaced some of their luncheon items in the cupboard under the counter.
“I'm just making sure in my own mind,” said Hester, “that it isn't a case of the two of you acting together to conceal his real identity.”
Again, Jessica seemed to be unconcerned. “Well, of course we are. I certainly wouldn't want one of them trying to contact him.”
She was really good.
She straightened up. “All this is being treated with the strictest confidence, isn't it?”
“Absolutely,” I said.
“Won't tell a soul who doesn't need to know,” said Harry.
“I thought as much,” she replied. “But I'm sure you understand that this little ruse we played to avoid, oh, complications, was just that and nothing more. That's all.”
“Sure,” I said. Right. I was thinking how tough this woman would be in front of a jury. I thought I'd give her something to think about. “Before we go, could you tell us how to get to the historical society building?”
“Yes.” She told us.
“Thanks,” I said. Being so damned self-possessed, she hadn't asked. Because of that, I had to tell her why we were looking for it. “I understand they have blueprints of the old Givens place, from way back. We'd just like to see 'em.” That certainly took the bite out of it.
“They're fascinating,” she said. “I hope you enjoy them.”
“And we'll be needing to see you once more,” said Hester. “This evening?”
“For?”
“I really hate being melodramatic,” said Hester, “but I can't tell you that until then.”
Hester had salvaged my objective.
“Perhaps after supper?” Jessica shrugged. “We have some guests coming late this afternoon. I'd rather not disturb them. It will be brief?”
“I hope so. Where can we call you?”
Jessica gave Hester the number of Bridgett Hunley's private line. “After seven,” she said. “I'll answer.”
After we got back downstairs, and out onto the sidewalk, I nudged Hester. “Why the hell did you have to tell her this evening?”
“I don't know.” She quickened her pace. “But I'm not going to let the woman off the hook that easy. She's lying, and we all know it. She knows where that SOB is, Houseman, and she's gonna tell me if I have to strangle her.”
“Attagirl,” said Harry.
“That'd be a sight,” I said. “But I think we might have a good lever in her Aunt Bridgett. It strikes me that Jessica would do just about anything to keep this sort of involvement from her.”
We still had a card up our sleeves. We hadn't mentioned anything about vampires.
We walked to the historical society building, and I noted us in at 12:39. In five minutes, we were looking at the blueprint and history of the Mansion.
In 1903, a vertical shaft had been completed between the silica mine and the top of the hill where the Givens Mansion was located. He owned that mine, and much to my surprise, the tunnel system in 1900 already extended more than a mile and a half along the Mississippi. All they apparently had to do was drop the shaft through about thirty feet of limestone before they got to the silica sand. Piece of cake. We were looking at both plan and elevation diagrams, and it appeared that shaft was vertical, with a simple elevator box, and the machinery at the bottom.
According to the illustration, the previous tramcar and track that had run down the hill, and that Old Knockle had described to me, had been abandoned. The shaft replaced it. Complete with a small building that looked suspiciously like a shed, which was labeled “upper terminus” on the blueprint. The “lower terminus” was in the mine itself.
The “upper terminus” was precisely located on the blueprint. It was 112 feet south southeast of the rear door of the Mansion. In the drawing, it was a simple shed kind of structure, with a steeply angled, one-sided roof.
“I'll be damned,” I said. “The upper portion has to be one of the old foundations, right there with the ones that the German Kommune group built before the Civil War.”
“That would be those,” said Hester, pointing to a series of dotted lines arranged in rectangles that salted the area.
“Yeah. Right about in this area here,” I said, pointing with my pen to an area northeast of the Mansion, “is about where we found Toby that night.”
“If that shaft's still functional… ”
“Yeah. That's where Peale went after he got past Borman. Damn.” I indicated where Toby had been found. “When Sally and I were headed over here, looking for Toby, something ran past us. Coming from the direction of the 'upper terminus,' back toward the house from us. I'll bet it was Toby that ran by us. I'll bet it was.”
“Why?” “Beats me, but I bet that little shit was over by the elevator shaft, or goin' in that direction.”
I looked at the plans on the table. “I wonder how much farther the mine got, before they closed it down. I know it was still functional in the sixties.”
“Regardless,” said Hester, “Peale could easily have made it to that elevator, if he knew where it was. Right down to the highway, a good half hour before he could have made it any other way. Hitchhiked, or the train tracks, or the landing about what, a half mile south?” She pushed her chair back. “Everything but an airport.”
“Or the mine,” said Harry. “You don't suppose he could still be in the mine, do you?”
We exchanged glances.
“I think our budget can stand a photocopy of this plan,” I said. “Let me get one from the lady over there… ”
“I'd better,” she said. “You'll have to stand the initial cost. My department pays me back faster than yours.”
“Well, okay. Twist my arm. While you do that, though, let me use your cell phone,” I said. “I want to call the office and see if we can get somebody up to the Mansion and check on things. And then get hold of somebody who can get us into the mine.”
“I gotta make a call, too,” said Harry.
The first part was a snap, as Borman was to be sent up right away, to check the status of the Mansion's residents. The second part was a bit more complicated. The mine was officially closed, as I was already aware, and ownership was with a corporation in New Mexico. That I hadn't known. We knew who the Nation County man was who oversaw the place, but he wouldn't give permission for us to enter the mine on his own. It was going to take a call from our county attorney to their corporate headquarters to obtain permission. I told Dispatch to get Lamar to arrange that.
When I was finished with my call, Harry said he had some information for us as well.
“You know that hot-lookin' Tatiana Ostransky gal? Jessica Hunley's dance partner?”
“No,” I said, “I hadn't noticed.”
“Uh huh. Anyhow, I just checked with Hawkins about her. Turns out that her real name is Hutha Mann, she's from Milwaukee, and that she was in this area in 1993.” He looked at us expectantly.
“And?” I asked.
“Peale was busted here back in ninety-three,” he said. “Didn't you get our fuckin' reply to your inquiry?”
“Oh, yeah! Yeah, okay. Consensual blood ingestion, wasn't that it? And some involvement with a juvie, too.”
“You got it. Want to guess who the fuckin' juvie was?”
“Hutha Mann,” said Hester. “Hutha Mann, a/k/a Tatiana Ostransky, right?”
“You got it.” He laughed.
