for you. Any problem getting out?'
'Of course not,' said Fanny. 'This isn't slavery. I'm allowed to go out and get some air.'
'Let's get moving.'
Grimacing, Dr Holmes softly shut the door. His heart was beating fast. That stupid girl in there was about to double-cross the Everleighs. Holmes didn't give a damn about the Everleighs, but he did give a damn about the Club and keeping it open for ever as his fleshy playground.
Dr Holmes's first reaction was to race downstairs and inform Minna Everleigh, but he thought twice about that. Minna would not know the proper way to handle the mayor's secret spy. He could not see her killing the man or hiring someone else to kill him. She wasn't the type. She'd try to reason with him or bribe him. Holmes was afraid the man would get away, contact the mayor, and close the whole Club down. Holmes knew that for his own sake he could not risk letting the man go free or let that double-crossing Fanny out on the loose.
Dr Holmes knew what to do. He alone could do it.
He rapped sharply on the door, then pushed it open slightly.
'Fanny?' he called out. 'This is Dr Holmes, your new physician. I'm here to give you a routine examination. I'd like to come in.'
'Can't it wait?' Fanny called back. 'I still have a customer here.'
'I don't mind the customer,' said Holmes. 'I'll just give you a brief examination and leave.'
He pushed the door fully open.
They were both staring at him. The thin man had one leg in his trousers, and Fanny, entirely nude, was heading for the bathroom.
'Can't you see we're busy?' she shot out irritably.
Calmly, Holmes advanced towards her. 'It seems to me you've finished your business. Unfortunately, I haven't finished mine. I promised Minna I'd examine fifteen girls today, and I've done fourteen. You're the last, Fanny. Please be cooperative. It'll only take a few minutes.'
'What am I supposed to do?' she said, still irritable.
'What you've done with the previous doctor. It'll be a similar examination.' Dr Holmes turned to the man. 'Once you're dressed, sir, I'd suggest you wait, just in case there is something wrong which you may have contracted… All right, Fanny, let's have a look.'
Pouting, Fanny returned to the bed and lay back, legs apart.
Dr Holmes kneeled down between her legs. What he saw was truly mind-rending.
A pity to do what he had to do, he told himself, but it was a dire necessity.
Using his speculum, he tried to look inside. Then he inserted two fingers into her vagina.
'Hey,' Fanny protested, 'what are you doing? The other doctor never did that.'
'I have to because I'm afraid I see something. I've got to be sure.'
After a few moments, he removed his fingers.
'Just as I suspected,' he said. 'Give me a moment in which to wash my hands. You can sit up now.'
When Dr Holmes returned to the bedroom, Fanny was sitting up, eyes fixed on him.
'What's going on?' she said. 'You found something wrong?'
'Yes, definitely,' Dr Holmes said. 'There's an infection, sores, a febrile disturbance that would indicate secondary syphilis.'
'That can't be,' Fanny protested again. 'I'm clean, always have been, and so is everyone who works here.'
'How can you be certain?' said Dr Holmes, putting aside his speculum. He looked up at the young man seated on the chair, nervously watching. 'As for you, sir, you may have contracted Fanny's syphilis. We'll find out soon enough, and I'll do what I can to help you both.'
'You're not going to tell Minna, are you?' Fanny wailed.
'No, I won't. But I will have to ask you and your friend -I didn't get his name -'
'Jack Simon,' Varney croaked.
'I'll have to ask you and Fanny to come to my office where I can treat her – and examine you.'
'Can't it wait?' asked Varney. 'We had another appointment.'
Dr Holmes wrote out his address and handed it to Fanny. 'Meet me there in a half hour. No, Mr Simon, it can't wait. Allowing the infection to remain untreated will only endanger both of you. Once I've treated her – and possibly you – with mercury, you will be free to keep your appointment.' Dr Holmes went to the door. 'A half hour from now, at my office.'
When they were alone, Varney turned to Fanny. 'Why don't you dress? I have to pay my bill and make a phone call. I'll wait on the corner, and then we can see the doctor together.'
When Varney came down the mahogany staircase to the street floor of the Everleigh Club, he found a diminutive, thin, pretty young woman waiting for him.
'Mr Simon, I presume,' she said.
'Yes.'
'I'm Minna Everleigh,' she introduced herself. 'You met my sister. Did you enjoy yourself?'
'Immensely,' Varney said. 'The supper was superb. The girl, Fanny, my companion, was even more superb.'
'I'm glad,' said Minna. 'Then you won't mind paying the bill for the restaurant and the entertainment upstairs.' She fished into a pocket, brought out a bill, and handed it to Varney.
He noted the total, took out his wallet, extracted $150 and handed it to Minna. 'I suppose a tip is in order,' he said, and pulled out another five dollars.
'Very good, Mr Simon. I hope you will remember us the next time you're in Chicago.'
He grinned. 'My first stop will be the Everleigh Club.'
He watched Minna leave for a room that was presumably her office, and then he turned into the foyer. He spotted the telephone, and glanced about him. No one was in sight. He considered risking a call from here when suddenly the valet appeared to show him to the door.
Continuing on to the exit, Varney hesitated as Edmund opened the door.
'I'm looking for a public telephone,' said Varney. 'I have a number of business calls to make. Is there a public telephone in the neighbourhood?'
'Just a half block away,' said Edmund. 'As you leave, turn right. From the corner you'll see a small hotel across the street. There's a public telephone in the lobby.'
Once outside, Varney turned right and walked to the corner. He saw the Zion Hotel, crossed over to it and entered.
At first he could see no public telephone, and then at the far end of the narrow lobby he saw a telephone switchboard with a young lady behind it.
Varney went to her. 'Is this a public telephone?'
'Yes, it is.' She held up a telephone. 'Give me the number you want and I'll get it. That'll be ten cents.'
As he fumbled for the dime, Varney was startled by the costliness of the call. His entire lunch at noon had amounted to three cents – two cents for the hot dog sandwich and one cent for the coffee. Nevertheless, he turned over the dime and gave the young woman the phone number to the mayor's office. Waiting, he felt an undercurrent of real excitement at what he had accomplished. He knew that the mayor, or whomever was in his office awaiting this call, would be just as excited.
'Here's your party,' said the operator, handing up the telephone and receiver.
He heard a feminine voice on the line. 'Hello, hello.' He realized that it was Karen Grant who was on the line.
Aware that the public operator could overhear him, he decided to make his own tone as inaudible as possible and made his words cryptic.
'It's Gus,' he said.
Karen replied, 'The mayor asked me to stand by for your call, and to phone him at once if there is good news. He'd come over to meet with you.'
'Good news,' said Varney softly. 'Very good news.'
'Oh, that's wonderful. I'll see that the mayor is here to meet you.'
'Tell him not to rush. It would take me half an hour to get to the office, but I have to make one other stop first.
