Third, she must summon Dr Holmes and let him know of her fate, the fate of the Club, and the end of his job.
Then she would have to find a hotel suite for Aida and herself until they could make more permanent plans.
Also, she must hire a storage company to hold all the Club's furniture and precious objects. That could be done last, while she and Aida were incarcerated and waiting for bail.
In organizing her moves, Minna realized that she had omitted planning for one meeting that was really necessary before any of the others.
She must have an intimate session with her niece and nephew, whom she had not seen since yesterday. She must find out what happened to Cathleen after Alan appeared in her room. She must learn if Cathleen and Bruce knew the truth about their aunts, and – if by some wild chance they didn't know – she must tell them the truth once and for all.
Leaving her study, Minna went out to find Edmund, who was not far away.
'We're being padlocked, aren't we?' Edmund asked.
'You're right, Edmund. Don't worry about your own future. We'll take care of that. Right now, we have a lot to do. I want you to go out and summon all the girls, wherever they are, to a meeting with Aida and myself by mid- afternoon in the Moorish Room. Before that, I want to talk with Cath-leen and Bruce. I couldn't find them when I looked.'
'They were out late last night,' Edmund said. 'They went out again early this morning. They seemed to have a lot on their minds. They're back now.'
'Send them to the Gold Room,' said Minna. 'They've talked enough to each other. Now it is my turn to talk to them.'
Minna waited in the Gold Room until Cathleen and Bruce were ushered in by Edmund.
'There are some important matters I want to discuss with you,' Minna said after they were seated. 'Where have you been?'
'Walking, talking, seeing more sights of Chicago,' said Bruce. 'Mostly, talking about our futures.'
'Then you know the wedding is off,' said Minna.
Cathleen nodded miserably. 'Karen told Bruce, and he told me. Armbruster called it off once he heard about you and Aunt Aida.'
'Then you know everything,' said Minna.
'Only that this is not merely your home,' replied Bruce. 'It's a house of prostitution. We know that you and Aida are not socialites but brothel madams. I've never had much regard for madams. But knowing you, I've changed my mind.'
Minna shook her head. 'Too bad that you had to learn the way you did, or at all. I never meant for you to know. I'm afraid I gave it away when I realized that Alan had mistakenly been sent to your bedroom, Cathleen. I'm afraid I lost my head. Armbruster recognized me and went crazy. In his position, he couldn't allow his son to marry the niece of two madams. It was a foolish accident and I regret it.'
Cathleen forced a wan smile. 'I, for one, don't regret it. Karen tried to apologize to Bruce and then to me. There was nothing to be apologetic about. I simply had my wedding night without the wedding. It was wonderful.'
'Have you spoken to Alan since?' Minna wanted to know.
'Not in person, of course,' said Cathleen. 'He's practically a prisoner in his own home. But he telephoned me twice. He tried to get his father to change his mind. No luck. Now Alan wants to elope. I know that's impossible. It would ruin Alan's future.'
Minna stood up and paced restlessly about the chamber. 'Everything became unstrung because I lied to your father from the start. Still, I had to. I couldn't tell my brother that his sisters had opened a house of prostitution. Not in his condition. He'd have had another stroke, especially since he always felt responsible for us. So I invented the socialite fiction when we moved to Chicago. Your father believed me. When his daughter was to marry someone in Chicago, it was only natural that he would send both of you to me and to my care. I always tried to disguise the true nature of what was going on here. I almost succeeded.' She opened her hands as if to implore their forgiveness. 'In the end I failed.'
'I'm not blaming you for anything, Aunt Minna,' Cathleen insisted.
'Thank you, Cathleen. Just don't blame Aida and me for one thing – our profession. It is an old one, and as honourable as Armbruster's. We've run a respectable establishment here. We've given fairly for everything we've received.' Minna shrugged. 'But now it's over.'
Bruce came to his feet, puzzled. 'It's over? What's over?'
'The Everleigh Club is being shut down tonight. Aida and I are going to jail, at least temporarily. Armbruster went to the mayor, who went to the chief of police. The chief came over with the closing order last night.'
'They can't do that to you!' Bruce exclaimed.
'They're doing it, Bruce. Legally, there is no way I can prevent it. We'll be out of business. But both of you never mind about Aida and me. We'll manage. We've made enough to get along on. We'll either retire and travel, or go somewhere else and open up again. More important, what's going to happen to the two of you?' She looked at Cathleen and added, 'What about you, Cathleen?'
'Bruce and I will be going back to Kentucky. I'll make up some story for Dad about the wedding being cancelled. He'll believe me.'
'You'll find someone else,' Minna assured her. 'There are plenty of men in Kentucky -'
'There's no one I want except Alan,' Cathleen said. 'If I can't have Alan, I'd rather be a spinster.'
Minna made no further effort to placate her niece. She turned to her nephew. 'What about you, Bruce?'
'I'm a little luckier than Cathleen,' he said. 'From what I won at the Derby, I can go back to Kentucky and set up a breeding farm.'
'No marital prospects?' asked Minna.
'No. I -'
'That's not true,' Cathleen broke in. She fixed her gaze on her brother. 'Why don't you tell Aunt Minna that you're in love with Karen Grant -'
'With a prostitute?' said Minna with a frown.
'She's not a prostitute,' Bruce objected. 'Karen Grant is Mayor Harrison's secretary. She was sent to the Everleigh Club to get evidence of illegal activities. After she met me, she changed her mind about being a spy for the mayor.'
'I see,' said Minna slowly. 'Are you considering marrying Karen?'
Bruce thought about it. 'I'd like to. Yes, very much. Still, I won't be that rich. And I don't know how Karen would take to life on a Kentucky farm.'
'Find out,' said Minna. 'Ask her.'
'Maybe I will.'
Minna considered her niece and nephew. 'When will you leave for Louisville?'
'In a few days,' said Bruce. 'I have to arrange to ship Frontier out of Washington Park to Kentucky.'
'Then you'll need somewhere to stay after we're closed down,' said Minna. 'Let me put my mind to it. I have a few matters to settle first. We'll talk again late this afternoon. Meanwhile, better pack up.'
By three-fifteen that afternoon, all the Everleigh girls had assembled in the Moorish chamber and gathered about Minna and Aida.
Minna counted the twenty-seven of her girls.
When her eyes fixed on Karen Grant, Minna dismissed her. 'You don't belong here,' Minna told Karen. 'I know the truth. I can only say that I appreciate that you held back and are not responsible for what I'm about to announce. Go upstairs and keep Cathleen and Bruce company. I'll get to you later.'
After Karen had exited, Minna directed her attention to the rest of the assembly.
'I'll make this short and bittersweet,' Minna began. 'Speaking on behalf of Aida and myself I must inform you that the Everleigh Club is no more. It is being shut down this evening – permanently, I gather – on the order of Mayor Harrison and Chief of Police O'Neill. This lovely place is being shuttered, and we're all out of work.'
There were outcries of anguish from most of the girls, and several broke into tears.
'I know, I know,' Minna continued. 'It's terrible news. We've had good times, haven't we? You've all been
