Emile put on his best Italian accent and said, “On behalf of the Italian government I will take all of their money.”
And Lacie added in an English accent, “And of course, I’ll be there dazzling them with my beauty and ladylike titters.”
“Not to mention titties,” Hazel pointed out, which drew laughs.
Lacie stood and performed an elaborate curtsy. “I’m a woman of many weapons. All dangerous in their own way.”
Beth was on her way back to Atlanta to reprise her role as the great African queen Mela, whose ability to reach the dead through her seances had been filling the family coffers with funds from wealthy Whites in that city and other places around the country for the past two years.
Alma reported that she’d be leaving town the next day for Chicago. “Our faith healer cousin Cicero has been running a nationwide traveling revival, and Chicago is his next stop. I’m going to be one of the people in the crowd invited on stage to be healed and help out with anything else he may need. Etta may be joining us inabout ten days when we play New York City. She says she misses shopping at Tiffany’s.”
Raven smiled and felt sorry for the fabled jeweler.
Once the reports were done, Raven took over. “As we discussed yesterday, Steele and I will be heading for Charleston more than likely tomorrow. My main concern,” Raven admitted, “is that Welch will betray me.”
She told them about Hazel’s note from Julianna LeVeq-Vincent. When she finished, there was concern on everyone’s faces—especially the Steeles. Raven realized she hadn’t shared the information with them and should have. Braxton Steele’s tight-set jaw reinforced that, and she made a mental vow to speak with him once the meeting ended. “I don’t know when she’ll strike, but I’m quite certain she will. My problem is not knowing when.”
Emile asked, “I know Renay will be going with you, but are you sure you won’t need more of us there to keep an eye on things?”
Renay said, “We should be fine. Family’s there, too, remember.”
Raven said, “I agree with Renay. My hope is that finding the document and giving it to her will be enough to send her back to wherever she came from and never see her again. Mama and I initially tossed around the idea of forging a duplicate and keeping the original, because frankly that is how we Moreaux conductbusiness, but we won’t have the time. The copy Welch showed us yesterday is very detailed and intricate, not something that can be forged in a few hours, or even a few days. So Steele and I will concentrate on finding it, turning it over to her, and returning home as soon as possible.”
She looked around the room. “Any questions or concerns?”
No one had any.
Hazel stood. “As you should know by now, we’ve come to the end of Fanny’s Plan, so this will be my last gambit. And hopefully everyone else’s as well. Admittedly it’s been fun, but now we get to carve out boring, nonadventurous lives like the rest of humanity, and I can’t wait.”
Laughter and applause followed that.
“The money Fanny set aside for those of you here will be in your accounts in the next few days. Until then, happy hunting and bring yourselves home in one piece. Okay. Go home.”
Once the others departed, Raven, Braxton, and their parents remained. “I’m glad you shared your concerns about Welch turning Judas,” Hazel said.
“I wanted everyone prepared in case they did need to rally on our behalf, and my apologies to Harrison and Braxton for not sharing the note earlier,” Raven said.
“I did tell Harrison,” Hazel added.
Raven turned to his son. “Then my apology is for you. It totally slipped my mind.”
And it had, thanks to being seduced over a fish sandwich.
“Understood. It’s been a busy day.”
Busier than she could have ever imagined.
Hazel added, “I spoke with Julianna this morning to find out if she had anything else about Welch she could share. All she had to add was that Welch claimed to be an Irishwoman from Boston, but in the aftermath of her last visit, neither Julianna nor Miss Tubman was able to corroborate the claim.”
“So, she could be anyone from anywhere,” Brax said. “Does she actually work for the Pinkertons?”
“Yes. That at least is true. Miss Tubman used her contacts to verify it. The Pinkertons know her as Welch. She’s also known to be ambitious from what Julianna was told.”
Raven found nothing wrong with an ambitious woman. However, threatening the freedom of others to advance your goals wasn’t something to applaud.
“And so you’ll know, Harrison and I have decided to marry,” Hazel said.
The surprising news rendered Raven both shocked and speechless.