The Professor and the Bootlegger by Margaret Lake

Author:Margaret Lake
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Bootlegger, bootlegging, prohibition, speakeasy, roaring twenties, roaring 20's, romance, romantic suspense, mystery, romantic mystery, gangsters, professor
Publisher: Jobree Publishing
Published: 2012-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

PART IV – THE PROFESSOR

FIGHTS BACK

Howard slowly mounted the narrow stairs, following behind Scarlet LaRouge, the nightclub singer. Scarlet was leading him to the room where his younger brother Reggie was recovering from surgery to remove a bullet.

How the Jenkins boys had come to this pass baffled Howard. Oh, he knew everything that had happened in the last few months, all the steps that had led them here. And if he'd been the one to willingly follow those steps, he could say, here's where I went wrong.

As it was, the only step he'd taken on his own was giving his brother the money to pay off his gambling debts. Everything after that had been completely out of his control.

Scarlet paused at the door of the bedroom where, presumably, Howard would find his brother. Her knees sagged and she leaned against the wall, apparently unable to go further.

“Miss LaRouge,” Howard said gently, “why don't you go downstairs and let Bruno take care of you?”

The singer turned hazel eyes toward Howard, their sparkling depths turned a muddy brown with shock.

“Can you make it on your own?”

Scarlet seemed to see Howard for the first time. Something in his voice, maybe the genuine concern, finally penetrated the fog she'd been existing in since she heard about the shooting.

“I'm all right now,” Scarlet breathed. “Thank you, Professor.”

She turned to go downstairs, calling over her shoulder as Howard watched her go.

“I'll send coffee.”

Howard turned back to the door once he was sure Scarlet was going to be okay. Blowing out the breath he'd been holding, Howard took a firm hold of the glass door knob and let himself into the room.

He stopped just inside the door, shocked at how pale Reggie looked, lying against the white pillow. If the doctor hadn't been taking his pulse, Howard would have thought Reggie was dead.

He waited until the doctor put Reggie's hand back on the light blanket before speaking.

“Who are you?” the doctor croaked.

Howard wasn't sure if the man's harsh voice came from whiskey, cigarettes, or exhaustion, and he sincerely hoped that he'd been alert and sober when operating on Reggie. His appearance certainly did nothing to inspire confidence.

Wispy, yellow-white hair stood out around the man's head, giving him a wild, crazed look. Pouches sagged under his black eyes, and jowls sagged under his jaw. Even his trousers sagged over his thin hips.

“That's my brother lying there,” Howard replied, nodding at the bed. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

Howard held out his hand for the doctor to shake, but was ignored.

“Let's go,” the doctor ordered curtly. “I need a drink.”

Howard followed him down the stairs, reluctant to leave Reggie. The doctor hadn't even told him how Reggie was, and Howard couldn't suppress a gnawing feeling in his gut that his brother wasn't out of the woods yet.

“Scotch, a double,” the doctor ordered as soon as they walked into the living room. “You?” he asked Howard, arching an eyebrow.

“Nothing, thank you,” Howard replied, shaking his head. He didn't need a drink.

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