Turpentine by Spring Warren

Author:Spring Warren
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Published: 2007-01-15T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

I pounded on the door. I yelled, “Please, Professor, let me explain! Please!” I went around and shouted under the high window of his office until Phaegin stopped me.

“This is doing no good at all. You’ll just convince him he was right if you act panicked.”

I shook my head. “I am panicked. My life is in there. My future. My Yale education, my career, my patron.” I paced. “My notebook is in there.” I threw up my hands. “My jacket is in there and Tilfert’s hat.”

Phaegin took hold of my arm and shook it. “Calm down. He’s not opening the door, is he? If you don’t stop he’ll call someone to make you. Is that going to be an improvement?”

My knees shook. It was worse than the mine, because there wasn’t any tiny bright star to crawl out to. How had this happened?

Phaegin led me away. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat, and—”

“Eat? With what? My last pennies are in my jacket!”

Phaegin glared at me. “I’ll buy you a blasted roll. You’ll sit down, tell me what this is about, and we’ll figure what’s what.”

“I don’t know what it’s about!”

She put her hand on my chest. “There. It’s gonna be fine. Ready?” She waited a minute as I panted, wild-eyed. “You gotta be ready, Ned. No coat, you’ll catch your death out here with all the dramatics, and none of us got the haves for a doctor. Now, let’s go.” She strode off.

I took a steadying breath and followed her.

Phaegin brought two mugs of tea to the table at the Royal Finch, and I filled her in on what had happened in the three days since the professor and I had left for Pittsburgh.

She dunked a fried doughnut in her tea. “It’s the kid. You’ve brought on bad luck with that one.”

I scoffed. “You haven’t even met him.”

“My brother said he saw him pinch a lady’s wallet and pick a pocket in five minutes.”

I frowned, thinking of Curly and the pastries he’d paid for at the station, then snapped at Phaegin. “Why have your brothers been dogging me?”

“Because they’re stupid.” She shrugged. “They thought you and I … don’t worry. I straightened them out. You’re safe.”

“Safe? I’m wrecked. Why did you have to wear the stupid fossil like that?”

Phaegin stiffened. “Why did you have to give me stolen goods as a gift?”

“Why did you have to get me drunk?”

“’Cause I never saw anybody get drunk on half a beer before.”

We glared at each other. Phaegin put her chin in her hand. “It couldna been just the fossil, Ned. He was mad before he saw it.”

I nodded. “It’s something about his wife, and then the money the coal company was giving him was canceled or something in that telegraph. I told him I warned Mrs. Quillan about your brothers and told her we were going to Pittsburgh, and he called me a fool and a traitor.”

“Whoo. Can you make heads or tails of it?”

I shook my head. “He never told me anything except how big it was and how I had to keep quiet about it all.

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