Chapter Thirteen
Tony had done his best to stay away from Jessie in the days following her visit to his mother’s. Not that it was easy, watching her sing in his club. And his mother was no help either. She’d taken a shine to Jessie. Her response to his explanation of who Jessie was and why he was involved with her was a roll of the eyes. “Oh posh,” she’d said. “That girl is as much of a criminal as I am. Besides, she’s too far gone on you for her to be involved with anyone else.”
Tony wasn’t sure what to believe. He’d always trusted his mother’s instincts. She’d hated Lucille. Had never trusted her and had known her feelings for Tony hadn’t been genuine. And she’d been right. Maybe she was right about Jessie, as well.
Well, whether she was or wasn’t, he was getting nowhere with his investigation. It was time to get down to business.
When he pulled up to the butcher shop, the sign on the door said closed. He tried the knob anyway. It wasn’t locked so he went ahead and entered.
“Jessie?”
No answer. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, though the lights were all on. It was early yet, but still, by that time of the morning the shop should have been open for business.
“Jessie?” he called again, beginning to be a bit concerned.
“Tony? Is that you?”
Her voice was muffled. He walked through the doors leading into the back room and saw the big cellar doors open.
“Jessie?”
“Down here.”
Tony peered down the steps and removed his jacket, laying it over a chair near the doors before he went down. He found her in the giant refrigerator, hacking away at a hunk of meat.
“Hey,” Jessie said, smiling up at him.
“What is all this?” Tony gestured to the piles of meat spread all around her.
“It’s the first of the month.”
“So you decided to come down here and carve up a whole herd of cattle?”
Jessie laughed and Tony realized that he’d never heard her laugh before. A few chuckles here and there, but not this full-bellied, carefree laughter. The sound of it warmed its way through him like a sunbeam breaking through the clouds. He liked the sound of it, liked the way her face lit up, how her eyes shone like two bright little sapphires. He smiled back at her.
“No,” she said, still laughing. “No, the first of every month I bring meat down to the orphanage. It takes a while to carve up, though. I usually do it the night before, but I was singing at your club last night so I didn’t have time to get it all done.”
“So you closed your shop on a Saturday?”
Jessie shrugged and wiped an arm across her brow before slinging another slab of meat onto her butcher block. “No helping it. Charlie is out making deliveries all day. We’ll lose some profits, but it’s just one day. And the children need the meat. They don’t always get much in the way of fresh meat and produce.”
Tony stared at her, once again surprised. Whatever her reasons for being mixed up with the likes of the Phoenix, he didn’t think it had anything to do with money. Saturdays were probably her busiest days. She stood to lose a lot by closing it down, yet it didn’t seem to bother her. Either she had enough in the bank that losing a whole day of profits just didn’t matter…or she really didn’t care.
“Could you bring me that tray over there?” she asked.
He grabbed the one she’d indicated and set it beside her on the block. She started stacking the cuts on the tray.
“You do this every month?”
“Yes. I try to get out there twice a month, if I can. Even with refrigeration, the meat will spoil if I bring too much at once.”
“How long have you been doing this?”
Jessie shrugged. “For as long as I can remember. My father started the tradition.”
“And you’ve kept it going now that he’s gone.”
Jessie shifted, still talking but her easygoing manner had disappeared.
“The children need it. And it’s the least I can do. It’s how we met.”
A faint smile touched her lips and Tony’s heart stopped, pieces starting to fall into place. “You lived at the orphanage?”
Jessie paused and took a deep breath. “Yes.” She looked up at him, meeting his gaze, that small smile trembling on her lips. “My mother left me there when I was six years old.”
“Jessie…” he said, his heart twisting at the thought of what she’d been through.
She shrugged and went back to carving. “My dad found me, adopted me. And I couldn’t have asked for a better father.” Her voice cracked on the last word and she cleared her throat. “Anyway, Joe usually helps me but he’s not feeling very well today.”
“So you’re down here all alone.”
“There isn’t anyone else.” She slapped another steak on the pile.
Tony wanted to ask where the Phoenix was, why the man she was risking everything for couldn’t lend her a hand. But he supposed a man like the Phoenix wouldn’t bother spending his time on manual labor. If there even was a Phoenix.
The thought had been niggling at him. Jessie never mentioned him, never acted as though she had a lover who might have a care for her thoughts or actions. No one had ever seen him. Or at least the Feds hadn’t found anyone willing to admit ever seeing him. The man was a ghost. Which didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t real. Plenty of criminals were good at covering their tracks and staying out of the limelight.
But if there wasn’t a Phoenix, then who was running the operation? Who was really behind The Red Phoenix? It couldn’t be Willie…he was too interested in the Phoenix himself for him to already be involved with it. So who was it?
Tony took a closer look at Jessie, for the first time wondering if she was behind it all. It was unthinkable, unbelievable. Not impossible. But still…
“Besides, I don’t mind. It gives me a chance to relax,” Jessie said, breaking into his thoughts.
Tony laughed. “This is your idea of relaxing?”
Jessie smiled up at him and the ache in his heart eased a little. “It’s repetitive, doesn’t require a lot of thought. It’s quiet down here. And I enjoy the work.”
She brought the knife down with a thwack.
“I can see that.” Tony watched her carefully. She was handy with that knife. Yes, she was referencing it in terms of her job. But she could probably be very lethal, if she chose to be.
“Well,” he said, pushing those thoughts aside. He had no proof Jessie was a bootlegger, or a rumrunner, and if she was, she wasn’t doing it on her own, and she certainly wasn’t some knife-wielding crazy. He grabbed an apron off a hook by the door and draped it over his neck. “What can I do to help?”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to. So, what can I do?”
Jessie stared at him for a second and then smiled. “These all need to be wrapped. There’s a roll of paper behind you there.”
He nodded and got to work.
They worked together for a few hours, sometimes chitchatting, sometimes working in silence. She’d been right. It was relaxing. The cellar shut out all sounds of the outside world. It felt like there was no one for miles but just the two of them. All his cares slipped from his mind.
He watched her. She was such a mystery. A poor little orphan girl who’d been rescued by a lonely butcher and who’d grown up to be…what? A gangster’s girlfriend? A rumrunner or bootlegger in her own right? Or a simple butcher who donated her time, money, and talents to the orphanage that had taken her in? Could she be all three?
When they’d finally finished, Jessie leaned against the butcher block with a tired sigh. She glanced at the stacks of wrapped meat and turned a weary smile to Tony.
“Thank you for your help.”
He pulled the apron off over his head, leaning in close to her as he laid it across the butcher block. “It was my pleasure.”
She looked up at him through her dark lashes. “I’m sure you had a hundred other things to do today.”
He shook his head, pleased that she didn’t back away. “There is nowhere else I want to be.”
She licked her bottom lip and it was all Tony could do to keep from pulling her to him and following suit.
“Well, then. Charlie should be back any minute with the truck. Would you like to come with me to make the delivery?”
“I’m yours for as long as you need me,” he said, surprised that he meant every word.
She blinked up at him, her lips slightly parted, and he couldn’t resist anymore. He reached out, cupping her face, drawing his thumb along her lower lip, following the path her tongue had just taken. She tilted her face up, her breath coming in short little bursts that had his heart hammering out of his chest. He stepped closer, leaned down…
“Miss Jessie?” a young man’s voice called from upstairs.
Jessie jumped back out of Tony’s reach, her eyes as wide as tumbler glasses. “Down here, Charlie!”
Tony grudgingly backed away, inwardly cursing the kid. Charlie thundered down the stairs, coming to an abrupt halt when he saw Tony leaning against the wall.
“Did you need something, Charlie?”
The youth tore his eyes away from Tony and nodded at Jessie. “Yes, ma’am. The truck is all ready for you.”
“Oh wonderful, Charlie. You’re an absolute angel.”
Charlie blushed a deep crimson and Tony’s eyes narrowed. Charlie caught sight of his expression and backed up a step.
“I’ll, um…I’ll just start loading these up,” he said, grabbing a box of the meat Tony had wrapped.
“Thanks, Charlie. We’re right behind you.”
Tony didn’t take his eyes off the boy until he’d disappeared back up the stairs. Jessie walked over and slapped his arm.
“Ow,” he said, chuckling. “What was that for?”
“You! Glaring at poor Charlie! What’s wrong with you?”
Tony wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her closer to him, inhaling her sweet jasmine sent. “I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”
Jessie sputtered a bit, halfheartedly struggling against him, and he closed his eyes with a groan, pressing her closer. If she didn’t hold still, he’d lock them in and Charlie could be damned. She tried to frown at him but she couldn’t keep a smile from peeking through. “He’s just a kid. He’s harmless.”
“He’s not much younger than you, I’d bet, and I remember myself at that age. Trust me, he’s not harmless.”
Jessie laughed and the sound hit Tony right in the heart. Damn, but the woman was doing a number on him. Who was romancing who here?
“Come on, he’s going to be wondering what’s taking us so long.”
She reached up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. She tried to spin away but Tony kept his arm around her and pulled her back into his chest.
“Let him wonder,” he said, his other hand trailing up to cup her face.
She leaned into him and Tony brushed his lips across hers, lightly tasting. She rose on her toes again, deepening the kiss before he had a chance to. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground, leaning back slightly so the full weight of her body rested against his.
A banging from upstairs announced Charlie’s imminent return and they reluctantly came up for air. Jessie pushed away from him, her hand going quickly to her hair. Then she smiled up at him, grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him down for another quick kiss, letting him go just as Charlie stomped down the stairs.
Tony laughed, wishing he could kick the door closed and finish what she’d seemed very willing to start. Two problems with that idea, though. One, they were in a refrigerator surrounded by meat and there were warmer, and more romantic, locations he’d prefer to be. And two, the ever-helpful Charlie would spoil the mood for sure.
Jessie hefted a box and thrust it into Tony’s hands. He held on, pulling her forward for one last kiss, but she grinned and pushed him away. “Sorry, baby, but this bank’s closed. Now go load the truck.”
She spun away with a wink and Tony chuckled. Hot damn, but he’d love to get her good and alone for longer than five minutes.
He helped Charlie load up the rest of the truck and then sent the kid ahead of them. He could drive Jessie in his car. Charlie sullenly drove off and Tony went back inside to find Jessie.
She wasn’t in the refrigerator, nor anywhere else in the cellar.
“Jessie?”
“I’ll be up in a moment.”
He looked around, trying to see where her voice had come from. In a far corner, a trapdoor had been lifted and a flickering light shone from below. Tony peered down inside, then slowly descended the stone steps until he came to a short hallway. The light was coming from a doorway on the right. The sound of glass bottles clanking together came from inside and he followed the noise.
He stopped short. Several rows of shelves held what must have been a hundred bottles of homemade gin.
“Jessie?”
She turned, barely glancing at him before placing another bottle in the satchel she held. She slung it over her shoulder and waited, watching him.
He realized she was waiting for some reaction, waiting to see what he’d do, what he’d say. He looked around, honestly not sure what to make of it. Tony’s chest tightened, excitement spiking through him, and he tried to school his face, to let nothing that he was feeling show. Had she just led him right to the Phoenix’s cache of booze? And if she had, why? What did it mean? What did she want him to do?
Tony thought furiously. He needed to be smart about this. One false move and every moment he’d spent building their relationship would come crashing down around him, ruining his chances of catching the big fish. Even as the thought ran through his mind, Tony knew that wasn’t the real reason he wanted to handle this right.
He messed this up and he’d lose her. And he didn’t want that, plain and simple.
He stepped farther into the room, ran a finger along a row of bottles.
“This is quite a stash,” he said. Jessie nodded stiffly, but didn’t say anything.
It was an impressive collection. But not enough to run an operation like The Red Phoenix. Not for long, anyway. So either this was Jessie’s private stores or it was only the tip of the iceberg.
Finally, he sighed. He was tired of the games. “Why did you want me to see this?”
She blinked, apparently surprised at his bluntness. But a small smile peeked through and she shook her head.
“I’m not sure.”
He looked around again. “Did you make all this?”
“No. My father did.”
“And who are those for?” he said, gesturing to the bag she held.
“The orphanage director. It’s my private donation.”
“Well then, let’s go deliver it, shall we?”
Her smile widened and she nodded. He held the door open for her, taking one last look before following her out to the hallway.
“What is this?” he asked, waving his arm toward the tunnel.
“Just an extension of the cellars.”
“What’s behind those doors?”
She led him back to the stairs. “Nothing. They are closed off. That storeroom is the only one we use.”
She seemed to be regretting letting him in on her little secret. As well she should. Though what he’d do with the information, he had no idea. If The Red Phoenix was using Jessie’s father’s old stores, then they weren’t buying from Willie. And despite the storeroom of hooch, he hadn’t seen any sign of a still.
So. What did he really have? Jameson would be thrilled with a storeroom of booze, but technically it wasn’t illegal to own. Her father had made it before Prohibition had gone into effect and as long as Jessie wasn’t selling it, which he had no real evidence of her doing, then the presence of the room itself was worthless to them.
But she’d shown a great deal of trust in letting him see it. There had been no need for her to show him. But she had. Why?
To see his reaction perhaps? Test him? See if he’d go running off to Jameson?
He took a deep breath. It was an important discovery, but until he knew what to do with it, he would just act like it was none of his beeswax. He didn’t want Jameson harassing her more than he already was. Tony hadn’t seen one thing to indicate that Jessie even knew a man named the Phoenix, let alone was his partner or lover. All he’d seen was a hardworking, charitable woman who could sing like an angel and kiss like the devil.
He’d keep what he’d discovered to himself until she gave him a reason for sharing it.
“Oh, I didn’t put out the lamp,” she said, turning to go back down.
“I’ll get it,” Tony said. “It’ll just take a second.”
Jessie hesitated, but Tony had already turned and was heading back down to the storeroom. He listened, but didn’t hear her following him. He pulled the Vest Pocket Kodak camera Jameson had given him out of his suit pocket, flipping it open and cursing when the bellows stuck a bit. He fiddled with it, finally getting them to extend fully and quickly snapped some pictures of the storeroom, hating himself a little more with every click.
The pictures wouldn’t harm her. They were no proof that she was selling anything. Hell, the Feds probably wouldn’t be able to see anything in the tiny pictures anyway. But they were something and might get Jameson off his back, buy him a little more time. He had to give the man something or they’d yank him off the job and then he wouldn’t be able to help Jessie, or find out what was really going on.
“Tony?” Jessie called down.
Tony put out the lamp, shoving the camera back in his pocket. Maybe he wouldn’t need to give Jameson the pictures at all. He could find another way to stay on the job and get to the bottom of things. No one ever need see them.
“Sorry,” he said when he got back to the top. “It was dark down there without the light.”
The smile Jessie bestowed on him both warmed his heart and made him cringe. He never should have taken those pictures. It was a horrible impulse that he should never have acted on.
She grabbed his tie and pulled him down for a long, lingering kiss.
“Thank you, Tony.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “We’d best get moving.”
He took the satchel from her and led her from the store to his waiting car, guilt lapping at his heels.