What Did You Do?

There is something about night time that seems just a bit out of step with the world in the day. Charleston didn’t seem to be a bad place, overall, but it definitely wasn’t New York. Jazz music floated in the night around their carriage, a different flavor than New York, possibly even better, but it brought with it resentment and sadness. With his knee the way it was, it’s not like he could dance even if he was in New York. He leaned against the wall, pulled his hat over his eyes, and imaged dancing, just for Jack, his feet moving like lightning.

“Don’t you leave me alone, McNeil,” Alice demanded. She pushed the ball of her foot against his shoe. “Just where are we going?”

“Hotel.” He lifted his hat and gave her a good glare. “We will be stopping on the way for clothing for you, prearranged.”

“Nonsense. I don’t have any money for clothes and I don’t need any. I’m really not sure what you think you’re doing with all this, anyway, Mr. McNeil. On the fourth day from today, I’ll hang. While I don’t doubt your ability to do a bit lawyering and I know a little of what you were up to,” she paused ever so slightly to set off the war zone, “overthere, but exactly what are you going to tell them to get my head out of the noose? Lies can be very difficult to prove when they’re, well, lies.”

“I’m not down here to get disbarred on my first real case, Nurse. I’m going to tell them the truth.”

She humphed, arms across her chest, until she suddenly pulled his jacket tighter and slipped her arms through the sleeves. “That’s going to be a difficulty, as you don’t know what the truth is, now isn’t it?”

“I expect you’ll tell me when you’re ready.” Gael gave in and sat back up, and groaned as he pushed his hat back on. His eye burned. His knee still hurt and now there was a ghost of a dead police officer sitting next to him.

“I won’t. I’m ready to go to the noose.” She lifted her chin defiantly.

“Yeah? Well, maybe your lover will tell me.”

“Do you speak to the dead now, Mr. McNeil?”

“Remember that eye I lost over there?” He asked, flipping up his eyepatch to reveal the shocking empty socket. “The banshee took it from and gave me the ‘sight’. So yes, I can sometimes speak to the dead and I’ll tell the court the truth, prove it, and see that you are taken well care of. You deserve to be happy, Nurse Tyndale.”

“That’s so much nonsense! Do you think you can shock me into silence or complicity with the sight of your poor eye? I’m the one that put the other one back in your skull, but you were a little unconscious, so maybe you don’t remember.” She held up a finger for emphasis, “As for this nonsense about the banshee, you screamed about that for nearly four days. I thought it was the morphine, but perhaps your head injuries are just worse than we thought.”

“Was he wearing a green shirt, slash across the face,” Gael motioned across his own face, “Just so?”

“You saw the cadaver and his effects. That does not prove anything.”

“You science types are all the same. You’re gonna love Jack!”

“Don’t try to play me for a fool, McNeil. I’ll confess completely before I have you play any malarky.”

“You won’t. You’re not a liar. I think he loved you very much.” Gael popped his eye patch down as the carriage slowed. “The clothing is on me.”

Gael opened the carriage door, just as a younger black woman wearing a facemask ran up to it. She held a stack of clothes in her hands, a nice pair of black leather shoes on the top. “Mr. McNeil, I’d just about give up on you!”

“I’m very sorry to be late, Mrs. Washburn. I thank you so much for your efforts. I trust there was sufficient funds to cover the clothing and a gratuity.”

“Oh yes, Sir, too much in fact. I had my cousin do up an extra petticoat even, but what should I do with the extra? There are five matching masks, just to be fashionable.”

“Just hold onto it. I’ll probably be back this way. If your work is as good as your Aunt’s I’ll certainly require some clothing.” He caught her hand and kissed the back of her fingers like something out of King Arthur.

She batted her hand at him and darted back off into the night. He pulled the carriage door shut, dropped the current while he was there, then did the other side’s curtains, before banging his cane against the ceiling. The carriage started off at that nice steady rocking that made him want to sleep. After a moment of watching Miss Tyndale stare at the pile of clothes, he pulled his hat off, covered his face, while leaning back. “Please, change. I can’t get you into the hotel dressed as you are.”

“Oh god,” she said, “You’re really going to try to do something about all of this, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to, you know.”

“Yes, but just a little bit of sleep. Jack is going to be very put out with for having left him on his own for so long.”

“If you look, I’ll put scissors through your other eye, Mr. McNeil!”

His response was a soft sigh and a gentle snore. It left her wondering if Gael really could see those that had passed. With the mountains of dead at the field hospital, it made her wonder where all the ghosts would have stood. It’s not like there’d have been room among the living. After a bit of scramble, she had the clothing on. Really should have bathed first, but it was nice to be out of the jail dress.

Street light flickered at the edges of the curtains, putting moving lines dark insides of the carriage. Her mind was probably playing tricks on her, but when the light moved over the empty space next to Gael, she thought she saw the tall lanky outline of her love, one hand reached out to her. “I’m coming, Robbie, as soon as I can get there.”

Then that hand shifted to a just a pointer finger and wagged. Two words washed over her, raising goosebumps down her spine, standing all her hair on end. “No. Live.”