“Earnest,” she said. “I didn’t know.”
He froze. Seeing the guilt in her face.
“Is there someone there?” he asked.
He strode toward the place where Theo and Grace were hiding, pulling out a flask from his inside pocket as he walked. His nose was beginning to bleed, crimson trickling to his lip.
“Earnest!” Frannie screamed. “Don’t!”
“Get her out of here,” Earnest snarled to Copper.
Copper grabbed Frannie, pulling her arms behind her back.
“You don’t want to see this,” Copper said. “Go down to the party and make sure no one comes up here.”
He pushed her toward the door. But first, he wrenched the baggie of strychnine from her hand.
Frannie turned and ran.
“Stay hidden,” Theo whispered roughly at Grace as Earnest came closer. Then he stepped out of the shadows.
“Theodore?” Earnest asked in surprise.
Theo threw himself at Earnest, tackling him with his full weight. Grunting, they struggled against each other, rolling on the balcony floor.
“Theodore!” Grace cried.
Copper came up behind her, trapping her arms behind her back. He pulled them tight. She could barely breathe.
“You couldn’t stay out of it, could you?” he hissed in her ear. “Even after all of those warnings.”
Copper and Earnest had seemed so brave that night at the Japanese gardens, winning her trust and her esteem when the robber approached them. Now she knew why. They had arranged it all with him beforehand. She could see it now—Earnest inviting them to the concert, knowing they would be dressed in their finest jewels. Telling Sylvestor right where they would be, so he could rob them and take the jewels as repayment for the money Earnest had lost. And deliver a warning to her at the same time.
“Did you kill him, too?” Grace asked. “The thief who threatened me?”
“Grace,” Theo gasped, struggling with Earnest. Her eyes fell on the flask, where Earnest pulled out a hidden knife.
Copper’s arms tightened around her, wrenching her shoulders out of place.
“Copper will give her the strychnine unless you sign a confession that you killed Harriet,” Earnest said.
“I’ll do it,” Theo wheezed. “Don’t hurt her.”
“Good,” Earnest said.
Then he turned and stabbed Theo in the leg.
Theodore bit down on his fist and muffled his scream. Grace cried out, seeing the blood immediately begin to flow from his thigh. The sound of it was drowned in the crescendo of the organ from Festival Hall.
“That will keep you from getting any ideas,” Earnest said, pulling the knife from Theo’s leg.
He brought out a small notebook and pen and stood over Theo while he shakily wrote a confession. Grace’s eyes filled with tears, spilling over and slipping down her cheeks.
“Good,” Earnest said, tucking the note into his waistband. The stress seemed to be getting to him. He was sweating, and trembling, and all Grace could think about was Lillie, unwittingly marrying the murderer who had framed her brother. He had fooled them all, pretending to look at automobiles he could never afford; pretending to consider Harriet’s plea to invest in her theater. Just like Sylvestor had conned poor Harriet into believing he was a connected, wealthy gentleman who could introduce her to the talent manager if she passed along his threat. “Now this whole mess can be put behind us,” Earnest said. He stole a look at Copper. It seemed to be a signal of some sort.
Copper loosened his grip on Grace, and she took in a gasping breath.
But then he opened the bag of strychnine.
