Lewis offered his arm, and I clung to it. My entire body was shaking, and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. I fidgeted with my necklace.
“I’ll take care of you,” he whispered as he took my hand away from my necklace and lowered it. “Try not to look so nervous. It might draw attention.”
After paying our entrance fee, we were directed into another room. This one was long and wide, with a rounded sandstone ceiling and a bar. Dozens of people sat at the bar and the high-top tables. To the left was another cavernous room, accessed by small sandstone archways. A band was playing, and people were dancing. A massive chandelier hung over the dance floor, and electric wall sconces offered a soft ambiance.
“How many caves are there?” I asked Lewis.
“Several,” he said. “There are secret meeting rooms and a restaurant, besides the bar and dance hall.”
It was impressive and frightening, all at the same time.
I continued to cling to Lewis as we meandered through the caverns, keeping our eyes open for Annie. When we entered a crowded dining room, complete with a fireplace, I paused.
“There she is,” I whispered as my stomach tightened. “At the table.”
The same woman I’d seen on the dance floor at the Coliseum was sitting at a table with a white linen cloth. There were five dozen other people sitting around it. The man at her side had his arm behind her on the back of the chair.
When she looked up, our gazes collided, and time seemed to stand still.
She rose slowly as the man at her side gave her a strange look. Without a word, she left the table and approached us.
My instinct told me to back away from this notorious criminal, but this was the moment I’d been waiting for my whole life. My heart told me that thiswasAnne Reed.
“Who are you?” she asked as she stopped a few feet away from me. “You were onstage at the Coliseum the other night, too.”
I nodded, my voice not wanting to work.
“Are you following me?” She looked from me to Lewis, her suspicion growing.
“May I speak with you?” I asked, though my throat felt raw. “In private?”
Her eyes narrowed, as if this was a trap, but she finally nodded. “Follow me.”
I was still clinging to Lewis, but Annie stopped and said, “Alone, or not at all.”
Lewis’s arm tightened, but I pulled away. “I have to.”
Something in my voice must have convinced him not to argue because he let me go, though he didn’t look happy.
I followed Annie into another cavern, this one smaller and dimmer. There were tables in there, too, but the room was empty. It was so cold, goose bumps rose on my skin.
When she turned, she crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “What is this about?”
This was it. I had nothing left to lose.
“Are you Annie Barker?”
“Yes.”
I swallowed but forged ahead. “And were you also Anne Reed?”
Her mouth parted as her arms slowly lowered to her sides. She was a pretty woman, though up close, I saw the toll that life had wrought upon her features. Wrinkles creased the corners of her eyes, and gray hair streaked at her temples.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I’m Caroline.”
My name sparked a cascade of emotions that played across her face. Shock dominated them all. “Who?”
