Murder in Burnt Orange (24 page)

On with the dance; let joy be unconfined...

—Lord Byron, “Childe Harold,” 1816

On September 12, what was to be the last bad thunderstorm of the season broke in fury shortly after midnight. Hilda, awakened from an uneasy doze by a deafening thunderclap, thought at first that she was trembling with fright.

But did fright produce stomach cramps?

She woke Patrick, who woke Eileen and then sent O'Rourke for Aunt Molly. It was Eileen who had the sense to phone the doctor.

The labor was as easy as such things can well be. To Patrick it seemed endless. He paced the floor downstairs, listening anxiously to muffled groans and hurried footsteps. When morning came, he had finally fallen into a restless sleep in the big chair in his den.

Footsteps on the stairs. He started, leapt to his feet. Only half-awake, he saw Aunt Molly come into the room, a blanket-wrapped bundle in her arms. “Patrick, meet my new grandson, Kevin Cavanaugh.”

He stared in awe at the tiny red face, its eyes screwed tightly shut. With a tentative finger, he touched the rose-petal cheek. Kevin turned his face toward the finger and began working his mouth.

“Well, look at that, will you?” he whispered. “Smart little fellow, isn't he?”

“And look at this,” said Eileen, entering the room with another bundle. “Do you not also want to meet Kristina?”

He looked from one bundle to the other. “Two?” he said, bewildered.

“Two,” said Aunt Molly. “You're the proud father of twins.”

“Twins,” he repeated obediently. “Kevin. Kristina. Twins.” Pause. Patrick blinked, rubbed his eyes, and suddenly woke up. “By all the saints—twins!”

He bounded up the stairs two at a time to congratulate Hilda on her astonishing achievement.

Sam Black was given a short prison sentence, in recognition of his help to the police in apprehending Vanderhoof. Black never returned to South Bend.

Eustatius Vanderhoof (his real first name had the singularly inappropriate meaning of “peaceful”), on the other hand, was given a long prison term, as were those of his associates who could be proven to have committed the crimes of murder, arson, and malicious damage. Vanderhoof served less than three months of his sentence. His apoplectic fury at a prison guard led to a true apoplexy, which proved fatal.

Eugene Debs ran again for president in 1908—and lost again.

When I begin to plot a book in the Hilda series, I always start by scanning the local newspapers for interesting events that took place in the period in which the book will be set. While working on this book, I came across several intriguing headlines. Some were about labor unrest, first in Russia—the horrifying riots in St. Petersburg—and then in Chicago—the confusing events following upon the Montgomery Ward strike of 1905. The other headlines that caught my eye had to do with train wrecks, of which there were a good many that year. The Twentieth Century Flyer really was wrecked in June, with loss of life and limb, and it was (apparently) caused deliberately. These two constellations of troubles combined in my scheming mind to make a plot.

That being said, I stress that none of the events in South Bend that I relate here ever happened, and the historical persons I have mentioned did none of the things I have suggested or attributed to them, with the exception of Eugene Debs, whose participation in the formation of the IWW is well documented. In particular, the Labor Day Parade was very nearly rained out, and certainly there were no untoward incidents.

The full story of Vanderhoof and Clancy Malloy and their involvement with Hilda, Patrick, and their families can be found in
Green Grow the Victims
, published in 2001.

Jeanne M. Dams was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana, and has lived there virtually all her life. She was completely uninterested in history throughout her schooling, but was captivated by it once she realized that history was just a story about people—who are endlessly fascinating. Her formal education was from Purdue and Notre Dame universities, but most of her real knowledge is self-acquired through voracious reading.

Of Swedish descent through her mother, Dams has been nominated for the Macavity, and has won the Agatha Award. She welcomes visitors and e-mail at
www.jeannedams.com
.

ALSO BY JEANNE M. DAMS

Hilda Johansson Mysteries

Death in Lacquer Red

Red, White, and Blue Murder

Green Grow the Victims

Silence Is Golden

Crimson Snow

Indigo Christmas

Dorothy Martin Mysteries

The Body in the Transept

Trouble in the Town Hall

Holy Terror in the Hebrides

Malice in Miniature

The Victim in Victoria Station

Killing Cassidy

To Perish in Penzance

Sins Out of School

Winter of Discontent

A Dark and Stormy Night

Foolproof
(collaborative thriller with Barbara D'Amato and Mark Zubro)