“I’m sorry.” His voice was so soft I could barely hear it.
His gaze roved over me. “You look...” His eyes stopped at the open expanse of my neck and chest, and he twisted his face away. “You look different.”
My heart bounced, and for the second time that evening I was pleased with my gown. “I was at the opera.” I smoothed at my bodice. “Evening attire, you know.”
“No, I reckon I don’t.” He stepped toward me and slid his hands into his pockets. He inspected me again from top to bottom, and I inspected him right back. I searched for signs of wickedness. In the faint glow of moonlight that trickled through the hall’s windows, all I could see was the lanky young man I’d grown accustomed to.
“What did you mean,” I asked, “when you told me you had a lot of making up to do?”
“When did I say that?”
“At Laurel Hill the other day.”
“And why’re you asking me this now?” He sauntered two steps toward me. “If you’ve got something on your mind, Empress, then spit it out.”
I hesitated, but only for a moment. “Are you Sure Hands Danny?”
He stiffened. “Where’d you hear that?” He slipped his hands from his pockets and opened his arms wide. “Actually, it’s of no consequence ’cause I can guess who told you. There’s no sense in protesting what you can clearly see is true.”
He crossed one leg in front of the other and pivoted around, slinging off his cap on the way. Then he bowed low like a performer basking in applause. “Sure Hands Danny, at your service.”
“You’re a murderer.” I skittered back several steps. “You blew up the factory.”
He shot up. “So you’ve heard the whole tale then, have you?”
“No.” I forced myself to meet his eyes. “No. I haven’t heard any of the story. I was hoping you would contradict me. That you’d tell me it was a lie.”
“I can’t contradict the truth.”
My throat tightened. “So you’re a murderer? You ruined my father’s company?”
“Now hold up. I don’t know nothing about your father.” He slapped his cap back on. “But I did kill a man six years ago. I’m an escaped convict, Empress.” He said it so simply, as if he were declaring himself a carpenter or locksmith.
“Does Mr. Boyer know?” I asked.
“Joseph knows parts.”
“A-and is that why Peger wants to find you? Is that why you’re hiding from Clarence Wilcox? Because you killed someone?”
“Something like that, but it doesn’t matter. It’s a long story, and the end goes like this: I got a lot of making up to do, and one of my duties is to go back into that same damned factory tonight.” He scuffed past me.
“Wait.” My lips and mouth had gone dry, and despite his confession, I couldn’t accept it. I didn’t want to. I still had so many unanswered questions. “Can’t you tell me the whole story, Mr. Sheridan? Maybe it was—”
“A justified murder? Does it matter?”
“Yes.” I wet my lips. “It does matter. To me.”
He opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was lost. At that instant the Dead alarm went off, a distant bass clang that echoed from some other Exhibition hall.
Daniel snatched my hand and hauled me to the lab. We barreled in to find Jie and Joseph already dragging the glass-wheel influence machine from beneath the worktable.
Joseph started when he saw me. Likely he thought I had left by now.
Daniel bolted to the telegraph. “It’s the alarm in the U.S. Government Building.”
My knees wobbled and I grabbed at the door frame. “Have you destroyed the grimoire yet?”
“No,” Joseph said. “It is not easy to destroy a book of magical power. It takes time. I have hidden it.” He knelt to heft the electricity device onto the table.
Daniel moved to help him, but Joseph shook his head violently. “No. You must go to the factory.”
Daniel recoiled, his eyes widening. “What? Now? You can’t be serious. We can go another night.”
“Your job is at the factory.”
“But you can’t fight the Dead alone.” Daniel flung his hand in the direction of the U.S. Government Building. “What if the necromancer has come for the book? It could be the whole cemetery out there.”
“Yes, and if you stay, will that improve our chances?” Joseph straightened, his eyes glowing in the dim light. “Without that dy***ite, we are lost.”
“No.” Daniel swung his head. “I can’t abandon you to the Dead.”
“You won’t be.” Joseph spun to Jie. “You will stay here, Jie. You are our best fighter, and I will need you to lead the guards in defensive maneuvers... if any of the guards are able to help, that is. We will do what we can until Daniel’s return.” He paused, and his eyes flew to me. For several long moments he watched me. Then he nodded once, as if settling a debate in his mind.
“Miss Fitt,” he said. “You must go to the factory.”