Ray took Jasper’s offered handkerchief, smoke stained and wilted from the dense humidity of the day, and held it to his ear.
Ray could sense Jasper was holding himself back with force, shoulders tightened, fists balled, wanting to propel into law enforcement mode. Jem shivered, and Ray assumed it was from the shock of the blast. He painted her face furiously with his gaze. She was pale and she had a slight cut on her temple from when Jasper had shoved her out of the way. Other than that, she seemed fine.
Jasper gripped Ray’s shoulder. “Not a lot I can do for those poor fellows back there,” he said, his kind blue eyes made brighter by the smoke film on his face. “But I can get you looked after.”
Jasper wanted to take Ray to the nearest hospital. Ray said that would cost a fortune and require his name and several other details he would happily not have in the open. Instead, they went to the Palmer House, ascended the elevator to Jem and Merinda’s room, washed up, and now sat in the broad sitting room of the girls’ suite.
Eventually Merinda and Benny arrived. Jasper swallowed, watching Benny inspect Ray with the precision of a medical professional. There didn’t seem to be a place or situation that Benny Citrone could not step in and command. “Blasted eardrum,” Benny said.
“What does that mean?” Jem asked frantically.
“Likely that he’ll never hear from that ear again,” Benny said softly. “Perforated eardrums are not that uncommon up north,” he explained. “I’ve seen something like this before.”
“It could be worse,” Jasper said, looking at Merinda and wanting to smooth the sadness from her face. “We’re lucky to be alive.”
Ray, wincing at Benny’s application of a sort of a makeshift cotton bandage, agreed. “It was bad,” he said much more loudly than he would have if his voice was not compensating for what had been blasted out of his ear.
“Everyone there is dead,” Jasper conceded. “All the men on that illegal boat. No one could have survived that.”
“You can’t hear,” Jem sniffed.
“I’d say it’s remarkably good fortune.” Ray looked up at her with a forced half smile and a tired wink. “Whenever Merinda Herringford opens her mouth, I just turn my head to the left.” He demonstrated, and his eyes met Merinda’s.
“Oh, hush, DeLuca. I feel awful about this. And you, Jasper! This is dangerous. Explosives and men losing their lives just to make some silly statement.” She folded her arms and rocked back on her heels.
“There were a lot of explosives,” Jem said. She was standing at Ray’s shoulder and absently running her hand up and down his arm. “The boat is in smithereens. And then some. Merinda, you should have seen the explosion in the water.”
Merinda nodded. “Ross told me that he had a much loftier goal than a streetcar.”
“Tell them, Merinda.” Benny instructed.
“Benny and I are helping Ross blow up the Coliseum. That’s why the shipments have been so big. Someone in Toronto is getting a huge paycheck for explosives Ross means to use to blow up the former president.”
“Theodore Roosevelt?” Jasper exclaimed.
Benny nodded. “Tuesday—day after tomorrow. The second day of his convention. Roosevelt is slated to give a speech to officially promote his new platform.”
“And we were helping,” Jem said woozily. “I’ll never forgive myself.”
“You have nothing to feel badly about, Jemima.” Benny said. “Merinda and I will stop them. Just as you, Jasper, and poor Ray over there will stop Hedgehog.”
“Hedgehog couldn’t care less about the president,” Jem muttered. “From everything I have seen, that man only cares about his next influx of money.”
“Precisely,” Benny said kindly.
“There’s little more to be done today,” Jasper said. “Don’t go to that flophouse tonight. Get a room here.”
Ray laughed and pressed the kerchief harder to his ear. Everything hurt. “With what money?”
“Mine,” Merinda said with finality. “Well, my father’s.”
Ray hadn’t felt a real pillow under his head in days. It was soft, filled with down. One of the many brilliant amenities in this beautiful hotel. He had never really taken Jem on a proper honeymoon, and ironically a hotel such as this would be a place worthy of her delicate sensibilities and high tastes. Ironic because, at this very moment, Jem was a sniveling wreck.