Page 36 of Equalizer
“Theoreticallypossible,” Owen emphasized. “But it’s a dangerous area of experimentation because those pieces have to come from somewhere.”
“Makes sense. What’s the plan?” Pearl asked as if this were a job of any sort and not infiltrating the Chicago underworld.
“Show up, see what you can find out, make the rounds, and leave before people take all their clothes off,” Calvin said.
“Aw, that’s no fun,” Pearl drawled with a broad wink.
“The event has quite the reputation for debauchery, so we want to be gone by midnight,” Owen noted. “After that point, anyone worth talking to will probably be too drunk to give us good information.”
“You boys know how to show a girl a good time,” she said in a wry tone. “All right. I’m in. Louisa set me up in a respectable boarding house and said she’d take care of getting me something to wear that would fit in. It’s not my usual social circle.”
Owen sent a silent thanks to Louisa despite knowing that the favor would be expected to be returned at some future date.
“Calvin and I will handle getting a carriage and driver,” Owen replied. “We’ll pick you up. We’re your bodyguards, sticking close enough to overhear. The carriage driver will be one of our people as well. Louisa assures me that the fights don’t usually break out before midnight, but we want to avoid attracting attention.”
“At a party where everyone goes to be seen? Should be interesting,” Pearl remarked.
“There will be much bigger fish vying for the limelight,” Calvin said.
“I hope you’re right. Okay, boys. I think I’ve got the plan. I’ll get the rest of the details from Louisa and see you the night of the party. Sounds like it’ll be a night to remember.”
Calvin and Owen hailed a carriage to take them back to the train station and waited until they were underway to compare notes.
“Do you think we can trust her?” Calvin asked. “I didn’t have the opportunity to get a read on anything that belonged to her.”
“Hell, no,” Owen replied. “Not on anything important. But we’re paying her to get what we need from the party, and from what Louisa says, Pearl will deliver on the contract. Which is all we need.”
The problem with working with informants was that in order to have information worth the pay, they needed to be hip-deep in illegal activities. Pearl wasn’t as complicit as some of their contacts—as far as Owen knew—but her reputation for self-preservation told him that trusting her to have their backs might be foolhardy if the circumstances went against them.
We deal with shady types all the time. Whatever happens, we’ll figure something out.
On the morningof the First Ward Ball, Calvin and Owen got a fresh shave and haircut. The event might not involve Chicago’s upper crust, but by all accounts, the criminals and mobsters who showed up valued style and flair.
“We don’t get to wear the fun stuff,” Calvin groused as he and Owen dressed for the ball. “These new tuxedos aren’t anything special. I like our regular tuxes better.”
“We’re supposed to be bodyguards. Hired help. Blending into the background, remember?” Owen elbowed Calvin. “And no matter what you wear, I’ll think you’re the handsomest man in the room.”
“You clean up pretty well yourself.”
Their job sometimes required mixing with government officials and powerful people. Calvin and Owen already owned tuxedos that could pass for anything up to a coronation. For tonight, they used formalwear of lesser quality, befitting the station of their personas. Bodyguards needed to look good enough not to embarrass their boss but still be able to fade into the background.
Winston waited for them in the dining room and nodded with approval when they emerged from their cabins. “Nicely done.”
Owen was pleased that he had managed to tie his own tie correctly for once.
“Let’s get the magic settled, shall we?” Winston beckoned for them to follow him to the table, where he had set out a bowl painted with runes, a chalice, and several small, polished black and red stones.
“I’m using black tourmaline and hematite to protect and conceal,” Winston told them. “You’ll carry those in a pocket. Nothing for anyone to notice, just pretty rocks. The potion is a bit more complicated. I won’t bore you with details. You can eat and drink without disturbing the enchantment, although I’d advise against copious alcohol for obvious reasons. As bodyguards, you won’t have that option anyhow.”
“How does this work?” Owen asked, a little nervous. They had used magic for concealment on other cases, but the ball would need to sustain their ruse for longer than a few minutes.
“The potion doesn’t actually change anything. It and the spell that goes with it just set a glamour so that anyone who looks at you sees someone else,” Winston explained. “It’s designed for the sort of social event where people move from group to group. I don’t know that it would hold up for days at a time, but it should be quite reliable for about eight hours.”
Owen checked his pocket watch. “That gives us until after midnight.”
Winston nodded. “I’d advise being gone before the very end of the spell. No telling how precise the timing might be.”
“What about other witches? Will they be able to tell?” Calvin asked.
