The Gallant South- Part Two

Chapter II- January 1-8, 1913

        "Oh my God!" Eveline shouted, slamming on the breaks and jumping out of the car. Cora followed behind, and the two women rushed over to the estate. Two fire engines were parked outside, spraying water onto the blaze, which was doing almost nothing to put out such a massive fire.
        "Where's Kit?" Cora shouted. People were gathered in the street, many in their nightclothes.
        "She should still be at the party! I don't know if anyone called!" Eveline shouted back.

        After surveying the scene, Cora saw Joseph Nielsen standing near his police car and smoking a cigarette. Cora, making up her mind, approached him.
        "Chief, what has happened here?" Cora asked, putting on a scared-little-woman voice. Nielsen took a drag on his cigarette and turned to her. "Must've knocked over a candle or something," he replied a bit nonchalantly.
        "Doesn't this house have electricity?" Cora asked, knowing full-well that it did. Nielsen shrugged. "Do you know who owns it, ma'am?"
        "No," Cora lied.
        "It's a n—er by the name of Katherine Margaret Anders. She's a prominent real-estate agency owner," he practically spat. Cora had come to realize how commonly that word was thrown around.
        Cora didn't really know how to respond, so she said, "Wasn't one of her buildings burned down a few weeks ago?"
        "Yes'm it was," Nielsen replied, dropping his cigarette butt on the ground and lighting another one.
        "Don't you think it suspicious that one of her buildings burns down, and then her house shortly after?" Cora asked, taking a slight risk.
        Nielsen stared at her for a moment. "We have a cause for the first fire. An electrical wiring mishap. The fire began in the basement," he said.
        Do you think I'm stupid? Cora thought. Kit's building didn't have a basement. And even if it did, all building basements were concrete or stone, and inflammable. On top of that, Kit's building had underground wiring that was shared with the other buildings on the street.
        "Such a horrible thing," Cora said.
        "It could be worse," Nielsen replied. "But how is it that you happen to be here?"
        "Oh, I was on my way home from a New Year's party, sir. I saw the fire and hurried over," Cora replied.
        "Well, Happy New Year's to you, ma'am. I've got to be on my way now. Would you like an escort home?" he asked. Cora smiled and shook her head. The fire roared behind her. "Oh, no thank you. Have a good night, Chief."
        "Same to you." And he was gone.
        Cora turned around angrily, infuriated that he could be so calm and joking when someone's house had just been burned down. She watched his car speed away, and when it was safe, hurried over to Bettirose's car, which had just pulled up. No motorcycle tonight.
        Bettirose, still in her evening gown but with a coat thrown over it, stepped off of the driver's seat and put a hand over her mouth in shock. Eveline put a hand on her shoulder.
        Then the carriage door of the car opened and Kit stepped out shakily, still in an evening dress and coat as well. She stood in the street and stared up at her house for the longest of times, just as Theo and Oliver pulled up in their car.
        "Fuck!" Kit screamed. "God damn it all to hell!"
        "Kit!" Theo shouted, running over to her. A moment later, a third car pulled up and Millie, Renee, Mama Elsie, her kids, and Jack all piled out.
        "God almighty!" Mama Elsie shouted. Kit just stared up at the house.
        "Where is he?" Kit shouted after a moment, looking around with wild eyes. "Where's that son of a bitch Colby Whitbaker?" Then she spotted Alice walking towards them and ran to her angrily.
        "Where's Colby?" she shouted. Alice backed up. "Here somewhere. That's why I called all of you." she was speaking to the group of them now. "When I got home, I had about ten minutes before he and his friends showed up. They were boasting about their plans to burn down your house. When they left, I called Bettirose and then Cora," she explained frantically.
        "I'm gonna find him," Kit seethed. Eveline grabbed her by the arm and looked at her sternly. "You do that and it won't end well, I promise you. We'll sort this all out without violence."
        "Oh, ain't that real funny coming from you!" Kit shouted at her. "That son of a bitch has burned down my house and my business and who knows what he's gonna target next! Mind you, I still have a very flammable building standing!"
        "Kit!" Eveline shouted. "You do anything to him, and who's going to get in trouble? The "kind and benevolent" socialite with a knack for politics? Or the "little n—er woman who ain't got no business workin' 'mongst white folk?" she reasoned. "I hate to say it, but we all know what will happen if you mess with him right now."
        "She's right," Mama Elsie chimed in. "Nothin' you can do to him is gonna land ye in a good position. Let's focus on yer house right now."
        "Yeah! You can come and stay with us!" Eveline agreed. "We've plenty of room!"
        Kit looked back at Cora, who grinned and shrugged. "I mean, both Eveline and Masterson would kill me if I didn't offer hospitality. And I need you to keep Eveline in check. She's tried to take apart my grafonola about three times now."
        "And I could put it back together even quicker!" Eveline protested. "I just wanna see how it works!"
        "Alright, then take the phonograph, but not the damned grafonola, for the love of God!"
        "Really? You mean it?"
        "Of course I- hey!" Cora shouted. "This is about Kit right now."
        Eveline looked away. "Right, sorry. My mind kinda does that when I get excited. I...I'm not entirely sure why," she explained, then put her hands on Kit's shoulders. "What can we do?"
        "Kill Colby Whitbaker," Kit said without pause.
        Eveline recoiled. "Alright...anything doable?"
        Kit shook her head. "I'm gonna be swamped with papers. And...and...do you even know what all was in that house? Let alone the house itself? That was everything I worked for! Everything!"
        None of the others said anything. Even Mama Elsie, never afraid to voice her opinion, was dead silent.
        "All of it! Do you know how hard it was to work up the reputation I have? As a black woman in America? You know how many death threats I get per day? That aren't from Colby and his men?"
        Not one of them could respond, except for maybe Renee and Mama Elsie. And even then, neither of them had been Colby's personal targets.
        Kit took a breath. "None of you know what it's like."
        "And we never will," Alice said, recalling what Cora had said earlier. Kit gave her such a look of contempt that she looked away, but Eveline nodded to her.
        "I don't even know what else to say," Kit admitted. "My entire life's work was that damned house. And the business of course, but it was because of it that I had this house. And therefore was decent in the public- sorry, the white eye. And now it's gone."
        "You still have your business," Bettirose said, breaking a horrible silence. "They can burn down as many buildings as they want, but they can't physically get rid of your business."
        "Plus, they can't crush your spirit. You're too strong for that," Theo added.
        "And you can rebuild your house. Somewhere else, and you can have a huge garden and whatever else you want!" Renee chimed in.
        "And you can speak about it at Eveline's next rally!" Millie suggested. Kit looked a little happier. She nodded to them wearily and looked back at the house.
        "For now let's just get outta here. Go home before they drag you over to the police station all night," Eveline said with a yawn. "We'll deal with them in the morning."
        "Agreed. You guys go, I gotta do something first," Cora said, nodding towards her car. Eveline took Kit's hand and led her over to it. Cora turned to the others.
        "So what's this thing you gotta do first?" Jack asked. Cora sighed. "None of your business."
        "You'd better as hell not be going to look for him," Alice said in a tone so serious Cora thought she was about to punch someone.
        "Are you still here?" Jack asked. Alice didn't bat an eye. "Obviously. Unless I'm a ghost. Am I?" she asked. Jack, finally having been talked back to, cracked a cold grin and looked back at Cora. "She's right. Just go home. Kit needs you more."
        "I'm sorry," Cora said, and turned and ran towards where she'd seen Colby earlier. She could hear the others shouting after her, but she didn't care. She was going to find him.