The midnight held the threat of a late summer storm, the kind that broke the humidity thoroughly. Audrey dashed across the street hoping the rain would begin and last only while she was safely inside.
She could hear the ruckus of a piano in a nearby dance hall and the tall tell sound of fists meeting flesh from somewhere behind her. The tenderloin district beat with its own kind of storm and the girl practically skipped across the darkened street, dancing out of the way of a single horse trotting along with a police officer barely glancing down at her. Audrey could feel the glare following her, not having to look back to catch sight of Daisy standing sentry in the shadows.
Audrey whispered the litany of warnings, threats, and mandates from the seasoned bird.
Don't draw attention to yourself.
Do not tell anyone your name.
Do not be reckless.
For three nights the two young women had been casing the loud brash entertainment district for the location of pool halls. Bold bird that Audrey had become, she had struck a lucrative deal with the new police commissioner directly. Nearly two dollars for each discovered location and all corresponding information for a series of raids. Daisy had discovered the arrangement within seconds and attached herself to the young society miss, with a barely agreed-upon silence of the plan to anyone else. It was impossible to forget Daisy was the only soul in the city who currently knew the exact whereabouts of Audrey Alexandra Kai.
But aside from the bird, no one noticed her here, not any more than they noticed anyone else. She was just another patron in the entertainment district, and it was exhilarating. She slinked around a building corner and ducked into an open doorway, straight down a narrow staircase to a set of heavy curtains. Audrey pressed the drapes aside and entered an almost tranquil pool hall.
There were four billiards tables, one in each corner of the square room with only two hosting games presently. A single long slab of wood lay across two wine barrels served as a table for all the players in the center of the room. There was not a noticeable bar though Audrey saw several ales and at least one whisky. A mild atmosphere that resembled afternoon calls in widow's parlors more than seedy criminal gambling dens made Audrey glance back the way she came debating braving the rain to discover a wilder mark.
"By the sounds of it, you'll be met with a torrential downpour. Might even be swept into the sea." A lazy voice hummed.
She swung her eyes around to the source of the voice, a man leaning against the wall just paces away from one of the unattended tables. He was only just taller than her, with flushed cheeks and a round nose that gave his dancing brown eyes just the right frame. Audrey held his gaze for a full two breaths, taken with the familiar shade of his eyes similar she realized with a jolt to Jack. Regaining her senses she took in his dress, dark shirt, and dusty trousers but a good pair of shoes, not the height of fashion but not destitute. She swept over his unkempt dark curls and along the shape of his smile, trying to place if he was familiar or if he was a threat.
"Fancy a game?" The man smiled flicking his half mostly smoked cigarette at the nearby empty table.
Don't be gambling with the clientele. Daisy had tried to harp, but Audrey had decided to ignore that bit of warning. Jacob had taught her how to play pool and it had turned out she was rather good at this gambling game. The rules were simple, and her skill gave her a heady burst of confidence unlike anything else, she had suddenly understood the boy's poker nights so much more.
"Fancy giving a girl your name and placing a little wager?" Audrey let her mouth curl into a little smile, the kind of thing she had learned along the way. She took two steps forward, closer to the empty table, but resisted the eager desire to grab her cue and rack.
"Archie Hughes. But call me Arch, most people do." The man pushed off the wall, swinging his arm up and out to shake.
"Archie Hughes, who writes for the Tribune?" Audrey snapped her eyes to his hand, seeing the ink stains immediately. Features so familiar, she felt a sudden ache.
"Why yes, it seems I am that Archie Hughes. Read the Tribune often, Miss…?" He prompted with a light teasing, as he gave his outstretched hand a little pump. Her eyes were still fixed on his outstretched hand, but the movement spurred her back to action. She slipped her hand into his, giving him a gripping handshake.
"Blanche. Sam Blanche." She laughs a nervous little tittering that could almost feel flirtatious. She hadn't used this name in years, not since hiding herself from Spot and Jack that first meeting, those first few months with the newsboys. She resisted the urge to tug at her skirts, plain cotton she'd nicked from the servants of Longfellow house last week. "You wrote a bit about the corruption in the police department, bold thing last week."
She noticed when his eyes got a little rounder at the specific mention of his writing, though it was impossible to tell if it was surprise or pride. He laughed and took a long stride, catching a pool cue in his movement. He winked and tilted his head inviting her to join him.
He put two bits on the edge of the table, as he began the process of racking. Audrey contemplated a pool cue, indecisive and innocent, before also slipping her coins on the edge of the table.
"So, you here for a story newspaperman?" Audrey brazenly asks. Her confidence returned, the simmer of excitement in the evening, in the game, in her newest adventure.
Arch raises a brow at her as he stretches out to take a shot. He breaks evenly.
"Nah, everyone's got a vice. A good game of pool is mine."
Audrey slaps some chalk on the end of her cue and tilts down to take a shot.
"What makes a good game of pool?" She ventures.
Arch laughs, a deep rumble as he scratches behind his right ear. He waits for her to take her aim before speaking again.
"You mean to tell me, Miss Sam, that a girl like you out after midnight in a pool hall doesn't know what makes a good game of pool?" Arch lightly mocked.
Audrey glances up at the reporter, realizing suddenly that he is paying her a lot more attention than she expected to be paid this evening. Reporters were much like birds; a fact Audrey would do well to remember as they continued to play.
"Caught me, Arch. Maybe this is my vice as well." Audrey shrugged her shoulders, leaning upon her pool cue.
As Arch took his turn, Audrey studied her surroundings. She notices the drinks didn't seem to be ordered but appeared upon request. While the game taking place in the corner furthest away from their table was clearly a weekly standing game between two business acquaintances. This establishment was calm and collected, the tables were of solid quality and there wasn't a name to claim the space or a share of the wagers. It was as if this pool hall existed as a backroom to someone's home, intimate and familial and so unlike the others she had visited thus far.
"You read much outside my paper?" Arch asked coaxingly, drawing her attention back to him. Her opponent across the table was relaxed, a working man at the end of his day. Audrey had been reading his reporting for weeks now, Archie Hughes was a rare talent. He was insightful and clever in his turn of phrase, not just parsing out facts under a quick sketch. Audrey suspected he was a bit of a storyteller, the kind of taleteller Jack had always been.
"Some," Audrey allowed. "I'm currently in the midst of Lady Rose's Daughter."
"A romantic tale?" Arch chuckled knowingly.
"With some mystery and adventure. You are likely a reader of some dreary tale of murder and mayhem?"
The game progressed, a drink appeared for her magically and without fanfare. A light ale was dropped by her elbow and Arch reached out for a whiskey tumbler.
Conversation was light, teasing and so easy that Audrey nearly forgot herself more than once. She found herself wondering just how often the newspaperman seemed to play in this hall. She suspected he was going to let her win the game without testing her skill much.
The rain has scattered, and a sharp whistle could be heard from the streets above. She was being summoned, impatiently late from the sound of it. She didn't turn to look or even let her shoulders tighten at the sound, taking her last shot in stride to win. Arch pushed her winnings at her, his two bits easily surrendered and lit another cigarette.
"You'll not get wet now Miss Sam. Maybe I'll be seeing you again, for another game?" He winked as he dismissed her charmingly enough. Audrey frowned at the man a second, wondering if he'd heard her summonsed if he was more than she knew. But another man was approaching the table now, taller, and broader than either Audrey or Arch. This man had darker edges, a full beard covered his face, and he didn't even try to acknowledge Audrey as she slipped from the table.
"Arch." The man grunted. Audrey caught sight of the gun strapped to the newcomer's side, not even hidden so much as haphazardly displayed. Audrey couldn't find or settle on an excuse to dawdle and began up the steps before Archie Hughes murmured the newcomer's name back. She didn't catch it and again she wondered if it was intentional.
Author's Note: I want to shout out to HellYaJessica, I don't think I can express the gratitude and joy your note gave me. I hope that the ending that I'm still working on - and this story brings the characters to a new place in your memory and was/ is worth the wait!