An Encore

Lucy-

Lucy was standing in the now empty tent waiting for Harry Houdini, trying very, very hard not to freak out. She wasn't sure how successful she was. She took a moment to think back to the demonstration. If she was honest, she'd loved being on stage with Harry Houdini. It was such a rush, like a surreal whirlwind. No matter how many trips to the past they made, she would never get used to meeting historical figures such as Houdini, Lincoln, Bonnie and Clyde and any of the others they'd met. They'd met George Washington, the father of their nation for crying out loud! Sure, he'd accused them of being British spies and would've had them hung for treason, but still, it was George Washington!

Even now, months later, she sometimes still woke up expecting all of this to be a bizarre dream. What an extraordinary dream this would be, she thought as she sighed. The moment of wistfulness was brief for Lucy. The situation pressed upon her and again she was nervous, her stomach tying itself in knots. It was almost painful.

Flynn had told Lucy to find a way to get Harry Houdini alone so he could perform an encore, as Flynn had called it. Now she paced back and forth, hoping to distract herself, even the slightest bit would help, from the panic she was beginning to feel bubbling up inside her. Not only was her life in jeopardy, not that it really mattered, but those of Wyatt and Rufus and now Harry Houdini, all hung in the balance of whether or not she succeeded in helping Flynn kill Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan. She inwardly shuddered. Who knew how many people would die in the blast of the bomb in addition to his targets. She hadn't had the heart to ask Flynn how powerful his device would be, and truth be told, she didn't want to know.

Lucy hoped she wouldn't have to wait long for the illusionist to come back out. The longer she was alone gave her more time to second-guess herself and her decision to do this, and for her anxiety to rise higher and higher. If there was much more piled upon her, she felt like she would explode or drown. Another thought came over her suddenly, What if he doesn't believe my lie, so Carl or Flynn shoots him just to keep him from alerting the police? If Flynn doesn't get into that room...I might not be able to save my friends. A lump formed in her throat at the heartbreaking notion.

If law enforcement became involved they would be severely outmatched in weaponry compared to the modern weapons of Carl and Flynn. It could end up being a mass shooting. Gun violence was obviously nothing new in America since their invention, but it would be one of the first without being attached to a military action. Gang violence would begin in the next couple of decades and that was bad enough, but this incident, she would be a major contributing factor and Lucy didn't think she could live with that.

All Lucy knew in that moment was that she had to involve Harry Houdini, hopefully without getting him killed, and had to save her own life in the process so she could, in turn, save Wyatt and Rufus. Every minute those two were trapped, and they were most certainly trapped at this point, in the Murder Castle was a minute too long. Panic reared its ugly head again as she thought of her friends. They had to have realized they were in trouble by now and she worried at how they, especially Rufus, were dealing with it. What Flynn had mentioned earlier being in the hotel, the acid vats and torture racks, were only the tip of the iceberg on what terrible things H.H. Holmes could and did do to people during his reign of terror and murder.

Damn you, Garcia Flynn, Lucy wanted to shout as she beat his chest with her fists over and over again. How could he do this?!? How could he condemn Wyatt and Rufus to a fate like that? Was this truly the only way to get his family back??? To take Rittenhouse down??? These questions nagged at her, writhing around in the pit of her stomach like snakes. Surely, she thought, Surely there has to be another path to get what he wants? A path without so much death and destruction.

Lucy was pulled from her thoughts when Harry Houdini once more appreared before her. It was the strangest feeling and she was momentarily stunned, again, that she was about to interact again with a man she'd only ever read and heard stories about. Her grandmother had been a huge fan of Houdini, had seen him a few times as a little girl during the later years of his career. Even though she'd died before Lucy was born, she'd passed the stories to her daughter, Carol, who passed them to her daughters. Well, daughters, before Amy was erased, Lucy thought.

She could remember being snuggled up on the couch with Amy, mugs of hot cocoa in hand, listening to their mother talk. Story after story of "The Great Illusionist" or "Escape Artist," as their grandmother had liked to call him. Lucy had heard them many times before Amy was even born, but it didn't matter. Carol Preston had a way when telling a story, it was like hearing it for the first time. Amy's giggles and awe with a new story had always made it more fun too. Lucy internally smiled at the memory. She pushed the thought aside, though, because thinking about it only made what she was about to do so much worse.

Lucy fully believed Flynn about his family, she hadn't been lying when she'd said that earlier, and that Rittenhouse was a detrimental organization. The was no way to tell how much of a hinderance to the progression of the United States, at their hands, had happened, it would be immeasurable. Who knew where the US could be, in terms of civil rights and progress. There was no denying Rittenhouse was powerful and only had the interest of the organization in mind after meeting the founder in person, but she was also correct in that what he was doing was putting them all in danger. She had absolutely no idea what would happen if Edison, Ford and Morgan were all killed in 1893. The impact would be undeniablely catastrophic.

And now Harry Houdini was in that category as well. He might not have contributed to history in the ways of Edison, Ford or Morgan, but Houdini had his own accomplishments. None of which would take place if he died today. Lucy had no doubt that neither Flynn nor Carl wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he tried to impede their plan. And it would be my fault, she thought, knowing the guilt would be well deserved. It might not be her who killed him, but it would still be because of her, and that sat heavily on Lucy's heart. I will save him! I will save all of us! she thought, a new determination infusing her.

For Wyatt and Rufus, she told herself, willing herself to be convincing. The word liar reverberated inside her mind, leaving an unpleasant taste in her mouth. She ignored it, reminding herself it was now time for her to put on a show. She mentally squared her shoulders and thought, Well, here goes.

It was clear Houdini was a bit shocked to see Lucy still in the tent. He probably wondered why she hadn't left and was alone. Women usually weren't in this time.

She smiled. "Hi. Hello."

"Thanks for your help," he said, his tone genuine.

"Oh, you were amazing," Lucy said. She paused not knowing exactly what to say next. She decided the truth was best. "I have to tell you, I'm one of your biggest fans."

"I wasn't aware I had any fans." Puzzlement colored his voice.

Lucy wanted to smack herself. He was so early in his career that his fame hadn't spread very far yet. She had no doubt he was most likely very confused at this point. Realizing she didn't want him asking questions she shouldn't answer, she quickly said, "You know, my uncle, uh," she almost cringed at the title she gave Flynn, "owns a theater here in Chicago, and he's looking for a new act. He saw your show, and he loved it. I mean, if you were interested, I could make an introduction." She hated how the lie rolled from her tongue.

"Yes," Houdini said.

"Really?" she pretended to be excited at the prospect of making such an "introduction".

"Yes, of course. I'm very interested."

"Would you like to meet him now?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, of course." Houdini's enthusiasm was understandable. She hated how she was using his career against him, but she didn't see another option.

"Right this way," Lucy said, gesturing towards the place Flynn and Carl were waiting behind the curtains in the entrance/exit alcove of the tent.

"Thank you," Houdini said, making Lucy feel worse as they walked towards the alcove.

She couldn't stop herself, wanting Houdini to know she didn't like what she was doing. Just before he walked through the curtains she whispered to him, "I am really, really sorry."

Carl aimed his pistol at Houdini and cocked it, immediately letting him know this was not going to be a pleasant conversation and definitely not an offer to be booked for a gig. Flynn spoke, quipping out, "Mr. Houdini. A pleasure."

Houdini sighed. It was the defeated sigh of a man who knew he'd been duped. "I don't know what she's told you," he said as he looked behind him to Lucy, a look of betrayal on his face, "but I don't have any money." Lucy looked away, the guilt deeply eating at her, knowing she was absolutely deserving of it. And his statement of not having any money couldn't be truer. He was still years away from being rich.

"Oh, we don't need your money. We need you to pick a lock," Flynn replied.

...

Ideas quickly ran through Lucy's mind as she and Houdini walked in the direction of the building where the meeting would take place, Flynn and Carl behind them. She was trying to think of how they would miraculously stop Flynn, get away alive, find and save Wyatt and Rufus, without getting captured or killed by H.H. Holmes themselves. Lucy sighed. Life had seemed so much more simple, so much less complicated when she first woke up this morning. Now it's gone to hell in a hand basket, she thought, wry amusement engulfing her. She was glad she could find some humor in her current circumstances.

Lucy's mind sifted through her memories of all the stories her mom had told her and what she could remember from everything she'd ever read about Houdini. Per usual, it was like she had almost perfect recall. It still amazed her how much information she could retain. Not for the first time, she wondered if it was really a gift, or mainly because her mom had pushed her so hard from a very young age. How different would her life have turned out if her mom had just left her alone, if she'd left school to join that band, or listened to Amy and pursued her own path instead of their mom's footsteps? Would she have been recruited for this assignment in the first place if she had? Probably not, they wouldn't have much need for a college drop-out who didn't specialize in history. Lucy pushed those musings aside. She really didn't have time for them, not now. She had lives to save, so she redirected her mind back to the task at hand, and Harry Houdini.

Houdini was only in the second year of his career in magic and escape acts. Most of his more famous acts had not been performed yet. He was still six years away from his "big break." His handcuffs act impressed Martin Beck after a show in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1899, and Beck became his manager. That was when he began concentrating more on escape acts at Beck's advice. His fame rapidly rose from there, leading to performing the vaudeville circuit in the United States, becoming a top performer all over the country. Then, in 1900, Beck arranged a European tour. After an extremely successful demonstration at Scotland Yard of his escape from handcuffs and utterly baffling the police, he was booked at the Alhambra Theatre for six months. His salary was even raised to three-hundred dollars a week. A tidy sum for that time!

Lucy moved on to other famous escapes of Houdini, hoping one would help her get them out of this situation. In 1908, he introduced the Milk Can Escape. This included him being handcuffed and sealed inside an oversized milk can filled with water. The act proved to be a sensation, owing mostly to the fact that he had to hold his breath for so long to escape. It was eventually modified to where the can was locked inside a wooden chest, then chained and padlocked. It was a regular act for him for four years, but his brother, Theodore "Dash" Hardeen, performed it into the 1940s.

His most famous act, by far, was the Chinese water torture cell. In this escape, Houdini's feet were locked in stocks, and he was lowered upside down into a tank filled with water. The mahogany and metal cell featured a glass front, through which audiences could clearly see him. The stocks were locked to the top of the cell, and a curtain concealed his escape. In the earliest version of the torture cell, a metal cage was lowered into the cell, and he was enclosed inside that. While making the escape more difficult-the cage prevented him from turning-the cage bars also offered protection should the front glass happen to break. It was called the "Houdini Upside Down" and was first performed in 1912 in Berlin. Houdini performed this stunt until he died in 1926.

Lucy next thought of his escape from a suspended straitjacket. He would be strapped into a regulation straitjacket and suspended by his ankles from a tall building or crane. He would then make his escape in full view of the assembled crowd. Many of the times when he would perform this act, Houdini drew tens of thousands of onlookers who would bring traffic to a halt in the bigger cities. Once in New York, he performed this stunt from a crane being used to build the subway. After flinging his body in the air, he escaped from the straitjacket. Starting from when he was hoisted up in the air by the crane, to when the straitjacket was completely off, it took him two minutes and thirty-seven seconds. There was even film footage in the Library of Congress of him performing the escape.

While these escapes were all notable and amazing, Lucy dismissed them. There were no milk cans, torture cells, or straitjackets confining them, only fear and the threat of death. Both of which were highly motivating factors to their compliance of Flynn's demands and the number one reason to get away, but only after they stopped Flynn from planting his bomb.

How am I going to get us out of this, Lucy asked herself. What do I do??? The solution finally came to her. Harry Houdini was walking beside her. He had so many tricks up his sleeve (forgive the pun) and there was one she was certain would solve their dilemma. She wanted to slap herself. She should've remembered it sooner, she felt. She supposed the stress was finally getting to her, clouding her mind, making it more difficult to process what was happening around her and to come up with a plan of action. A plan that would save them all, hopefully.

Lucy first wanted Houdini to know how much she regretted involving him and explain why he was now in this predicament. "I'm so sorry to get you involved in all of this. These men, they're holding my friends hostage, and I didn't have a choice."

"I suppose it's my fault for wanting to believe you were really a fan," Houdini said. Lucy hated the thought he would think she was a liar. She truly was a fan of his.

"No, I am a fan. I think what you do is amazing." She paused, trying to figure out what to say next. "I got trapped under water once, and it was the most terrifying moment of my life. And you, you lock yourself up to entertain people for a living. How?" Lucy asked. She had no idea how he could confine himself like that and not panic.

"You wanna know the real trick?" Houdini asked. He then continued, "Fear isn't real." How is fear not real? Lucy thought.

"What do you mean?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Fear isn't what's actually happening, it's just your reaction to it." Houdini said. "So I clear my head. Think one, single thought."

"What's the thought?"

"Escape," he said solemnly.

Lucy felt this was her cue to bring up the way they might escape with Flynn and Carl being none the wiser. "You also have this other trick. The Cutpurse, I believe it's called?" She asked as innocently as she could, looking away. "Maybe you could teach it to me sometime." She could see the comprehension on his face. He knew what she was trying to tell him! She wanted to shout with joy, but she kept her cool, not wanting to alert Flynn or Carl they had something up their sleeve, so to speak.

"That's right. I always did love that trick," he said, looking backwards. "I'll do just that."

Flynn's voice interrupted from behind them. "Stop. We're here." He moved to a door in the building to their left and said to Houdini, "You're up." Houdini walked past him and proceeded to pick the lock on the door. When he was finished, he looked to Flynn, swinging the door wide open, his face conveying his dislike of him and the situation, and, also, a bit of defiance.

Flynn wasn't fazed though, he never was. "My friend's gonna stay out here with the girl. You try anything, he kills her," he said as he pulled his gun from his pocket, then walked through the door. Lucy ignored his words. She didn't have the emotional capacity at that moment to deal with anything else.

Houdini looked at her, his expression serious. She nodded, and he gave her a small smile and a quick wink before he followed Flynn inside. Good luck, Harry, she thought as he disappeared. Relief flooded through her. Maybe, just maybe, we'll get out of this. And then we can find Wyatt and Rufus...if it's not already too late. She shuddered at the thought. She felt they still had time to save them. Holmes liked to take his time with his victims, after all. It hadn't been all that long they'd been at the Murder Castle. There was a good chance nothing too horrible had happened to them, not yet anyway.

Now, Lucy had to wait. She was a slightly anxious mess on the inside, but she portrayed a calm exterior. She didn't think she'd be possible of it, but she pulled it off and stood there. I just have to put my faith in Harry. The thought calmed her greatly, because she trusted him wholly, and resigned herself to the fact she had to wait. Lucy hated waiting, she was an impatient person, but there was nothing else she could do. She didn't even look at Carl. Neither seemed in a talking mood, which was perfectly fine with her!

For those of you who might not know, the Cutpurse Trick is just a fancy way to say pickpocket, a sleight-of-hand trick. I'd say it worked out well for them. :)