Ephemia Rimaldi, page 14
Wasn’t that what Effy had wanted all along? Why did her heart still feel as if it was tied to a bag of rocks? “But Balally . . . ”
“You think so low of me that I’d steal your trust fund, and then steal a sapphire from one of my own performers?” Phineas’s shoulders slumped.
“How did you get the money for back wages and bonuses?” Effy was doing her best to keep up. If Phineas didn’t steal the sapphire, then . . . then . . . She became so lost in this puzzle, Effy almost missed Phineas’s next words.
“I’ve sold the circus,” Phineas said. He slumped his head on the table.
The tall man poked his head inside the door. “Sorry to interrupt, but the cook wants to know . . . ”
Before the tall man could finish his sentence, Effy ducked between him and the ringmaster and ran for the elephant pen. She climbed inside the pen and flopped on a bale of hay. More fat drops of rain fell and mixed with the hot, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Effy’s throat closed as she swallowed.
Think, Effy, think. Use your reason and stick to the facts. She held her hand in front of her and started counting fingers.
First finger: Cuthbert lost the ring when he’d gone inside the tent for only a moment.
Second finger: Balally hadn’t made a sound, which she always did, even if she was greeting a friend.
Third finger: Cuthbert didn’t see anyone near the pen when he searched for the ring.
Effy waggled her pinky finger. She had thoroughly searched the carnival grounds and the grass field. The ring went somewhere. It didn’t disappear.
She looked up at the tree branches and remembered how Balally loved reaching up and plucking leaves, one by one. For a second, the setting sun tried bursting through the cloud cover. A single ray shone through the branches.
Among the golden leaves, a blue stone flashed in its light.
Chapter 26: The Ride of the Valkyrie
The bicycle leaned against the canvas wall of the circus tent. The circus workers ignored Effy. They were busy driving extra stakes into the flapping big top before the wind tore up the carnival ground. Sawdust flew everywhere, and Effy’s eyes itched and burned. She jumped on the wooden bike and pedalled as fast as she could.
That dratted bike—its wooden wheels wobbled and stuck as rain began pelting down, turning the ground into mud.
“Where are you going?” shouted Madam Vadoma.
“She’s riding like a Valkyrie straight out of the sky,” said Miss Dot.
Effy gripped the handles of the velocipede as its wooden wheels dug into wet grass and muck. As she steered onto the path, wet leaves tumbled from the trees and stuck to her face. Soon her stockings were soaked from splashing through puddles.
Effy found that as long as she kept pedalling, she could keep her bike balanced. Gaining any worthwhile speed was the tricky part. She lumbered along the rutted trail until it forked into two pathways. Effy kept pedalling until she pulled up at the railway station. A steam whistle blew in the distance, and Effy pushed the last ounce of her strength into those pedals.
In a hiss of steam and the squeal of metal against metal, the train pulled into the station. Charcoal smoke poured between the wheels and the train track.
“Stop!” Effy rode up to the elephant wagon. “Don’t load Balally onto the boxcar.” She dropped the heavy bicycle and bent over, trying to catch her breath.
“It’s no use,” Cuthbert said wearily. He stood in the rain beside the wagon. His face was streaked with dust and tears. “I . . . I’ve tried everything to talk them out of sending Balally away.”
“But—” Effy wheezed.
“Sorry, nephew. But our beautiful Balally is lost to us now.” Mr. Amal climbed down from the wagon, lifted his hand, and rested it on Cuthbert’s shoulder.
Effy plucked the sapphire ring from her pocket. “I think our thief was Balally herself. She must have spotted the shiny trinket on the stool and picked it up with her trunk. Then she left it hanging on a branch above the pen.”
The sapphire’s light lit the uncle’s face. He grinned. Effy handed Mr. Amal his ring. He immediately flashed it under the noses of the workmen. “Hold off, good gentlemen, and let me secure a kingly sum for this ring. I can reward you.”
The townsman with the handlebar moustache hesitated in the middle of climbing back into the wagon. He eyed the ring. “It looks purty, but how do I know what it’s worth?”
“I can tell you,” said another man. He walked from the waiting area to the train platform. “There’s a jeweller in town, and I was assisting him. He’s been here settling an estate.”
He pulled a jeweller’s loupe out of the pocket of his wrinkled jacket and placed it on his eye. He stared at the ring. His other eye widened. “This is a doozy, worth a fortune. Get yourself to the town’s bank lickety-split. The jeweller’s packing up and heading out on this train.”
“Cuthbert, you need to do this.” The uncle sat on a nearby bench. “I cannot,” he wheezed, “catch my breath.”
“Climb on the back of my bicycle,” Effy told Cuthbert. “We’ll ride to town.”
Cuthbert shook his head. “I’ve seen you ride. I want to stay in one piece. Uncle, we need more time.”
The old elephant handler looked up at the workers in the wagon. “There will be a tidy bonus for you, once I sell the ring. Just don’t load my elephant on the train.”
The other townsman jumped off the wagon and tipped his cap. “At your service, Mister.”
“Not so fast,” said the man with the handlebar moustache. “This elephant is supposed to go out on this train in fifty minutes. I’ve got the papers that say so.” A sly look crossed his brow. “But if actual money greased my hand, I suppose I could take a bit of time loading her in the box car. But hurry.”
Lightning lit the sky with blinding whiteness. Then thunder crashed, splitting Effy’s ears. Balally thrashed against her chains, pulling one out, and she knocked one side of the wagon down in an angry stomp.
“We need to get my elephant under cover,” said Mr. Amal.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” said the man with the moustache.
“Effy, we’d better hurry.” With his mouth set in a line of grim determination, Cuthbert climbed on the back of her bicycle.
Effy ignored the aches in every square inch of her body and started pedalling. Cuthbert only gasped once as they wobbled onto the path. Looking up, fat raindrops splattered against her face. A fork of lightning lit up the darkening sky, and thunder crashed. Effy’s ears rang.
Effy pedalled toward the sinking sun that flushed like a splotch of blood in the cloud-covered sky. Her legs strained against the stiff block pedals. Her lungs stung as every breath burned its way down. Gradually, the dirt road widened, and the velocipede gained more speed, as the wheels spat up gravel and stones instead of muck.
Small cedar-shake houses dotted the street and then gave way to a few brick buildings ahead. People gathered at their white picket fences. She spotted Sofia, who waved to her as she rode by.
“That bicycle has plum set you free,” Sofia hollered. Then she began running after them. Effy checked over her shoulder and let out a surprised squawk. She and Cuthbert had gathered their own parade along the way. In the distance, she saw a horse-drawn circus wagon closing in. Madame Vadoma, Miss Mabel, Mr. Jefferson, and, Effy’s eyes widened, Phineas, were waving frantically.
Effy pedalled past the general store, past a church with a steeple, and past a barber shop with a wooden sign in the window, saying: teeth pulled; bullet removal; whisky; and a shave for five cents. When they reached the bank, Effy dropped the bicycle with a hard crash.
Trees surrounded the building, and their thrashing branch es shook. Leaves scattered in the rising wind. The sun was barely a white wisp in the dark grey horizon. Effy and Cuthbert burst through the heavy oak doors of the bank.
A man at the counter in a bowler hat and checkered suit snapped shut his leather case.
Effy caught her breath. “Are you the jeweller who’s leaving town?”
The man’s cigar wobbled in his mouth. “I am.” He scowled at Effy. “But I’m done here. I have a train to catch.” Cuthbert pulled the star sapphire out of his deep pocket and placed it on the marble counter. The jeweller’s bushy grey eyebrows shot up.
“What have we got here,” he said, as a puff of stinky cigar smoke blew in Effy’s face.
Chapter 27: Setting Things Right
Beneath the haze of cigar smoke, the star sapphire blinked under the new buzzing electric light. The star grew inside the blue gem, and when the sapphire blazed, Effy felt it was the most beautiful ring she’d ever laid eyes on. She also felt dizzy, and she lurched and grabbed a railing.
“This is a very valuable ring,” Effy sputtered between coughs.
“It’s a blue star sapphire,” Cuthbert said. “It was found in Ceylon, and its star is perfectly formed. So it’s very valuable.”
“Like I said,” Effy added.
“So you did.” The jeweller looked impressed, with the sapphire, not with Effy in particular. He picked up the star sapphire and stared at it through the magnifying glass of his jeweller’s loupe.
“So, where did a little boy and girl get such a fancy ring?” He eyed them suspiciously.
Effy pulled her gaze away from the banker’s clock on the wall—tick-tock-time was running out. “Why do you want to know?” she asked in her best imitation of Aunt Ada’s disap proving voice.
“Nuthin’, never mind, snoopy questions are bad for business.” The jeweller took the ring behind a glass door while Cuthbert and Effy waited . . . and waited. The manager and a curious bank clerk came out of their offices and stood by the counter. The clock kept ticking forward, and with every minute, Balally would be led toward the train—the poor elephant must be terrified. Also, each ticking minute they were trying to save Balally, Madelene and her family was sitting on hard benches in the courthouse, or worse, staring out at the world from behind bars.
Effy hoped the Yolandas could hang on a while longer. “Save Balally,” Madelene had told her. That’s what Effy would do first—she swayed and grabbed the edge of the counter. If only the room would stop spinning.
Finally, the jeweller came back.
“Some star sapphires are cursed,” he said flatly. He put the star sapphire on the marble counter and shoved it toward Effy and Cuthbert.
“Nonsense,” said Effy.
“I told you,” Cuthbert whispered in Effy’s ear.
“Just because somebody believes it, doesn’t make it so,” Effy shot back.
“Not that I’m superstitious,” said the jeweller in the bowler hat, “but a cursed ring doesn’t bring as good a return on my investment.” He shook his head, but his eyes held a greedy gleam, and he kept a steady gaze on Cuthbert’s ring.
The jeweller let out a puff of stinky cigar smoke, and the cigar wobbled between his lips as he said, “I’ll pay you fifty dollars. That’s my best offer under the likely cursed circum stances.”
Effy knew he was just trying to drive a hard bargain.
“That’s not the gem’s worth,” said Cuthbert. He turned to Effy. “We can’t pay our passage and buy our elephant back from the circus.
A customer reached from behind and rang the service bell. Effy refused to take her eyes off the slippery jeweller when the customer hit the bell again, harder. The jeweller looked up and paled. The cigar slipped from his mouth and fell on the marble floor.
“Perhaps I can make you a better offer.” This time the jeweller sounded as if his words had been dipped in honey.
Effy turned around. Phineas stood right behind her, his ringmaster’s whip belted against his thigh. Mr. Jefferson stood behind him. Miss Mabel and Madam Vadoma and Miss Dot had gathered at the open door. Beyond the door, Effy spotted Sophia and Mrs. Winterbottom, and perhaps half the town.
As soon as the jeweller handed Cuthbert an envelope of cash, the train whistle blew. Cuthbert raced for the door. “We have to hurry.”
Effy’s trusty legs, which had pedalled her bicycle past the railway station and to the bank, gave up on her. She crumbled slowly toward the ground.
Phineas scooped her up, but Effy squirmed out of his arms. “We have to save Balally now. The train will be pulling out of the station any minute.”
“Everyone, get in the wagon,” bellowed Phineas.
Had Phineas just agreed with her, or was Effy twisting the words in her aching head? Certainly, everything else was circling around as if she was on a carousel. Effy was happy not to have to climb back on the bicycle. Her wobbly knees barely held true.
She swayed again. Madame Vadoma put a steadying arm on Effy as she climbed into the wagon. Effy brushed it away.
“You’re right, Mabel,” said Madame Vadoma, “this one’s orneriness has put a rod up her backbone. She’s as determined as they come, her father through and through.”
“No,” said Miss Dot. “Effy is stubborn, but she hasn’t locked her heart away in a cash box.”
Phineas harrumphed, but Miss Dot glared back at him. Then she and Cuthbert, Madame Vadoma, Mr. Jefferson, and Miss Mabel all piled in the wagon behind Effy. Phineas shook the reins and the wagon lurched forward. Effy leaned into the ample shoulder of Miss Mabel, who patted her arm, saying, dearie. You look completely spent.”
As if Effy was the one in need of any comfort. All she could see behind her closed eyes was Balally flailing her trunk and trumpeting for help. The train whistle shrieked. As they pulled up to the train platform, Effy’s heart leaped into her throat. The townsmen were loading Balally into a boxcar. Balally thrashed against her chains, her eyes rolled back.
“No!” Effy’s heart banged in her chest, and she suddenly found a new spurt of energy. She and Cuthbert jumped out of the wagon and hit the ground before the wagon wheels had even stopped spinning. They raced toward the men.
“We have the money to ship Balally back to Ceylon.” Effy waved her arms. Cuthbert pulled a handful of dollar bills out of the envelope and waved them, which caught the moustache man’s attention.
“Hold off, now!” he shouted to the other men.
The train conductor looked at his pocket watch and blew his whistle several times. “All aboard or be left in the dust.” When nobody moved, he glared at them.
Phineas stepped up. “There have been terrible train accidents when an elephant is spooked. You might want to delay for a few minutes.”
Effy recognized the pesky conductor. He was all about the rules. She pointed to Phineas and said, “You’d best listen to my father.”
The conductor’s eyes darted from Phineas to Effy and back again. “He really does carry a whip,” said the conductor, in a shaky voice.
He scurried off to notify the engineer.
“We sold the sapphire, Uncle. We can save Balally and break the curse.” Cuthbert handed the money envelope over to his uncle.
“There was no curse,” Effy said under her breath and to no one in particular.
“You did say something about a bonus if we forget about these papers?” the townsman in the hat asked.
The man with the handlebar moustache elbowed him in the ear. “Er, not that we can be bribed.” He gulped.
Effy turned around. Phineas stood behind her, his arms crossed.
“You don’t have to worry, the ringmaster is here to save Balally,” said Effy. “He’ll take care of this.”
Phineas widened his eyes. “Well, I suppose I will. Load the elephant onto the wagon and take her back to the circus, until I sign over her papers.” He turned to Cuthbert’s uncle. “I’m sure Mr. Amal and I can agree on a price.”
“No.” Effy stepped between the handler and Phineas. “They shouldn’t have to pay a penny to get their elephant back.”
Phineas stared at her for several heartbeats. He sighed. “I suppose not paying the elephant’s keep any longer will be compensation enough. That beast ate its weight in hay every livelong day.”
Mr. Amal hugged the ringmaster. Phineas almost dropped to the ground in surprise. He quickly pulled out of the embrace, but Effy saw his lips twitch in an upward motion.
“The curse truly is broken,” Cuthbert’s uncle told Effy, “whether or not you believe in curses.”
Something had changed, this was true. Effy decided it was what Aunt Ada always called a rare moment of people coming together.
Cuthbert rushed to calm Balally as they backed her away from the boxcar.
“We must get her well away and fast,” said the old handler. “A train in motion is a terrifying thing for an elephant to behold.”
Because it’s like a great giant beast, thought Effy. That belches steam and roars.
They quickly loaded Balally onto the wagon. Cuthbert patted his friend’s trunk and told her, “Just a little longer, girl, and soon you will never be in chains again. You will roam where your heart desires. You will be free.”
Free. Madelene! Effy smacked her forehead. “Ouch. We have to get back to the jail and fetch the Great Yolandas.”
Once more, Effy insisted on accompanying Phineas as he and the other performers bombarded the constable’s office and demanded the release of their fellow performers. As Effy waited on the hard bench in the constabulary, Miss Mabel put a cool hand on her brow.
“This girl’s running a fever,” she told Phineas. He frowned.
When Madelene and her brother and their mother strode in, Effy noted the jaunty thrust of Madelene’s jaw, and how she squared her shoulders and marched triumphantly. “Did you save Balally?” she asked.
Effy managed to nod, even though nothing else on her body seemed to be cooperating any longer.
“Told you we didn’t steal anything,” Madelene snapped back at the constable, once she was safely out the door.
