Mystery of the Dark Tower (6 page)

Bessie felt so alone. She couldn't tell Eddie everything she knew. He wouldn't understand. But she would tell him just enough so he could help. She whispered some lines from Mr. Hughes's poem.
Ain't got nobody in all this world. Ain't got nobody but ma self
. Now Bessie felt like she knew what that meant as she whispered the poem into the night. She was surely having the weary blues in Harlem.

Early the next morning, Bessie and Eddie sat outside on the stoop.

“Eddie, I don't think Papa is coming home at night,” Bessie said.

“Aunt Nellie s-s-says he leaves early,” Eddie said. “And we g-go to bed b-b-before he gets in, that's all.”

“I don't think so, Eddie. Papa ain't doing right.”

Eddie shook his head. “P-p-papa w-wouldn't do wrong, Bessie.”

“I followed Papa, Eddie, and …” Bessie saw the pain creeping up on Eddie's face.

“A-a-and w-w-what?” he asked her.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell him Papa was hugging a woman the other night. And that when she'd followed him to a party he was hugging other women, too. Eddie was too young to be hurt like that.

“Eddie,” Bessie said. “I don't think Mama is really coming to Harlem. I think Papa and Mama are separated. And you know that lady at the Dark Tower? I think Papa is spending all his time with her. I need you to help me find out where this Dark Tower is and who the woman is.”

Eddie didn't move. Bessie couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. Was she going to have to do this all alone?

Then Bessie heard the clicking of a door behind them. It was Lillian.

“May I sit with you, please?” Lillian asked, as she closed the door behind her.

Bessie wanted to say no. This was private between her and Eddie. But there was something about Lillian that made Bessie feel sorry for her. Maybe it was because she didn't have any friends. “Come on. You can sit down,” Bessie said.

“Thank you very much,” Lillian said. “My mother says that if it is all right with your father, you can come over to supper. If he is back, I will wait here until you ask him.”

Bessie couldn't hold back her tears. She knew crying wasn't going to help, but the mention of Papa made her hurt so badly inside.

“What did I say?” Lillian asked. “I'm sorry. Did something happen to your papa?”

Bessie wiped her eyes. She couldn't cry every time someone mentioned Papa.

“I saw your father leaving this morning, early,” Lillian said. “He was dressed up, and he had a small black satchel with him. Was the woman who picked him up your mother?”

Bessie stared at Lillian. “What woman? Have you ever seen her before?” Bessie asked.

“No,” Lillian said, “I have never seen her. But she was pretty. And she looked like she was very rich.”

“Sh-sh-she is not our m-m-m-mama,” Eddie said loudly. Now he was crying.

Lillian reached into the small beaded purse she carried and handed them each a lace handkerchief. “I'm sorry I made you cry. If it's not your mother, who is it?”

Bessie wished Lillian would go away. She was embarrassed that Lillian had seen her papa with the woman who was taking him away from his family.

Eddie blurted out, “It's P-p-papa's g-g-girlfriend.”

“Eddie!” Bessie said sharply. She couldn't believe Eddie would say that out loud. Sure, that's what Bessie had meant when she said Papa was with another woman. But she didn't want to hear anyone
say
it. She was sure Lillian wouldn't want anything to do with them now.

“I am sorry. Really, I am,” Lillian said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Really?” Bessie asked. “You still want to be our friend?”

“Of course,” Lillian said. Bessie knew then that Lillian could be trusted.

“Do you think you can help us find the woman you saw picking my papa up?” Bessie asked. “If I find her, maybe I can find my papa. I saw him outside with a woman one night. She was very tall.” Bessie still could not bring herself to tell them that she had seen Papa hugging the woman.

“I bet it's the same woman,” Lillian said. “Was she in a black automobile?”

“Yes! It was shiny, with a lot of silver things on it,” Bessie said. “I couldn't see her that well, though.”

“When I saw her, she had on a lot of diamonds and gold, with a mink stole over her shoulder,” Lillian said excitedly. “She must be very rich. Do you know anything else about the woman?”

“No, except that she spends time at a place called the Dark Tower,” Bessie said. “Sometimes she and Papa must stay there. Papa pretends to go to work, but he's really spending time with that woman. Do you want to help us find her?”

“I'd be honored,” Lillian said.

“You're a really good friend, Lillian,” Bessie said.

A look of happiness sprang up on Lillian's face. Bessie realized it must have been tough for Lillian to be in a strange place for three years without friends.

“
Best
friends?” Lillian asked.

“You promise you won't tell anyone about Papa?” Bessie asked.

“Not anyone,” Lillian said. “I promise.”

“Then, yes, we can be best friends. Let's cross on it,” Bessie said.

“Splendid.” Lillian held out her pinkie.

“I-I-I'll cross, too,” Eddie said. They all three linked their pinkies and made a vow of secrecy.
Lillian is the strangest-talking best friend I've ever had
, Bessie thought. But it felt good to find a friend in Harlem.

C
HAPTER
5

C
AUGHT

“I'm gonna sneak into Papa's room,” Bessie said after she and Eddie had gone back inside. “Maybe he has something in there that will help us figure out who the woman is. I need you to be a lookout.” Bessie knew that if Papa caught her in his room going through his private things, he would be madder than a raccoon caught in a trap. And Bessie would surely get a whipping.

“Stay right outside,” Bessie said. “And if you hear anyone coming up the stairs, just open the door real quiet-like and whisper to me.”

Bessie sneaked into the room. She gave one last look to Eddie stretched out on the landing, peering down over the banister. “Stay alert,” she whispered.

Inside Papa's room, Bessie panicked. It didn't feel right to be going through Papa's personal things. But she needed to know what he was up to.

Bessie looked around the room. The bed was just as Bessie had left it, the string in place, unbroken, and the bedspread hanging crooked. If Papa did come home last night, he must have just changed his clothes and gone right back out.

A pair of Papa's work pants were folded on a chair near the door. His work boots were sitting at the foot of the bed. Papa never did any work without those brogans on. There was no chifforobe in this room, so Papa kept his clothes in a suitcase. Bessie dragged the suitcase from behind the bed and opened it.

She sat on the floor and started taking things out, one at a time. On top were Papa's clean work clothes. Bessie knew every piece of Papa's and Mama's clothes. One of her chores back home was to help Mama on wash day. She stirred the clothes in the washtub for Mama, and she helped Mama pin the clothes on the wire clotheslines Papa had put up between the house and the barn. Bessie loved helping Mama on wash day. It made her feel more grown up.

A few of the shirts in Papa's suitcase were speckled with paint. Bessie picked up a white shirt. There were paint spots on it, too. Bessie couldn't remember Papa painting anything around the house with the colors on the shirt. She smelled the shirts. They were Papa's, all right. He always smelled spicy like cinnamon water, a mixture he made for himself.

Bessie pulled out a brown paper bag. Her hand shook as she lifted it from the suitcase. It looked like the bag that man had handed Papa at the rent party—Papa's secret.

Bessie emptied the contents onto the floor in front of her. Eight small tins spilled out. Bessie opened one. She smelled it. It was just some kind of paint. There were also a few different-sized paintbrushes. They didn't look like Papa's, though. Papa's paintbrushes back home were either big bulky things or plain wood-handled brushes. These were as small as pencils. Bessie picked one up. The brushes were attached to pretty wood handles with gold engraved bands.

Bessie tapped one of the paintbrushes on the suitcase as she thought. Why did the man give these to Papa? And what kind of secret could this be? Paint and paintbrushes? It didn't make sense.

Bessie's eyes wandered back to the suitcase. She spotted a gold envelope sticking out between some shirts. Two words were written on the front of the envelope—
Dark Tower
. Her fingers trembled as she slid the envelope out. She opened the flap and pulled out a thin sheet of notepaper.

Bessie swallowed hard. Did she dare read Papa's mail? She had to—maybe it held the answer to where Papa was. As she read the note, her breath left her body like a bird swooping away.

Dear Ed
,

Glad you've taken my advice about staying with me at the Tower. It'll make things much easier for us
.

Love,

A
.    

Bessie felt sick. Here was the proof that Papa had left them for the woman at the Dark Tower. How could this happen? Bessie squeezed the note in her hand. Every part of her body felt like it was on fire. How could Papa do this to Mama? It wasn't right. And it wasn't like Papa.

Bessie felt so mad at Papa it hurt. Then suddenly it came to her that maybe it wasn't all Papa's fault. Papa wouldn't just walk off and leave his children, would he? Didn't he bring Bessie and Eddie with him to Harlem? No, the only way Papa would do something like this was if someone put a conjure on him. Bessie knew she needed to find this Miss A. woman and break her spell.

Bessie stuffed the note from Miss A. into her pocket. She had just begun folding everything back into the suitcase when the door creaked open.

Bessie jumped up.

“B-B-Bessie—” Eddie said, peeping inside, alarm on his face.

It was too late. Bessie could hear footsteps at the top of the stairs. She quickly pulled Eddie into the room. She flung the last shirt into the suitcase.

The footsteps were outside the door. Bessie expected the door to fly open any second. She pushed Eddie under the bed and scooted after him. Bessie pulled the bedspread down so it hid them from sight. But the footsteps continued on past Papa's room.

Bessie cupped her hand over Eddie's ear so her whisper wouldn't carry. “Was it Papa?”

“I-I-I d-d-don't know,” Eddie whispered back to her.

“Shhhhh,” Bessie said as she heard the door of Papa's room squeak open.

The footsteps moved to where Bessie had left the suitcase. She swallowed. She had been in such a hurry, she had forgotten to close the suitcase and stand it back against the wall behind the bed.

Bessie heard the sound of the suitcase lid thudding shut. Then the tapping of a foot. The footsteps came closer and closer to the bed. Bessie wished she had left enough room between the bedspread's hem and the floor so she could peep out. Did she dare lift the bedspread up?

Then Bessie felt Eddie shifting behind her. Not a lot, but enough to hear the swishing sound of his pajamas on the hardwood floor. Bessie couldn't risk moving to signal him to be still. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that if it was Papa, he wouldn't hear. Bessie could hear the person's shallow breathing. Whoever it was was still in the room. But the person hadn't moved for a while. Bessie wished she could see what was happening.

The footsteps sounded again, heading for the door. Bessie heard the door creaking, and then shutting. She breathed a sigh of relief. Finally she and Eddie could sneak back into their room.

“
Achoo. Aaaaaaachhooooo,
” Eddie sneezed. “I-I-I'm sorry,” he quickly whispered.

The door opened again.
Boom, boom, boom
. Three steps and the person was at the bedspread. Bessie could barely make out a shadow, but it had to be Papa. Aunt Nellie wouldn't walk across the room in three giant steps.
Oh, no
, Bessie thought. Maybe she should peep out now to see. But it was too late. A wrinkled brown hand lifted up the bedspread.

Bessie stared at thick-soled black shoes. Then her eyes followed the trail to the bulky brown stockings tied in a knot just below the knees.

“Just what are you two doing under that bed?” the woman said. “Get out from under there this minute!
You
don't belong in here.”

Bessie crawled out. Eddie followed. It was Aunt Esther. Bessie had seen her at Grandma's funeral, bossing everyone around.

“Look at you children with all that dust on you. What are you doing snooping in this room, anyway?”

“Good morning, Aunt Esther,” Bessie said, dusting her clothes off.