Podmore, P.I. - Part 25: The Conclusion
Chicago, 1926. A new day dawns, new lives begin, and a story ends. I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have.
* * *
The radio crackled as Gawain turned the dial. The police department's ear on the news was a little rusty, taking some careful voodoo to find a station that would hold. Soon they had it, though, and the smooth and cultured voice of Sloane Vaisey filled the room.
"...and arrests are being made left and right. The whole city continues to buzz, and who knows what may be done tomorrow...or indeed in the next hour? Stay tuned here for more, and while we hunt down the news, you relax and enjoy the music as I turn the studio over to Ted Tonks and the Sunshine Music Hour."
"Thanks, Sloane!" the familiar male voice chimed in, but Gawain was already turning it down. The music was fine as background noise, but this was a busy afternoon at the police department - extremely busy.
"All right...all right, who do we have that hasn't been arrested?" Assistant District Attorney Douglas Cornfoot had suddenly found himself at the lead of the case, and couldn't seem to decide if he was happy or just frantic. He knew for sure that this was going to be his material for running for DA in the fall, though, and that meant getting absolutely everything picture-perfect. Between this and the birth of his son, 1926 was shaping up into a passable year despite how deeply he felt the loss of his cousin Benjy.
"Oo, me!" Gumboil called out, waving his hand in a parody of an eager schoolboy. "Pick me, pick me!"
Cornfoot rolled his eyes. "Go pick up Malfoy," he said. "There's nothing I can make a charge stick with, but I want his cohorts to think I've got something. I might not be able to get him, but I can at least get some of them."
That was the one part of the matter that still didn't quite sit right with Robards. Benjamin Fenwick would be getting his justice; Barty Crouch Jr. had been absolutely eager to confess. His tale had been remarkably unsettling in the telling, and Robards was glad that his prosecution would be handled at the federal level. He had seen enough of what Crouch could do, and he didn't want to spend any more time with it than necessary. He didn't like how slim the odds were that Lucius Malfoy would pay for Dorcas Meadowes's death, though. She was his case, and that slippery eel sliding out of yet another conviction just made Robards angry.
That wasn't something he could do anything about today, though, so when Nora showed up with a fringed dress and a smile he was more than glad to sign out and join her in a trip down to the bar. It sounded like half the world was going to be at the Hogshead for celebration this evening, anyway. If they weren't there for the party, they'd be there just to catch up on the gossip.
Sturgis Podmore was definitely there, going shot for shot with Edgar Bones while Edgar's wife Cally laughed at them both. The shift was over, and for once they'd actually managed to do some real good in the world. That was worthy of a celebration, and who cared that it was barely five o'clock? Podmore sure as hell didn't. If there was one perk of running his own show, it was that he made his own hours - and if there was one perk of Prohibition, it was that since the bars were already illegal, they went ahead and stayed illegally open all hours of the day and night.
Podmore didn't like that Lucius Malfoy was likely to get away with Dorcas Meadowes's murder, either. He wasn't giving up hope, though. Someday, that tricky bastard was going to slip up - and with the people who protected him out of the way, maybe next time they'd be able to get him. In the meantime, he'd accept everybody's congratulations for what he was able to do.
Edgar's secretary had come along, and she appeared to be having a grand time torturing Moody by flirting with him. A few of her friends had come along, too - Gwen and Georgie, which made Podmore wonder if they had some rule about needing a name that started with G and a secretarial position to hang out with them. The bottle-blonde one had gotten up to dance with Mac, while Black was checking out the one with the pretty blue eyes from the stage. The band had been in a mood to start early too, tonight - and if Black was already trying to pick out the girl of the night, he was starting early in more ways than one. The drummer was back on his feet, too, Podmore noted - he wasn't playing yet, but he did have a table in the corner with a brunette in a nurse's uniform and an easy smile on his face.
Everybody seemed to be in that kind of mood. It made Podmore wish he could stick around - almost. He still had a few things left to see to before he could call this done.
He slipped out of the bar quietly, letting the sounds of jazz and conversation fade behind him. He'd see all these people again. There would be plenty more chances to talk to them. There were some others, though, whom he might not see.
The sun set over Chicago, an end to one day and the beginning of another. Riddle was gone. Crouch was gone. There was going to be a battle royal for who would next take control of the city. Probably just a new bunch of assholes, if Podmore had to guess. He'd done something about it, though. Even if it wasn't enough, it was a start. Sometimes a start was all anybody needed.
Like with Chloe Wilkes and Regulus Black. Here they were at the train station, and the detective's observant eye already caught that she was wearing an engagement ring on her finger. With him out of jail and her out of trouble, they were all set for a new beginning. It was nice to see.
Podmore was distracted by these thoughts by the appearance of Celeste Lestrange, rolling up in a brand new LaSalle convertible with her brother behind the wheel. He had to wonder what kind of shape the two of them were going to be in with everything that was going down. Celeste was shrewd behind those full red lips and pricey shoes, though; he had a feeling she'd bounce.
Indeed, Celeste knew for sure that she, Rabbit, and Chloe were going to be just fine. She had seen to that, and in the end that was all she really cared about. Now she just wanted to say goodbye to her friends - odds were that she wasn't ever going to see them again, or if she did it would be a long time from now.
He couldn't hear their conversation, but the detective saw Celeste hug Chloe and then allow Regulus to take her hand for a moment. Nothing so vulgar as shaking, of course - just a gentle press of the fingers. And then, as if she had known exactly where to find him, Celeste turned and began walking toward the detective.
By the time she got to him, she had already opened her purse. "Excellent work, Detective," she declared. "You were worth every penny I paid you, and the rest of this, too." The cash was handed over; he counted it.
"This is more'n you--"
"Lying to keep Chloe out of prison was more than you signed on for," Celeste said, cutting him off. "The house might always win, but I'm a fair dealer."
Podmore needed the money, so he wasn't going to argue with her. "Thanks," he said. "Good workin' for ya."
"I doubt if we'll ever meet again," Celeste breezily replied, her purse snapping shut. "Rabbit and I are off for the Continent. Should you ever find yourself in Paris, though..." She smirked, and she winked at him. "Look me up."
He knew he wouldn't be seeing her in Paris, but he watched her walk away just the same. He was only human, after all, and it wasn't often that gams like those strolled into his life. Another woman walking out of his life - nothing new there but the view. His look gave time for Regulus and Chloe to approach from the side just as Celeste was getting in the Buick. Apparently they wanted to bid him farewell, too.
"I can't thank you enough, Mr. Podmore," Chloe said. She held Regulus's hand as they said their very last goodbye before getting on the train that would take them all the way out to California. While the main threats against them in Chicago were gone, there were still plenty left; better to get out of town while the getting was good. Besides, there was a whole world out there to see, and new things getting started up all the time on the West Coast. It was a good time and place to begin a fresh life, as well.
The detective shrugged. "I didn't do that much," he said. "You did most of the shootin'. I was just along for the ride."
But Chloe shook her head. "Without you, Mr. Podmore, there wouldn't have been a ride at all."
"She's right," Regulus agreed. "We owe you, regardless of what Celeste might've paid. If there's anything we can do--"
"What you can do is stay outta trouble from now on," he told them, giving a crooked grin. "Find a good legal line of work, have some kids or something."
Chloe smiled back at him, and shared just a brief glance with Regulus. "That you can count on." The two of them were still holding hands as they boarded the train.
Once again, Sturgis Podmore was left to stand alone, thinking. It had been a long week - a long month - hell, a long few years. He'd lost friends again, gotten his arm nearly shot off, and had been put in the really lousy position of owing his life to a 19 year old society girl and his ex-wife's irritating-as-hell husband.
But he'd done some good, hadn't he? He'd started off the chain that got a huge dent put in the city's corruption. He'd helped take down Tom Riddle. He'd seen Dylan Selwyn carried off in cuffs. He'd get to ride down to Indiana and tell Greta Fenwick that she didn't have to be scared anymore, that her husband was getting justice, and that she and her kid could go on with their lives. He'd kept Chloe Wilkes alive, watched the pawn get promoted to Queen, and he'd fulfilled his mission: get Regulus Black out of jail. And now, Chloe and Regulus were sailing off into the sunset together and he had a nice chunk of cash to get him through to the next job.
"I love happy endings."
The thought was his, but he hadn't said it, and the detective jumped at having his reverie suddenly broken by his own notions. A breeze blew through, ruffling his hair a little with the first cool air he'd felt in weeks, and Podmore turned around to find his secretary once more standing silently behind him.
"Didn't I tell ya to quit doin' that?" he asked, but his voice held none of its usual note of annoyance. A flicker of mischief turned up one corner of his mouth, and he gave his secretary a good long look. It was a look that held a little bit of amusement, a little more affection, and a little bit of the carnal desire that he had always pushed aside when it came to Sully. She was the one woman who hadn't walked away...maybe just because she was the only one he hadn't deliberately pushed into it.
"Doin' what, Boss?" Her head tilted just a little to the side, and when she was suddenly tipped back and his lips met hers, it was finally her turn to be startled - and then very, very happy. Her arms slipped around his neck, and rather than question fortune she simply took it as it came and kissed him back for all she was worth.
Tomorrow, the detective decided, he could make his trip to Hogsmeade, Indiana. And this time, he wouldn't be going it alone.