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“It’s too hard for me to get there from Chinatown,” Ling said.
“We could meet at the Winthrop,” Evie suggested.
“White folks can meet at the Winthrop,” Memphis said tightly with a glance to Ling, who nodded.
“Swell. We’re the only Diviner ghost service in town without a meeting place,” Sam said, tugging on the brim of his fisherman’s cap.
“We can use the rehearsal room in the building on Twenty-eighth Street where David and I compose. It’s noisy, but it’s cheap,” Henry said.
“This afternoon, we meet up in Tin Pan Alley, at Henry’s spot,” Evie said.
“Memphis, I’m beat,” Isaiah said, stifling a yawn.
“Just a minute, Ice Man.”
Memphis trotted after Theta. “Theta,” he called, but she didn’t stop. Memphis held her arm gently. “Theta. Talk to me. Please?”
He slipped his fingers through hers. “Careful,” she said, but Memphis held on.
“You’re not gonna hurt me. You’re not,” he insisted.
“Now you know what’s inside me.”
“Yeah. The girl I love.”
“You know what I mean.”
“So what? I don’t care about that.”
“But you will. One day you’ll look at me and you won’t feel safe.”
“No. I won’t. I love you. That won’t change.”
Theta’s resolve was falling apart. If she told Memphis the truth about Roy, he’d want to stand up to Roy. And then Roy would hurt Memphis. Maybe more than hurt him. She had to end it decisively. Burn it all down. Make him hate her. That was the only way to keep him from coming back. That was the only way to keep him safe.
Theta drew on every bit of her acting skills. “It ain’t that. It’s you and me. We live in different worlds.”
“Hasn’t stopped us yet.”
Theta forced a coldness into her voice. “Things have changed. I’ve got a contract with Vitagraph. I’m going to be a star. I can’t risk that on you. Sorry, Poet. We had a good run.”
The hurt showed on Memphis’s face like a bruise, and Theta wanted to snatch back every word. She was breaking inside. “Theta? What are you saying?”
“I think I’ve been clear. You and I are over. It’s been over for some time. I’m sure you could feel it. I… I just didn’t know how to tell you. Honestly, I’m glad it’s out now. It’s better this way.”
Memphis turned his face up toward the sky, nodding slowly. The back of his throat ached with bitterness. He’d opened himself wide. He’d taken her as she was and asked no more. But none of that was enough. None of it was bigger than skin. Whoever said love conquers all was a fool.
“You’ll love again,” Theta said, as if it were nothing.
“Not like this.”
“Memphis! I’m tired!” Isaiah called. He was nearly falling down with exhaustion. Once again, Memphis was caught between worlds—the living and the dead, his brother and his girl, duty and desire. Love. And hate. Above him, the stars were fading behind New York City’s perpetual hazy glow.
Maybe he’d been wrong about Theta. Maybe she was a killer after all.
“Memphis?” she said, soft and aching, and for just a minute Memphis wanted to believe that she still loved him. That this was a bad dream. But he was starting to wake up about the world, about real nightmares.
He was still holding her hand, he realized. He dropped it now. “You know what? When I said you could never hurt me, I
