“I’m very sorry to hear that.”

“I’m not. He was an evil man.”

Francis blinked at her vehemence. “Do—do any of your predictions come true?”

“What makes you think they all don’t?” With a loud snap she set the cards down in front of her. “Well, there’s your answer. You get one question.”

“That wasn’t my question!”

“No?” She burst out laughing. “Well, what is it?”

Without thinking, he blurted, “Would you care to have dinner with me?”

She blushed and shuffled the cards again, set them back down. “I already had some hard-boiled eggs. But thank you.”

“That’s not much of a dinner.”

“I’m not a big eater.”

He leaned across the table. “Well, would you like to go out dancing?”

“Dancing?” Her eyes widened. “What, now?”

“Well, no. But the Casino Restaurant’s open for a few more hours. We could go dancing after supper. Or we could go somewhere else. Sadowski’s, they have a good band plays ragtime.”

“It’s a busy time of day for me.”

“Or the Idle Hour Café, that’s right across the street. I can come back later to pick you up.”

She stared at the cards. “I shouldn’t be out late. Not after last night. My son, Pin…”

“Pin knows how to find his way across the Pike.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” She bit her lower lip, reminding him of when he’d questioned Pin in the station house. Finally, she said, “I’ll do your fortune. Give me your hand.”

He hid his disappointment but obediently put his hand on the table. She took it in both of her own, turning it over to examine it. Frowning, she extended her finger to trace the lines of his palm.

“How many times a day do you do this?” he asked, hoping to break the mood.

“Hush.” She bent over his hand for a long time, at last sat back. “I’ll go with you to the Casino for dinner.”

“What?” He stared at her, confused, and she grinned.

“I just wanted to be sure you weren’t married. Some men, they take off their wedding rings, but you can always tell—”

She tapped the base of his ring finger. “There—the sun never reaches it. So if they wear a ring, you can see where it was, ’cause it’s white.”

She sat back in her chair, pleased with herself. Francis laughed.

“Well, that’s very clever,” he said. He stood, relieved. “Should I come back, say at half past?”

She nodded. “I’ll close up early. Like you said, big crowds today. I’ve been busy. That poor girl…”