Jenna’s mouth had dried out like thistle-down, all the liquid in her body rushing to her palms, which she wiped unsteadily on her trousers. “Yes. I agree. I’m coming with you, Noah.” The detective started to protest. “No, hear me out! I can identify him faster than you can. If he’s giving a lecture, there’ll be a crowd, which means I can watch without him noticing me. If he’s the right man, we can trace him to where he lives, maybe even find Ianira there.”
Noah’s lips thinned. Clearly the detective wanted to argue. Then a sigh broke loose. “You’re right, dammit. But I don’t like putting you in harm’s way for any reason.”
“I’ll go armed,” Jenna muttered. “For bear.”
“I, too, will go,” Marcus interjected. “Mrs. Mindel has offered to watch the girls if I ever need to leave them alone. Ianira is my wife. I will go to search for her.”
Again, the detective clearly considered arguing, then gave in. “All right,” Noah groused. “If things do get sticky, another gun hand will be welcome. God knows, you learned quickly enough when I gave you those shooting lessons after that mess in Colorado.”
“You taught me well,” Marcus said quietly. “I have not forgotten how to use the revolver I bought in Chicago.”
Noah nodded. “We’ll all go armed. And we’ll need better clothes than these. The Egyptian Hall is a respectable place. If we show up in East End castoffs, they might not even let us through the door.”
Jenna frowned. “The only good suit I’ve got is what I was wearing the night the gate opened. It’s got bloodstains all over it. The last thing I want to do is show my face in public with blood on my clothes. Somebody’ll take me for Jack the Ripper. I had decent stuff in my luggage, but I had to abandon all my baggage at the Picadilly Hotel.”