Free The Magnificent Lizzie Brown and the Mysterious Phantom by Vicki Lockwood Page A

inside, she knew it had been something more. And by the looks on their faces, the others clearly thought so too.
    * * *
    Early the next day, when Lizzie went to meet Madame Aurora, the first thing that greeted her was a low groan from inside the tent.
    Pa used to sound like that , she thought to herself. After a night of drinking, he’d spend the morning nursing his aching head. It was best to be as quiet as you could around adults with hangovers — she’d learned that the hard way. Softly, she moved the curtain aside and looked in.
    Madame Aurora was still wearing last night’s makeup, and her eyes looked sunken and bloodshot. Lizzie had caught her in the act of swigging from a bottle. Their eyes met.
    â€œMorning!” Lizzie said brightly.
    Madame Aurora hastily stuck the bottle under the table, which was covered with a spread of tarot cards. Before it vanished, Lizzie smelled the sharp, unmistakable tang of gin.
    â€œDraw that blasted curtain!” the fortune-teller snapped. “Too much light angers the spirits!”
    Lizzie knew that the spirits couldn’t care less about the light, but she understood that the bright sunshine was probably hurting Madame Aurora’s throbbing head. She moved into the tent and let the curtain fall closed behind her. There was no sense in making an enemy of her new boss.
    â€œWell, I’m stuck with you, so I’m going to make use of you,” Madame Aurora said. “The customers will be lining up soon. When they do, I want you to keep your eyes and ears open.”
    â€œOpen for what?” Lizzie asked.
    â€œAnything I can use!” the woman said, rubbing her eyes. “Do I have to spell it out for you, girl?”
    â€œTo get a better connection with the spirits, and such?” Lizzie said carefully.
    â€œOf course. The more I know about the client ahead of time, the more I’ll be able to . . . help them,” Madame Aurora said.
    Lizzie nodded slowly. So that was her game, was it? She had to hang around outside the tent listening to anything the waiting customers might let slip, like their job or where they lived, or even what they were planning to ask about. Then she would quickly tell Madame Aurora, who could pretend that the spirits had told her.
    â€œI can do that, easy,” Lizzie boasted.
    â€œYou’d better,” Madame Aurora said. “There’s another job you need to do. Do you know what ambience means?”
    â€œIt’s a carriage they take sick people off in.”
    â€œThat’s an ambulance , you stupid girl,” Madame Aurora snapped. “ Ambience means an atmosphere. Creating mysterious ambience helps the client to believe.”
    Lizzie nodded. That must be what all the decoration inside the tent was for. Just more show, more illusion.
    â€œI need you to help create ambience, understand? If I say something like ‘Spirits, show your presence!’ then you knock on the table or mess about with the lamps. Make ’em go low and flickery, that’s always a good one.”
    â€œBut don’t get caught doing it,” Lizzie added, starting to catch on.
    Madame Aurora raised an eyebrow. Her makeup cracked like old plaster. “You’re catching on quick. You might be more useful than I thought. Here, sit down.” She stood, and made Lizzie sit down in her seat. Madame Aurora’s breath stank of gin. “Communicating with the spirits takes a lot out of me,” she explained. “I need to have a little nap now and again.”
    â€œI bet you do,” Lizzie muttered.
    â€œWhat was that?”
    â€œNothing,” Lizzie said quickly.
    Madame Aurora began to unwrap the veils and shawls from around herself and drape them on Lizzie. They smelled like old sweat and gin. Lizzie wrinkled her nose but said nothing. This was the only job she had, and she couldn’t afford to lose it.
    â€œWhile I’m resting, you’ll have to cover for me,”