The group was heading to Davids favorite historical exhibit. He grinned and said as an introduction, A story of true love to some-true evil and wickedness to others.
A few of the young women in the crowd of tourists smiled, as well. David played the part of host well, he thought, and had the right appearance for it. He was tall, dark-haired and in damned decent shape at the moment, thanks to the navy. He wore a top hat and Victorian cape, though why that was the uniform, he wasnt sure. Many of the women and girls in the crowd were nervous-museums with tableaux often made people nervous, and many of the figures here were so realistic that it did seem they might come to life. David was enjoying himself. It was good to be home, and good to be dealing with the family business for a stint, giving employees time off here and there, even if he wouldnt be staying for long right now. Finished with the military, he was headed to the University of Florida-a bit old for a freshman, but hed be going on the uncle hed so recently served, Uncle Sam.
The blonde in the Hogs Breath Saloon T-shirt and short-shorts was really cute, he thought.
He felt a moments guilt; he wasnt accustomed to feeling free to flirt when he met a lovely young woman. Hed been engaged. Hed had a fiancée he loved, that is until hed returned home to find out that Tanya had decided that she was moving north with a football player whod come down to Key West from Ohio State.
It hurt. It still hurt. But his time in the military had driven them apart. They had dated all through high school. It had seemed like real love. But it hadnt been. Not on Tanyas part, at least.
But he had been gone often, and for long periods, and maybe it was just natural that she had moved on. Now, he needed to do the same.
He stopped just before his favorite tableau and said, Carl Tanzler was born in Dresden, Germany, and came to the United States via a circuitous route that took him to Cuba, Zephyrhills, Florida, and finally down to Key West. Here he worked as an X-ray technician at the U.S. Marine Hospital, while, for some reason, his wife remained in Zephyrhills with his family. Now, when he was young, so the story goes, he had visions, and his grandmother encouraged those visions. One was a beautiful dark-haired woman who would prove to be his true love.
Typical-his true love wasnt his wife, the blonde woman said. David thought one of the college girls with her group had called her Genevieve. She looked like a Genevieve. Really pretty face, beautiful eyes.
It wasnt his wife? Petes sister, Sally, said. His true love wasnt his wife?
Her husband, Gerry, laughed and gave her a hug.
Nope, not his wife, David agreed. One day, into the hospital walked a stunning young Cuban woman named Elena de Hoyos. Sadly, the young woman suffered from tuberculosis. Carl-who called himself Count von Cosel-fell instantly in love with her. Problems abounded. He had his wife, and Elena was married, as well. Ah, but that particular problem was quickly solved, because her husband left her as soon as the diagnosis was made. Carl swore to her and her family that he could cure her. At the time, though, there was nothing at all that he could do, even though he ingratiated himself to the family and was a constant guest in their home with his cures. When Elena died on October twenty-fifth in nineteen thirty-one, he offered to build her a beautiful mausoleum, which he did, and he visited it night after night, playing music for her, speaking to her in her grave, giving her gifts.
Thats sad and tragic, an older woman offered. She had zinc on her nose, too. She seemed to be the wife of the fellow with the sunburn. Her shade almost matched his.
Yes, well, one day, he quit visiting. Now, folks, this is Key West, Florida. For the next several years, Carl Tanzler, Count von Cosel, spent his days buying perfume, morticians wax, wire and womens lingerie and clothing, and no one really seemed to notice. Then one day, Nana, Elenas sister, heard rumors that Tanzler was sleeping with her sisters corpse. She accosted Tanzler, and he was soon arrested. Now, legend has it that Nana let him have three days with the body before the police came in to take him, but Im not sure I believe that bend in the story. Tanzler was taken into custody. He was examined by psychiatrists. Just to prove the rest of the country can be as crazy as folks in Key West, the story became romanticized in papers across America. Eventually, Tanzler was released-the statute of limitations for disturbing a grave had run out. An autopsy suggested that the man had been practicing necrophilia for years. Tanzlers own memoirs speak of his love for Elena and his belief that they would fly to the stars together as man and wife, since he had married her in a secret and private ceremony. Elena was given a second viewing at the Dean-Lopez Funeral Home. Maybe five or six hundred people attended her first, thousands attended her second. Our next display is one that recalls the famous story of true love-Carl Tanzler stands by the bedside of his bride.
With those words, David strode into the next room, his arm sweeping out dramatically.
He frowned, startled by the sudden silence.
Then the blonde screamed. It was a tragic and horrible scream, and he was destined to hear that sound over and over again in the years to come.
David turned.
The robotic recreation of Carl Tanzler stood just as usual, a small, thin-faced man with a balding head at the rear of the bed, bending over Elena Milagro de Hoyos.
But the body on the bed was not Elenas.
He didnt scream. He felt as if ice washed over him and permeated him, blood and bone.
A woman lay on the bed.
But it was not the model of Elena!
She wasnt dark; she was blonde. Her hair, long and lustrous, fell over the pillow and curled down the side of the bed. Her eyes, blue and open, stared at the ceiling in frozen horror. She was wearing a sundress, and while stretched out in a natural pose, she might have been getting her beauty sleep had it not been for her eyes, staring sightlessly in terror.
David felt his knees buckle. Only the ice in his veins kept him standing.
Blood and guts! Murder most foul!
There was no blood. But it was murder. Despite the pristine beauty of her body as she lay, dark gray bruises were apparent around her neck.
It was murder. The murder of a beautiful young woman.
Not a stranger. Not just any woman.
It was Tanya, his ex-fiancée.
1
Now
Personally, I think youve taken on way too much, Clarinda said, voicing her opinion in a loud whisper next to Katies ear. She had to come down to Katies ear to be heard so close to the sound system. A drunken frat boy from Omaha was in the midst of a soulful Alice Cooper song, the bar was full and the noise level was high.
Katie shrugged and grinned, looking up at her friend. Maybe she was taking on too much, but an opportunity had come up, and she hadnt been able to resist.
It will be wonderful, it will work out-and it will be good for Key West, Katie said in return.
Clarinda arched a doubtful brow, set down a glass of water with lime on the small table at Katies side and shook her head. Ill help you, of course, she said. And, you know, Danny Zigler will be delighted to come and work for you. He was heartbroken when the place shut down years ago. People say that its haunted, of course. You know that, right?
So Ive heard, Katie said.
Sweetie, can we get another round over here? a man shouted above the din.
Just dont call me sweetie, Clarinda said, exhaling a sigh of exasperation. What is this tonight? We usually get the locals who actually know how to hold their liquor.
Gee. Were in Key West and weve been discovered by tourists. Go figure, Katie said.
Yeah, well, I wish I were the karaoke hostess and not the waitress, Clarinda said.
Hey, Ive told you that you can work for me-
And when the place is slow and the hostess is supposed to sing, I assure you that Ill clean out not just the bar, but the entire street. No-eventually, Ill make my fortune doing caricatures on Mallory Square, but until that day, Ill be your support by helping drunks get drunker and therefore hand out big tips. Okay, that helps both of us.
Sweetie! the man called again. Another round!
Hes going to get the round on top of his head, Clarinda promised and strode toward the bar.
The Alice Cooper tune was winding down. Next up was a fellow who wanted to do Sinatra. Katie applauded both the man returning to his seat and the one walking up to the microphone.
Stumbling up to the microphone. What was it with tonight? It was true-the strange and totally inebriated seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. Well, it was Key West. Home to some, but mainly a tourist town where the primary activity was drinking too much.
Key West has much more to offer, she thought, defending her native territory. The fishing was excellent, diving was spectacular and many visitors came for the water sports. But it was true as well that young and old flocked from far and wide to Jimmy Buffetts Margaritaville for the sheer pleasure of a bachelor party, or just wild nights along Duval. Duval was the hub of nightlife, and it was the main place for cheap hotel rooms.
Her place-or her uncle Jamies place, OHaras, where she ran Katie-oke-was off the southern end of Duval while most of the more popular watering holes were at the northern end. She did tend to draw a lot of the locals. Many of the entertainers who worked at the festivals-Fantasy Fest, Pirates in Paradise, art fests, music fests, Hemingway Days and more-came in to practice their newest songs with Katie. She operated Katie-oke four nights a week. She also worked at OHaras when she wasnt doing karaoke, helping set the sound and stage for performers working on their own music, or doing easy acoustic and vocal numbers on Monday and Tuesday nights.
She had received a degree from Juilliard and taken work with a prestigious theater company in New England, and she had loved New England, but it hadnt been home. Shed eventually discovered that she couldnt take snow and sleet, and wanted to make her living in Key West.