The Devil's Due Read Online Free PDF Page A

duration, provided the duration wasn't more than a month. If it was longer, well, that meant they had bigger problems.
    Elizabeth researched Alan Grant as best she could, but despite the Internet being the repository of human knowledge, there were significant gaps. Where Grant was concerned, it wasn't much help at all. She knew his favorite meal, which according to Photoplay was a dry martini, his favorite color, blue and his fascination with violin virtuoso, Niccolò Paganini. What neither the magazine, nor any other source, could tell her was what the heck happened to him.
    Alan Grant was at the peak of a wildly successful film career with Mammoth Studios when he just disappeared. As far as she could tell, no official investigation or police report had been filed. Just a few mentions in the trades and then nothing; the world moved on to fixate on another star. Even what little she could learn about his personal life was hardly personal. But then, that wasn't all that surprising. During the heyday of the studio star system the lines between what was real and what the publicity department said was real were permanently blurred.
    Other than that, they only had the date and location from Sebastian's list: 6 PM, April 6, 1933 - Musso & Frank, Hollywood. Luckily, no earthquakes were scheduled; once was enough on that front, and no other major disasters loomed. The only significant event that week in Los Angeles was the repeal of the prohibition on beer.
    Musso & Frank, a famous Hollywood restaurant, would be easy to find. It had been in the same spot for nearly 100 years. But what threatened Alan Grant was still a mystery. All they could do now was go back and find out.
    Elizabeth felt excited at the idea. She'd been excited when they'd traveled to 1906 San Francisco and even when they'd headed into war-torn 1942 London on their last trip. But the idea of going back to Hollywood during the Golden Age was an honest to goodness thrill. She'd spent hours watching old movies in dingy hotel rooms all across Texas as a little girl. Everything always seemed so magical, so possible in the movies. And, of course, she was a sucker for a happy ending. Those late nights she'd spent waiting for her father to come home from a night of gambling were lonely and the movies had kept her company. The films and their stars, especially the swashbuckling adventurers like Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn, and Alan Grant, always had a special place in her heart. Having the chance to pay him back somehow made this trip all the more important to her.
    Satisfied they couldn't learn any more without actually being there, they decided to leave Saturday morning. Clothes bought and packed, Simon's tea tucked into one of the side pockets of their suitcase, the three got dressed for their parts. Luckily, April in Los Angeles meant balmy weather, but then so did October and December. Elizabeth wore a light floral dress with comfortable, genuinely comfortable, shoes this time. Jack looked like an ad for the Great Gatsby in his baggy, cream-colored linen pants and snug baby blue polo sweater. Simon looked extra sexy in his grey double-breasted suit, the sleeves of his white oxford shirt rolled up to mid-forearm and his jacket casually slung over one arm.
    “Why do men always look so good in period clothes?” Elizabeth asked as Simon pulled down the brim of his fedora.
    “Have you looked in the mirror?” Simon said with an appreciative glance at her figure.
    “He's right,” Jack said. “You look…” His voice trailed off as Simon patiently and curiously waited for him to finish. “Um…like a beautiful, but very married woman.” Jack picked up their suitcases as the corner of his mouth quirked into a smile.
    Simon chuckled and made sure the watch settings were correct. He went over the date and location again to make sure they were accurate and then asked, “Everyone ready?”
    Elizabeth took the key from around her neck and handed it to Simon. She took