Counted corpse, p.17
Counted Corpse, page 17
“You have a lot of cousins,” I said to Mary.
She smiled. ‘You aren’t kidding. Holy cow. Do I have to send all these people birthday cards?”
“I think the rule is that you can stop once someone is twice removed, but you might want to confirm that.” I smiled. I was glad we were able to keep this all light, on the surface at least. I could still feel the gnawing sense that we were about to stumble on something murder-worthy in our reading.
Forty-five minutes into our reading, the timer on the oven went off, and Mary stood to pull the pan of lasagna out while I poured out the bag of salad I tried to keep on standby. Then, I called in the boys, and we all sat down to eat.
It was always amazing to me how much more well-behaved Sawyer was when other people were around. He wasn’t ever an unruly kid, but when guests were with us, he suddenly became a downright angel. Today, especially, that was nice since I didn’t have much left in the tank to fight a battle over how many bites he’d eat. The boy ate two big pieces of lasagna and was then raring to get back to the fort he and Santiago were building in the backyard.
Part of me really wanted Santiago to stay with us, but more of me was glad that my son was having such a good time with a man who was more and more a crucial part of our lives. So I walked out with them to see their progress, which honestly looked like a ruin of a shack more than anything complete, and then went back in to study the Benfers’ book.
Mary had already cleaned up, stored the leftovers in the fridge, and grabbed her own new read – the Morris book – by the time I came in. We settled side by side on the loveseat and dug in.
Every once in a while, one of us would lean forward to my laptop on the trunk in front of us, and do a quick search on a genealogy site. But mostly, we just skimmed page after page of family history.
I was just about into the twentieth century of the Benfers when I came across a listing for a woman named Ethel Lucy. She had married the man who was Nick and Levi’s great-great-grandfather, Nick the Sixth. As I read Earnestine’s notes about the Lucy family, I grabbed Mary’s arm and began to read aloud:
* * *
The Lucys were sharecroppers at the Benfer plantation, BelAirre. They had worked for the family for a least two generations, and so when Nicholas asked for the young Ethel’s hand in marriage, much of the community protested. Such crossing of class lines was not acceptable for many of our community’s elite members.
* * *
And yet, it was the story that broke soon after their wedding that really drew stares. Young Ethel was pregnant, a fact that her family tried to keep hidden but could not. Still, the baby was given away, at least that is what everyone was told, and soon, Ethel’s public appearances became fewer and fewer.
* * *
Earnestine’s note ended there, but I had enough questions now that I didn’t need more information. Mary’s mouth was hanging open, “There are so many secrets in these pages that I can’t keep straight who knew or who knows what.” She held up the book that had been sitting on her lap. “But I do think Earnestine knew most everything.”
I was just about to say I agreed and that it seemed like what she knew had gotten her killed when my phone rang. “Hi Mika,” I said.
“Paisley, I need you to come to the store. Now.” Her voice was shrill. “Alone. Don’t even bring Sawyer.”
I sucked in my breath. “I will be there in ten. Sit tight.” I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but Mika and I had been through enough together that we’d decided we needed a code to communicate when we were in distress. If either of us mentioned that Sawyer should not come, we knew it was serious. My friend was in big trouble.
My fear must have shone because Mary said, “What is it?”
“Mika’s in trouble. I need to go. Alone. But I need you to tell Santiago that I will need him, secretly. And can you—?”
“I’ve got Sawyer. Be safe.” She squeezed my hand and then jogged to the front door to tell our sheriff that we had a situation while I shouted a hurried goodbye to my son and hoped he could handle my quick departure. There was no time to waste.
14
I felt really bad about leaving Sawyer like I did, but if I was right, Mika was in real trouble and leaving Sawyer could take a half-hour if he was having a hard time. Better to just go and then reassure him later, especially if it meant keeping his Auntie Miks safe.
Besides, I knew Mary and Santiago would take good care of him, and I knew Santiago could be on his way behind me as soon as possible. Still, it felt like my stomach was in my mouth as I drove into town.
I tried to survey the scene as I pulled up about a block from Mika’s store. I had thought about parking right up front in case she and I needed to make a run for it but had decided maybe me arriving with a tiny bit of surprise might give me some advantage. So I headed around the back of the store and let myself in quietly through the back door using Mika’s security code.
Then, I stood quietly in the hallway and tried to listen. I couldn’t make out any distinct words, and all the voices sounded like women. I took a small measure of comfort in that because at least it wasn’t Levi Benfer, who was far bigger and stronger than I was. Most women I could take, I figured, if only because I sometimes carried around forty pounds of boy.
But when I peeked my head around the corner, all hopes of tackling anyone disappeared. Veronica Benfer was holding both Mika and Mrs. Stephenson at gunpoint.
Given what I’d read in Earnestine’s Benfer book, I wasn’t that surprised, but the fact that she’d come into a public place with a gun did unsettle me. No one who felt they had anything to lose did that kind of thing.
Veronica hadn’t noticed me yet, but I saw Mika’s eye widen as she caught sight of me. She shook her head and pretended to move her hair out of her eyes with the motion, and then she cut her eyes toward the back door. Her motion was quick, but Veronica still saw it. I had just enough time to dart back behind the wall before she turned in my direction.
Then, I hoped I had understood Mika’s signal correctly and went back out the door I had come in. Just as I started to round the building to reenter through the main door to the shop, I ran into Santiago. He’d added a baseball cap to the jeans and T-shirt he’d changed into at my house earlier, and if I didn’t know his form so well, I might not have immediately recognized him.
He pulled me toward him and held me tight as he whispered in my ear. “What’s going on?”
Anyone walking by would just think we were an amorous couple in an embrace, which made me a little uneasy since that action indicated that Santiago was very concerned about appearances. I put my arms around his back and whispered, “Veronica Benfer. Gun on Mika and Mrs. Stephenson.”
I felt Santiago stiffen, as my words registered. “What’s Mika’s back door code?” He asked as he pulled me even tighter to him.
I whispered the six digits into his ear and then gave him a quick kiss that I hoped looked like I was saying goodbye. Then, we parted, and I walked right up to the front door of Mika’s shop and strolled in. I hoped my acting skills were up to par as I faked surprised at seeing Veronica there, and given that she simply said, “Hello” and used the gun to point me toward Mika and Mrs. Stephenson, I didn’t think she was suspicious.
I walked slowly toward the counter as I hoped I was giving Santiago enough time to make his entrance and maybe even call Savannah for back-up. “What is going on here? Veronica what are you doing?” I tried to sound concerned and not let on just how angry and afraid I was.
Veronica sighed. “I expect you already know, don’t you?”
“Know what?” I said.
“I know that you found Mrs. Greene’s hidey-hole, and I know you well enough, Paisley. You couldn’t wait to read what was in there, could you?” Her voice was icy but also a bit heavy with what I thought were tears. “I figured she had her information stashed somewhere near her house, but I was hoping it had gone down in the demolition.” She pulled her fingers through her hair roughly.
My brain raced as I tried to think of how much of the truth would serve us here. “The shack behind the church that is full of old books. Is that what you mean?”
Veronica rolled her eyes. “So you did read them?”
I groaned. I had shown my hand when I tried to play too dumb about exactly what we’d found. Veronica knew my historian’s heart would have dived right into those pages. I scrambled for a good answer. “I did read a couple, the Clevelands and Morrises, since we’re looking for information about them. But they didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know.” I was telling the truth, of course, but only part of it. I hoped she couldn’t tell that.
She studied my face. “So you were just doing what I hired you to do?” Her voice sounded hopeful.
“Exactly. When I saw those books, I thought they might give us more information, so this afternoon, I read them cover to cover and made notes.” I smiled, hoping that somehow I was convincing her of the truth in what I was saying.
She nodded. “Did you find anything new for Hortense or Levi?”
I shook my head and tried to keep from smiling since those kind of questions made me think I was leading her down the right path. If she didn’t know I’d read anything about her family, maybe she’d just leave. Even in the moment I realized I was being naïve. After all, a woman who has just held people at gunpoint is probably on a path of no return. But I had to try. “Not a thing,” I said. “I think the books are just about members at Bethel.”
The gun lowered a bit as Veronica appeared to mull over that idea. But then, I saw her jaw tighten, and she raised the gun until it was level with my face. “I don’t know if you actually believe that to be true, Paisley, or just want me to believe it. Either way, it doesn’t really matter because they aren’t just about folks there. If they were, Nick’s grandfather wouldn’t have felt it necessary to kill that pastor’s wife.”
On the other side of Mika, Mrs. Stephenson gasped, and Mika grabbed my hand. “So it was Nick’s grandfather who pushed her down the stairs?” I said.
Veronica let out a long sigh. “Yes. He couldn’t let her find out the truth, but she couldn’t help herself. She just kept digging, kept asking questions. When she asked about the Lucys, his grandfather knew she had gotten too close.” She leaned back against a shelf full of yarn.
“I don’t mean to be rude, Veronica, “Mika said, “but what secret was it so important to keep?”
“Nick’s grandfather loved his grandmother, Ethel Lucy. He really did. He didn’t want her shamed, and he didn’t want their baby to be humiliated. They married, and he thought he’d stopped the rumors,” Veronica said as she stared off into the distance above our heads.
“But he hadn’t, had he?” I said quietly. “Everyone already knew.”
She nodded. “They knew. “She looked up at met my eyes. “But people don’t know now do they? We are free of that shame. Nick and I can live without the taint of his grandfather—” She stopped speaking abruptly.
“Nick’s father was of another time. Nick doesn’t get it, but I do. All these secrets. The shame of his birth. His dad—"
“Was conceived outside of marriage,” Mrs. Stephenson said quickly, and I appreciated the kindness of her words. “They loved each other, though. You said that? So why hide now?” Her voice was kind, understanding.
Veronica shook her head. “Just too many secrets, and the Benfers have done so much good for this town. I didn’t want their name tainted.”
At that moment, Savannah strolled in the front door and pretended to be looking at a bin at the front of the store. I resisted my urge to look at the back door to find Santiago and kept my gaze on Veronica, who was moving backward toward Savannah now, never taking her eyes off of us.
I was sure Savannah knew Veronica had a gun, but she kept browsing, moving slowly closer to the armed woman even as Veronica closed the gap between them, careful to keep the gun close to her body.
Savannah looked over Veronica’s head to Mika and said, “Do you have any more of this alpaca in another color? I’m thinking of trying my first cardigan.”
Her words were followed by a quick jerk of her arm on the stack of crates she was studying, and the entire stack of plastic and alpaca fiber fell right onto Veronica’s head.
Without hesitation, Savannah grabbed the gun from Veronica’s hand as the woman lay on the floor, and then Santiago stepped in with his own gun drawn on Veronica. “Don’t move, Mrs. Benfer,” he said.
Veronica’s face crumpled, and she fell back on the floor and began to cry. As Savannah cuffed her and then got her a bottle of water from Mika’s mini-fridge, Santiago checked on the three of us. “You okay?”
Each of us nodded, and then we spun toward each other and fell into hug and tears. We were safe, but we were still terrified.
* * *
Once Veronica was formally arrested and taken to the police station for booking, I called Mary and asked her to bring Sawyer over right away. I wanted to hug him and apologize for leaving so abruptly. Then, I called my dad and Lucille and asked if they could come with snacks and something alcoholic to help us settle.
Mrs. Stephenson called her husband, Ben, who came over right away as did Saul as soon as Mika texted him. Within an hour, all the people we loved best in the world were gathered in Mika’s now-closed shop. Most of us had mint juleps that Lucille whipped up, and the plate of rugelach she’d brought over was almost empty. The mood was still quiet in the store, but I could feel a lightening of my stress as I thought about all the mysteries that we had solved today.
Lucille refreshed my drink and then took a seat next to me in the Cozy Corner. “You okay?” she asked. I looked over at Sawyer, who was busy making another giant spider web and teaching his grandfather how to do the same. He’d not even been upset when he arrived because Mary had said I’d gotten called away to be a superhero. He was frustrated that I had left my cape at home, but since he’d brought it for me, I figured even that was made right in his world.
“I am,” I said. “Mostly. Just sad that something as insignificant as an interracial family and baby born out of marriage could cause this must pain.”
“It’s despicable, of course,” Lucille said. “But those were different times. Shame was bigger somehow, at least about things like that.” She looked over at Sawyer. “Still though . . .”
Just then, Santiago came in and headed right toward me, taking my hands and pulling me up into a tight hug before urging me to sit back down and have more to drink. “I’m so glad you are okay. You are one brave woman,” he said as he squeezed onto the arm of my chair next to me.
I blushed. “I didn’t think about being brave. I just thought Mika was in trouble.” It was the truth. I realized now that I had been foolhardy, but I hadn’t considered anything but helping my friend in the moment. I sighed. “Did Veronica tell you anything else?”
Santiago sat back and took the julep Lucille handed him. “She unraveled when we got her into the interrogation room. Savannah is still with her. We’re a bit worried about her mental state.”
I sighed. “Yeah, she didn’t seem quite lucid or all together.”
“She’s not. She kept rambling about how if she’d only known the hidey-hole was right there, then everything would have been alright, whatever that means.” Santiago shrugged.
“It means she knew that Earnestine had records that might reveal the Benfer family secret but hadn’t been able to find them,” I said. “She saw herself as the protector of the family. It was an honorable motive, at least. Maybe.” I shrugged.
The bell over the front door rang, and Levi and Nick came in. Seeing them together lit a realization in my mind. “You two aren’t twins,” I said as they approached.
Nick sighed. “No, we aren’t. Two years apart.” He knelt down. ”I’m so sorry, Paisley. I didn’t want to put you in danger, and I didn’t think I was. But Veronica was so adamant that we find out what we could that I didn’t want to say no.”
Santiago sat forward. “You knew she was in a mentally fragile place?”
Levi nodded. “We all did. But when she found out that Paisley had searched the entire parish house and didn’t mention anything about our family’s secrets, her mood lifted. It seemed like she was really looking forward to your research, like maybe she’d be able to pour herself into other family stories and let this one go.”
I sighed. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea that my research was going to hurt her so much.”
Lucille grabbed my hands. “You did nothing wrong, Paisley. You found the truth.” She looked up at Nick and Levi. “The irony, of course, is that no one in your family did anything wrong until your grandfather murdered Earnestine.”
“And then here we are today,” Nick said with a frown. “We need to get to Veronica. But we wanted to come apologize first.” They turned, spoke to Mika and then Mrs. Stephenson, and then left.
“What was that all about?” Mary asked as she came over and sat down with us.
“A bit of the sins of the father being visited upon the sons and daughter,” I said. Suddenly, I was very, very sad.
* * *
Fortunately, Mika had the perfect way to keep me from sinking too deeply into sorrow – our first day at the Charlottesville City Market was the following morning, and given the events of the week, we had done absolutely nothing to prepare.
So Mrs. Stephenson whipped us all into action and soon had us packing yarn into totes, making signage, and putting together cross-stitch kits with the patterns my dad had burned into thin planks of wood so that children could learn to stitch a holiday ornament on something easier than floppy fabric.
As we were finishing up, Demetrius and Hortense came in after having received a call from Nick Benfer about the events of the day. They offered their sincere apologies for their cousin’s behavior and said that they were all working together to get Veronica the help she needed after she had her day in court.
