THE SUSPENSE ACCOUNT by Charles Thomas Peters jr. Copyright 1989, 1993 Charles Thomas Peters jr. FLAME BY THE SEA by Charles Thomas Peters jr. Copyright 1993 Charles Thomas Peters jr.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Lost in the darkness of the cave, Timmy heard a cry. "My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death. O earth, cover not though my blood and let my cry have no place. Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire? For it is to he I plead."

Timmy knew the crying voice was that of Tulip. She continued to weep. "I plead to be more than a soul without the flesh. And I plead to be more than a body not knowing truly of my soul. God, make me whole again. Please, please make me whole again. My soul without the flesh is like in a dream and dreams are not of what is real. Some dreams are nightmares. God, I have terrible nightmares. I dream I'm lost in this cave again. I'm lost in my body, and I can't find my way. I cry for someone to help me, but no one hears me. No one! Maybe, not even you."

Suddenly, Timmy saw a flickering flame in the distance. He heard a whisper. "Follow the flame Benjamin. Follow the flame Timmy."

In the darkness, Timmy walked toward the flame, even as the flame seemed to move further away. Walking toward the flame, again Timmy heard Tulip. "Even as I dream that I'm lost in the cave, I wake into another nightmare, and I dream that I'm lost again in the foreign realms, and again the ancient angels of darkness come and take me captive. They take me into the darkness of Lucifer's other Venus and I am trapped. I can still smell the stench of the dirty, smokey fires rising from the ancient hell bordering the realm--a stinking reminder of the loathsome evil that survived the destruction of the first world. The putrid, foul odor haunts me now, just as it haunted me in my nightmare, and it scares me. I feared the ancient hell. I feared I might be taken there next from Lucifer's other Venus, and I still fear it. If the hell is worst than the realm I was in, worst than Lucifer's other Venus, then it has to be a horror beyond imagination. Everyone should fear it."

Coming from the distance behind him, Timmy heard a fading yell, "Where are you. . . ."

Timmy continued to hear Tulip's voice. "Even the realm I was in, everyone should fear. It wasn't hell, but it was close."

For a moment Timmy heard nothing but silence. Then Timmy heard Tulip weeping again. "I stay terrified as I dream and remember of that terrible realm, Lucifer's other Venus. God, I can't seem to stop dreaming and remembering that place. I see the faces of the tortured souls judged not worthy of you God; judged not worthy of you, but protected from the fires of the ancient hell by you. Still, though protected from being cast into the ancient hell, the tortured souls are not free from the ancient angels of darkness for the dark angels were among them, and I was taken among them by the dark angels. As the dark angels took me into that realm, the tortured souls scattered and flew in every direction to get away from the evil angels. The angels laughed and made fun of them. 'Run ye fools,' they screamed, 'just as ye ran from life. Stay meek so ye shall continue to inherit this realm, the remains of a world long destroyed.'"

Timmy heard Tulip scream out, "Oh God! She cried, "I can't stop dreaming about what happened inside that dark realm. There, I felt more pain than any soul should suffer. I felt every pain I ever watched someone suffer in the flesh: pain I did little or nothing to try to prevent or stop." "Once I saw a drunk standing beneath the edge of a building starting to collapse. I might could have run to him and gotten him away from the edge of the building before it collapsed on him, but I didn't. I was too afraid. I screamed out to him, but he was drunk and didn't understand. Before he knew what was happening, the building had collapsed on him, and I did nothing but scream in horror. So in this horrible realm, Lucifer's other Venus, what happened came to haunt me, and I felt the weight of the building crushing me again and again, just as it had crushed him. Beneath the heavy weight of the rubble, gasping for air to breathe, I felt the same prolonged agony of dying that he must have felt."

"Once I was a slave in a slave camp, and I watched a fellow slave being whipped to death. I and the other slaves who were not chained, who could have tried to save him, did nothing. The guards were only equipped with whips and primitive swords, and we outnumbered them a good ten to one, but still we were afraid. We stood like the cowards that we were, and we did nothing. So in this realm, over and over again, I felt every cruel slash of the whip the poor man had felt cutting into his raw, blood covered back. I felt a thousand cutting slashes whipping into my back for what seemed a million times over again."

"Once a friend of mine froze to death in a blizzard. I might could have searched for him and saved him, but I was too afraid to go out in the blizzard. So in this realm, I froze again and again, feeling the biting pain my friend must have felt as he died. As I suffered, I thought the deadly coldness of the below zero temperatures would never end."

"When finally the coldness stopped, I felt the fire of when I once did not try to save someone from a burning building. I felt my ghostly body, my spiritual senses in a torrid blaze, sizzling and blistering. The fire seemed to last an eternity. Just when I thought the flames would never be quenched, water rushed through the fire and I felt myself being chained to an anchor. I felt water rushing up over me; and I knew I was about to experience what the Fougeres had experienced when I did nothing to stop an angry mob from chaining them to anchors and having them drown in the ocean's rising tide. I experienced their horror over and over again."

"When finally the chains broke and my drowning stopped, I found myself being tormented with all sorts of accusations. People spit in my face. They slapped me around. They kicked me about; and I felt myself being murdered again and again, but without a physical body, a bloody corpse, from which I might escape and find relief. In this strange, cruel world, destroyed and without life, I relived all the times I was verbally and physically assaulted. I didn't relive the times I stood toe to toe against the people who attacked me; the times I tried to save both myself and my attackers from their angry, confused thoughts. I couldn't remember those times. I couldn't remember the times I acted strong. It was the agonizing times I turned away, the desperate moments I wanted to escape and flee that I remembered; the times I felt my friends and my enemies alike were all a hopeless lot. I relived those times. I relived the times I let people do to me what they wanted, because it seemed easier than fighting with them."

"I suppose after all I had experienced, the anguish of both turning away and giving in to people shouldn't have hurt so much, but it hurt a lot, and I thought the hurt would never stop. I almost felt a strange sense of relief when I found myself being thrown into a den of lions. That is until I remembered how I had done nothing to save myself and I felt myself being eaten alive. When that pain finally stopped, I felt a building crushing on top of me and I realized all the painful experiences were starting over again."

"God, in my nightmares I dream all that pain again. I think the pain will never end. I think no one has ever bore more pain than I, not even the people I didn't help. Then, like happened in the realm, one of the tortured souls comes to me. He touches me, and I feel completely numb. He whispers, 'Your pain is so much less than mine.' Somehow, I know that he has started to feel my pain and I become afraid that he will give me his pain and I will discover that his pain is greater than mine. I tell him to stop. But he just smiles. He tells me, 'Your pain is nothing next to mine. I shall take your pain so at times I shall not suffer so much. But don't worry. I can't give you my pain if you do not want it. However, you can sample it if you want to know what real pain is.' I quickly ran from him. Later, he became my only friend in that horrible realm. He was my only comfort in that realm, and he is my only comfort in the nightmares."

Timmy saw that he was getting closer to the flame and Tulip's voice grew louder. "When I wake from this nightmare, I wake back into the nightmare of being lost in the cave. At some point I finally wake from both nightmares, but even awake the nightmares haunt me. I keep finding myself back in this cave, and I feel as lost as when I'm having the nightmares. Sometimes, before I find my way back out of the cave, I fall back into my nightmares and I can't leave. At times, like now, I fear I may never find my way out of the cave, out of the darkness."

Timmy tripped over something. In the darkness, he couldn't see what it was. But as he ran his hands over it and felt the jaw bone, the eye sockets, the rib cage, he knew it was a skeleton. "Is this Tulip?"

The flame moved further away and Timmy heard a whisper. "No. Not Tulip, but Sarah. Follow the flame."

Timmy heard Tulip's voice continue. "God, my father who art in heaven, are my sins so great? I know I have sinned. I sinned when I went into the foreign realms. I sin even now as I feel hopeless and lost and pray to be treated special as though I'm better than the others. I don't know what has gotten into me. Such things run through my mind and I can't stop my thoughts. So my thoughts ramble on as I fear you don't hear me, and yet I fear that you do. Still, my thoughts ramble. I wonder, are my sins so great that I shall never be made whole again, and I shall never be accepted into the upper heavens. Am I destined to become like the tortured souls I saw when the ancient angels of darkness took me into the darkness of Lucifer's other realm? Do you hear me God? You don't answer. And I still feel so lost."

Timmy screamed, "I'm sure God hears you. I hear you! Tulip, I hear you. Where are you?"

The flame stopped moving. Timmy stood up.

Tulip wept, "I feel trapped in a world I can no more deal with than I could deal with the ancient angels of darkness. God, won't you help me? Won't someone help me?"

Timmy heard a man's voice. "God does hear you. And by the grace of God, Benjamin and I Matthew hear you. I will do my best that you will never feel lost again."

"Matthew. Benjamin."

Timmy walked up next to the flame and saw Tulip's skeleton. Staring at the skeleton, Timmy said, "And I will do my best." Timmy thought a second. "But I don't know what I can do. Tell me."

There was silence.

Timmy looked around. "Do you hear me Tulip?"

"I hear you."

Timmy asked, "What can I do?"

There was silence.

Timmy repeated, "What can I do?"

Matthew said, "Be patient. She has just had a nightmare of what happened in the past and needs time to gather her thoughts."

Tulip said, "Look in the palm of my hand."

Timmy asked, "Your hand?"

"The right hand of my remains."

Timmy knelt and unfolded the brittle bones that once had been Tulip's fingers. He found a key.

"The key is to a secret compartment in a cedar chest that can be found. . . ."

"I know about the cedar chest."

"Good. Inside the compartment is a black book that details the washing of money through Claud's production company. The source of the money is from the theft of wealth from the church. The man responsible for the washing of money and the theft is Samuel Wilson."

Matthew said, "Samuel Wilson is a pseudonym. The man is Myles Morton."

Tulip shouted, "Myles Morton! That little old man is the leader of the dissidents--the bastard who has been screwing up our lives. If I could. . . ."

"He was the leader. He is dead now," Matthew explained. "But that black book is still important. It is important to prove the Raveens were not guilty of the theft and it is important to show the dissidents what kind of man has been leading them."

"You say the ring leader is dead; but what about the man who hit Captain Raveen over the head?" Timmy hesitated and then asked Matthew, "Did he kill Captain Raveen?"

"Myles Morton is the one who hit Captain Raveen over the head. The Captain will be okay."

Timmy removed the key from Tulip's skeletal remains. "I'll give the key to Captain Raveen."

Matthew giggled. "Yes, do that."

Timmy thought he heard a smooching sound; a kiss.

Tulip said, "There is also a letter that was written from Bess Eden to Sheriff Benton about his sons. Sarah was reading the letter when Myles Morton appeared as a cloaked figure wielding an axe, and began chasing after us. I don't know what she did with the letter; but it has to be somewhere."

Matthew said, "She hid it where you hid it during Sheriff Benton's murder, and you were trying to get away from Kenneth."

Tulip sounded frantic. "Where was that? I can't remember."

Matthew said, "I don't know. I just know she hid the letter where you had told her that you had hid the letter when you were trying to get away from her father."

Timmy asked, "Why don't you go get Sarah and ask her?"

Matthew said, "She's a little baby."

Timmy smiled. "Oh."

Tulip said, "I don't guess it's that important."

Timmy said, "Of course it's important. It backs up part of what I remember you telling me about my father when I was Benjamin. It gives support to the fact that my father did deliver the letter, and then pretended to give the letter to Robert Dean, so as to coverup the fact that he had delivered the letter, while he also established a witness to unknowingly help frame you. Of course it's important. I'll find the letter."

Matthew whispered, "Timmy will find the letter."

Suddenly, the translucent images of Matthew and Tulip appeared before Timmy. He saw them embracing and he felt a twinge of jealousy. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. Timmy whispered, "I love you Tulip."

Tulip looked away from Matthew and looked at Timmy. She touched him on the shoulder and he felt her warm touch. "And cousin, I love you. I love you for taking away my pain. I love you for staying with me when I needed you."

"You love me for taking away your pain?"

Matthew said, "When you see your sister Kay, tell her for me, 'Till Fougere.' It will start her to remembering things."

Tulip said, "Benjamin, till we. . . ."

As suddenly as the translucent images of Matthew and Tulip had appeared, they disappeared. And the flame disappeared. Timmy stood in pitch black darkness.

Timmy asked, "What happened? Are you still here?"

There was nothing but silence.

"Oh shit!" Timmy screamed, "Where the hell did you go? How am I supposed to find my way out of here? I don't believe this." Suddenly, a strange red and orange glow began shining from the walls. Timmy looked around. "What the hell?"

Timmy heard his mother's voice. "Timmy!"

"Mother?"

Kate ran to her little boy. "I was beginning to think we weren't going to find you."

Timmy looked at Scar Face and then looked back at his mother. "Do you know the way back out of here?"

Scar Face said, "We will just follow the glow on the walls. That is what led us to you."

Kate looked at the skeleton. "There was another skeleton back there."

Timmy said, "The first skeleton is Sarah. This is Tulip."

Kate asked, "How do you know?"

Timmy said, "I know."

"But how?"

"Matthew told me."

"Matthew. Where is he?"

"He's dead. He's with Tulip."

"Dead?"

Scar Face said, "Let's get out of here."

Scar Face, Kate, and Timmy followed the glowing walls and walked to where Captain Raveen and Mark stood peeping around the corner.

Captain Raveen looked at Timmy and smiled. "I sure am glad you are safe."

Kate stepped up beside Captain Raveen. She looked around the corner and saw some men picking up Matthew Clayburg's body. She looked at Timmy and considered how he had told her that Matthew was dead. Then she looked back and saw some men handcuff Daniel and Elysa. "My God."

Captain Raveen whispered, "I don't know what to do. Some of those people refuse to believe what Myles Morton was. Maybe I should go out there and tell them how he hit me over the head."

Mark said, "Daniel told you and me to stay hidden."

Kate saw the sneer on Jason Rhapsody's face. "If you go out there, they'll just put you on trial too."

Scar Face asked, "Why are they putting Daniel and his grandmother in handcuffs?"

Mark said, "Accusations have been flying all over the place. We've only been able to hear part of it. Rhapsody said that Matthew rigged the revolver in the cedar chest and then he said that Matthew started choking him and he shot him in self-defense. They are trying to say that there has been some kind of conspiracy by Daniel's people."

Scar Face said, "I've got to tell them that I'm the one who rigged the revolver in the cedar chest."

Kate said, "Don't you and Captain Raveen be fools."

Mark said, "I think they will be given a fair trial. Some of the Elders seemed to be on Daniel and his grandmother's side."

Kate said, "Unfortunately, the people are going to believe what they want to believe. If they don't want to believe what Myles Morton was, then Daniel and Elysa are not going to stand a chance."

Timmy smiled. "Well, I've got the key to prove exactly what Myles Morton was." Timmy handed the key to Captain Raveen. "It is the key to the secret compartment of the cedar chest. You were right. The black book, which proves Myles Morton was the one washing money stolen from the church through Claud's production company, is in the compartment."

Captain Raveen said, "I'll go open the compartment."

Mark said, "No. Daniel told us to stay hid."

Timmy said, "You can open it after they leave the room. Then I'll get the black book to them before they leave the island." Timmy winked. "And when I'm talking to them I'll tell them how you drowned."

Kate stared at Timmy. "What?"

Captain Raveen said, "I'll explain it later."

Captain Raveen, Mark, Kate, Timmy, and Scar Face watched Matthew's body being carried out of the secret passageway. They saw Elysa and Daniel being shoved through the doorway and toward the stairs. They saw Mr. Crow and Jason Rhapsody pick up Myles Morton's body. They heard someone say something about the cedar chest and someone else say, "Leave it."

They witnessed Mr. Crow stop with his father's body in front of Mary and Mrs. Crow. "How does it make you feel to know that your boyfriend's father, Daniel's father, is responsible for my father's death, your grandfather's death, and Daniel was most likely involved?"

Mary stared at her father and then buried her head on her mother's shoulder.

Mark gritted his teeth. "That bastard."

Kate whispered, "Did I understand right? Mr. Crow is Myles Morton's son?"

Captain Raveen whispered, "You heard right."

Captain Raveen, Kate, Timmy, Scar Face, and Mark watched as Mr. Crow and Jason Rhapsody took Myles Morton's body out of the outer passageway. They watched as everyone except Mary and Mrs. Crow left the area of the once secret corridor.

Mark watched Mary crying on her mother's shoulder, and he wanted to go to her. He closed his eyes as he fought the impulse. He didn't want to go to her and then Mr. Crow or one of Mr. Crow's men walk in and have him placed in custody of the church for having helped Daniel. He didn't want to risk causing a search of the caverns and ruining Captain Raveen's plans.

Mark listened to Mary talking to her mother. "Do you think they will let Daniel and grandmother go?"

Mrs. Crow, Torence tried to smile. "Daniel and mother aren't beaten yet." She held Mary close in her arms to comfort her. "But I don't know."

"What will happen if they are found guilty?"

"They will be killed or locked away somewhere. In either case, in the eyes of law they will become just another missing person. Most likely, if they are found guilty, we will never know their fate."

Mark heard Mary whisper. "I wonder where Mark is? And Miss Benton? I thought they were here with Daniel. You don't think Myles Morton or father did something to them, do you? Father knew they were here."

Mark opened his eyes. He was about to go to them when Kay and a man stepped into the passageway. The man told Mrs. Crow and Mary to come on, or they might get separated from the others and left behind. Mrs. Crow, Mary, and Kay stepped out of the passageway with the man and walked up the stairs.

Mark said, "Except for Mr. Crow and his men, I could join the crowd and no one will think much about it. Do you think Mr. Crow will make a big issue about me coming here to help Daniel?"

Kate said, "I don't know. Mr. Crow is an odd bird, and I've never been able to figure him out. I've always known there was something weird about him. There was something that didn't quite add up, but I never imagined that he's a dissident. I kind of think you probably would be okay, but I may be misjudging him."

Mark said, "I think I'm going to risk it."

Captain Raveen said, "Mark, before you go, stand at the bottom of the stairs and make sure the coast is clear while I open the compartment in the chest."

Mark hopped down the passageway, past the cedar chest, and to the bottom of the stairs. He looked around and then went back into the edge of the passageway. He motioned that the coast was clear.

Captain Raveen, Timmy, Kate, and Scar Face walked to the cedar chest. Captain Raveen knelt. He looked at the small, pink glass studded ornament and then looked at the small key hole. He placed the key in the hole. He turned it around three times. The compartment opened. Using a handkerchief, he pulled the aged black book from the secret drawer and stared at the writing on the cover which read, "The Suspense Account." He held the book out to give it to Timmy.

Kate said, "Give it to me, and I will see that Daniel gets it."

Scar Face laughed. "Yeah, sure. And you wouldn't be thinking that Myles Morton didn't wash all of the wealth stolen from the church through the production company? You wouldn't be thinking that maybe the book contains a clue to where the rest of the loot is stashed? Would you?"

Kate said, "It's no secret that I've been looking for that money. I might look through the book, but. . . ."

Captain Raveen frowned at Kate as he handed the black book to Timmy. Using the handkerchief, he closed the compartment and looked at Timmy. "I don't feel right about this. Maybe I should deliver the book."

Timmy said, "I'll be careful."

Kate said, "Careful? You've got to be more than careful. You've got to be smart. After you and Mark join the others and reveal the black book to the church leaders, there is no telling how the dissidents will react. Even if the church leaders don't take the black book seriously, some of the dissidents may try to get even with you. You've got to stay alert to every potential situation, and make plans accordingly."

Timmy said, "Not take the black book seriously? They've got to take the black book seriously."

Kate shook her head. "You're not being smart. Son, you are going to get yourself killed."

Mark hopped toward Captain Raveen and whispered, "Someone's at the top of the stairs. Let's hide."

Timmy looked at Mark. "Mark, why should you and I hide? We're going. . . ."

Kate grabbed hold of Timmy. "You are going to hide. You want to get us all killed?"

"No."

Everyone rushed back around the corner of the passageway.

Jason Rhapsody and Mr. Crow walked back into the passageway. They closed the lid of the cedar chest and picked it up.

Mr. Crow looked at the way they were holding the chest. "If the person who rigged this chest was wearing gloves, which they probably were, our fingerprints will be the only ones found on it. If they weren't wearing gloves, then the fingerprints will be on the revolver. We don't need the cedar chest."

Jason Rhapsody said, "So you want to leave it?"

Mr. Crow said, "Yeah, it's stupid to lug it all the way back."

Mr. Crow and Jason threw the cedar chest down. "Let's get out of here."

As they left, they didn't notice where the lid of the cedar chest had fallen open, or that the lining of the lid of the cedar chest had come undone, and a map was revealed. But Captain Raveen and Kate quickly noticed it, and just as soon as Mr. Crow and Jason Rhapsody were out of sight and up the stairs, Kate ran to investigate. Kate picked up the map and saw that it had the poem written on it that was inscribed on her uncle's, Sheriff Benton's, tombstone. Each line of the poem was written at a location on the map. But where there was an x marked on the map, there was no line to the poem. Instead, there was a note tagged in place. Kate read, "I know when I come back, I will not remember a damned thing. So I leave this map and a clue on Sheriff Benton's grave, hoping that I will be able to find where Myles Morton has the loot stashed. Hopefully, the son of a bitch will be dead by then, and will no longer be standing guard over the wealth. If he's not dead, may I remind myself to be extra careful. The man is a monster. May I also remind myself to give the wealth back to the church, along with the important black book that is in a secret compartment inside this chest. If the church has not already been restored, put the black book in the proper hands so the church can be restored." Signed, "The One and Only Robert Dean."

Kate said, "Now I can find what I've been looking for."

Scar Face said, "Kate, that money belongs to the church. You can't."

Kate shook her head, "I just. . . ."

Mark said, "Miss Benton, if you help Captain Raveen get the insurance money that he is owed, he might be willing to share some of it with you."

Captain Raveen said, "If you help me collect the insurance money that I'm owed, I'll make you a partner and give you partial ownership in the ships that I finance with the money. That is if you promise to maintain the partnership for Timmy and not sell it."

Kate said, "Ships?"

Captain Raveen said, "The insurance money, along with some contracts I've got lined up with some British, Venezuelan, Brazilian, Mexican, Canadian, Japanese, and U.S. firms should give me the leverage to finance three ships."

Kate asked, "How much could the partnership net me a year?"

Captain Raveen said, "In the first years, with the contracts I've got lined up, you should net $200,000 a year. As we grow, you could expect to net over $800,000 a year."

Kate asked, "Why would you include me in this?"

"Daniel says you are devious enough to make the plan I've already got in motion work. Besides, I want Timmy to someday be in my business. I want him to someday enjoy being the captain of his own ship." Captain Raveen looked at Scar Face. "I also want you to be my partner."

Scar Face said, "Look, you don't have to make me your partner. I won't spoil your plans."

"I can use your help. What do you say?"

"I'll be glad to help any way I can."

Captain Raveen looked at Mark. "Mark, I intend to share my business with you too. You are Silencer's grandson. You are a Raveen."

Mark smiled. "Then I guess you will want to make my little brother Tommy a partner too. He will be glad to know he's going to be business partners with Timmy. They're best friends."

Timmy said, "That will be neat."

Captain Raveen said, "You've got a brother."

Mark said, "Yeah."

"And I thought we Raveens were near extinction."

Suddenly, Kay walked in. "Timmy!"

Kay ran to her little brother and hugged him.

Kate looked at her daughter. "Kay."

Feeling embarrassed at showing Timmy affection, Kay stepped away from Timmy and ran her fingers through her hair. "Mother." She pointed to the map. "What's that you've got there?"

"A fortune. A fortune that I will never enjoy."

Kay looked at her mother and the map. She glanced at Captain Raveen, Scar Face, and Mark. She stared at the cedar chest. "I was walking with Mary back to the boats." She looked at her mother's feet. "We were wondering where you and Mark were. And we started thinking about how Daniel confided that Timmy and Captain Raveen hadn't really drowned and were here at the island. I couldn't leave without trying to find all of you. I had to make sure you were okay." Kay looked at Mark and into his eyes. "Mary wanted to come with me, but her mother wouldn't let her. She was afraid Mr. Crow would follow Mary."

Timmy asked, "Do you think you, Mark, and I will have time to reach the others before they reach the boats?"

Kay said, "The Avelines will have one boat waiting for us, even if the others have left. Mrs. Crow said she would make sure the Avelines didn't leave without me."

Timmy said, "Good, now listen. When we get to the others and I tell them that Captain Raveen is dead, don't argue. Just go along with what I say."

"Daniel made it clear that I was not to let on that Captain Raveen might still be alive."

Timmy said, "Mother, give me the map. I'll take it with me."

Reluctantly, Kate handed the map to her little boy. "You know the dissidents will try to say that the map proves that the Fougeres knew where the wealth was all the time."

Timmy said, "The leaders of the church need to be shown where the wealth is hidden. And the note names Myles Morton by name. What does it matter what the dissidents try to say? The leaders of the church can't be stupid enough to believe them."

Kate said, "Never underestimate the stupidity of people. People believe what they want to believe. Even with the black book, the map, Robert Dean's note, opinion could still go either way."

Mark said, "They also have the revolvers as evidence and what Officer Carlson told them. Surely opinion will not stand in contradiction to all the evidence."

Kate said, "I can hear the dissidents now. They'll say, 'Records can be falsified. Evidence can be planted. The Fougeres are cunning monsters. They could make even a saint look guilty of their own sorted crimes.'"

Scar Face said, "The church leaders can't be stupid enough to listen to the dissidents."

Kay said, "I'm afraid mother may be right."

Timmy asked, "So what do you suggest?"

Kate said, "You take the black book to the leaders of the church. Tell them how the black book was in a secret compartment of the chest. Tell them that the lining of the lid had been removed and that you think something was removed from the lid but that you do not know what? They will think that either someone was looking for the black book, or that is what you want them to think. That's not important. I will take the map and note and burn the edges of them so that it will look like someone tried to destroy the evidence. I will then plant the evidence in Mr. Crow's car. Kay, it is important that somehow you get Mary and one or more of the church leaders to stand close to the passenger side of the car along with Mr. Crow. Make it look like Mr. Crow is manhandling you and pretend like you are angry at Mr. Crow. Open the car door into Mr. Crow. Fight with him until you can fall into position to accidentally on purpose pull the evidence out from beneath the seat and onto the ground. Don't you pick the evidence up, but point it out if necessary and hopefully one of the elders will pick it up. Only as a last resort should you pick the evidence up. You've got to make it all look very convincing or it could backfire."

Kay said, "I can't do what you are asking. I can't."

Timmy said, "I think the church leaders will be more likely to believe the evidence if it is just handed to them. If we do what you say, and Kay is not convincing, it will make the church leaders think the records have been falsified and the evidence planted, even without the dissidents claiming that."

Scar Face said, "Kate, how do we know that the real purpose of your plan is not to get your hands on the map and the wealth?"

Captain Raveen said, "You and I can keep Kate honest. But like Kate herself and Timmy pointed out, the plan is risky. It could backfire. That would be especially bad if the plan is not necessary. The black book with the other evidence should be enough to convince the Elders of what Myles Morton was. But if it's not, then I think Kate's right. I think the Elders might dismiss the map and note just as easily as they might dismiss all the other evidence. For that reason, I think we should hold onto the map in case a variation of Kate's plan is needed."

Kate said, "A variation of my plan?"

Captain Raveen said, "I think Timmy should say that he found a map and note in the same way that we did find the map and note. He should say that he heard someone coming and that he ran and hid without thinking to pick the map up; but that he had the note in his hand. He should show the note to the Elders. He should say that he was too frightened to look and see who came into the room. We don't want his story to sound accusatory. He should say that when he returned to the cedar chest, the map was gone."

Captain Raveen said, "When the map is found in Mr. Crow's car, only part of the map should be there. The part which reveals where the wealth is hidden should not be with the partially burnt map." Captain Raveen took the map from Timmy. "Once the Elders realize they still don't know where the wealth is hidden, Timmy should tell them that he got a good look at the map and that he thinks he knows where the wealth is hidden, but that he does not know how to get into those particular chambers."

Looking at the map he'd taken from Timmy, Captain Raveen shook his head. "I don't believe this."

Kate asked, "What?"

Captain Raveen said, "The wealth is hidden in chambers beneath the Raveen Mansion."

Kate said, "I guess Myles Morton did that so that if the wealth should be found, you Raveens would be implicated."

Captain Raveen said, "Considering the financial straits I'm in, I don't think the Elders will think for a second that I knew where the wealth is hidden."

Kate said, "Probably not."

Timmy said, "So once they find the map, I should tell them that the wealth is hidden in chambers beneath the Raveen Mansion."

Kate said, "Don't be overly anxious to tell them, and don't act overly sure of yourself. An old Essene proverb is, 'Show me a smooth talking, extremely confident person, and I'll show you a con artist.'"

Timmy said, "God mother, as nervous as I'm going to be, I don't think being over confident is going to be a problem."

Kate said, "Kay, your fight with Mr. Crow has got to look real, and to best do that you need to make it real. You've got to act angry, and to act angry you need to be angry. But don't get so angry you forget what you are doing."

Kay said, "Maybe it won't come down to us having to use the map."

Captain Raveen smiled. "Hopefully, not."

Kate said, "But be prepared if it does. Don't choke up under the pressure."

Kay said, "We better go on and not keep the Avelines waiting."

"Wait a second." Mark asked, "Is there anything in particular that I should do to help?"

Kate said, "Yes. We will contact you at Miss Norah's when we are ready to put the plan in action and give you the details. You fill Kay in on the details, but don't do it at the Crow home where Kay has been staying. Mr. Crow may have his house wired for eavesdropping."

Kate said, "Kay will have to occupy Mr. Crow while I'm putting the map in his car. Once I get the map in place, you will have to get word to Kay and try to help her stage discovery of the map."

Kate handed Timmy the note written by Robert Dean that was with the map. "Good luck."

Timmy, Kay, and Mark left Captain Raveen, Kate, and Scar Face standing in the passageway.

. . .

Outside the prison, Timmy heard Mermaid barking. He ran to the corner of the prison to try to see where she was. He saw her barking, with her front paws clawing at a tree just outside the window of where Sheriff Benton's office had been. "What you barking at girl?"

Kay and Mark walked up beside Timmy.

Kay said, "Mermaid? I thought mother had her put to sleep with a bullet."

Timmy walked up to her and petted her. He saw an owl in the hollow of the tree. Timmy looked at the window to the office and saw the dried blood on the window seal. He remembered what Matthew had said to Tulip about the letter that Bess Eden had written. "She hid it where you hid it during Sheriff Benton's murder, and you were trying to get away from Kenneth."

Suddenly, the owl flew out of the hollow of the tree.

Timmy looked inside the hollow and saw the frail, yellowed page of a letter. As Timmy removed the letter, part of it crumbled between his fingers, but most of the letter remained intact. The ink had faded, but it was still legible.

Kay walked up and asked, "What have you got there?"

Timmy said, "More evidence, but not against Myles Morton per say. With Mrs. Crow's testimony and my testimony, it helps to substantiate that Kenneth Clayburg did deliver a letter to the prison. Then he acted to pretend to have the letter delivered at a different time by someone else to stage the murder and frame Tulip. If the Elders will believe my testimony, it will help establish a pattern of criminal activity by the leaders of the dissidents."

Kay looked at Timmy. "Substantiate? Pattern of criminal activity? And who the hell is Kenneth Clayburg? Timmy, you sure are talking strange. And what you're saying. I mean, what could you testify about the murder of our great-uncle?"

Timmy said, "I'm the reincarnation of Benjamin Clayburg. I remember what Tulip told me when I was Benjamin. I remember parts of what happened when I was Benjamin."

Kay said, "Reincarnation?"

Mark walked up.

Kay said, "I know Daniel was talking about reincarnation. But?"

Mark said, "Did I understand Daniel right when he was talking about the souls that had been lost? Did he say that I'm the reincarnation of Baldwin Raveen and was Mary's husband during the ancient days of Atlantis?"

Kay said, "That's what he said." Kay thought a moment. "I wonder if I'm the reincarnation of anyone in particular."

Timmy said, "I forgot. Matthew told me to tell you, 'Till Fougere.' He said it would start you to remembering things."

Kay said, "Till Fougere?"

Mark said, "When Daniel saw the ghost of his father, he said, 'Till the realm, till Fougere.' And his father said the same thing back to him. Maybe that means you are a Fougere."

Kay said, "Hearing 'Till Fougere' hasn't started me remembering things."

Timmy said, "Maybe it takes time."

Kay shrugged, "Maybe I don't really want to remember. Let's get to the boat."

Timmy bent down and placed his head against Mermaid. "I'll be back to see you. You take care of your puppies."

As Timmy started walking with Kay and Mark, Mermaid followed him. "Go back. You need to stay with your puppies." But Mermaid kept walking with Timmy. Suddenly Mermaid started growling. "What's wrong?"

Timmy, Kay, and Mark heard the sound of a shot. The limb behind Timmy broke in half.

Mark screamed, "Hit the ground."

As they jumped to the ground they saw a cloaked figure rushing toward them. Kay moaned, "Oh no."

Mark screamed, "You and Timmy run."

Timmy got up and stared at the cloaked figure. "The cloaked figure is dead. Isn't he? Myles Morton is dead. Is there more than one?"

Kay jumped up. "Come on Timmy. Don't just stand there. Let's run."

Mermaid ran toward the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure aimed a revolver at Mermaid. Mermaid showed every tooth in her mouth.

Timmy screamed, "No, Mermaid. No."

Mermaid leaped three feet in the air toward the cloaked figure. As Mermaid bit into the figure's neck, the figure vanished into thin air."

Kay said, "It was a ghost. The ghost of Myles Morton."

Mark said, "No ghost shot at Timmy and pierced that limb in half with a bullet."

Mermaid ran to Timmy and jumped into his arms knocking him to the ground. She licked him in the face and patted him with her paw. Then she turned and started walking toward the prison. She looked back at Timmy twice and then started running.

Timmy said, "The danger must be over. At least for now."

Timmy and Mark stood up. Timmy said, "Even dead, Myles Morton continues to be a threat."

Kay said, "Ghost can't kill, can they?"

Timmy said, "Myles Morton was directing someone."

Kay said, "What if Myles Morton overheard our planning and communicates that to Mr. Crow or someone."

Mark said, "Then we've got problems. We'll have to worry about that when the time comes. Right now, let's just try to get safely to the boat."

. . .

Kay led Timmy and Mark to where Doctor Aveline had the boat he rented, anchored. There were several other boats there, and people were standing around talking on the narrow beach.

As Kay, Timmy and Mark walked up to where Mary and Mrs. Crow were standing next to Miss Norah and Tommy, someone standing near them asked out loud, "Isn't that the little boy everyone thought drowned with Captain Raveen?"

Mary, Mrs. Crow and Miss Norah all smiled when they saw Timmy and Mark. Tommy's face lit up and he gave Timmy a friendly slap on the back. "Boy, I'm glad to see you."

Mary looked at Mark. "Thank God you are safe. Do you know what all has happened?"

Mark shook his head yes.

A wild looking woman ran up to Timmy. "Aren't you the boy who has been missing and thought drown?"

Timmy said, "Yes. I've been on the island."

"Were you on Captain Raveen's boat like everyone thought?"

Timmy said, "Yes."

"Well, what happened? Is Captain Raveen on the island too?"

Another woman spoke up. "Why weren't you and Captain Raveen on his boat when it was brought in to his dock?"

A man walked up. "How did you come to be on the island?" Before Timmy could start telling his story, the man turned and looked at Mark. "And you? I don't remember seeing you earlier."

Mr. Crow walked up. "This is Mark. He's the fellow I was telling you about. He and that Benton woman were here helping Daniel."

Mary closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She just knew her father was about to have Mark placed in the custody of the church for helping Daniel.

Mr. Crow looked at Mary. Mr. Crow said, "But they didn't know anything about Daniel. They were just trying to help a friend."

The man gave Mr. Crow a strange look. "And you? Daniel's obviously not your friend. Why didn't you tell the police where he could be found? You knew he was wanted for questioning by them, and you obviously think he is guilty of some crimes. Why did you take part in the effort to hide him?"

"Since when do we Essenes tell the police everything we know?"

"True. But you must have had a reason not to tell the police."

"A lot was going on. Seeing how my daughter feels about Daniel, I wanted to give him the benefit of a doubt. I shouldn't have, but I did."

Mrs. Crow looked at her husband. "What bull shit?"

The man looked at Mrs. Crow. "I tend to believe your husband."

Mrs. Crow shook her head. She started to call the man an idiot but she thought better of it.

The man looked at Timmy. "Now back to you. How did you come to be on the island?"

Timmy said, "I was hid on Captain Raveen's sloop. I had been hiding from my sister, Kay, and I fell asleep beneath a grey blanket on the boat. When I woke up, the boat was out at sea. I was scared to death."

Tommy said, "You were scared?"

"I was terrified. I could feel the boat being tossed about by giant waves. And I was afraid Captain Raveen would find me on his boat where I knew I didn't belong. So I stayed hidden beneath the grey blanket. I thought it was better to stay afraid and alone, then to feel unwanted where I didn't belong. Anyway, eventually Captain Raveen docked at Portis. While Captain Raveen was away, I got off the boat and talked to the Hawker and another fellow."

Timmy saw the Hawker with Daniel and Elysa, and some people he assumed were a few of the Elders. Timmy pointed and asked, "What's the Hawker doing over there?"

Kay said, "He brought the Elders over on his boat."

Miss Norah said, "He's trying to convince them that Daniel and Elysa do not need to be handcuffed while being transported back to the mainland on his boat."

The man said, "Timmy, go on, you were saying."

Timmy said, "By the way Mr., who the hell are you to be questioning me? I'm tired, and I don't want to be answering the same questions a hundred times."

"I'm an Elder of the church." The man smiled, "I also own a small newspaper. If you don't want to tell me anymore, I understand. I know you've been through a lot. But I would like to know."

Timmy said, "I'll tell you what happened, that is if you tell other people, so I don't have to tell it over and over again."

The man grinned, "I'd be mighty pleased if you grant me an exclusive. I'll pay you a thousand dollars."

Timmy said, "I don't know about giving you an exclusive, but I'll tell you."

The man said, "Okay."

Timmy said, "What was I saying?"

The man said, "You got off the boat and talked to the Hawker and a friend of his."

Timmy said, "Yes. And before the Captain returned with his brother's body, I hid back on board the boat beneath the blanket."

Tommy said, "The Captain never knew you were on board?"

Timmy said, "No."

Tommy said, "Shoot. So you didn't get to meet him before he died."

Kay laughed. "Yeah, shoot. I was wondering what he was like."

The man said, "Wait a minute. You're saying Captain Raveen is definitely dead?"

Timmy said, "Yes."

The man said, "Damn. I was hoping he was still alive. Even if it's proven that the Raveens weren't responsible for the theft from the church, it is going to take a lot of legal work to get the church restored in accordance with Baldwin Raveen's will."

Timmy said, "I'm sorry." Timmy's voice quivered. "He's dead."

The man asked, "How did it happen?"

Timmy sniffled and ran the back of his hand under his nose. He said, "The Captain, in his grief was drinking a lot. After I got my nerve up, I got out from under the grey blanket, and I hid in a different place in the cabin where I could see the Captain. I had a good view. I could see that he had a bottle in his hand, and there was more than one bottle rolling about around his feet. The Captain was getting himself into a real drunken stupor. Suddenly, a huge wave rocked the boat. It was worst than all the other waves, and there had been some pretty huge waves rocking that boat. It frightened me so I nearly pissed in my pants. Then an even larger wave rocked the boat. It was so large, some water from it spewed into the cabin where I was hidden. I closed my eyes and started saying every prayer I could think of. I swore to God if he would save me this time, I'd be so good, the Catholics would want to make me a saint. Then I opened my eyes and watched in horror. The Captain laughed in face of the storm. He climbed upon the rail of the boat and smiled such a big smile I swear he looked as though this day was the most wonderful day of his life. I held my breath as a monstrous wave washed over the boat, and I watched in horror as Captain Raveen swam with the wave into the stormy water of the ocean. So there I was, left in the storm, on the boat, all alone. The boat rocked violently in the angry waves of the sea for what seemed like forever. Then the storm ended, and the waves calmed. I tried to figure out how to steer the boat to land, but I couldn't. I don't know how long the boat drifted aimlessly. I passed time by seeing how high and far I could throw the bottles out into the ocean. That didn't last long, and I started feeling real hungry. There was nothing on the boat to eat. It seemed like I was on the boat forever. But finally, at last, I saw dry land. When the boat came close to this island, I thought it was the mainland. I thought I was near home at last. I tried to steer the boat to shore, but I couldn't. As the boat started drifting further out to sea, I decided to swim for land. I jumped overboard and began swimming. I nearly didn't make it to shore. I nearly drowned. But I did make it, and so here I've been, stranded, alone, and on this island."

Kay hugged Timmy. "You poor baby."

Mary said, "How awful. I don't know what I would have done in your place. What did you eat?"

Timmy said, "There was a fresh water creek and I speared some fish there. There were also berries for me to eat. Really, it wasn't so bad. As long as I looked at it as an adventure, it wasn't bad at all. It was just kind of lonely."

Timmy stepped out of Kay's embrace. He glanced at her and said, "Kay told me what all has happened. I found something you and the other Elders may want to see."

"What's that?"

Timmy handed him the black book and the note that Robert Dean wrote. The man looked at the black book and saw the name Samuel Wilson. "My God." Then he looked at Robert Dean's note. "This is unbelievable. Where did you find these?"

"I found a key in the caverns. The key was in the palm of a skeleton; Tulip's skeleton. I don't know if you are going to believe me or not, but I'm the reincarnation of Benjamin Clayburg. At the prison I started remembering things."

Mary said, "Benjamin Clayburg. Nat's uncle?"

Timmy nodded.

Mary silently thought about Timmy's story. Captain Raveen was dead? Daniel had said Captain Raveen was still alive. Was Daniel mistaken or had Timmy been lying up a storm? He had been so convincing. Was all of it a lie?

Mary's thoughts were broken when she heard her mother saying to her father, "Yes, he taught Mary and me how to surf. You should have been there. It was a riot. But in those days you were never there. You didn't have time for us."

Mr. Crow said, "What do you mean I didn't have time for you? I went with you to the beach and other places every chance I got. It wasn't so seldom I spent time with you and Mary. I--I just had a lot going on."

Mrs. Crow said, "Yeah, and now we know what you had going on."

Mr. Crow said, "I was earning a living."

Mary thought about the man who she met on the beach with Nat and who later taught her and her mother how to surf. Mary looked into Timmy's eyes and she remembered the twinkle of an inner smile and gleam of childlike excitement she had seen more than once in the man's eyes, even when his face looked sad and frustrated. She saw that same twinkle and gleam in Timmy's eyes. It was only then that she realized the man who had taught her to surf was Benjamin Clayburg; she'd known him only as Clyde.

Timmy thought a moment. He had to be careful not to accidentally say anything about what Captain Raveen had told him about the cedar chest. And like his mother had suggested, he didn't want to sound too smooth. But Timmy didn't think there was much danger of that. He was more afraid of sounding like a blathering idiot.

Timmy said, "At the prison I started remembering things. And somehow I was able to communicate with Tulip."

The man said, "You were able to communicate with Tulip?"

"Yes. She had found the key and the compartment before she became lost trying to get away from Myles Morton in the caverns. I had already been murdered by him before she found the key."

The man asked, "Are you sure it was Myles Morton who murdered you? Are you sure it was Myles Morton, Tulip was trying to get away from?"

Timmy remembered that Captain Raveen had said that he shouldn't sound accusatory. Timmy said, "No, he was cloaked. I didn't see that it was Myles Morton. It might not have been Myles Morton. I was just going by Robert Dean's note. Robert Dean referred to Myles Morton and called him a monster and so I assumed that it was Myles Morton who murdered me. Maybe I shouldn't assume. Anyway, when I found the key she told me about the compartment in the cedar chest, and what she had found there."

The man said, "Are you talking about the cedar chest that had a revolver rigged in it, that was used in the murder of Myles Morton? Is that the cedar chest you are talking about?"

Timmy said, "The cedar chest in the secret passageway. Anyway, I used the key and opened the compartment and found the black book there. I didn't see any mention of Myles Morton in the black book."

The man asked, "Where did you get this note?"

Timmy said, "I heard someone coming and so I quickly shoved the compartment in the cedar chest closed with the book and I ran and hid."

Timmy thought a moment. He wanted to explain, in case they checked, why his fingerprints weren't on the compartment. But he wondered if he had made a mistake in saying that he shoved the compartment closed with the book. Was he sounding too smooth, too rehearsed?

Timmy continued, "After I heard them leave, I saw the cedar chest had been thrown down and the lining of the lid had come undone. There was a map beneath the lid. This note was attached to the map. I was looking at the map when I heard someone coming. Again I ran and hid. When it sounded like they were gone, I returned and the map was gone."

The man said, "You don't know who threw the cedar chest down or who later came back and took the map?"

Timmy said, "I have no idea."

Mr. Crow said, "Rhapsody and I went to get the cedar chest for evidence. We decided it wouldn't be needed and we didn't want to lug it back, and so we threw it down. But we didn't come back and take any map."

Mr. Crow looked over at Rhapsody talking to some grey bearded man. Rhapsody had disappeared for a brief period before they walked back to the boats. Mr. Crow wondered if Rhapsody had noticed the lining of the lid come undone and saw the map. He wondered if Rhapsody had gone back to get the map. His father hadn't trusted the Rhapsody brothers. He thought they were too close to Kate Benton. Maybe like Kate Benton, they too, were after the wealth stolen from the church. Mr. Crow stared at Rhapsody and wondered.

The man said, "I wish we knew what happened to that map."

Mr. Crow said, "Yeah, I do too."

The man said, "I'm going to take this evidence to the Elders for us to review and try to see if it was planted or is authentic."

Mrs. Crow said, "I will walk with you and make sure you do exactly that."

The man smiled, "Fine."

Timmy said, "I also have the letter which Kenneth Clayburg delivered to Sheriff Benton a few days before he was murdered by Kenneth Clayburg. I will present the letter before the Elders in person and testify to the fact that Kenneth Clayburg murdered Sheriff Benton."

The man said, "I will take the letter so that the Elders will have time to consider it before the trial."

Timmy said, "The hell you will. This evidence has something to do with what greatly affected my life as Benjamin. I will deliver the letter in person."

The man said, "Deliver the letter in person. But do it now. The Elders are right over there."

Timmy said, "I will deliver the letter with my testimony."

The man said, "We Elders will tend to think that you didn't want to give us time to verify the letter as authentic."

Timmy said, "If the Elders can't tell the letter is authentic by seeing its age, then it will be because they do not want it to be authentic and do not intend to present a fair trial to learn the true facts of what has happened."

The man said, "We will need to check its handwriting."

Timmy said, "The letter was written by Bess Eden. Find some of her handwriting before the trial, and bring in an expert. He will be able to tell in a second that it is her handwriting."

The man said, "Very well. We can do that. We do intend to be fair. And honest Timmy, or should I say Benjamin, we do appreciate you bringing this evidence forward."

Mr. Crow said, "Of course you realize, if he is the reincarnation of Benjamin, he is the reincarnation of a cold blooded killer. He murdered Duncan Dean in cold blood."

Timmy said, "I thought Duncan Dean murdered Sheriff Benton and framed Tulip for it. I made a mistake. A serious mistake which I regret. But realize, Duncan Dean was no saint. I shouldn't have killed him. But he was no saint. He did nothing to help Tulip when he could have. And he tried to take advantage of her. He tried to force himself on her."

Mr. Crow said, "It is true that Robert Dean and Duncan Dean were no saints. They were Fougeres. Bloody Fougeres."

Kay stared at Mr. Crow. "How did Robert Dean hurt you? Somehow, he hurt you. Didn't he? How? You are the son of Myles Morton. You are the son of the Sultan of Dissidents. And yet, the lowly Robert Dean hurt you. How?"

Mr. Crow stared at Kay. She used the phrase "Sultan of Dissidents." That phrase had not been used since the old days. That phrase had not been used since the death of Robert Dean. Robert Dean and Martin Lockstock used to use the phrase when they were mocking Mr. Crow's father, Myles Morton. And how did she know that Robert Dean had particularly hurt him?

Kay repeated, "How did he hurt you?"

Mr. Crow looked around and saw that lots of people were listening and taking in all that was being said. And Mr. Crow stared into the face of the grey bearded man that Rhapsody had been talking to. There was something familiar about that face. He thought it was a face from the old days, when he was just a kid, but it was a long time ago and he couldn't place what little he could see of the face behind that grey beard.

Mr. Crow thought about his mother and the man she had lived with in the town of Lockstock. The man had been Tulip Lockstock's bodyguard, and then he was murdered. Was behind the grey beard, the face of the killer he had seen murder his mother's boyfriend? He thought he had to be imagining things. There was no reason to believe it was the same man. But still, he wondered.

Mr. Crow believed Robert Dean and the Fougeres were responsible for the murder. The belief had grown into a kind of obsession of hate for the Fougeres, and his father--Myles Morton--had helped foster the hatred. As Mr. Crow stared at the grey bearded man who Rhapsody was talking to, he wondered if the man was a henchman for the Fougeres. He thought he was being paranoid, but for some reason he couldn't stop wondering.

An image flashed in Kay's mind. She saw Mr. Crow screaming at her. "It was one of your men who killed him, wasn't it. You gave the order. You cold blooded son of a bitch, why? Why did you have him killed? Because he stopped you from kidnapping Tulip?"

Kay remembered what Timmy had said. He said, "Till Fougere. . . . He said it would start you to remembering."

Kay wondered, "Am I Robert Dean? How can I be? I'm a girl."

Whether she was or wasn't she didn't won't to let anyone suspect. It would be embarrassing to say the least. Still, somehow, she knew that Robert Dean was not responsible for the murder of Mr. Crow's friend. There was something inside of her that was wanting to scream out and declare Robert Dean innocent. He wasn't innocent of everything, but of this he was innocent.

Kay said, "Robert Dean was guilty of a lot of things, but he was not responsible for the murder of your mother's lover."

Mr. Crow said, "How did you know that I accused him of that?"

Kay didn't want to say that it was something she was remembering. She said, "I heard some men talking."

"Who were they?"

"I don't know. But they said when you were young, you accused Robert Dean of the murder."

"I did. Thirteen long years passed before I accused him, but when I got to the age where I thought I was a real man, I was eighteen, I accused him. And he had his men beat the living hell out of me. I'll never forget that beating. Not as long as I live."

Kay said, "I'm sorry."

Mr. Crow looked at Kay. "Why should you be sorry? I should think you would like to have seen my beating. After all, I haven't been very nice to you."

Kay said, "No, you haven't. And it was your big mouth which caused you to get that beating. I don't say he should have ordered it. But you shouldn't have accused him of one of the few things that he wasn't guilty. He liked Rod. He was the one who suggested to Martin that he hire Rod."

"You heard all this from the men talking?"

Kay said, "Yes. And from what I heard, Rod's death had to do with the attempt to kidnap Tulip. If they were really in the know, it wasn't Robert who was behind the kidnap attempt."

Timmy said, "No, it wasn't. It was Kenneth Clayburg who tried to kidnap her. He was after the music box."

The man said, "The music box which Frenchy designed?"

Timmy said, "Yes. The music box which Frenchy and Sounder designed."

Mr. Crow stared at the man with the grey beard. "Kenneth Clayburg is dead, isn't he?"

Timmy said, "Officer Carlson killed him to protect Matthew from him. He was trying to kill Matthew. We thought he had committed suicide, but Officer Carlson later told us that he killed him."

The bearded man quickly turned and disappeared toward one of the boats.

Mr. Crow asked, "Could Officer Carlson have been wrong? Maybe Officer Carlson was lying. Deaths have been faked before. Maybe Officer Carlson made a deal with him, if he would stop trying to kill Matthew, then he would help him fake his death. Or maybe he had something to blackmail Officer Carlson with."

Timmy said, "I don't think so."

Mr. Crow said, "I suppose not. I'm tired. I guess I'm just imagining things."

The man asked, "Imagining what?"

Mr. Crow said, "There was a grey bearded man talking to Rhapsody. I couldn't really see his face behind the beard and it was a long time ago that I witnessed the murder. I was only five years old. There was just something about the man that reminded me of the murder and I let my paranoia go from there."

Mr. Crow looked at Timmy. "How was Kenneth Clayburg connected with what was going on? You say he was after the prophetic music box. And that's why he tried to kidnap Tulip. Why did he kill Sheriff Benton and frame Tulip for it? Was that also because of the music box?"

Timmy said, "No. Not really. Kenneth Clayburg and Jason Clayburg were both Martin Lockstock's brothers. The three of them were the son's of Sheriff Benton. Sheriff Benton didn't know what had become of his sons. Bess Eden wrote a letter to Sheriff Benton and. . . ."

Someone called out. "Isn't it time we be getting off this island? The coast guard will be coming this way shortly, and if they see us here they will be sure to come and investigate."

The man hollered, "Yes, we'll be right there." The man looked at Timmy, Mr. Crow, and Mrs. Crow. "Why don't the three of you come on the Hawker's boat with us so we can continue this conversation and you can see and make sure that I deliver this evidence to the other Elders? If we can start sorting all of this out, it will make the trial a lot simpler. I do want to get all of this behind us so that the church can be restored and things can be made right."

Mary said, "You go on mother. I'll be okay with Mark and Kay and the Avelines."

Mrs. Crow said, "Okay. I'll see you back at Miss Norah's. Don't go back to our house alone."

Timmy said, "Tommy, if it's okay with Miss Norah, when we get back, I'll stay with you."

Miss Norah said, "Of course it will be okay. We'll be expecting you." Miss Norah looked at the Elder. "We'll be expecting both Timmy and Mrs. Crow. You keep them safe."

Mr. Crow said, "If he doesn't, you can be sure that I will."

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

In a large hallow chamber beneath a small white church, on the outer edge of Portabay County, about 15 miles from Burgundy, a large group of about 500 Essenes were expected to descend. Another 1,000 remained in Burgundy at the Twilight Inn where they had originally planned to hold their convention.

Large sprinkles of rain began to fall on the windshield of Doctor Aveline's Van as he drove Avis, Timmy, Tommy, Mark, Kay, Miss Norah, Mrs. Crow and Mary to the church for the Judgement Hearing. Dr. Aveline cut the windshield wipers on, and they began to make an unnerving, swashing sound, back and forth over the windshield. The windows began to fog up and Doctor Aveline cursed that he couldn't see.

Sitting in the back of the Van, trying to ignore the loud, irritating sound of the windshield wipers, Kay folded her arms and squirmed on the black leather seat. She looked at Timmy sitting beside her. He looked as uncomfortable as she felt. "Timmy," she asked, "what did the Elders say to you on the Hawker's boat? You never did get a chance to tell me."

"They didn't say much at all. They just looked at the evidence and listened. Then they told me that I should come to the Little White Church at Borderville and testify today. Like the Elder, who I first told what happened, Mr. Simpson I think was his name, they wanted me to give them the letter that was from Bess Eden to Sheriff Benton. I told them just like I told him, I would give it to them at the hearing. One of the pompous asses suggested they could take it from me." Timmy looked at Mrs. Crow and smiled. "Mrs. Crow said they would take the letter from me over her dead body, and then they would have their own charges to face."

Listening, Mrs. Crow searched her yellow pocketbook for a stick of chewing gun. Digging beneath her red purse and her pistol, she found a piece of gum. Closing her pocketbook and unwrapping the paper from the gum, she said, "The letter is important to me too. I'm the one who gave the letter to Kenneth Clayburg to deliver. I didn't know what to think when I was told that Kenneth had given the letter to Robert Dean to deliver, and then he gave it to Kate to deliver, and then Kate said there was no letter in the envelope she delivered. I knew there was a letter in the envelope I gave to Kenneth Clayburg. Still, it didn't occur to me what Kenneth had done. There was no reason for me to think that he killed his own father and then framed Tulip for it."

Mary asked, "Why did he do it?"

Timmy said, "Kenneth Clayburg, my father when I was Benjamin, killed Jacob Clayburg, alias Johnathan Kent, his own brother, and then killed Martin Lockstock who was also his brother. When he delivered the letter to Sheriff Benton telling Sheriff Benton who his sons were and that he was holding his own granddaughter, Tulip, there at the prison, Tulip saw him. She had witnessed him murder Johnathan Kent, and she told Sheriff Benton. Kenneth and Sheriff Benton got into an argument. He held Sheriff Benton there until the timing was right, and then he murdered Sheriff Benton and framed Tulip for it."

Mary asked, "But why did he kill his brothers?"

Timmy said, "One reason was because he was after the music box, which could be used to see into the future. His brothers were getting in his way."

Timmy thought a moment. "I'm sure Kenneth Clayburg thought if he could gain access to the knowledge of the music box, the knowledge would help him achieve his goals. One of those goals was to gain favor with Myles Morton, work his way to the top of the Dissident Syndicate, and then take the Syndicate over from Myles Morton. I think that particular goal had as much to do with the reason he murdered Sheriff Benton, as perhaps his fear that Sheriff Benton would have him punished for killing his brothers. See, Sheriff Benton had been bleeding Myles Morton out of money in turn for staying quiet. Tulip said that when Sheriff Benton and Kenneth were having their fight, Kenneth boasted that when he was through, there would be only one man between him and being the top dog, and having all the money that was stolen from the church. Like I said, Kenneth Clayburg's ultimate plan was to unseat Myles Morton. But first he had to gain Myles Morton's trust so he would be placed in high authority among the dissidents. Killing Sheriff Benton, who had been bleeding Myles Morton out of money and who remained a serious threat to Myles Morton, probably gained him a lot of brownie points and helped him to gain Myles Morton's trust."

Timmy felt the van shift sideways. "What's he doing up there?"

As Doctor Aveline rounded a curve, the sprinkling rain became a heavy down pour. "Shit! Now I really can't see a damned thing."

"So slow down!" Avis clenched her fist and pressed her feet hard against the floorboard as though it would slow the van. "Pull over. You are going to have a wreck."

Doctor Aveline rolled his window down and stuck his head out so he could see where he was going.

"Are you crazy?"

Suddenly, Doctor Aveline slammed on brakes. He saw a large bus barreling over the yellow line and coming toward the van. "Oh God."

"What's wrong?"

Doctor Aveline threw the van in reverse and hit the gas.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The van hit 50 miles per hour going backwards. Still the bus approached the van.

Avis rolled down her window and stuck her head out to see what was happening. She cried, "We're going to die."

"Get your head out of the window. Get in the back and get everyone to lie down on the floorboard."

Avis fell into the back of the van. "Get on the floor," she screamed.

Doctor Aveline ran off the road and started up an embankment. "Help me God." The bus ran off the road and toward the van. "They're trying to kill us."

As the wheels of the van started spinning and burning rubber, the van came to a dead stop . Doctor Aveline let off on the gas. He saw the bus racing toward the van closer and closer. Doctor Aveline threw the van into drive. He turned the steering wheel to direct the van away from the approaching bus. He hit the gas to go forward and the van dived toward the road. It literally flew off the embankment.

When the van crashed against the road, the Van flipped over twice, landed upright, and then skidded on the far side of the road sideways, down a slight, but slippery, muddy, clay hill. The bus rushed back down the embankment, across the road, and toward the van.

Doctor Aveline screamed, "Is everyone okay?"

Avis shouted, "Everyone seems to be."

Doctor Aveline turned the steering wheel and tried to regain control of the van as the van approached a steep slope. Just as Doctor Aveline seemed to be regaining control of the van, the bus struck the corner of the van's rear end and the back tires of the van began spinning past the downward edge of the steep mound of muddy, clay earth. As Doctor Aveline hit the gas and struggled with the steering wheel, attempting to prevent the van from sliding any further beyond the edge, the bus backed up and then approached the front end of the van.

Doctor Aveline let up on the gas and held the steering wheel steady. The van began to ease forward. The bus began to slide sideways. Doctor Aveline stepped a little harder on the gas. The corner of the back end of the bus tipped the corner of the front end of the Van and then the bus began to slide sideways down the steep slope. The van eased a good three feet safely away from the edge and then the van's back tires began digging into the mud, becoming stuck. At least with the van's back tires buried deep in mud, there was no longer a danger of the van sliding down the dangerous slope.

As Doctor Aveline breathed a sigh of relief, he watched the bus sliding perilously down the slope. And he saw in the back of the bus, Daniel and Elysa standing up, handcuffed and chained. He saw Elysa hitting on the back window of the bus with her elbows. He saw her screaming in horror as the bus flipped over and began to roll toward a lake at the bottom of the deep incline.

Mary looked out the side window of the Van and saw what Doctor Aveline was seeing. She screamed, "Daniel and Elysa are chained in the back of the bus. We've got to get to them."

Doctor Aveline just shook his head. "It's probably too late."

Mary struggled to open the back door of the Van. "Oh God."

Mark said, "Mary, don't!"

Mark couldn't stop thinking about Daniel's dream and the phantom. He repeated, "Don't."

"What the hell do you mean, don't?"

Tommy helped her open the back door. "Come on Timmy."

Tommy and Timmy jumped out of the Van, into a drenching rain, with Mary. Mary's mother grabbed the pistol out of her pocketbook while Mark began trying to maneuver his leg in the cast around to get out. Mrs. Crow helped him by pushing him sideways, hoping to get him out of her way, so she could get out of the Van and follow after Mary. Mark held onto Mrs. Crow, and they both sort of fell out of the Van, somehow managing to land on their feet. That is, Mrs. Crow stomped down on Mark's foot, while his heavy cast crashed down on both of her feet.

As Doctor Aveline opened the door next to him, he told Kay and Avis to stay with Miss Norah. He leaned over and pulled a revolver out of the dash. Holding tightly onto the revolver, he got out of the Van and slammed the door.

As the six of them started trying to run down the slick, muddy slope, they saw the bus tumble into the shallow edge of the lake. Seeing it happen, Mark fell down and began rolling in the mud. He rolled into Mary and she slid and tumbled down. She did her best to stand back up, but like Mark she kept slipping, sliding, and rolling down the hill.

Tommy and Timmy remained on their feet and flew like the wind down the sheer incline. That is until they saw a cloaked figure, holding a shotgun, crawl from the bus. Then they slid to a stop in their tracks. "Shit."

Mark saw the cloaked figure too. "Oh no." He tried to catch Mary as they both continued rolling. "Help me stop her."

Both Timmy and Tommy fell on Mary and held her from rolling any further down the steep hill. Timmy and Tommy stared into Mary's frightened eyes, and Mary looked into Timmy's eyes.

Timmy whispered, "Everything is going to be okay. It has to be. The lake's shallow. At least Daniel and his grandmother aren't drowning."

Mary said, "We've got to get to Daniel and grandmother. There is no telling how badly they are hurt. They might be unconscious and lying face down in the water."

The cloaked figure pointed the shotgun at Timmy.

Doctor Aveline jumped in front of Timmy and Tommy and took aim at the cloaked figure. Mrs. Crow held her wrist steady and also took aim.

From the Van, Avis quickly shouted at the top of her lungs, "We've got some reinforcements."

The cloaked figure lowered the shotgun and ran into the woods.

Doctor Aveline, Mrs. Crow, Timmy, Tommy, Mark, and Mary slowly made their way down the rest of the hill and to the bus. Mark held Mary's hand as Doctor Aveline waded into the lake and crawled up onto the side of the bus. Mrs. Crow stood guard as Doctor Aveline eased himself through the door. Inside the bus, he crawled over the body of the bus driver. He stared at the body and the expression of horror on the poor man's face. A bullet had pierced through the man's ear and into the brain.

Elysa moaned from the back of the bus. She said, "Two cloaked figures overpowered him at a gas station. One held him while the other killed him. Then one of them took his keys, and the other one went off behind the station. If it wasn't for the fact they are still trying to make us look guilty of everything, they probably would have killed us too."

Doctor Aveline slowly crawled over the seats toward Elysa. "Is Daniel okay?"

"I'm okay. Just a little dazed."

Doctor Aveline stepped up to Daniel and Elysa and looked at how they were handcuffed and chained. "How am I going to get the two of you loose?"

Daniel said, "Use the revolver and shoot the chains in half."

Doctor Aveline pointed the revolver to where a chain loosely looped a bar over Elysa's head. He pulled the trigger and the chain broke. The top part of the chain fell to where the bottom part was looped at the floorboard. Elysa lowered her handcuffed wrist away from the back window and past where part of the chain still dangled beside her. Doctor Aveline then aimed the revolver to where a second chain loosely looped a bar over Daniel's head. He pulled the trigger and Daniel's arms dropped.

Daniel said, "Now shoot our handcuffs in half."

Daniel pressed the middle of his handcuffs over the side of the bus seat. Elysa did likewise. Doctor Aveline shot the short, thin chains of the handcuffs in half.

They heard Mary scream, "What is going on in there?"

Daniel yelled, "We're okay."

Doctor Aveline said, "Let's get out of here."

They crawled to the front of the bus and pulled themselves through the door. Standing on top of the bus, they saw Mr. Crow, Jason Rhapsody, and two other men making their way down the muddy hill.

Pointing a pistol, one of the men shouted, "Your covered, so don't try to make a run for it."

The other man shouted, "If you don't want a blood bath, drop your guns."

Reluctantly, Mrs. Crow and Doctor Aveline threw their pistols down.

Mary turned around and saw her father. "What are you doing?"

Mr. Crow said, "It looks like I'm helping to stop an escape."

Mrs. Crow stared at her husband. "You son of a bitch. I can't believe you've done this. Having your men take the bus with Daniel and Elysa in it, and then having them to ram our Van, just to try to make it look like we conspired to help Daniel and Elysa escape, is despicable. You could have gotten us killed in the accident. You could have gotten your own daughter killed. Don't you care about us at all?"

Mr. Crow stepped up next to his wife. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Daniel said, "We weren't trying to escape. Two cloaked figures killed the bus driver. Then one of them took the bus with us in it. After the bus crashed into the lake, he ran off into the woods. He's probably still around somewhere."

Jason Rhapsody stepped up. "Yeah, sure he is. Why don't you give it up? We've caught you this time. We've caught all of you, and all of you will be punished."

Jason pointed his revolver. "Now get off the bus, down into the water."

Daniel jumped down into the lake and reached up to help Elysa. She eased herself down into Daniel's arms.

Still standing on the side of the bus, Doctor Aveline said, "With all of the evidence Daniel has got on his side, Daniel and Elysa have no reason to try to escape. This ploy you and Mr. Crow came up with is not going to work."

Mr. Crow looked at Jason Rhapsody and then back at Doctor Aveline. "If this was a ploy by any of my men, it was done without my orders, and you can be sure that I will get to the bottom of it."

Doctor Aveline jumped down off the bus. "Mr. Crow, maybe you are not responsible for this. Maybe you are not the kind of man who would put your own wife and daughter in the kind of danger they were in. Maybe you are not that kind of man. Maybe you are not the kind of monster that your father was. I want you to crawl up in the bus and look at the dead bus driver. Then think good and long about the kind of animals you're running with. If indeed, you're not like them, you can be sure it's only a matter of time before they turn on you. You no longer have your ruthless, savage father to watch out for you; to keep the other savages ruled by equal savagery. You can be sure Jason Rhapsody there will put a knife in your back the first time he sees a chance to try to overthrow you. If you are not like them, you can be sure, with them, your days are numbered. It's only a matter of time before you end up like that driver. Go look at the horror on that poor man's face."

Mr. Crow stared at Jason Rhapsody.

Jason Rhapsody saw the two other men were also looking at him. He laughed. "Hey, I didn't do this. Don't listen to him. Don't you see he's doing a number on you."

Mr. Crow said, "I and these two guards of the church will take Daniel and Elysa to Borderville. Doctor Aveline, you follow in your van."

Doctor Aveline said, "My van is stuck." Daniel said, "What about the bus driver? We can't just leave his body."

Mr. Crow said, "Men, recover the body from the bus."

One of the men said, "You and Mr. Rhapsody go get the body out of the bus. We will escort Daniel and Elysa up to the limousines."

Mr. Crow said, "Very well. Rhapsody, put your revolver away. Let's get the body."

As Mr. Crow and Jason Rhapsody crawled upon the bus and slid into the door, one of the men fished Doctor Aveline's pistol out of the water. The other one picked Mrs. Crow's pistol up.

One of them said, "Start up the hill. None of you try anything. We will be right behind you."

While Mr. Crow and Jason Rhapsody removed the body from the bus, everyone else started up the muddy hill. Mary and Mark stepped beside Daniel and Elysa.

One of the men said, "Now don't try anything. We mean it."

Mark said, "We're not."

Daniel said, "Mr. Simpson told me about all the evidence Timmy provided the Elders."

Mark asked, "Do you think the Elders will set you and your grandmother free?"

Daniel said, "I don't know. The evidence shows what has been happening, but we are Fougeres. I'm sure a few of the Elders will try to discredit the evidence."

Mark said, "When I saw that cloaked figure, I was scared to death your nightmare about Mary was going to come true. Do you have any idea who it was?"

"No. He was wearing a hood over his face."

Mr. Crow walked up beside Mary.

Daniel asked, "Where's the body?"

"Rhapsody is carrying it over his shoulder. That poor bus driver."

Elysa said, "It was awful watching him murdered. We had just been talking about his wife and two little children."

Mr. Crow said, "Do you have any idea who did it?"

"Why do you ask? Do you want to know if you need to warn one of your men that their cover has been blown?"

"It wasn't one of my men." Mr. Crow glanced back at Rhapsody. "At least I hope it wasn't."

"Daniel and I have no idea. But the man was about 6 feet tall. The way he was cloaked I couldn't exactly tell his build, but I would guess that he was a little on the heavy side. He kept scratching beneath the hood that covered his face. One of those times the hood slipped a fraction and I saw a bit of grey beard."

Mr. Crow said, "A grey beard."

Elysa stared at Mr. Crow. "Does a grey beard ring any bells?"

"I saw Rhapsody talking to a grey bearded man yesterday. The man reminded me of a man I witnessed murder my mother's boyfriend when I was a child. I always blamed you Fougeres for the murder."

Elysa said, "Mr. Crow, for God's sake, tell the Elders the truth about your father. Please, help us to start making the church whole again."

"I believe in what I'm doing. I believe in the cause."

"Do you know for sure what you are doing? In all honesty can you justify everything that your father has done?"

Mr. Crow said, "No, I can't. But he formed a movement which can do good. I will see to it that it does good."

Daniel said, "Let us do good together. Let us make the church whole again, and do good through the church. Maybe your cause isn't so different from ours."

Mr. Crow said, "I'll consider what you've said; but I doubt I will change my mind about you Fougeres."

Everyone trudged in the mud past Doctor Aveline's van. Avis, Miss Norah and Kay were already standing at the road where a line of about 15 black limousines were parked in a row. A man walked down beside Doctor Aveline and told him that a wrecker had been called to tow the van out of the mud and to Borderville. Doctor Aveline thanked him.

The man smiled, "This is all something else, isn't it? This is history in the making. Not since the Essenes fostered the meeting that resulted in the creation of the Constitution and this great nation, has a more important meeting been held. The importance to this country of what is going to happen today is overwhelming, and yet most Americans do not even know their future is about to be shaped. I wonder, will it be shaped by good or will it be shaped by evil?"

Daniel asked, "Which side do you consider the side of good?"

The man said, "There was a time I used to lean toward the dissidents. See, I studied at the Lockstock Foundation, and unknowingly was greatly affected by the dissidents."

Daniel said, "I've done projects at the Lockstock Foundation. I didn't even know I was an Essene then, and I had no idea who I was working for."

The man said, "I know. See, I accidentally came across some of your papers that you had written. I couldn't believe what I was reading and the kind of world you envision. God, I'd give my life if I could make that kind of world a reality. I do hope good does win out. I do hope you win."

Daniel smiled. "So do I."

The man said, "I convinced the Elders to let you and your grandmother ride in the limousine with me. Timmy and Kay Benton will also ride with us." The man looked at Doctor Aveline. "The rest of you will ride with my grandfather."

Doctor Aveline asked, "Who is?"

"Alexander J. Brown. I'm Jacob Brown."

Daniel reached out and shook his hand. "It's good to know you Jacob."

As they walked up to the limousines, Daniel and Mr. Crow stared at the grey bearded man who was speaking to Mr. Simpson. Mr. Simpson was the Elder who Timmy first told his story.

Timmy noticed Daniel and Mr. Crow staring, and saw Mr. Simpson. Timmy said, "Mr. Simpson seems nice enough; I guess. But there's something about him. Maybe it's just that he's a little bit too bossy for my liking. I don't exactly trust him."

Jacob Brown said, "My grandfather has had more than one run-in with Mr. Simpson. My grandfather has always tried to make his factories as safe as possible for his workers, but one of the plants was sabotaged and three of the workers were killed when a roof collapsed. Certain key beams had been weakened by some welding that had not been ordered, and no one knew had even taken place. Mr. Simpson did a series of stories claiming that all of my grandfather's factories should be closed down as unsafe. Those stories prevented my grandfather from getting an important government contract. The contract went instead to Zac Kingly; one of Mr. Simpson's friends."

Daniel said, "Maybe Mr. Simpson was an unwitting accomplice to Zac Kingly. Maybe he thought what he was writing was correct."

"I suppose. For your sake, for all of our sakes, I hope Mr. Simpson is not as corrupt as I think he may be."

Before Mr. Crow considered he was speaking in front of people he considered the enemy, Mr. Crow said, "Why is Mr. Simpson talking to that man? Why was Rhapsody talking to him yesterday? I wonder. What the hell is going on behind my back?"

Mrs. Crow said, "Daryl, you are not your father. You're not strong enough to control the dissidents. They are going to eat you alive. Your best bet is to work with us."

Mary said, "Father, work with Daniel. Stop working against him."

Mr. Crow said, "What, and allow the Fougeres to restore their church, and run it like they are some kind of royalty or something. No way!"

Daniel said, "If you think that is what we Fougeres are all about, then don't help us."

Jacob Brown said, "Mr. Crow, I don't have the papers with me, but when we get to Borderville, come up to the estate with me and let me show you a copy I made of some of the papers that Daniel wrote at the Lockstock Foundation. I've seen some of the papers that you also wrote, and I think you will be surprised at how much ground there is for the two of you to work together."

Mr. Crow said, "I will be glad to read the papers. It will give me greater insight into my enemy."

Jacob smiled, "There is nothing in the papers that you will be able to use against Daniel."

Mr. Crow smiled. "We'll see."

Everyone began getting in the limousines to begin the rest of the trip to Borderville.

. . .

A long procession of black limousines rolled along a muddy dirt road toward Borderville. People along the route began to take notice and call up friends along the route, so they would be sure to get a look at the strange caravan. As the procession approached the outskirts of Borderville, Daniel stared at the people lined up along the dirt road and gawking at the limousines. He watched barefoot children playing in mud puddles of water beside the road, while their parents whispered back and forth among one another.

Jacob Brown told the driver to stop. He rolled down his window and stuck out his hand to greet someone. A six year old jumped in front of an elderly woman and took Jacob's hand. The six year old said, "What's going on Jacob. Somebody die? You going to a funeral? Your grandfather's not dead, is he?"

Jacob shook the child's hand and said, "This isn't a funeral procession. We're just going to a meeting at the Little White Church."

The elderly woman said, "It's not a funeral? A meeting? Don't tell me the rumors I have heard are true."

"I don't know what rumors you've heard."

"I heard that your grandfather is part of the mafia, and that the mafia is holding a meeting here in Borderville."

Jacob said, "We're not the mafia."

The child said, "Grandmother said she doesn't care if you are. Said you've always done right by her, and that's all she cares about."

The child stared at Elysa and Timmy and Kay. Then his eyes fixed on Daniel. "Who are you? Are you rich like the Browns?"

Elysa smiled, "We've got some wealth."

The boy laughed. "I wish I had money. If I had money, my grandmother would never be without power to cook or power for air conditioning again." The boy closed his eyes and smiled. "If I had money."

Jacob asked, "Have they cut your power again?"

Feeling ashamed, the elderly woman stared down at her feet. "Elferel got fired. Said his blood test showed he'd been using drugs. He swears he's been clean for over a year. He and another boy were both up for a promotion. The other boy may have slipped Elferel a mickey finn. I don't know. Guess I shouldn't accuse the boy. Elferel may have been lying."

Jacob said, "I'll get your power cut back on. Why didn't you let me know."

"Didn't want to be a bother. I ask too many favors of you."

"If you don't want to ask for yourself, ask for your grandson."

Feeling reproached the woman said, "I'm sorry."

"No reason to be sorry." Jacob pulled three one hundred dollar bills from his pocket. "Here's some money in case your lacking more than just power to cook with."

The woman took the money. "Thank you. May God always be with you."

The driver began to ease the car along the road.

Jacob told the woman, "I'll come to see about you as soon as I can."

Jacob rolled his window back up. "Elferel's father, the woman's husband, used to be the Vice-President of one of my grandfather's concerns. He was caught selling inside information to one of our competitors. Grandfather fired him. The poor man killed himself. We later learned that he had been being blackmailed by Zac Kingly."

Elysa said, "I'm not familiar with Zac Kingly at all. I'm also not very familiar with your grandfather. But then I haven't been exactly in circulation with the movers and shakers in a very long time."

Jacob said, "From what I hear, you still have clout."

Elysa smiled. "Some."

A limousine, toward the front of the procession, came to stop when a rock crashed through the windshield.

Jacob asked, "Driver, what's the hold up?"

"Some people have gathered around a car, about five cars up."

Jacob opened the car door and got out. Daniel slid out beside him. They crawled up on top of the limousine where they could see over the crowd that had gathered. They saw the grey bearded man hitting a teenager with his fist and then knocking the teenager to the ground. Daniel and Jacob jumped off the limousine and made their way through the crowd.

Jacob grabbed hold of the grey bearded man. "Stop it."

"The punk threw a rock through our windshield."

The teenager jumped up. "He ran over my dog. He could have stopped. But he didn't. The son of a bitch speeded up. I saw him smiling when he ran over Whistler. He killed my dog on purpose. He's a cold blooded son of a bitching bastard."

Daniel walked behind the limousine where a large, white dog lie collapsed in the dirt road. He picked the heavy, white dog up in his arms and cradled the back of the dogs neck in his hand. He placed the dog on the boot of the car. He massaged around the dog's neck, and applied gentle pressure with his thumbs at the base of the dogs neck and at the dog's temples. He touched where the dog was bleeding at the nose, and then he placed his head against the dog's chest. "The dog's not dead. But if he's not gotten to the veterinarian quickly, he will be."

The teenager looked at Daniel. "What are you talking about? The dog's dead. I checked."

Daniel massaged the dog on the chest. "He's not dead."

The dog opened its eyes.

The teenage boy looked at his dog and then looked at Daniel. "How did you bring him back to life?"

"I didn't. You need to get him to the veterinarian."

The teenager stared at Daniel and stared at his dog's blinking eyes. "We don't have a vet in this town, but maybe Doc Hammel will be able to take care of him."

Jacob pulled out a hundred dollar bill. "Tell the doc that Jacob Brown said to do whatever is necessary for Whistler."

The boy took the money. "I'll be at your place in the morning to start working off the loan. Thank you."

"That's not necessary."

"It is necessary. I don't take charity."

"Very well."

The boy flexed his muscles and picked Whistler up off the boot of the car and took off running toward the doctor's office.

Daniel looked at the grey bearded man. "You're the man who killed the bus driver and took the bus along with me and my grandmother. Don't deny it."

"You're crazy."

Mr. Crow walked up. "Who are you?"

"None of your damned business."

"I intend to make it my business to find out who you are and what you are doing."

Someone in the crowd said, "His name is Duke Johnson." A man stepped out of the crowd and shook Jacob Brown's hand and took Daniel's hand. "Thank you for what you did for my boy."

Then the man looked at Duke Johnson. "If you ever hurt my boy or any member of my family again, I'll kill you. I've tolerated all I'm going to tolerate out of you. Today, you crossed the line."

"Don't threaten me Dick Jenkins."

"Threaten you? What about all the threatening that you have done? But know this, you have threatened me and my family for what better be the last time. I'm not going to sell to that damned Clayburg Trust my stock in the Kingly Corporation, and that's the end of it."

Daniel said, "Clayburg Trust? Do you know who is behind the Trust?"

The man, Dick Jenkins, said, "All I know is that it was set up as a so called memorial to some joker by the name of Kenneth Clayburg. I've done my best to find out who controls it, but all I've been able to uncover are the names of dummy corporations registered around the world, and the names of law firms run by people who act like they don't know whether they are coming or going."

Mr. Crow stepped between Jacob Brown and Duke Johnson. Then Mr. Crow grabbed hold of Duke Johnson's arms and twisted them into a tight knot against his back. "One of you pull up the sleeve on his right arm so I can see something."

Daniel asked, "So you can see what?"

Mr. Crow said, "So I can see if he is the man who murdered Rod Douglas, my stepfather, Tulip's bodyguard. If he's the man, he will have a burnt scar down his arm from where Rod knocked him into scalding, boiling water on the stove. It may very well have faded by now, but to some degree it will still be there."

Daniel took hold of the man's right arm and rolled up the sleeve and looked at a slight scar which ran from the man's elbow to the upper part of his arm. "He does have a scar."

Mr. Crow again twisted Duke's arms. He slammed Duke against the boot lid of the car "Okay, you worthless son of a bitch, is Kenneth Clayburg dead or is he still alive?"

Duke moaned, "He's dead. Everybody knows he's dead."

Mr. Crow asked, "Who controls the Clayburg Trust?"

Duke didn't answer.

Mr. Crow crawled up on the bumper and placed his knee in Duke's back. Then he pulled Duke's head back by the hair. Duke freed one of his arms and tried to reach back at Mr. Crow. Mr. Crow ground his knee in Duke's back. "Answer me."

"Your father controlled the Trust. I guess you control it now."

"I didn't know anything about the Clayburg Trust, and I damned well didn't know anything about you. Whose been giving you your orders?"

Duke used his free arm and tried to push himself off the car boot.

Mr. Crow screamed, "Who in the hell have you been taking orders from?"

Mr. Crow began banging Duke's head against the boot. "Answer me. If you want to keep living, you answer me."

"Rhapsody. I've been taking orders from Jason Rhapsody. Jason was Kenneth Clayburg's First Lieutenant. Kenneth set the Clayburg Trust up so he'd have a power base upon his rebirth. Jason has been running it."

Jacob Brown asked, "What does the Clayburg Trust have to do with the Kingly Corporation and Zac Kingly?"

Duke said, "The Clayburg Trust controls a little less than half the stock in the Kingly Corporation."

Dick Jenkins said, "Zac Kingly and the Trust must be fighting for control of the Corporation. That's why the Trust is after my shares."

Jacob Brown asked Duke Johnson, "What do you know about the sabotage of my grandfather's plant? Was Zac Kingly or the Clayburg Trust responsible."

Duke pretended like he didn't hear the question.

Mr. Crow said, "Answer the man."

"It was the Clayburg Trust. Zac Kingly and Mr. Simpson believed the line the Trust was feeding them until your grandfather showed them the evidence. That's when the feud between the Trust and Zac Kingly began."

Jacob said, "Wait a second, Zac Kingly might not have been responsible for the sabotage, but I don't believe he would have been that upset by it. The man's a creep."

Duke Johnson started laughing.

Mr. Crow asked, "What the hell are you laughing about?"

"At how dumb the Brown and the Kingly families are."

Jacob clinched his fist. "Dumb?"

Daniel said, "What you have been blaming on Zac Kingly, and perhaps some things that Zac Kingly may have been blaming on your grandfather, may all have been the Clayburg Trust all along. It's the way a lot of the Dissidents operate."

Mr. Crow said, "It's not the way I operate."

Daniel said, "But it was the way your father operated."

Mr. Crow said, "Duke, you say Jason Rhapsody has been running the Trust. Was my father involved?"

Duke Johnson said, "Of course not. Mr. Morton would never have tolerated murder."

Mr. Crow looked bewildered. "What?" But then Mr. Crow realized what he was asking. Mr. Crow figured the man was answering the way he probably believed Mr. Crow wanted him to answer in front of everybody.

Jason Rhapsody stepped up. "Mr. Crow, what the hell are you doing? I thought you were a good man. Now I hear you and this man I saw you writing a check to earlier trying to make it sound like I'm guilty of God knows what."

Mr. Crow stared at Rhapsody. "Rhapsody, you have made one hell of a serious mistake. When you had this man kill the bus driver, take the bus, and try to cause Doctor Aveline to have an accident, you went too far. When you put my wife and daughter in danger, you made the biggest mistake of your life."

Rhapsody stared at Mr. Crow. "I did no such thing. Do you hear what you are saying? I can't believe what you are saying. You must have been running the Trust."

"Oh shut up Rhapsody. You are through."

Rhapsody smiled. "It is not me who is through. You are going to hang with the Fougeres. You will pay for your guilt."

Rhapsody pulled a revolver. "The two of you, get off the boot. Your act is over."

Mr. Crow let go of Duke Johnson and stepped off the boot. Duke Johnson turned over and sat up.

Smiling, Rhapsody put the revolver away. "Now Mr., answer me honestly. I'm not going to threaten you, but realize, if you keep lying, there is no telling what the Elders will do with you. Talk honestly, and they may pardon you."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Were you working with Mr. Crow and the Fougeres? Are they the ones who paid you to try to frame me?"

"Yes."

Daniel shook his head. "I don't believe this."

Mr. Crow said, "There are two boys who overheard a conversation between my father and me, while my father was looking for the revolver he used to killed Preacher Bertram. I believe their names are Jay and Teddy. If they heard what I think they heard, they will be able to testify to the effect that my father and I had a fight because he refused to promise me that under no circumstance would he hurt my wife and daughter. They can help me substantiate that under no condition would I have given orders which would have put my wife and daughter in danger. There is no way I would have given Duke orders which might have resulted in my wife and daughter being killed. Further more, they can testify to the effect that my father and I were working against the Fougeres. Up until this very second, there was no way that my father or I would have joined forces with the Fougeres. But now, if I'm going to stop the Clayburg Trust from taking over the Dissident Movement, I've been left no choice. So Jacob, do you think you can have some of your people locate the boys in Portabay and get them to testify."

"It's as good as done."

Mr. Crow said, "Good."

Rhapsody smiled. "Bring in the devil himself to testify. What do I care? The Elders will see the truth."

Daniel said, "Rhapsody, if they truly see the truth, they will sentence you to death. You better care."

Rhapsody laughed. "Threaten me to hell freezes over. Good will win out."

Daniel said, "I pray it does."

Mr. Crow said, "Jason Rhapsody, you didn't plan this subversion alone. There's no way. Whose pulling the strings behind the Clayburg Trust? Is Kenneth Clayburg alive?"

Rhapsody didn't say anything.

Daniel said, "Unless Kenneth Clayburg has been reincarnated, I doubt he is alive. But it is possible that he's pulling the strings from beyond the grave. It is also possible that your father is still giving Rhapsody orders."

Mr. Crow said, "No. My father never trusted the Rhapsody Klan. He only put up with them because they didn't mine getting their hands dirty."

Jacob Brown said, "We've got to get to the Little White Church."

Daniel and Jacob walked back to the limousine and crawled into the back seat with Elysa, Kay, and Timmy.

Duke Johnson cleared the glass away and crawled into the limousine he had been driving. He glanced back at Zac Kingly.

Jason Rhapsody opened the door next to Zac. "If you even consider testifying against me, you'd better think again."

Zac said, "Why worry about me? It was Duke who seemed more than willing to spill the beans on you when Mr. Crow was threatening him."

Duke said, "I knew I could always come back and deny everything I said under Mr. Crow's duress. Jason, I think you covered pretty good."

Rhapsody said, "You damned well better not screw up again."

Rhapsody slammed the door shut and walked back to the limousine Mr. Simpson was riding in. He looked around to make sure no one was particularly noticing him and then opened the door. He quickly sat down next to Mr. Simpson and eased the door shut.

Mr. Simpson's driver started the limousine up, and began driving slowly along the dirt road behind the other limousines.

Mr. Simpson looked at Rhapsody. He asked, "What happened up there?"

Rhapsody shook his head. "Everything is going wrong. I told you we shouldn't use that Duke creep. He ran over the Jenkin boy's dog. The boy then threw a rock through the windshield of the Kingly Limousine and then Duke started beating up on the boy and made a big scene. Daniel Hudson, Jacob Brown, Mr. Crow, and Dick Jenkins all walked up."

"Did Kingly get out of his limousine and confer with them?"

"No."

"Then they didn't see Kingly in the limousine."

"No."

"We can be thankful for that."

Rhapsody said, "Shit, you just don't know what all else did happen. Daniel realized Duke was the one who hijacked the bus. To make matters even worse, Mr. Crow recognized Duke as the man who murdered his stepfather. Mr. Crow started beating up on him, and got information out of him about me and the Clayburg Trust. Mind you, all of this happened in front of witnesses. I had no choice but to pretend like Mr. Crow is trying to frame me for something that he is responsible for. Since Duke pretended like Myles Morton wasn't involved with the Clayburg Trust, I figured that gave me a perfect opening to pretend like Duke and Mr. Crow are in cahoots, and trying to make me take a fall for their actions. Anyway, now Mr. Crow is joining with the Fougeres and is going after me. Everything is screwed. If you don't help me hang Mr. Crow with the Fougeres, then I am ruined."

Mr. Simpson said, "I told Myles Morton's ghost that he or we should let Mr. Crow know what he was planning."

"Mr. Crow would never have gone for it. And he would have been right. Myles Morton is even crazier dead than he was alive."

"Myles Morton could have made his son go along and then this wouldn't have happened."

Rhapsody shook his head. "How? Mr. Crow is not like you and me. God. Taking orders from a dead man. What kind of men are we?"

"We are men with secrets. Secrets that make us very vulnerable to the dead man we once tried to betray."

"Unless I can shift blame to Mr. Crow, I'm ruined. At the very least, people now suspect my connection to the Clayburg Trust."

Mr. Simpson said, "We had a good plan. Damn! Now what have we got. Shit! I wonder how Myles Morton discovered the truth about us so quickly after his death. And the way he appeared to us. Hell!"

"Really. It was unbelievable. Still, I can imagine how he discovered the truth so quickly. Kenneth Clayburg probably was waiting with open arms on the other side of the grave. Kenneth probably went into great detail about our conspiracy, cursing how we betrayed him, Kenneth Clayburg, to Officer Carlson so that we could take control of the Clayburg Trust. I can hear the angry sound of vengeance in Kenneth's voice, and know how sweet his revenge must have felt as he explained our ultimate goal was no less than treason against Myles Morton himself."

Mr. Simpson smiled. "I wonder if Kenneth Clayburg volunteered to tell Myles that we simply hijacked a plan that Kenneth Clayburg himself was setting in motion. If not for Kenneth Clayburg, I would never have considered trying to take over the Lockstock Foundation in an attempt to unseat Myles Morton from his wealth. If not for Kenneth, I would never have been tempted, and I would never have tried to satisfy my greed through the back doors of the dissident movement."

"Hell, knowing Kenneth, he probably bragged that it was his plan that we were using."

Mr. Simpson added, "And knowing Myles Morton, he probably patted Kenneth on the back and laughed about it."

"But Myles Morton sure as hell wasn't laughing with us. When his ghost came at me with that axe, I nearly died."

"That wasn't as bad when he threatened he would see to it that the Elders would find out all about us if we didn't follow his every command."

Rhapsody asked, "So what are we going to do now?"

"I'm not sure. I'll try to use my position on the Board of Elders against Mr. Crow and the Fougeres the best I can. But if I become too obvious in my bias against them, and the other Elders aren't persuaded, then it might backfire. I sure as hell don't want to end up on trial myself."

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. There are two boys in Portabay who overheard a conversation between Mr. Crow and his father. Mr. Crow seems to think that their testimony will substantiate that Duke does not work for him because there is no way that he would have given the orders that Duke followed."

"Damn. You know, on second thought, I think you, Duke, and Mr. Kingly need to disappear. I think our best bet may be to just give in and let things go the way the Fougeres and now Mr. Crow want them to go. If we continue working against them, we are playing a high risk game, and could end up losing everything. We need to transfer everything out of the Clayburg Trust and the Kingly Corporation into a new grouping. We need to reorganize and recoup and take things slow. I think we need to follow the old adage that he who retreats lives to fight another day."

Rhapsody said, "Yeah, I, I agree. I can always come back later with a new identity. But what about Myles Morton? His ghost is not going to just go away."

"Putting us into a position which might destroy us is not going to be of benefit to him. We will promise him, and we will mean it, if he allows us to do