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 TWENTY-ONE

Feeling weak, I got out of bed. I went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. My face looked as though I hadn't shaved in days.

I walked to the kitchen and put bread in the toaster and poured myself a glass of orange juice. I felt starved.

I went to the door to pick my newspaper up off of the stoop. I found three newspapers laying there. I couldn't believe it. I realized I had slept for three days.

I picked the newspapers up and stumbled back to my kitchen table. I plopped down in a chair and started to browse the newspapers, but then I threw them aside. I ate the toast I had fixed, and I thought about the long dream I had dreamed. I knew it was more than just a dream. It was a revelation.

I decided to call Elysa and see if she knew whether someone had broken Tulip out of the State Institution for the Criminally Insane. As I dialed the number, I wondered how difficult it would be to get Elysa to the phone. I also wondered if the phone call would be monitored. A switchboard operator answered the call. I asked if it would be possible for me to speak to one of the patients. She asked which inmate. I told her Elysa Eden. She asked if I knew the room number. I told her that I didn't remember. She told me to give her my name and phone number and that if Elysa had permission to return calls, she would call me back within the hour. I gave my name and phone number. I thanked the operator and hung up.

While I waited for Elysa to return my call, I fixed myself some bacon and eggs to eat. I had just finished eating when Elysa called me back.

I asked, "Elysa, do you know if Tulip is still at the State Institution or if someone has removed her from there?"

Elysa responded, "Rumors have begun circulating that someone has broken her out of here. I don't know if the rumors are true. Do you think Robert Dean has abducted her?"

I told Elysa, "I don't know. I've got to find her."

Elysa said, "I wish there was something I could tell you." Elysa paused a moment. She asked, "How did you find out that Tulip may have been taken from here? It had to have just happened."

I said, "I've been asleep for the last three days. While asleep, I've had some revelations. The revelations ended with Tulip and I speaking in the spirit at the State Institution, and someone coming into her room and taking her."

Elysa said, "Someone may be listening in on this line. Knowing that, can you tell me any of what was revealed to you?"

I said, "For starters, Uncle Kenneth was the one who killed Johnathan Kent. By the way, Johnathan Kent was actually Jacob, my adopted father."

"You are kidding."

"No."

"Johnathan and Jacob were one in the same. And Kenneth was the one who killed him. Kenneth was the one who ruined my life. Damn that son of a bitch. I hope his soul burns in hell."

I said, "Uncle Kenneth was also responsible for Martin Lockstock's death. He was also the one who killed Sheriff Benton and framed Tulip for it. Listen, Uncle Kenneth drugged Tulip. He continued to drug her at the State Institution. He induced things into her mind and caused her to have nightmares. The purpose of those nightmares was to manipulate her into telling Elsbeth Kent that she saw Robert Dean murder Johnathan Kent and also that while she was at Portabay Prison Island Duncan Dean raped her. Do you have any idea what Uncle Kenneth was up to?"

Elysa said, "Elsbeth Kent and my daughter Torence are sisters. When I adopted Torence, Johnathan adopted Elsbeth. Elsbeth thought the world of Johnathan. When Elsbeth thought I had murdered Johnathan, she plotted to murder me. If Torence hadn't stopped her, she probably would have succeeded. I imagine Kenneth was trying to manipulate Elsbeth into plotting the murder of Robert and Duncan. Poor Elsbeth. That poor child. What she has gone through. Even though she is the majority stockholder of the Hill and Dale Museum, her creditors have complete control of the place. From what she told me, the consortium of banks and corporations to who she is indebted are corrupt beyond belief. Because she did not want Robert to turn the music box over to the consortium through the museum, she agreed to look the other way when Torence pretended to be Tulip. Elsbeth's turning a blind's eye toward what her sister and I tried to do could very easily have put Elsbeth in danger when our plan backfired. I feel as though I owe Elsbeth. I hate to think what may be going to happen to her because of that damned Kenneth."

I said, "Elsbeth Kent and Duncan Dean have arranged for Robert Dean to go over to the cottage today and take down that awful portrait--you know the one of Robert Dean which hangs in the cottage. If Elsbeth is planning on killing them, she may be planning on doing it today."

Elysa said, "I think you should get over there as fast as possible. Please. If you can, don't let anything happen to Elsbeth."

"I will do what I can. I need to get over there for more reasons than one. Bye."

I quickly got dressed and rushed over to great-grandfather's house. I parked my car there, and though I felt kind of weak, I began running through the woods toward the cottage. I hadn't run far when images of Sarah and Benjamin flashed in my mind. I saw they were getting out of Benjamin's car. It was parked in front of the cottage.

Suddenly, I tripped over a log. "Shiiiiit!" I fell and began rolling down a twelve foot embankment.

Lying in a creek bed at the bottom of the embankment, more images flashed in my mind. I saw Lottie talking to Sarah and Benjamin at the front door of the cottage. I heard Lottie's voice, "Where's Matthew and Officer Carlson? I thought they would be here by now."

Benjamin said, "Matthew and Officer Carlson are going to be here?"

"Yes." Lottie asked, "Didn't Matthew call you?"

"No, Kate Benton called me. She told me that Robert Dean was going to be here. She said if I wanted to talk to him, now would probably be my best chance."

"We're not intruding are we?" Sarah asked.

"No. Of course not. But Benjamin, I thought Matthew was going to call you. Strange. You say Kate Benton called you. I'm confused. Why would she call you to tell you that if you wanted to talk to Robert Dean, he would be at my house today?"

"Well, I'm not sure exactly. To be honest, I was more than just a little surprised when she called me. Before father's death, I went to Portabay and talked with her because I knew she was friend's with Duncan Dean. I thought she might could help me find out what Robert Dean did with Tulip. She pretended like she didn't know anything and she doubted Duncan would confide in her. She didn't say a word about her uncle, Sheriff Benton, being murdered or how she found the woman standing over Sheriff Benton's body. After I found out from you what had happened, I called her but she wouldn't talk to me. Then this morning, out of the blue, she called me and told me that if I wanted to talk to Robert Dean, he would be at your house today. I don't know how she knew that I know you. I started not to come over here, but that phone call got me real curious to what was going on."

Sarah said, "Benjamin called me, and we decided we should come over here. I hope you're not angry, but he's told me everything. I think we should tell Matthew."

"Matthew already knows."

"What a relief," Benjamin said. "I'm glad you decided to confide in him."

Lottie shrugged. "I really didn't have a choice. By the way, I'm now sure that the woman I've been treating, who was found standing over Sheriff Benton's body, is Tulip."

"How?"

"It's a long story. Suffice it to say that Matthew is sure because he is Frenchy Dean and so I am sure."

Sarah and Benjamin looked at one another. They then looked at Lottie. "O--kay."

I stood up. My ankle hurt like hell. Slowly, I began climbing the embankment.

An image of a long black limousine flashed in my mind. I knew it was Robert Dean, Duncan Dean, and Elsbeth Kent I saw getting out of the limo in front of the cottage.

I grabbed hold of a vine and pulled on it and used it to try to speed my climb up the steep hill. I wanted to get to the cottage before the photograph was taken down. I knew my music box was in the safe behind and beneath the photograph and I wanted to get to the cottage before the safe was discovered. I also wanted to get to the cottage and tell Elsbeth how Uncle Kenneth had drugged Tulip and planted lies in Tulip's mind. I wanted Elsbeth to know that what she had heard Tulip say were Uncle Kenneth's lies. I wanted to tell Elsbeth so that she would not become another of Uncle Kenneth's victims. Also, it occurred to me that if Robert Dean and Duncan Dean were the ones who kidnapped Tulip from the State Institution, if Elsbeth killed them, I would not be able to make them tell me where perhaps they now held Tulip prisoner.

In my mind, I could see Duncan walking around to the trunk of the limo, opening it, and removing a tire iron. I heard the sound of the trunk slamming shut. As I climbed to the top of the embankment, I saw dark clouds gathering over the cottage.

With my ankle hurting beyond belief, I limped as fast as I could through the woods toward the cottage. Images continued flashing in my mind. Each step I took, I could see each step taken by Robert, Duncan, and Elsbeth. They were walking on the sidewalk up to the cottage. Seeing them reach the bottom steps of the porch, I stopped trying to walk and desperately began hopping on one foot just as fast as I could hop. I saw the front door of the cottage opening and Lottie standing there, waiting for them. She glanced at her watch and then backed away from the door. Robert, Duncan, and Elsbeth entered the cottage.

Lottie pointed. "This is Sarah and Benjamin Clayburg. I hope you don't mind them being here."

Elsbeth Kent smiled. "Of course not. Sarah and Benjamin, you are welcome to stay."

Lottie pointed, "Sarah and Benjamin, this is Elsbeth Kent, Robert Dean, and Duncan Dean."

I saw Sarah and Duncan stare into one another's eyes. I heard Sarah whisper to Benjamin, "I wish he. . . ."

Benjamin asked, "You wish he what?"

"Never mind."

Duncan smiled. He raised his hand to his chin. It was his way of showing Sarah the ring on his finger so that she would know he was married. Sarah blushed and looked away from Duncan.

Elsbeth said, "Well Robert, what do you say we do what we came here for?"

Robert Dean gave Lottie a check for $200,000.

Duncan handed his father the tire iron and they walked over to the portrait. Robert Dean began prying at the edges of the photograph's frame.

Hopping quickly through the woods, I approached the cottage. It was now in sight. Then suddenly, I became completely blinded by all of the images flooding through my mind. I couldn't see where I was going.

I saw Millie inside of the Lockstock Mansion. She was with Tulip and the nurse who had been with Tulip when I first saw Tulip at the State Institution.

I heard Millie saying, "She's just lying there. Do you think she will ever be well again?"

"I don't know," the nurse said. "She has been through so much. If seeing her like this worries you, I hope you never see her when she's having one of her nightmares. She acts out part of what has happened to her. It is horrible."

"During any of those nightmares, did she say anything to reveal who murdered Sheriff Benton?"

The nurse said, "During one of the dream episodes, Tulip started screaming for Duncan Dean to stop. She cried that he was hurting her. He was savagely raping her."

"Raping her."

"I think Sheriff Benton must have found out what Duncan was doing and tried to stop him. I think Duncan is the one who murdered Sheriff Benton and framed Tulip for it."

"I saw that--that--maniac getting out of a limousine across the street." Millie screamed, "I'm going to castrate him."

"You're what?"

Millie ran out of the mansion.

I heard the nurse screaming, "Stop. Don't."

Still blinded by the images racing through my mind, I hopped around on one foot, desperately trying to find my way to the cottage. I didn't know what was about to happen there, but I feared the worst. With my arms stretched out in front of me, I prayed I was going in the right direction.

I saw an image of Millie running up the steps to the cottage. I saw Robert Dean inside the cottage, still prying around the edges of the photograph's frame. Then, when Robert sprung the photograph completely loose from the wall, a loud blasting sound nearly deafened me. Before anyone knew what had happened, Robert Dean fell dead to the floor. A bullet had ripped through the photograph and had pierced him between the eyes. The shotgun, which Lottie had reported stolen the day I was at the cottage, had been rigged behind the photograph.

Duncan dropped to the floor onto his knees. He stared at his father for a second and then embraced his father's lifeless body into his arms. He cried, "Don't be dead. Please don't be dead."

With expressions of horror on their faces, Lottie, Sarah, and Benjamin stood speechless. But Elsbeth wasn't speechless. She said, "Duncan, don't ever try to follow in your father's footsteps. You're no actor. You planned this, didn't you? You rigged the shotgun behind the photograph. That's what you were doing that day I found you here at the cottage. My God, you murdered your own father. Was it for his money?"

Duncan cried, "No. How can you say that? I loved father."

Looking in, Millie stood at the door of the cottage. Her eyes were filled with rage. She shrieked at Duncan, "Elsbeth is right, isn't she? You murdered your father just like you savagely raped my daughter."

Duncan glanced toward Millie. "What?"

"You raped Tulip."

Duncan said, "No. I tried to protect Tulip. I failed, I know, but. . . ."

Millie screamed, "Protect her? By helping your father and Sheriff Benton keep her kept prisoner at Portabay Prison Island? By raping her? By framing her for the murder of Sheriff Benton? By driving her out of her mind?"

Duncan screamed, "I didn't rape her. I would never have hurt her. I didn't frame her. I didn't drive her out of her mind. As far as father having Sheriff Benton keep Tulip prisoner at Portabay Prison Island, father did what he had to do."

Taking a loud deep breath, Benjamin stared angrily down at Duncan. Benjamin stepped over the photograph which had fallen to the floor. He looked where the photograph had been fastened to the wall. He stared at the shotgun and the way it had been rigged behind the photograph.

Duncan eased his father's body against the floor and struggled to stand up. Appearing dizzy, he took hold of Benjamin's arm to stop himself from falling.

Benjamin was red with anger. His breathing was heavy. And when Duncan touched Benjamin, one could almost see Benjamin's skin crawl. Benjamin pushed Duncan away, and Duncan tripped backwards over his father's corpse. Duncan hit his head hard against the floor. Duncan laid there dazed and without saying anything.

Benjamin looked at Millie. He asked, "Tulip is your daughter? You're really Jennifer Clayburg?"

"Yes."

Benjamin asked, "How do you know for sure Duncan raped Tulip?"

"Tulip is over at the Lockstock Mansion with a nurse."

Lottie said, "Tulip is already over at the mansion?"

"Yes. The nurse over there told me about Tulip's nightmares. The nurse said that during one of those nightmares, Tulip started screaming for Duncan Dean to stop. She cried that he was hurting her. He was savagely raping her."

Lottie asked, "The nurse I've had taking care of Tulip is sure that Duncan is the one who raped Tulip?"

"Yes."

Suddenly in a single swift motion, Benjamin reached into the hollow of the wall and yanked the shotgun from the brace which had held it in position. With his finger twitching at the trigger, Benjamin aimed the shotgun at Duncan's head.

Duncan stared at Benjamin and reached up toward the shotgun. Benjamin quickly pulled the shotgun back away from Duncan's hand. Duncan strained to sit up in a kneeling position. His eyes seemed glazed. He glanced away from Benjamin and turned his hollow stare toward Sarah.

Benjamin said, "You raped Tulip just like mother was raped."

"I didn't."

Though images were still flashing in my mind, finally I could see where the cottage was. Hopping on one foot, I raced to the cottage. I started up the steps.

I heard Sarah saying, "Benjamin, please, don't."

I made it up the steps and limped inside the doorway. I'll never forget the odd look; the strange smile I saw on Duncan's face. I said to Benjamin, "Don't, Duncan's

not. . . ."

Duncan grabbed the end of the shotgun and tried to pull it away from Benjamin. Benjamin's finger squeezed against the trigger as the shotgun slipped from his hands. A loud blasting sound rang out. Duncan gasped and moaned. He raised his hands against his head in pain and fell backwards. He was dead.

Sarah screamed in horror. "Benjamin, what have you done?"

Benjamin seemed stunned. "I. . . ."

A ringing sound began coming from the wall where the photograph had been. A chamber opened up in the wall beneath the hollow where the shotgun had been rigged. In the chamber was a safe.

I limped over and stared at the safe. Above its small steel doors was inscribed a brass plate which read, "The combination is the date when the safe shall be opened."

Benjamin asked, "Matthew, what were you about to say before the gun went off?"

I looked at Benjamin. I said, "Duncan wasn't guilty of raping Tulip. Your father drugged Tulip and framed her for the murder of Sheriff Benton. He continued to drug her at the State Institution, and he planted his lies in her mind. He caused her to have nightmares. During one of those nightmares he had her tell Elsbeth that it was Robert Dean she saw murder Johnathan Kent. He also had her tell Elsbeth that Duncan Dean had raped her. His plan was to insight Elsbeth to murder Robert Dean and frame Duncan." I looked at Elsbeth. "Uncle Kenneth is the one who murdered Johnathan Kent, not Robert Dean."

Elsbeth stared at me. Her lips moved but she didn't say anything. Then she mumbled, "Robert and Duncan were innocent."

Millie said, "Robert Dean and Duncan Dean may not have been guilty of everything thought, but they were hardly the virtue of innocence."

Elsbeth said, "If I'm arrested, the jury won't see it that way. Matthew knows what I've done. You all know what I've done. I'm going to be arrested."

Benjamin said, "And me. I'll be arrested."

Lottie said, "Mrs. Urbane and Officer Carlson have arranged for a boat to come pick Tulip and her mother up. You and Elsbeth can leave on the boat with them."

I looked back at the safe and looked at the numbers written in gold on the silver metal plate which surrounded the black combination knob. I turned the combination knob clockwise to the number of the month. Then I turned the combination knob counterclockwise to the number of the day. I turned the knob back clockwise to the last two digits of the year and the tumbler made a popping sound. I knew the combination had worked. I pulled the release handle beneath the knob and the door of the safe opened. There, seated grandly before me on a red velvet cushion inside of the safe, was my music box.

I carefully picked my music box up and removed it from the safe. I examined it closely. I ran my hand across the cross shaped gold crusted seal which was blazoned in the center of the finely crafted wooden and metallic lid. I looked at the tiny, one square inch stained glass windows which were on each side of the gold crusted seal. I could see inside the stained glass windows an image of a church. I knew it was the church which sits above a cliff overlooking the beach and ocean in Portabay.

I opened the music box up. An odd but beautiful tune began to play. Then I heard a voice. "Matthew, go with Benjamin, Elsbeth, Tulip, and Millie. No harm will come to Lottie and Sarah if they stay. They will not be blamed. But if you stay you will be arrested and murdered. Hurry! There is no time to lose."

I looked at Lottie and Sarah. "I can't stay here and help you to try to explain what has happened."

Lottie said, "I heard the voice speaking to you. I understand."

I thought about when Tulip and I found the music box in the attic of the Lockstock Mansion and it showed me the way to visit my realm. I remembered how when Tulip and I were in my realm, how Sounder said, "It will be up to you and a woman by the name of Lottie Rosaryolo to bring me back into the world."

I whispered to Lottie and asked, "Are you pregnant with my child?"

Lottie nodded. "Yes."

I said, "I hate leaving you."

"But you will be with Tulip. Isn't that what you would have wanted, anyway?"

"Yes, I had planned on going to be with her later. But I hate leaving you like this."

A voice screamed from the melody of the music box, "Go. Now. The police are on their way."

Police sirens began screaming, approaching nearer and nearer. I kissed Lottie good-bye and said good-bye to Sarah. Benjamin kissed Sarah good-bye, and then Benjamin, Elsbeth, Millie, and I rushed from the cottage down to the pier. A boat was waiting with the nurse and Tulip already aboard.

With me holding tightly onto my music box, we quickly crawled aboard the boat, and the driver cranked the boat's engines. As the boat slowly gained speed going out of the harbor, I could see the flashing sirens on shore gathering around the cottage. I wished that somehow I could have made it to the cottage in time to have told Elsbeth and Benjamin what I knew, so that the deaths at the cottage could have been prevented. But the past can't be undone and changed; only the future.

IN THE END, ALL DEBTS SHALL BE ACCOUNTED FOR.

IN THE END. . . .

CHAPTER ONE

Meredith Menorah stood over the body of the man she hated, the man she had loved. Her husband, Preacher Bertram, was dead. She discovered his naked, lifeless body in a pool of blood: a bullet was pierced between his stone cold blue eyes; blood was dripping from the artery in his neck, severed by a second shot.

Angry, crying, Meredith Menorah looked upon her husband's nakedness. It wasn't singing her husband had been doing in the choir loft this night. Trembling, Meredith Menorah knelt for a moment and partially covered his nude body with a blue, blood soaked jacket she saw laying next to him. It was a woman's jacket. Then in disbelief Meredith Menorah stared at a second pool of blood in the choir loft.

She cried, "All this blood! Is that also his?" Dizzy, swooning, Meredith Menorah stood and wiped the tears from her face. She took a step backwards, stumbled, and braced herself against the backside of a chair to stop from falling. "Don't pass out," she told herself. "Get yourself together. Stop crying."

Still, Meredith Menorah was terrified. She was certain everyone in Portabay, upon discovery of her husband's body, would think she was the one who shot him. God knows she had reason enough to want her husband dead. But not even to avenge what he did to her true love, Silencer Raveen, could she have done it. Not even to set herself free from Preacher Bertram, the vile beast that he was, could she have killed him. The truth was she felt sad that he was dead. She hated to witness the mortality of anyone; even Preacher Bertram.

Then for a few, fleeting moments she considered that maybe now she was free. She smiled. She wondered what if no one blamed her for Preacher Bertram's death. She was innocent after all. And she thought about her true love Silencer. She wishfully imagined living with Silencer as a man and woman who love one another should live; as husband and wife. She hoped, she dreamed, but for a brief moment that her and Silencer's lives could be salvaged. She imagined she could again hold Silencer in her arms. But then she thought that is a dream which will never happen.

She felt it was wrong that she and Silencer had fallen in love. It was wrong, she thought, but it was just as wrong what Preacher Bertram did. She knew Silencer would never be the same. She thought if only she had not fallen out of love with Preacher Bertram; if only.

If only she had not been so young, just barely sixteen when she married Preacher Bertram. If only she had realized she didn't have enough in common with a forty year old man to make a marriage work. If only she had not discovered how much she had in common with Silencer.

Meredith Menorah remembered the day she and Silencer happened to go swimming at the same swimming hole. It was no big deal when they found themselves there together, alone. Or at least it should have been no big deal. They were talking and swimming and having a good time with no thought of any hanky-panky. Silencer had just turned sixteen and Meredith Menorah was teasing him, telling him how her life had changed when she turned sixteen, just two years ago. Silencer laughed at her teasing, telling her that there was no danger of him getting hitched.

Meredith Menorah wasn't sure when Preacher Bertram walked upon them and found them at the pond together. She wasn't sure how long he had been standing there or what they had said or done which had given him the wrong idea. But when they saw him standing at the edge of the pond, he was furious. She remembered they had been splashing around in the water and at one point Silencer had pulled her under for a moment. She supposed their horseplay may have looked like something other than what it was. But she doubted it. She figured he was mainly outraged because he thought it was unthinkable she should be having fun with someone closer to her own age.

Regardless, his threat was ridiculous. He threatened to have both of them charged with statutory fornication. In Portabay at this time, adultery was a serious crime punishable by up to twenty years in jail for both of the accused. And if the wronged spouse decided to take the law into their own hands, and kill either the spouse or their lover, it was considered justified.

Although Preacher Bertram's accusation was ludicrous, both Silencer and Meredith Menorah should have taken Preacher Bertram's threat seriously. But Silencer only made matters worse by calling Preacher Bertram a silly old goat.

Meredith Menorah remembered how Preacher Bertram dragged her from the swimming pond by the hair of her head. Then he stared back at Silencer. He scolded, "Don't speak to me as though you were my superior. I'm not silly, I'm not old, and I sure as hell am not a goat. I intend to take my wife home and prove to her that she does not need a young stud like you to make her happy. I've satisfied more women in my time than you will ever know."

Meredith Menorah could still see the scared, disbelieving look in Silencer's brown eyes as he watched Preacher Bertram drag her off into the woods. They could not believe what Preacher Bertram had said to them. While the preacher had accused both of them of fornication, he had confessed himself to be a fornicator.

Meredith Menorah thought, "My husband was sick."

Meredith Menorah remembered the days which followed. Living with Preacher Bertram became a living hell. With what Preacher Bertram was putting her through, she began to think more and more about Silencer. When she would see Silencer at church and other places, she knew he was thinking about her. Preacher Bertram had planted an idea in their minds and it made them look at one another differently.

In the following weeks, Meredith Menorah and Silencer began to sneak visits with one another. At first the visits were innocent enough. But then Silencer discovered Preacher Bertram had beaten Meredith Menorah during an argument. Silencer wanted to comfort her and they kissed. Much more kissing followed.

It was there at the pond where Preacher Bertram first planted the idea of loving Meredith Menorah into Silencer's mind, that Preacher Bertram caught them consummating that love. When Preacher Bertram caught them there, there was no look of anger on his face; just a strange smile. Then quickly, before Silencer knew what was happening, Preacher Bertram hit him over the head with a rock. Still smiling, he took hold of Silencer's arm, pulled, and rolled Silencer off of Meredith Menorah. Looking at Silencer's manhood, his strange smile vanished. Staring coldly at his wife, he pulled out a knife.

Preacher Bertram said, "You know, it is within my right to kill him. Shall I cut the 'serpent' from his body and allow him to bleed to death? I think it would be the proper punishment for his fornication."

Meredith Menorah remembered how she stared at her husband. She knew how his mind worked. She thought she knew best how to protect Silencer. She agreed, "Yes. Do it. Then when you defend your actions, everyone will know that your wife took herself a lover. They will know that you were not man enough for me."

Meredith Menorah could not forget her husband's screams of laughter. "So my little slut, I'm not man enough for you. We'll see about that."

Preacher Bertram savagely raped his own wife. He beat her severely, and made it clear that if she didn't substantiate the charges he planned to make against Silencer, he would murder the both of them. He said it would still be within his right. He claimed he could easily defend his murdering the both of them for he had a witness of their fornication, and the witness would be more than willing to come to his defense.

Preacher Bertram had Silencer arrested and locked away at Portabay Prison Island. Now Preacher Bertram was dead, murdered. Meredith Menorah stared down at his nude, bloody body.

She wondered, "If I could prove he was cheating on me, even if people do think I murdered him, wouldn't they consider it justified under Portabay law?" She shook her head. "No way. The crazy people in this town will just think I set the whole thing up. They will think I plotted to make it look like I caught him cheating. If only I knew who was with him. Hell, if only I knew who killed him."

Meredith Menorah thought she had never heard the church, especially the choir loft, so quiet. She felt the silence was strange, eerie. Then suddenly, out of the haunting silence, Meredith Menorah heard an angry voice.

"Beware the adversary!" the voice bellowed.

Meredith Menorah could have sworn the bellowing voice was her husband, Preacher Bertram. But his lips didn't move. Meredith Menorah felt certain he was dead. Looking at his body, she thought not even the devil himself could have survived those wounds.

Meredith Menorah listened closely as she tried to determine who was attempting to make her think she was hearing the voice of her deceased husband. The voice calmed into a solemn, whispering tone, "The adversary spread out his hands upon her pleasant things for the heathen entered into her sanctuary. She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers she has none to comfort her and all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become as her enemy." Then the voice faded, "Please forgive my treachery."

A cold chill fell over Meredith Menorah and a strangeness gripped her soul. Sadly, she opened the white marble door from the choir loft and slowly descended the long column of steps to the bottom. Shaking, she stared out over the pews and with her heart pounding each step, she walked toward the anterior of the church. Then feeling as though she had walked a hundred miles, she reached the large, colossal doors at the egress arch. Just as she grasped for one of the doors and was about to open it, a cold hand touched her shoulder.

"Molly."

Meredith Menorah turned to meet a wet kiss upon her mouth. She yanked herself away, and not knowing what to think, she stared at young Frenchy Dean.

Frenchy said, "I'm sorry. I was supposed to meet Molly here and. . . ."

Meredith Menorah looked at Frenchy and shook her head. "Silencer's sister? Why on earth would she meet you here of all places?"

Frenchy glanced down. "She said there was something she wanted to show me here at the church." Then Frenchy looked into Meredith Menorah's eyes.

Meredith Menorah puzzled, "I wonder."

Suddenly, a voice bellowed from the choir loft. "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: The coals thereof are coals of fire which hath a most vehement flame."

Frenchy asked, "Does he always get this loud when he is rehearsing a sermon?"

Meredith Menorah looked away from Frenchy Dean. She hesitated. Then she whispered, "He's dead."

Frenchy laughed, "What?"

Meredith Menorah took Frenchy by the hand and looked into his eyes. "I'm not kidding. Someone has murdered him. And now they, or somebody, is doing a damned good impression of his ghost. I don't know why they are doing it. I don't know why he was murdered. But Frenchy, everyone is going to think I murdered my husband."

Frenchy Dean slowly walked toward the stairs. He thought he should go up to the choir loft and investigate. But then suddenly he heard the front doors of the church swing open. He turned to see Sheriff Benton standing beneath the egress arch.

"Meredith Menorah, hello," Sheriff Benton said in his usual gruff voice. "Is Preacher Bertram around? I've come here to tell him that I've decided to take my son out of the choir, and to tell him that even if he manages to get the church out of its present financial difficulty, my family will no longer attend this church. What the two of you have done to young Silencer Raveen is inexcusable. I'm glad Baldwin Raveen is in the process of foreclosing on the church."

Frenchy Dean walked to where Meredith Menorah and Sheriff Benton were standing. "Hey, don't hassle the lady. She's not the one who arrested Silencer. You are."

Sheriff Benton said, "But if she had disputed Preacher Bertram's charges, I would not have had to arrest him. If you could see him, it is enough to break your heart."

Frenchy Dean looked at the sheriff in disbelief. "If we could see him. That is a laugh. You won't let anyone see him. You will not even allow his own family to see him. Molly cries herself to sleep every night because you will not let her visit her brother. She feels certain that he is being mistreated--mistreated by you."

Sheriff Benton said, "After Silencer tried to escape, you know the magistrate ordered under no circumstance shall I allow him to have visitors. We can't risk someone else slipping Silencer a weapon."

Because Meredith Menorah had sneaked out to Portabay Prison Island to visit with Silencer after the magistrate ordered he be allowed no visitors, she knew first hand the abominable conditions at the prison and the way in which Sheriff Benton was mistreating Silencer. Meredith Menorah looked at Sheriff Benton in total disgust. "Did the magistrate also order you to chain him up in that dank, rat infested dungeon? Did the magistrate order you to abuse him? You do your pretending for Silencer's father, Baldwin Raveen, if you think he'll believe a man who will not allow him to see his own son. You do it if you think it will protect you from his wrath. But don't try to pretend with me. I know what you are."

Sheriff Benton smiled. "Where's Preacher Bertram? I need to speak to him."

Meredith Menorah felt as though she were about to lose control. She didn't know what to say. She just wanted to start running and never stop.

Frenchy Dean spoke up, "He said he was going for a walk in the woods; that he had a lot of thinking to do."

Sheriff Benton said, "Well Meredith Menorah, when he gets back from his walk, tell him what I said."

Meredith Menorah shook her head as if to say she would. She felt a great sense of relief as she watched Sheriff Benton leave the church. "I thought he'd never leave."

Frenchy Dean said, "I think Baldwin Raveen is causing Sheriff Benton to start feeling the heat. I hope Baldwin makes that man fry."

Then Frenchy looked at the stairs up to the choir loft. "I dread going up there."

Meredith Menorah said, "There's a trap door to the attic from the choir loft, and a side door to the balcony. Whoever was doing Preacher Bertram's voice could be hiding in either place."

Frenchy nodded. "Yes. And there are other places. My great-great-grandfather designed this church. When I dreamed of being an architect, I studied his blue prints like they were maps to a hidden treasure. Trust me, there are more places in this church where people can hide than you can imagine."

Frenchy paused a moment, took a deep breath, and then walked toward the stairs. He felt a twinge in his stomach as he began his climb up toward the choir loft.

Meredith Menorah shouted, "Frenchy."

Frenchy turned and looked at her.

"Frenchy," she said softly. "When you see Silencer, tell him that I couldn't face the accusations. Tell him that I love him. I will always love him. But I'm a coward. I don't have his courage. I can't stand the thought of being put through the tortures he has suffered. I want my death to be fast and final. I can't stand the thought of having my spirit broken by a slow agonizing death in prison. I know what I'm about to do is a mortal sin, but God help me, I can't help myself. I feel I have no choice."

Meredith Menorah bolted out the front door of the church. She flew down the long stretch of steps toward the cliff. Indeed, the view from the steps above the cliff made her feel as though she were flying. For a moment, she felt free as a bird. She felt peaceful as a sparrow flying just for the joy of flying.

But as she approached the periphery of the cliff, the thought of the painful landing she would have to suffer frightened her. She slowed to a halt near the edge of the cliff.

Frenchy stood on the stairs up to the choir loft for a moment and considered what Meredith Menorah had said. He suddenly realized she was talking about killing herself. He thundered down the stairs, through the church, out the door, down the seemingly endless column of steps, and toward Meredith Menorah and the cliff.

Meredith Menorah stood motionless on the edge of the cliff. She looked back toward the church and saw Frenchy running toward her. Still she looked at the church. She thought it was the most beautiful view she'd ever seen or ever would see. While living at the church, as much as she had learned to hate Preacher Bertram, she had learned to love the church. At times the church seemed to possess a kind of loving spirit all of its own. Through these last months, her love for Silencer and her love for the church were all that kept her wanting to go on with life. Now that didn't seem to be enough, because all that she loved--Silencer and the church--seemed certain for destruction.

Meredith Menorah mustered up her courage to jump. But courage or no courage, she knew jumping from the cliff could only be described as an act of cowardice. Still she prepared herself to jump. She closed her eyes and prayed that somehow her soul would find salvation. She took a tiny step back way from the edge of the cliff, and she took a deep breath. As she put her foot forward to throw herself from the cliff and toss her life away, Frenchy Dean grabbed hold of her arm. She struggled to break away from him.

"Don't!" he yelled at her. "There is a purpose in your life. The survival of this church, my great-great-grandfather's church, is dependent on you having the courage to make things right. Although it may take many, many, years--perhaps even more than one life time--it will be possible. But it will only be possible with your help. Please. I have very selfish reasons for wanting you to live, but believe me, I also want you to live because I care about you."

Meredith Menorah broke away from him. She knocked him to the ground. "There is nothing I can do to help anyone; not Silencer, not the church, and not you. Don't ask me for help. Ask God. He is the only one who possesses the power."

"Meredith! Don't! Oh God." Frenchy Dean scrambled to take hold of her. He did his best to save her from jumping and. . . .