Shade and Shadow

by Theresa Jenner Garrido

  “Shh, my dear...I know, I know...it’s all over...all over…”

  “Oh, Aunt Amanda, I’m so sorry. Uncle Arthur...Elizabeth...Miranda.”

  “I said hush. Everything is going to be all right. It’s all over and you are safe.”

  “You must feel awful right now.” She waved her hand in agitation. “Oh, it was so stupid of me...so dumb. I know I’ve done nothing but annoy you from day one and yet...you’re sitting here being so nice and…”

  Aunt Amanda’s mouth turned down. She caught her niece’s gesticulating hand and held it. “Miranda, don’t be silly. Of course I am sitting with you. You went through an unspeakable ordeal, and I am in utter anguish that you had to do so. To think you were not safe with your own family. It...it…” Her aunt dabbed at her brimming eyes with a lace hanky. “Can you ever forgive us?”

  Randy threw her arms around her aunt’s neck. “Oh, Aunt Amanda. I love you. I’m so sorry about Uncle Arthur and Aunt Miranda and, well, everything.”

  “Thank you, dear girl, but everything is going to be all right now. Arthur will be given the help he has needed for so long, and I now know that my sister did not just run away and leave me. I am so grateful for that knowledge, so grateful.”

  Remembering the pendant, Randy exclaimed, “Oh, gosh. I almost forgot. I have something for you, Aunt Amanda.”

  She tossed the covers aside and leapt from the bed. Dashing over to the rumpled heap of clothes that lay on the floor by the wardrobe, she fumbled through the pockets until she found what she wanted. She returned to her aunt’s side and held out the gold coin pendant. “For you.”

  Aunt Amanda’s eyes grew wide and her mouth trembled. “The half-coin. Miranda’s pendant. You found it?”

  “Yes, Aunt Amanda. She was wearing it. I removed it so I could show you when I got out. I wasn’t sure you’d believe me.”

  “Darling, darling girl...you have given me the greatest gift imaginable...my sister.” She looked at her niece for a moment and then smiled. “I want you to have it...if you would like it, that is.”

  “Have it? Yes. Thank you. I’ll treasure it always.” Again, she threw her arms around her aunt’s neck and squeezed hard. Her aunt squeezed back.

  Disentangling her niece’s arms from around her, Aunt Amanda rose to leave. “Now, get dressed, my dear, and come down to the living room. Everyone is eager to hear your story and discuss the night’s events. We were unable to do much talking last night, what with seeing after Arthur and...other things...and, well, suffice it to say, we just couldn’t sit down and have a thorough discussion. And, quite frankly, after the police left, we were all just too exhausted. So, hurry, dear, will you?”

  Randy dressed in record time and was loping down the staircase when she met Willadee in the foyer. Her cousin’s face lit up.

  “Randy. How are you? Oh, Randy, you have no idea what’s been happening in this house these past fourteen hours.”

  She entwined her arm through her cousin’s and led her into the living room. The room was full of people. Aunt Amanda, Uncle Colton and Aunt Carolina, Sheriff Clayton, a deputy she recognized from last night, Henry, his brother Thomas, and the Reverend William Koerchel from their church all sat there, looking at her as though they’d been sitting on pins and needles.

  “There’s our girl.” Uncle Colton beamed and a cacophony of voices filled the room.

  Aunt Amanda erupted from her chair and took Randy in her arms. After giving her a long, fierce hug, she proceeded to push her out at arms’ length and pivot her around to face the woman who sat apart from the rest. Randy’s eyebrows lifted in astonishment, and the woman graced her with a faint but amused smile.

  “Hello, Miranda,” she said in a mossy voice.

  Randy gaped for a minute and then recovered. “Elizabeth.”

  “Yes, I’m the infamous Elizabeth.”

  “So you’re not dead, after all.”

  “No, my dear, I’m most decidedly not.”

  Randy ran a hand through her hair and laughed. “Oh, my gosh. When I saw you just appear out of nowhere down there, well...I really did think I was seeing a ghost. I’d been expecting someone else.”

  The woman chuckled softly. “No, I’m real enough.”

  Randy grinned. “I told Willadee there was no such thing as ghosts, but you had me there for a minute.”

  They all talked at once, and it took the sheriff’s piercing whistle to get their attention. “I want to hear this young lady’s story,” he barked. Aunt Amanda took over and Randy was directed to tell her story from the beginning.

  With Willadee interjecting every now and then, Randy told them everything, from the moment Uncle Arthur met her at the airport to the harrowing events in the underground tunnel. Everyone in the room listened in rapt attention, and no one interrupted her once except at the mention of Sister Luke, where Carolina groaned and closed her eyes in utter dismay.

  Then it was Elizabeth’s turn. Although those sitting in the room had already heard some of her tale, she told it from the beginning, and no one stopped her, either.

  “It wasn’t until we’d been married several years that I suspected there was something seriously wrong with Arthur.”Her wistful eyes glistened with unshed tears. “For the first few years of our marriage he was so full of life. So intelligent. I loved hearing him speak of South Carolina in the ante-bellum days. He would come alive when he spoke about anything and everything historical. But then, well, he started worrying about nonsensical things like money, which I couldn’t understand, since we were doing so well. We’d be sitting in the sunroom reading quietly, companionably, and for no reason I could understand, he’d jump up and disappear for hours. I never knew where he’d go, but I suspected there was a secret room somewhere. I’d read about such places in houses as old as this.

  “And then—oh, about fifteen years after we were married—he began having horrible nightmares. He would toss and turn and moan in his sleep, saying things like ‘Oh, Miranda…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…too late…too late,’ until I got so frightened that I didn’t want to sleep with him any more.” Elizabeth paused, looking at the silent faces around her.

  “I was at my wits’ end. I didn’t know where to turn. When I confronted him with my concerns, he just got angry. I got angry, too. He’d promised me an easy life and lovely things, and I wasn’t getting them. Over the years he’d become more and more frugal—possessive—with his money, and I didn’t understand why, all of a sudden, we couldn’t afford things like we had in the past. Oh, I was so full of pride and vanity back then. I know now that I went about it all wrong. I was so selfish and consumed with my own petty desires.” She chuckled ruefully. “I won’t bore you with the sordid details, but, needless to say, I sought help in the wrong places.”

  “That’s when you went to see Sister Luke,” Randy interjected.

  “Yes, that’s when I went to see Sister Luke. Odd as it may sound, we got along. She listened to my ranting and raving about Arthur, and I truly believe she only wanted to help me. Anyway, she gave me a charm to help me find the secret Arthur was obviously keeping from me, but it didn’t work. And, coward that I was, I got so fed up that I decided to fake my suicide and just run away.”

  For several minutes after that, various members of the group fired questions at the woman, which she was gracious and willing enough to answer.

  “But why did you come back after so many years? Why pretend to be a ghost?” Randy wanted to know, and by the vigorous nods around the room, so did everyone else.

  Elizabeth blushed and lowered her head for a moment in embarrassment. “Oh, I don’t know why, really, except that I was afraid. Arthur was still living here...his family...I knew that I hadn’t been top on their list during the rough years of our marriage. Our constant bickering and moodiness had been hard on everyone.

  “So many years had passed. I’d made a respectable life for myself in Orlando—teaching music, believe it or not—and had sought out counseling. Without boring you
, suffice it to say, I just felt an overwhelming need to find the truth. I didn’t want the riches anymore, although I could use a few extra dollars, and I still had a key, so I sneaked in after everyone was in bed. I wanted to find the secret room or passage...or whatever it was...and was convinced it existed. And, I wanted answers. Gosh, I looked everywhere. In the bedrooms, in the closets, the window seats...downstairs and up.” Her laugh was rueful.

  “So you were the ‘ghost’ who visited me in my room.” Randy chuckled. “Amazing. It was your perfume that had me stumped. Both you and Sister Luke wear the same scent.”

  “Not surprising since it was Sister Luke who first gave me the perfume. I adored it and have worn it ever since. It’s distilled locally and not many stores carry it.”

  Randy grimaced. “Well, you sure had me going down the wrong path. I was positive it was Sister Luke trespassing, and I was determined to catch her in the act. Talk about libel or slander, or, whatever.”

  Amanda wrinkled her nose. “We’re off the subject. Continue, Elizabeth, please.”

  Elizabeth shrugged, smiling at Randy. “As I was saying, I looked everywhere. I even searched Mother Bainbridge’s room one night and she caught me. At first, I nearly had a coronary, but we had a nice long chat. After that, I wasn’t overly concerned because I thought, if she started talking about seeing me, you all would ascribe it to senility. I even searched the old outbuilding and was almost caught again when Randy and Willadee came exploring that afternoon.”

  “Were you the one who made that hideous shriek?” Randy asked.

  Elizabeth winced. “I’m embarrassed to say, yes. It was stupid, as I could have given myself away, then and there, but I was desperate to chase you away. Luckily you girls attributed it to an owl or something. I overheard everything you said outside. I was hiding in the building. I nearly died when you came in, Randy.”

  “And I nearly died when I smelled the faint scent of roses again and saw the footprints.” Randy quipped.

  “I almost gave up of ever finding the secret when I heard you on the other side of the wall last night. I dropped behind a stack of boxes and was going to wait until you’d come out and left, when I saw Arthur…” She choked back a sob. “I never dreamed he’d gotten that bad...that ill. I was shocked when he dragged you back into that black hole. I…”

  “And that’s when she ran to the house, pounded on the door, and gave us the surprise of a lifetime,” Colton finished for his floundering sister-in-law.

  Colton explained how Uncle Arthur was found in the dead-end passage with the heirlooms he’d treasured...beyond life itself...and was brought back to the surface. He hadn’t given them any trouble, but had gone along, obliging and acquiescent.

  “Miranda, Arthur did not know what he was doing.”

  “I know, Auntie. Where is he now?”

  “He has been taken to a hospital where they will do everything in their power to help him. I take full responsibility for his aberrant behavior. I have known for a long time that my brother was not well...not himself. I simply refused to face it. I did not want to lose another member of my family. I am so sorry. Will you forgive me?”

  “It was my fault, too, Amanda.” Colton intervened. “I knew Arthur wasn’t right, but I just shoved my head in the sand and ignored it. I guess I hoped it would go away.” He turned to his sister-in-law. “Elizabeth, we owe you an apology, too. Will you forgive us for not helping you those many years ago? For not addressing the problem that was festering under our very noses?”

  Elizabeth stood up and walked over to her husband’s family and opened her arms. Everyone jumped up at once and joined in a communal embrace. Tears flowed. Sheriff Clayton cleared his throat and motioned for his deputy to follow him out of the room. Leaving his family still in their collective hug, Colton joined the sheriff and deputy in the foyer. Reverend Koerchel sat back in his chair and just sighed with obvious relief.

  Randy felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her. It occurred to her that she hadn’t eaten anything in a long, long while and exclaimed, “Hey. I’m starving. You guys care if I eat breakfast now?”

  Everybody looked shocked for a second and then roared with laughter—laughter that had been pent-up for forty years. It was a wonderful release.

  * * * *

  Later that afternoon the authorities and Colton Bainbridge went down into the secret passage under the house and retrieved the remains of the missing girl, while the rest of the family sat in the living room. Reverend Koerchel had stayed to be with the family, and talked now and then in his soothing voice about God’s infinite mercy in an attempt to minister to them in their stunned but relieved time of grief.

  After several minutes of chatting about nonsensical things, Aunt Amanda looked up, her eyes drawn to the family portrait over the mantel. “After all these years...if only I had known. Why didn’t the rest of us know about this tunnel? Oh, Arthur…” She swallowed and then attempted a smile. “Oh, well, what matters is that we can finally put my sweet sister to rest. She’s come home.”

  Carolina added softly, “And we can be thankful that Elizabeth is alive. That is a blessing I never dreamed would happen.”

  Aunt Amanda motioned for Randy to sit next to her. Randy squeezed in beside her on the overstuffed chair. Her aunt put an arm around her and hugged. “My dear, dear niece...Emily’s baby girl...to think we almost lost you in the same way as...as my own sweet sister...my Miranda. Oh, child, you must have been so frightened. I cannot bear to even think about it.”

  Randy looked up at her aunt’s tear-stained face. “Well, I was scared, of course, especially when I thought it was Sister Luke doing some mumbo-jumbo.”

  “Witch doctor.” Carolina exclaimed. “I shudder when I think of you two girls goin’ to see that woman. If I had known…”

  Randy grinned at Carolina then turned back to face Amanda. “But, Aunt Amanda, I want you to know...after my initial shock at finding Miranda, I wasn’t scared any more. Will and I had read her journal, and we felt like we knew her a little bit. She was full of fun, liked the beach, shopping, traveling...so many things.

  “When I found her, all I could do was feel sorry, and sad, and say a prayer for her. It all worked out for the best...my going through that, I mean...because she so badly needed to be found...so she could finally rest...you know, in peace. I’m glad I was able to solve the mystery of her disappearance.”

  Randy gave her aunt another hug and then turned to her cousin. “Well, Will...the whole thing turned out all right, didn’t it?”

  Willadee lowered her eyes and smiled. “Yes, but I wonder how brave and prayerful I would have been in your place.”

  “Oh, please. You’re no wimp, cuz. We’ve got Bainbridge blood running through our veins. We’re pioneers. Related to the Swamp Fox, of all people, remember? With acute intelligence and lots of guts.”

  “Miranda.” Aunt Amanda grimaced.

  “Okay, intestinal fortitude, then. Is that better?”

  Amanda, Carolina, and Reverend Koerchel burst into laughter and it was like a heavy cloud had evaporated to let the sunshine through.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Monday morning the family received the official report. Unknown to the rest of them, Miranda Bainbridge had discovered the secret tunnel. Why she hadn’t confided in her twin sister was anybody’s guess. They concluded that she must have stumbled on it that very day, investigated, and fallen down one of the staircases. Her right tibia was broken, and there was evidence that she had received a severe blow to the head—perhaps explaining why she had been unable to find a way out.

  The coroner said she most likely had died in a coma-like sleep. Whether this was factual or not, it enabled the family to accept her death more easily. Believing that she had just gone to sleep and had not died a slow, agonizing death from thirst and starvation lifted their spirits tremendously. Arthur Bainbridge would not be charged with her death. What he had said about discovering the body after the fact was verified. Her death h
ad been an accident—nothing more.

  Colton found the plans for the kitchen, which had been added back in the twenties, but no where did it indicate a passageway between the center walls and underground. After discussing the tunnel with locals, it was decided that the passageway had been made when the house was originally built. Most likely it had been constructed to protect valuables, to allow for clandestine meetings, or even to hide slaves. Certainly it had been used during the War Between the States to hide the household treasures from marauding Union soldiers. Treasures that Arthur had decided to hoard for himself.

  The family—or at least Colton and the girls—were eager to do a more thorough search, after the excitement died down; hoping to discover more silver, jewelry, or anything else that might have been hidden away by their ancestors. Randy couldn’t wait to go back into the tunnel, now that she was safe and would have others with her. She felt like what Howard Carter must have felt when he discovered the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen in Egypt.

  * * * *

  Miranda Pauline Bainbridge was laid to rest Tuesday morning at ten o’clock. The service was beautiful, and the little church filled to over-flowing with flowers, family and friends. Many of the people had known Miranda as a little girl and had also been troubled by her disappearance. Now they could mourn without the nagging doubt always at the backs of their minds as to where she’d gone. One of the Turner brothers, who’d been at the house on the day she vanished, spoke about the young Miranda and her zest for life.

  During the memorial, Randy sat next to Aunt Amanda and held her hand. Her aunt, who used to frown on emotional displays in public, kept her niece’s hand clasped in her own and didn’t care who saw. Randy glanced up at her aunt now and then, marveling at how much better she looked. The severe hairstyle was gone, and in its place a wavy coiffure that softened her narrow face.