Phantom of Execution Rocks

by MJ Miller

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “You asked to see me, Mrs. Bowers?” Luce tapped lightly on the doorframe, uncertain about what could be so urgent she’d been dragged out of bed at this ungodly hour. Especially on a holiday, where for once she could sleep in.

  “Come in, Luce, and please, call me Adeline.”

  “Adeline, of course, what can I do for you?” Luce asked as she stepped into the room. A sudden sense of doom seemed to wash over her. This couldn’t be good.

  “I’m afraid I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to continue with this project any longer.”

  “With all due respect, Adeline, we’re just about ready to produce the pilot! Only a few days left and we’ll be out of your hair, I promise.”

  “Have a seat, Luce, let me explain.” Luce promptly did as she was asked, though she couldn’t get comfortable, perched at the edge of her seat, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  “It isn’t all the commotion of the film crew; you’ve all been perfectly wonderful. And helpful. So helpful, I think I’m much closer to the answer to the mystery and I don’t like it, and I certainly don’t want it revealed on television.” She sighed and shook her head. “I’ve waited years to learn the secret. I had hoped it would simply satisfy my curiosity, maybe even allow me to free myself of whatever was haunting this area.”

  “I totally understand Adeline, that’s my hope as well. And you are right we are very close to getting answers. Maybe if we could have just one or two more days?”

  “The answers aren’t what I’d hoped for Luce, not at all. I no longer want them.”

  “What is it you don’t want to reveal, we can always edit it out? Would that help?”

  Adeline picked up the book on the end table next to the sofa and reached over to give it to Luce.

  “I’ve marked the page. See for yourself,” she said, quite sadly Luce thought.

  Taking the book, she skimmed the pages, realizing immediately it was the book on slave ships Andy had told her about. She needed to convince Adeline it wasn’t fact; it was simply an assumption by the author. A supposed renowned maritime scholar, but nonetheless, a writer who didn’t have all the facts.

  She knew she’d have to think fast and come up with something.

  “Adeline, the author wrote this knowing only that the ship was reported to carry slaves. We have something more; we have the journal. Just give us a chance to read it and determine whether it’s true or not. If it is, and you want us to cancel, we will. And where did this book come from? I mean, have you had this the whole time?” Luce wondered if someone was trying to deceive her.

  “It appeared in the mail yesterday morning. No return address.”

  “Someone who knew we were filming must have sent it. Probably the author.” Luce was simply trying to dissuade Adeline from getting sucked into the easy answers. “You know we’ve done our research, and this book never appeared in any reference material. Yet suddenly it arrives?” Maybe Luce could plant some doubt, she sure had a few of her own.

  “There’s something I haven’t told you, and this is off the record, if you don’t mind.” Adeline looked up nervously at the remote camera that had been placed by the crew.

  “Understood, Adeline, you have my word. You can tell me anything.” Luce was accustomed to this, had no problem keeping the conversation confidential. It was often the best way to learn things.

  “I’m not a Bowers by marriage. I am a Bowers by blood.” Adeline straightened up as she spoke, taking pride in her words. “I am Mrs. Bowers because as a young woman, I made a mistake, one I will never regret mind you, but one I needed to keep to myself.”

  “I totally hear you, I’ve made plenty of my own,” Luce smiled softly, and nodded for her to continue.

  “When I was a young woman, things were different. Times were changing. You may not believe this, but I was a bit of a flower child.” Adeline grinned, surprising Luce. It was unexpected.

  “You? I can’t picture it,” Luce spoke before she could filter herself. “I mean, sorry, but you seem, well, so,” she faltered then.

  “Buttoned up? Stiff as a board? Inflexible? Yes, I know,” she sighed. “That’s my cover. It was necessary. You see, when I returned here to settle down, I wasn’t alone.”

  Luce sensed what was coming next but needed to remain surprised.

  “My son, George. I knew people would ask questions, judge me. Not accept me, no matter how much money I had. And George deserved acceptance. So, I stretched the truth. George’s father and I never married. We never had a chance. He disappeared during one of our protests in Georgia. There were rumors of course, about what happened, but I know the truth. He was murdered.” She paused, pursed her lips then took a deep breath. “We’d been staging a peaceful sit-in, following the assassination of Martin Luther King.” Adeline’s voice drifted off as she remembered things. Things it appeared she didn’t want to voice.

  “What was his name?” Luce asked not only as a distraction, to bring her focus back, but because she had every intention of looking into this further.

  “Troy Simmons. We’d been together for a few months, was all. I didn’t even know I was pregnant. He never knew about George. I never had a chance to tell him.”

  “You must have been heartbroken,” Luce murmured softly.

  “Indeed, I was. But you see this is why we have to stop what we’re doing. I cannot live with myself if I confirm that my own family, my own blood, is tainted with this kind of evil. I gave up protesting and speaking out, I became what I detested in order to raise my son in peace. I don’t know how to atone for that. For any of this.”

  “But you didn’t do any of this. You lived a good and decent life.” Luce was more concerned now with Adeline’s well-being than her show. “You can’t blame yourself for your ancestor’s sins.”

  “I lived a life of privilege. White privilege as they say now. I could wake up every day and look in the mirror and tell myself I was doing the right thing. Living a lie. Look around us! Nothing has changed. Nothing. Because people like me retreated from the fight.”

  Luce honestly had no answer for her. Everything she said held a ring of truth she couldn’t deny. Luce had been raised in a home where tolerance and equality were emphasized, but how could she ever understand what that truly meant. She’d always tended to live her life as best she could, but maybe that wasn’t enough.

  “You’ve given me a lot to think about, Adeline. Not just about your situation, but for me. I’ve always thought that being outraged for others was enough. Living a decent life was enough. Your story shakes me up a bit.”

  “I’m glad. I’m an old lady, Luce, but you’re still young enough to make a difference.”

  “Maybe we both can. Maybe this show is how we do that. I’m not sure what the outcome will be, Adeline, but I do know we can try to make a difference regardless. Will you give me that chance? Give us that chance to transform reality tv into something important?”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “All done,” Annie sighed as she handed the journal back to Luce, along with a jump drive containing all the images. “I hope we find the answers, cause it took everything I had not to read as I scanned. I mean I know I promised, but that was asking a lot sis,” Annie grinned and shook her head.

  “Yeah, well, try going to sleep every night knowing the answers were right there and you had them, not me.” Luce was grateful to have the book back.

  “Too bad we can’t go pop this in your laptop right now, eh?”

  “I know, but with all these people around, it would be kind of obvious. As much as I hate this, we’ll have to wait until after the fireworks.” Luce was resigned to be patient about it, but so many questions were in her head now it was hard to focus. And the biggest one of all was why her? She now understood perhaps, why Andy and Adeline had seen the ghost ship. What she didn’t understand was why she had seen it too. She had no ties to anything that she knew of. Though she knew little about her family history. They
were Irish. She knew that much. Her dad had done some research, but Luce hadn’t paid much attention to it.

  “Annie?” Luce said suddenly.

  “What?”

  “Remember the family tree dad was working on? Do you have that?”

  “Somewhere, buried in all his books, yeah. I think so.” Annie looked at Luce curiously. “Why? What’s up?”

  “Andy and Adeline both saw the ship. Just like me. And I think I know why they saw it, what I don’t know is why I did. And the answer may lie in that tree.”

  “Well, I’ll bring it by tomorrow if I can find it.” Annie smiled. “Right now, we have a party to attend!”

  “Right now, we have to lock this book up!” Luce replied quickly. “I’ll take care of it; you go find your fabulous husband-to-be and relax.”

  Luce scoped out the patio, looking for Kat. She’d had her bring a portable safe, which is where they were storing many of the pieces found in the chamber. Spotting her talking to Lionel, she smiled as she approached them. Lionel was seated on a stone bench, putting him at eye level with Kat.

  “Am I interrupting?” Luce spoke quietly, hiding the book behind her purse so nobody would notice it.

  “Not at all boss lady!” Kat grinned.

  “I’ll get out of your way,” Lionel said, looking at Kat, “but I’ll see you later!”

  “Hope so,” Kat whispered as he walked away. “So, what do you need? It is my day off, right?”

  “Yep, but,” Luce grinned back, and brought the journal out just far enough for Kat to see it.

  “We need to put this away.” Handing it to Kat, who slipped it into her tote discreetly. “Want me to push?”

  “Nah, I got it,” Kat said as she began wheeling her chair towards the doorway. “Just get the door for me.”

  Heading inside, they quickly made their way to Kat’s suite, where the journal was placed in the safe. Luce kept hold of the jump drive, so she could slip away later and review it.

  “There. Now, I think we could both use some downtime.” Luce sighed. “At least I can!”

  “Me too. Say how’s the wedding planning going? Annie letting you help at all?” Kat asked her casually. “Must be frustrating not getting to control it all for her.”

  “Ha. As if. I did help her pick out the dress, and maybe offered some advice on the catering, and maybe the flowers, but she wanted to do this herself and I’m staying out of it.” Luce grinned.

  “And I call bullshit. I heard you on the phone with that caterer, giving him all your suggestions.”

  “If we leave it all to Annie, we’ll end up in bibs, slobbering over barbecued ribs.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen, Luce. She wants you to focus on your show. Besides, she told you you’ll get your chance to be bossy at your own wedding.” Kat laughed remembering how ticked off Luce had been at that remark.

  “Whatever,” Luce waved her hand in the air. “My wedding will be totally different, trust me.”

  “Yeah? How so?” Kat was pretty sure Luce’s wedding would be as close to perfect as they come.

  “If and when I find my prince charming? I won’t plan a thing. He’ll whisk me away and everything will be taken care of. I won’t have to lift a finger.”

  “Really, Luce?” Kat was amused now. “Whisk you away to where, might I ask?”

  “Someplace incredibly romantic. Someplace worth waiting 37 years for,” Luce laughed. “I mean if I’m going to wait this long, it better be good, no?”

  “Definitely agree, Luce, though I don’t know, I’ll probably never get married. My longest dating streak was 3 dates. And two were accidental meet-ups.”

  “Shut the front door. You? I’m not buying it.”

  “Really. My roommate? She’s had three girlfriends since I’ve known her. Never has any trouble finding a date. Maybe I need to rethink my social life. I think men are too complicated.”

  “You know what they say? Men. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t shoot ‘em,” Luce said with a laugh, shaking her head.

  “No, you can’t,” the voice from the doorway made Luce jump. Crap! She turned slowly, hoping her face wasn’t too red.

  “Ladies,” Andy grinned as he entered the room. “What did I miss? Other than the typical gender-bashing conversation you’re all so prone to.”

  “Uncle Andrew,” Kat sighed for emphasis. “Is there something you needed?”

  “Nope. Just passing by. Why aren’t you two outside?”

  “We were just putting the journal away,” Luce pointed toward the safe. “Annie finished the scanning and I’ve got the jump drive,” she said, patting her bag. She paused, wondering if she should mention her conversation with Mrs. Bowers, then decided it could wait.

  It wasn’t easy to find a good spot, Luce thought, when the fireworks were about to begin and everyone else was looking for the perfect vantage point to view them from. Slipping off her sandals, she decided to head down to the jetty, find a vacant boulder. She needed some alone time to ponder all that had happened in one day. Adeline had been a wealthy unwed mother, a civil rights activist, who it seemed descended from a slave trading boat builder. Maybe. Andy too, had some distinct stains on his ancestry; one being slave owners. But on the other hand, he was also descended from a slave. The MorningStar appeared to be the common thread through it all.

  But it was her own past that haunted her now. Why did she see the ghost ship? What was her tie to it all? Would her family tree reveal something unexpected, something evil, as well? If all that weren’t enough to make her brain explode, there was the pull between her and Andy. More than a pull. She was as certain as she could ever be that he was meant for her. Inexplicable as it seemed, as long as they’d known each other, there had been chemistry, sure. But now it appeared this was their moment. The question she couldn’t seem to answer, though, was whether she would seize it. Or let it go.

  She sensed his approach just as the first set of fireworks rose up in the distance. Climbing up next to her, he sat down and casually threw his arm about her shoulders. Neither of them spoke, as they watched the colorful display light up over the water. It was a comfortable silence.

  When the fireworks began to go off in rapid sequence, and giant circular bursts of color exploded above signaling the end of the big show, a quiet settled around them. Andy was the first to break the silence.

  “You’re awfully quiet tonight, Luce. What’s on your mind?”

  “Only a million and one things, I’m afraid,” Luce replied with a soft smile. “Where do you want me to start?”

  “Well, now you have me curious, so how about the beginning?” Andy murmured softly. “Only first…” he leaned in, kissed her softly, and pulled back. Waiting to see her reaction. Hoping she wouldn’t disappoint. When she leaned in and returned the kiss, he knew they were good.

  “OK, now.” He chuckled.

  Luce began with Adeline’s story of the MorningStar being a slave ship, and Andy simply nodded in acknowledgement. “Go on,” he prompted her.

  “Turns out Adeline was a civil rights activist in the 60’s. And her son George was the product of a relationship with a fellow activist. One who died mysteriously. Or disappeared. She wants us to stop production. She doesn’t want to know the answers, Andy.”

  “I’m guessing you have an idea about changing her mind?” He knew she did.

  “If we can prove somehow that the MorningStar was not a slave ship, well that would fix it all wouldn’t it?”

  “No, Luce, it wouldn’t. We aren’t here to rewrite history. Maybe our purpose is to expose it. And find a way forward from it.”

  “Why are you always so damn right?” Luce shook her head and laughed. “There’s something else though. If the vision or apparition were some sort of clue or sign from the great beyond… why did I see it? What’s my role in all this? Annie’s going to bring me dad’s family tree tomorrow. I guess I’m worried about what I’ll find.”

  “All right then. Tomorrow, you di
ve into your own family history while I go exploring the caves one more time. One of us is bound to find something that will help our cause.”

  “I hope so. And Andy? One more thing I guess while we’re having an actual conversation…”

  He studied her expression then, sensing her hesitation. Tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, he spoke softly. “Anything, Luce, ask me anything.”

  “Were you worried about how I’d react after learning your ancestor owned a slave? Or worried how I’d react to the news that your ancestor was a slave?” Luce sucked in a breath and held it.

  “There are those who would judge me either way, I suppose. There is so much that is wrong with all of it. Being connected to it in any way is something I’ve struggled with since finding out. You know I spent a lot of time concocting logical, reasonable stories to account for it all. Ridiculous as they might seem.”

  “Such as?” Luce wondered aloud. “What kind of ridiculous scenarios did you invent?”

  “Well, there was the ‘He wasn’t really a slave owner he bought her to save her, fell in love’ and so on. Then there was the one where she was a runaway and he took her in and fell in love. The one where she wasn’t a slave, they actually paid her a salary but couldn’t tell anyone. And again, he was in love.”

  “There’s a common theme here isn’t there?” Luce said dryly.

  “Luce, I’m a cop. I protect and serve. Having a fucking racist rapist ancestor does not work for me.”

  “One of the things I love about you Detective, you really are the real deal.” Luce laughed. Then quickly looked away, realizing she might have said too much.

  Andy reached out and placed his hand on her cheek, pulling her back to face him. “And you Luce Porter, are one of a kind…” Leaning in, this time his kiss was harder, more determined. He was making a statement. One that would resonate in her head the rest of the night.