by Sue Clifton
“But now for my story. It’s not Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it is a story that needs to be told.” Teesh locked her fingers in front of her and began.
“My baby sister, Irene, was a beautiful young woman who could have had any man in the area as a husband, but, like so many, she chose the wrong man and she married too young. She married Lester, a religious fanatic and an overprotective and domineering man who treated his wife more like a prisoner than a wife, trying to protect her from the sins of the world. He wanted children more than anything, but Irene did not want to bring children into her unhappy marriage. All she wanted was to run away from Lester, which she attempted to do many times. Papa tried to get Lester to let Irene return home to him and Mother, but Lester refused.
“Then Irene became pregnant. Her mind was already slipping away, and Lester’s treatment of her finished her off.” Teesh took a sip of tea and looked at her audience. They all seemed to be hanging on her every word, so she continued without pausing again.
“One day, Lester came home from work and found Irene trying to abort her baby with a wire coat hanger.”
Cayce gasped. Now she knew why the Keeper used the stretched-out coat hanger as a symbol and a brand, a modern-day scarlet letter for the young women he felt had committed the unforgivable sin. Cayce looked at the others and knew they, too, had connected the coat hanger’s meaning with the symbol.
“I know that is gruesome, but please don’t judge my sister. She was in a miserable state of mind by this time. Lester took her to the hospital, and they were able to save the baby. Lester had Irene watched around the clock until my niece, Katherine, was born a few months later.
“When Katherine was six years old, Irene had to be institutionalized. She had attempted suicide three times, and Lester feared she would kill herself and Katherine. Lester used the same over-protectiveness with Katherine, and it worked until she was twenty. That was when she became smitten with a handsome young man new to the area. Katherine became pregnant and tried to run off with her lover, but Lester caught her and would not allow her to marry this worldly young man who had caused her to commit the ultimate sin.” Teesh took a swallow of tea before continuing.
“Katherine gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, but from the start, Lester knew something was wrong with the baby boy. Not only did he look different, it was obvious his mind would not be normal. Shortly after giving birth, Katherine became despondent, extremely depressed, and hanged herself, leaving Lester to care for his two grandchildren.” Teesh used her napkin to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye.
“Being the religious zealot he was, Lester immediately blamed the father of the babies, saying it was his sin that had caused Katherine’s suicide and the defect in the baby boy. Lester wrapped up the infant, took him to his biological father’s cabin here in the valley, and presented him as the curse the man deserved.” Teesh stopped, giving her audience time to collect their thoughts. “Need I tell you more?”
“Charlie. He was your great-nephew—Katherine’s son and Irene’s grandson.” Piper summarized what they all knew.
“Yes, and his grandfather giving him to his daddy was the best thing that could ever have happened for Charlie. His daddy loved him unconditionally and called him his blessing, not a curse. And Charlie adored his daddy, the forest ranger. They were inseparable, and Newton, Charlie’s daddy, taught him to be independent. That’s why Charlie was able to live on his own and to take care of himself all these years after his father died.”
“Well, I think that calls for another brownie.” Harri gave each one another small brownie.
Piper held up her tea glass and proposed a toast to Charlie. They all stood with their glasses held high. “Here’s to you, Charlie, not a forest, but the best forest ranger ever, and our hero. We love you, Charlie.”
“Hear, hear!” They clinked glasses and smiled and ate their brownies, savoring each bite for Charlie Chocolate.
****
Three days later, Charlie’s funeral was held at the cemetery, outside in nature, beneath the mountains in Charlie’s world. Jesus loomed over the crowd; his arms outstretched, encompassing them all. It was the largest group of mourners seen at the tiny cemetery for at least a century. Some came out of curiosity and others were part of the news media. Several people spoke, including Harri, Zach, and Teesh, but the one that brought tears to their eyes spoke while wearing handcuffs. With Teesh’s insistence, the sheriff brought Janie to bid her twin brother goodbye. Janie began by apologizing to the crowd for her part in these terrible crimes.
“I dedicated my life to protecting the lambs. Charlie and I were lambs, and I believed we were saved by my grandfather, Lester, but he was not the good man I thought he was.” Janie made eye contact with the audience as she spoke. “I found out I had a twin brother when I was ten years old, after finding a picture of us taken with our mother when we were just babies. When I was older, my grandfather told me my mother, Katherine, had tried to abort us as babies just as her mother had done, causing Charlie to have a mental defect. My grandfather blamed our biological father, whom I never met. Now, I don’t know if the story my grandfather told me was the truth or if he used it to convince me to join the Fold.” Janie reached up with her handcuffed hands and placed them over her heart. She sobbed at this point and had to stop for a minute to regain her composure.
“I thought I was helping the young mothers. The Keeper told the Fold he had released the girls after they gave birth, while their babies had been placed in loving homes. I had no knowledge the girls had been allowed to perish in the pit, not until Billie escaped. But Charlie knew. He kept trying to get me to go into the tunnels with him, but I was too afraid. He kept saying he needed to show me something bad, but he wouldn’t tell me what. How I wish now I had gone with my brother. Perhaps I could have saved the lives of those young girls.” Janie looked down in shame before continuing.
“Charlie and I met often in the old burned-out cabin in the high country. We had to stop meeting there when I saw the Keeper and Steve coming from the cabin one day. Charlie and I hid in the forest until they were gone. We met at the cemetery after that.” Janie’s face changed, and she smiled.
“I gave Charlie haircuts and used to leave packages for him with Teesh, packages that always included my huckleberry fudge, his favorite. My brother and I loved each other unconditionally, but because of our grandfather, we were never allowed to visit openly. The few times he caught us, he beat me. I would yell for Charlie to run, but it did not stop me from meeting Charlie every chance I got. Charlie even found his way through the mineshaft in the woods behind the antique shop, and we would meet there until our grandfather caught us one day. He beat Charlie, too, that day, and every time he could catch him anywhere.” Janie laughed and cried when she used Charlie’s voice to say, “Charlie run like wind!”
****
The crowd of mourners showed open compassion for Janie. Many, including Cayce, Harri, Teesh, and Piper had requested in writing that the courts be lenient with her, but they all knew she would be charged with kidnapping, at a minimum.
Janie was not allowed to remain for the burial; she was whisked away by a sheriff’s deputy. The mourners and spectators watched Janie’s exit with tear-filled eyes.
Charlie was buried next to Sara, in a wooden coffin made from the trees of the forest he and his dad loved.
Burying Charlie by Sara was Teesh’s decision. “He wouldn’t want to be buried in a strange place like Idaho Falls, where his father is buried.”
They each put a handful of dirt on top of Charlie’s coffin. Charlie was buried in the everyday clothes he loved—his old, holey boots ready to run the streets of gold, and of course his forest ranger hat, always his security blanket, pulled tightly down almost over his eyes, making his ears stick out.
A reception was held in the hotel after Charlie’s funeral, and the whole crowd of mourners stayed to enjoy a feast of “ever’thang chocolate.”
****
> The sheriff came by the hotel the next day with information for both Hank and Zach. The body of the man who called himself the Keeper, the last one recovered, had been pulled from the cave-in.
“So who was he?” Hank asked.
Cayce stood beside Hank, anxious to hear the identity of the murderer.
“William Hargill. He had only been in this area the last two years, but no one suspected him of being a criminal, least of all a murderer.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Hank shook his head in disbelief. “So that’s why he never came around to find out what was going on here the last few days.”
“Did you know him?” Cayce asked.
“William Hargill, better known as Bill, my job foreman. No wonder Belle and Reverend Mather couldn’t scare him off. He had too much at stake here, other than his good-paying day job, not to mention being as mean, or meaner, than the ghosts-in-residence.”
“I’ve got some information for Zach, too,” the sheriff announced. “Is he around?”
“He and Piper are down at the cemetery, putting fresh wildflowers on Charlie’s grave.”
“Good, I’ll run this down to him. He seemed pretty anxious to get this information.”
****
That night, the group ate their last meal at Bar None together. Hank would stay on to finish the restoration of Bar None for Joshua, who would be in Mexico for an undetermined period of time. Teesh, of course, would be staying, and would act as consultant to make sure “Hank gets it right,” as she said, speaking of the rebirth of Bar None. Cayce and Harri would be leaving the next day for a long ride back to Montana in Hawk, where Harri would fly out in a few days back to her city and The Teacake. Harri had already begun the Kegel exercises in preparation for the bumpy ride in Hawk. Zach had business, as he called it, to attend to the next day, and had asked Piper to accompany him.
The meal ended with biscuits and chocolate gravy, a fitting conclusion to their adventure in Bar None.
Later, while having coffee in the parlor, Zach decided it was time to share more information with his new friends.
“I finished reading the journal last night, and thought I’d share a little history with you.” He smiled at Piper, and she nodded, signifying she already knew what he had found.
“First of all, Absalom and Yu’s baby girl, Tamara, did not die in childbirth.”
Cayce and Harri gasped in disbelief. Teesh smiled with approval.
“Belle was jealous of Yu with Absalom, so when Yu had her baby, Belle switched the infant with the stillborn baby girl Marissa had given birth to the day before, a baby conceived by her being raped by her own father, Abel Mather. Marissa had taken refuge with Belle, a different story from what Abel told. Isn’t that ironic? Belle helped Marissa and yet ruined the lives of so many innocent young Chinese girls.” Zach shook his head in disbelief.
“So true, but is that not an awesome ending to such a tragedy?” Harri was intrigued with this change of events and could hardly contain herself. “Wait ’til I get back. I need more coffee.”
Harri returned a few minutes later with the pot and refilled everyone’s cups. She set the empty pot on the table and hurriedly took her seat, pointing her index fingers at Zach.
“Okay, Zach. Hit it!”
“To thank Belle for her help, Marissa agreed to take Yu’s baby to San Francisco. Marissa was a wet nurse for the baby. She was supposed to deliver Tamara to a crib, a whorehouse that raised baby girls, Chinese baby girls, for the prostitute trade, but when Marissa saw the deplorable conditions in the crib, she couldn’t do it. Besides, she had grown to love the baby after weeks of traveling across country with her.”
“Marissa left the city with Tamara, not knowing what to do. She knew she could not take the child back to Bar None and could never tell Belle she had not followed her orders. Marissa met a Mormon couple on the train on her way back to Bar None and gave the baby to them. The couple had been childless for the fifteen years of their marriage and felt they were meant to meet Marissa on this train. Marissa convinced the couple to name the baby Lin after her birth mother, and the couple agreed, but named her Marissa Lin, feeling their child should also be named for the brave woman who saved her.
“They kept in touch with Marissa for years, giving her updates on their daughter, the only child the couple ever had. Marissa returned to Bar None and continued to work for Belle. Marissa established a close relationship with Absalom as a friend and confidante, but she never told Absalom his and Yu’s child lived, something she regretted until the day she died, which was after a short illness in August 1915.
“Marissa Lin lived a happy life, married, and had many children of her own. I’m sure Yu’s and Absalom’s bloodline continues today. I plan to check on this as soon as I have access to the Internet again.”
“Remarkable!” Harri stood and cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled up to the second floor, “Did you hear that, Belle? Yu lives on, with many descendants, and it’s all your doing.”
When the group settled down after laughing at Harri, Zach continued.
“But that’s not all.” Zach turned to Piper. “You remember when you picked that wallpaper for Absalom’s bedroom and said Absalom’s father liked sunflowers because they grew in cotton fields in Mississippi?”
“I remember. I dreamed it. And the wallpaper is being hung in Absalom’s bedroom tomorrow. Right, Hank?” Piper looked at Hank.
“Right, and all the rest of it you picked, too. I really think you ladies need to stay around to see the finished product.” Hank looked beside him at Cayce and put his hand on her knee.
“Oh, I’m coming back, and real soon. You can bet on that.” Cayce bumped Hank with her shoulder.
“Okay, back to Mississippi.” Zach paused, giving everyone time to refocus. “I’ve already told you about the close relationship Marissa had with Absalom. She wrote in her journal about a conversation she had with Absalom one night when he was very drunk and emotional. He told her he was from the North and how he had to run away as a young man because he killed his stepbrother.” Zach took a long pause.
The group looked flabbergasted, and Harri urged Zach to continue. “Get to the nitty gritty, Zach. You’re killing me.”
“All right, Harri. Here goes. Absalom’s stepbrother was no good; he drank too much and was mean to everybody, including his own mother. He raped his own half-sister when she was only thirteen years old. Absalom saw his little sister Chloe crying, and went after the stepbrother, fought with him, and killed him. Absalom’s father sent his son west with enough cash to start fresh and told him to change his name and never to tell anyone who he was and never to return home. He was afraid his son would not get a fair trial. Okay, are you ready for Absalom’s real name?”
“Zach, I’m warning you!” Harri waved her closed fist at Zach, giving him a frown.
“Okay. Enough suspense. It was Caleb Devaux, Junior.” Zach paused to let it all sink in.
“Whoa! Say it ain’t so!” Harri began to clap. “Woohoo, Cayce! I guess you’re gonna have to call Cowboy One after all, or is he Two now, and tell him the Way found him and presented some more family history on a silver—no, make that a gold—platter!” Harri elongated the word “gold.”
“Of course. It all makes sense; Absalom, son of David in the Bible, book of Second Samuel, I think, committed fratricide, meaning brother-killer. Absalom killed his brother Amnon for raping Absalom’s sister, Tamar.” Cayce rolled out a hand as she called out each name. “Tamar…Tamara, the closest to his real-life sister, at least in trauma, as he dared get without naming her. Absalom was Joshua’s own blood relative, and Joshua doesn’t even know it. And Caleb, Senior, named his little girl Chloe after his niece, who disappeared as a child from Spanish Oaks in south Mississippi.”
“Well, that explains it!” Harri jumped to her feet and headed for the stairs at a full run while everyone stared at her. “Don’t say anything until I get back.”
Harri ran into her bedroom
and ransacked her dresser drawer until she found the pajama top. She reached into the pocket, pulled out the lithograph, and was headed back downstairs when she heard the family picture fall behind her. Thinking she had jarred it when she got her pajama top out, she hurried back to set the picture upright. The hard back of the frame had slipped, and a corner from a piece of paper was sticking out.
Carefully, Harri removed the back. An old, folded, yellowed piece of newspaper fell out. Harri carefully unfolded it and found the same family photograph. Under it was an article about a fire in a hotel in Bozeman, Montana, that claimed three members of a family—the husband and two children, a boy and a girl. The mother and father had both tried to rescue their children but were unable to get them out in time. The father and the two children perished in the fire. The only surviving member of the family was the mother, Anne Marie Coleman, who was severely burned on the face and hands.
****
In just a couple of minutes, Harri ran back down the stairs, her eyes full of tears she tried to wipe away with her sleeve. In her hand, she clutched a photograph and the newspaper article.
“Here, Cayce, I have something for you. Belle gave it to me, but I think she meant for you to have it. It might explain why she was so angry at you.” Harri handed Cayce the lithograph. “It’s a little faded, but I think you will recognize the man with Belle in this photograph.”
Cayce stared at the picture. “It’s Joshua!” Cayce brought the picture closer to her eyes. “But it can’t be Joshua unless he’s reincarnated.” She turned the picture over to see if anything was written on the back. “No, it’s not Joshua. It’s his long-lost cousin, Caleb, Junior, also known as Absalom.”
Cayce passed the photograph around so everyone could look at it. “But if I thought Absalom, alias Caleb, Junior, was Joshua, chances are Belle thought Joshua was Absalom, or pretended Joshua was Absalom, when he was here.” Cayce looked at Hank. “That explains a lot.”
“But does it change anything, Cayce?” Hank had a look of desperation on his face.
