Chapter Seventeen

THE FIRST SECTION:
“Father, father,” Lewis shouted as he ran into the room where David was sitting. David sat up straight upon seeing his son and a look of bewilderment came over his face. He had been worrying about Lewis’ whereabouts all evening and was relieved to see Lewis come into the room. But he was also concerned as Lewis was franticly trying to tell him something but could not get the words out.

“The woman,” Lewis panted and he pointed in the general direction of the Crossing.
David took a hold Lewis and tried to calm him. “What is the matter?” he asked. “What woman?”

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“The woman,” Lewis repeated, “she fell, and she fell a long way.”

“Which woman? Who?” David asked again.

“I don’t know,” Lewis said, “but she fell…all the way down the stairs. Father I think she is dead!” Lewis buried his face into his father’s stomach and cried loudly. David tried to calm him but the boy continued to sob at the horrible sight he must have just witnessed.

Again, David pulled Lewis aside and asked, “Tell me what happened Lewis. I can’t do anything unless I know what happened.” He waited for Lewis to calm down enough to speak but the words were coming out in jumbles.

“We were there,” he said pointing again toward the Crossing, “and we were hiding.”

“Hiding where?” David asked.

“I don’t know!” Lewis screamed, “There!” David again tried to calm him and when Lewis was able to speak again David encouraged him to continue. “Willie reached for her purse and then she fell. She fell all the way down the stairs to the bottom. And she did not move.”

David walked toward the door and opened it. He looked out into the stairwell to see if anyone was out there but he saw no one. He then walked part of the way down the stairs to see if anyone had fallen down the stairs, but again, there was no one there. Confused, he turned to go upstairs when he heard a group of boys scurry through the downstairs doorway. It was the yet un-jailed group of bullies, and they were hiding from something. Curious as to what they were hiding from and wondering if it had any connection to Lewis’ story he quietly sat down at the top of the stairs to listen to them talk.

“Can you see anybody?” one of them asked. “Have they run past yet?”

“Be quiet,” another said, “I don’t want them the hear us.”

“I don’t see anyone out there,” a third one said, “but I don’t want to go out just in case.”

“Let’s hide here for the night,” the first one said. “I don’t want to end up like Basil. Not for something I did not do.”

“But what happened?” the second one asked. “I don’t even know what we are running from.”
“Someone was killed,” the first said. “I heard a woman yell ‘she’s dead.’”

“Where?” the second asked.

“At the meadows,” the first answered, “not far from where we were. I know. I heard it. We have to stay here.”

David’s eyes lit up upon hearing this news. Dumfounded, he was unsure as to what he should do, if anything at all. Could the bullies be responsible for killing someone? he thought. Possible, but what of Lewis’ story. It sounds as though he and Willie were involved. Trying not to make a sound, David slowly moved back up the stairs. And just as he took his first step, the bullies screamed at blasted out of the doorway. Startled, David stopped to see what the commotion was. At first he thought it was he that scared them away but then he heard voices from outside.

“Get them,” one of the voices said.

“Wait a minute,” another said, “Isn’t that where the thief lives?”

“Yeah,” the first said, “it is…but he’ll be there tomorrow. These kids might not be.”

David hurried back up the stairs and slammed his door shut. He ran over to Lewis, who was cowering in the corner, trying to hide from whatever he was afraid of. In his kindest tone, David begged Lewis to tell him exactly what had happened and not to forget any of the details. Lewis was apprehensive at first, but eventually told the entire story about how they went to the Montague home, but it was not the one they thought it was, and then they were chased to their hiding spot. But they did not think that they were safe because a woman that Willie and Elizabeth had knocked down was coming into the alley to find them. But she could not see them, and when her purse broke she fell down the stone stairs and landed at the bottom near the meadow.

David, not believing what he had just heard, tried to sure up the details. “Whose house was it?” he asked, unclear of where the children had been.

“I thought it was the Montague house,” Lewis replied, “but Willie said there are two. I thought there was only the Edward Montague house.”

“All right,” David replied, “there are two. There is a father and a son. Do you know which one?”
“No sir,” Lewis answered.

David moved on, “So the woman, do you know who she was?”

“No,” Lewis replied, “but Willie said that she came from the house when we were chased.” Lewis began to cry again and David calmed him down.

“And then you hid,” David confirmed as Lewis nodded. “And then what happened?"

“The woman came to our hiding spot, to find us,” Lewis replied. “And her purse was near us so Willie reached in to take the coins. But she saw us and she screamed and the purse broke.”

“Is that when she fell down the stairs?” David asked. Lewis affirmed that that was what happened and David began to put together the pieces. The bullies did not do anything then, he thought. They were just in the wrong place and the wrong time. Then a realization shocked him; it was Willie that killed her.

“Lewis,” David said sternly, “You must go to Patrick’s house. Do you know where that is?” Lewis nodded but appeared to be afraid to go. “You must go now and not come back until tomorrow when Patrick brings to the fish shop. And tell him everything you just told me and that I sent you. Do you understand me?”

Lewis nodded but hugged his father and cried, “I don’t want to go. I’m afraid, afraid of the men out there.”

“I know you are Lewis,” David tried to soothe his son, “but you can do it. Remember that game you like to play, the one where you pretend that no one sees you? Play that game all the way to Patrick’s house and you will be safe.”

David then urged his son out of the door and watched him run toward the waterfront where Patrick had his home. He then walked slowly back up the stairs and contemplated what to do.

*******

Richard raced from his home to Emily’s bedside upon hearing the news. On his way into the room he saw Sarah pacing back and forth, wringing her hands together so intensely that they were beginning to turn pink. She looked at him with the saddest eyes he had ever seen. Jonathan came over to hug her nodded to Richard to go into the room, which he did. The physician was already at the bed but by the time Richard had arrived the man was already packing his bag to leave. A priest was standing on the opposite side of the bed from the physician quietly talking to two of Emily’s servants and he saw Richard walk in.

“Mister Mayor,” the priest said. This made the physician stand up and turn around to face Richard. He had a solemn look on his face but stood up straight to the mayor.

“She fell sir,” the physician said. “The blow to her head was too much. I fear that she may have died before she even stopped tumbling.”

“Tumbling?” Richard gasped, “Tumbling where? What happened exactly?”

The priest moved to the same side of the bed as Richard and put his hand on the mayor’s shoulder. “We are not sure how it happened,” he explained, “but she might have tripped at the top of a stone staircase that leads from the Crossing down to the Meadows. Her friend Sarah saw part of it, but not all. She apparently fell all the way down though.”

Richard’s voice became shaky. “Fell?” he asked, “Who saw her? Someone must have seen the whole thing.”

“There were some kids,” the priest said, “that ran from the Meadows at about the same time. I do not involve myself in such matters but I hear they are being chased down.”

“Yes,” Richard said, “I hope so. Will you read her rites please?”

After the priest read Emily’s rites, Richard asked to be alone with his daughter. When the room was finally empty he sat down beside his daughter and grasped her hand. Squeezing it he began to cry. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her.

“I really do not know where to start my angel,” he started, “but I wish that you were not dead right now. I wish that I could see your smile and hold you in my arms, just once more. But that is not possible and so I can only hope that you can hear me from above. You have left me alone, not because you wanted to I know, but I am still alone now. You were the only person that brought any joy into my life. No one else has ever come close since your mother died. Speaking of your mother, please understand one thing, Emily; I never wanted to raise you alone. I regret that I never believed your mother could be replaced. She never could of course; I love her and miss her as much today as when I met her and when she went to heaven herself. But to not have a loving woman who could help me guide you through your life, to offer you advise and assistance when I could not help, is something that I truly regret. For that I am sorry.”

Richard felt a tear drop across his cheek and he stopped to wipe it away and to clear his runny nose. He continued, “Of course you cannot be replaced and I will not try to do so. But there is something that I can do for you, to return the favor that you tried to do for me. I will find who did this and punish them my dear. Believe me, this could not have happened at your fault alone. I know that to be true in my heart. And while I do not believe your death is precisely the cause of the culprit, I was able to see you dying inside the past few months. Maybe this is what you wanted. I certainly hope not because I could have helped you escape, but if it is, then I know what I must do.”

Richard stopped speaking and turned around when he heard the door open behind him. It was a distraught Coleman who entered the room and Richard became immediately distressed.

“I am sorry Richard,” Coleman said. “I do not know what else to say except that I wish she were still here.” Richard nodded in agreement but did not say anything. Coleman continued, “I do not know what to do or say. I imagine that this is what you felt when your wife died, only worse of course. If there is anything that I can do, please tell me, I would be honored to help. And I have reserved a spot for her already, in the back garden where she preferred to spend sunny days in the summers.”

“Thank you Coleman,” Richard said, “but I will be burying her next to her mother near the river. They both died young and unnecessarily, it is more appropriate.”

“But sir,” Coleman insisted, “I think it is appropriate for a woman to be buried with her husband. After all, she chose me to be her companion for life.”

Richard stood up and walked toward the door, “My mind is made up. I will be sending the church over tomorrow.” Richard opened the door and took one step out, but before he moved on he stopped, looked at his widowed son-in-law and said, “But you should come buy the office first thing tomorrow morning Coleman. I have something that I would like to talk to you about.” He then walked out of the room and went toward Sarah. They consoled each other and then he left, leaving her to look over Emily’s soul.