Page 20 of Dirty Valentine
“How do you know that?”Jack asked.
“Family records,” Rich said simply.“We have William’s original ledgers—his widow preserved everything after he died.Which was only a few years after Bridget.He wasn’t an old man, by any means, but times were harder and wilder back then.Apparently he was trying to break up a drunken brawl between Nathanial Blackwood and Joseph Hughes and he got a knife in his gut for his troubles.Lived long enough to tell his wife and children goodbye.”
“He was killed by Blackwood and Hughes?”Jack asked, brow arched.“They’re two of the families whose graves were marked.”
“They’re also two of the families who got part of the Ashworth land,” Rich said.“But that was three hundred years ago.”Jeri put a piece of pie down in front of him and a fresh cup of coffee.“I guess it makes sense why his widow would keep all the documentation about the trial and the money transfers to Jedediah Ashworth.
“Maybe she felt like she’d need them later down the road.Since both Virginia and Massachusetts were British colonies at that time, William hired a private courier to deliver British pounds to the Green Dragon Tavern so Jedediah could pick it up.The name listed on the correspondence was Jed Ashford, and from what I understand, once he received the money he and his daughter changed their names and disappeared.”
The lights flickered again as the storm intensified, and Jeri got up to light some candles, just in case.The warm glow added to the kitchen’s coziness, making the violence of the storm outside seem distant.
“So why would someone mark his grave?”I asked.“If he was trying to help?”
“Maybe because he failed,” Jack said slowly.“He had the power and position to potentially stop it, but he wasn’t here.If he’d been at that trial…”
“Or maybe,” Rich said quietly, “Someone blames him for dying before he could get justice.He was the only one with enough authority and respect to challenge what happened, and when he was killed, any hope of overturning the verdict died with him.”
“He died trying to keep the peace between the very families who’d stolen from Bridget,” I said, the irony not lost on me.“And they killed him for it.”
Jack set down his fork, pushing his empty plate aside, and I saw him take a breath.“Mom, Dad—whoever killed Thomas Whitman is targeting all six families from the trial.Someone carved symbols on the headstones.Messages.”
“What kind of messages?”Rich asked, his voice quiet.
“Scales of justice.Roman numerals.Things about bearing witness.”Jack picked at the edge of his napkin.“Like someone’s been planning this for a long time.”
“And they marked William’s grave,” Jeri said, not a question.
“Yes,” Jack confirmed.“Someone wants us to know we’re all connected to this.”
The rain hammered harder against the windows, and for a moment nobody said anything.
“Well, that’s just peachy,” Jeri said, setting down her coffee with a sharp click.“Three hundred years later and someone’s still holding a grudge?People need hobbies.”
“Mom, please,” Jack said softly, and I saw Jeri’s expression soften.“I can’t do my job if I’m worried about you.”
She studied her son’s face for a long moment.“No.”
“Mom—”
“I said no.This is our home.We’re not running because some lunatic has a grudge about something that happened three centuries ago.”
“Jeri, be reasonable,” Rich said.
“I am being reasonable.We have the security system, we have the dogs, we have neighbors who’d notice if something was wrong.”She crossed her arms.“We’re not leaving.”
Jack stood up, frustration clear in every line of his body.“Someone is killing descendants of these families.Dad’s ancestor is on that list.”
“Your ancestor too,” Jeri pointed out.
“Which is why I need you safe!”
They stared at each other across the kitchen, and the resemblance had never been stronger—same stubborn jaw, same refusal to back down.
“What about Martha’s Vineyard?”Rich said suddenly.
Both Jack and Jeri turned to look at him.
“The Stewarts have been begging us to visit their place.It’s an island—one way on, one way off.Easy to monitor.”He looked at his wife.“You’ve been wanting to go.And I could check on that marina investment while we’re there.”
