Page 41 of Dirty Valentine
“I knew Thomas Whitman a little,” he said as he got out proper cups and saucers and the sugar and milk caddies.“I met him a time or two at founders’ events.His parents were more involved in those things.”
“What were your impressions?”Jack asked.
“He was a man who seemed always ready to pick up and leave,” Judge Morton said immediately.“Had trouble settling.Even at something as mundane as a fundraiser or party.He married an outsider if I remember right.His mother was a bit distraught over that, but it’s been close to two decades so I’m not sure of her feelings now.Last I heard his mother was moved into memory care after his father passed away.Thomas was nice enough, but his mind was always on his work.Tragic what happened to him though.And being found the way he was it seems someone was trying to send a message of some kind.”
“That’s our thought too,” Jack said.
Judge Morton brought the coffee tray over to the little breakfast table where Jack and I sat.I found myself relaxing for the first time all day.There was something inherently trustworthy about this man.
“Now,” he said.“Considering the graves I was told were marked, you’re wondering about Ezekiel Morton and how he was connected to Bridget Ashworth.”
“What can you tell us about him?”Jack asked, accepting the coffee with the appreciation of someone who’d been running on adrenaline and determination.
Morton sat on the bench seat across from us and wrapped his hands around his cup.“I can tell you quite a bit actually.I have been blessed with ancestors who saw the importance in both education and legacy.I come from generations of attorneys and judges, and I have original documents—letters, court papers, journals.Many of the documents are in museums, but I have copies of everything.”
“That’s incredible,” I said.
“Indeed,” he said.“And lately there’s been quite a bit of renewed interest in this particular historical period.Just last Sunday, Dr.Victoria Mills stopped by asking about the same families and time period you’re investigating.”
Jack and I exchanged glances.“Dr.Mills was here?”
“Oh yes.She said Thomas Whitman’s recent presentation to the historical society had prompted her to look into her own family’s medical history, particularly interested in Rachel Mills and the other founding families.She seemed worried about what Thomas might publish.Very knowledgeable woman—we had tea and talked for over an hour about Colonial medical practices and the witch trials.”
“What specifically was she interested in?”I asked, feeling that familiar tingle that came when pieces of a puzzle started clicking together.
“She wanted to know about the property transfers after Bridget Ashworth’s execution, and whether any of the original land grants were still intact.”Morton’s expression grew thoughtful.“She seemed particularly concerned about whether her family had been among the victims or the perpetrators.She kept asking if being descended from someone involved in the conspiracy could have modern legal implications.Said she’d been doing genealogical research and found some disturbing connections.”
My pulse quickened.“What kind of connections?”
“Well, she asked what would happen legally if it could be proven that land had been stolen rather than legally transferred.Whether current property ownership could be challenged if historical fraud was discovered.”Morton paused, stirring his coffee slowly.“She seemed quite worried about what she might find.”
“Did she mention anyone else asking about her research?”Jack asked.“Or seem concerned about being followed?”
Morton’s brow furrowed.“Now that you mention it, she did seem nervous.Kept checking her phone, looked over her shoulder a few times when we were sitting by the window.She asked if I’d told anyone else about our conversation, and when I said no, she seemed relieved.”
“What did you tell her about the property transfers?”
“The truth.That if sufficient historical evidence existed to prove fraud in the original transfers, it could potentially create legal complications for current landowners, especially if the property was valuable.”Morton set down his coffee cup with care.“She seemed quite troubled by that possibility.”
Jack leaned forward.“Did she ask to see the original documents?”
“She asked, but I explained I don’t show the originals to anyone—too fragile and valuable.However, I did show her some photocopies from Ezekiel’s journals.”Morton’s face grew troubled.“She was particularly interested in the entries about pressure being applied to ensure Bridget’s conviction.
“Ezekiel Morton was appointed as Justice of the Peace to preside over several trials in the early Colonial period, including Bridget Ashworth’s,” Morton continued, rising to retrieve a thick spiral-bound album from a side table.“According to his journals, he was deeply troubled by that particular case.”
“Troubled how?”
“He didn’t believe that Bridget Ashworth was a witch.”Morton opened the album to reveal photocopied pages covered in careful Colonial script.“As judge, he was duty bound to listen to all the testimony against the accused.But the testimony against Bridget Ashworth was very coordinated, too convenient.Every witness seemed to have the same story, told in nearly identical language.People said she’d been sacrificing their animals and witnesses would corroborate—blood appearing on their doorposts and things like that.Whole families would say she cursed them when they all came down with an illness.Others accused her of murder if someone died.Of course, illness and death were not uncommon in those times.There were entire families wiped out from influenza, smallpox, typhoid…”
Morton pushed the thick folder across the table to us.“But more than that, Ezekiel documented pressure from other prominent men to ensure a guilty verdict.”
“What kind of pressure?”
“Threats, bribes, promises of political advancement if he cooperated and social and financial ruin if he didn’t.”Morton’s voice carried the weight of generations of family shame.“According to his journals, Jonathan Blackwood and Jasper Hughes visited him privately the night before the verdict.Jasper was the husband of Rebecca, and she was one of the primary witnesses against Bridget.These men made it clear that acquitting Bridget Ashworth would be seen as treason against the colony’s interests.They threatened his wife and children.”
“That’s a hard place for anyone to be in,” Jack said.
Judge Morton nodded.“I’d like to think if I were in his place that I’d stand for justice and I’d protect what was mine at the same time, no matter the cost, but when it comes down to it, not all men are created to go to war.Sometimes you have to think of other ways to protect what you love most.I can’t fault Ezekiel for the choice he made.I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
