CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Chapter Seventeen:

Vonnie hemmed Lisa’s wedding dress. Lisa had admired the green silk gown in Lucinda’s closet and Lucinda had given Lisa the dress. Silver sequins shimmered on the bodice. Maybe Lisa should have worn a white dress for her wedding. Vonnie had offered to buy her a dress, but Lisa wanted to wear this one.

Lucinda was several inches taller than Lisa, so the green dress had to be carefully hemmed.

“Affair in Washington,” Lisa repeated the phrase. Then she giggled, “That’s where Miss. Lucinda wore this dress. To an affair in Washington. Not to be confused with the other kind of affair.”

“It certainly wasn’t that kind of an affair. Watch what you say, Silly.

“My name isn’t Silly.””

“Don’t even mention that “‘affair’ word in this house,” Vonnie warned her.

“You mean because Jack is seeing Lucinda?”

“Just button your lip.

“And he is not supposed to.” Lisa savored a secret. She would not even tell Dylan.

“I said, Button your lip,” Vonnie repeated. “It wasn’t that kind of an affair. Lucinda wore this dress to a party.”

“I know. I’m just having fun.”

Vonnie had almost finished the stitching when she noticed a few beads loose.

“I’m going to take this home with me and finish it there,” Vonnie said.

The doorbell rang.

Lucinda had told the sisters she would answer the door that day because they were busy with the dress. She swung the door open, and to her surprise over a dozen reporters stood there. “Comment on the Washington Times article,” one of them asked her. A microphone swung over, and it almost hit her in the face. Flashbulbs popped.

Lucinda’s smile disappeared. “What?”

“The Times claims you’re a Negro.”

She slammed the door. A moment later when Vonnie and Lisa hurried into the room, they found Lucinda on the floor trembling.

Lisa made Lucinda some camomile tea while Vonnie called Jack?

Enrico hurried into the room. His secretary had just called with the news of the Times article. He glanced at Vonnie. “Who is she calling?” He asked Lucinda.

“A friend,” Lucinda answered. This was not the time to get into an argument with her dad about her friendship with Jack Brianka. “He should be in his office now. I’m calling the Penobscot,“ Vonnie reported.

Enrico looked confused. “You’re calling Jack Brianka?”

“Who else is going to help us now?” Lucinda asked.

Vonnie was on hold, “He sent someone down to get a copy of the Times,“ she reported.

Lisa brought in the tea. “Should I stay?” she asked.

“Yes,” Lucinda said, but please bring in a few more cups, so you and Vonnie and dad can have tea with me.”

“There’s cookies in the kitchen,“ Lisa said as she hurried away. I made some lemon cookies.”

“Yes,” Vonnie said as Jack came back on the phone. She told her companions, “He has the paper; he’s looking through it.” Then back to Jack, “Yes.” She listened for awhile. She blinked away the tears. Then. “I want you to read the article to Mr. Rinaldi. He’s here.” Vonnie handed the phone to Mr. Rinaldi.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Jack said when his former employer came on the line.

“Just read the article,” Enrico ordered. Jack read the headline:

“The Negress Who Could Have Been First Lady”

The article continued:

When handsome Bradley Davies brought his young bride to

Washington in 1936, many political pundits thought this was a

couple headed for the White House. The Republican Senator

and the heiress Lucinda Rinaldi Davies had everything; money,

intelligence, beauty and ambition.

Her father owned one of the largest mining empires in America,

and had financed Davies’ senatorial campaigns. She attended all

the Washington parties where her beauty was legendary. The most

powerful men in the country paid attention to Lucinda Rinaldi Davies.

She possessed a dark haired beauty that many people believed was

part of an Italian heritage.

But recently documents surfaced revealing that the Rinaldi family

is really the Reynolds family, freed blacks who wandered west after

the Civil War and struck it rich at a silver mine in Nevada. The family

name changed, so they could pass as Italians. They purchased other

properties and made a second fortune in iron ore.

According to Elaine Dabb Mynter, a former maid in the Rinaldi

household, Senator Davies had been unaware of his wife’s race

at the time that he married the beautiful heiress. As soon as he

found out, he quickly divorced her.

After Jack stopped reading: he promised he would look further into the source of the newspaper article and get back to Vonnie.

“What’s to look into?” Enrico shouted. “Elaine Mynter is the source.”

“She had to have proof. Otherwise the papers would not have published…”

“Thank you,” Enrico said and handed the phone back to Vonnie.

Lucinda stared looked into the pea-green liquid of her teacup like someone reading the leaves. “How could Elaine have known?”

Enrico sighed, ”She was a snoop. I caught her going through my papers a couple of times.”

“But the kind of papers that would give away our race…” Lucinda said.

“They were in the safe and a couple of times, I left the door open.”

“Father, how could you? We can trust Vonnie and Lisa, but you knew Elaine was after your money. You knew her reputation.”

“And you hired her, Lucinda.” When he raised his voice at Lucinda, he startled all three of the women. They had never heard him raise his voice to his daughter before. They had never seen him this angry.

“I’m sorry, father. With the two girls and this big house, we needed help. I just didn’t see that she could do any harm.”

“Why should it matter?” Lisa asked.

Vonnie patted her on the arm. “It does. It just does.”

“It shouldn’t matter,” Lisa insisted. She bit her lip. She didn’t want the others to see her fear. Would it help Lucinda? She doubted it.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Lucinda said.

“Well, it should,” her father barked at her. “Whitney will never marry you now.”

“I don’t want to marry Whitney. I didn’t want to marry Brad, and look what a disaster that turned out to be. Whitney might be different. I don’t know if he is racist or not, but I don’t love him.”

“Think about your daughters,” her father yelled at her.

“They’ll marry for love.”

“And what if either one of them loves a White man? Will he want her? Even Carol with her one hundred percent Anglo Saxon blood is tainted now.”

“Tainted? Father, is that is what you think of our race? It’s not what I think. Maybe I’m proud to be a Negro.”

“Proud that your great grandfather was a slave.”

“Better than being a slave owner,” Lisa almost whispered.

The others turned toward her, surprised that she had again spoken.

“Yes,” Lucinda said. She wanted to go over and hug her crazy maid.

“You can’t toss away your future.” Enrico said.

“Father, you probably suspected I’ve been seeing Jack Brianka in secret.”

“And in defiance of my wishes. You can still get a rich man, Lucinda. You’re beautiful. There are wealthy men who will gladly court you.”

“Father, Jack isn’t a poor man. I think you had him checked out.”

“Yes, when he refused my offer, $100,000 to never see you again. I didn’t see how he could refuse.”

“But he did. Father, he isn’t Mafia connected like some people say. He makes his money…”

“I know how he makes his money.” Enrico started to raise from the overstuffed green chair where he had been sitting. He got halfway to a sitting position and fell back down. His face turned purple; he struggled to catch his breath.

Lucinda screamed as she rushed to her father.

Vonnie jumped to her feet. “Hurry, Lisa, run and get Dr. Tracie.”

Lisa ran out the door, collided with a reporter who tried to grab her.

“What gives, little girl?”

“The White maids are deserting the Black ship,” someone laughed. Lisa collided with another reported reporter and fell to the sidewalk. Someone snapped her picture laying on the sidewalk. “Do you suppose the Niggers kicked her out?”

“What’s with the green dress, little girl?” Lisa was on her feet in seconds and running.

Vonnie didn’t realize her sister’s peril. She was busy cradling the phone. Where was the operator? There were so many calls trying to get through that she could not get an outside line.

Elaine had a new dress including shoes and a purse. Her lipstick was the same shade Katherine Hepburn wore in “Without Love.” Her story had sold for $5,000. Perhaps she could write a book, “I was a servant to a Nigger family.” She was sure it would sell millions.

She would be as popular as - well she could only think of a few fiction authors, John Byrnes, Agatha Christie, Zane Gray. Elaine was not much of a reader, but she had seen books by these authors around. The Rinaldis were readers as were those dreadful Brianka girls.

Whitney Cummings stayed at the hotel, and she knew exactly what time he came down for dinner. She tipped the waiter to seat her opposite him. She sipped an expensive wine and waited.

Dr. Tracie with Lisa right behind him had to push his way through a crowd of reporters. When he entered the house and hurried to the study, he found Vonnie weeping on the couch. Lucinda held her father in her arms, and she rocked him gently back and forth. She slowly eased him to the floor when she noticed the doctor.

Tracie checked for a pulse and listened for a heartbeat that was no longer there. “He’s dead,” the doctor said.

Lucinda already knew.

After Whitney Cummings was seated and had ordered his dinner, Elaine approached him.

“Mr. Cummings, I don’t think we have been introduced. I’m Elaine Mynter.”

“I know who you are, Mrs. Mynter.“

“It’s Miss Mynter. I’ve been divorced for several years now.”

“What can I do for you, Miss Mynter?”

“Perhaps I can join you for dinner.” She gave him her prettiest smile, and adjusted the fur wrap she wore.

“I’ll be dining alone. “ he said simply.

She had been a maid long enough to know she was being dismissed. Still she paused. There had to be way. “I thought you would want to thank me. You wouldn’t want to end up married to Lucinda Rinaldi. The tramp has a boyfriend…”

“Enough,” he said and motioned to a man at the bar who hurried over and gently took Elaine’s arm to led her away.

She sighed. There were other rich men.

A massive layoff followed the mine sale.

Rumor had it that the new owner would employ the miners in new jobs.

But the new owner disappeared. People speculated on what happened to him as they drank their coffee at the Yorkie cafe.

“He’s been dating that Lucinda Rinaldi.”

“He ain’t dating her no more.”

“He sure ain’t gonna marry a Nigger.”

“I saw him talking to that Dabb girl, Elaine. The one who was married to Emil Mynter’s son.”

“What do we do for jobs? Damn the Rinaldis.”

Whatever plans Whiney Cummings may have mentioned to the Rinaldis dissolved. Hundreds of unemployed miners applied for unemployment benefits in Mountain Ridge.

Whitney had been right about tourism. People took to the highways in record numbers; cars had more popularity than ever. But Michigan was not the usual destination. Popular highway routes missed Michigan and wound to the south.

Sure, Michigan had waterways and wild game, but other states offered more warmth and better recreational opportunities.

Cummings decided his investment was a loss. He could not continue to court that beautiful Lucinda Rinaldi, though he would have liked to. A successful white businessman could not have a Negro wife.

Chapin Pit would never have a fountain; Almasy House would not be restored.

Bitterness flared against the Rinaldis. Hate and fear ruled the city as it always did when jobs were lost.

The funeral of Enrico Rinaldi, the man who had once been the largest employer in town, was small.

Lucinda was there with her little daughters and her maids, Vonnie and Lisa; the Mynter clan came as did a strange man who pulled his cap low over his eyes, and wore what looked like a fake beard.

As usual Mary and Elsie cooked and baked and brought over as much food as their cars could carry. The Mynter sons served as pallbearers. Dylan felt honored to carry Enrico Rinaldi’s coffin, though he blinked tears from his eyes. He had liked Mr. Rinaldi.

Lucinda made plans to move to Detroit. She and Vonnie began closing down the house. Lisa’s pretty green dress was brought to the farm for more repairs.

Lisa wasn’t sure, she wanted to get married.

“Of course, you do, honey,” Vonnie told her. “Dylan will take care of you. You need someone to take care of you.”

“I guess,” Lisa said. “What’s going to happen to you?”

“I have a house, five acres is enough to put in a decent crop. Dennis will sell me a few chickens; there’s a barn for a cow or two.”

“You’re going to be a farmer,” Lisa paused. “On just five acres of land.”

“I have a widow’s pension.”

“You can’t move to Detroit with Lucinda?”

“She asked me, but Mountain Ridge is my home.”

“It’s her home too.”

“Not anymore,” Vonnie said.

Carol Ann and Starr were sent south after Enrico’s funeral. Lucinda had a friend in Detroit who would care for them until her home was ready. Not even Vonnie knew the name of that friend. A woman met Lucinda at the train station. The children cried and even screamed as they were pulled away from her. Lucinda promised to be with them soon.

Carol Ann had already lost one mother and a grandfather. Lucinda would not let her lose another one. “I’ll join you. Don’t worry. I just have to close the house.”

Vonnie opened the pantry door and sighed. “What are we going to do with all this food?”

“The Mynters brought so much to my father’s funeral. Do you think they’ll take some of it back?” Lucinda asked.

“Are you kidding. Mary and Elsie are preparing for Lisa’s wedding, and they aren’t using left overs. Dennis tells me they make regular trips to the farm.”

“Well, we have to do something with it. How about giving it to Lisa and Dylan.”

“They’re moving in with Emil. I don’t think he needs supplies. Not with his daughters cooking for him.” Vonnie sighed. “There’s a hobo camp up the road. We could get some of those men to come in and take the canned goods.”

“I don’t think hoboes use flour and baking soda.”

“But they’ll like soup. I’ll cook some things for them.”

Lucinda and Vonnie both wore black slacks and gray blouses. They were as slender as Lana Turner and Katherine Hepburn. Each had her hair tied back in bandana.”

“What about the furniture?” Vonnie asked.

“You take it.”

“I’ve got furniture.”

“Ancient furniture,” Lucinda said.

“I don’t think a velvet couch would look right in the old farmhouse.”

“Maybe you could have a sale,” Lucinda suggested.

“The farm will keep me busy enough. Where am I going to have time for a garage sale?”

“Maybe Lisa and Dylan will take some of it.”

“They’re living with his dad. At least for awhile.”

“Well, who says Emil can’t use some great furniture.”

The two women sat in silence for awhile. “I’ll make some tea,” Vonnie said.

When Vonnie went outside, she noticed that the house had been egged. Someone had tossed at least a dozen eggs at the front porch.

She walked around the side of the house. Someone had painted “NIGGER” there in bold red letters.

Lucinda followed her outside. “I thought the people in this town were my friends,” she said.

“We need to call the sheriff,” Vonnie said.

“Leo Olson?” Lucinda shook her head. “I hear he’s head of the local Klan.”

“He’s also the sheriff. We can’t let people get away with this.”

“They already have,” Lucinda said. “Come on. Let’s make lunch. We have lots of packing to do.”

“I want to clean this up,” Vonnie said.

“After we eat,” Lucinda gently tugged at her arm, and together the two women went inside.

The theater was a long single-story building. Hollywood movies came to town and played three, four, five or sometimes six evenings. The weekends had kiddie matinees starring the cowboy heroes like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.

Dylan walked Lisa over to the candy selection where she could choose her snack for during the film. Lisa always ordered the gum balls; Dylan ordered two popcorns, one for himself and one for Lisa, and two Coca Cola beverages.

Lisa saw every new picture show that came to town. Vonnie used to go with her more often. Of course, Dylan liked to take her to see the movies. But she preferred to go to the show alone. Not that she got to do so very often. Usually Dylan insisted on coming along. And both Dylan and Vonnie made a fuss if she went out alone.

A killer stalked women in the Upper Peninsula. Everyone knew that from time to time bodies showed up, and there were probably more bodies that had never been found. At least that’s what some people speculated. Dylan always warned her about going anyplace alone at night or even during the day.

They watched “Men in Her Diary” with Jon Hall and Peggie Ryan.

Lisa loved Jon Hall. She supposed some people would call it a crush. She wanted to go to Hollywood and meet him. She wanted him to fall in love with her.

Lisa didn’t love Dylan, and she didn’t want to marry him, but no one else had ever courted her. No one else had ever asked her. Was it because they believed she was crazy?

Would she keep going to movies after she got married? Would she always have to bring Dylan along? Lisa nibbled on her gum balls as the newsreel showed President Truman talking to workers in Florida.

How could she get out of this marriage?

The wedding would be small. Just family would attend. Mostly his family. Jack couldn’t attend. He had sent a nice gift of a thousand dollars.

Dylan accepted this gift. She was afraid the rest of his family would want him to refuse. Some of them, she was sure, believed Jack was a Mafia killer.

They would be living with Emil. Dylan said he purchased Emil’s house, but that Emil would stay there. Lisa didn’t want to live with the old man. He was scary like Mr. Rinaldi. People who were too smart, too pretty or too rich scared her. They were more like employers, than friends or family. She had told Dylan she didn’t want to live with Emil, but Dylan had said what a great house it was.

Dylan’s youngest brothers Ken and Bill had moved out. They were both in college now and soon they would be getting married and having families of their own. Emil had that big house, and it just made sense to everyone else that she and Dylan would move in there.

Lisa wanted to go to Hollywood instead and marry Jon Hall. She sighed when the actor came on the screen.

Penny 1970

When I walked past the museum, Mary Mynter Smith was putting her coat on.

“Penny, we miss you. We could really use the extra help.”

“Thanks.” I was ready to get away from Lisa and her problems, but I just couldn’t walk away. Mrs. Mynter and I walked toward the foyer. “Did you guys know how Jack Brianka got to be such a rich man? I mean back then when Dylan married Lisa,” I asked.

“We knew very little truth about the Briankas. We still don’t know much about them..”

“What do you want to know?” I asked.
 “You’d tell me? Penny, I know you’re friends with them.”

“No,” I corrected her. “I’m just the hired hand.”

“You’re more than that. You know it.”

I nodded. Explaining why I hung around would be difficult. I wasn’t sure myself.

“But you knew Jack wasn’t mobbed up.” “We had, of course, heard that rumor. What else could we think? He was wealthy, and he didn’t work. I suppose some people suspected his wealth had something to do with Lucinda Rinaldi.”

“But it didn’t.” I reminded her. “Sure they were…” I paused unsure how to phrase that relationship. “more than friends, but she wasn’t supporting him.”

“Even his sisters didn’t know how he made his living.”

“They knew,” I said. “He told Lisa when she was visiting him down state, and Vonnie probably knew before that.” I smiled though I wasn’t sure what the joke was. “It was a family secret.”

1946

On Lucinda’s last night in Mountain Ridge, she and Vonnie popped popcorn. Then they sat on a velvet couch in the living room. Blue shadows fell around them, so they looked like actresses on a black and white movie screen. Each woman held a steaming cup of tea. The steam rose about them giving the room an unreal quality.

“The dresses I don’t bring with me, I want you to have,” Lucinda said.

“Where would I wear fancy dresses?”

“Throw some parties out at the farm.”

“Sure, just me and the cows.”

“I understand Dennis Cheney is marrying that pretty Indian girl.”

“Dancing Bear? Dr. Tracie offered to take her into his practice. She’s an M.D. you know.” Vonnie liked the idea of an educated woman. She wished she could have gone on to college. Jack was doing okay as a consultant, despite not having graduated from college, but it would probably be harder for her, a woman with just housekeeping experience behind her, to find a professional-level job. Lucinda was talking about Danni.

“I remember getting herbs from her when she was a teenager. She sold some herbal medicine. And they worked.” Lucinda stared at her cup for awhile “She was wonderful when she helped Dr. Tracie deliver Starr.”

“She graduated at the head of her class.” Vonnie stroked the sides of her china cup. “But people probably won’t go to her,” She sipped her tea.

“Dr. Tracie’ son will be coming to town to practice. We might have three doctors. But then Old Dr. Tracie is probably anxious to retire. And Danni won’t be able to practice.”

Lucinda nodded. Both women knew how unfair racism could be. They were silent for a few minutes, as if breathing in the pain of their thoughts.

The subject had to be changed.

Lucinda said, “And Lisa is marrying a Mynter. How many of the Mynters are there?”

“Ten I think. Seven boys and three girls. I don’t know how many grandchildren Emil has. Lisa can stay busy learning all their names. Old Emil must really be getting up in age.”

“He’s been retired for a few years. My father really missed him when he left,” Lucinda said. Silence lay between the women for awhile. Then Lucinda said. “You need to keep an eye on her, Vonnie. She’s fragile..”

Vonnie knew Lucinda was talking about her sister. “She’s moving into Emil Mynter’s big house.”

They drank more camomile tea and hoped it would make them less sad. They heard the front door open and close as Lisa came back from the movies.

“Where’s Dylan?” Lucinda asked. “You should have invited him in.”

Lisa shrugged. She didn’t want Dylan in her life anymore than he needed to be. She had told him she had a headache. Really she wanted to daydream about Jon Hall for awhile. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“Come, join us,” Vonnie said.

Lucinda put her tea cup aside and got up off the sofa. She opened a bottle of wine. “We have to celebrate,“ she said.

“I am going to miss you too much to celebrate your leaving,” Vonnie said. Still she went over to the liquor cabinet and took out three glasses.

“We’ll celebrate Lisa’s wedding,” Lucinda said. “Dylan’s a great guy. I would marry him myself.”

“Why don’t you?” Lisa asked innocently. Then she was embarrassed. No one knew that she didn’t really want to marry Dylan. It sounded like she was insulting Lucinda because the dark girl had just lost a suitor probably due to her race. Would Vonnie and Lucinda be angry at her? Soon the three women were on their second and third glasses of wine.

They sipped, giggled and talked. Lucinda took off her shoes and the sisters after a moment did the same.

They were quietly talking when the first rock came through the window.

A hooded figure rose out of the darkness outside.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Chapter Eleven

Elaine knew she had made a mistake. Everyone said Emil Mynter had money-lots of it. Hadn’t he given his two oldest daughters huge weddings that reportedly rivaled the wedding of Lucinda Rinaldi to Senator Davies? The local newspaper may have been exaggerating, but the Mynter girls wore gorgeous dresses from a Detroit bridal shop, and the weddings were catered by the finest chef in Upper Michigan.

Emil paid for everything his kids needed. The two oldest sons were studying engineering at Michigan Tech. Mary and Elsie had new homes and their husbands were starting new businesses. Emil’s younger sons, those old enough to drive, had cars, and they would soon be on their way to college. Dylan didn’t want to go to college. Shouldn’t he have had a bigger house?

“Then I have to pay more in taxes on it,” Dylan had said.

“So get your pa to help,” Elaine had insisted.

Dylan never asked for money from his dad. “My dad isn’t a millionaire,” he had said.

“Tell your brothers and sisters that. They go with their hands out. At least we could have gotten a decent wedding . Dylan and Elaine had been married by a justice of the peace and then they had been served dinner prepared by Dylan’s sisters, Mary and Elsie. It just wasn’t fair. Emil had said he was paying for the college educations on installments and that Alice was paying for her big upcoming wedding with own money. There was some nonsense about a distant aunt leaving Alice some money. Elaine knew it was all lies.

Just where did the Mynter money come from anyway? How could he afford these things unless Mrs. Almasy really had a fortune in those tunnels and Dylan’s dad had found it.

It was hers then. Mrs. Almasy had left everything to Jeff. Jeff would have wanted her to have it.

Now Dylan who was as boring as his lunch bucket, was working nights at one of the Rinaldi mines to earn extra money. Elaine was raising chickens for the egg money, and they were counting pennies to make the rent and the groceries.

Elaine was even expected to keep a garden.

She called her mother.

“Darling, what is it? Is something wrong?” Mrs. Dabb asked.

“I wanted to talk.”


 “Honey. it’s 11 p.m.”

“Dylan’s working midnights, and I’m bored.”

“Read a book.”

“I don’t want to read a book! Mama, we’re broke. We’re always broke.”

“Just for now. Dylan’s a hard worker and…”

“Dylan’s a lamp post. He doesn’t have anything to talk about. He comes home and just goes to bed. He’s no fun. He’s boring. I wish I’d never married him.”

“Honey, you’re lucky you have him. He has a job and with this Depression that makes him lucky. Your daddy was out of work. Remember Emil Mynter got your daddy a job at the Rinaldi’s mine.”

“Mama, I want to wear pretty dresses. I want to live in a nice house.”

“That will come in time. You know old Emil’s a rich man.”

“He’s broke just like us. At least he always says he is.”

Mrs. Dabb knew her daughter had to stay with Dylan. It was the only way to eventually tab into Emil’s accounts. “I’ve got a friend who works at the bank. Emil makes huge deposits every month. He says he’s selling some old family jewelry. What family jewelry? When his wife was still living, she never even wore earrings.”

“If he’s got money, it’s for his other kids. He doesn’t give Dylan anything.”

“Nonsense. Everyone knows Dylan’s his favorite. He’s doted on that boy since Dylan was a child. Dylan is special. Not retarded, but he is slow, and he feels things deeper than others. I think Emil and the others try to protect Dylan. He’s very sensitive.”

“Don’t bet on him not being retarded. Look, Mama, I gotta go. I’m feeling tired.”


 As soon as she hung up, Elaine went t her closet. She had a pair of slacks she had made out of a couple yards of black cloth. They looked really sexy on her, and she loved the way Claudette Colbert and Katherine Hepburn looked in black slacks in the picture shows. It was too late to catch a movie, but there was a bar down the street. She could walk down there.

Lucinda wore a white dress, pink hat and matching pink handbag and shoes to her first White House reception. She had shopped carefully as she always did for clothes. She hated that one dress could cost more than a miner’s pay for a year. That seemed very wrong, but she knew that as a senator’s wife, and she must make a good impression.

Mrs. Roosevelt greeted her kindly. The First Lady’s handshake was strong. Mrs. Roosevelt was tall like a statue, and she wore a flowered dress that Lucinda really liked. The first lady was not pretty, but intelligence and kindness danced like partners in the president’s wife’s eyes. Lucinda wanted to tell her how she and her father had voted for the president, but now she was a Republican senator’s wife. She could not confess to voting for a Democrat for president.

There were those who believed that her own husband would be president someday. She looked about and wondered what if would be like to live here in the White House. She decided that she would not like it. How much longer could she endure this sham of her marriage to Brad?

“Mrs. Davies. Mrs. Davies.” someone called. Lucinda still thought of herself as Lucinda Rinaldi. She hardly recognized the name. Mrs. Davies was her mother-in-law, whom she had met only a few times, and who was clearly not impressed with her son’s wife.

Then she felt an arm on her elbow. The woman who faced her was around fifty with perfectly styled white hair. She looked lovely despite her age, but Lucinda noticed there were no smile lines on her face. This woman lacked Mrs. Roosevelt’s warmth. Lucinda could see that lack of warmth right away. “Mrs. Davies, I’m Amanda Merriman of the Philadelphia Merrimans. I do not believe we have been introduced.”

Lucinda started to introduce herself.

“I know who you are. The entire town is buzzing about Brad Davies’ lovely wife. I believe your family is in mining. They must be making a fortune. Lend Lease and all those automobiles coming out of Detroit. They need the iron ore.”

Lucinda didn’t know what to say.

“What organizations do you belong to, dear.” Mrs. Merriman asked.

“I’m a member of the Baptist church.”

“Dear, you have such a sense of humor. There are must-belong clubs here in Washington. And if your qualify, well, of course, you’ll qualify.”

Lucinda took a step backward; she would not be invited to join anything if these people knew she was a Negro. She took another step back and bumped into a pretty dark haired lady wearing a blue dress. Both the lady and Lucinda apologized.

Mrs. Merriman sighed. “What is that dreadful woman doing here?”

“Who?” Lucinda really didn’t know anyone and felt slightly lost.

“Mrs. Kennedy. The woman you just bumped into. Her husband is some kind of a movie producer, and they must have at least a dozen kids.”

Lucinda changed to subject. “I love movies. Perhaps later I’ll talk to her.” She knew she was supposed to slight the dark haired woman, but she wouldn’t.

“No. No. No. You don’t want to associate with shanty Irish. That is almost as bad as being a Negro.” Mrs. Merriman pronounced it, Knee-Grow.

The word shook Lucinda. “I I didn’t…” Lucinda backed another step away. She disliked the Merriman lady intensely.

“Now. Now, dear, you are new to Washington. How are you to know who is whom? But that woman’s husband thinks he will be president some day. He wants to be the first Irish Catholic president or he wants his oldest son Joe to be president. Imagine. We might as well elect a Negro.”

Lucinda wondered how she could escape.

Mrs. Merriman kept talking. “Speaking of Negros, we have a chapter of the Klan here in Washington and some women do belong.”

“No.” Lucinda said.

“It’s very respectful. No sheets or hoods. It is just about keeping those people in their places, but I quite understand if you don’t want to join. The Klan is so-so middle class, but I do know some very influential members. Woodrow Wilson and Warren Harding were members, you know.”

Lucinda found herself bumping against a wall. She could back up no further.

“Have any of your ancestors served in the military?” Mrs. Merman asked.

Lucinda should have known enough to lie or to at least to have been vague, but she didn’t know what to say, and she wanted to say something positive about her family. They might be Negroes, but they had served this country. She spoke truthfully. “Civil War, American Revolution.” Her dad had served in the Spanish American War.

“My dear, that is wonderful. I have the paperwork here. You can join the Daughters of the American Revolution. Of course, you have to document…” the woman rambled on and on as she reached into her bag for some membership papers. “You just fill those out and then send them back to me.”

When Brad came home, Lucinda was almost through packing her suitcase. She was surprised that he even came into her bedroom. She was accustomed to being ignored except when it was time to ask her father for more money.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m going home for a few days.”

“Just as well,” he answered. “Stay out of sight for a few months.”

She kept packing.

“Lucinda, we need to start thinking about having a baby.”

“That’s going to be difficult, isn’t it? You haven’t touched me since we got married. And I don’t want you touching me.”

“A friend has agreed to bear our child. In fact, she’s already pregnant. When the child is born, we’ll say it is ours.”

Lucinda dropped the scarf she was packing and whirled to face him. “A friend?”

“You know I can’t have a child of Negro blood.”

“But you can take Negro money. Brad, you’re broke and your family is broke.”

“Shut up, Lucinda,” He advanced toward her like he was going to hit her. “You think I like our current arrangement?”

“I know I don’t like it. I’m going to talk to one of my father’s lawyers.”

“You’re what?” He shouted and then more calmly, he said, “I won’t let you.”

“Nothing says my father has to support us or your political career. When he cuts off the money, you’ll willingly divorce me.”

“You forget how important this marriage is to your father. He wants to see his little Black girl in the White House pretending she is good enough to be First Lady.”

“My father doesn’t know what a monster you are.”

“He doesn’t want to find out. Now you play the nice little White wife with a child or I divorce you, divulge your dark little secret, and you and your father won’t show your faces in polite society again.” He paused for effect. “It sure won’t be good for his business. I don’t care how much iron ore is needed. White people don’t do business with Niggers.”

She caught her breath. Her father did want to belong. But these people were such snobs. After a moment, he said, “Now go have your little visit. Make it a long one. Nine months should be about right. When you come back, you can be a nice little mammy.”

As he started toward the door, he noticed the paperwork from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Lucinda had not filled it out. “Wishful thinking, Lucinda.”

“Blacks served honorably in all our wars. Crispus Attucks …”

“Died in the Boston Massacre. You aren’t related to him.”

“No, But my great-grandfather served in the….”

“Who cares? The DAR checks the background of all applicants. They wouldn’t even let Marian Anderson sing for them. You should be cleaning their toilets.”

An impromptu band played at the Four Corners Bar. Elaine sat down and ordered a rum and Coca-Cola. She took a few sips and then she let the music and the booze move her. She walked out on the dance floor and wiggled her butt seductively.

One of the men at the bar eyed her appreciatively. “You look like a boy in those slacks,” he said.

“I ain’t no boy.” She could see her reflection in the mirror. The perfectly arched eyebrows; the painted red lips, the earrings and strand of imitation pearls that her mother had given her. Her breasts were noticeable under the thin fabric of her blouse. She was sure the stranger at the bar could see her small waistline and full hips.

“No,” he agreed, “You ain’t no boy. Buy you a drink?”

She walked toward him and nodded toward her own glass. “It’s already paid for. Conversation costs ten bucks.”

He laughed. “Ain’t you heard? There’s a Depression going on.”

She shrugged and turned away.

“How about a dollar?” He asked.

She ignored him. In the mirror she saw him fumble with his wallet. He pulled out a ten and placed it beside her glass. “This better be good,” he said. “You don’t look like the talking type.” She turned and faced him.

“What if we make it a down payment on something more?”

“How much more you got on you?”

“Twenty bucks.”

Plus the ten made thirty bucks. But he might be holding out on her. “Got any more?”

He reached to take the ten back. But she beat him to it. “I’ll take that other twenty.“ she said.

The bar in Detroit where Jack sipped a cold beer was larger, noisier and busier than the one where Elaine flirted with the redneck.

“We got us a killer.” Ben Fuller the state police captain told Jack. “We got missing women. Some of them have shown up on the roads to the north.”

“What do you want?”Jack asked.

“To catch the guy.”

“You think it’s me?”

“I don’t even think you robbed that gas station. The one you got sent to prison for.”

“Maybe we should form a club,”

The trooper pushed his glass aside. He wasn’t much for drinking, but he had wanted to establish some trust with Brianka. “This is what we got. Fifteen known victims from before you got sent to prison on 1936. The killings seemed to stop; we don’t think they did.”

“What makes you think the killer was busy even while I was in prison?”

“We got disappearances. Lots of places in the Upper Peninsula to hide bodies.”

“But now they’re getting found again?” Jack asked.

“Some of ‘em. There could be a whole lot more we don’t know about.”

“Maybe there’s more than one killer,” Jack suggested. “Seems there’s been a whole lot of victims.”

“He could have an accomplice. Or maybe somebody copying the killer’s work. But if there is a copy cat, he knows a damn lot about the killings. There are similarities. Details we never released to the public.”

“So why you talking to me?”

“I got a hunch you’re in this someplace.”

Jack smiled. “So you do think I am the killer. ” “I think the killer knows you, hates you and wants us to think you’re the killer.”

“Now you’re scaring me. I’ve got two sisters living in Mountain Ridge. They’re…”

“They’re vulnerable.” Fuller said. “Both are the killer’s type. Young, pretty, dark hair. Some of the victims resemble your sisters.”

Jack put his glass down. It felt like his heart and everything else in his entire being had stopped. He had never thought about the killer targeting women just because they bore some resemblance to Vonnie and Lisa. “That’s silly.” He said after a moment. “There are thousands of dark-haired, pretty women in Michigan.”

“Why’s this hick deputy so set on getting you put out of the way?”

“It wasn’t just the deputy. My ex employer. Let’s just say he had reasons for wanting me to leave.” Now Jack thought about another pretty, dark-haired, dark-eyed girl. Lucinda. “That had nothing to do with the killings,” Jack said after a minute. “That was different.”

“So what was it?” The cop wanted all the answers, but Jack wouldn’t give him this one.

“Personal,” Jack said after a minute.

“The Mountain Ridge cops must have it in for you too.”

“The cops always have it in for guys like me.” He swallowed the last of his beer and walked hurriedly from the bar.

Five hundred miles away in Mountain Ridge, Dylan Mynter opened the door to his home. He was surprised to find the kitchen light on. Elaine was usually in bed with all the lights off when he came home. He set his dinner pail down on the table and sat down heavily in a chair.

Mine work was mostly digging and despite his strength, he came home with every muscle aching. After a second, he heaved himself to his feet and began slowly walking toward the bedroom. He had just entered the hall when he heard her giggle. So Elaine was still awake. Perhaps she was reading one of those ladies magazines she loved so much.

Tonight he was home early. He had a flu and just couldn’t endure being sick so deep in the mines. He needed the money and tried to stay, but the foreman had sent him home.

He took another step and thought he heard another voice. This voice was much lower. A man’s voice. Was she listening to the radio?

Dylan kept walking. When he opened the bedroom door, it was very dark. His eyes started to adjust.

Two bodies hurriedly separated from each other. They moved off the bed like shadows move in a dark movie theater.

He turned on the light. A naked man struggled to find his clothes.

“Who the hell are you?” The man asked.

“My husband,” Elaine said.

Half asleep Jack opened the door to his apartment; there stood Lucinda. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“I don’t know, Jack. I just don't know.”

Vonnie had made Mr. Rinaldi blueberry pancakes with fresh butter and maple sugar from the Cheney farm. He seemed distracted during breakfast and then went to his study.

She had just started the dishes when he came into the kitchen. “Can I sit down?” he asked.

She nodded. It was, after all, his home.

“I was going to a ask you to come to my study, but that seemed too formal for this conversation.”

“What can I do for you, sir?” She dried her hands and sat down at the table opposite him.

“Have you heard from Lucinda?”

“Not for several days. She likes to call and talk. You’ve probably seen the phone bills,” she paused. “She calls collect. I hope you aren’t upset.”

“No. No. I want my daughter calling. Keep her on the phone. Keep her talking.”

There was silence for a minute. Vonnie was unsure where Mr Rinaldi was going. Was he aware of how unhappy Lucinda was in her marriage? She did not want to tell him what Lucinda said in confidence. Lucinda was far above Vonnie in class, but they enjoyed a warm friendship and shared confidences. Lucinda had no one else to turn to.

Mr. Rinaldi cleared his throat and then began speaking. “Brad called several times because Lucinda took off. She said she was coming here to visits me. Wouldn’t she have told you if she was coming? Wouldn’t she have told me?”

Of course, Lucinda would let her know to have her old room ready. “I’ll make a few phone calls.” Vonnie said. “I’ll try to find out where she is.”

“I’ll be going for a walk,” he said. This let her know she could make a private call from the house.

He knew she would be calling Jack.

Vonnie watched as he left. Though his coat and hat could not be that heavy, his shoulders sagged under their weight.

When he was out of sight, she picked up the phone and asked for long distance.

“What do you want to do?” Emil asked. He and Dylan were seated at Emil’s table, having morning coffee.

Dylan didn’t answer.

“I know you love her,” Emil said as gently as he could.

“I don’t want her back,“ Dylan said as tears spilled into his coffee. He had never hurt another human being before in his life, but he had just put a man in the hospital. The man would survive a concussion and a few broken bones. Dylan had wanted to kill the man. Had the stranger known Elaine was married? It was her Dylan should have punched. But he could never do that. Not to Elaine. Not to any woman.

“We’ll fight her. Infidelity.” Emil promised. “There aren’t any children. You’ll get the house.”

“She can have it.”


 “You can’t do that, Dylan. You need to make her pay.”

Dylan just shook his head. “Dad, I know you paid cash for the house. I’ll pay you back.”

Emil was grateful that Elaine had no idea how much money the family really had. They would play Dylan up for a pauper. Elaine was lucky she was getting the house. He would see that was all she got.

“Low sperm count or something, “ Elaine told her beautician. “He just can’t keep it up, if you know what I mean.”

“So you’re divorcing him?”

“Damn right.”

“You sure you don’t want to hang in there for the money?”

“What money? They’re always telling me how poor they are.”

“Everyone knows there’s money. New cars. Nice houses. College educations for the boys. The Mynters pay cash for houses and aways have money for anything else they want.”

“Yeah, there’s money,” Elaine agreed. “Too bad I don’t know how to shake it loose.”

The morning came when Vonnie woke up and Ezekial didn’t. She knew a little about first aid, and tried to revive him. Then she called Dennis and Leo for assistance. Dennis sped right over.

Lisa nervously made coffee. “Are you sure he's dead?” she asked Vonnie. “What do we do?”

Vonnie sat down and cried.

Mr. Rinaldi called at ten. “I heard,” he said simply.

“I’ll send Lisa over to make your breakfast.”

“Don’t worry. Take the day off. I’m capable of making my own coffee. I can manage until you’re ready to come back. You are coming back?”

“Yes, of course. And thank you.”

Miles and Leo arrived about two hours later with the coroner, who wrote out a death certificate that said Ezekial had died of natural causes.

“You’re going to be a rich widow.” Miles said.

“How do you figure that?” Vonnie asked. She sipped her black coffee and didn’t offer the deputy any. She wanted him to leave.

“Old Ezekiel had what close to a hundred acres, maybe more.”

“The land mostly belongs to Dennis,” Vonnie said simply. “Ezekial was so proud of this land.” Vonnie nodded toward Ezekial’s nephew who sat at the table.

“Nifty,” Mills smiled and winked in a way that let Vonnie and Dennis know the Deputy suspected they were having sexual relations. She didn’t care for the implication. Dennis’ girl friend, Danni stopped wiping down the counter and glared at the deputy.

“There’s a will,” Dennis said when Miles and most of the others had left. Lisa had gone off to the Rinaldi mansion where she was doing the chores Vonnie usually performed.

“He told me,” Vonnie said. She knew about the will. Ezekial had explained it to her. Ezekial had been like a beloved father to Vonnie. Having lost her own father so long ago, this relationship was something she needed and that she depended on. Still Ezekial had been one hundred years old. It was time for his spirit to move on. She dabbed a tear from her eye.

Dennis was still talking.“You keep the house and about five acres. I can let you have more if you want.”

Vonnie shook her head. The house was more than enough. Ezekial had given her so much.

“You’ll get a widow’s pension.”

She nodded. “That’s more than I deserve from him.”

“Actually it’s from the government, and you will need it with a baby to care for.”

Vonnie was making plans. She would keep the chickens and the cow. She would continue to work for Mr. Rinaldi. She would plant a small garden and maybe sell some of the vegetables and eggs. She had Lisa to help her.

TO BE CONTINUED