Catherine's Cross (19 page)

“I was impressed by your flying skills the afternoon I watched you from the Walker's property.”

“Would you like to go flying sometime?”

“I've never flown in a small airplane before; I've just been on airliners.”

“Ah, then you've really missed out. Airliners are like buses. I'll take you up, and you can see what flying is really about.”

“Thank you, Hale. I'll look forward to it.”

“Yes, ma'am. I'll let Seth know when.”

Hale excused himself and went to a cooler, removing a beer out of the ice. Jenks glanced around the grounds of the hunt club and noticed several cooking pots with gas burners underneath.

“We're having Frogmore Stew tonight,” Seth told her.

“Frogmore Stew—I haven't had that in ages. I can't remember what goes in it.”

“Let's see—red potatoes, corn on the cob, sausage, and shrimp. Silver queen corn is being harvested right now, so it's a good time to make the stew.”

Seth went to the cooler and retrieved two beers, handing one to Jenks after he opened it.

“I can relax tonight. I'm off duty, and I don't have to drive anywhere.”

He kissed her on the lips as he sat down beside her.

Within a few minutes, Rory arrived at the cookout. Seth pulled Jenks up from her seat and they walked together to greet him. Instead of using a wheelchair, he was wearing a pair of prosthetic legs, and he stood as tall as Seth. He used a cane to assist with balance and the three friends greeted one another. “I'm wearing my legs tonight. Kind of hard to move my chair around in the sandy soil.”

He put his arm around Jenks and said, “Mmmm, you smell good.”

“Thank you, Rory.”

He turned to Seth. “How about a beer?”

“Okay, but take it easy.”

“I promise I will.”

Before the stew was served, the president of the club, Jack Hamilton, led the group in prayer. Rory sat down at a picnic table and had trouble getting his legs underneath. He smiled at Jenks when he accomplished his task, and Seth brought him a large plate of the stew. The threesome sat together enjoying the dinner, and when they finished, Seth helped Rory get a second plate.

Rory turned to Jenks. “I have a job interview with the Johnson Automotive and Repair Shop in a few days. I'm really excited about it.”

“I think that's great! I'll be sending you many positive thought waves.”

“Thanks, Jenks—I can use them.”

She patted Rory on the back and then excused herself from the table. Walking to the entrance of the chapel, she saw that the dark oak pews were still intact. Ceiling fans with schoolhouse globes slowly rotated from the ceiling. In the back of the sanctuary was a lovely stained-glass window of Christ. Except for several tables at the front of the chapel with hunting gear on them, the sanctuary still resembled a functioning house of worship.

When she finished exploring the chapel, Jenks rejoined Seth and Rory at the picnic table. As the sun went down, torches were lit around the chapel, and the group gathered near the campfire for ghost stories.

“It's a tradition,” Seth softly said to Jenks.

In the light of the campfire, Jack Hamilton began the first tale.

“This story is about the Colleton Seven. Back during the dark days of the Civil War, there was a large plantation named Schell Hall just next door in Colleton County. Well, when the Yankees invaded our area in 1861, the residents of the big houses evacuated to avoid capture or worse. There was a group of planters' sons who had joined the Confederate Army, and they volunteered to work behind enemy lines to gather intelligence information. They secretly hid themselves in Schell Hall. The son of Rutger Schell, named Harrison, was amongst this group of young soldiers.

“As they were about to turn in for bed one evening, they heard the call of a Union soldier, who identified himself as Captain Marks. He yelled to the young men that he knew they were inside the house and if they didn't come out immediately, he would burn the home to the ground with them inside. The Confederates looked out the window and saw a number of well-armed Federal soldiers holding torches. They made a decision to surrender themselves. As they came outside the home with their hands on top of their heads, Harrison Schell recognized a former slave from his plantation named Albert. It was well known that Albert was the son of Harrison's uncle, and he bore a strong resemblance to the young Confederate. As Harrison looked at him, Albert glared at him with a look of hatred reserved for only your worst enemy.

“As soon as the young men were outside, the Yankee captain said, ‘Anyone else in there? I think I'll see if any more vermin come out.' With that he ordered the soldiers to torch the plantation home, and one by one they threw their torches inside. Harrison Schell and the others watched the mansion burn to the ground.

“These young men were tried for espionage and sent to Yankee prison camps. Over the years, they were released in prison exchanges and miraculously, all survived the war.

“When the scalawags and carpetbaggers were kicked out of South Carolina government in the 1870s, Wade Hampton became governor. These men had bided their time, and one night they met Albert, their betrayer, on his way home. He had been active in South Carolina politics, and he was en route from Columbia—until he met his fate on Orange Road. In the years prior to the Civil War, an abundance of oranges and other citrus had been produced by a planter in that area, but all the trees were destroyed by the Federal occupiers.

“When Albert Schell made his way down Orange Road, he was met by seven horsemen, all wearing black hoods—not the white hoods of the Klan— and each with a fiery torch in his hand.

“One of the riders told Albert that he was about to meet with the Devil for an act of betrayal. Albert couldn't remember how he had deceived anyone of importance to him, but as each rider removed his hood, his memory of the night Schell Hall burned to the ground consumed his thoughts.

“The riders tied a rope around a large live-oak limb and then put a noose around his neck. They slapped his mount, and as the horse ran away, Albert was left to swing from the tree.

“If you venture on Orange Road after dark, be careful when you get to the tree known as the Schell Oak. I'm told that some evenings with a full moon you can see the body of Albert Schell hanging from that tree.”

“Oooh,” someone in the group said eerily. Then the group clapped for the storyteller and another ghost story began.

When the party was over, Rory said good night, and Jenks and Seth walked with him to his van.

“I've had a great time, Seth. Thanks for inviting me.”

“I'm glad you could come,” Seth said. He paused before he asked, “Everything all right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,” Rory said with a smile. He kissed Jenks on the cheek, and then got into his van by way of the lift. They watched as he maneuvered into the driver's seat and waved good-bye to them.

“Are you ready to walk home?” Seth asked.

“Yes, sir—all set.”

The two of them started down the darkened lane, which was illuminated only by faint moonlight. Suddenly, a group of deer tore through the thicket along the side of the sandy lane and crossed the road in front of them. Jenks grabbed Seth tightly as the animals disappeared into the marsh. His arms went around her and they kissed.

“Did that scare you?” he whispered after a little while.

“Yes.”

“I've got you,” he said as he hugged her again.

They held hands for the rest of the walk to the Walker property. When they reached the home, he turned on soft jazz music and he took her in his arms.

“Who are the artists?”

“That's Bill Evans and Stan Getz . . . some of Dr. Walker's music.”

“I like it,” she whispered as she snuggled her face into Seth's chest.

Holding each other tightly, they gently swayed to the music. Her head rested against his chest, and she felt content in his strong arms. When they began to grow tired, he pulled her onto the couch beside him and rubbed her back. She fell asleep in his arms.

When she woke in the morning, the living room was filled with diffuse morning light. The sun was behind a thick cloud cover, and Jenks rose from the couch and looked out onto the marsh. A number of egrets were situated in a large oak tree near the waterway, and Jenks watched them take wing before settling back down into another section of the tree.

Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the aroma of fresh coffee and cooked bacon. She followed the source of the delicious scent into the kitchen.

Seth was standing beside the stove making breakfast, and she walked to him and slid her arms around his waist. He turned and gave her a hug. “Good morning. I hope you like bacon and eggs for breakfast.”

“Yes. That sounds wonderful.”

She moved close to the stove and saw that a panful of bacon was cooking. “Smells good.”

“Just a few more minutes on the bacon.”

“Did I fall asleep on you?” she asked.

“I think you just became relaxed and fell asleep.”

“You were stroking my face with your fingers. I like for you to touch me.”

He smiled and asked, “One egg or two?”

“Just one for me.”

After breakfast, Seth asked Jenks to accompany him on a walk through the woods. “I have a special place to show you,” he said with a handsome smile.

Seth packed a picnic basket after they cleaned the breakfast dishes. They put on long pants, applied insect repellant, and left the house through the kitchen door. Seth motioned for her to join him at the edge of the lawn adjacent to the woods. A distinct path ran through the maritime forest, and Jenks followed Seth as he led the way. The sun occasionally broke through the cloud cover, casting light shadows on the forest floor. “Deer use this path quite a bit,” Seth told her as they walked deeper into the woods.

After walking about thirty minutes, they came to the edge of an open field. “About ten years ago, this part of the forest was burned when lightning struck a tree.” There were medium-sized pine trees growing in the field, and they continued their walk on the path. Just as they were about to reenter another section of forest, Seth pointed to a structure that stood near the edge of the trees. An old cabin, which appeared to be in decent repair, was located just at the perimeter of the field.

“This is what I wanted to show you.”

“Wow, an old cabin!” Jenks declared excitedly.

Once they reached the structure, Seth walked up a set of stone steps and lifted a latch on the wooden door. “This cabin was the overseer's home when this property was a plantation. The slave quarters were destroyed in the fire, and this is the only building that survived.”

Jenks ran her hand along the smooth latch of the door and peered inside. The cabin was in good condition, with a wooden floor and a stone fireplace on one wall. There were collections of old bottles, arrowheads, and farm tools on shelves and hanging on the walls.

“Where did all these old relics come from?”

“Dr. Walker, his wife, and I restored the cabin, and these items were found nearby with a metal detector.”

Jenks walked to the arrowhead collection and lifted one of the points from its resting place. She rubbed her fingers across the head and then felt the sharp point. “This could do some damage,” she said.

“I suppose so,” Seth responded.

She returned the point to its resting place and walked to a shelf that had metal tags lying on it. “What are these?”

“Slave tags.”

“What were they used for?”

“Dr. Walker found these tags in the area where the slave cabins were located. Apparently, several slaves on this plantation were sold to the French family from the Charleston area. The city of Charleston collected a tax on slaves that were hired out to perform duties. See, on that tag it says “Servant, No. 184, Charleston,” and the year 1832. Slaves wore these tags when they were hired for labor outside the plantations that they belonged to. It was another way slaveholders made money.” Seth shook his head, and a frown crossed his brow.