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Authors: Thomas Shawver
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candle in one hand and a butcher knife in the other.
“ ‘I am the great-grandson of Alonzo Stagg, grandson of Charles Stagg and son of Llewellyn Stagg. I was taught in the Danite Bond, initiated into this sacred and most mysterious order by my uncle William. The betrayer Ford’s great-granddaughter Louise married Bertrand Delaney. They had two children, James and Theodore Delaney. I chose James for atonement, first wounding him with an arrow shot from my bow as he hunted in Alaska’s Denali National Forest. I slit his throat and spilled his blood upon the earth. Thus endeth my part in retribution for my great-grandfather’s negligence and Thomas Ford’s great sin.’
”
“There followed another grim tale of assassination, then another turn that completed the circle so that we once again faced the bones of Alonzo Stagg, the man who had uttered the original curse. A dozen hooded men now stood behind his coffin. Each held a candle and a butcher knife. I wondered if my father was among them, but all my instincts told me he would not be part of this cabal. Uncle Lamar spoke for the others.
“ ‘One of you will be called upon to remove the last seed of the betrayer Thomas Ford. His great-great-grandson, Theodore Delaney, has produced a son named Stephen and a daughter Natalie, who is presently ten years of age. The boy is an unsuitable target as he is mentally defective. The girl, however, is healthy, and is to be released from this earthly coil upon reaching her majority. The duty entrusted to you is unpleasant, but necessary. Should you fail, the efforts of all who have come before will be for naught. Your punishment and shame will attend to you and all your seed.
“ ‘Hear now our decree. Porter Grint, descended from Porter Rockwell, is the chosen avenger. Should he be unable to complete his task because of illness, death, or other circumstances, Dennis Dietz will be called upon. Similarly, Emery Stagg will be Brother Dietz’s alternate.
“ ‘Place your hands upon the heart of Alonzo Stagg and take the oath of blood atonement. In so doing you will purge your ancestor of his shame and free all the Fords, living and dead, of the enmity that has cost them an afterlife in heaven.’
“We placed our hands on the bony chest and repeated the oath. As if we had a choice.”
Chapter 7
Emery, in another breach of Mormon edicts, had been drinking coffee from a thermos bottle all this time and called time-out for a bathroom break. I went over to the counter to see how Josie was faring.
“There was quite a rush for a while,” she reported. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. You might want to look at the fourteen-volume set of Oscar Wilde’s works that Kieran Hennessey brought in. It’s the 1908 limited edition signed by Robert Ross. Could be worth something.”
No kidding, I thought. Ross, the longtime editor and literary executor for Wilde, had secured the copyrights for the writer’s estate and was responsible for resurrecting his literary reputation. This extremely rare set was personally handed out by Ross to four hundred of Wilde’s friends at a banquet held eight years after the author’s lonely death in Paris. Depending on condition, it could be worth three thousand dollars.
“Also,” she said, “Muldoon wanted to know where you stood on Scottish independence.”
“Doesn’t he know they voted and his side lost?”
“Humor him. He’s in the medieval section.”
“Think I’ll take a peek at the Wilde books first,” I said.
I had just opened the first volume when Alice Winter charged into the store like a termagant from hell, scattering customers in her wake.
“A word, Bevan! I
demand
a word with you!”
I rushed from behind the counter.
“What in God’s name is the matter?” I whispered, sidling up to her. “You’re upsetting the clientele.”
“To hell with them. We have to get this settled.”
“Get what settled?”
“You know damn well. Your daughter, my
“ ‘I am the great-grandson of Alonzo Stagg, grandson of Charles Stagg and son of Llewellyn Stagg. I was taught in the Danite Bond, initiated into this sacred and most mysterious order by my uncle William. The betrayer Ford’s great-granddaughter Louise married Bertrand Delaney. They had two children, James and Theodore Delaney. I chose James for atonement, first wounding him with an arrow shot from my bow as he hunted in Alaska’s Denali National Forest. I slit his throat and spilled his blood upon the earth. Thus endeth my part in retribution for my great-grandfather’s negligence and Thomas Ford’s great sin.’
”
“There followed another grim tale of assassination, then another turn that completed the circle so that we once again faced the bones of Alonzo Stagg, the man who had uttered the original curse. A dozen hooded men now stood behind his coffin. Each held a candle and a butcher knife. I wondered if my father was among them, but all my instincts told me he would not be part of this cabal. Uncle Lamar spoke for the others.
“ ‘One of you will be called upon to remove the last seed of the betrayer Thomas Ford. His great-great-grandson, Theodore Delaney, has produced a son named Stephen and a daughter Natalie, who is presently ten years of age. The boy is an unsuitable target as he is mentally defective. The girl, however, is healthy, and is to be released from this earthly coil upon reaching her majority. The duty entrusted to you is unpleasant, but necessary. Should you fail, the efforts of all who have come before will be for naught. Your punishment and shame will attend to you and all your seed.
“ ‘Hear now our decree. Porter Grint, descended from Porter Rockwell, is the chosen avenger. Should he be unable to complete his task because of illness, death, or other circumstances, Dennis Dietz will be called upon. Similarly, Emery Stagg will be Brother Dietz’s alternate.
“ ‘Place your hands upon the heart of Alonzo Stagg and take the oath of blood atonement. In so doing you will purge your ancestor of his shame and free all the Fords, living and dead, of the enmity that has cost them an afterlife in heaven.’
“We placed our hands on the bony chest and repeated the oath. As if we had a choice.”
Chapter 7
Emery, in another breach of Mormon edicts, had been drinking coffee from a thermos bottle all this time and called time-out for a bathroom break. I went over to the counter to see how Josie was faring.
“There was quite a rush for a while,” she reported. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. You might want to look at the fourteen-volume set of Oscar Wilde’s works that Kieran Hennessey brought in. It’s the 1908 limited edition signed by Robert Ross. Could be worth something.”
No kidding, I thought. Ross, the longtime editor and literary executor for Wilde, had secured the copyrights for the writer’s estate and was responsible for resurrecting his literary reputation. This extremely rare set was personally handed out by Ross to four hundred of Wilde’s friends at a banquet held eight years after the author’s lonely death in Paris. Depending on condition, it could be worth three thousand dollars.
“Also,” she said, “Muldoon wanted to know where you stood on Scottish independence.”
“Doesn’t he know they voted and his side lost?”
“Humor him. He’s in the medieval section.”
“Think I’ll take a peek at the Wilde books first,” I said.
I had just opened the first volume when Alice Winter charged into the store like a termagant from hell, scattering customers in her wake.
“A word, Bevan! I
demand
a word with you!”
I rushed from behind the counter.
“What in God’s name is the matter?” I whispered, sidling up to her. “You’re upsetting the clientele.”
“To hell with them. We have to get this settled.”
“Get what settled?”
“You know damn well. Your daughter, my
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