38
Six weeks later
Rutherford Nature Preserve and Open-Air Museum
Jonah Bell Historical Site and Rutherford-Jones Memorial
Micah led Bodhi past the cabin and the active dig site to the memorial.
“I thought it should be here, under the black cherry tree, because the spot meant something to both Davina and Alice,” Micah explained.
They stared down at the marble stone’s inscription together:
Alice Catherine Rutherford (1849-1871)
Davina Truth Jones (1988-2020)
History is a set of lies that people have agreed upon. Even when I am gone, I shall remain in people’s minds the star of their rights, my name will be the war cry of their efforts, the motto of their hopes.
Napoleon Bonaparte
“Interesting choice for an epitaph,” Bodhi observed without turning away from the small monument.
“Margot chose it.”
He cocked his head and turned to Micah. “Margot Sullivan?”
“Yeah. She paid, so she picked it. I did point out that Napoleon himself credited Voltaire with coinage, but she insisted.”
“It’s hard to picture her visiting her grandson in prison,” Bodhi mused.
Micah scoffed. “Come on, man. She’s Margot Rutherford Sullivan. Sully’s out on bond. He does have to wear an ankle bracelet, though.”
“Figures.”
“Margot is trying to make amends, though. She’s accepted that she can’t whitewash history. And she donated her ring and Alice’s brooch to the archives.”
“Wow. Wait—what about Davina’s necklace?”
“That one’s in legal limbo, I guess. Verna might have a claim to it after all. If not, it’ll always have a home with the archives. Really, those pieces belong here, but the history is … complicated.”
“And how’s your joint project with the Rutherford Museum going?”
“It’s promising. Bringing the relationship between Alice and Isaiah to light is a big deal. And having a partner at the Rutherford Museum who’s committed to not pulling any punches has made it really exciting. We’re going to tell the whole story—their love affair, the baby, Alice’s suicide, and Isaiah’s depression and self-exile. It’s going to be meaty.”
“Who’s your counterpart at the Sullivan? I assume Margot and Sully are a bit preoccupied with his legal problems.”
A broad grin split Micah’s face. “Believe it or not, Marvin Washington stepped up to fill the void. Turns out that guy loves history.” He glanced at his watch. “In fact, I have a meeting with him to discuss the potential of having the archives absorb the museum.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Margot plans to let the foundation dissolve on her death unless another female Rutherford turns up. We’d be interested in taking over the grounds and the assets. But it’s complicated.”
“I can only imagine.”
“I do have to run. But you should stay as long as you like.”
They shook hands.
“I’m just passing through. I had a layover in Huntsville and plenty of time, so I wanted to drop by and pay my respects.”
“Where are you headed?”
“I’m going to see Bette in Illinois.”
“Things are good?”
“Things are . . . complicated, but good.”
Micah nodded, apparently satisfied with the cryptic answer, and strode across the lawn to the museum. Bodhi stayed where he was.
Things were complicated. And they were good.
He bowed his head over Alice and Davina’s final resting place and closed his eyes to wish them peace. Then he pulled out his phone to let Jason know he was ready to return to the airport.
He was ready.
Ready to stop chasing after the past.
Ready to stop placing expectations on the future.
Ready to take each day as it came with a clear-eyed vision of the present, even if that meant telling Bette it drove him bonkers when she left the cabinet doors hanging open.
Author’s Note
Most of my Bodhi King novels are sparked by an astonishing scientific fact I stumble across. Not this one. I got the idea to write Cold Path while on a family RV trip.
Our destination was the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama (which, by the way, is fascinating!). We stayed way up in the mountains at Monte Sano State Park, which has miles of hiking trails, great stargazing, and friendly deer and is home to the North Alabama Japanese Garden.
As soon as I set foot in the garden, Bodhi’s destiny was sealed—he was coming to Alabama.
There’s a historical museum just down the mountain from the state park. We didn’t visit it. (After a few overzealous excursions, my kids have imposed limits on how many museums, art galleries, and science centers I can drag them to in a day.) But, wheels were turning.
Then I read an article about iron coffins, and we were off to the races! I can’t remember which article sparked the idea, but here’s a handful of sources (from least to most academic) that will give you a flavor:
“The Cast Iron Coffin That Was Too Creepy Even for the Victorians,” Allison Meier, Atlas Obscura (December 30, 2013)
“Iron Coffin Protected Century Old Life Story,” Boyce Rensberger, The Washington Post (April 9, 1988)
“The Man in the Iron Coffin: An Interdisciplinary Effort to Name the Past,” Douglas W. Owsley, Karin S. Bruwelheide, Larry W. Cartmell, Sr., Laurie E.Burgess, Shelly J. Foote, Skye M. Chang and Nick Fielder, Historical Archaeology, Vol. 40, No. 3, Remains of the Day: Forensic Applications in Archaeology (2006), pp. 89-108.
There’s also an episode of Secrets of the Dead: Unearthing History, titled “The Woman in the Iron Coffin,” which you can stream from PBS.
So, with a dead body dating back to the mid-1800s, it was time to do some historical research!
The character of Isaiah Matthew Bell is fictional, but I drew inspiration from these real-life Reconstruction Era African-American lawmakers from Alabama: Benjamin S. Turner; James T. Rapier; Jeremiah Haralson; and William Hooper Councill. There’s no way I can do justice to any of these men with a sentence or two, so please check out these short bios on the Alabama Humanities Foundation and Auburn University’s joint venture, the Encyclopedia of Alabama site, to learn about them:
Benjamin S. Turner
James T. Rapier
Jeremiah Haralson
William Hooper Councill
Lynchings were common in the South, and the victims were overwhelmingly black. These links contain some horrific descriptions and images, so please proceed with caution:
“Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror,” Equal Justice Initiative Report (3rd edition)
“History of Lynchings,” NAACP web page
So-called scalawags, carpetbaggers, and sympathetic Southern Republicans were threatened by the KKK and targeted with violence:
“A Prospective Scene in the ‘City of Oaks,’ 4th March 1896,” political cartoon, Tuscaloosa Independent Monitor (September 1, 1868)
“The Role of the Scalawag in Alabama Reconstruction,” Sarah Van voorhis Woolfolk, dissertation thesis, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (1965).
So, there you have it. Cold Path was inspired by a walk through a Japanese Zen garden.
Hang on, Don’t I Recognize Some of These People?
Yes, probably! The characters in my Bodhi King Forensic Thriller Series, Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller Series, and Aroostine Higgins Thriller Series all live in the same universe. So, from time to time, they will pop up in one another’s books, just like when you run into a neighbor at the grocery store or a coworker at your dentist’s office.
It’s on my list to create a comprehensive list or map of times when my characters run into each other. (Some day!)
For now, the characters in Cold Path who’ve appeared in other series are Eliza Rollins and Fred Bolton, who we meet in Calculated Risk (Aroo
stine Higgins No. 3).
And, as a second degree of separation, Bodhi and Aroostine go way back. All the way back to Sasha and Leo’s wedding in A Marriage of True Minds: A Sasha McCandless Novella (No. 2), where both Bodhi and Aroostine are guests at the ill-fated destination wedding turned hostage event.
Bodhi also appears in Improper Influence (Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller No. 5) and The Humble Salve: A Sasha McCandless Novella (No. 4).
And Aroostine pops up at the end of Inadvertent Disclosure (Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller No. 2) and Indispensable Party (Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller No. 4), as well as A Marriage of True Minds: A Sasha McCandless Novella (No. 2).
It’s an eventful shared universe, what can I say?
Thank You!
Thanks for reading Cold Path! Bodhi will be back in another adventure soon. While you wait, you can always find an up-to-date list of the titles in this series, as well as my other books, on my website: My Books
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Keep reading. Check out the first book in one (or all) of my other three series, available here:
Irreparable Harm (Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller No. 1):
Sasha’s a five-foot nothing attorney who’s trained in Krav Maga. She’s smart, funny, and utterly fearless. More than one million readers agree: you wouldn’t want to face off against her in court … or in a dark alley.
Critical Vulnerability (Aroostine Higgins Thriller No. 1):
Aroostine relies on her Native American traditions and her legal training to right wrongs and dispense justice. She’s charmingly relentless, always dots her i’s and crosses her t’s, and is an expert tracker.
Rosemary’s Gravy (We Sisters Three Humorous Romantic Mystery No. 1):
Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme are three twenty-something sisters searching for career success and love. Somehow, though, they keep finding murder and mayhem … and love.
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Also by Melissa F. Miller
I’ve written loads of books! Click any of the series titles below to see a complete list of books in that series.
The Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller Series
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The We Sisters Three Romantic Comedic Mysteries
Cold Path Page 18