The Bone Puzzle

by Clayton E. Spriggs

  Shall we gather at the river…

  “So you admit that you and your group kidnapped the girls from Tennessee?”

  …where bright angel feet have trod?

  “I admit nothin’. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” Eustice turned towards the jury. “You’ve seen the poster with the vile fiend emblazoned so boldly upon it. Only a pitchfork and horns were missin’. The poor gypsy girl’s eternal life was at stake. Could I, a prophet of the most high, ignore her plight? Would not each of you have done the same for such a damsel in distress?”

  Yes, we’ll gather at the river…

  “You keep saying girl. There were two girls,” said Vaughan.

  …the beautiful, the beautiful river.

  “There was but one. The rest is more trickery of the Devil.”

  Gather with the saints at the river…

  “But I fear, lest by any means,” Eustice continued, “as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

  …that flows by the throne of God.

  “Two skeletons were found,” said Vaughan.

  “Lies!” Eustice shouted.

  On the margin of the river, washing up its silver spray…

  The preacher stared at the detective and pointed a finger at him. “You are of your father, the Devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginnin’ and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature. For he is a liar, and the father of lies.”

  …we will walk and worship ever, all the happy golden day.

  Eustice turned again and faced the jury. “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.”

  “Amen, Brother,” one of the men of the jury responded. Robert noted that three others nodded their heads in agreement.

  “This can’t be happening,” said Billy. “He’s admitting guilt.”

  “It’s not going to matter,” said Robert. He looked at Billy with disgust in his eyes. “He’s going to walk.”

  The beautiful, the beautiful river…

  “Lacey and Laura Henderson,” said Vaughan. “You killed them both and had them dismembered and thrown into the swamp. Didn’t you?”

  …that flows by the throne of God.

  “One girl!” insisted Eustice. “Bewitched by the Devil, she was! The wicked sorcerer, Villanova, had cast his spell on her. I was unable to exorcise the demon that possessed her. I tried, oh Lord, with all my heavenly might, but it was not meant to be. Beelzebub would not release her soul and snatched her away from my grasp. It was then that I saw the trap that had been set, so I did what I could to protect my flock from the world that could never understand. We were doin’ the Lord’s work! For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places!”

  Grace our spirits will deliver…

  “Two girls,” insisted Vaughan. “Twins. And you murdered them in cold blood.”

  …and provide a robe and crown.

  Eustice addressed the jury. “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil.”

  “Yes, Brother,” four of the jurists replied.

  “Oh my God!” said Billy. “They’re buying this crap.”

  “Fucking Alabama,” said Robert.

  Vaughan looked over at Robert and Billy, clearly distressed. The writing was on the wall. No matter what came out of Eustice Winchester’s mouth now, he was going to be a free man. There would be no consequences for his actions.

  “You had their corpses sawed into pieces and thrown into the swamp,” said Vaughan.

  Shall we gather at the river…

  “Satan had set his trap well. We hid what was left of the gypsy girl to confuse the Evil One, but alas, the Father of Lies is a clever one. The next mornin’ he resurrected her and had one of our own bring her back to cause confusion and tempt my flock into turnin’ from the narrow path. Not on my watch.”

  “Praise be!” someone shouted from the gallery. Murmurs of approval accompanied the outburst. The bailiff and judge ignored it, complicit in its implication.

  “My brothers,” Eustice addressed the jury, “remember the word of the Lord. And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the Devil, havin’ been held captive by him to do his will. You are all righteous, Christian men. You know what to do.”

  The courtroom erupted with a chorus of ‘Amen’ and ‘Glory be.’ Vaughan watched in horror when Judge Foley himself closed his eyes and lowered his head in prayer. He glanced at the jury to see the men holding hands and whispering prayers as if caught up in the Holy Spirit. Vaughan looked frantically at Robert and Billy. Watts appeared to be sick; Stallworth’s face was flushed with anger.

  Eustice sat back and smiled.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN

  Appalled at the maddening effect that the preacher’s words had on the jury, Vaughan pushed the only button he could think of. “Two girls.”

  “One,” Eustice replied, the twisted grin of victory on his face. “Resurrected by Satan, but sent back forever to the fiery pit of hell by the prophet of the Lord. Members of the jury, fear not. The Devil has done his best and been conquered by yours truly. Believe in me, and this mess will be put behind us forever. Let the dead rest in peace, and we’ll all find peace in return.”

  Shall we gather at the river… the angelic sounds of the chorus drifted in through the open window. Members of the audience began to sing along.

  …the beautiful, the beautiful river…

  Vaughan had nothing left. His shoulders fell in defeat as he turned and walked back to his table. Even Douglas Lee looked defeated, not comfortable with the win he’d acquired for his now undisputed guilty client.

  Gather with the saints at the river… By now the whole room, save for the two detectives and both attorneys, had joined in. Even the judge and bailiff sang along.

  …that flows by the throne of…

  Everyone stopped in midsentence as their eyes were drawn to the back of the room and the two people who now stood in the doorway. Vaughan looked up, his face a mixture of shock and jubilation. Robert and Billy turned around.

  “Claire!” said Billy.

  Robert smiled.

  At the rear of the packed courtroom stood two figures, hand in hand. One, an attractive woman with auburn hair and a pirate’s smile; the other, a girl dressed like a gypsy, identical in every way to the girl on the poster, and identical to the two girls whose bones lay upon the tarp in Dr. Hall’s back room.

  “This cannot be!” shouted Eustice. “You are dead! We killed you!”

  Douglas Lee sprung out of his chair. “Objection! Your Honor!”

  “Be gone, Satan!” Eustice continued to rant, foam spitting out of his mouth. “This cannot be! I saw you cut up with my own eyes! We buried you in the swamp! Go back to the depths of hell where we sent you!” He went into convulsions, his speech deteriorating into incoherent mumbling.

  “Order!” shouted Judge Foley to no avail. He looked towards the bailiff who seemed frozen into place, unable to move or take his eyes off of the reincarnated Gypsy girl standing at the rear of the room.

  “Your Honor,” pleaded Lee. He glanced towards the prosecutor and let his objection die in his throat. Vaughan was smiling. Lee looked over at Stallworth, who gave him a wink.

  Bailiff Tyndale was joined by one of the guards, and they forcibly removed Eustice Winchester from the room. The preacher was sobbing uncontrollably and shouting obscenities at invisible demons that only he could see. The rest of the courtroom was surprisingly silent, unable to process what had occurred just moments before.

  Soon our happy hearts will quiver, wit
h the melody of peace.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY

  The group waited in Vaughan’s office while the jury deliberated. They didn’t have to wait long.

  “How the hell did you find her?” asked Billy.

  “As Robert would say, I dazzled them with diligence, Mr. Watts,” said Claire.

  “I’m in awe of you, Miss Montgomery,” said Vaughan.

  “Why, thank you, darlin’.” Claire laughed as she took a bow.

  Robert said nothing, letting the big smile plastered across his face do his talking for him.

  “Cat got your tongue, darlin’?”

  “I would have never guessed in a million years,” Robert muttered.

  “That’s because you said they were twins. Whatever gave you that idea?” Claire responded.

  “Triplets?” said Dr. Hall. “Identical triplets? What are the odds?”

  “I’m sure they’re up there,” said Billy. “But how did you figure it out?”

  “There were three cribs at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, but only two girls. Something about it didn’t set well with me. That monster who ran things over there was peddling human babies. She had no conscience. My heart ached for all the parents who had been separated from their children. As hard as I tried, I was unable to do anything about it, but that didn’t stop me from trying.”

  “I’m sure it didn’t,” said Robert.

  “I eventually tracked the missing girl to Maryland. I must’ve looked like I’d seen a ghost when I first set eyes on her. Lucky for the sweet thing she’d found a good home.”

  “What’s her name?” Robert asked.

  “Lilah,” said Claire, “Lilah Dunlap. She didn’t even know she had sisters. Unfortunately, she’ll never get to meet them now.”

  “The gypsy costume was a nice touch,” said Billy.

  They laughed.

  A knock on the door interrupted their meeting. Vaughan’s secretary poked her head inside and announced, “The jury has reached a verdict.”

  The group made its way back to the courtroom. The gallery was still packed, but the crowd was subdued. An occasional banging drifted in from the open window, the sound of Reverend Beecher’s revival tent being dismantled. Gone were the fervent supporters of Brother Winchester. No one wanted a part in his evil doings anymore, lest the Devil come for them next.

  “All rise!” Bailiff Tyndale called out as Judge Foley took the bench.

  “Has the jury reached a verdict?” he asked.

  “We have, Your Honor,” said the foreman of the jury.

  He handed a piece of paper to Tyndale, who, in turn, handed it to the judge. Foley opened it and silently read the words before handing it back. The bailiff gave it to the foreman.

  “Would the jury please read the verdict,” said Foley.

  “We, the jury, find the defendant, Eustice Elijah Winchester, guilty on all charges.”

  Vaughan expected cries of dismay from the crowd, but none came. As far as the people of Pickens County were concerned, the sooner Winchester and his bunch were put away, the better.

  “What does the jury recommend for sentencing?” asked Foley.

  “The members of the jury are unanimous, Your Honor. We recommend the death sentence.”

  Judge Foley wasted no time in sentencing the preacher, eager to wash his hands of the whole mess. “I hearby reprimand the convicted to the Alabama Correctional Facility at Kilby State Prison, where he will be held until such time as his execution can take place. Mr. Winchester, do you have any last words you wish to say?”

  Brother Eustice looked pale and sickly. His knees buckled as he fought to stand and find the right words. He sobbed. “I, I, I was only doing the Lords work!” Tears fell down his cheeks as he threw himself on the floor in front of Judge Foley’s bench. “Mercy! Have mercy on me, I beg you! It wasn’t me. It was the others! Buck did it!”

  Bailiff Tyndale nodded to the guards who stood nearby. They made their way to retrieve the broken man, each grabbing one arm to pick him up from the floor.

  “It was Jeremiah and Junior!” Winchester pleaded with the jury. “I was only takin’ up for them because they’re my kids. You understand, don’t you? You can’t do this! You’ll pay for this! I’m a prophet of the Lord!”

  “Mr. Winchester, get a hold of yourself,” said the judge with disgust. “You’re becoming a spectacle. Have a modicum of dignity, for Christ’s sake.”

  “Blasphemy!” Winchester screamed. “You’ll all rot in hell!”

  “I sentence you to death by electrocution,” said Foley, clearly disgusted by the pathetic display. “May God have mercy on your soul.”

  “Sinner! You’re all goin’ to burn in hell!” Winchester yelled as he was dragged from the courtroom. He gave one more look over his shoulder and spotted Robert. “Satan! Father of Lies! You did this!”

  Robert looked at the distraught man and winked.

  “Classy,” whispered Billy.

  “He had it coming,” said Robert.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” said Claire.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE

  Eager to be finished with the sorrowful conclusion of the preacher’s trial, the crowd thinned out with the exception of the prosecution’s team. There was a lot of catching up to do, and it gave them time to decompress after the ordeal of the last six months.

  A solid hour passed before Stallworth and the group made their way out of the courthouse. Claire spotted a handsome young couple waiting under the shade of an oak tree next to the parking lot and guided Robert in their direction. Claire introduced Robert to Lilah and her parents. It was all the detective could do to keep from crying as he looked into the innocent face of the little girl. The only thing he knew about her sisters were the bones on the tarp in the back room of the medical examiner’s office. All three had been identical. Now he knew what they looked like before the boys from the Antioch Pentecostal Church had gotten hold of them. They were beautiful.

  Robert knelt down and addressed the child. “Your sisters were named Lacey and Laura, and they looked exactly like you. They were the bravest girls who have ever lived. I’m sorry that I couldn’t have been there for them when they needed me, but they left you something to remember them by.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved the plastic ruby that had once decorated the great magician’s turban. “I call it The Holy Relic. Without it, I never would’ve caught the monsters who did this. Your sisters were heroes.”

  Robert stood up and patted Lilah’s head before brushing away a tear from his eye. He thanked the girl’s parents and walked over to where Vaughan and the others waited, giving Claire time to say her goodbyes.

  “Did you just hand over state’s evidence to that girl?” asked Vaughan.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Robert replied.

  Vaughan shook his head, but his smile gave away his approval.

  Claire walked her guests to their car, then made her way to the others as they gathered on the courthouse steps.

  She retrieved a small box and card from her purse.

  “What’s that?” asked Dr. Hall.

  “It’s a gift for a special someone.”

  “Well, if you insist—” joked Billy.

  “Not you, darlin’. We all know who it’s for.”

  “Detective Stallworth, the Devil incarnate,” said Vaughan.

  Robert bowed. He took the box from Claire and began to open the card.

  “No, not yet,” she teased.

  Robert raised an eyebrow.

  “It’s to celebrate your big win, but you have to save it until all this is over.”

  “It is over. Winchester is going down,” Robert protested.

  “Not Winchester,” said Claire. She waved her arm in the direction of the courthouse. “All of this.”

  “Oh,” said Robert, dejected.

  Billy smiled and cleared his throat. Only then did the hidden meaning become clear to Robert.

  “Oh!” h
e said again, this time with exhilaration at the promise of a life together with his true love once his quest to catch evil men was a thing of the past.

  The group walked to Samson’s Bar and Grill and ordered a round of drinks to celebrate. The district attorney briefly excused himself to take a call, returning to the table with news of the latest developments.

  “Earl Barber has been arrested,” Vaughan announced.

  “It’s about time,” said Billy. “What’s going to happen to the rest of the boys?”

  “I’m expecting to hear from their lawyers anytime now,” said Vaughan. “They’ll be looking to cut some deals, but I’m not feeling overly generous at the moment.”

  “I figured as much,” said Billy. “With Eustice’s conviction, theirs is all but assured.”

  “What about Jeremiah?” asked Robert.

  “He hasn’t asked for a deal, but I believe, if he plays his cards right, we might be willing to cut him some slack,” said Vaughan. “He’s the only one of the bunch who showed remorse.”

  “There might be hope for the boy yet,” said Billy.

  A lone reporter approached the group, holding a large camera. “May we get a picture of the team that put the murderer away for the Alabama Star?”

  “Sure, but leave me out of it,” said Vaughan.

  “Are you sure? You’re the district attorney who defeated the great Douglas Lee. This might help you come election time,” said the reporter.

  “I’m not so sure about that. As much as I would like to, I can’t take any of the credit. Smile for the camera, Robert. It’s all yours.”

  “I’m out, too,” said Billy.

  “Me as well,” echoed Dr. Hall.

  “Come on now, I didn’t do any of this alone,” Robert protested.

  The men didn’t want to hear it. They shrugged and moved away.

  “Well, only if the delightful Miss Claire Montgomery stands with me,” said Robert.

  “Oh, I couldn’t, darlin’,” said Claire.

  “Nonsense,” said Robert. “That scumbag was laughing at us until you showed up. He was going to walk for sure.”

  “He’s right,” said Vaughan. The others nodded in agreement.